THE ARUP JOURNAL WINTER 1992/93 Front cover: Legal & General. Kingswood. (Photo: Peter Mackinven) Back cover: THEARUP United Overseas Bank Plaza, Singapore. Brian Simpson's Brick Model was used to analyze the soft clays in which the new 66 storey tower block was founded. JOURNAL (Photo: Ove Arup & Partners. Singapore) Vol.27 No.4 Editor: Winter 1992-93 David J. Brown Published by Art Editor: Ove Arup Partnership Desmond Wyeth FCSD 13 Fitzroy Street. Deputy Editor: London W 1P 680 Helene Murphy 3 Legal & General, Kingswood: Arup Associates' new headquarters building for Legal & General Architecture in landscape Assurance Society Ltd. was conceived as a formal and sophisticated Mike Bonner, Don Ferguson design to complement a Downland site of outstanding natural beauty. 10 ESPRIT Arup Research & Development collaborated with Thorn EMI Central Bob Venning, Steven Blackmore Research to produce an ESPRIT computer program for the accurate simulation of various lighting ettects in computer visualizations of building interiors and exteriors. 12 The Second Sevem Crossing Ove Arup & Partners' second-placed design for the new bridge Angus Low combined precast, segmental approach viaducts with a slender steel box girder main span, cable-stayed from A-frame pylons. 14 The intelligent structure 'Intelligent' electronic feedback systems are already used extensively Ian Gardner for self-monitoring of building services systems. This article discusses the possibilities of extending such active control to the structure itself. 15 'Soil behaves like This paper, drawn from the British Geotechnical Society 1992 Rankine bricks on strings' Lecture, presents a new model for the prediction of soil behaviour Brian Simpson based on an analogy with a man pulling around a set of bricks by strings. 18 Art of oak: A survey Ove Arup & Partners were commissioned to carry out a structural of the frigate Unicorn survey of the oldest British warship afloat. originally launched in 1824 Peter Ross. Ian Sandeman and now berthed at Victoria Dock, Dundee. 20 RIBA Royal Gold Medal In his acceptance speech to the Royal Institute of British Architects on Speech 1992 29 June 1992, the late Peter Rice discussed his philosophy of Peter Rice engineering design, using as a case study the stone fa9ade of the Pavilion of the Future, Expo '92 Seville. 2 Legal & General, Kingswood : Architecture in landscape Architects: Arup Associates Mike Bonner Don Ferguson History General's acquisition of St. Monica's freehold Construction began in 1955; the design - The Legal & General Assurance Society was only of secondary consequence to the typical of many Modernist buildings of the acquired the Kingswood Estate in Surrey in purchase of the Estate. it became the focus period - did not endear itself to the local 1937 as a long-term investment in an agricul­ for the almost continuous redevelopment at community. The building always appeared tural property. The landscape of the Estate is Kingswood over the last 50 years. alien to its environment, forming no relation­ exceptionally fine. lying on the chalk uplands Legal & General's Fleet Street headquarters ship with the existing St. Monica's, the site of the North Downs near the Epsom Race­ was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944, and topography, nor the landscape of the Estate. course and extending to 183ha of mixed farm­ under the wartime Emergency Powers Act It adopted a T-shaped plan placed directly land and 32ha of mature broadleaf wood­ they moved out to Kingswood to occupy St. into the valley gradients, requiring major lands. It is bounded on its southern side by Monica's - enabling the girls to decant safely excavation and contortion of the existing the wooded Chipstead Valley which rises to Lincolnshire. During the immediate post­ ground forms. It turned its main five-storey steeply up onto the gently rolling plateau of war years Legal & General continued to elevation to present itself squarely across the the Downs, with long views north and east into operate from St. Monica's and the various valley towards the residential neighbourhood open countryside. temporary buildings which they erected in the beyond and, illuminated on a winter's night, it Residential suburbs have grown up since the surrounding gardens. The statt clearly en­ could be seen for miles across the Downland turn of the century and now extend along most joyed the rural working environment and the landscape. of the southern and western boundaries of the Society prospered to the extent that these ad The building, however, served its purpose Estate. An unusual feature was that, in addi­ hoe accommodation arrangements became well initially and the Society continued to pros­ tion to the two tenant farms and their asso­ increasingly overcrowded and