Khayes LCCCU

[email protected] (t) 614.537.7300

THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL’S CONCRETE UTOPIA

THE DEBORAH J. NORDEN FUND

KEVIN PATRICK HAYES

PROPOSAL FOR

SUBMITTED BY

LCCCU

Email: [email protected]: 614.537.7300Address: 494 Warren Street, Apartment 2 Brooklyn, New York. 11217


I am seeking funding to travel to the Greater London to investigate the work of the London County Council (LCC) Architects’ Department, primarily from the program’s postwar rebirth in 1947, through its dissolution into the Greater London Council (GLC) in 1965. Rather than focus on the work of a particular architect, I would like to use the Deborah J. Norden Fund as an opportunity to research the LCC as a mode of practice, providing an example of experimental work that was designed and built as a public alternative to market driven development. From my perspective as a recent graduate practicing architecture in New York City, the buildings completed by this program are an example of a successful partnership between public funding and advanced design concepts, which is all the more relevant as affordable housing and resilient infrastructure have become central to debates amongst leading design firms and city planners.

The London County Council first formed an Architects’ Department in 1889 to produce what is known as council housing; publicly funded housing for impoverished citizens. In most cases leading up until the outbreak of World War II, these council estates came in the form of low-rise housing blocks, usually adapted from one of only a handful of design templates, and built using simplified methods of common construction techniques. In the wake of the bombing during the war, there was a shortage of housing but plenty of empty public land on which to build, initiating a new master plan of London and a vast public building program. The Architects’ Department was reinitiated under the leadership of Isaac Hayward, who in 1947 expanded its reach to include design services for urban scaled housing, school buildings at all levels of education, and publicly funded cultural institutions. Due to the bureaucratic nature of the LCC, their architects were provided with access to a large pool of projects without the requirement of profitability. The government funding for design services instead required a focus on the research and development of new building technologies, with a particular interest in prefabricated concrete, under the promise of lower initial costs and increased speed of construction. Out of necessity, the LCC had adopted the modernist ideology of using new industrial technologies to provide public architecture at a civic scale, turning the program into an incubator for talented and ambitious young designers.

For the architects at the LCC, their buildings had to do more than just facilitate their given program. Like the expanding roadway, rail, and canal systems around London, their projects were a part of a larger public infrastructure. From the bureaucratic office structure, the government funding source, and the materials and methods of construction, they designed buildings that had more in common with the new road networks and sidewalks than to the cars driving on them. This attitude is confirmed by the pervasiveness of the “Streets in the Sky” concept across all building typologies found in the LCC studios.

LCCCU PROPOSAL

INTRODUCTION

LCC OVERVIEW


THE DEBORAH J. NORDEN FUND

KEVIN PATRICK HAYES

PROPOSAL FOR

SUBMITTED BY

[email protected] (t) 614.537.7300LCCCU PROPOSAL

As the program reached its peak of influence, the utopian ideals of modernist architects appealed to post-war London, which faced a very serious need for housing, schools, and spaces for cultural production. Advancements in concrete construction technology, exemplified by the recent completion of the seminal Unite d’Habitation in France, gave precedent to the promise of low-cost yet thoughtfully designed concrete buildings. Additionally, the speed of construction matched the political will of the building program. The value of the publically funded Architects’ Department was easily demonstrated through a massive body of work, built in an incredibly compressed timeframe.

The critical reception and status of the projects designed by the Architects’ Department has remained controversial. Soon after the first wave of LCC projects were built, questions began to arise over the use of rough concrete in large scale urban projects. While many projects completed through the program were revered by the architectural community, others were not equally thrilled. The general unease with abandoning traditional architecture styles for this particular facet of modernism was later exacerbated by the association of sculpture concrete with blighted neighborhoods and urban decay. The evolution of the entire London County Council into the Greater London Council in 1965 removed all design architects from the department with the exception of a small special-projects studio to oversee work already in progress. By the 1980’s, the Thatcher administration’s overall platform of privatization lead to the dissolution of the Greater London Council and the selling off of a large number of council estates, many of which were demolished or converted to luxury housing. Despite the historical preservation efforts of the United Kingdom’s listing of buildings with special architectural and historical interest, the remaining artifacts of the mid-century building program are continually under threat.

