The Arup Journal
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Issue 2 2016 The Arup Journal 1966 502016 Contents 4 1960s 50 2000s The Arup Journal is our ‘journal Snape Maltings Concert Hall Arup in Beijing York Minster The ‘Bird’s Nest’ of record’, documenting some of Emley Moor Tower The ‘Water Cube’ our more challenging projects and Concrete system building China Central Television (CCTV) HQ A1 Viaduct, Gateshead Beijing Airport Terminal 3 explaining how we approached them. Shahyad Aryamehr Beijing South station The focus on technical detail is a Beijing Convention Centre 14 1970s Channel Tunnel Rail Link hallmark of the publication and, in Sydney Opera House Hudson River Park my view, the reason for its longevity. Carlsberg Brewery Druk White Lotus School Byker Viaduct The Eden Project Since its launch in 1966, the Journal Centre Pompidou BedZED Bush Lane House Heathrow Terminal 5 has published more than a thousand OCBC Centre articles, whose common thread is Barbican Arts Centre 64 2010s Bundesgartenschau, Mannheim The Fulton Center the quality of the work, reflecting the London in 2012 creativity and calibre of the people 26 1980s Stratford and the Olympic Park HSBC Building, Hong Kong King’s Cross who worked on the projects. The British Library The Shard Lloyd’s of London Evelyn Grace Academy I would like to especially thank 1 Finsbury Avenue Leadenhall Building Stansted Airport Crossrail and acknowledge our clients and Ravenspurn North The Vegas High Roller collaborators who worked with us The Menil Collection Lake Mead Intake No.3 Lord’s Mound Stand Hong Kong’s waste-to-energy plant on the projects republished in this Singapore Sports Hub 50th anniversary edition. In every 38 1990s BIQ House Øresund Bridge article I am reminded that successful Glyndebourne Opera House 77 Image credits design in the built environment is Stockley Park always a product of teamwork. Phoenix Central Library 78 Front covers, 1966–2016 Yapi Kredi Bank, Turkey Kinali–Sakarya Motorway and Karasu Viaduct Eastgate, Harare Heathrow Transfer Baggage System Gregory Hodkinson Chairman, Arup 2 The Arup Journal 50th Anniversary Issue The Arup Journal 50th Anniversary Issue 3 Sir Jack Zunz joined Arup in 1950, and was As the 1960s progressed we took advantage Co-Chairman of Arup from 1984 to 1989. of this rapidly developing technology and In this section acquired our own computers. We were one of Looking back, the 1960s were very formative the first consulting engineering practices to The projects described in this section are 10 Concrete system building times to be an architect or an engineer. We do so and people would come and gawp at based on the original articles listed below. Projects that shaped the way a generation didn’t necessarily have the sophisticated the seemingly amazing things we could get For full details, including project credits and of students lived and worked 1960s attributions, please see the original articles Issue 2, 1966: Architect’s approach to tools, the variety or choice in materials or as them to do. All this was many years before much money as we have today, but exciting the concept, advent and use of personal online at arup.com. architecture, P. M. Dowson ideas and ideals were bubbling across the computers. Issue 4, 1969: Rooms for students. industry. New concepts were taking hold. 6 Snape Maltings Concert Hall Tim Sturgis Prefabrication was the perceived means It was an incredibly formative decade in Converting a derelict malt house into whereby the country’s construction industry other ways too. A consequence of Ove a concert and opera venue 12 A1 Viaduct, Gateshead could become more productive and in articulating his ideas about integrating Issue 4, 1967: Snape Concert Hall, Arup’s first road and bridge project particular the housing crisis could be solved. architecture and engineering led to the Derek Sugden formation in 1963 of Arup Associates, where Issue 3, 1969: A1 Viaduct, Gateshead, This was also the decade when engineers these concepts were put into practice. It was Smyth and Srinivasan started using computers. During the 1950s also the decade when we were beginning to 8 York Minster Issue 1, 1970: Bridges on Gateshead Western Bypass, Keith Ranawake, we knew that computers were coming but widen our horizons into infrastructure A firmer footing for one of England’s Duncan Calkin, Ian McCulloch, Chris Slack were limited in practical applications. But by projects and a number of specialist great medieval cathedrals the 1960s some engineers had learnt to write disciplines. Issue 3, 1970: The use of prestressing in their own programs. Computers were foundation strengthening at York Minster, 13 Shahyad Aryamehr generally based at some universities and in But our work on Sydney Opera House David Dowrick An insight into its complex geometry the premises of their manufacturers. We used probably dominated these