THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL OVER-SEAS LEAGUE - ARCHITECTURE
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ISSUE 719 SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 2019
OVERSE AS
THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL OVER-SE AS LE AGUE
ARCHITECTURE
The built environment affects every aspect
of our lives, from health and wellbeing to crime
WELCOME
“ Th e S t e i n w a y i s n o t o n l y a n i n s t r u m e n t , i t i s a w o r k o f a r t o f t h e f i r s t r a n k .”
CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH
S T E I N W AY A R T I S T “Our international
The Royal Over-Seas League is dedicated
to championing international friendship and
understanding through cultural and education
headquarters at
activities around the Commonwealth and beyond.
A not-for-profit private members’ organisation, we’ve
been bringing like-minded people together since 1910.
Over-Seas House is
Front Cover Wrench Room, Over-Seas House
OVERSEAS EDITORIAL TEAM
part of our identity
Editor Mr Mark Brierley:
editor@rosl.org.uk; +44 (0)20 7408 0214
Design zed creative: www.zedcreative.co.uk
as an organisation”
Display advertisements The Media Sales House:
+44 (0)20 3004 7201; rosl@themediasaleshouse.co.uk
It is timely that this issue of Overseas is devoted to the theme of architecture
ROYAL OVER-SEAS LEAGUE
Incorporated by Royal Charter
as our thoughts and energies have turned to preserving and enhancing
Patron HM The Queen Over-Seas House. Whilst we all know that ROSL is about much more than
Vice-Patron HRH Princess Alexandra KG GCVO
a building, our international headquarters at Over-Seas House is very much
President The Rt Hon the Lord Luce KG GCVO DL
Chairman Mr Alexander Downer AC part of our identity as an organisation. Buildings have been important in
Vice-Chairman Prof Meryll Dean*
ROSL’s history and in recent decades we have sold buildings to bridge gaps
Deputy Chairman Mrs Anne Wilkinson*
Hon Treasurer Mr Richard Harbord FCA* in our finances. The sale of our Edinburgh clubhouse was completed in July,
Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street,
and we remain an active participant in Edinburgh through our programme
London SW1A 1LR; +44 (0)20 7408 0214;
Fax +44 (0)20 7499 6738; info@rosl.org.uk; of 31 concerts in two weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and through
www.rosl.org.uk
our visual arts scholars. The Royal Scots Club is now our reciprocal partner
CENTR AL COUNCIL (AS OF 1 MAY 2019)
Mr Anjola-Oluwa Adeniyi Dip IoD, Mr David Banks*, in Edinburgh for members wishing to make an overnight stay.
Ms Penny Bristow, Nik Raof Daud, Prof Meryll Dean*,
Mr Peter Fernandez FFCA, Miss Judith Fisher, In London, two of the three buildings that make up Over-Seas House
Mr Keith Green, Ms Fiona Harshaw MRICS,
Mr Stephen Johns, Mr Alex Lamley,
enjoy Grade I listing. They have all received various ad hoc upgrades and
Mr Vic Laws MBE FIH, Prof Eve Mitleton-Kelly, refurbishments over the decades without the context of an over-arching
Mr David Nicholson*, Mr Phil Nicklin BA FCA,
Miss Samantha Pickett, Mrs Helen Prince, buildings masterplan that identifies all the needs of the buildings and their
Mr Atholl Swainston-Harrison*, Mrs Raye Ward,
Mr Frank Wibaut, Mrs Anne Wilkinson* users. As a result, resources have not been focused on the areas in most need
*Executive Committee
and a considerable backlog of essential repair and maintenance has built up.
Director-General Dr Diana Owen OBE
+44 (0)20 7408 0214 x201; Significant defects in areas of compliance and basic services are being dealt
patodirectorgeneral@rosl.org.uk
Chief Finance Officer Mrs Alexis Corzberg:
with and must be invested in as a matter of urgency. A master buildings
acorzberg@rosl.org.uk strategy process has begun with the Buildings and Heritage Subcommittee
Director of Education Projects
Ms Margaret Adrian-Vallance MBE: to provide the wider context for the planning of these and other works at
+44 (0)20 7408 0214 x307; mvallance@rosl.org.uk
Over-Seas House, which will not only bring us up to modern standards for
Artistic Director Mr Geoff Parkin:
+44 (0)20 7408 0214 x325; gparkin@rosl.org.uk electrical, water, and mechanical services but will also deliver improvements
Director of HR Mrs Sarah Banner:
sbanner@rosl.org.uk
to facilities in key areas.
Membership
+44 (0)20 7408 0214 x214; membership@rosl.org.uk
I am also delighted that we have begun to create a ROSL archive with the
For more contacts visit www.rosl.org.uk/the-team help of an Archives and Documents Intern supported by University College
London. Our buildings strategy will be underpinned by understanding
the history of our rooms and the fascinating events that happened in
Print Gemini Print Group: +44 (0)127 346 4884
The journal is published by the Royal Over-Seas League, them, the craftsmen and women who created these buildings, and the
Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street,
London SW1A 1LR. Any views expressed in editorial opportunities provided by new technologies to improve access and
and any advertisements included are not necessarily
S t ei n way Hall 4 4 Ma r y l eb one L ane L ond on W1U 2 D B endorsed by the Central Council.
ISSN 00307424
environmental performance.
Fo r mo re in form a tion o r to a r rang e a p r i va te ap p o i n t m e n t
a t o ur Lon do n sho w roo m s, p l ease c al l : Diana Owen OBE
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
0207 487 3391 or em ai l i nf o@ stei nw ay. c o. u k
W W W. R O S L .O R G .U K 3
From the
EDITOR
According to studies, the average person now spends
90% of their life indoors. With such an attachment to
the built environment, its little wonder that we take
such pleasure in the buildings that we live and work in.
Since antiquity, buildings have provided more than
mere shelter; they have given us a sense of pride,
of purpose, and of belonging, though buildings
14
themselves have changed alongside technology,
materials and tastes.
In this edition of Overseas, we take a closer look at
architecture, and some of its intended and unintended
consequences on the world around us. For example,
did you know that the way the buildings are designed
can encourage or discourage crime? On page 6, Ross
Davies asks if crime can ever be designed out of the
urban landscape. If so, where does the line blur between
“Architects designing creating safe spaces and fortress-like environments?
