Ugly uPVC Windows and Should you Change Them?

Plastic UPVC windows don't have to be ugly, although they often are, compared to traditional windows. This is because whoever specifies the uPVC windows will usually chose the cheapest. However this isn't always the case.  

This is a house with ugly uPVC windows. I happen to live in this house. I didn't specify the windows, I bought the house with them already in situ. These windows won't have been the cheapest option in the brochure, either. they're solid, don't leak and have secure locks. But somehow the person who chose this design wasn't satisfied with the appearance of vertical sashes, they decided to specify a thin horizontal member to be put through the double glazed panels, giving the appearance of Lego. Nothing wrong with Lego, It's one of the best ever educational toys, but most people don't want to live in Lego buildings.

The house has an even uglier door in similar material, presumably chosen to the taste of the owner some twenty years ago. But I haven't chosen to change the door, or the windows, because they all still work. The windows open and close, as does the door. The double glazed panels are in working order. Therefore I chose to live with somebody else's taste because I won't replace something which works just for the sake of change. It's currently an unnecessary expense, and environmentally undesirable. Many old units are not disposed of sustainable, although this is increasingly possible to do

Some double glazing companies now promote zero-landfill policies, which means every part of your old window, down to the last screw, is either reused, repurposed, or recycled. These companies often work directly with uPVC recycling plants, collect scrap metal for processing and offer take-back schemes or green disposal guarantees. 

If sustainability is a priority for you and your client, it’s worth asking potential installers what their policy is before making a commitment. If sustainability is not a priority for you or your client, maybe you should, ask why not? 

What Is An Architect For? A light-hearted look at Construction’s most Misunderstood Professional.

A YouGov survey carried out between 6^th and 9^th July 2017 revealed a disturbing level of ignorance on the part of the general public about what an Architect actually does. Two thousand and thirty one adults were surveyed. Why that number? Who knows with surveys, but apparently 15% didn’t even know that an Architect designs buildings. That’s three-hundred and four-point-six-five people, which shows why percentages (and therefore surveys which sum up with percentages) often make little sense to whole people. Taking the breakdown of the survey figures further reveals that in in the lowest age group (18-24 year olds) an even more surprising 24% didn’t know this basic fact, but as they don’t tell us what proportion of the group were younger people, this still makes little sense. These younger people probably do know that an ‘architect’ designs computer operating systems and game scenarios.

So what is an Architect actually for? There are plenty of opinions out there in the worldwide aether, far too many of which are hugely inaccurate. The internet is full of lay-persons who still regard the architect as merely the one who draws initial ‘pretty pictures’ for a building project.  Others just know that architects are the ones to blame for everything that ever goes wrong with a building, from a roof that blows off in a once-in-a-hundred-years hurricane to a badly fitting door.

Wealthy individuals commissioning vanity projects suppose ‘their’ architect is a slave to their whims, who can radically alter designs at the drop of a hat, naturally without increasing the cost. Then people looking at modern spec-built houses grumble that the architect has made the porch and windows hideous, when it’s highly unlikely an architect ever went near the plans, let alone the window specification.

Computer ‘architects’ now usually earn far more than the average working Architect in the construction industry. Yet UK Architects are unprotected, unlike elsewhere in the EU, as it isn’t mandatory to actually employ an Architect on a construction project. Their resentment of the computing industry grows as, year on year, their remit and their incomes have been affected by the unqualified not merely abusing their professional name, but also using CAD to create misconceived building designs. The concept of the Architect as Master Builder is in serious decline.

Many inaccuracies are generated by the press, who also can’t tell the difference between an Architect, a spec builder and an interior decorator. To the Sun newspaper, Architects are silly elitists who don’t know what the ‘Great British Public’ wants and insist on building carbuncles, to the horror of the Royal Family, beside ‘Much Loved’ National Treasures such as The National Gallery (which the Sun never expects its readers to actually enter). The Daily Mail’s view is the same except for an expectation that their beloved readers might occasionally like to visit the place.