Looking at many cities today, the interaction between public policy and advanced architectural design is struggling to keep up with the immediate economic demands of developers and the influence of global wealth. While this trend has produced many significant buildings, contracts for new projects are often awarded based on the lowest fee structure and fastest schedule rather than quality of design and the merit of previous work. Currently, the New York Department of Design and Construction operates a design excellence program that matches architects with a limited number of public projects, and the Los Angeles Department of City Planning operates a small Urban Design Studio which produces studies and guidelines. However, compared to debates regarding rezoning, affordable housing, and infrastructure planning, none of which fall under the umbrella of these organizations, design excellence programs currently have limited impact at the scale of the city. Research into the LCC at its height of influence during the mid-twentieth century will provide one successful example of a program in which progressive architectural design was made central to these topics.projects in this interdisciplinary realm. The work of the LCC provides another successful model along this trajectory, and more research into its formation will be of great benefit to my professional and intellectual development.


CURRENT STATE

[email protected] (t) 614.537.7300LCCCU PROPOSAL

I became interested in the broader issues of urban architecture and public design projects while working in New York City after finishing graduate school. As an intern at WorkAC, I conducted research on the spatial implications of agricultural production on urban form, culminating in an exhibition on Governor’s Island. At Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis (LTL Architects), where I spent four years working after graduation, I was exposed to the process of building through professional design work, speculative projects, small scale fabrication, and academic publication. My experience at LTL brought me a diverse array of responsibilities on projects ranging from corporate offices to cultural institutions, as well as the redesign of a public bathhouse on Staten Island that had been damaged by Hurricane Sandy. This project led to my involvement with Structures of Coastal Resiliency (SCR), a multidisciplinary research project led by Guy Nordenson, which was funded through the Rockefeller Foundation. Our team, one of four, designed a canal based resiliency plan for the back bay of Atlantic City as an example of an alternative to traditional seawall and sand dune fortification. While that project has now ended, SCR was a positive model that fit somewhere between practice, academics, and public policy, and I am looking for similar ways in which I can continue engaging urban projects in this interdisciplinary realm. The work of the LCC provides another successful model along this trajectory, and more research into its formation will be of great benefit to my professional and intellectual development. If awarded the Norden Fund, I plan to travel to London for 60 days to study over 30 buildings which exemplify successful experiments in the overlapping of disciplines between architectural design, experimental building construction, and urban planning. A sampling of these buildings and their statistics are included in the addendum on the following pages, as well as their locations around London. In addition to the site visits, original documentation of the LCC and GLC is publicly available for research purposes at London Metropolitan Archives. During the 60 days I intend to spend intermediate periods of research at the archives going through drawings and correspondence, with additional time at the end to allow for follow-up research or site visits depending on the findings.

Thanks,

Kevin Hayes


BACKGROUND


ARRIVAL FLIGHT

SITE VISITS, PROJECTS 1-14

ARCHIVE VISIT, RESEARCH


WRITING, DRAWING, RESEARCH FOLLOW-UP


SITE VISISTS, UNANTICIPATED PROJECTS

WRAP UP

DEPARTURE FLIGHT

02

01

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

2021

22

25

29

30 31

32

3334

35

26 27

28

1112

13 23

24

14

1516

1719

1836

DAYS 0-1:

DAYS 2-15:

DAYS 16-21:

DAYS 22-35:

DAYS 36-41:

DAYS 42-49:

DAYS 50-55:

DAYS 56-58:

DAYS 59-60:

2-MONTH APARTMENT SUBLET:

ROUND-TRIP FLIGHT:

FOOD ($15/DAY):

DSLR CAMERA:

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:

BOOKS AND SUPPLIES:

TOTAL:

$2400

$1100

$900

$250

$200

$150

$5000

ITENERARY

LONDON

BUDGET

LCCCU ITENERARY/BUDGET


ALTON ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: Robert Matthew Program: HousingLocation: RoehamptonYear: 1957-58

ELLIOTT SCHOOL

LCC Lead Architect: John BancroftProgram: SchoolLocation: PutneyYear: 1950-53

HAMMERSMITH SCHOOL

LCC Lead Architect: Edward HollambyProgram: SchoolLocation: HammersmithYear: 1954-58