As with many aspects of life, there has also been a
for tomorrow will need recent push for sustainability in the construction
industry. On page 10, Elly Earls finds out what
to think about how techniques architects and builders are using to make
buildings greener without denting, and sometimes
cities promote health, enhancing, the aesthetic appeal of a building.
Spending so much of our time indoors can also play a
wellbeing and a sense of major role in our health, both physically and mentally.
Abi Millar finds out about the restorative powers of
connectedness with nature” the architecture of wellness on page 14. The ancient
Greeks based entire cities around the idea of improving
our health through design, and with facilities such as
Maggie’s Centres now cropping up, it looks like
we are returning to those ideals.
WELCOME 14. A rchitecture 24. Fit for a duchess IN THE UK NEWS & EVENTS Business Council for Our own clubhouse has an architectural story to tell,
of wellbeing Rutland House, one Africa, will help 80 itself a collection of three buildings from different eras
3. From the D-G Our physical and mental third of the clubhouse, 34. F
rom
the sublime 38. N
ews & views
young people at the and design languages. On page 24, Juliet Learmouth
Diana discusses the task health can be improved was built thanks to to the ridiculous Mayfair Art Weekend,
Mokolodi Wildlife concentrates on the history of Rutland House
of maintaining our by the very buildings in Mary Howard, A look at the past an introduction to
Foundation and its trailblazing commissioner,
beautiful clubhouse which we live and recover Duchess of Norfolk winners of our 2019 visual arts
Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk.
architecture's most scholars, and the Caine 45. ROSLaround
28. Hitting
all the
WORLD ROSL PEOPLE right notes
prestigious award; Prize are just some of the world The line between art and architecture is one that artists
the Stirling Prize, our recent highlights. Photos, news, and and architects have tread carefully for years. To celebrate
6. D
esigning out crime 18. The art of architecture Fresh from his victory and its antithesis, Plus, the sale of the the new architecture exhibition being hosted on the walls
upcoming events
Ross Davies asks how Anne Desmet RA at this year's AMC, the Carbuncle Cup former Edinburgh of Over-Seas House from September, on page 18, we
from our global
the built environment discusses the ways in trombonist Kris Garfitt clubhouse and staff speak to Anne Desmet RA, one of the artists exhibiting,
36. L
ondon
and branch network
could be responsible which the work of artist tells us what it took to changes about the crossover between these two disciplines.
UK highlights and ROSL-organised
for crime in urban areas and architect intersect win the Gold Medal
Find out about some 44. I
nvesting
in activities Read on for more features like these, plus news
10. Form and function 22. B
est laid plans 32. My city: Kolkata of the cultural Africa's next and events from the clubhouse and around the world.
47. E
vent highlights
Sustainable buildings ROSL Head of Estates Former Indian Foreign highlights taking place generation Book now for our As ever, I hope you enjoy the issue and please get
can be beautiful as well Tomasz Sikorksi discusses Secretary, member around the UK over A new Botswana in touch with any feedback you might have.
new Supper Club,
as green, but is there the planning that goes Krishnan Srinivasan, the next few months, education project,
Christmas and more
too much emphasis on into maintaining our gives us the lowdown including Open House 'Joy in the wild', in Mark Brierley
box ticking? beautiful clubhouse on his hometown London partnership with the 50. E
vent calendar editor@rosl.org.uk
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DE SIGNIN G
B
ack in 1974, the If this set of principles is adhered to, be traced to Newman’s theories, which
OUT
Canadian architect and a building then becomes SBD-accredited. have had the most disproportionate
city planner Oscar Stockport-based BTP Architects is one influence over all policies towards public
Newman visited the such practice that has worked with police space and buildings.”
Aylesbury Estate in architectural liaison officers in order to Citizens, whether they find themselves
south-east London as meet SBD approval. in private or public space, want to feel safe.
CR I M E
part of a documentary “Checklists can include everything from This is a self-evident truth. Yet, 9/11 and
for BBC2’s Horizon series. fence heights and lighting to designing out subsequent incidents of terrorism – fuelled
Over the course of the 45-minute hiding places on estates,” explains BTP further by reports of escalating knife crime
episode (available on YouTube), Newman director Manny Atkinson. in the UK’s major cities – have tapped into
patrols the estate – opened two years “Also, on larger schemes, as part of the society’s worst fears. According to the
earlier – identifying the innumerable planning process, the local authority may British Security Industry Association,
perils that had already made it rife with ask for a crime impact statement. In that the total turnover for all security products
break-ins and acts of vandalism. case, the police compile a report, which and services in the UK currently stands at
Almost half a century later, it makes for highlights crime issues in the local area £22.71 billion.
a shocking piece of television. Newman – and makes recommendations that we then That’s an awful lot of CCTV cameras,
a dour, professorial figure – roundly adapt to help design out incidental crime.” razor wire, and roller shutters. So, how are
eviscerates the estate as a hotbed for crime architects expected to achieve a suitable
and a forcing house of delinquency. In balance between creating spaces that are
every darkened walkway and stairwell A HOTBED FOR safe but don’t look like prison towers?
lurks danger. In the final reel, Newman “It’s an incredibly difficult balance to
speculates whether or not the Aylesbury’s
CRIME AND A strike,” says Atkinson. “You can’t just
children will themselves grow up to be FORCING HOUSE OF build a high wall around the site. On every
criminals. DELINQUENCY. IN scheme we do, we try to look outward.
It stops short of invoking the That means ensuring spaces are well lit
apocalypse, but not by much.
EVERY DARKENED and don’t contain any hiding spaces.
Subsequently, the documentary has WALKWAY AND “So, instead of building a two-metre-
accrued its fair share of controversy, STAIRWELL LURKS high timber fence, how about a lower fence
with one noted architecture publication with a trellis on top or a hedge? It’s that
DANGER
describing it as “trial by TV”. kind of thing that makes places safe, but
However, Newman’s influence on doesn’t give way to hostile architecture.”
architecture’s relativity to urban crime However, Anna Minton, author of The mention of hostile architecture is a
remains incalculable today. His 1972 book, Ground Control and reader in architecture pertinent reminder of architecture’s power
Defensible Space: People and Design in at the University of East London, has her to both include and exclude people. This
the Violent City – a study of the causal reservations over SBD’s influence. She was brought into sharp relief in 2014 when
relationship between environment, crime believes its recommendations, while reports emerged of a private apartment
and social problems on large housing sensible in some areas, have normalised block in south London installing “anti-
estates, is arguably the blueprint for the militarised environments, from housing homeless” spikes to deter rough sleeping.