Sustainability in the Construction Industry.

Sustainable construction is a term used to describe the application of sustainable ideas and eco-friendly methods to the construction industry. Sustainability cannot be expected to demand the perfect solution, in environmental terms, at the expense of everything else. A highly eco-friendly company which rapidly goes to the wall, does not help either the environment or the people involved.

To maximise its effect, sustainability needs to be factored in at all levels in the industry; any company or individual who is involved in the development, planning, design, build, supplying, alteration or maintenance of our built environment has a responsibility to not only be aware of sustainability, but be actively engaged. Clients who order the construction also have responsibility in delivering sustainable construction and need to be made aware of the fact.

Sustainable development works by:- 

1) carefully selecting the most eco-friendly materials and techniques which are suitable for the particular job. 
2) using all resources carefully - water and electricity included. 

3) minimising wastage 

4) protecting the environment and 

5) enhancing the environment. 

A development which does not enhance the environment is a wasted opportunity. These are essential targets which the entire industry must work towards, if we are to help ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.

Sources include
http://constructingexcellence.org.uk/resources/introduction-to-sustainable-construction/

What Makes an Ecohouse?

The definition of an ecohouse is an environmentally low-impact home, designed with sustainability in mind and built using materials and technology which reduce its carbon footprint and lower its energy needs. This seems both logical and necessary, the question is whether this standard can be approached in the UK, on a practical and financial basis.

The current situation, with the building of a few homes using German Passivhaus ideas is a laudable start, but if the construction industry really wants to make a difference to the environmental impact of its activities, a radical change of thinking is needed.  It should no longer be acceptable to continue to build standard brick and mortar homes, apply cavity wall insulation and a few solar panels and expect that to be enough. Spread over 100 or more years the carbon footprint of the construction of an individual house may not look particularly high, but climate change is here, now; we no longer have 100+ years to work on it.

Materials used in standard house building are not obviously compatible with sustainable construction. For example, the use of concrete could be a major issue. Weight for weight it is the second largest quantity of material used in house building after bricks. Concrete is made from 10 to 15% Portland cement, the manufacture of which requires a high input of energy resulting in one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions for every tonne of cement produced. Technologies are being researched to reduce this impact, including putting the CO2 back into the product, but these new materials are not yet widely available.

When is Art Deco not Art Deco?

The Modernist Brotherton Wing of Leeds
Infirmary. The curved balcony was
 functional, to allow patients to take in
sun and air

Some claim Art Deco originates in the 1925 French art expo at Le Musee des Arts Decoratifs. The exposition was intended as a display of new design from around the world, although the Americans didn’t participate. However Art Deco style works can be seen in Europe 10 and even 15 years prior to the expo.

The answer to the title question is probably when it’s Modernism, which is quite often. According to the V & A (who should know) the actual term ‘Art Deco’ wasn’t invented until the 1960’s, so to describe buildings from 50 years earlier as Art Deco does seems curious, but that's what art historians do. 

Perhaps the clue to identifying Art Deco lies in the word Deco. It implies decoration rather than function, which was the guiding thought in Modernism. From restrained lines to sunbursts and elaborate Egyptian styling, Deco is frequently applied to the surface of a building rather than incorporated into the basic structure.

Historic Colt House, Bosham; Picture of the Week 23 May 2014

Going through old family photos I came across this one of my grandparents house in Bosham, Sussex, under construction. I've blogged about their house before, but at the time had few photos of it. This was a Colt house, partly pre-fabricated and constructed almost entirely of timber, apart from foundations and chimneys. These houses became very popular in the 1930's. Further research will, I hope, tell me exactly when this one was built, I've always assumed it was before WWII.

I spent large parts of my childhood in this timber framed and clad house. It had three reception rooms, four bedrooms, a lovely bathroom with separate toilet, a kitchen with a large, solid fuel Aga, a scullery and a front door which was at the back of the house - a gravel drive swept right around the side of house to this front door which in my lifetime the door wasn't used - the entrance lobby was used for storage! The photograph below shows the completed building in the 1950's. The French doors from the sitting room are open onto the brick patio, the windows to the right are in the dining room. The small porch to the right contained the main entrance and connected by a brick corridor to the coal bunkers and the large garage.

