Howsacredarethecows? Open University, Milton Keynes Friday 19 November 1999 The title of this conference organised by the Milton Keynes Council which referred to those famous concrete cows by Liz Leyh also served as a metaphor for the City itself. The focus of the conference was to evaluate Milton Keynes as it reached its 30th birthday. The emphasis was on the architectural changes that would occur as the city is set to expanded over the next 10-20 years, possibly to double its current size. Rather the debate focused on the past and current issues -less on the future - there was no blueprint for that. Opening the debate John Best, Strategic Director Environment, Milton Keynes Council, said there were two main issues here which applied to the past and to the future. Firstly, once a building is designed it becomes the client's responsibility, and the desire to extend or embellish should therefore be anticipated by the architect. Secondly, the owner of the building has a responsibility for future generations and should respect the quality of the original design. This strategy was outlined at the beginning and endorsed by the government, but has not been followed. Professor Derek Walker of Derek Walker Associates, part of the original design team outlined the history of the scheme. In 1969, it was the newest and most ambitious of the New Towns and aimed to provide a complete, self contained environment. Derek recalled the prestige of small practice being given the great task of designing this new city. The plan by Llewellyn Davies, was formally adopted after an earlier plan by Fred Pooley, Buckinghamshire's Chief County Architect, was rejected. The idea of the grid came from the west coast of America, the tail encl of the psychedelic sixties -ley lines = grid lines and as a reaction against the circular city and centralised plan. The project included the provision of industry, amenities, housing and landscape with various points on the grid being linked by Context65 March 2000 linear parks. He emphasised the integrated nature of the design, which incorporated an infrastructure of roadways, lighting, houses and other new buildings within the framework of the existing villages. He saw its principal legacy as one of idealism and commitment which has sadly lost its way, especially during the 1980s when schemes by prestigious architects, Norman Foster and James Stirling were abandoned through timidity and economic recession. A further blow was the axing of an international scu Iptu re park, endorsed by Henry Moore. He ended with a plea that central Milton Keynes deserves far better buildings than those which have been erected in the last decade. Elizabeth Williamson, who wrote the Buckinghamshire volume of the Buildings of England (Pevsner), echoed some of these concerns. She focused on Milton Keynes sense of place, and summed up its current problem of having publicly commissioned works of high quality and private works of execrable quality, amply demonstrated by the buildings we visited during lunch. Elain Harwood from English Heritage spoke about post war listing and highlighted the inadequacies of listing for an area like Milton Keynes. A stroll through the shopping centre, designed by Derek Walker in 1979 and heralded as the first American style shopping mall in Europe showed the recent lack of design control. Its transparency and elegance had been badly compromised by the recent additions to Marks and Spencer. Most encouraging and exciting was the newly completed MK Theatre designed by Blonski Heard Architects, where we had lunch. Here, a transparent glass facacle runs the height of the building masking a multipurpose performance space, which echoes the Royal Festival Hall in miniature. Unfortunately, the theatre was surrounded by poor examples of disposable retail architecture of nightclubs, bars and fast food outlets In the afternoon, Professor Brian Goodey, Professor of Urban Landscape Design argued for conservation of memory and experience -how do you legislate for that? -and the need to celebrate and promote the City making comparisons with Brasilia, which was conserved at a fairly early stage. Amanda Balson, of DTZ Piecla Consulting, spoke for the private sector on behalf of Hermes, owners of the CMK Shopping Centre. Glossing over the criticisms of the recent changes to the shopping centre, (including nasty bits of street furniture) she advocated management guidelines to offset the need for listed a building, consent and agreed that discussion with councillors and shop owners was important. Robert de Grey, Chair of the Forum of local amenity groups considered EHTF,Hereford CONFERENCES the threats to Milton Keynes of unsympathetic commercial development. He believes that this situation is the result of professional laziness. Milton Keynes has the greatest concentration of modern buildings in the UK, in a single definable area and nobody knows what to do with them! Clearly, there was a genuine affection for Milton Keynes, amongst the majority of residents as well as planning and conservation professiona Is. However it should not be regarded as " sacred", rather we need to understand its genesis and balance the best of the past with legitimate calls for change. It was a very timely conference which raised important issues, and we hope that the Council will build upon it to good advantage. Suzanne Waters Hon Secretary Twentieth Century Society Tomorrow's Heritage? The challenge of building in historic areas in the context of the New Urban Agenda 17-19 November 1999 Picture the historic town of Hereford, no doubt you're thinking about ... The magnificent Cathedral? ... The Mappa Mundi? ... The medieval market square, or how about a number of modern and innovative buildings, which have been highly acclaimed by the architectural press? Hereford was the location for this conference on modern design in historic areas, and as delegates discovered, the town had many good local case studies. The conference began with a civic reception held at the grade I listed All Saints Church. The church had recently undergone a radical transformation under a new (and very enthusiastic) vicar. When he came to the church, it had a small congregation, was seriously at risk and had very little money to work with. However, through an ingeniously designed cafe inside the church, the building has been returned to the local people as a meeting place and as a centre of the community. The architect, Rod Robinson, has designed an uncompromisingly modern structure that fits into the church without compromising the internal space or the fabric of the building. His philosophy for dealing with old buildings was simple: "If it's old and it works, leave it alone; if it's old and broken, repair it like for like; and if it is new, it should be damn new!" The first clay of the conference was held in the brand new Courtyard Theatre, a fantastic glass-fronted venue, recently constructed on a previously derelict site. Those attending the conference were treated to a series of excellent 39
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