CAN CRIME EVER BE DESIGNED OUT OF THE UK’s Secured by Design (SBD) initiative. estates to schools and hospitals. Public outrage rightfully ensued.
Introduced in 1989 by the Home Office “Because SBD requirements for schools “While there might be an argument
URBAN LANDSCAPE? IF SO, WHERE DOES THE
– before becoming a private entity in 2000 and public buildings are based on an for tougher security if you are designing a
LINE BLUR BETWEEN CREATING SAFE SPACES – SBD is a voluntary scheme built around audit of local crime risk, higher crime place for vulnerable residents – say, a care
AND FORTRESS-LIKE ENVIRONMENTS? THESE ARE the idea of “designing out crime”. Funded areas – which correlate with higher home – I’d say that hostile architecture
QUESTIONS STILL DIVIDING THE ARCHITECTURAL in the main by security companies, deprivation scores – are now can never be a good thing,” says Atkinson.
it encourages cooperation between characterised by public buildings with “Hostile architecture is in no way
COMMUNITY, AS ROSS DAVIES REPORTS architects, planners and law enforcement a militarised feel to them,” she says. positive for the urban environment,”
to create developments around a set of “I think security has been hardened up agrees Minton. “Instead, we should be
design criteria. to a problematic degree. Much of this can looking to nurture environments where
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Square miles
and circle lines.
From the hidden history of the Underground to the Roman roots of
the City, Martin Randall Travel’s London Days offer fresh perspective
and deeper insight, whether you are a Londoner or a visitor.
Spend the day getting to know a different side of the capital
through special arrangements and visits to rarely-seen sites with
SBD clearly divides opinion, too, as our expert lecturers.
highlighted by the opposing conclusions
arrived at by Davey and Minton in their Over 40 London Days itineraries including:
respective research. Roman London Walk | Billingsgate, Mithraeum & Guildhall
Davey points to “scientific evidence that London’s Underground Railway | A History of the Tube
SBD accreditation reduces crime, anti- ‘A wonderful day, I feel like I have The South Bank Walk | Between Waterloo & The Shard
social behaviour and fear of crime”. Yet, a been royally entertained, educated Interwar Interiors | Modernist, Traditional, & Art Deco
2013 case study carried out by Minton on The Golden Age of British Painting | Hogarth to the Pre-Raphaelites
and exercised!’
Pimlico’s Peabody Avenue – commonly Great Railway Termini | Paddington, King’s Cross & St Pancras
regarded as the birthplace of UK social
‘The route chosen revealed parts
housing – showed that while incidents of
Reed bedding and swamp at the front of Nottingham's Experian Data Centre crime were down, anti-social behaviour of London completely unknown Contact us:
(security fencing is found at the rear), “addresses security in a way that is subtle was up, despite SBD guidelines having to me and the unfamiliar vistas of +44 (0)20 8742 3355
and not visually threatening” been incorporated into 50 new homes familiar landmarks was a joy.’ martinrandall.com/london-days
on the estate.
safety is organic as a result of natural crime and security issues within the “Our study suggested that high security
surveillance – as is the case in the public context of all needs and requirements, was offered as a technical response to a
spaces in so much of continental Europe, and so use their creative skills to generate complex social problem, which requires
where the public squares and piazzas solutions that are better integrated within a different kind of solution,” says Minton.
favour a culture of public space rather the overall design solution. Is it possible to build an urban
than the privatisation of public space.” “Early-stage integration is also much environment in such a way that crime can
A distinction needs to be made between more preferable to retrofitting be completely eliminated? Given the
public and policing, and private security, unsympathetic security devices after number of variables at play when it comes
says Minton, given that the goal of the the design is complete.” to criminal activity – acts of vandalism are
former is the protection of the public, Davey also understands the general clearly not the same as muggings, assault
while the latter is more concerned with assumption that additional security and or worse – architects can only do so much.
securing the property itself. unattractive design are mutually inclusive. “Obviously you can’t design out all of
“It’s a whole different set of priorities, However, she cites examples of this trend crime, because if someone heads to a town
often tied up with insurance,” she argues. being bucked in recent years. or city with the express intent of causing
“It’s very much a self-fulfilling prophecy. One such building to have caught her mischief – or worse – they will do,” says
You’ve got mass privatised property that eye is Nottingham’s Experian Data Centre, Atkinson. “So, I think it’s important to
needs to be insured – therefore, it needs which opened its doors in 2006. Despite differentiate between incidental crime
to have private security. It has nothing to being billed at the time as a “data centre and people just wanting to cause trouble.
do with crime.” fortress”, the inclusion of reed bedding “I also feel a lot of this is to do with the
According to Caroline Davey, Director of and swamp at the front of the complex fact that young people don’t appear to have
the Design Against Crime Solution Centre (security fencing is found at the rear), anywhere to go. If we are looking to design
at the University of Salford, security is best “addresses security in a way that is subtle out crime in cities, we can’t just do it site by
achieved through considering the risk of and not visually threatening”. site.”
crime as early as possible in the “And if more overt security measures Ultimately, the roots of crime are socio-
development project – as opposed to are required, well-considered design can economic. The incorporation of spiked
tacking on security features as a reactionary improve even these,” adds Davey. “For fences and razor wire will not design out
measure further down the line. example, transparent roller shutters can crime as much as simply shift it to another
“Integrating these issues into the design be used to create a more inviting shopfront location. More community-centric,
process carries several benefits,” she says. and don’t attract as much graffiti as outward-looking design and planning is
“Designers are better able to understand unsightly metal grilles.” the way to go.
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FORM I think there is a correlation between money
and carbon. If you save carbon, you quite
often save money.”
AND He points to earlier Stirling Prize winners
as better blueprints for a low-carbon future.