These and other photographs show a solid, unpretentious building with traditional tile hanging to the first floor and a clap-board clad ground floor, both imitate the local vernacular. The windows are metal framed, probably Crittal, the hanging tiles are actually cedar shingles, which over time mellowed to a soft grey and never needed painting, the clapboard was a creamy white.

Inside there was no plaster. Apart from dado height panelling on the stairs the interior had soft, fibreboard walls, wallpapered downstairs but not up. In a wind the house would creak and pop, but flexibility is no bad thing.

Window, Natural History Museum London. Picture of the week 23.02.2014

 

A beautiful window in Victorian eclectic style with Romanesque arches, elaborate mullions and plaques and statues representing animals, there are an eel, a snake and a  jackal below this window, but each window has its own unique creatures. The stone pilasters are covered with naturally occurring patterns such as crystals, tree bark, honeycomb and fish scales. The ornamentation is in cast terracotta, a material which was chosen partly to save money when the building was built between 1865 and its opening in 1881.

The architect, Alfred Waterhouse created the museum’s distinctive blue and buff colour scheme by tinting the terracotta clay with ground slate before it was fired. A shortage of materials meant he had to cut back on the amount of blue.

The Best Building in London - The Natural History Museum

This wonderful Romanesque entrance doesn't lead into a cathedral but to my favourite London building, the Natural History Museum, on Cromwell Road. The temporary barriers don't enhance the appearance, but are sometimes necessary for crowd control in a building which has almost five million visitors each year.

I was first taken to the Natural History Museum when I was just five or six and I fell in love with the building before we even got inside. The exterior of the building is covered with statues, gargoyles and plaques of creatures which were hand-modelled and then cast in terracotta. I was fascinated by the plaques around the gates which depict mice and squirrels.



Plaque depicting three mice on a gatepost
 outside the main entrance.

No creature is too insignificant, everything from mice and beetles to wolves and sabre-toothed tigers are sculpted.

Pterodactyl plaque on the roof

Large statue of a Sabre-toothed cat
on the West tower, stylised to appear
heraldic - the head was cast separately

Small plaque of a crab on a mullion between
lower ground floor windows








The designs were individually sketched by Alfred Waterhouse, the Liverpool architect who was responsible for the whole building. His sketches were then sculpted and cast by a firm of terracotta manufacturers Farmer & Brindley. The named sculptor is M. Dujardin,
his first name was possibly Oscar or Hubert. He is thought to have been French but little is now known about him.

The building's two wings depicted different groups of creatures, those ornamenting the exterior of the West wing were extinct, those on the East wing were, at the time they were modelled, still surviving. Some larger sculptures had to be cast in more than one piece and certain creatures were given heraldic stylisation.

Today the building is in a much better state than when I first saw it. The exterior was cleaned of a century's worth of London soot and grime in the 1970's, I remember it as being  all black. Now the detailed terracotta can be enjoyed in all its glory.

Lalique Galleries, London 1930's; Picture of the Week 16 August 2013




Photo by Bill Houghton-Evans C late 1930's

This and one or two other photographs of modernist buildings, taken by Bill Houghton-Evans in the 1930's, mark the beginnings of a young man's interest in architecture, before WWII. 

Breves' new Lalique Galleries opened in the Autumn of 1934 at 2, Basil Street (at the Knightsbridge end of Sloane Street), London, S.W.3. The Times wrote a useful description:-

"The ornamental glass associated with M Rene Lalique deserves recognition as the first attempt in Europe to express the full possibilities of glass as a plastic medium, and Messrs Breves, its agents in London, are to be congratulated on the general effect of their new galleries. A plain shop front faced with travertine, with the names in white metal above, opens to a deeply recessed window which allows a clear view of the whole interior. As far as possible all the working features such as doors, and the decorations of the new galleries are constructed of Lalique glass, in association with stainless steel."

