Byera Hadley Report

7/22/2019 Byera Hadley Report

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PROXIMITYLINESTHROUGHTIME

BYERAHADLEYTRAVELLINGSCHOLARSHIPREPORT

byDAVIDNEUSTEIN

2003-2009

EYTRAVELLINGSCHOLARSHIPREP


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PROXIMITY1


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E n t i tl e d P r o xi m i t y , m y B y e r a H a d l ey T r a v el l i n g S c h ol a r s hi p s u b mi s s i on p r o po s e d a n

explorationofhowwe,inSydney,canadoptamoreassertiveapproachwhendesigningi n p r o xi m i t y t o o u r v a l ue d b u i ld i n gs 1 . W h i l e P r o x i m i t y w a s n o t p r e c i s e l y d efi n ed , t h e generalpremisewasthaturbanplacesthriveonvisualandspatialcompetitionbetweenbuildingsofdifferingperiodsandstyles.

T he c it y of S yd ney i s p r os per ou s, has a b eni gn c li mat e, f eat ur es s pec tac ul ar topographyandhasmany fineoldbuildings.HoweverinrecenttimesSydneyhasbeencharacterisedbyconservativearchitecturewhichre flectsadeeplyconservativesociety.W i th i c on i c s t ru c tu r es s u ch a s t h e O pe r a H o us e , H a rb ou r B r id ge a nd Q ue en V i ct o ri a B ui ld in g, t he re i s a s en se t ha t t he g en er al p ub li c i s h ap py e no ug h w it h t he p re se nt c h ar a ct e r o f S y d n ey a n d w i sh es t o p r e s er v e t h e c i ty r a th e r t h an r i sk i t s i m pr o ve me n t. LocalandStateGovernmentplannershaveactedindeferencetopublicsentiment,whichislargelywhy,thoughSydneyhasundergonenumerousdevelopmentsinrecentyears,theoutcomeisunfailinglyconservative.WhenarchitectRichardFrancis-JonesofFJMT

proposedavisuallyintenseadditiontotheMuseumofContemporaryArt;thejuryrejectedhisproposalonthebasisthatitsexpressionistnaturecompetedtoostronglywiththeOperaHouse.2Afterbriefmomentsofpublicexuberance,orderiscalmlyrestored. If Sydneys architectural mil ieu lar gely refl ec t s t h e d om i na nt c u lt u ra l /p ol i t ic a lp ar a di g m, w ha t t h en d i d P ro x im i ty s e ek t o d i sc o ve r ? T h e d ea t h t h is y e ar o f O pe r aH o u s e c r e a t o r , D a n i s h a r c h i t e c t J o e r n U t z o n , r e m i n d e d u s t h a t S y d n e y s g r e a t e s t a n d m o s t p r o g r e s s i v e b u i l d i n g w a s d e s i g n e d b y a n o u t s i d e r a n d i n d efianceofconservativesentiment.Likeartists,architectsoperatemoreeffectivelyfromtheperipheryratherthanf r om w i th i n t h e e s ta bl i sh m en t . P er h ap s t h is i s w h y, a s t h e p ub l ic s e ct o r h a s b ec o me i n c r ea s i ng l y p r i v a t i se d , t h e f o r m a l q u a l i t i es o f c i v i c b u i l d i ng s d e s i g ne d b y c o n t em p or a r y architectshavebeguntoappeardisturbinglyuniform.3

C it ie s a re f un da me nt al ly p la ce s o f t ra de . I n m od er n t im es t he t ra di ti on al s ta tu s

o f t h e c i t y a s a t r a de n o d e h a s b e e n o u t m o d ed b y a g l o ba l i s ed financialnetwork,whichhasseeminglyerodedtheoutwarddifferencesbetweencities.Atalocallevel,however,t h e f u n c ti o n i ng o f t h e c i t y h a s c o n t i n ue d u n i m pe d e d. T h e c i t y e x p r es s e s i t s s i g n ificancethroughtheexchangeofcommerce,politics,societiesandcultures,languagesandsigns.T h e d e n s i t y a n d d i v e r s i t y o f t h i s e x c h a n g e i s w h a t d efi n e s t h e v i t a l i t y o f t h e m e t r o p o l i s . Fromavisual/spatialperspective,thisexchangeisasreliantontheinputofminoritiesando u t s i d e r s a s i t i s o n t h e d o m i n a n t p a r a d i g m . A t t h e t u r n o f t h e m i l l e n n i u m , t h e i m a g e o f ArthurStaceschalkgraffitoemblazonedontheHarbourBridgewasapowerfulexpressionofthisphenomenon. H ow ev er , i n t he ur ba n d om ai n, co nt em po ra ry ar ch it ec tu re no t o nl y c on tr i bu te s t othecitysexchangeofvalues,butalsoemphasisesthecontinuityoftimeasacounterpoint

INTRODUCTION


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t o t h e d es t ab i li s in g f o rc e s o f M o de r ni t y .S p a ni s h t h i nk e r , I g n as i D e S o l - M o r al e s Rubi,theorisesthattheneedtorecogniseandisolatehistoricstratawasaby-product

o f M od er ni sm s d ia le ct ic al d efi

ni ti on o fnewnessandoldness.4Accordingly,newb u il d in gs [ h ad ] v a lu e o nl y t o t h e e x te n tt h at t h ey p r es e nt [ ed ] a c h al l en g e t o t h e

passingoftime.5

In his essay for The DoubleDimension: Heritage and Innovation, t h el a te N e vi l le Q ua r ry a s ke d; D oe s h i st o ry begin and end, and peter out somet i me i n b et we en ? 6 The appar ent r if tb e t w e e n b y g o n e a g e s a n d t h e p r e s e n t i s

a c o n s t r u c t i o n o f M o d e r n i t y , e m b o d i e d i n Sydneybytheunsympathetictreatmentofthecityscolonialsandstoneinfrastructureb y i t s i nt er na ti on al i st s ky sc ra pe rs , a nd subsequently inthezealousover-prot ectionandembalmingofhistoricfabric.Whilstold

buildingsremindusoftheworthofbygoneages,newbuildingsembodyourhopesforthefuture.Weneedboth:memoriesofthep a s t a n d d r e a m s o f t h e f u t u r e , i n o r d e r t o aspiretoanythingbetter.Whatarecitiesifnotcollectiveplacesofaspiration? W ha t P ro xi mi t y w as r ea ll y co nc er ne d wi th w as t he i nt er ve nt i on 7 :averyspecifict y p e o f p r o j e c t i n w h i c h a n a r c h i t e c t i s r e q u i r e d t o a d d t o a n e x i s t i n g h i s t o r i c b u i l d i n g - o r c re at e a n ew i nfi l l b ui l di n g - w i th i n a n e x is t i ng h i st o ri c s t re et s ca pe . C on c en t ra t in gi s s u es o f v a l u e e x c h an g e a n d h i s t o r i c al c o n t i n ui t y i n a s i n gl e b u i l t e n v el o p e, t h i s t y p e o f projectgenerallyattractstheutmostinterestanddebate.Theongoingtransformationoft h e h e r i t a g e - l i s t e d M u s e u m o f C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t , w h i c h h a s t o d a t e e x h a u s t e d a s c o r e o f a r c h i t e ct u r a l d e s i gn s , i s a n e x e m pl a r o f t h e c o n t r ov e r s y w h i c h o f t en a c c o m p an i e s a n

attemptatintervention.8

Whi lst my proposal began by procl aiming that we in Sydney should buil d

i m p or t a n t p u bl i c b u i l d i n gs i n p r o xi m i t y t o o n e a n ot h e r 9

,

t h e s t u d y w a s i n f a c t i n t e n d e d toencouragethefrequencyandqualityofinterventionscarriedoutinSydney.HoweverS o l - Mo r al e s R u bi w a rn s a ga i ns t a n y a t te m pt t o e s ta b li s h e mp i ri c al p r in c ip l es : T he relationshipbetweenanewarchitecturalinterventionandalreadyexistingarchitectureisaphenomenonthatchangesinrelationtotheculturalvaluesattributedbothtothemeaningofhistoricarchitectureandtotheintentionsofthenewintervention,hewrites.Henceitisanenormousmistaketothinkthatonecanlaydownapermanentdoctrineorstilllessa s c i e n t ifi c d efi n i t io n o f a r c hi t e c tu r a l i n t e r ve n t i on . W h a t i s c l e a r i s t h a t a n i n t e r v en t i o n mustbecarriedoutusingcontemporarytechniques,materialsandidioms.Anyattemptedrecreationofhistoricmotifsorstylesinevitablysimpli fiesandabstractsthehistoricalperiod

FJMTMCA P ro p o sa lh ttp ://www.b u tte rp a p e r.co m/va n illa /e xte n sio n s/In lin e Ima g e s/ima ge .p h p ? A tta ch me n tID=8 5


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whichthearchitecthasattemptedtoreplicate.Or,aswriter/curatorPeterEmmettsuccinctlyputsit;aprojectionintothefutureisasabstractasaprojectionintothepast.1 0

WhenIproposedmyresearchtopicfortheByeraHadleyTravellingScholarship,itseemedt h a t A u s tr a l i an a r c hi t e c t ur e h a d r e a ch e d a n i m p as s e . T h e f o r c es o p po s i n g a d v en t u ro u s

architectureincloseproximitytohistoricbuildingsfaroutweighedanenterprisingfewwhochampionedsuchwork.Withinafewmonthsin2003,severalhighpro filepublicprojectsbecamecasualtiesofcommunityandgovernmentbacklash.AsanarchitecturestudentandSydneyresident,whywasIsodismayedbythesedevelopments?


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CONTEXT

Aquickglancethroughahistorybookonalmostanycitywillrevealgrainyblackandwhite

p h o to g r ap h s d e p ic t i n g m a gn ifi c e nt b u i l di n g s l o n g s i n c e d e m ol i s h ed . T h e r e p l ac e m en t o f h i s t o r i c f a b r i c w i t h n e w i s b y n o m e a n s a m o d e r n p h e n o m e n o n : T h e V a t i c a n b u i l t i t s m o n um e nt s u s i ng s t o ne e x t r ac t e d f r o m R o m an t e m pl e s . M u s so l i n i s R o m e b u l ld o z ed c e nt u ri e s- o ld s t r uc t ur e s t o m ak e w a y f o r g r an d b ou l ev a rd s . I n t h e p as t 3 5 y e ar s t h e

H e r i t ag e m o v em e nt h a s c o n so l i d at e d f r o m i n t e ll e c t ua l f r i n ge t o p o l i ti c a l e s t a bl i s h me n t i n a g e n er a l a t t e m pt t o h a l t t h e t h o ug h t l es s e r a s u r e o f h i s t o r i c b u i l di n g s . D i s s at i s f ac t i o nw i t h t h e 2 0 t h C e n t u ry s p r o g r am o f p o s t- w a r r e b u il d i n g h a s p l a n te d a d e ep s u s p i c i on i n t h e m i n d s o f m o s t a e s t h e t e s , i r r e s p e c t i v e o f t h e m o d e r n m a s t e r p i e c e s w h i c h e m e r g e d fromthisperiodofdestructionandregrowthalongsideincalculablenumbersoffacelessindustrialedifices. Yet t he pr es er va ti on of hi st or ic f abr ic i s par adox ic al ly mor e s tr ai ght for war d i nWesternEuropethanitisinSydney,wherepropertyprices,harbourviews,andathoroughlycontemporarystrainofconservatismtendtopervertissuesofHeritage.WhilestSydneyhas

beenthesiteofhumanoccupationforapproximately60,000years,itsearliestsurvivingbuildingsdatefromthecolonialperiodoftheearly19thcentury.WhenviewedinrespectofEuropesmillennia-oldcities,thehysteriaattachedtohistoricprotectioninSydneyseemedabsurd.Ina2003SydneyMorningHeraldarticle,thelateHarrySeidlerwrote:

whatpredomi natesi nourrestri cti verul emaki ngi stheobsessi onwi thheri tage.Thi s

doesnotemergei nEuropeancountri eswherepeopl el i vewi thsuperbmonumentsof

t h e p a s t . T h e y e n c o u r a g e t h e b e s t n e w d e s i g n t o s t a n d n e x t t o t h e b e s t o f p a s t e r a s .

Progressandencouragementtobui l dthebestoftodayi sunencumberedi ncontrastto

ourprocedure1 1

S e i dl e r b e l i ev e d t h a t t h e r e w a s

a l ot m or e b ei ng p ro te ct ed i nS yd ne y t ha n t he re s ho ul d b e, a n d t h at p r ot e ct i on o f te n d oe s nothappenfortherightreasons,orintherightway.