BRANDLEHOW PRIMARY

LCC Lead Architect: Erno GoldfingerProgram: SchoolLocation: PutneyYear: 1949-50

ALEXANDRA ROAD ESTATE

GLC Lead Architect: Neave BrownProgram: HousingLocation: CamdenYear: 1972-78

TRELLICK TOWER

GLC Lead Architect: Erno GoldfingerProgram: HousingLocation: North KensingtonYear: 1966-72

FLEET ROAD FLATS

GLC Lead Architect: Neave BrownProgram: HousingLocation: Hampstead HeathYear: 1966-67

CEDARS ROAD HOUSING

LCC Lead Architect: Colin LucasProgram: HousingLocation: LambethYear: 1962-64

SOMERSET ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: Colin LucasProgram: HousingLocation: BatterseaYear: 1965-66

LCCCU ADDENDUM - PROJECT LIST

01

04

07

02

05

08

03

06

09


PIMLICO SCHOOL

GLC Lead Architect: John Bancroft Program: SchoolLocation: WestminsterYear: 1967-70

OLD PEOPLE’S HOUSING

GLC Lead Architect: Kate MacintoshProgram: HousingLocation: LambethYear: 1972-74

DUNRAVEN SCHOOL

LCC Lead Architect: John BancroftProgram: SchoolLocation: StreathamYear: 1952-54

BRUNSWICK CENTRE

GLC Lead Architect: Patrick HoghkinsonProgram: Mixed-UseLocation: BloomsburyYear: 1967-72

ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

LCC Lead Architect: Leslie MartinProgram: CulturalLocation: SouthbankYear: 1950-51

COUNTY HALL ISLAND BLOCK

GLC Lead Architect: John BancroftProgram: GLC OfficesLocation: LambethYear: 1970-72

QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL

GLC Lead Architect: Hubert BennettProgram: Performing ArtsLocation: SouthbankYear: 1966-67

HAYWARD GALLERY

GLC Lead Architect: Norman EnglebackProgram: CulturalLocation: SouthbankYear: 1966-68

PURCELL ROOM

GLC Lead Architect: Hubert BennettProgram: Performing ArtsLocation: SouthbankYear: 1966-67


10

13

16

11

14

17

12

15

18


NATIONAL FILM THEATER

LCC Lead Architect: Norman Engleback Program: Performing ArtsLocation: SouthbankYear: 1955-57

COTTON GARDENS ESTATE

GLC Lead Architect: George FinchProgram: HousingLocation: LambethYear: 1964-72

LAMBETH TOWERS

GLC Lead Architect: George FinchProgram: HousingLocation: LambethYear: 1965-66

LOUGHBOROUGH ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: Michael PowellProgram: HousingLocation: LambethYear: 1952-55

BARBICAN ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: Chamberlin, Powell, BonProgram: Mixed-UseLocation: City of LondonYear: 1957-76

GOLDEN LANE ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: Chamberlin, Powell, BonProgram: HousingLocation: City of LondonYear: 1951-52

MANOR GROVE ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: George FinchProgram: HousingLocation: PeckhamYear: 1955-58

FAIRLAWN PRIMARY SCHOOL

LCC Lead Architect: Peter MoroProgram: SchoolLocation: LewishamYear: 1956-57

DAWSON’S HEIGHTS ESTATE

GLC Lead Architect: Kate MacintoshProgram: HousingLocation: SouthwarkYear: 1968-72


19

22

25

20

23

26

21

24

27


Perronet House

GLC Lead Architect: Roger WaltersProgram: HousingLocation: Elephant and CastleYear: 1969-71

KEELING HOUSE

GLC Lead Architect: Denys LasdunProgram: HousingLocation: Bethnal GreenYear: 1956-60

SUFFOLK ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: George FinchProgram: HousingLocation: HaggertstonYear: 1960-63

USK STREET HOUSING

LCC Lead Architect: Denys LasdunProgram: HousingLocation: Bethnal GreenYear: 1950-52

GLENKERRY HOUSE

GLC Lead Architect: Erno GoldfingerProgram: HousingLocation: PoplarYear: 1970-72

BENTHAM ROAD ESTATE

LCC Lead Architect: Colin St. John WilsonProgram: HousingLocation: HackneyYear: 1950-55

