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On 11 June 1959, Le Corbusier
and Henry Moore attended the inaugural opening
of a new wing to the Cambridge School of Architecture.
They had been invited by Professor Leslie Martin,
who had commissioned the building from architect
Colin St John Wilson and environmental scientist
Alex Hardy – both tutors in the department.
The students gathered in the
new lecture theatre that evening had watched the
building take shape during the previous year.
They were directly involved with the design and
detailing as St John Wilson set projects around
the creation of his canonic brutalist collaboration.
In the words of critic Reyner Banham it was a
‘manifesto building’ and ‘one of
the most eclectic designs ever to be packed into
an anonymous-looking brick box’.
For me, part of the enduring
appeal of the extension is St John Wilson’s
characteristically beautiful articulation of space
and light – executed with a rigorous approach
to design. Le Corbusier’s Modulor proportional
system was used throughout, and spatial relations
within the building are governed by the golden
section. Another feature, and arguably the one
that ensured its inclusion in the brutalist canon,
is the use of materials 'as found'. Raw concrete
and recycled Cambridge bricks are visible inside
and out, with none of the plastering or ‘making
good’ commonly used to hide the process by
which buildings are constructed. These materials
combine with simple woodwork and tiling to result
in an appreciable unity through both structural
elements and surfaces.
Hardy’s contribution to
the design process included advising on the lighting,
heating and acoustics. These are notably advanced
for the period. From the lectern the lecturer
can operate the hall lights and the Optiscope
slide projector, as well as opening or closing
the louvered ceiling skylights. Storage, heating
and other services are provided via a brick core
running through both floors.
Today the building is still
very much in constant use. On the ground floor
are offices and a criticism space, originally
a staff common-room. The first floor is a single
top lit exhibition space that can be divided into
a criticism space and lecture theatre. This is
achieved using pivoting doors that recall the
entrance to the church at Le Corbusier's contemporary
monastery of La Tourette.
I first discovered the building
in Reyner Banham’s book The New Brutalism
(Architectural Press, 1966), and have been working
with the support of the college and Colin St John
Wilson over the past year in preparation for this
summer’s exhibition. The project involves
the cleaning and partial restoration of the first
floor, followed by the installation of concrete
multiples and a light projection which have been
designed to complement the space. Visitors to
the exhibition will have a rare opportunity of
seeing the first floor interior of this unique
and beautiful building in a state close to that
which the architect originally intended.
The exhibition runs from 19
to 30 August 2002, open daily from 12 to 4 pm.
Admission is free. For further information please
call 07711 611 280.
With many thanks to Peter Carolin
and Colin St John Wilson for documentary and interview
material.
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