Th e 1 9 7 2 d emo litio n o fth e P ru itt-Ig o e h o u sin g pro je ctwa scla ime d b yCha rle sJe n cksa sthe d e a th o fMo de rn A rch ite ctu re

http://pomo2009. file s.wo rd p re ss.co m/2 0 0 9 /0 4 /p i-fa llin g 1 .jp g


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FEDERATIONSQUARE,MELBOURNE

In2003MelbournesFederationSquareopenedtothepublic.Thebuildinghadendureda t o rt u ro us p r oc e ss t o c o mp l et i on , w e ll d oc u me n te d o n fi l m . T h i s i n c l ud e d n u me r o us f o r c ed r e d e s i gn s , t h e a d d i t i on o r s u b tr a c t i on o f k e y p r o g r am m at i c e l e m e nt s , a s p i r al l i n g

budgetand,significantlyformystudy,abattlewiththeCityCouncilandcommunityoverthebuildingsrelationshiptotheadjacentStPaulsCathedral.CalledtheNorthernShardbyarchitectsLAB,thenorth-westerncornerofthebuildingwasultimatelygreatlyreducedinheightanddemotedfromadramatictowerwhichframedtheelevationoftheCathedral,

t o a s m al l e nt r an c e v e st i bu l e f o r a n u nd er g ro un d i n fo r ma t io n c e nt r e.1 2 A cc or di ng t oNevill e Quarr y, this change auguredw o rs e f o r t h e C a th ed r al t h an t h e S q ua r ei t se l f. I ns t ea d o f b e in g b r ou g ht i n to t h ec om mu ni ty o f b ui ld in gs t ha t c on st i tu te dF ed er at io n S qu ar e a nd i ts s et ti ng , h ew ro te , th e C at he dr al s p ro te ct or s h ad m an ag ed i s m ar gi na li za ti on .1 3 Des pi tethese setbacks, Federation Squar e

h as a rg ua bl y b ec om e A us tr al ia s m os tsignificantculturalbuildingsincetheOperaH o u s e . B o r d e r i n g a h i s t o r i c a l l y s i g n ificantandvisuallyprominentsectionoftheYarraRiver,theSquareopposesthemagni ficent1 9 t h c e n tu r y F l i n de r s S t r e et S t a t io n . T h e elaboratefaadesofthenewbuildingstandinvibrantoppositiontothe finesandstoneo r n a m e n t a t i o n o f t h e C a t h e d r a l . A s b u i l t , [ the f ac ade s] ar e as r ic h i n mat er ial sa nd a r ti c ul a ti o n a s a n yt h in g e v er b ui l t i n Melbourne.1 4

Fe d e ra tio n S qu a re co mp a ra tive ima g e s.No rth e rnS h a rd a sb u iltsh own a b o ve ,o rig in alS h a rd p ro p o salb e lo wh ttp ://b p 1.b lo g g e r.co m/_kLL e Y e Qq t8 M/S Hn 5 0 rm0 iL I/A AA A A A A A CA o/g 6 M4 ilTRlGU/s8 0 0 /L A B stP a u l%2 7sCo u rt.jp g

Fe d e ra tio n S qu a re b yL A B ,viewto Ca th e d ra lh ttp ://th e zo n e .fire wa ve .co m.au /th e zo n e /ima g e s/g a rb a ge /4 0 3 .jp g


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MUSEUMOFCONTEMPORARYART,SYDNEY

FederationSquaresopeninginvitedrefl

ectiononthefailuretwoyearsbeforeofthesecondinternationalcompetitiontoextendandre-imageSydneysMuseumofContemporaryArt.WritingfortheHerald,ElizabethFarrellyprovidesaneatsummaryoftheoutcomesofthetwocompetitions:

Th e M CA s fi rs t i nt er na ti on al c om pe ti ti on , w it h c in em at he qu e, w as w o n i n 1 99 7 b ydi sti ngui shedJapanesearchi tectKazuyoSej i ma,whodesi gnedagl owi ngwhi tel i ghtbox

o f t h e k i n d t h a t h a s b e c o m e h e r s i g n a t u r e . T h e n s o m e o n e d i s c o v e r e d S y d n e y s o l d e s t

wharvesdottedunderthesi te...Thesecondcompeti ti on,al somi tci nematheque,wenti n

2001todi sti ngui shedBerl i narchi tectsSauerbruchHutton.Thei rtwoschemes-conformi ng

a n d n o n - c on f o r mi n g - w e r e a l s o o f t h e g l o w i n g l i g ht - b o x v a r ie t y , o n l y m o r e o u t - t h e r e a n d

lessserenethanSejimas.MoreGerman,Iguess,lessJapanese.ThenBobCarrpulledthemoneyrugoutfromunderandthat,shewrote,wasthat.1 5

I n c o nt r as t t o F ed er a ti o n S q ua r e s j o yo us l y d i sc o rd a nt f a a di s m, t h e a lm os t l i t er a ll y featureless1 6schemesbySejimaandSauerbruchHuttonwerestilldeemedtooextremef or t he ir h er it ag e s et t in g a nd c on se qu en tl y c ou ld n ot a tt ra ct f un di ng . A k ey p oi nt o f

contentionwaswhethertheMCAspremises,aformerMaritimeServicesBoardbuildingc o n st r u c t ed i n 1 9 52 , w a s d e s er v i n g o f h e r i t a ge p r o t e c t io n o v e r a n d a b o v e t h e n e e d s o f thenewinstitution.ThedecisiontopreservetheWorldWarII-eraArtDecoedifice,(whichitselfhadreplacedColonelFoveauxsconvict-builtCommissariatBuilding) 1 7,wasupheldirrespectiveofsignificantfunctionalshortfalls.

S a u e rb ru ch Hu tto n sMCA P ro p o sa lh ttp ://www.sa ue rb ru ch h u tton .d e /ima g e s/mca_syd n e y_e n .p df


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S e jima sMCA P ro p o sa l

h ttp ://www.b u tte rp a p e r.co m/van illa /e xte n sio n s/In lin e Ima g e s/ima ge .p h p ? A ttach me n tID=8 4

T w o v e ct o rs e me r ge d f r om t h is p er i od o f d e b a t e . I f S e i d l e r w a s r i g h t , I w o u l d n e e d t o v i si t E ur o pe i n o r de r t o g ai n h i st o ri c al perspectiveonSydneysheritageconcerns.

T o f ol l ow h is a rg um en t, t he c it y w it h t he greatestmonumentsfrompasteraswouldalsocontainthebestdesignsofthepresent.W i th i t s r i ch ne s s o f h i st o ri c a r ch i te c tu r e,

f ro m E tr us ca n t o N eo -C la ss ic al , R om ew ou ld b e t he i de al c it y o n w hi ch t o t es tS ei d le r s h y po t he s is . O n t h e o t he r h an d ,i n Mel bo ur ne pr og res si ve at ti tu des t oh e r it a g e c o u ld a p p ar e n tl y b e f o u nd m u c hc lo se r t o h om e. C on se qu en tl y m y t ra ve lp l an i n vo l ve d a s t ud y o f E u ro pe an c i ti e s,

f o cu s in g o n R o me , b e fo r e a r e tu r ni n g t o evaluaterecentprojectsinMelbourne.


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EUROPEANTRAVELS

ROME

Romewasindeedagoodplacetocommencemystudy.GuidedbyexpatriateMelbournea r c hi t e c t C a r l P i c k er i n g , I d i s c ov e r e d t h e C a s te l l o S t A n g el o , a n d t h e T e a tr o M a r ce l l o ,keyexamplesofhistoricbuildingswhichhadbeenmodi fiedcontinuouslythroughseveral

differenteras.HoweveruponmyarrivalinRomeitwasapparentalmostimmediatelythatS e i dl e r s t h e o r y w a s n o t a p p li c a bl e h e r e . A t t h e t i m e , R o me c o n t a in e d v e r y f e w w o r k s o f c o n te m po r a r y a r c hi t e c tu r e . T h e c o n ce n t ra t i o n o f m o de r n b u i l d i n gs i n c r ea s e d t h e f u r t h e r onemovedfromthehistoriccentre.AtthenorthernedgeofthehistoriccentreandontherightbankoftheRiverTiber,RichardMeiersAraPacisMuseumwasunderconstruction.Alittlefurthernorth,workhadjustcommencedonZahaHadidsMuseoNazionaleDelleArtiDelXXISecolo. Alt hough c ontemporary edifi c e s w e r e a b s e n t f r o m R o m e s c o r s o s a n d p i a z z a s , a no th er m or e s ub tl e t ra ns fo rm at io n o f t he u rb an f ab ri c w as t ak i ng p la ce . S ca ff ol ds ,

c o ns t ru c ti o n s h ee t in g a nd a dv e rt i si n g h o ar d in g s c l oa k ed m u ch o f t h e c i ty , r e ve al i ng t h e c o n t i n u o u s p r o g r a m o f r e s t o r a t i o n r e q u i r e d t o s u s t a i n o n e o f E u r o p e s m o s t v i s i t e d a t tr a ct i on s . A l be i t t e mp or a ry , t h e i n fr a st r uc t ur e o f r e st o ra t io n e f fe c te d a m or e r a di c al t r a ns f o r ma t i on o f a n c ie n t m o nu m e nt s t h a n a n y a r c hi t e c tu r a l i n t e rv e n ti o n w o u ld d a r e. A fellowarchitecturestudentwhocametovisitmeduringmystayinItalywasdismayedtodiscoveranenormousrotatingscaffoldhousedwithinHadriansPantheon,obscuringtheeffectoftheperfectlysphericaltempleanditscelestialoculus. R om e s m un ic ip al a u th or it ie s c le ar ly a p pr oa ch t h e h is to ri ca l c it y a s a c o nt in ua lprojectofexcavation,improvementandrestoration.Thepressureoftouristexpectationso u t we i g hs a t t e m pt s t o p r o v i d e n e w i c o n s . I f o u n d t h a t b y e x a m i ni n g t w o h i s t or i c a n d t w o thenunbuiltcontemporaryprojects,muchcouldbegleaned.

CASTELLOSTANGELO

BuiltasEmperorHadrianstombcirca135-139,theCastelloStAngelocomprisesanimmensecircularplinthoriginallysurmountedbyafunerarymonumentofchariotsandCypruspines.Agentlyslopingspiralramp,punctuatedby20metrehighlightshafts,eventuallyarrivesa t t h e g a p i n g h o l l o w c o r e o f t h e p l i n th . A n g l e d s k y l i gh t s d r a m at i c a ll y i l l u m i n at e t h e w a l l s andfloorofthevoid,whichcontains(somewhere,inthevastmurkydarknessbelow)theashesofHadrian,hisfamily,andsuccessiveRomanemperors.Therampstraightensandascendsthroughthecentreofthecoretowardstheroofoftheplinth.PriortocompletionoftheMonumentoNazionaleaVittorioEmanuelleIIin1935,CastelloStAngelowasRomest a l l es t b u i l d in g . T h e h i g h v a n t a g e p o i n t o f t h e C a s t e l l o w a s t r a n s f o r me d i n t o a f o r t r e ss i n


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t h e y e a r 4 0 1 d u r in g t h e d e c l i ne o f t h e R o m an E m p i r e . R e m a r k a bl y , a l t h o ug h t h e m a r b l ec l a dd i n g a n d s t a t u a r y o f t h e t o m b w e r e s t r i p p ed , a c i r c ul a r r a m p ar t w a s b u i l t a r o u n d t h e plinth,andbattlementsconstructedabove,theinternalspaceswerepreserved.Graduallydefensivetowerswereerectedatfourcornersofthecircularrampartandaseriesofroomsw a s i n s t a l l e d o n t h e t o m b s fl a t r o of . T he f o rt r es s b ec a me a P a pa l h i d e ou t i n t h e 1 4 th century,withPopeNicholasIIIconstructingthePasettodiBorgo,alongcorridorprotectedw i t h a r a m p a r t e d w a l l , b e t w e e n t h e C a s t e l l o a n d t h e V a t i c a n . T h e r e i g n s o f s u c c e s s i v e

popessawmoreroomsaddedtothecomplex.CelebratingtheendofthePlague,alargegold-platedangel,symbolicprotectorofthecity,wasinstalledontheroofofthecomplex,visiblefrombeneaththeoutermostwall.

