#derek sugden

[elarafritzenwalden]

Point Royal, apartment building Bracknell, South East, England, UK; 1961-64

Philip Dowson and Derek Sugden of Arup Associates (photographs by Colin Westwood)

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via “Informes de la Construcción: Volume 19, 180" (1966)

[o-ds]

Photographs documenting the construction of Snape Maltings Concert Hall. The following is an extract from Derek Sugden's article on the project in the Arup Journal, June 1967: 'The Acoustics'

"Jacques Barzun's theme that the majority of men are outside the concept of C.P.Snow's 'The Two Cultures', and that most of us are part of a scientific culture, explains how easily we create gods of pseudo-sciences. We are surrounded by them today - economics, cybernetics, ergonomics, and, I believe, acoustics. If a few scientists wave some mathematics at us most of us swallow the results of their 'science' without questioning. As Muggeridge says, 'Towards any kind of scientific mumbo-jumbo, we display a credulity which must be the envy of African witchdoctors.' We neither question the scientists' parameters nor do we ask if they have collected them all. The refreshing thing about Beranek's book on acoustics is the empirical approach and collection of data of some 54 concert halls and opera houses throughout the world. We can go on measuring and calculating but finally any reaction to music is a highly subjective thing. I believe it is also dangerous to talk about acoustics in an abstract way, to divorce them from their physical surroundings, because the whole architecture of the space in which music is made is as much responsible for our whole response to the music. It is dangerous to talk about only the acoustics of a hall as to think we can rely only on our intellect for judgement."

('Snape Concert Hall', Derek Sudgen [Ed. Rosemary Devine; Art Ed. Desmond Wyeth] The Arup Journal, Vol.1 No.4, June 1967 published by Ove Arup & Partners Consulting Engineers, Arup Associates Architects and Engineers, 13 Fitzroy Street, London W1)

[veredes]

Elogio de la incorrección | Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho

La arquitectura habita plácidamente en el ámbito de la ortodoxia, bendecida por las reglas comúnmente aceptadas por el colectivo, libre de errores o defectos. Los códigos justifican, los cánones legitiman. Aunque no siempre. La historia nos ha regalado magníficos ejemplos de arquitectura surgida desde lo que Enrique Walker califica como “lo ordinario”, es decir, lo cotidiano, lo popular, lo banal hasta el límite de la incorrección. Arquitectura ejercida desde la alteración del canon.

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Miguel Ángel Díaz Camacho. Doctor Arquitecto Madrid. junio 2014