René Jules Lalique (1860 - 1945) was a French designer best known for his creations of glass art and wares including figures and busts for expensive cars, perfume bottles, vases, chandeliers, jewellery and chandeliers. He also made more modest pieces including small ornaments and ashtrays. Lalique's glassware firm remains successful today.

Bill Evans was in the army until 1945, serving in North Africa and Italy, then he attended Nottingham College of Art where he studied Architecture. He practiced as an architect for many years and was also a much respected author, lecturer, town planner and teacher at the University of Leeds.

Breves Galleries in Basil Street no longer exist, but have been briefly immortalised in Michael Holroyd's book Basil Street Blues.

Manousakis Winery, Hania, Crete; Picture of the Week 6 June 2013

 

This beautiful terrace area has been created to greet visitors and taste the owners' wines. The design is simple and traditional, with white walls, dark wood and rough stone. Potted plants and tablecloths provide splashes of colour while the green of vine, shrubs and trees filters the sunlight . There's an emphasis on shade against the sometimes too vibrant Cretan sun. The terrace and house are surrounded by orange groves, the vines from which the wine is made grow further away, in the Lefka Ori mountains. The trunks of the trees and vines are painted white to reflect the light and keep the plants cooler, this is a tradition throughout Crete.   Manousakis Winery sits in beautiful countryside 12 km from the city of Hania and was founded by Ted Manousakis to sell his Nostos wines. Today it is run by his daughter, Alexandra, who has extended the house and arranged the terrace for her guests.

After tasting wine in such a delightful place, you have to buy some! The wines are good, although they are not often exported, so you have to visit the winery. Is that such a hardship?

Bookshop, Picture of the Week, 30 Nov. 2012

This was Fagin's Bookshop in the central Milton Keynes shopping centre in the 1980's. A brilliant, eye-catching design for a bookshop frontage. Sadly Fagin's has gone the way of many independent bookshops in the UK - into extinction.

Today, the Centre MK has three bookshops, two are Waterstones, whose frontages are tasteful but bland and one is the Works, a discount chain with a front resembling a toyshop.

Other towns and city centres have fewer bookshops and Waterstones is everywhere. However there are still at least 300 independent bookshops in the UK which survive by offering great customer service. Find one near you at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/bookshop/independent-bookshop-directory

Secondhand bookshops are seldom found in city centres at all, which is a pity. Searching through the shelves and bargain boxes in a second hand bookshop can be interesting and sometimes exciting. Unlike in Waterstones you never know what forgotten gem you will come across.

However, one chain of secondhand bookshops has proliferated in the past decade. That is the Oxfam bookshops, with over 150 branches. They are staffed by enthusiastic and often highly educated and knowledgeable volunteers. The benefits are obvious, the customer gets some great books at reasonable prices, these books are recycled and the charity uses the proceeds to help some of the poorest people in the world. There is a list of Oxfam bookshops on their website at:  http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-shops

There are other secondhand bookshops all over the place. Hay-on-Wye is famous for its bookshops, there are more than thirty including antiquarian bookshops selling beautiful and rare volumes. Look for them: http://www.inprint.co.uk/thebookguide/shops/index.php

London Zoo's Listed Building Problem

Zoos Ain’t What they Used to Be.
Modern zoos are not what they were even as recently as the 1960’s and this is a probably a good thing. I remember as a child being taken to see polar bears living in what looked like a concrete pit, where they had to endure baking sun with only a small, grey pool for their comfort, which seemed a poor substitute for the Arctic Ocean.



Mappin Teraces, 1972 photo by Sue Gilbert

This was at London Zoo, on the famous Mappin Terraces, which may have been architecturally innovative and apparently practical, providing a catchment for water to feed the aquarium below, but it was no place for a polar bear.