Intheprefacetohisfamoustome,TheLivesoftheArtists,GiorgioVasariwrites:

i n o r d e r t o b u i ld c h u r ch e s f o r t h e u s e o f t h e C h r i s t ia n s , n o t o n l y w e r e t h e m o s t h o n o u r e d

templ esofthei dol sdestroyed,butinordertoennobl eanddecorateSai ntPetersmorethan

i t t h e n p o s s e s s e d , t h e y t o o k a w a y t h e s t o n e c o l u m n s f r o m t h e t o m b o f H a d r i a n , n o w t h e

castl eofSantAngel o,aswel l asmanyotherthi ngswhi chwenowseei nrui ns.1 8

TheCastelloStAngelosurviveditsuseasaquarryonlybecausenumerousgenerationsofRomanoccupierssawstrategicvalueinthebuildingslocationandscale.Todaythereis

acompellingtensionbetweenthepurecylindricalvolumeoftheplinthandtheorthogonalc l us t er o f t h e P a pa l /f o rt r es s c o mp l ex a bo v e. B e ca u se g r av i ty r e st r ic t ed t h e a dd i ti o na l b u i ld i n gs f r o m o v e rs t e pp i n g t h e l i m i t s o f t h e t o m b s r o o f , t h e j u m b l ed c o m p l e x s e e ms t o emphasisethesolidityofthebase.TheretentionoftheCastelloasaforti fiedandprotecteds i te i n vo l ve d t h e u s e o f t h e h ol l ow p l in t h a nd i t s a s ce nd i ng r a mp a s a m ec h an i sm o f defensive,whichisperhapswhytheinteriorwasneverfilledinnorrepurposedforhousingorstorage.Maintainingitsscaleandenshriningitssacredspatialsequence,theresultofthecontinuousmodificationoftheCastellohasbeenthepreservationofthetombsphysical

integrityandculturalsignifi

cance.

Ca ste lS tA n g e lohttp://image24.webshots.com/25/2/33/74/35423374ghKoFF_fs.jpg


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TeatroMARCELLO

T he T ea t ro M ar c el l o, o r M ar c el l us T h ea t re , h as s u rv i ve d a s e qu en c e o f r e gi m es a n dmodifi c a t i o n s e v e r y b i t a s t u m u l t u o u s a s t h e C a s t e l l o . C o m m i s s i o n e d b y J u l i u s C a e s a r

andcompletedbyhissuccessorAugustusin12BC,theTeatroprefi

guredtheColosseum.LiketheColosseum,theTeatroisanamphitheatrewithanellipticalplan.Atgroundlevel,w i de b r ic k a r ch es a nc h or t h e s t ru c tu r e a nd c r ea t e o p en i ng s f o r p ub l ic e g re s s. A s t h ey ascendthefaadeinstackedtiers,thesearchesgraduallybecomemoreslenderbuilding

e l e me n t s w i t h s m a ll e r o p en i n gs . T h e a r c h it e c t ur a l s t y l e a n d c o n st r u c t io n o f t h e T e at r o w o u ld m a k e p o s s ib l e t h e s c a l e a n d d r a m a o f t h e C o l o s s eu m . W i t h t h e f a l l o f t h e E m p i r e i n t h e e a r l y m i d d l e a g es , t h e b u i l d i n g c e a s e d t o b e u s e d a s a t h e at r e . L i k e t h e C a s t e ll o , t h e T e a t r o b e c a m e a f o r t r e s s , c o n s t r u c t e d b y t h e F a b i i t o d e f e n d R o m e a g a i n s t h o s t i l e elementsacrosstheRiverTiber.Rampartsreplacedthetoptierofarchesandseating.Thevolumeofthetheatrewasdrasticallymodi fiedtoaccommodatetroopsandsupplies,andbattlementswereadded.Despitethesechanges,thepurityofthebuildingsexternalform

endureduntiltheincumbentPopeorderedpartofthetravertine-cladexteriorstrippedforb u i l di n g m a t e ri a l . T h e m a i n e l e v at i o n t o t h e s t r e e t w a s r e t a i n ed , b u t m o s t o f t h e e x t e ri o r w a s d e m o l i s h e d a n d a m a s s i v e m a s o n r y w a l l c o n s t r u c t e d i n i t s p l a c e , o b s c u r i n g m u c h ofthestructure.Inthe16thcentury,astheRenaissancebroughtmorepeacefultimestoRome,theOrsiniresidencewasconstructedinplaceoftheramparts.Designedbyartist/architect,BaldassonePeruzzi,theresidencebestrodetheruinedtheatrelikeagrandvilla

onahilltop,sympatheticallyreplicatingthecurveoftheremnantarchesbelow. T od ay th e f or me r g lo ry of th e T ea tr o i s d im in is he d. On ly a q ua rt er of th e o ri gi na lb ui l di n g s c i rc u mf e re nc e i s v i si b le , a nd t h at q u ar t er h as b ee n s t ri p pe d o f i t s c l ad di n g, c h i p p e d a w a y , e r o d e d b y t i m e a n d c o a t e d i n b l a c k g r i m e f r o m t h e c a r e x h a u s t f u m e s o f themoderncity.Howeverthisdisrespectshowntothepasthas-somewhatperversely-resultedinafascinatingarchitecturalformwhichexpressesthecontinuityofancientRomei n t o t h e p r e s e nt . T h e T e a t r o i s a n a m al g a ma t i o n o f R o m a n , m e d i e va l a n d R e n ai s s a nc e

Te a ttro Ma rce lloh ttp ://u p lo ad .wikime d ia .o rg /wikip ed ia /co mmo n s/4 /45 /Ro ma Te a troMa rce llo 0 1 .JP G


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c o n st r u c t io n s ; a s e r i e s o f c l e a r l y v i s i b l e a r c h ae o l og i c al s t r a t a w h i c h n a r ra t e t h e s t o r y o f theplace,andindeedofhistoricRomeitself.Likelivingcoral,theporousconstructionofthetheatrebecamefoundationmaterialforotherformsoflife.Nowdividedintonumerousa p a rt m e nt s , P e r uz z i s s y m pa t h et i c a l ly a p p oi n t ed r e s i de n c e c o n ti n u es t o h o us e R o m an

occupants.Hereandthereonecanmakeoutatelevisionaerial,asatellitedish,orcolouredgarmentshangingfromawindow.

MUSEONAZIONALEDELLEARTDELXXISECOLO

Abusyconstructionsiteatthetimeofmyvisit,ZahaHadidsMuseoNazionaleDelleArtiD e l X X I S e c o l o ( N a t i o n a l M u s e u m o f A r t o f t h e T w e n t y - F i r s t C e n t u r y ) , o r M A X X I , i s s t i l l y e t t o o p e n * . L o c at e d i n t h e m a i n l y r e s i d en t i al a r e a n o r t h o f P i a z z a D e l P o p o l o, w e s t o f R e n z o P i a n o s a u d i t o r i u m p a r k , t h e s i t e i s u n a s s u m i n g . T h e r e a r e n e i t h e r m o n u m e n t s o r r u i n s n e a r b y . S t i l l , t h e s i t e i s b o r d e r e d o n a l l s i d e s b y p r e - 1 7 t h c e n t u r y b u i l d i n g s . 3 D computerrenderingsofHadidscompetition-winningproposalrevealacomplexnetwork

ofinterlacedvolumeszigzaggingacrossthesitelikeanabove-groundcablenetwork.Thesurroundinghistoricbuildingsarenotshowninthecompetitionimages,suggestingthatthecontrastwiththephysicalcontextwouldbepronounced.Howeveroninspectionthe firstthingapparentisalargesectionofretainedfaadefromahistoricstreet-frontingbuilding.ThefaadeofthenewMuseumshrinksbehindthisproppedrelic.Itisapparentthatthew i dt h a n d h e i gh t o f t h e n ew f a a de h av e b e e n m i ni m is e d i n d e f er e nc e t o t h e s c al e o f

t h e o l d . T h i s i s n o t t h e u s u a l a p p r o a c h t a k e n b y a n a r c h i t e c t k n o w n f o r d r a m a t i c u r b a n transformationssuchasthePhaenoScienceCentreandtheCincinattiContemporaryArtM u s e u m , r a t h e r t h a n f o r c a m o ufl a g e d i nfi l l d e v e l o pm e nt s . T h e s t r e et s c a pe r e s po n s e i s almostapologetic.Theappropriatenessofretaininghistoricfaadesasscenography,liketwo-dimensionalstagesetprops,isquestionable.Thenominalretentionoffaadedoesn o t s a t i s fy t h e h o l i s t i c a i m s o f p r o mo t i n g c o n t i n ui t y o f u s e f o r t h e e x i s ti n g h i s t or i c f a b r i c .Toborrowananalogyfromwildlifepreservation,ithasmoretodowiththefurrierthantheanimalsanctuary.* I b e l i e v e H a d i d h a s b e e n w a i t i n g f o r t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f m y B y e r a H a d l e y T r a v e l l i n g S c h o l a r s h i p report.

Re n d e re d vie wofZa h a Ha d id sMuse o Na zio n a le De lle ArtiDe lX X IS e co loh ttp ://fa rm3 .sta tic.flickr.com/2326/2082576957_5cd8569a52_o.jpg


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ARAPACIS

A l s o u nfi n i s h e d a t t h e t i m e o f m y v i s i t , R i c h a r d M e i e r s A r a P a c i s M u s e u m p r o m i s e d t o b e t h e fi r st m od e rn b ui l di n g t o r i s e i n R o m e s h i st o ri c c e n t re s i nc e t h e d ay s o f B e n i to

Mussolini,1 9

acomparisonwhich,ifunfl

attering,hassinceprovenapt.TheAraPacisisasacrificialstonealtardedicatedtopeacebytheall-conqueringEmperorAugustusin9BC.ItwasrelocatedfromRomesoutskirtstoitscurrentsiteinthe1930sasthecentrepieceofaFascist-erapiazza,andinstalledinapaviliondesignedbyVittorioMorpurgo.Thisgradually

disintegrateduntilitsreplacementbecameamatterofurgency.In1995,Americanarchitect,RichardMeier,wasinvitedtodesignthealtarsnewhome.Essentiallyamodernistglass,steelandwhitemarblevitrine,Meiersmuseumwassavagedbycriticsuponitsunveilingin2006.Criticalreactiontothefinishedbuildingwillbediscussedlaterinmyreport.AtthetimeofmyvisittheAraPaciswaslittlemorethanintriguingconstructionsite,oneofmanyscaffoldsshroudingcentralRome. I n 20 04 , af te r a mo nt h of wa nd er i ng t he s tr ee ts o f Ro me f ro m, q ui te l it er al ly , da wn

tildusk,Ifeltquiteremotefrommysubjectofinquiry.Ihadfoundtwointriguingexamplesofbuildingsmodifiedbysuccessiveinterventions.Howevertheseexamplescouldhardlyb e c a l l e d c o n t e mp o r ar y . T w o c o n te m po r a r y b u i l di n g s w e r e u n d e r c o n s t r uc t i o n i n R o m e , b ut n ei t he r w o ul d b e s u f fi c i en t l y c o m pl e t e d u r i ng m y s t a y t o e n ab l e i n v es t i g at i o n. T h e R o m e - b a s e d a r c h i t e c t s I m e t d u r i n g t h i s t i m e , C a r l P i c k e r i n g a n d M a s s i m i l i a n o F u k s a s , recommendedthatIlookelsewhereforexamplesofinterventions.Thispromptedaperiod

ofimmenselyenjoyablebutonlyvaguelydirectedwanderingsaroundthecitiesofWesternEurope.FromMilantoParis,BarcelonatoGraz,toVeniceand finallybacktoRome,thearcofmytravelseventuallyleadmetotherevelatoryprojectsofCarloScarpaandEnricMiralles,whichinspiredtheessayincludedinthisreport.

MILAN

I n c o n t r a s t t o R o m e , M i l a n i s fi l l e d w i t h n u m er o u s m o d er n a g e b u i l d i n gs . H o w e v e r , w i t h t h e p o s si b l e e x c ep t i o n o f a n i n t r i gu i n g u n i ve r s i t y f a c ul t y r e c en t l y c o m pl e t e d b y G r a f to n Architects,theseinsertionsintoMilanshistoricfabricareinscrutable,industrial-eraedi fices,character isedbyblankfacadesoftraditionaldarkMilanesestone.BBPRsimposingVelascaToweristheexception,somehowbothmenacingandwhimsical,anapartmenttowerblock

withanoverhanginguppervolumesupportedonmedieval-styleconcretebuttresses.Likethecityitself,IfoundMilansarchitectsremoteandunapproachable,andsolearnedlittleabout

prevailingattitudestocontemporaryarchitecture.HoweverwhatbecameapparentwasthattherelativeproliferationofModernbuildingshadmuchmoretodowiththeimperativetorebuildthebombedcityinthepostwarperiod,thananyplannedprogramofarchitecturalprogression.PapalintercessionhadsparedRomefromwidespreadbombing.