The 2014 winner, Haworth Tompkins’
FU N C T I O N
Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, reused
25,000 bricks from the original theatre to
create a curved auditorium within the new
one, while at Hastings Pier, which scooped
the top prize in 2017, the visitor centre is clad
Sustainability accreditation schemes have in reused timber decking from the original
pier, which was burned down in 2010.
transformed the built environment but is there
“I think architecture has to evolve its
too much emphasis on ticking the boxes? aesthetics in terms of low-carbon
Elly Earls meets Simon Sturgis of Targeting architecture,” Sturgis adds. For example, the
Zero and the Singapore Green Building Everyman Theatre features circular chimneys
as part of its distinctive silhouette, which
Council’s Yvonne Soh to find out provide ventilation but are also part of the
architectural image of the building.
S
ustainable buildings are no longer British building in 2018. While he believes Back to basics
the outliers; more than 550,000 Bloomberg HQ is an extraordinary piece Yvonne Soh, who heads up the Singapore
projects have been certified by of design, he has a few issues with it being Green Building Council (SGBC), thinks a
BREEAM, a global scheme that labelled as the most sustainable office pitfall many developers and architects come
assesses their environmental, building in the world. up against is working too hard to tick the
social, and economic sustainability, and over “I’m not disputing that it has achieved sustainability accreditation boxes.
two million are registered for certification the highest BREEAM rating,” he says. “Whenever you have a framework or some
– in more than 80 countries worldwide. “However, the big question is: Does that Exemplars for the future The embodied carbon sort of scoring system, most consultants will
In London, the new European make it the most sustainable building? Through his company, Targeting Zero, of buildings like the new of course try to meet the specs to get the
Bloomberg HQ (above)
headquarters of global media powerhouse In my view, the answer is no.” Sturgis wants to change the way projects are points. But sometimes in doing that there
is much higher than
Bloomberg recently achieved the highest Sturgis’s answer is no because of the designed and built in the UK. He’s already Liverpool's Everyman
might be an overemphasis on putting in a
score ever given to a major office building’s embodied carbon footprint. worked closely with the Royal Institution of Theatre (right) and Hastings lot of technological solutions to solve things
development. It ranked 98.5% against In other words, the carbon cost of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to co-author its Pier (below), thanks to their and reduce energy consumption,” she says.
BREEAM’s sustainability assessment score, constructing and maintaining it. professional statement ‘Whole Life Carbon use of recycled materials “A better approach is to start from basic
recognising its innovative environmental “Having looked at the building externally Assessment for the Built Environment’, principles and look at passive design
strategies, which deliver a 73% saving in and internally, you can see from how it’s which covers carbon assessment from both solutions, which don’t cost anything at all.
water consumption and a 35% saving in made that it is a sophisticated and an operational and embodied standpoint, What can you do fundamentally about the
energy consumption compared with a complicated thing. For example, a lot the as well as the RIBA equivalent. He’s also building? For example, its orientation, how
typical office building. stone is curved, which means there must contributed to sustainability guides for the And it hasn’t come a moment too soon. the different blocks are put together, where
As Alan Yates, technical director of have been a lot of wastage. Then there’s the British Council for Offices (BCO) and the “If you think about the climate change it is in terms of the wider environment it’s
BRE Global’s Sustainability Group, said: transportation element – the bronze, for UK Green Building Council. emergency, it’s construction emissions that in so you can encourage better wind flow,
“What sets the Bloomberg building apart example, came from Japan. In addition, “Up until recently, I think embodied happen right now that you have to reduce, and so on.”
is its relentless focus on innovation and its the building gets BREEAM points for being carbon has been overlooked for various good that have the most immediate impact on Moreover, for the SGBC, a sustainable
holistic, integrated approach to sustainable naturally ventilated, which is great, but it’s reasons,” he says. “Many architects design climate change,” he says. building is not just a building that considers
construction and design. Projects like these also got an entire air-conditioning system low-embodied carbon buildings without For this reason, he simply doesn’t believe the environment; it also has an impact on
are really important in giving confidence installed just in case. The embodied cost of doing a detailed calculation. They intuitively Bloomberg HQ can be held up as an exemplar its occupants. “It’s a more total approach,”
to the industry to experiment.” putting that in would have been very high. know that using a timber column is going to for the future. “It’s like the best possible Soh says. “Green buildings should support
Simon Sturgis is widely recognised as “The defence against all this is that the be a lower carbon outcome than using a Formula 1 car. It’s got an amazingly efficient sustainable lifestyles – for example with
an innovator in delivering a low-carbon, building will last a very long time, which is stone-clad steel frame. But there hasn’t been petrol engine. The problem is we’re now into electric vehicle charging, sheltered access
resource-efficient, built environment. He is not an unreasonable defence. But I’m pretty the knowledge or ability to fully understand the world of electric engines. And while I give to public transport and promoting cycling
also sustainability advisor to the prestigious confident you could achieve an equivalent these things in a numerical sense. The RICS credit to them for what they have achieved – with bike parking lots. It goes beyond the
RIBA Stirling Prize, which dubbed life span without expending that level of document that I was involved with actually the levels of energy efficiency are extremely building structure but also considers how
Bloomberg’s European HQ the best new embodied carbon.” helps people put numbers to all that.” impressive – the building cost $1.3 billion and people will use the space.”
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The role of greenery in building
design, such as at Changi's Jewel
Building (left) and PARKROYAL
(below) extend the natural beyond
parks into the streetscape
With its sit-to-stand work stations for all
employees, central ramp spanning six floors EMBODIED CARBON
that encourages movement through the VS
building, two cycle centres, and a wellness
centre, this is something Bloomberg HQ does
CARBON FOOTPRINT major banks and financial institutions that
exceptionally well. While carbon footprint is climate change is going to be part of the
Soh also agrees with Sturgis’s point a fairly widely known and investment risk criteria. As well as ‘stress testing’
about aesthetics, although in Singapore understood term that refers financial institutions against their liquidity, how
low-carbon architecture tends to take a to the carbon emissions of an much money they’ve got and how secure they
slightly different form. activity, for example, using are, in two years’ time, the Bank of England
“Green buildings don’t have to be ugly a building by heating it and will be doing the same with respect to climate
buildings; here I think, one of the distinctive lighting it, the term embodied change. I think what that will mean is that
features of Singapore green buildings is the people who wish to design a Bloomberg HQ
carbon is now beginning to
incorporation of greenery – for example the in five or ten years’ time will find that the
gain prominence. It refers to
PARKROYAL on Pickering Hotel and the scrutiny will be at a different level.”
