FABLE

by Juliana Lalaj

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The wooden model of the San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (1638-1641, Rome) located in Lugano,realized by the Swiss architect Mario Botta. It is an example of a new kind of monument.

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Facade model | Inverted dome concept

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Connecting spaces | Threshold model Materials: Plaster & Plywood

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Model | A room with a view Materials: painted plywood & plaster

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The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in London, dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square. The Charterhouse began as (and takes its name from) a Carthusian priory, founded in 1371 and dissolved in 1537. Substantial fragments remain from this monastic period, but the site was largely rebuilt after 1545 as a large courtyard house. Thus, today it "conveys a vivid impression of the type of large rambling 16th century mansion that once existed all round London". The Charterhouse was further altered and extended after 1611, when it became an almhouse and school, endowed by Thomas Sutton. The almshouse (a home for gentlemen pensioners) still occupies the site today under the name the Charterhouse ; the school moved out in 1872 to Godalming, Surrey, where it survives as Charterhouse School.

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The Ideal City 15 Century An ideal city is the concept of a plan for a city that has been conceived in accordance with the dictates of some "rational" or "moral" objective. The impression is more or less the same. Both images show a symmetrical view. The idea behind it is on the way that how two identical parts of the building can be treated so differently, based on elements of facade, materials, function (public, semi public, private).

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Bloomsbury Square, 1754 (left) | Soho Square (right) One of the proposed design elements is to create an outdoor space surrounded by symmetrical building, as the footprint of Saint Paul Cathedral. These two images represent the same idea behind my proposal. A massive public space, which has a double function, both private and public.

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Herzog & de Meuron Serpentine Pavilion   I continued my research looking on buildings, pavilions and piazzas that have been designed into layers, as parallel examples of my design intent. I found it interesting of proposing a roof pavilion, which is on the same level with the ground level, as the proposed building lays under the ground. The pavilion design explores the  hidden history of the previous installations , with eleven columns under the lawn of the Serpentine, representing the past pavilions and a twelfth column supporting a floating platform roof 1.4 meters above ground, which looks like a reflecting water-like surface in the renderings. The plan of the pavilion is based on a mix of the 11 previous pavilions’ layouts, pavilions that are represented as excavated foundations from which a new cork cladded landscape appears, as an archeological operation. “Cork is a natural material with wonderful haptic and olfactory qualities with the versatility to be carved, cut, shaped and formed, as demonstrated in many historical examples of cork architectural models.”

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Physical model of the conceptual proposed design

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Public space used to be seen as the poor relation of architecture. Budgets for spaces were being value engineered out, as they were the last bit of the jigsaw in redevelopments and viewed as the least important element. Thinking has changed in the last 10 years but it’s not all rosy yet. Our streets and public spaces are still too often described as just ‘the spaces between buildings’ as if they are somehow less important than them. Many of London’s buildings come and go so quickly that they seem to have the shelf life of a jar of pickles, while most of our streets and public spaces have a history that can be traced back hundreds of years. As our buildings change around us, and with a trend in London for new architecture that is more background than foreground, what gives a place its character and distinctiveness relies more and more on the design of our streetscapes and public spaces. These spaces help create a feeling of authenticity and a sense of belonging. The popularity of the term ‘place making’ demonstrates how far we have come in understanding the importance of our public realm. In an age of cuts, local authorities in London, particularly the poorer ones, are under such intense pressure that creating and looking after public spaces slips down the list of priorities (it isn’t a statutory service for a start). Yet good quality public space for any city is a must-have, not a ‘nice-to-have’, and is a major consideration in the way we judge our councils’ performance. London, and many other cities, are failing miserably to enable diversity in people’s engagement with such spaces. In this design project, my aim is to continue the inital idea of preservation past values and incorporating them to today’s places. Deriving from Wren’s plan of creating piazzas, my intent is to design a transitional space, that is both functional to the brief requirements, but also a way of increasing the number of gathering spaces in the busy City of London.