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PARIS

Parisyieldedfarmoreaccessibleexamplesofcontemporaryinterventions,foremostamongt h e m P i a no a n d R o g er s 1 9 7 7 C e n t r e G e o r g es P o m pi d o u, w h i c h d o mi n a t es t h e h i s t o r i cB e a u b o u r g d i s t r i c t . M o r e a w h o l e s a l e c l e a r i n g t h a n a n i n t e r v e n t i o n , t h e f o o t p r i n t o f t h e

Centreanditsadjacentsquarereplacedanentirehistoricneighbourhood.Themachine-a g e d e s i gn w a s a n t i th e t ic a l t o P a r i s h i s t or i c f a b ri c , p r o mi s i n g n o t m e r el y t o c o n t ri b u te t o p l a c e b u t t o r e i n v e n t i t . 2 0 A n a e s t h e t i c a l l y p l e a s i n g c o n t r a s t b e t w e e n n e w a n d o l d i s createdbytheclearing,satisfactionderivedfromaviewoftheoldasamanifestationofthepassingofhistoricaltime,2 1allowingthevisitorapanoramicviewofwhatisotherwisea n a r r o w a n d c o n g e s t e d a r e a o f m e d i e v a l s t r e e t s . A l t h o u g h P i a n o a n d R o g e r s d e s i g n rejectsanyattemptathistoricalcontinuity,a2003extensiontothemuseumwasdesignedbyPianowithamoretraditionalterracottacladding,whichrespondstothealignmentsand

solid-to-voidratiosofadjoining18thcenturybuildings. Oc cupy ing t he gap i n a r ow o f t ypi cal 1 8t h ce nt ur y Par is ian t ow nhou se s, J ean N ou v el s 1 99 5 C ar t i er F o un da t io n p r es e nt s a n a l mo s t i n vi s ib l e e l ev a ti o n t o t h e s t re et .

ThegalleryspacesandofficesoftheFoundationoccupytheintersticesbetweenparallell a ye r s o f t r an s pa r en t g l as s . C on t in ui n g p as t t h e b ui l di n g s i n te r na l v o lu me s , t h e g l as s dematerialisesintothesky.Treesandvegetationweavethroughthelayersofglassfromt h e g ar d en b eh i nd . I t i s a s i f t h e v o id i n t h e s t re et s ca pe h as b ee n p r es e rv e d, t h e n ew b u i ld i n g b e i ng s i m ul t a n eo u s ly v a c an t a n d p r e s en t , i t s f a a de a n e l a bo r a te t e c hn o l og i c al screenofimpeccablecraftsmanship.

P ia n o a n d Ro ge rsCe n tre Ge o rge sP o mp id o uh ttp ://co u rses.n u s.e d u .sg/co u rse /e lljwp /b ea u b o u rg e ffect_file s/ima g e 0 0 8 .jp g


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BARCELONA

Adramaticinsertionintothegritty,intricateBarcelonaneighbourhoodofElRaval,RichardMeierspristinewhiteMuseumofContemporaryArt,akaMACBA,employsasimilar strategy t o t h e f u t u r i st i c P o m pi d o u. T h e b l a n k g l a s s f a a d e o f M A C B A b e c o m es a c a n va s f o r t h e

e c l e c t i c u r b a n f a b r i c o f i t s s u r r o u n d i n g s . T h e a d j o i n i n g s q u a r e a t t r a c t s a s w a r m o f l o c a l skateboarders,surgingthroughtheopenspaceasifexploringvirginterritory.Howeverith a s b e e n n o t ed t h a t t h e e n o r m o us g l a s s f a a d e i n e x p l i c ab l y e x p o se s t h e i n t e r i o r t o t h e blazingsun. 2 2 A i r - c on d i t io n ed a n d h e r me t i c al l y s e a l e d, t h e m u s e um i n t e r i o r i s i n s ul a t e dfromthejoyouscontaminationoftheneighbourhood.Anascendingrampbehindthefaadetransportsthevisitorfurtherandfurtherfromtherealityofthestreet.Themuseumentranceactsasaportalbetweenthelocalandthegeneric.

GRAZ

DescribedbyarchitectsPeterCookandColinFournierasaFriendlyAlien,theKunsthausi n G r a z w a s c o n s t r uc t e d i n 2 0 0 3 t o c o i n c i de w i t h t h e c i t y s s t a t u s t h a t y e a r a s E u r o p ea n C a p it a l o f C u l t u r e . A n u p en d e d c o w s u d d e r s h e at h e d i n a c o n t i n uo u s s k i n o f g r e y g l a s s p an el s a nd a ni ma te d w it h a d is pl ay o f e ve r- sh if ti ng p ix el s, t he K un st ha us c on tr as ts dramaticallywithitsBaroque-erasurroundingsandanadjacent1847ironhouse.GrazhasbyfarthemostcontemporarybuildingsinAustria,andrelativetoitssize,ofprobablyanyc i t y . T h e u n i v er s i t y s y s t e m, l a r g e l y u n c h an g ed s i n c e t h e f a l l o f t h e B e r l i n W a l l , a l l o c at e s adisproportionatenumberofplacestoarchitecturestudents.Consequently,Grazhasthehighestnumberofarchitectspercapitaofanywhereintheworld!InSydneyaKunsthauslikethiswouldbeunthinkable.Inacityofarchitects,however,conservativebacklashisa

lesserconsideration.

Rich a rd Me ie rsMu se u mo fCo n te mp o ra ryA rth ttp ://www.zib kip .b e /b a rce lo n a/fo to /n ie u we %2 0 fo to /ma cba 1 %2 0 (1 5 3 6%2 0 x%2 0 1 15 2 ).jp g


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PORTO

Anotherby-productoftheCapitalofCulturephenomenon,PortosCasaDaMusicaisanotheralienvesselinahistoricdomain.DesignedbyOMAandinauguratedin2005,theconcerthallisofascaleandlanguagecompletelyforeigntothesurroundingneighbourhoodofl o w r i s e 1 9 2 0 s a p a r t m e n t b l o c k s 2 3. H o w e v e r m a n y o f P o r t o s r e s i d e n t s , u n l i k e t h o s e o f Graz,objectedtotheproposednewedificeborderingthehistoricPlazadeBoavista.TheC a s a m a k es c o n ce s s i on s t o n e i t h e r c o n s e r va t i v es n o r h e r i t a ge c o n tr o l s . R e s e mb l i n g a

c o n c r e t e a s t e r o i d w i t h g r o u n d fl a t e d g e s , a p o l y g o n a l D e a t h S t a r , t h e C a s a i s c l e a r l y a sculptural,ratherthancontextual,object.2 4InhisarticleforDutchzine,Archined,RodrigoCardosorespondstocriticsoftheCasawithastirringcalltoarms:

F o r o t h e r s t h e p r o b l e m i s p u r e c o n s e r v a t i s m . L i k e s h e e p f o l l o w i n g t h e i r s h e p h e r d ,

theycannoti magi neanyworki nPortowhi chdoesnotrefertothehi stori cal bui l di ngs

o f t h e c i t y. I t i s n o t a q u es t io n o f c r i t ic a l a n al y si s o f t h e c o n t e xt ; i t i s a q u e s ti o n o f

pasti che.Theyaskforani cefaade,whi chl ooksl i kethestone-basedbui l di ngsof

theparti al l y19thcenturyBoavi staAvenue,nexttothesi te.Asl ongasthemaski s

kept,therest(i .e.qual i ty)i si ndi fferent.Forthatmatter,onecoul daskwhynotreferto

thehorri bl eshoppi ngmal l ortothewi l dspecul ati veurbani smcl oseby?Whatcri teri a

Co o ka n d Fo u rn ie rsGra zK u n sth a u sh ttp ://www.mimo a .e u /ima g e s/5 4 2 _l.jp g


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d o t h e s e p e o p l e u s e t o d e m a n d

a reference to one moment

of hi story over every other?

M a ny p e op l e a r e s t il l a s ha m ed

o f c on te mp or an ei ty a nd f or ge tt ha t t od ay w il l a ls o b e h is to ry

t o mo r ro w . P e rh a ps i t w o ul d b e

f a i r i f w e w e r e a b l e t o l e a v e o u r

h e r i t a g e w i t h t h e s a m e c o u r a g e

a nd t ru th a s o th er s d id i n t he

past.2 5

Ironi cally, in 2006 The PortugueseA r c h it e c t ur a l H e r i ta g e c l a s sifi ed t h e C a sa asaheritage-protectedBuildingofNational

I nt er es t , w ra pp in g t he b ui ld in g i n a 5 0m e t r e z o n e i n w h i c h n o n e w d e v e l o p m e n t willbepermitted.2 6

OMA sCa sa d e Mu sicah ttp ://www.ku ltu refla sh .n e t/arch ive /1 1 9 /ima g es/cd m_NF_4 2 5 _1 .jpg

VENICE

I n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 4 I a t t e n d e d t h e V e n i c e A r c h i t e c t u r e B i e n n a l e . T h e r e I w a s a b l e a t a glancetosurveyanenormousnumberofnewinternationalarchitecturalprojects,bothbuilta n d u n bu i l t . G a t h er e d u n d e r t h e v a g ue c u r a to r i a l t h e me o f M e t a m or p h , t h e s e p r o j ec t s

c ol le ct i ve ly e xp re ss ed t he c ur re nt p ra ct i ce s a nd i nt er es ts o f t he g lo ba l a rc hi te ct ur al profession.Iwasstruckbyhowmanyeminentarchitectsreferredwithoutatraceofironyt o t h e s i t e a n d c o n te x t a s t h e i n s pi r a t i on f o r t h e ir b u i l d i n gs . T h e r e s u l t w a s i n v a r i a bl y a n o b j ec t o f p u r e e g o : d i v o r ce d f r o m h u m an s c a l e , a n o v e rflowingformofwhimsicalcurvesandtwists.Disconnectedfromtheirenvironments,theseformsextendedintothein finite.C o n st r u c te d , t h e p r o j ec t s b e c am e g r o s s f o e tu s e s a b or t e d p r e ma t u r el y f r o m t h e g l o ss y wombofvirtualspace.Theresultwasatoncedazzlingandalarming.2 7 Howcanwesteerarchitectstowardsrestraint,Iwondered,whenthetechnologyonwhicharchitecturenowreliespushessteadilytowardsfreeexpression?Devoidofhumanscale,structuralconcerns,contextorethicalconviction,todaysdigitalarchitecturecannothopetobereconciledwithahistoricenvironmentbuiltaccordingtotheseprinciples.

V en ic e i ts el f s ee ms to ha ve su rv iv ed th e m od er n e ra wi th ve ry li tt l e a dj us tm en t t otheamenityandmorphologyofthemoderncity.Thecitysrepurposingfromtradehubtotouristdioramacircumventedtheneedforefficientpowerandservices,roads,expansiona nd l a rg e- s ca l e r e de v el o pm en t . S t il l , d i es e l- p ow e re d V a po r et t as p a ck e d w i th t o ur i s ts makewaveswhichundercutthefoundationsofVenicespostcardfaades.Theallureoftheuntouchedcityprotectedbydoggedconservationists,inspirationforthe1964VeniceCharterandthecontemporarypreservationmovement,enticesanunsustainablenumbero f t o u r i s t s e a c h y e a r . T h e s e t o u r i s t s h a v e r a p i d l y d i s p l a c e d t h e c i t y s n a t i v e p o p u l a t i o n , e r o di n g f r o m w i t h i n t h e c e n t ur i e s - ol d p a t t e r ns o f u s e w h i c h g a v e r i s e t o V e n i c e s u n i q u e f o r m. T o d ay V e n ic e i s o c c up i e d p r e do m i na n t ly b y t o u r is t s a n d f o r ei g n h o s pi t a l i ty s t a f f. V a s t s u m s o f m o n e y a r e s p e n t m a i n t ai n i n g t h i s i l l u s o ry w o r l d. A n e n d l e ss p a n t o m im e i s performed,withonlytheactorschanging.MeanwhileVenice,theghostship,slowlysinksintothelagoon.