the total carbon emissions
Jewel Building at Changi Airport. There’s a For Soh’s part, one of the main focuses of
involved in the construction of
general appreciation for the role of greenery in the SGBC in the next few years will be on
a building, for example the
Singapore – even in the normal streetscape – assisting the Singapore government with its
emissions involved in producing
and I think our buildings have taken this on.” Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the
concrete or transporting raw construction sector. “Green buildings have
Changing behaviour materials, as well as the been identified as one of the ways forward for
The SGBC prides itself on the fact that, since emissions once the building is the industry so we need to look at the skills
its inception in 2009, it has brought together in use. This more holistic term that will be needed for this and what we can
the entire real estate value chain to co-create is now gaining traction in the do to level up people’s skill sets and
solutions to support the development of green construction industry. competencies,” she explains.
buildings in Singapore. “We have the But change won’t happen with B2B
government agencies on board, the real estate initiatives alone. “I think the major challenge
developers, the owners, designers, architects, The fact that the World Green Building is user behaviour,” Soh concludes. “It’s a lot
engineers, contractors, and product Council has recently started developing a more difficult to change people than to
manufacturers,” Soh says. ‘call to action’ report focusing on embodied change buildings. We’ve had a pilot behaviour
The council has also helped develop a carbon emissions and the systemic changes change programme over the last two years
product certification scheme that provides an needed to achieve full decarbonisation across to look at how we can work with people in
efficient way to identify green solutions for the global buildings sector is only likely to offices to get them to change their behaviour
building projects, and while it doesn’t have a accelerate that process. without thinking they’re making a big effort.
major focus on embodied carbon at present – Meanwhile, Sturgis has been encouraged When the public understands the benefit of
“It’s an emerging concept here,” Soh says – it’s by one of the announcements made at the green buildings and there’s a demand, then
something that’s being investigated and will recent London Climate Week. there’s less need to push the industry.
become more of a focus in the coming years. “We had acknowledgment from groups of We’re looking at creating that demand.”
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O F W EL L BEIN G
The ancient Greeks based entire cities around the idea of
improving our health through design, but somewhere along the
way these ideas were forgotten. Abi Millar asks whether the built
environment can return to these ideals and make us healthier
I
f you’d got sick in ancient Greece, you could have He was talking about the confrontation between hope
done worse than pay a visit to Epidaurus. A small and fear, which in the past served as a great spur for
city on the Argolid Peninsula, it was famous as the healthcare design. Maggie’s Centres seek to tap into that
birthplace of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. tradition. Each centre, designed by a leading architect,
It also played host to the best-known asclepion provides its own creative take on Maggie’s original
(healing centre) of the classical world. blueprint, and works to convey an ‘architecture of hope’.
After spending the night in the sleeping hall, where the “The brief that Maggie’s give their architects is very open
god would purportedly visit you in your dreams, you’d – there is no set list of areas and specific requirements, but
report to a priest. He would prepare a cure for you based a beautiful little book that Maggie wrote about what a place
on your dream, with cures ranging from the surgical to for care might be like,” explains Alun Jones of Dow Jones
the spiritual. As you recovered, you could attend a theatre Architects. “This is why all Maggie’s Centres end up being
performance or visit the athletics stadium, or recuperate quite different. There is a list of the rooms that they would
in the public baths or gymnasium. like, but these are described from the point
This asclepion, like all of those in ancient of view of activity and mood rather than
Greece, was deliberately placed somewhere function. So there is a lot of freedom within
scenic. Deep in a lush valley, with sea views an overall set of parameters.”
and rolling hills, it was a world away from the Dow Jones designed Maggie’s Cardiff,
crowdedness of the city. Health was about which opened earlier this year. As guests
more than administering the right treatment. arrive, the first thing they will feel is the relief
It was a function of the whole environment, of being in a garden – calm and reflective,
with physical, spiritual, and social dimensions. with deep views into the building.
More than 2,000 years later, the concept of “The site is quite tough – it is the corner of
‘integrative wellness’ is once again gaining a car park and surrounded by a sea of tarmac,
traction. Under this template, mind is as cars, double yellow lines,” says Jones. “We
important as body, and treatments should wanted to make a building that would take
focus on the whole person. Relatedly, there has you as far away from this context as possible,
been a surge of interest in healthy environments, and ways and also take away from your diagnosis or treatment, and
of providing healthcare outside of an institutional setting. project you into another place.”
The most obvious example is Maggie’s Centres, drop-in The local landscape, he adds, is very distinctive, with
centres for cancer patients that are more domestic than blocky mountains covered in bracken that turns orange in
medical in feel. The concept was developed in the mid-90s the autumn. With its series of pitched roofs, and exposed
by the architectural critic Charles Jencks and his late wife weather steel, the building responds both to the mountains
Maggie Keswick. and to the industrial buildings nearby.
As Jencks wrote in 2014: “Our commitment to art, Meanwhile, the interior is organised around the ‘cwtch’,
architecture and healing stemmed from such direct a tall and intimate roof-lit space with a homely kitchen
confrontations as those we found at Epidaurus… the hidden table. (The word ‘cwtch’ has two meanings in Welsh – a
tradition of Western culture that used to run very deep.” small comforting space, and a cuddle.) The materials are
W W W. R O S L .O R G .U K 15
WORLD WORLD
soft and warm, the natural light abundant, and the
layout takes the guest on a journey, with a sequence
of special moments relating to a space, a piece of art,
a piece of furniture or a view.
“I think the built environment plays a huge role in
improving our health and wellbeing, but one that is
quite difficult to describe,” says Jones. “Perhaps there is
a sense of purpose about beautiful and well-considered
things, which projects some sense of being cared for?”
Of course, people have always known that buildings
impact how we feel, and that the environment can
serve a healing purpose. The ancient Greeks knew it.
The ancient Hindus knew it with their ‘vastu shastra’
(science of architecture). The 16th-century doctor
Paracelsus knew it, writing: “The art of healing comes
from nature, not from the physician.”
Even the Victorians – notorious for their squalid
cities and Dickensian slums – had their sanatoriums,
where people were quarantined for tuberculosis.