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Hand drawings of St Paul’s Cathedral | Juliana Lalaj

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DESIGN INTENT

Architecture is the result of several years of research on the relationship between geometrical patters we grasp at once, and spatial patterns we understand through the sequential unfolding of information as our bodies go through space. Aside to cultural meaning that is spatially constructed; meaning is created by other forms of social knowledge, such as social values and systems of thoughts that are implicated in architecture and its production. London is evolving but most important parts of it lay underground, following the city as a ghost through the history. The memories from the past have created different layers beneath the city. As Peter Ackroyd mentions on his book “Bibliography”, most of London’s treasure can be found on its depth. Rossi in his writings has tried to redefine the ‘architecture of the city’ with a concentration of ‘urban artefacts’, the catalysing monuments from the past. According to him, the city is a collective memory of its people, and like memory it is associated with objects and places. The city is locus of collective memory. This relationship between locus and citizenry then become a city’s predominant image, a great shape history moulds its future to. One thing is sure; the dynamism of these urban artefacts plays an important role in the development of the space. (Rossi, 1966) Based on the previous briefs, my intent is to create these ‘piazas’ as monuments.  The city is a culmination of cultures, narratives, architecture and history. Sometimes, they become forgotten and my aim is to take the attention into the layers of the city. There is a ruin within the city and the monuments on it have become part of the urban growth of City of London. Referring to Rossi, the urban artefacts in the city have qualities of temporally and spatial continuity. To conclude, my aim is to create a series of gathering spaces, which in the future may become monuments and a part of urban development. The project will be based on previous briefs (Street & Ghosts). I will try to follow Wren’s intent, which consisted on bringing into life the wide boulevards and plazas.  My intent is to develop the negative plan of ‘momuments’ under the ground level (e.g. St Paul Cathedral), and create the liminal spaces that will work as thresholds. The idea behind that is to bring into focus the history that remains hidden on the deep extant past layers of London.

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CHOSING THE SITE

We chose the site of St Martins le Grand Street as our study areas due to its historical significance, revealing a series of particular moments throughout the city.

 Aldersgate was located to the north of St Martins le Grand Street and offers itself as a boundary between the medieval city and the Roman road to Colchester. Aldersgate made up one of the seven original gates to the city of London and dates back to around the 4th Century. It is believed that the gate may have been part of the original Roman fort however records question whether a completely different gate was used on the site of the fortress.

 The name Aldersgate has been firmly established since the 1300s and it was referenced in writings when James I passed through the gates during his coronation in 1603. Aldersgate was adapted and rebuilt during its reign, surviving the great fire before being pulled down in 1761.

 By the late 1500s St Martins le Grand has established itself as one of the most important liberties of London. During the day a thriving, crowded district is described and is said to have been one of the key routes through the Metropolis. The residents of the liberty petitioned William Cecil, the queens treasurer and an important member of parliament, for advice in governing the liberty and maintaining order. Queen Elizabeth gave the liberty of St Martins le grand to Westminster during her second year of reign.

 At this time St Martins was said to be a place of great disorder, with robbers, forgeries and a market place of stolen goods – a street known for its thriving economy was often questioned about its legitimacy.  

 Throughout the 16th 17th century the liberty of St Martins continued to gain a bad reputation and as a result came into great conflicts with the church. By 1815 it merged with the ward of Aldersgate.

 The Church which is now the Presbyterian Church was established during the medieval period as the first Church of England. St Anne’s Church has seen several developments particularly after the great fire of London when it was ruined and rebuilt only 3 years later. The role of the church throughout the earlier centuries highlights the importance St Martins had on creating a place of settlement and community and St Martins Le grand was one of the most influential areas of immigrant workers to settle in the city throughout the 15,16,17th century.

 During the blitz, the street saw significant bomb damage. With a large post office to the east of the street, a telegram centre to the west and various other instituions nearby it was a prime target for blitz attacks.

 Post war saw the Aldersgate Ward see significant development. One of the most iconic landmarks, - The barbican was built in the 60s and has since completely transformed the connection to the north of St Martins le Grand and the rest of the city.  