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RETURNTOROME

IreturnedtoRomeinJune2005.AtavastexhibitionwithintheColosseum,localarchitect,Fuksas,unveiledanambitiousadditiontothecity.HoveringovertheRomanForum,aspace-

agenetworkofglassbubbleslinkedbytravelatorsenclosedinglasstubes,wouldcontroltheimpactoffuturetourists ontheancientsite.StretchingthousandsofmetrestothePiazzaVenezia,theinfrastructurewasintendedtoreplacearoadploughedbyMussolinithrought h e v e r y c e n t r e o f t h e F o r u m . W h i l s t t h e i n t e n t i o n o f t h e p r o p o s a l w a s u n d o u b t e d l y t h e

preservationofaWorldHeritagesitewhichhasbornetheimpactofmillionsoftouristsoverhundredsofyears,itsmanifestationasafuturistichovercraftwasproblematic.Thehistoriccitywaspresentedasapreciousrelic,beyondreachandaccessibleonlybytheprescribedpathofthenewintervention.TheForumspowerandrelevancehasalwaysresidedinitslegibilityasacivicplan.Readfromadistanceratherthanexperienced,theplanbecomesanartefactratherthanatangibleexperience.Truehistoricalsensitivityavoidsconsigningthepasttoamuseumexhibit.Byreusingitsmonumentsindiscriminately,theransacking

VaticanwasparadoxicallykindertoRomesruinsthanthewell-intentionedFuksasandhisc r y s t al q u ar a n t in e . T h e s u c c e s s o f t h e p r e se r v at i o n is t l o b b y i n k e e pi n g R o m e s a n c ie n t centreancientisevidenttoandvalidatedbythemillionsoftouristsdrawntotheEternalCityeveryyear,writesTheGuardiansSteveRose. 2 8HoweverastheexamplesofVeniceandRomedemonstrate,themethodofpreservationiscriticaltotheformbywhichthecityendures.OrasHansMommaasputsitinCityBranding;

thequestionistowhatextentthecitysimagedoesindeedstimulateacontinuedexpansion

anddeepeni ngofcul tural tacti cs,orel sel eadstoapetrificati on2 9

Fu ksa sp ro p o sa lfo rth e Ro ma n Fo ru mh ttp ://www.fu ksa s.it/# /p ro g e tti/1 4 0 1 /


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EUROPEANCONCLUSIONS

I t w a s c l e a r f r o m m y t r a v e l s t h a t t h e c i t i e s o f W e s t e r n E u r o p e h a d e m b r a c e d a b i l a t e r a l approachtoheritage,zealouslyprotectinghistoricsiteswhileplacingfaithincontemporary

b u i l di n g s a s i n s t r u m en t s c a p a b l e o f r a d i c a l l y t r a n sf o r mi n g p l a c e . T h e l a t t er i m p ul s e h a s undoubtedlybeenencouragedbytheBilbaoeffectonculturaltourism.ThishasresultedinthetypeofarchitecturedescribedbySol-MoralesRubi,wherediscontinuitybetweenpastandpresentbecomesadesiredaesthetic.3 0Ontheotherhand;thedecisivebreakhasits

valueinaneraofbureaucraticcompromise.TheemphasisontheconservationofheritagefabricinEurope,ratherthanaestheticconsistency,safeguardstheimpactofincrementalchangethatwehavebeenlesssuccessfulinachieving,writesSusanMacdonald. 3 1 T h e originalfabriciskeptinitsentiretybeforeasingle,conclusivechangeismade.Thischangemayrepresenttheonlyopportunitytorescueanoldbuildinginthefaceofinevitabledemiseduetothepressuresoftheenvironment.Suchalterationsoccurincreasinglyfrequentlyaschangesinoccupantsneedsdata,hydraulics,security,andventilationoutmodeageing

buildings.Thechangemightalsorepresentanisolatedopportunitytorevitaliseahistoricareaandprotectitfromthecarnivorousspeculationsofcommercialdevelopment. My s tudy c ompr ehens iv el y di spr ove d S ei dl er s as ser ti on s. I n W es ter n E ur opeh i s t o r y a n d t r a d i t i o n c a r r y f a r m o r e w e i g h t t h a n i n A u s t r a l i a s n e w l y b u r g e o n i n g s o c i e t y . T h e d e pt h o f E u r op e a ns a t t a c h me n t t o t h e p a s t c r e a te s a n i n e r ti a w h i c h h a m p er s f r e s h attemptsatculturalexpression.Ididnotfindanabundanceofbold,innovativecontemporary

buildings,thebestoftoday3 2,alongsideequivalenthistoricbuildings.HoweverduringmytravelsIfoundenoughinterestingandexemplarycasesofbothsuccessfulandunsuccessf ulinterventions,toinformmyarguments. W hi l e l i vi ng an d w o rk i ng i n T r ev is o, I di sc ov er ed t he w or ks o f T r ev is an ar ch it ec t, CarloScarpa.PredominantlysmallandhumbleinterventionsscatteredaroundtheVenetor e g i on , S c a r p a s p r o j ec t s h a v e a t t a i n e d c u l t s t a t u s . T h e i m p l i c at i o n s o f h i s m e t ho d ol o g y areincreasinglyrelevanttoday,asrenovationratherthancreationincreasinglybecomest h e a r c h i t e c t s o c c u p a t i o n . T h r o u g h m y i n t e r e s t i n S c a r p a , I d e v e l o p e d a n a p p r e c i a t i o n fortheworkofEnricMiralles,whoseprodigalprojectsprovideabridgebetweenScarpasarchaicreal-timeworkingpracticesandthepredetermined,computerdrivenarchitecturalmethodologiesofthepresent.AsIamsurehasalwaysbeenthecasewithByeraHadleyscholars,themostsigni ficantinfluenceonmystudyhasbeentheopportunitytoliveandt r a v el o u t s i d e A u s tr a l i a, g a i n i n g a n e w p e r s pe c t i ve o n t h e p o s it i v e s a n d n e g a t i v es o f t h e

cultureandpracticesoftheplaceIcallhome.


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MELBOURNE

MyintendedstudyofMelbourneeventuallyexpandedtothreeyearsandcoincidedwitha

MastersofArchitectureatRMITUniversity.ThelengthofmystayinMelbournehelpedtodemystifythearchitecturalcultureofacityintentonscriptingitsownfables.RMITProfessoro f A r c h i t ec t u r e L e o n V a n S c h a ik h a s e v e n w r i t t e n a b o ok , D e s i g n C i t y M e l b o u rn e , i n a n attempttomythologisehiscontemporaries.PractitionerssuchasPeterCorrigan,Howard

R a g g a t t a n d P a u l M i n ifi e e m pl o y d e l ib e r at e l y o b s cu r e s y m b o l i c r e f e r e n ce s , a n d b a r e l y concealcontemptfortheirSydneycolleagues.

STOREYHALL

D e s i gn e d b y R a g ga t t a n d h i s p r a c t i c e , A s h to n R a g g a t t M c D o u ga l l ( A R M ) , M e l bo u r ne s S t or e y H a ll i s a p r oj e ct u nl i k e a ny o t he r i n A u st r al i a. A t t h e b eh e st o f t h e D e an , t h eb ui l di n g s f a a d e w a s f a mo us l y k e pt u nd e r w r ap s u nt i l i t s o pe ni n g. A n a dd i ti o n t o a

n e o cl a s s i ca l 1 8 8 7 T a pp i n , G i l b e r t a n d D e n ne h y b u i l d i ng , S t o r e y H a l l w a s c o m p l e te d i n 1995toprovideanauditorium,lecturetheatre,exhibitionspacesandseminarroomsforRMIT.Thefaadeofthenewadditionmakesadramaticdeparturefromitsneoclassicalneighbour.Achiselledconcretecavesmearedinluridgreenandpurplepaint,denotesthestreetentrance.Surroundingthecave,acomplexcompositionofcastbronzePenrosetilesa n d p r o t ru d i ng w i n d o w s i s s e e m i n gl y r u p t u r ed b y g r e en n e o n l i g h t i ng . T h a t t h e b u i l d i ng hassomethingtosayisimmediatelyapparentthecluestoitslanguagearemuchharder

t o d i s c e r n . T h e c o n f r on t a t io n al u r g en c y i n thebuildingspresenceisthearchitecturale q u i v a l e n t o f p u n k r o c k . T h e w h o l e t h i n g

seemstovibrate. I ns i de , t he f r en et ic i ma ge ry c on ti nu es ,

withthePenrosetilescolonisinganinteriorofintensecolourandillumination.Eclecticm o t i f s b o r r o w e d f r o m t h e G r i f finsnearby1 92 4 C ap it ol T he at re , R on R ob er ts on -Sw ann s c ont ent ious V aul t s cul pt ur e, f emi ni sm, A us tr al ian- Ir is h Me lbour nea nd , o f c ou rs e, R og er P en ro se , a mo ng n um er o us o t he r s o ur c es , c o mb i ne i n a n a rc hi t ec tu re of d en si ty a nd w it , c ri ti ca l

a nd o f i ts mom ent : one t hat r equi res t ra ns la ti ng w hi ch c en tr es o n a r ic hl y

A RMsS to re yHa llh ttp ://fa rm4 .sta tic.flickr.com/3151/2753571978_89e37e6b71_o_d.jpg


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c o m pl i c a t ed n a r r at i v e .3 3 D es pi te t he c on fu si on o f s ig ns a nd q uo ta ti on s, t he b ui ld in goperatesasavisceralaswellasanintellectualexperience.Celebratingindividualqualitieso f m a k i n g t h i n g s , m a t e r i a l s , t e x t u r e s , c a s t i n g m e t a l s , c o l o u r i n g w a l l s ,3 4 A R M s b u i l d i n g e m b o d i e s a l e v e l o f c r a f t m a n s h i p a p p r o p r i a t e t o i t s h e r i t a g e s e t t i n g . I t s u r b a n r e s p o n s e

i s e x t r e m e , b u t n o t d i s r e s p e c t f u l . I t i s a l s o a n a r t i c u l a t e v i s u a l e s s a y o n t h e q u a l i t i e s o f M e l b o u r n e s i n n e r - c i t y g r i d , w h e r e a n a p p a r e n t l y n e u t r a l s t r e e t p a t t e r n b r i n g s d i s p a r a t e b u i l di n g s i n t o c o i n ci d e nt a l p r o x im i t y .3 5 A s o pp os ed t o S yd ne y s u rb an c om po si ti on o fd o mi n a nt t o p og r a ph i c a l f e a tu r e s a n d p r o mi n e nt l a n dm a r ks , M e l bo u r ne s g r i d b e ar s n o

d e f o r m a t i o n s b a s e d o n t h e i m p a c t o f s i g n ifi c a n t b u i l d i n g s o r c h a n g i n g p a t t e r n s o f s t r e e t use.Withinthegrid,nositeismorevisuallyprominentthananother.Onlybuildingsattheperipherycanbeseenfromadistance.Theheritagesettingislocalised,thegridachessboardwaitingforachancemove.

SHRINEOFREMEMBRANCEADDITION

NotfarfromFederationSquare,anotherkeyMelbourneprojectoccupyingaheritagesettingisthe2003additiontotheShrineofRemembrance,alsodesignedbyARM.UnlikeStoreyHall,theShrineisnotshelteredbythegridbutinsteadoccupiesMelbournesmostvisibles i t e , a t t h e a p e x o f t h e S h r i ne R e s e r v e w i t h in t h e K i n g s D o m a in , a n d t h e a x i s S w a n s t on S t re et . T he a d di t io n a l so h ad t o a d dr e ss t h e s y mm et r y o f t h e e x is t in g S h ri n e, b ui l t i n 1 9 33 t o h o no u r A u s t r al i a s w a r d e a d, a n d d e s i g n ed i n t h e c l a s s ic a l s t y l e b y H u d s o n a n d

Wardrop.Theadditioncomprisesafoyerandexhibitionspace,presentation,meetinganda d mi n i s t ra t i o n r o o ms , a g a l l er y o f m e da l s a n d t w o m e mo r i a l c o u rt y a r ds . I n t e r n a l s p a ce s wereinsertedinthelowspaceundertheShrinesnorthernflightofstairs,withthecourtyardsprotrudingateitherend.Theadditionalsoprovidesaccess,throughtheexistingbuildings

A RMsS h rin e o fRe me mb ra n ce a d d itio n h ttp ://fa rm4 .sta tic.flickr.c om/3027/28914307 57_4856681462_o_ d.jpg


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foundations,toacryptlocatedbeneaththeShrinesinterior.Commencingintheeastern,andterminatinginthewesterncourtyard,theadditionsspacesarearrangedsequentially. E nc lo se d i n t il te d c on cr et e w al ls , t he co ur ty ar ds ar e m ir ro re d i n a pp ea ra nc e a nd bookendthevolumeoftheShrine,mergingwiththematerialityandstructureoftheexisting

buildingashorizontalgreyrustications.Thenewadditiondoesntjustcomplementviewso f t h e S h r i n e , i t c r e a t e s n e w v i e w s , w i t h t h e l o o m i n g a p p e a r a n c e o f t h e b u i l d i n g a b o v e heightenedfromthesunkencourtyards,providingstartlingvisionsatdawnanddusk.

COOKANDPHILLIPPARK,SYDNEY

LikeMelbournesShrineaddition,SydneysCookandPhillipParkdevelopmentislocateda dj a ce nt t o a s i gn ifi c an t c i t y l a nd ma r k, a n d i s a l so m os t l y c o nc e al e d b el o w g r ad e. A sportsandleisurecentrecompletedin1999,thecomplexissitedbetweentheAustralianM us e um s1 85 7 J a me s B ar n et w i ng , a nd W i ll i am W a rd el l s 1 86 2 S t M a ry s C at h ed r al .

Architects,BlighVollerNieldwereconcernedwithpresentinganunobstructedviewoftheMuseumandCathedralsfaades.TheroofofthecomplexprovidesanaustereforecourttotheCathedral,butitsinternalspacesbearnorelationshiptothehistoricedi ficesateitherend.Itisaspaceofemptinessandshadow,onewhichprovidesnonewperspectiveontheCathedral,insteadcondemningitsdignifiedneighbourtosplendidisolation.