That said, the basic principle underlying the asclepeia
has largely been forgotten, Maggie’s Centres aside. Most
of the time, when we think about the architecture of
health, we think about hospitals – institutional, sterile
and not particularly welcoming places. With people
living longer and the burden of chronic disease growing
greater, it seems a pertinent time to ask whether we can
recapture some Ancient Greek ideals. “Something we’ve been working on is biophilia, “It’s been interesting to see how the integration of focus on green space, the building will resemble Pubilc art? Meeting
Earlier this year, an exhibition at the Wellcome which is humans’ inherent need to be close to nature,” nature into buildings has become such a key factor,” says a set of giant pot plants, featuring a series of curved space? The unusual Vessel
Collection in London, called Living with Buildings, explains Mat Cash, a group leader at Heatherwick Cash. “A lot of our projects are exploring that in new structures with plant-covered roofs. building (above) in New
York is Heatherwick
posed a similar question. Looking not just at Studio. “It’s really about trying to design for all the ways. We’re just completing a project in China, which is “The site is on quite a steep hill – it was one of the
Studio's attempt to
designated healthcare buildings, but also the aspects of how a space makes you feel, as well as what about bringing a park over a building and bringing new last green spaces on the hospital complex,” says Cash. engage the public in its
relationship between health and architecture more you can see, and the human experience of a building.” green life to a city. Particularly in Asia, as you get urban “We were very conscious that, though we had these buildings; to appreciate
generally, the exhibition prompted visitors to “look Heatherwick Studio is perhaps best known for the growth you need to make sure the parks and green space fantastic views out, we were going to bring more green and use them from within,
again at the things that surround us and to think now defunct Garden Bridge project, which would have run at the same pace as the construction.” space back to the site rather than taking it away.” rather than admire them
about how our health relates to them”. provided a plant-filled oasis along the Thames. He adds that the studio is particularly interested in The brief, he says, was simultaneously straightforward from a distance
It’s a broad theme, but an important one. The However, this is far from the studio’s only attempt to public projects and the ways that people engage with and challenging – to create an intimate centre that could
United Nations estimates that, by 2050, 68% of the ‘regreen’ a city. It is designing Google’s London buildings. Whether you need somewhere to take nonetheless accommodate more than 100 visitors a day.
world’s population will live in urban areas. Architects headquarters, which will feature a huge roof garden shelter from the elements, a bench to stop and rest, “Hospitals can be large, quite intimidating
designing for tomorrow will need to think about how and landscaped terraces. It is also overseeing the or a view out on to green space, all these small buildings, so we wanted to take the large space and
cities can promote health, wellbeing and a sense of Pier55 project in New York: a park and performing moments add up and define your overall experience. break it down into a series of smaller rooms,” says
connectedness with nature. arts venue on the Hudson River. For instance, the Vessel project in New York, which Cash. “It never feels like an institution, it feels as
opened in March, was explicitly designed to encourage much like a home as it possibly can.”
sociability. A honeycomb-like structure comprising a With Maggie’s Centres now well established, it’s
mile of public walkways, the project defies easy easy to see how they might inform tomorrow’s
categorisation. healthcare architecture. Charles Jencks has said that
“A lot of public art isn’t very engaging for the public hospitals need backup – self-help organisations like
– it’s something you just stand and look at – and we were Maggie’s that can displace some of their functions.
very keen on integrating participation,” explains Cash. After all, the asclepeia provided both clinics and
The London studio tries
to design in a way that
“When I went out to the opening this year, it really was temples, modern medicine and spiritual succor.
brings humans closer just a structure, but when people started to inhabit it, it Arguably, the ancient Greeks were leagues ahead of
to nature, as at New took on a life of its own. It’s clearly creating an interesting us when it came to healthcare architecture, not least
York's Pier55 (right) platform for serendipitous meeting in the city.” because they took such a broad view of what designing
and London's Google Given its focus on health and wellbeing, it is for health might mean. However, we are seeing a
headquarters (far right) perhaps not surprising that Heatherwick Studio has resurgence of creative thinking around the subject,
also designed a Maggie’s Centre – Maggie’s Yorkshire, which will surely stand us in good stead as we build
which is due to open next spring. In keeping with its for tomorrow’s challenges.
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PEOPLE
ARCHITECTURE
In September, a new exhibition at the clubhouse
a great time machine in that sense! I have returned
will focus on the crossover between the worlds often to Rome’s Colosseum and its Pantheon - great
of art and architecture. One of the exhibiting examples of the ancient Roman world’s architecture -
and have made images inspired by both of them. But
artists, Anne Desmet RA, tells Overseas about in London I also found myself much drawn to the
the overlap between these two disciplines and 2012 Olympic Stadium - a modern evocation of the
how it has influenced her work ancient prototype of great stadia such as Rome’s
Colosseum - and have made many images of it at
various stages of its construction, as well as images of
There is a huge amount of crossover between the the other Olympic buildings in construction including
work of artists and architects. Do you think an the late Zaha Hadid’s Olympic Aquatics Centre. I am
architect can be an artist and vice versa? especially interested in buildings in construction or
Definitely an architect can be an artist and vice versa. in renovation or temporarily scaffolded; they seem to
There are many parallels between both disciplines in suggest cities in states of change and evolution, which
terms of consideration of visual forms in space, interests me much in the way ideas of metamorphosis
proportion, relative scale, light and dark contrasts, have interested me ever since I read the Roman writer
textures, materials, context. As an artist who makes Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Roman retellings of Greek
drawings and also prints using, primarily, wood myths) when I was at school, in Liverpool, studying
engraving, linocutting, lithography, and collage for A levels including Latin.
techniques, these are all significant considerations
that go into my own works and are absolutely the Some of your works pay homage to other artists,
same considerations with which an architect works. such as your Babel Tower in Pieces, which references
Bruegel. Do you ever also pay homage to particular
Are there any particular architectural styles that you architects in your work?
