Caring for Brutalism - Day Conference in Durham
21st October 2017, 10:15 to 17:15, Elvet Riverside (Room TBC)
Sponsored by:
Durham University, Centre for Visual Arts & Culture
Durham City Trust & The 20thCentury Society
Open to the public. Free to attend. Online registration - larger venue now booked and spaces available
This day conference will consider the current question of 20th Century concrete architecture and its conservation. Brutalism was an important aspect of post-WWII architecture, especially in the UK. As these buildings become historic, they face urgent questions of conservation, regeneration or demolition. Although never a popular style, many with a training in architecture regard Brutalist buildings as possessing unique aesthetic merit. Their beauty often relates to medieval architectural forms, drawing on the Gothic in ways comparable to Modernist architecture’s relationship to Classicism. Durham contains medieval architecture of world importance that is valued and protected accordingly. The fate of the most significant 20th Century building on the university estate, however, is uncertain, and the future of Dunelm House is currently part of the national conversation around questions of how and whether to care for concrete buildings. Regeneration is possible, as with The National Theatre in London or Apollo Pavilion, Peterlee. Alternatively, demolition may be justified, as with the “Get Carter” Car Park, Gateshead. This conference brings together leading experts on 20th Century concrete architecture in the UK, to explore issues of aesthetic appreciation, cultural value, and the criteria by which university, civic and national communities decide to conserve architecture. (Photo John Donat / RIBA Collections)
Full day with visit to Dunelm House
Confirmed Speakers
John Allan (Conservation Architect)
Barnabas Calder (Liverpool University, author of Raw Concrete)
Catherine Croft (Director, 20th Century Society)
Alistair Fair (Edinburgh College of Art, on post-1945 university architecture)
Elain Harwood (Historic England, author of Space, Hope & Brutalism)
Martin Roberts (Durham, author of Buildings of Durham University)
10.15 Coffee
10.45 Opening Remarks
Establish clear parameters for discussion & questions to address: aim is to understand the historic context for Brutalism in Britain; to understand its aesthetic value, and why this is often contested; to explore conservation issues for concrete structures as they become heritage buildings. The aim of the day is an academic event that promotes informed discussion and understanding about a significant issue in contemporary and historic visual culture, not a polemic or a campaign. The conference is about Brutalism in general, and Dunelm House in particular.
11-12 Brutalism in Britain
Session Chair: Alan Powers
Barnabas Calder ‘The Architecture of Optimism: Dunelm House and High Brutalism’
Elain Harwood ‘The Beginnings of Brutalism and Dunelm House’
12-12.15 Break
12.15-1.15 Conserving Concrete Structures
Session Chair: Douglas Pocock
Catherine Croft ‘Why Save 20th Century Buildings? With a Footnote on Successful Concrete Conservation’
John Allan ‘Case Study: The Conservation of St. Peter’s, Cardross’
1.15-2pm Lunch (delegates make own arrangements)
2-3pm Tour of Dunelm House
3-4pm Brutalism in University Architecture
Session Chair: Adrian Green
Alistair Fair ‘Environments for “Cultivated Men and Women”: British University Architecture, 1945-75’
Martin Roberts ‘Traditionalists and Modernists: Durham University’s Post-War Architects’
4-4.15pm Break
4.15-5.15pm Round Table Discussion Chaired by Ludmilla Jordanova
End.
Contact cvac@durham.ac.uk for more information about this event