B V NsCo o ka n d P h illip P a rkh ttp ://fa rm1 .sta tic.flickr.co m/3 3 /5 06 9 5 6 7 5 _2 3 e2 5 4 d e e f_o _d.jp g


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AUSTRALIANCONCLUSIONS

Signifi c an t h i st o ri c b ui l di n gs a r e f u nd am e nt a ll y e x pr e ss i on s o f c u lt u ra l , m a te r ia l a n dt ec hn ol og ic al v al ue . W ha t a rc hi te ct ur al e le me nt s e xp re ss v al ue i n t od ay s w or ld ?

H i s t o r i c a l l y s u c h f a c t o r s w o u l d h a v e b e e n d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e r a r i t y o f m a t e r i a l s a n d t h e intensityoflabour.Inourtime-restrictedeconomy,thementalexpenseandeffortinvestedi n d e s i g n i s t h e u l t i m at e c o m m o di t y . T h e s e l e c t e d M e l bo u r ne e x a m p l es d e m o n s tr a t e a n i n te l le c tu al a ge nd a w h ic h i s b r ou gh t t o t h e t a sk o f h i st o ri c al i n te r ve nt i on . T h is a ge n da

e x i s ts i n d ep e nd e nt l y o f c l i e nt d e ma n d s, f u n ct i o na l r e q ui r e m en t s , p l a n n in g p r o v i s i on s , o r h e r i ta g e c o n c e r ns . I t i m b u e s t h e i n t e rv e n ti o n w i t h a s y m b o li c l i f e o f i t s o w n , o n e c a p a bl e offorminganarrativewiththeexistingfabricandinvestingitwithnewvisualqualitiesandspatialpossibilities.InSydneyratherthanpromotingcraftandcomplexity-thevaluesweattempttopreserveinheritageplacestheabsenceofincentivepolicyfostersacommunalperceptionofarchitectsasself-expressiondrivenegotists.Theviabilityofadevelopmentapplicationoftenhingesonthereductionofcontemporaryexpressiveelementstoplease

aconservativefaction.Melbournesarchitectsundoubtedlyfacethesamechallenges,butt h e i n t e l le c t u al a g e n d a m a ny o f t h e m b r i ng t o t h e p r o j ec t i s a d a pt a b le a n d i r r e d u c i bl e , a subversivelogicwhichadaptsandbuildsonwhatisavailableandcannotberemovedfromtheprojectbycouncildecree.


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BURRACHARTER

N o d is cu ss i on a bo ut t he r el at io ns hi p o f n ew b ui l di ng s t o o ld i n A us tr al i a c an o cc ur

w i t h o u t r e f e r e n c e t o t h e B u r r a C h a r t e r . A d o p t e d i n 1 9 7 9 , t h e B u r r a C h a r t e r i s b a s e d o n t h e I n t e r n at i o n al C h a r te r f o r t h e C o n s e r va t i on a n d R e s t or a t i on o f M o nu m e nt s a n d S i t e s(Venice1964).TheaimoftheBurraCharteristopromotethepreservationofAustraliashistoricplaces.Importantly,theCharterstatesthatitistheculturalsigni ficanceofahistoric

placewhichmustbepreserved,notexclusivelyorentirelyitsphysicalfabric,useorsetting.AselectiveresponsetothearticlesoftheCharterfollows.

CULTURALSIGNIFICANCE

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e C h a r t e r , t h e t e r m , c u l t u r a l s i g n i fi c a nc e , i s s y n on y m ou s w i t h h e r i t a g esignificanceandculturalheritagevalue.Adoptedbylocalgovernmenttoindicatebuildingso f s p ec i al h i st o ri c al s t at u s, t h e r e la t ed t e rm , h er i ta ge s i gn ifi c an c e , h as i t s el f g ai n ed

signifi c an c e s i nc e t h e o r ig i na l d r af t i ng o f t h e C h ar t er . L o ca l c o u n ci l s h a v e p ut i n p l ac e r e g u l a t i o n s t o p r o t e c t t h e s t a t u s o f t h e s e h i s t o r i c b u i l d i n g s . T h e r e g u l a t i o n s c o n t r o l a n y modificationofaheritagebuilding,anynewbuildingsconstructedinproximitytoaheritagebuilding,andanybuildingsbuiltormodifiedwithinageneralareaofheritagesignificance.Inordertobecomprehensibleandconcise,theregulationshavebeenreducedtoaseriesofmeasurablecontrolspartytosubjectivecouncilassessment.Theeffectoftheseregulationsistoconcentrateattentiononthephysicalintegrityoftheheritageitemitself,overlookingissuesofthebroadersocialcontextinwhichanynewbuildingworkoccurs.

Arti cl e1.2

Cul tural si gnificancemeansaestheti c,hi stori c,sci enti fi c , s o c i al o r s p i r i t ua l v a l u e f o r p a s t,

presentorfuturegenerati ons.Cul tural si gnificancei sembodi edi nthepl acei tsel f,i tsfabri c,

setti ng,use,associ ati ons,meani ngs,records,rel atedpl acesandrel atedobj ects.3 6

A l th ou gh h e ri t ag e s i gn ifi ca nc e a nd c ul tu ra l s ig nifi ca nc e a re r el at ed t er ms , c ul t ur al significancecannotbedefinedbyregulations.Itencompassesamuchwiderunderstandingo f c o n t e x t t h a n t h a t a f f o r d e d b y t h e c u r r e n t u s a g e o f h e r i t a g e . A b u i l d i n g m a y b e e a s i l y determinedtobeofheritagestatusifitisofacertainperiod,qualityandarchitecturalstyle.Howevertheculturalsignificanceofthesamebuildingcannotbesosimplyarticulated.InSydney,theprocedureofregulati ngwhatmaybeaddedtoaheritagecontextcouldcertainl ybeimproved.Thesystemisweightedtowardsindividual,untrainedobjectors,ratherthanprofessionaldesigners,andisbasedlargelyonasimplifiedaesthetic,ratherthanpracticalconcerns.SusanMacdonald,AssistantDirectoroftheNewSouthWalesHeritageOf fice,


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citestherefusalofadevelopmentapplicationbytheLandandEnvironmentCourtofNewSouthWales,whichwasupheldprimarilyongroundsofaestheticnon-compliance:

W h a t i s i n t e r e s t in g i n t h i s c a s e i s h o w t h e a e s t h e t i c v a l ue s o f t h e p l a c e w e r e c o n s i de r e d

f u n d a m e n t a l t o t h e p l a n n i n g o u t c o m e , b u t t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e a e s t h e t i c v a l u e s andal l theotherheri tageval uesofthesi tewasnotwel l understood.Iftheusei sthreatened

changestothefabri candthedesi gnareal mosti nevi tabl e.3 7

Culturalsignificancemustalwaysbedeterminedrelativetothepresent,anditisaxiomatict h a t t h e p r e s e n t i s a l w a y s c h a n g i n g . O u r s t a n d a r d s f o r a p p r a i s i n g s i g n ifi c a n c e m u s t b e suitablyadaptable.

CONTEXT

I t i s c o m pa r a ti v e l y e a s y t o d e c i d e w h e t he r p a s t e v e n t s a r e o f a n y h i s t o ri c a l i n t e r es t . Y e t i n o r d e r t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e c u l t u r a l i m p l i c a t i o n s o f t h o s e h i s t o r i c e v e n t s , w e m u s t s t u d y everythingwhichhascometopassasaconsequenceofthem.RatherthanemployingtheempiricaleyeofPositivism,thismeansstudyingsucheventsrelativetothecurrenttime.3 8Todayscuratorsandhistorianstypicallyadoptthisapproach.Foroldbuildings,theactiveu r b a n c o n t e x t m u s t s e r v e i n p l a c e o f t h e m u s e u m , p r o v i d i n g a d a t u m t o w h i c h c u l t u r a l

signifi c a n c e c a n b e i n d e x e d . W h i l e a s m u c h a s p o s s i b l e o f t h e f a b r i c o f t h e s i g n ificantp l a c e m u s t b e r e t a i n e d , r e t r o a c t i v e e n f o r c e m e n t o f a h e r i t a g e s e t t i n g a r o u n d t h e p l a c e m u s t b e a v o id e d . A b u i l di n g c a n r e t ai n i t s u s e f u l ne s s , a n d h e n c e s i g n ifi c a n c e , o n l y i f l i f e c o n t i n u e s a r o u n d i t . R e m o v e d f r o m i t s p r e s e n t c o n t e x t , a b u i l d i n g s c u l t u r a l s i g n ificancei s i n d e t e r m i n a t e . I n t h i s s e n s e , o l d a n d n e w p l a c e s h a v e a s y m b i o t i c r e l a t i o n s h i p . T h e c u mu l at i ve f a br i c o f t h es e p l ac e s i s i n sc r ib ed w i th a n o ng oi n g d i al o gu e w h ic h r e ve a ls significanceinbothpastandpresent. P ra ct i ca ll y, t hi s r ea di ng of t he Bu rr a C ha rt er i nv ol v es no t j us t t h e a wa re ne ss o f a historicplaceslatentphysicalcharacteristics,butalsosomeunderstandingofthebroaders c al e s o f c o nt e xt - l o ca l , r e gi o na l a nd t e mp o ra l - i n w h ic h t h e p l ac e i s l o ca t ed . T h os e responsiblefordeterminingthepreservationstatusofahistoricplacemustconsiderwhatchangesarelikelytoaffectitinthefuture,andadoptaboldstrategyfortheongoinguseoftheplace.Unfortunately,typicaloutcomesofheritageadjudicationautomaticallyinsiston

maintainingthestatusquo,orworse,attemptareturntosomebygoneera. Cha nge i s i nev it abl e f or a ny b ui ldi ng , i f onl y t hr oug h t he nat ur al pr oc es ses o f

w e a th e r i ng a n d d e c ay . S i m i la r l y , t h e b r o ad e r c i t y u n d er g o es p r o sp e r i ty a n d r e c es s i o n, expansionandcontraction,developmentandabandonment,improvementandneglect.Inordertointegrateanexistingbuildingintothealteredurbanrealm,whilemaintainingtheb u i l d i n g s u s a g e a n d h e n c e c u l t u r a l s i g n ifi c a n c e , r a d i c a l c h a n g e s t o t h e s e t t i n g m a y b e necessary.Wherenewbuildingsareerectednexttoold,thenewbuildingmustactasalinkbetweenthehistoricremnantanditscontemporarycontext.

Arti cl e11

Thecontri buti onwhi chrel atedpl acesandrel atedobj ectsmaketothecul tural si gnificance

ofthepl aceshoul dberetai ned.3 9


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Newbuildingscanhaveapositiveimpactonahistoricplace.TheMuseumofContemporaryArti n B a r c e l o n a r e v i t a l i s e d t h e p r o b l e m a t i c a r e a o f E l R a v a l , w h i c h h a d o n c e b e e n h o s t i l e t o t h e citysinhabitants.ARMsadditiontotheShrinehasgiventhebuildingnewfunctionsandspaceswhilecontributingtoitsculturalrelevance.Newbuildingscanaddanotherlayerofrichnessand

c o m pl e x i t y t o t h e u r b an c o n t ex t . T h e a d di t i o n d o e s n o t h a v e t o b e a t e c t o ni c s h i f t . I t m a y s e t t l ew i t h t i m e t o c o m pr i s e j u s t a n o t h er s e d im e nt a r y p e r i o d, l i k e V i c t o r i an a r c h i t e ct u r e d e p os i t e d o n Georgian.

Arti cl e13

C o - e xi s t e nc e o f c u l t ur a l v a l u e s s h o u l d b e r e c o gn i s e d , r e s p ec t e d a n d e n c o ur a g e d , e s p e c ia l l y i n

caseswheretheyconfli ct.4 0

URBANITY

A s I h av e s t a t ed , c i t i e s a r e f u nd am en t al l y p l ac e s o f t r a d e. T r ad e i n v o lv e s t h e e x ch an ge o f a v a r i et y o f g o o d s , a n d t h a t v a r i e t y i s t h e p r o d u c t o f d i s t in c t c u l t u re s . T h e c i t y i s t h e p l a c e w h e r et h e s e c u l t u r e s m e e t , e x c h a n g e , i n t e r a c t , a n d f o r b e t t e r o r w o r s e , c o n fl i c t . A r c hi t e c t ur e s h o ul d reflectpositivelyonitstimeandplace.Urbanarchitectureshouldthereforeexpresstheculturale x c ha n ge o f t h e c i t y . T h i s i s a c h i ev e d t h r o ug h a n e n c o u r ag e me n t o f d i v e r s i t y . D i f f er e n t s t y l e s, p er i od s , s c al e s, m at e ri a ls , t e ch n ol o gi e s, u s es a nd t y po l og i es s h ou l d b e e mp ha s is e d. N e w

buildingsshouldbebuiltembeddedwiththeculturalvaluesofthetimeandplace.ThepresenceofsuchvaluesinformsourreverenceforiconicstructuressuchastheColosseum,EiffelTowerandBarcelonaPavilion.Newbuildingsconstructedinproximitytooldshouldbesensitivetotheircontext,butmustalsoexpressenoughoftheirtimeandplacetosuitablycon flictwiththeirhistoricsettinginamannerbefittingthecity.

