The World Recast: 70 buildings from 70 years of Concrete Quarterly
The World Recast: 70 buildings from 70 years of Concrete Quarterly, Nick Jones, Artifice, 2018, 237 pages, extensive number of black & white and colour illustrations.
As an architecture student in the late 1960s, I well remember the excitement of seeking out the latest issue of Concrete Quarterly in the college library every four months. This may seem an anorakish enthusiasm for what was essentially a building trade magazine, but Concrete Quarterly was (and remains) different. First, reinforced-concrete construction was the essential material for post-war reconstruction; it allowed large-scale developments such as power stations, exhibition halls, theatres and office blocks to be built with maximum speed and efficiency.
More important, the capacity for the material to be moulded to any shape gave it huge sculptural possibilities, which were exploited by great and inspiring architects and engineers such as Le Corbusier, Pier Luigi Nervi and Oscar Niemeyer to create buildings of striking design. Ove Arup built a rubber factory in Wales (now alas demolished, in spite of being Grade II* listed) that was described as ‘a floating ship of luminosity in space and sky’.
The journal’s success was due to two exceptional editors from its inauguration in 1947 until 1986. The first was the formidable Betty Campbell, who had worked for the Free French during the war, and afterwards for the War Crimes Commission. With an ambition to record the finest architecture of the period, she informed and inspired readers to appreciate the technical and aesthetic capability of the material, set up overseas visits for British architects, and brought eminent designers, including Felix Candela, to lecture in Britain.
She was succeeded in 1965 by George Perkin, who was equally forthright and deplored the lack of regard for high-quality British architecture, as well as questioning the social impact of high-rise housing in Britain from an early period. Perkin was also an accomplished photographer, whose images were published in Concrete Quarterly alongside those of established masters such as Richard Einzig and John Donat.
Nick Jones, author of The World Recast, became editor in 2011 and has followed in the footsteps of his earlier predecessors. His book presents a survey of exceptional modernist architecture, setting out its social and political context over the past 70 years based on the archives of the journal. It features a roughly equal number of British and overseas buildings, accompanied by top-class photographs. Of the selected British buildings up to and including the 1980s, most have now been listed, while some, such as St Peter’s Seminary outside Glasgow and Dunelm House, Durham, are at serious risk. Another problematic building, Park Hill, Sheffield, was not featured when it was completed in the 1960s, but the successful refurbishment and conservation of phase one by Urban Splash appeared in the journal in 2011 and is also included in the book.
Concrete has made a comeback in recent years and is once again a popular choice for architects and clients. But it is now coming under fire for its environmental shortcomings, and it will be interesting to see how this essential and often beautifully crafted material will be adapted to suit a world with different priorities.
This article originally appeared as ‘Sculptural possibilities’ in IHBC's Context 161 (Page 59), published by The Institute of Historic Building Conservation in September 2019. It was written by Peter de Figueiredo, heritage consultant.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation
Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
IHBC NewsBlog
HES establishes new national centre for retrofit of traditional buildings
HES plans to develop the centre follows £1m of funding from UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council.
High Court rejects oral appeal against tower block decision in historic Bloomsbury
The request was for a full Judicial Review hearing against Camden Council’s approval of a 74m-high tower block in Bloomsbury.
Mayor of London and Government announce bold plans to transform Oxford Street
Plans include turning the road into a traffic-free pedestrianised avenue, creating a beautiful public space.
Crystal Palace Subway, for 160th anniversary
The remarkable Grade II* listed Crystal Palace Subway in South London begins a new era following major restoration.
National Trust brings nature back to an area twice the size of Manchester in less than a decade
The National Trust has achieved its aim of creating or restoring 25,000 hectares of priority habitat on its land by 2025.
18th-century hospital in York to become sustainable homes
A former mental health establishment founded by a Quaker in 1792 is to be converted into 120 energy-efficient homes in York.
Context 180 Released - Where Heritage and Nature Meet
The issue includes life, death, Forests, bats, landscapes and much more.
Church architecture awards 2024: now open
The National Churches Trust has announced three awards, all of which are run in partnership with the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA).
The essential sector guide includes officers' updates and a foreword by EH Chair Gerard Lemos.
Historic England opens nominations for the National Blue Plaque Scheme
The scheme is open to nominations to celebrate people from all walks of life.