unsatisfactory. per. A further planning approval was granted ciated cottages, a leasehold property also New permanent ottices became necessary. for extensions to the existing building in 1964 existed on the Estate's southwest side, adjoin­ However. rather than return all their commer­ and the site population grew to some 1200 ing the residential area of Kingswood. This cial activities to the City of London , Legal & statt. In the meantime, St. Monica's was con­ was an elegant Edwardian brick gabled General decided to seek planning approval verted and extended to provide a generous house overlooking the Chipstead Valley, for a new ottice building on the Estate land staff restaurant, bars and recreation spaces, occupied by a girls' boarding school and immediately adjoining St. Monica's. and the sporting traditions inherited from the surrounded by the residue of its original Although public awareness and concern over original girls' school were enhanced to terraced gardens and the various append­ planning matters in the '50s was less vocifer­ include cricket and football pitches, additional ages of the school such as tennis courts and ous than now. the application encroached on tennis courts, and the enclosure of the old an open-air swimming pool. Although Legal & agricultural land within the Metropolitan Green outdoor swimming pool. Belt and the local community raised con­ siderable objection. The Secretary of State called in the applica­ tion but. after a public inquiry, granted approval on the somewhat ambiguous grounds of being 'in the national interest'. 3 Impact of computer technology comply with current environmental standards A new building The continuing expansion of data processing required by the Building Regulations. The After careful deliberation, the Society decided and its increasing integration into the opera­ existing structure had been designed with that refurbishment was neither technically nor tion of the Society created the need for more very low floor-to-floor heights. making the financially viable, and therefore to seek plan­ advanced computer facilities at Kingswood, insertion of conventional air-conditioning sys­ ning approval for the demolition of the existing and in 1976 planning permission was granted tems difficult and expensive. Concurrent with office building and its replacement with a new for an extension incorporating a new com­ the completion of the report, the Government design more suited to their current organiza­ puter suite and associated plantrooms. In introduced VAT on refurbishment of existing tional and operational needs. in anticipation of common with many large companies. the buildings which had the effect of further -the forthcoming Financial Services Act. developments in computing technology increasing the cost of refurbishment. Arup Associates were appointed for this new continued to have major eftects on the commission in early 1985 and the brief was Society's operations and in 1984 a review expanded to include the headquarters opera­ indicated that further major expansion of tion on the whole site including new office these facilities would be required by 1987. 4. Kingswood site plan. accommodation. St. Monica's and the various This second generation of computing techno­ sports and recreational activities. There was, Key: however, the very major constraint that the logy would also bring micro-computers and 1. Kingswood Estate existing Kingswood House and all attendant screens to individuals in the oftice areas. in 2. Playing fields support facilities, deliveries and parking for its addition to the traditional centralized com­ 3. Chipstead Valley 1200 staff remained fully operational until the puter suites. 4. Cricket pavilion Arup Associates were appointed in 1984 to new office building and its computer facilities 5. Lake were completed and commissioned. study the feasibility of upgrading Kingswood 6. Central Rotunda House to accommodate this new oftice tech­ 7. Entrance avenue In addition to its status within the Green Belt nology, with particular regard to improving the 8. Upper Terrace the Kingswood Estate and its surroundings working environment of the staff and over­ 9. Lower Terrace had been further designated in recent years coming the problems of increased heat 10. Swimming pool as an 'Area of Great Landscape Value '. Even generated within oftice areas by the new 11 . Terrace lawn so, the post-war developments around St. equipment - plus associated problems of 12. St. Monica's Monica's largely ignored this outstanding lighting and glare. The resulting report con­ 13. Car parking rural landscape and introduced a municipal cluded that full air-conditioning would be 14. Approach from scale and character to the buildings and their necessary and that the building did not