years and the firm Issue 1, 1970: The geometry of Shahyad the machines made by Ferranti in their became known more widely. That Sydney Aryamehr, Peter Ayres Newman Street offices, as well as one based Opera House happened at all is really quite 9 Emley Moor Tower at the Northampton Institute (now City miraculous. Jørn Utzon who won the Still the UK’s tallest freestanding structure University). Computers were in rooms full international competition with a sketchy and Issue 1, 1972: Emley Moor television of cupboards housing large numbers of ill-defined scheme left the project in 1966. tower, Andre Bartak and Mike Shears thermionic valves. One hired these Somehow, despite much controversy and Issue 3, 1974: Wind and vibration computers by the hour, some ‘runs’ taking many setbacks, it was completed in 1973 measurements at Emley Moor, Mike Shears many hours. One of the many hazards were and is now a World Heritage Site. It simply not infrequent power failures when one couldn’t happen today. would have to start all over again. 4 The Arup Journal 50th Anniversary Issue The Arup Journal 50th Anniversary Issue 5 1. 2. 3. Richard Cowell is an architect specialising in acoustics and related specialist fields. In the 1980s, he Snape Maltings Concert Hall co-founded Arup Acoustics with the late Derek Sugden. Of all the projects Arup worked on during Defining features How it all began the 1960s, the transformation of a disused Several factors contribute to the acoustic Describing the project as it was seen at the In my view, the enduring success of malt house into a world-class concert hall in quality of the hall: start, in an Arup Journal article published in Snape Maltings Concert Hall is founded the tiny English village of Snape, in Suffolk, June 1967, Derek said: on Derek Sugden’s passionate dedication to realise its purpose, together with the must rank as one of the more unusual. First, the selection of the maltings building 4. 5. shell provided the classical ‘shoebox’ plan “The brief was for a concert hall to seat multidisciplinary support of his The project sprang from the need to create a geometry for a concert hall that could between 700 and 800. It was to be provided colleagues in Arup Associates. A careful new and permanent venue for the annual provide excellent lateral reflections. with lighting facilities for opera, an orchestra the desired hall volume meant retaining as because the whole architecture of the space amalgam of technical rigour and artistic Aldeburgh Festival, founded in 1948 by pit, and with a removable proscenium. It was much of the roof height as possible. The in which music is made is as much insight created a performance space composer Benjamin Britten, singer Peter Second, the walls were grit-blasted, sealed, to have a restaurant and changing rooms. It slope designated for the roofline was, in fact, responsible for our whole response to the supportive of musicians and a listening Pears, and writer Eric Crozier. This popular heightened and topped with a roof that is was to be wired for the BBC for recording a compromise between the two existing music. It is as dangerous to talk about only experience for audiences that was of the event had outgrown the local halls and relatively steep for a concert hall to achieve during the festival and for the Decca Record rooflines (see diagrams). the acoustics of a hall as to think we can rely highest standard. The acoustic reputation churches where it was originally hosted, so the preferred hall volume. This resulted in a Co. for stereophonic recording... The stage on only our intellect for judgement.” is first rate, and recognised globally. in a letter to Ove Arup in 1965, festival reverberation time of two seconds when the was to be the full width of the auditorium, to The smoke hoods that were once functional manager Stephen Reiss asked whether the hall is occupied. be 40ft deep, 4ft above auditorium level and for the barley malting process, and key to the This holistic approach meant the firm delivered The designers were pioneering when firm could examine the potential of a recently to have a 1ft rake.” character of the building, were retained as a concert hall at Snape that is as effective today it came to sustainable design and closed maltings for conversion into a concert Third, the roof lining was stiffened to avoid part of a low-energy ventilation system. as it was when it opened to the strains of construction. By reusing the maltings, hall, with opera facilities. excessive low-frequency absorption, and The Arup team agreed with the festival Benjamin Britten’s specially written overture use was made of valuable heritage. The traditional cane chairs were specified, also to committee that the hall should be designed Legacy ‘The Building of the House’ in 1967. ventilation system is low-energy, using Ove gave the job to Derek Sugden, an limit sound absorption.