14 / 16
There had been post-war attempts to ‘fit in’ with vernacular contexts and some example were
cited: the work of Tayler and Green at Woodyard Square, Woodton, in 1951; and Aldington
Craig and Collinge, at Bledlow, in 1975-77. Grech also referred to the English Heritage/CABE
Building in Context Toolkit
that sought to explain the criteria for a successful building project
in an historic area.
Traditional buildings featured wide frontages and shallow plans, whereas modern buildings
had deep plans, so the challenge was about resolving these conflicts. Grech discussed the
work of Ash Sakula, at Tibby’s Triangle, Southwold, from 2008. Grech believed that these
projects added to the urban grain of the location and the architecture was influenced by
vernacular styles but in a contemporary manner. One of the projects had involved the design
of a new square.
The work of Adam Richards Architects, at Ditchling Museum, in 2013, was also cited. Here a
new insertion had been constructed. It was very modern and in zinc, but it was based on a
building in context. The insertion was carefully sited so that it was not too dominant.
Grech then referred to a talk he had given in 1985 called: in search of a new vernacular. Back
then he had talked about shelter and how sense of place came from the geology and climate
of an area. In the late 20
th
century it was as easy to transport materials as to source them
locally.
Grech left the delegates with his thesis: that modern architecture should be sensitive to its
context and conviction.
The next presentation was by Dr Maria Yioutani-Iacovides, a Conservation Architect with
professional experience in Cyprus and the UK. She gave a short presentation on:
Earthen
Architecture
.
The aim of her present was to look at the qualities and attributes of earthen architecture, the
techniques in its construction and its use through the centuries. In the 20th century half the
world’s population lived in earthen buildings. In the 21
st
century there was growing interest
in earth as an ‘alternative’ contemporary building material. The material was in widespread
use in hot and dry climates. Yioutani-Iacovides described earth as a gift from nature.
The history of earthen architecture was discussed: starting with the story of the Neolithic
settlement of Khirokitia, in Cyprus, which dated from 7000 BC; and then the Zigurat of Ur,
from in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq), from 4000-600 BC, to the Old walled city of Shibam, in
Yemen, from the 16th century AD.
Earthern architecture was described as indigenous architecture: “Unbaked earth (was) a
simple and obvious building material…and has produced an extraordinary range of
architectural languages.” (Dethier 1982:33) Its performance qualities and attributes were
highlighted: it was economic and ecological; it had thermal mass; it provided sound insulation;
and it was fireproof and possessed seismic attributes.