like to return to again and again in your work? One strand of my work has involved images of
In 1989-90 I lived in Rome as the recipient of a Rome invented towers - many of which have clear
Scholarship in Printmaking (from the British School antecedents in Babel tower imagery of Northern
at Rome). Until that time, my work as an Renaissance artists such as Bruegel. But I am also
undergraduate at Oxford University’s Ruskin School interested in architectural inventions by early Italian
of Art and later as a postgraduate at London’s Central and German Renaissance artists such as Giotto and
DRAWN TO School of Art and Design, had focused primarily on Durer amongst many others. As to architects, I am in
ARCHITECTURE portraiture and a sense of metamorphosis in one form awe of the work of Roman architect/artist Giovanni
or other. In Rome, I was immediately captivated by the Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), but more for his
Exhibiting artists
overwhelming sense of compressed centuries of time stupendous evocations of a real and semi-invented
Gerry Buxton
Anne Desmet RA
in the city - the way in which Etruscan catacombs lay Ancient Rome in innumerable dramatic monochrome
Gareth Fuller beneath Roman pavements and streets, on top of etchings than for his architectural legacy, which was
Luke Adam Hawker which are medieval, Renaissance and baroque relatively minor. I have also made collages that suggest
Joshua Kerley churches; and crowding in on all that are the 20th and the tiny convex glass mirrors with which the English
Graham Martin 21st-century apartments and TV aerials of modern life. architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) punctuated
Jo Peel All of these centuries of history - expressed through archways and ceilings within his London home, now
Daniel Speight the city’s ancient and modern architecture - suggest the Sir John Soane’s Museum. I am interested in
Mairi Timoney vast spans of time, and echoes of cultures and Soane’s vast collection of Greek and Roman statuary,
Peter Wylie civilisations present and long past. Architecture is paintings and architectural fragments on permanent
18 OVERSE AS JOURNAL S E P T E M B E R - N O V E M B E R 2 0 19PEOPLE
display in the Soane Museum. Soane assembled these,
in his lifetime, to be an educational collection for the
training of young architects. The fact that he
bequeathed the entire collection to the nation has
enabled it to continue to fulfil this function to this
very day. As an architect, too, the lantern lights and
trompe l’oeil illusions with mirrors that Soane
achieved are also inspiring and there is perhaps
something of the drama and light effects in his
buildings that is reflected in the drama and light
effects in my prints.
Do you think your focus on real or imagined
buildings and urban landscapes is informed by the
medium you choose to work in? Is there a connection
between wood as a building material and the subject
of your engravings?
Wood engraving, in particular, is a medium that lends
itself well to a certain theatricality and drama.
It is a medium in which the marks you engrave end
up ‘printing' as the white of the paper as it is the uncut
areas of the block which receive the printing ink and
print as the dark parts of the image. So, when you
make an engraving, you are literally creating an image
in light out of darkness. To create an illusionistic
image with a sense of three dimensions and strong
contrasts of light and dark can be very effective, and
wood engraving is an ideal medium in which to
achieve this.
I started out, however, using the medium for other
GIVE THE GIFT OF
subjects - primarily portraiture subject to Visit www.rosl.org.uk/join
a sense of metamorphosis. I think, however, that the or call +44 (0)20 7408 0214
architectural subject matter that now interests me to find out more.
MEMBERSHIP THIS
lends itself more satisfactorily to the medium in which
I work than portraiture did. I find it immensely Royal Over-seas League,
satisfying working in the natural medium of end- Over-Seas House,
CHRISTMAS
grain boxwood and my compositions are often Park Place, St James’s Street,
inspired by the natural organic roundel-like shapes London SW1A 1LR
that the woodblocks can often have. Sometimes, too,
I build up images in sequences, using several blocks to
create a composite image. So the printed blocks come
Overleaf: Bishopsgate, ROSL Membership is the gift that keeps giving for a whole year
to create something like the building blocks of an themed prints and collages spanning 25 years’ work.
London, 1996. Linocut on
image. Thus, there are parallels between wood as a That exhibition comprised something of a and will provide them with exclusive access to:
Kozu-shi paper.
building material and the subjects of my engravings, retrospective of my works relating to Italy and it was Top: Olympic Aquatic
but I hadn’t thought of it quite so explicitly before put together to coincide with the launch of a book of Centre In Construction, • Discounted tickets to over 150 art and music events in London
until you asked this question! my drawings that the Royal Academy of Arts published 2012. Wood engraving on
that year - and launched at ROSL. That book was called Gampi Vellum paper. and across the UK
When taking part in an exhibition, such as at ROSL, Anne Desmet - An Italian Journey and comprised over Above: Hackney Olympic • Branch activities across the Commonwealth and wider world
Site I, 2009. Wood
how do you decide which works to contribute? 100 pages reproducing my drawings of architecture • The opportunity to meet and network with artistic and
engraving on Gampi
I was invited to take part in this forthcoming and landscape from sketchbooks documenting 25 Vellum paper. musically minded professionals
architecture-related exhibition by Eilidh McCormick years of my travels in Italy. The Royal Academy of Arts,
and she asked me to contribute particular works that incidentally, has just published a follow-up to that The 'Drawn to • A clubhouse in the heart of London with bedroom
she chose from my website: www.annedesmet.com. book which takes the same format but this time Architecture' exhibition accommodation, dining and meeting spaces
will be running at Over-
Eilidh was particularly interested in showing some looking at the landscape and buildings of the Greek • A global network of international reciprocal clubs in some of
Seas House from Friday
of my London-related images that haven’t been shown islands. It is called Anne Desmet - A Greek Journey; see
13 September to Sunday the most exclusive locations
at ROSL before. I had a solo exhibition at the Royal the Royal Academy of Arts website for details, 1 December. See page 48
Over-Seas League in 2016 of some 60 of my Italian- royalacademy.co.uk) for more details. • A nd much, much more.
20 OVERSE AS JOURNAL S E P T E M B E R - N O V E M B E R 2 0 19 W W W. R O S L .O R G .U K 21PEOPLE
Best laid plans
Tomasz Sikorski, ROSL’s new Head of Estates & Projects, has been tasked with
bringing our beautiful clubhouse up to modern standards and creating a master
plan that will see the building maintained for future generations. He tells Overseas
what works are under way and those that are still to come
A
s a newly created role within the ROSL team, where we have asbestos, which will help us to manage or
my job is to tackle a number of short and long- remove this dangerous material from our building.
term repairs and refurbishments at our Grade I am in the process of organising re-surfacing of our car
I-listed clubhouse. My aim is to get on top of the park and refurbishment of the front gate. This combined
backlog of outstanding works as a matter of urgency, while with the installation of the new flagpoles will considerably
also creating a Building Master Plan for the future care of improve the presentation of the club from the moment
Over-Seas House, achieving all this with as little disruption members walk on to the property.