P l a c e s o f c u l t u r a l s i g n ifi c a n c e r efl e c t t h e d i v e r s i t y o f o u r c o m m u n i t i e s , t e l l i n g u s a b o u t w h o w e

a r e a n d t h e p a st w h ic h h a s f o rm e d u s a n d t h e A u st r al i an l a nd s ca p e. T h es e p l a c es o f c u l t ur a l

si gnificancemustbeconservedforpresentandfuturegenerati ons.4 1

C o n st r u c t a n e w b u i l d in g n e x t t o t h e o l d , i m i t at i n g t h e s t y l e o r b l e nd i n g i n w i t h t h e o l d b u i l di n g , a n d a t b e s t y o u c a n h o p e t o e v o k e t h e s e n s e o f a p a r t i c u l a r t i m e a n d p l a c e . H o w e v e r , a f t e r a t i m e t h e w i n d w i l l c h a n g e , a n d t h e v a l u e s w h i c h y o u a s s i g n e d t o t h a t t i m e a n d p l a c e w i l l

havebeenredefined.Thenewerbuildingisnolongernew,butmerelyyoungerthantheother.Overalongspanoftimesimilaritiesbetweenthetwobuildingsbecomeincreasinglyconfusing

andcontradictory.Theyoungerbuildingdamagestheprestigeoftheolder.Erectanewbuildingwhichdiffersdistinctlyfromtheold,however,andthetwowillalwaysstandasatestamenttothepassageoftimeandthetemporalityofculturalvalues.Futuregenerationswillbeabletoreadthebuildingsaschronologicallydistinct,andmightevenbeabletostillcomprehendthesignificanceoftheolderbuilding.

Arti cl e1.2

Cul tural si gnificancemaychangeasaresul toftheconti nui nghi storyofthepl ace.Understandi ng

ofcul tural si gnificancemaychangeasaresul tofnewi nformati on. 4 2


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Thesimplefactisthat,justasanyplaceisalwayschanging,soisitsculturalsignificance.E v e r y p l a c e , w h e t h e r d e e m e d t o b e o f h i s t o r i c a l i m p o r t a n c e o r n o t , e m b o d i e s a c e r t a i n degreeofculturalsigni fi c a nc e . I n t h e u r b a n e n v i r on m en t , t h e c u l t u r al v a l u e o f a n y p l a c ei s d e t e r m i n e d r e l a t i v e t o t h e n e i g h b o u r i n g a r e a , w h i c h a s h a s b e e n d e s c r i b e d a b o v e , i s

itselfinastateofconstantchange.Culturalstandardsandmeasurementsarethemselvesa l w a y s i n fl u x . N o e v a l u a t i o n o f a h e r i t a g e s i t e c a n b e c o n c l u s i v e . O u r e f f o r t s t o d e s i g n f o r s u c h a n e n v i r o n m e n t m u s t a c c o m m o d a t e t h i s u n s t a b l e c o n d i t i o n t h r o u g h a h o l i s t i c , ratherthanreductive,approach.Anyattempttoencapsulateacertainperiod,emphasisea

specifichistoriccharacteristic,orfreezeastageofpreservationwillultimatelyfail.

VISUALCATCHMENT

Arti cl e1.11

Setti ngmeanstheareaaroundapl ace,whi chmayi ncl udethevi sual catchment.

Arti cl e8

Conservati onrequi restheretenti onofanappropri atevi sual setti ngandotherrel ati onshi ps

t h a t c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e c u l t u r a l s i g n ifi c a n c e o f t h e p l a c e . A s p e c t s o f t h e v i s u a l s e t t i n g m a y

i ncl udeuse,si ti ng,bul k,form,scal e,character,col our,textureandmateri al s.4 3

Visualcatchmentisperhapsthemostcontentiousandlooselyde finedconceptwithintheBurraCharter,andisafrequentsnareinissuesofheritagepreservationandcontemporaryintervention.Alandmarkbuildinghasanenrichingeffectonitssurroundings.Viewstoandf r o m t h e b u i l d i n g c o n t r i b u t e t o i t s c u l t u r a l s i g n ificance.Onemightthereforesuggestthatweshouldneverbuildanythingwhichobscuresexistingviewsofthelandmarkfrompublicvantages,andshouldeventrytoclearthesurroundingurbandomaintoprovidemoreviewsofthelandmark,thuscontributingtoitssignificance. Just as we associ ate j ars of formal dehyde wi th dead animals, over -intensiveattemptstopreserveahistoricbuildingwillcontributeonlytoitsdemise.Freezethegrowtho f t h e s u r r o u n d i n g a r e a , i n s u l a t e a g a i n s t t h e i m p a c t s o f s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c f o r c e s , o r a t t em p t t o r e t r oa c t i ve l y t r a n s f or m t h e a r e a i n t o a n e x t e n d ed s e t t i n g s e r v i n g t h e h e r i t a ge item,4 4 a n d t h e b u i l d in g b e c om e s d r a st i c a l ly r e m o v ed f r o m t h e r e a l i ti e s o f t h e c i t y a n d i t s evolvingculture.AstheBurraCharterasserts,iftheuseofabuildingisforgotten,soisits

significance.Thebestwaytoconservetheuseofabuildingistomaintainitsconnectiont o t h e u r b a n l o c a l e , a n d i t s a c c e s s i b i l i t y t o l o c a l s . T h e p r i n c i p l e o f a d d i n g n e w b u i l d i n g s

inproximitytotheheritageitemshouldaccordinglybeeitherencouragedordiscouragedbasedonnormative,nonheritage-basedassessmentcriteria.


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PHYSICALEVIDENCE

Arti cl e3.2

C h a n g e s t o a p l a c e s h o u l d n o t d i s t o r t t h e p h y s i c a l o r o t h e r e v i d e n c e i t p r o v i d e s , n o r b e

basedonconj ecture.

Arti cl e5.1

C o n s e rv a t i on o f a p l a c e s h o u l d i d e n t if y a n d t a k e i n t o c o n s i d e r a ti o n a l l a s p e c t s o f c u l t u r al

a n d n a t u r a l s i g n ifi c a n c e w i t h o u t u n w a n t e d e m p h a s i s o n a n y o n e v a l u e a t t h e e x p e n s e o f

others. 4 5

Abuildingsphysicalevidencemustnotbedistorted.Allaspectsofaplacesculturalandnaturalsignifi c a nc e s h o u l d b e c o n s i d er e d , w i t h o ut e m ph a s i si n g o n e v a l u e o v e r a n o t h er . Theresnousedenyingthata19thcenturybuildingisfromthe19thcentury.Noristhereanysenseinpretendingthatanewbuildingaddedadjacenttoits19thcenturycounterpart

d a t e s f r o m t h e s a m e p e r i o d . W e m u s t b e h o n e s t a b o u t t h e t i m e w e l i v e i n , c o n s c i o u s o f i t s o p p o r t u n i t i e s , t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d v a l u e s , a n d u t i l i s e t h i s a w a r e n e s s i n o u r a t t e m p t s a t design.Additionally,aone-dimensionalrelationshipofnewtooldwillbecomprehensibleo nl y t e mp or a ri l y , b e fo r e t h e t w o e nt i t ie s a r e c o ns i gn e d t o h i st o ry . A n y n ew b ui l di n gc o ns t ru c te d n ex t t o o l d s h ou l d r e la t e t o i t s h i st o ri c n ei g hb ou r t h ro ug h a s m an y o f t h evariablesdescribedaboveaspossible.Thedepthofunderstandingdemonstratedbythe

newadditionwilldirectlyinfluenceitsownlongevitynexttoastructurewhichhasalreadyjustifieditscontinuedpreservation.

SYNTHESIS

Arti cl e15.1

Changemaybenecessarytoretai ncul tural si gnificance.

Arti cl e22.1

N e w w o rk s u ch a s a d di t io n s t o t h e p l ac e m a y b e a c ce p ta b le w h er e i t d o es n o t d i st o rt

o r o b sc u re t h e c u lt u ra l s i gn ifi c an c e o f t h e p l ac e , o r d e tr a ct f r om i t s i n te r pr e ta t io n a n d

appreci ati on.Newworkmaybesympatheti ci fitssi ti ng,bul k,form,scal e,character,col our,

textureandmateri al aresi mi l artotheexi sti ngfabri c,buti mi tati onshoul dbeavoi ded.

Arti cl e22.2Newworkshoul dbereadi l yi dentifiabl eassuch.

Arti cl e23

C o n t in u i n g , m o d i fy i n g o r r e i n s ta t i n g a s i g n ifi c an t u s e m a y b e a p p r o pr i at e a n d p r ef e rr e d

formsofconservati on.Thesemayrequi rechangestosi gni ficantfabri cbuttheyshoul dbe

mi ni mi sed.Insomecases,conti nui ngasi gni ficantuseorpracti cemayi nvol vesubstanti al

newwork.4 6

Wehavereachedanageinwhichtraditionalcraftsmanship,oftenevidentinthebuildings

w e r e g a r d a s b e i n g o f h e r i t a g e s t a t u s , i s p r a c t i c a l l y e x t i n c t . A n e w b u i l d i n g c o n s t r u c t e d


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i n p r o x i m i t y t o t h e o l d c a n h o p e t o r e i n t e r p r e t t h e q u a l i t i e s o f i t s n e i g h b o u r o n l y t h r o u g h siting,massing,form,scale,character,porosity,colour,texture,materialanddecoration.Completeimitationisvirtuallyimpossible. Thi s r epr ese nt s a c hal le nge f or t he ar ch it ec t wi sh ing t o do j us ti ce t o t he pas t.

Insteadofadoptingnaturesmethodsofmimicryandcamoufl

agetosurviveintheheritagecontext,thenewbuildingmustadoptmoreconceptualsurvivaltactics.Currentheritagelawprescribesthatanynewworkinproximitytoaheritagebuildingberegardedessentiallyasa r e n o v at i o n t o t h e b u i l d i n g i t s e lf . T h i s n o t i o n c a n b e r e v e r s ed : a n y n e w w o r k s h o u l d b e

seeninsynthesiswiththeheritageitem,astheaimofsuchworkshouldnotbetomerelyproveacceptable,butshouldinsteadcomprisethecontinuousimprovementoftheheritagebuildingandofthegreaterurbanenvironment.

Toomanyheri tageadvi sersandl ocal heri tagecommi tteesinAustral i asti l l seethei rj obas

protecti onagai nstchangeratherthanthemanagementofchange.4 7

BURRACHARTERCONCLUSIONS

IhavelearnedfrommyEuropeantravelsthatcontextisever-evolvi ngandorganic.Buildings age,decay,andfallintoruin.Newbuildingsareerected,butevenunderconstructionasemptysite,scaffoldedorunoccupiedshelltheyradicallyalterthestreetscape.Themost

unifi e d s t r e e ts c a pe c a n b e u n d e r mi n e d b y a b i l l bo a r d, p o s t e r o r b i l l o wi n g s t r e a me r o n a t e l eg r a ph p o l e . I n t h e r e l e n tl e s s o n s l au g ht o f p a s s i n g t i m e, w e m u s t e n s u r e t h e s u r v i v a lo f h i s t o r i c b u i l d in g s i n p r e f er e n ce t o t h e i r p r e s er v a t io n . T h e a c t o f i n t e r v e ni n g i n h i s t or i c fabricbecomescritical,oftensurgical.Thenewentitycontextualisesitselfaroundalivingf r a g m e n t o f t h e p a s t . A t w o r s t , t h e i n s e n s i t i v e e n t i t y e m b a l m s t h e f r a g m e n t a s a h o l l o w shell,adeathmask.Atbest,thesensitiveentityremindsthepublicofthefragmentsvitality,itsrelevance,andopensanewchapteronthefoundationsofthepast.