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City of London consists of layers of conditions and stories of the past. The city has been affected by destruction and economic growth, which inevitably have been creating new hierarchies and order in the city fabric.  The simulated urban experience reflects on the current urban condition in the city. In contrast the collective memory encompasses the both physical and spiritual status of the history through monuments.

As a group we have established the notion that there is a ruin within the city.  And the monuments in the city surpass the status of a ruin. Monuments become part of the urban growth and creation, which may also affect their role in the city.

This idea can be referred to Rossi, he states that the Urban artefacts in the city areas have qualities of temporality and spatial continuity. The temporality refers to the before and after, as the city is being affected by time, the monuments will be part of inevitable change. We analysed the city through historical maps, and images, looking for overlays and moments. Trying to reveal memories and narratives of the city through it’s archaeological layers.

We have proposed the city as a recollection of memories, composed with elements of different functions and urban spaces.  With numerous events of reconstruction, that has created a fragmented city with opposing memories. The proposal embodies the city as a collection of forgotten architecture in the space where contesting contemporary conditions dominate.

As a group, our aim was to look at the picturesque of the city. A variety of facades, being inspired from different periods of time are brought into our focus. Our intent was to emphasize the details of our monuments by hyperbolizing parts of them, in order to individualize their importance through memories. They are a documentation of the past, the ghost that follows the city through its journey.

We focus more on the surface of the model, but this time we tried to treat the city into section. Sections of buildings have become more visible and valuable. London has a treasure beneath it and that is where we took this model to.

Why is the model so solid? The heavy bases made out of plaster represent the weight of the history that they carry. Why did we use plaster? It is a material that helps us to represent the archaeological layer of the site and by bringing the buildings as monuments that resisted through history.

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THE HISTORY OF THE MONUMENTS

The site of St Martin’s Le Grand was key to our story; St Martin’s Le Grand provides the direct route from St Paul’s Cathedral to the Barbican Centre. It’s a route steeped in history with monumental pieces of architecture at either end. We have acknowledged these two iconic London buildings as monuments due to their great sense of collective memory; they define the extents of our model.

St Paul’s is Wren’s masterpiece, still standing since the late 1600s. The immediate surroundings of the site have been subjected to a great deal of destruction and reconstruction and yet St Paul’s has still survived and endured this test of time. The historical presence of St Paul’s cannot be dismissed, it’s an iconic place of worship; an iconic piece of the London skyline.

At the other extent of our model lies the Barbican Centre; a much more recent development dating back to the 1960s. The Barbican is a fantastic example of past war utopian planning which has more often than not been forgotten and left to decay in other parts of the city. The dense nature of the concrete materiality embraces the true post war vision.

Situated between these two monuments are a number of other sites with a rich collective memory. To the north of St Paul’s, the BT centre stands in place of the original Telegraph Centre. This site has been home to connectivity, networking and communication throughout its lifetime. The Telegraph Centre was subject to heavy destruction during the Blitz. Following this the BT centre was built in its place in the 1980s. The BT Centre stands as a monument to communication; the building itself stands as an icon of art deco architecture.

Further North of the BT Centre lies No. 1 St Martin’s Le Grand; this was built in combination with the original Telegraph Centre. The buildings collectively formed part of the postal services and have been an important site for communication across London and much further. In No. 1 St Martin’s Le Grand the first radio signal was sent and received which enforces the historical importance of this site. Just North of No. 1 St Martin’s Le Grand, the Presbyterian Church of London stands on its original footprint; the footprint of the first Presbyterian Church in London. The Church has been subject to destruction and reconstruction; through this cycle embracing a variety of architectural stylings.

Across the street lies another place of worship; St Anne and St Agnes’ Cathedral. The Cathedral again sits on its original footprint dating back to the 1500s. It too has been subject to destruction and reconstruction. However, the tower and shell have remained constant throughout its lifetime.

Finally, we have unearthed monuments of the past in the form of Aldersgate and the Fortress. Aldersgate provided the threshold to the city in terms of the physical boundary at the city wall but also in terms of the economy behind the wall and the political threshold through the liberty of St Martin’s Le Grand. Further to this, the Roman Fortress acts as a symbolism of the protected settlements that have now been lost through time.