to the day-to-day running of the clubhouse as possible. There are ongoing repairs works on the flat roof to
I manage a small in-house maintenance team, as well as a ensure building is weather tight. There are also other
number of outsourced teams, including ROSL’s relationship statutory checks to fulfil our compliance requirements and
with Graysons Ltd, our catering team, regarding facilities, I am managing that as part of my responsibilities.
and other appointed contractors, supporting the whole There are many more ongoing projects, such as the
ROSL team integrating projects with operations and events refurbishment of the Hall of India and Pakistan, and the
programmes. By making sure I know what plans each team upgrading of AV equipment in both halls, but these are still
has across the whole business, and what maintenance work in their early stages. That probably means there will be
is required, I can schedule works without impacting the more contractor’s vans in our car park and more tradesmen
smooth running of the clubhouse. We want our members to visible on daily basis, but I am sure it will be worth the
still be able to come in and enjoy the calm oasis our home disturbance. Watch this space for more news in future
from home provides. editions of Overseas.
A five-year plan which balances the I am very keen on reducing our energy
maintenance needs of the building, with usage and minimising our carbon footprint,
careful control of finances, against bigger
My aim is to get on so I will be working on the installation of
plans for renovation works that will be more top of the backlog some renewable energy systems and smart
visible to members than the behind-the of outstanding control of the building to reduce the overall
scenes work that has taken place since
my arrival.
works as a matter of consumption of power, water and gas.
I would love to eliminate the need to use
So far, we have achieved the following: urgency, while also gas in our building completely.
Undertaken an electrical compliance creating a Building Finally, I am thinking about putting a few
survey, resulting in the elimination of faults bee hives on our roof and provide ROSL
Master Plan for
in 23 areas of the club. honey jars as a gift to our members. This of
Completed an asbestos management the future care of course is subject of our Director-General
survey which finally gives us an idea of Over-Seas House approval and the risk assessment.
W W W. R O S L .O R G .U K 23PEOPLE
Fit for a
DUCHESS
ROSL’s London clubhouse is made up of three buildings, one of which, Rutland House,
is now hidden from view behind the Westminster Wing. It is not forgotten, however,
as Juliet Learmouth uncovers the history of this building and its unusual gestation
O
n 8th October Mary Howard (née
1754, a report Shireburne), the 8th Duchess
appeared in the of Norfolk (1692-1754)
Whitehall Mary was the only surviving
Evening Post child of the wealthy Catholic
which read, ‘Yesterday the landowner, Sir Nicholas
Corpse of the Duchess Dowager Shireburne, whose principal
of Norfolk lay in State at her estate was based at Stonyhurst
house in Arlington Street, St. in Lancashire. A devout
James’s, where it will continue Catholic, Sir Nicholas was also
for three days’. The 62-year old a staunch Jacobite, meaning
Duchess had died several days he had remained loyal to the
previously in the spa town of Catholic monarch, James II,
Tunbridge Wells, but her London after the latter had been
townhouse provided the stage for deposed in the Glorious
her final act of self-presentation. Revolution of 1688. During
Courtesy of Stonyhurst College
Laid out in a room illuminated her childhood, Mary almost
by candles on sconces, her body certainly imbibed her father’s
was displayed against a backdrop unassailable belief that the
of black mourning cloth, exiled Stuart King and his
transforming the house’s elegant descendants were the rightful The gatehouse still visible on Arlington Street (bottom middle) led to a courtyard
interior into a space of claimants to the English and Rutland House beyond (see map right). Left and top: Work underway in the
1930s to demolish parts of Rutland House to make way for the Westminster
reverential solemnity. After lying throne. At the age of 16, she
Wing, then known as the Empire Centre
in state for three days, the corpse married Thomas Howard, the
was transferred to a hearse, drawn by six horses, which 8th Duke of Norfolk, propelling her into the highest ranks
waited in the private forecourt before the main entrance of the Catholic nobility. The marriage was not blessed with breakdown of Mary’s marriage, but reports in contemporary Mary’s period of mourning was notably brief. In August
to the house. The hearse then proceeded through the children but the couple enjoyed a lifestyle of extravagant newspapers suggest that the Duke’s wavering commitment to 1733, only a few months after the Duke’s death, the Daily
great arched gateway (pictured opposite) as it set off on expenditure, dividing their time between Worksop Manor the exiled Stuarts may have upset his Jacobite wife. One such Journal reported that the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk was
its journey to Lancashire so the Duchess could be buried in Derbyshire and London. Although the Duke was barred report alleged that the Duke was intent on converting to the soon to enter a treaty of marriage with a certain Peregrine
alongside her ancestors. from taking up his seat in the House of Lords on account of Anglican faith so that he could proclaim his allegiance to the Widdrington, the younger son of a baronet. A loyal Jacobite,
This townhouse in Arlington Street was originally built being a Catholic, he and his wife maintained a high profile in Hanoverian King, George II, and take his seat in the House Widdrington had undergone two years of imprisonment
between 1734 and 1740 for Mary Howard, the Dowager the capital during the parliamentary season. At their grand of Lords. However, any such plans were cut short when the following his participation in the 1715 uprising in Preston.
Duchess of Norfolk, by the architect James Gibbs. Now house in St James’s Square, they regularly hosted balls, Duke died ‘of a consumptive illness in December 1732’. However, despite cohabiting with Widdrington from 1733
known as Rutland House, part of it has survived in the assemblies, and masquerades. However, it seems that behind The Duke’s death placed the childless Mary in a position of onwards, Mary consistently failed to acknowledge him as
London clubhouse of ROSL. This article attempts to bring this sociable facade, their relationship was far from exceptional financial independence. Whilst her estranged her husband. This has led historians to question whether
Mary back to life by delving into her personal history and harmonious. During the final months of 1730, after 21 husband had continued to lay claim to the income from the the marriage ever actually took place. It may be that Mary
exploring her motivation for building an extravagantly years of marriage, they made the decision to live apart. Shireburne family estates during their separation, Mary now valued her position of financial independence too much to
decorated townhouse at the age of 42. There is a certain degree of mystery surrounding the regained full control over her personal inheritance. risk marrying again.
24 OVERSE AS JOURNAL S E P T E M B E R - N O V E M B E R 2 0 19 W W W. R O S L .O R G .U K 25You can also read