Constructed in 1913 in the newest fashionable materiel, reinforced concrete, the Mappin Terraces were jointly designed by Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell, secretary of the Zoological Society and Scottish architect John James Joass. The terraces were intended to simulate mountain scenery which it was thought would be a good backdrop for the display of bears and other creatures who could climb the rocks.  This illustrates the historic attitude; while London Zoo was established in the 1830’s as a collection for scientific study, the animals were on display to paying visitors by 1847 and though relatively well treated, their environmental requirements were not understood. Their primary function was to be an exhibit.

Today we know better, at least with some species, and there are no polar or any other bears at London Zoo, while its sister zoo at Whipsnade houses European brown bears in a large woodland enclosure. The now Grade II listed Mappin Terraces house Australian wildlife, emu, wallaby and others more suited to the arid, rocky environment. The only polar bears in the UK today live at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms, where they roam in enclosures of several acres, with a lake and the climate is much more suitable for such Arctic species.

Milton Keynes Shopping Centre, Pictures of the Week 28 June 2012

 Midsummer Arcade in 1990, with a sculpture,Circle of Light, by  Liliane Lijn above the planting

I spent the years from 1975 to 1993 living in Milton Keynes, the largest New Town ever built in Britain. I was engaged on several occasions to photograph the Milton Keynes Shopping Building, which was the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe at the time, as well as the most beautiful. In Britain, shopping centres only became called malls in the 1990's when the influence of American shopping malls began to creep across to this side of the Atlantic.

Milton Keynes Shopping Centre was designed and built for the Milton Keynes Development Corporation in the 1970's, in the Modernist style influenced by Mies van de Rohe. It has high, bright indoor streets with huge, high level windows allowing daylight to stream in. As well as more than adequate space for all the high street retail chains, the original building included restaurants, pubs, a wine bar, two large outdoor squares, a huge indoor hall, two department stores, two supermarkets, a market hall, an arcade of small, low rental, specialist shops and a traditional outdoor market. The structure was fed by bus routes on either side and surrounded by extensive ground level parking, which was initially free though charges were soon introduced.

A Titanic Work of Art-Deco - Picture of the Week 12 April 2012

With the centenary of the Titanic tragedy and the stranding of the Costa Concordia, ocean liners are in the headlines more than they have been for many years.

Sunset, 9 February 2012

This photograph shows not a massive liner waiting to strike anchor and sail off into the sunset, but Marine Court, a huge Art Deco apartment block which dominates the seafront at St. Leonards-on-Sea. The building opened in 1937 and was in its time the tallest block of flats in Britain. Less famous than the Art Deco De la Waar Pavillion at next door Bexhill, Marine Court is none the less an iconic structure typical of the nautical arm of the Art-Deco design movement.  

Marine Court was modelled on the Queen Mary, Cunard's famous liner which first sailed in 1934. To describe it takes a mixture of architectural and nautical terms. At the eastern end, the curved lower floors protrude like a ship’s bow and the floors above recede like the stacked decks of a liner. At the west end the balconies end in a graceful curl, leaving a gap at the stern. The architects, Kenneth Dalgleish and Roger K Pullen, stopped short of adding portholes but it’s a simple but effective set of visual clues. On a sunny day, residents could feel like they were enjoying a luxury cruise from the comfort of their own flat.

However, not everyone could see the bright side. A competition to name the building had suggestions like ‘Monstrosity Mansions’ and ‘Have No Care House’. When it opened it contained 153 flats and 3 restaurants. In the 1960s it was home to The Cobweb, also known as the Witch Doctor - a nightclub that saw Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and other luminaries play. Today, it's much quieter and the "comfort superstore" that occupies the ground floor is more suited to its current, mostly elderly inhabitants.

Although in full daylight today Marine Court can be see to have grown rather shabby, it still retains some original features internally and was Grade II listed in 1999. Despite its listing much of the Art Deco detailing has been compromised by double glazing and rogue DIY. But it could have been a lot worse. Marine Court is still standing and being lived in. It looks like it has a few stories to tell.

Details: Anne Ward
http://www.nothingtoseehere.net/2009/05/marine_court_stleonardsonsea.html