Context and Authenticity in the Work of Gabriel Fagan
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town CONTEMPORARY INTERVENTIONS IN HISTORIC FABRIC: CONTEXT AND AUTHENTICITY IN THE WORK OF GABRIEL FAGAN A Mini-Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M Phil (Conservation of the Built Environment) by UniversityMichael of John Cape Scurr Town School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town March 2011 Research Project: Mini-Dissertation Course APG 5071S Supervisor: Dr. S.S. Townsend DECLARATION 1. I declare that Contemporary Interventions In Historic Fabric: Context and Authenticity in the Work of Gabriel Fagan is my own work and that it has not been submitted for any degree or examination in any other University. 2. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and pretend that it is one’s own. 3. I have used the Harvard convention for citation and referencing. Each contribution to, and quotation in, this assignment from the work(s) of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. 4. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work. Signature University of Cape Town Cover images: Maritime Museum, Mossel Bay (left), SAB Visitors Centre (middle) and UCT IIDMM (right). Photographed by author 2010. ii Although dramatically different in style, the old and the new parts have nevertheless achieved a seductive harmony as well as a curious co-dependence, with each relying on the other to downplay its faults and enhance its charms. Removing either building would render the remaining one pedantically hidebound or brutally modern, while together they accomplish a beguiling synthesis of emotional temperaments. Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness (de Botton, 2006:195) University of Cape Town Fig. 1 Letterstedt Brewery, Newlands iii ABSTRACT & KEY WORDS This study focuses on three projects by Gabriel Fagan, one of South Africa’s most respected and awarded architects, namely The Dias Museum in Mossel Bay, the SA Breweries Visitor’s Centre in Newlands and the University of Cape Town’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine. These projects are all essentially contemporary interventions in historic fabric and each contains easily identifiable and iconic new portions – the sail-like roof of the Dias Museum, the glass lift shaft at SAB and the circular glazed pavilion at UCT’s Medical School. But underneath this apparent simplicity lie a host of other decisions that contribute to making up a much more complex picture of the three projects. Some of the parallel works include the reconstruction of an 18th century VOC granary at the Dias Museum, the reconstruction of a non-functioning industrial chimney stack at the brewery and the extension by replication of the 1920’s UCT laboratory building. These three examples are situated immediately adjacent to the iconic contemporary works and their impact has largely been overlooked in critique to date. However, this research shows that each aspect can only be fully understood in terms of the opposing act. In their best moments, they display both the ‘seductive harmony’ as well as the ‘curious co-dependence’ of which de Botton writes (see Frontispiece). These three projects are therefore key works by Fagan that straddle his restoration projects on the one hand and his contemporary domestic houses on the other. The research is a Universitymultiple-case study and of relies Cape on interviews, Town literature review and detailed analysis of the three projects to reach its conclusions. Ultimately, the research is biographical and aims to contribute to building a more complete and rounded picture of a celebrated architect. Key Words Gabriel (Gawie) Fagan Contemporary interventions Building conservation iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe thanks to many people who have assisted and supported me in the writing of this paper: First, Gawie and Gwen Fagan who graciously agreed to be interviewed on many occasions over the course of the MPhil degree and who willingly made available material from their archive. Second, my supervisor, Dr Stephen Townsend, deserves special thanks for providing clear guidance in the writing of this paper and for expanding my intellectual horizon. Third, the interviewees who all gave generously of their time and experience. Finally, to my wife Wendy who stood by me throughout. University of Cape Town v TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ X ABBREVIATIONS & GLOSSARY OF TERMS ....................................................... XV PREFACE ............................................................................................................... XVI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 1.1 Research Context and Objectives ........................................................................................... 1 1.2 Questions Considered in the Study ........................................................................................ 4 1.3 Significance of the Research ................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY ......................... 7 2.1 Case Study Methodology ......................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Selection of the Three Cases ................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 10 2.4 Interviewing ............................................................................................................................. 11 2.5 Limitations of the Study ......................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 3: LITERATUREUniversity REVIEW .................................................................... of Cape Town 16 3.1 Conservation Principles ......................................................................................................... 16 The Venice Charter (1964) ....................................................................................................... 17 Nara Document on Authenticity (1994) .................................................................................... 18 Burra Charter (1999) ................................................................................................................ 18 SPAB and William Morris ......................................................................................................... 20 3.2 Contemporary Intervention Theory – Key Perspectives ..................................................... 21 Historic Continuity .................................................................................................................... 21 Authenticity: An Overview ........................................................................................................ 23 Context: An Overview ............................................................................................................... 24 vi Issues of Change and Significance .......................................................................................... 25 Interventions - The Architectural Review’s Commentary ......................................................... 27 Mid-Twentieth Century Examples ............................................................................................ 30 3.3 Evolving Approaches ............................................................................................................. 33 Contextual Design .................................................................................................................... 37 3.4 Contemporary Interventions Studied .................................................................................... 40 Contrasting Elements: (Projects 01-08) ................................................................................... 41 Buildings as Documents: (Projects 9-12) ................................................................................. 46 Gaskets/ Link buildings: (Projects 13-18) ................................................................................. 51 Relevance of these examples to the Fagan case-studies ....................................................... 55 3.5 Gabriel Fagan .......................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 4: SELECTED CASES .......................................................................... 61 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 61 4.2 Dias Museum