BALFRON TOWER

GLC Lead Architect: Erno GoldfingerProgram: HousingLocation: PoplarYear: 1963-67

THAMESMEAD SOUTH

GLC Lead Architect: Robert RiggProgram: Mixed-UseLocation: Southeast LondonYear: 1968-74

ROBIN HOOD GARDENS

GLC Lead Architect: Alison & Peter SmithsonProgram: HousingLocation: PoplarYear: 1966-72


28

31

34

29

32

35

30

33

36


Email: [email protected]: 614.537.7300Address: 494 Warren Street, Apartment 2 Brooklyn, New York. 11217

KEVIN PATRICK HAYES, CURRICULUM VITAE

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY2010: Master of Architecture Certificate in Media and Modernity

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY2008: Bachelor of Science in Architecture Honors and Distinction in Architecture Senior Faculty Design Prize

ASCOLI PICENO SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE2007: PubliCITY Workshop - Ascoli Piceno, Italy Studio Workshop - Rome, Italy

STUDIOPLEX: VENICE BIENNALEStatue of Liberty Studio Exhibition for Princeton UniversityVenice, IT 2010

NEWARK: MEGA-AGROPOLIS for WorkAC w/MVRDV Pioneers of Change ExhibitionGovernor’s Island, NY 2009

EXPERIENCE LOOP: SOUTH STREET SEAPORTEmerging New York Architects (ENYA) Competition Jurt Citation, with Mark Talbot and Kevin MageePublication and Exhibition, Center for Architecture, NY 2008

OUT OF THE GUTTERExtra Materials Competition Winner, with Mark Talbot, Kevin Magee, Marc Ours, and Jonathan NovakExhibition, Banvard Gallery, OH 2007

EDUCATION

EXHIBITIONS

REGISTERED ARCHITECTNew York State, 2014 - Present

LEED ACCREDITED PROFESSIONALUSGBC, 2009 - Present

QUALIFICATIONS

BY THE NUMERS CLOG: Rendering 2012

INTENSITIES for LTL Architects PAP 2012

CITIZENS OF NO PLACE for Jimenez Lai PAP 2012

GOOGLEPROOFING Pidgin Magazine #7 2009

PUBLICATIONS

LCCCU CURRICULUM VITAE


PRINCETON UNIVERSITYFall 2013, ARC503 (Assistant to Paul Lewis):

Integrated Building Studio (Graduate)Spring 2012, ARC302 (Assistant to Paul Lewis):

Junior Independent Studio(Undergraduate)Fall 2009, ARC203 (Assistant to Stan Allen and Jeffrey Kipnis):

Introduction to Architectural Thinking (Undergraduate)

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 2007-8: First Year Portfolio Workshops

SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL New York, New YorkSeptember, 2014 - Present: ArchitectProject List: Al Khobar Union Square

Carmichael Road Residences Citigroup Headquarters Trinitaria, Melia Dubai

LTL ARCHITECTS New York, New York(4 Years) October, 2010 - September, 2014: Architectural DesignerProject List: Atlantic City Resiliency Plan (with Princeton University)

Beertopia Bronx Council on the Arts Claremont University Campus Admin Center Cornell University Architecture Offices

Midland Beach Bathhouse NEF Fitness

New York University Steinhardt School, New York University Capital Implementation Plan

Seaman Corporation Headquarters

WORKAC New York, New York(2 Months) June, 2010 - August, 2010: Architectural Designer(3 Months) June, 2009 - September, 2009: Intern Project List: Main Library of Luojia College, Wuhan

Newark Mega-Agropolis PS216 Edible Schoolyard

Shenzhen Interchange Tower

BUREAU SPECTACULAR/JIMENEZ LAI Toronto, Ontario(3 Months) June,2008 - September, 2008: Intern Project List: Phoenix Cave House

Vignettes for an Architecture

MEYERS + ASSOCIATES Columbus, Ohio(3 Months) June,2007 - September, 2007: Intern Project List: Athletic Club of Columbus Masterplan,

Hannah Farms Park Pavilion

TEACHING

PROFESSIONALEXPERIENCE

LCCCU CURRICULUM VITAE

Khayes LCCCU

Documents

Transcript of Khayes LCCCU