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RECENTDEVELOPMENTS

ROME

InSeptember2006,MeiersAraPacisMuseumwaspubliclyunveiled.Itwasimmediatelylikenedtoapetrolstation,apizzeriaandagiantcoffinbyitsdetractors.CelebrityartcriticVittorioSgarbistagedapublicdemonstration,setting fi r e t o a m o d e l o f t h e b u i l d i n g a n d

b r a n d i n g i t a n i n d e c e n t c e s s p i t b y a u s e l e s s a r c h i t e c t . 4 8 N e w Y o r k T i m e s a r c h i t e c t u r a l w r it e r N i co l ai O ur o us o ff w a s a l mo s t a s h ar s h i f a l i tt l e m or e e x pl a na t or y , l a be l li n g t h ebuildinga fl o p . M r M e i e r s b u i ld i n g i s a c o n te m p or a r y e x p r e ss i o n o f w h a t c a n h a p pe n w he n a n a r ch i te c t f e ti s hi z es h i s o wn s t yl e o u t o f a s e ns e o f s e lf - ag gr a nd i ze me nt , h e wrote.Absurdlyoverscale,itseemsindifferenttothenakedbeautyofthedenseandrichlytexturedcityaroundit.4 9Right-wingpoliticianGianniAlemannowaslaterelectedtoMayorofRomeonaplatformwhichincludeddemolitionofthecontentiousmuseum. Histor ic R omes fi rs t n ew a dd it i on i n fi ft y y ea rs , t he A ra P ac is M us eu m h as seeminglyfailedtoconnecttoitssensitivesettingandequallysensitiveinhabitants.The

architecthasabsorbedmostoftheblameforthisdisconnect.Ourousofftakesissuewitht h e r e l a t i o n s h i p o f t h e m u s e u m t o t h e n e a r b y h i s t o r i c c h u r c h e s o f S a n R o c c o a n d S a n GirolamodeiCroati:

A l t h ou g h M r M e i e r s p e a k s e l o q ue n t l y a b o u t t h e a r c h it e c t u ra l p a s t , h i s b u i l di n g s c a n b e

s t u b b o r n l y o b l i v i o u s t o t h e p h y s i c a l a n d c u l t u r a l c o n t e x t . T o r o o t h i s b u i l d i n g i n t h e c i t y s

a n ci e nt f a br i c, h e c r ea t ed a l o ng t r av e rt i ne w a ll t h at e x te n ds f r om t h e m u se u m s m a in

Me ie rsA ra P a cisMu se u mh ttp ://so g nie b iso g n i.ilca n n o cch ia le .it/me d ia ma na g e r/sys.u se r/80 8 0 /A ra P a cis.jpg


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entrancetotheroadwaybesidetheriver.Viewedfromtheroad,thewallchopsthechurches

o f f a t h a l f h e i g h t , s o t h a t y o u d o n t f e e l t h e f u l l e f f e c t o f t h e i r c o m i n g i n t o v i e w M e i e r s

p r o j ec t o v e r w h e lm s t h e p i a z z a b e l o w , p r e s s in g i n o n i t d i s r e s p ec t f u ll y s o t h a t t h e c h u r c h

faadesseemal mosttorecoi l i nembarrassment.5 0

Theunusually fi e r c e c r i t i c i s m l e v e l l e d a t M e i e r r e v e a l s a v e r y s p e c ificcontention:mostc r i t i c s o b j e c t i on s c e n t r e o n t h e w a y h e h a s c h o s e n t o d r e s s h i s s p a ce s , r a t h er t h a n t h e spacesthemselves.5 1

BERLIN

S i n c e u n ifi c a t i o n , B e r l i n h a s p r i d e d i t s e l f o n b e i n g E u r o p e s m o s t p r o g r e s s i v e c i t y . T h i s stancehasbeenreflectedinadaringprogramofurbanplanningandreconstruction,whichhasresultedinacclaimedadditionstothehistoricfabricsuchasOMAsDutchEmbassyandDanielLibeskindsJewishMuseum.TheentireenvelopeofLibeskindsmuseumacts

a s a h i st o ri c al t e xt , i n sc r ib ed w i th d ee p v o i d s a nd s l as h in g m ar k s a nd c u ts . T he s t ee l faadeofthenewadditiontothe1737Kollegienhausisreadindependentlyofthe floor-p l a t e s a n d r o o m s , w i t h w i n d o w s a n d f e n e s t r a t i o n s b e a r i n g n o r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e l e v e l s behind.(MelbournesFederationSquareborrowsthisexpressivedevice,withatessellatedfaadehangingoffthebuildingfromasteelframe,proclaimingthemutualindependenceofthebuildingsinternalvolumesandtheirexternalwrapping.)Berlinsprogressivebuildingprogramhassincetriggeredaconservativecounterplotandthedisjunctionbetweeninsidea n d o u t e m p lo y e d b y L i b es k i n d a s a n i n t e gr a l n a r r a ti v e d e v i c e h a s f o u n d i t s c o r o l l a ry i n historicistscenography.Moderninteriorsarethenormforbuildingsconstructedtoday.Thespatial,materialandtechnologicalaspectsofthespacesinsidetheAtlantisHotel,Dubaisl a t e s t n e o c l a s s i c a l f a n t a s y , a r e a s c o n t e m p o r a r y a n d u p t o d a t e a s t h o s e f o u n d w i t h i n DeluganMeisslsavantegardePorscheMuseuminStuttgart.Sowhenconservativescall

forperiod-stylebuildings,theyarenolongerconcernedwithinteriors.Themetre-or-soofarticulatedfaadewhichcladstheadditiontoahistoricsettinghasbecomethesolesiteofcontention. I n N ov em be r 2 00 8, a B er li n j u ry o f a r ti st s, p ol it ic ia ns a nd c it y p l an ne rs v ot ed t or e co ns t ru c t t h e B e rl i ne r S t ad t sc h lo s s, a n 1 8 th c e nt u ry P r us s ia n p al a ce , o n t h e s i t e o f t h e d em ol i s he d S o vi e t- e ra P a la c e o f t h eRepublic.5 2 B u i l t i n 1 9 7 6 , t h e v a s t P a l a c e o f t h e R e p u b l i c h o u s e d t h e E a s t G e r m a n p a r l i a m e n t b e h i n d a g r i d o f r eflectivegold

g la ss . I n 2 00 3 t he G er ma n g ov er nm en tc on tr ov er si al ly v ot ed t o t ea r d ow n t he s ymbo l of t he c it ys C ommu ni st pas t. Praisedbyitsjuryasacleverarchitectural

c on ne ct io n o f o ld a nd n ew , o f m od er nusage and the reconstruction of thef o r m er p a l ac e ,5 3 t he n ew p ro je ct w il l i nf a c t c o n st i t u te a r e p r od u c ti o n r a t he r t h a na r ec on st ru ct io n. T hr ee o f t he o ri gi na lpalacesfourfaadeswillbebuiltinreplicabaroque,behindwhichamodernbuilding

Da n ie lL ib e skin d sJe wish Mu se u mh ttp ://www.sa atch i-g a lle ry.co .u k/muse u mima g e s/thu mb n a il1 .p h p /mg l2 0 0 7 2 5 1 20 9 2 5 a rc_p h t.jp g


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housingalibraryandmuseumwillbeconcealed.Ididntwanttocreateacounterpointto

thecityarchitecture,butprovidecontinuity,notreplacement,5 4

F r a n c o S t e l l a , t h e I t a l i a n a r c hi t e c t a p p o i n te d t o o v e r s ee t h e n e w p r o j e ct , i s q u ot e d a s s a y i n g. B u t a s B r i t ai n s T h e G ua r di a n r e po r te d, h e w i l l h av e t o r e co ns t ru c t t h e o r ig i na l f a ca d es , d ow n t o t h e l a st

ornament,curlicueandnakedangel,allowinglittlefreedomforpersonalinterpretation. 5 5 C r i t i c s h a v e o p p o s e d t h e p r o j e c t a s a p a s t i c h e o f a r c h i t e c t u r a l s t y l e s a n d a n a t t e m p t t o whitewashhistory. T h e j u r y sd e c is i o nt o r e w r i te t h e s i t e s h i s t or y b y r e p l ic a t i ng a b u i l di n g f r o mt h e d i s t an t past,contradictstheprincipleofhistoricalcontinuity.Thatthereplicationonlyextendstothefaadesofthehistoricentityisanabsurdsimplificationofculturalsignificance.ItbringstomindChristoandJeanne-ClaudesambiguouswrappingoftheReichstagin1995.ItisalsotheoppositeapproachtothatemployedbyNormanFosterinhisrestorationandextension

oftheReichstag,completedin1999.FosterpersuadedtheparliamentnottoerasebattlescarsandRedArmygraffitifromthewalls.Thesefeatureswereseenashistoricevidenceratherthanunsightlydamage,andretainedasacontributiontothenarrativeandcharacterofthebuilding.5 6

DORSET

F a r fr o m an i s ol a te d t a ct i c, t h e no s ta l gi c a nd t o ke ni s ti c t r om pe l oe i l of t h e Pr u ss i an palaceseemstobepartofawidespreadtrend.InDorset,PrinceCharleshasjustcompletedhisfirstcontributiontoarchitecture,amodernfirestationsophisticallydecoratedinGeorgian

Comparativephotgraphsshowingtheoriginal18thCenturyPrussianPalaceandthe1976PalaceoftheRepublic

http://www.tu-cottbus.de/BTU/Fak2/TheoArch/Wolke/deu/Themen/041/Flierl/Bild08.jpg


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style.Along-timeoutspokencriticofcontemporarydesign,hefamouslyderidedaproposedextensiontoLondonsNationalGalleryasamonstrouscarbuncleonthefaceofamuch-lovedandelegantfriendina1984speechtotheRoyalInstituteofBritishArchitects.Healsodescribedtheextensionasakindofmunicipal firestation.5 725yearslater,HisRoyal

Highnesschoiceofamunicipalfi

restationashisfi

rstproject,iseitherintentionalorhighlyironic. From the outside, P rince Charles creati on m erges a r ow of fi r e t r u c k g a r ag e s ,rusticatedstonework,oculiwindows,exposedguttersanddrainpipes,recessedpilasters,

e l e ct r i c l i g ht fi x t u r e s , t r i a n g u l a t e d p e d i m e n t s a n d a m o c k b a l c o n y s u p p o r t e d o n n a r r o w arches.Thisjumbledarrayoffeaturescomesoflittlesurprisefromadesignerwhothinkst h at c o lu mn s a nd d o me s c o mp r is e a c on c ep t .5 8 I ns id e, o f c ou rs e, t he b ui l di ng i s a contemporaryfirestation.Theresulthasbeenaptlydescribedasafreakishhybridandpretentiouskitsch.5 9Inhis1984talk,HRHchampionedtherehabilitationofhistoricplaces.Themisguidedcreationoffauxhistoricalplacesisadifferentmatterentirely.Exactlywhataspectofourheritageisthismesstryingtodefend?askededitorJustinMcGuirk.6 0

SYDNEY

Des cr ibedby F ar rel ly as al l- wr ap -no- pr es si e6 1,thelatestproposalfortheextensionofSydneysMuseumofContemporaryArtwasexhibitedinNovember2008.Designedbyl o c al a r c hi t e c t S a m M a r sh a l l , t h e p r o p os e d a d d i ti o n w i l l p r o v i d e a n e w m a i n e n t ra n c e t o

PrinceCharlesDorsetFireStation

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themuseumaswellasadditionalexhibitionspaces,arooftopsculpturegardenandcaf,newmediaandeducationfacilities.Thisbuildingisourdream,proclaimedMCAdirectorE l i z ab e t h A n n M a c g r e go r . I t i s l i k e a s e r i e s o f b o x e s t h a t h a v e b e e n t w i s t e d a r o u n d ,6 2.Butthebuildingisaseriesofboxeswhichhavebeentwistedaround.Itmakesnoattempt

a t a n a l o g y o r n a r r a t i v e . T h e M C A p r o p o s a l h a s n o s h a p i n g i d e a , w r i t e s F a r r e l l y , i t i s littlemorethana3Ddiagramtrickedupwithmulticolouredconcrete.6 3Primarilydesignedt o s o l v e a c c e s s a n d c i r c u l a t i o n p r o b l e m s , t h e d e s i g n r e l e g a t e s i t s p u b l i c g e s t u r e t o a n afterthought.Expressedasaclusterofdisorderedvolumesinvaryingmushroomtints,the

proposalhasanawkward,submissiverelationshiptotheadjoiningpostwar-erasandstonemonolith. T V p er so na li ty An dr ew Fr os t h as be mo an ed th e p ed es tr ia n ap pe ar an ce of t he d e s i g n , p r o p o s i n g a n a r r a t i v e d e v i c e i n i t s p l a c e f a r m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e t o t h e h o u s i n g o f contemporaryart;ahugeskullcarvedfromsandstonewitheyesthatlightupredwhentheplaceisopen.6 4AustraliasanswertoRichardMeier,PhilipCox,himselfwidelyknownforfavouringthewhitesteelshedasaresponsetoanyandeverycontextualsituation,also

offeredanovelcritiqueoftheproposeddesign:

D o e s t h i s b u i l d i n g a c t u a l l y r e s p o n d t o C i r c u l a r Q u a y a n d i t s p o s i t i o n ? I d o n t t h i n k s o ,

h e s a i d . I t h i nk i t s a p i t y t h a t i t s v e r y o b v i o us l y a c u b i s t ic w h i t e b o x t h a t d e ni e s t h e v e r y

urbanaspectsofTheRocksareai tsel f,whi chi sessenti al l ya

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