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The Aggregate Architectural History Collaborative has organized a collection of essays, entitled The Destruction of Cultural Heritage: From Napoléon to ISIS, which examines several centuries of the demolition of monuments in the Middle East. With world events like ISIS and the protection of architectural heritage growing to be more and more topical, this collection is a useful tool in considering the role of violence, how ancient architecture is perceived as a cultural entity, what role the media has to play, and beyond.

Palmyra site overview. Image © <a href='http://ift.tt/2jdvNzG user Jiří Suchomel</a> licensed under <a href='http://ift.tt/2jdvwwD BY-NC 2.0</a>

In the essay collection, prominent scholars in the field discuss the above issues and more in the hope of expanding readers’ frames of reference concerning the nuanced issue of threatened monuments. For example, the introductory essay of the series delves into the historic destruction of cultural heritage, as well as changing motivations for destruction, and the use of documentary imagery to accentuate violence and evoke horror.

Arch of Triumph (detail), destroyed by ISIS, October 2015. Image © <a href='http://ift.tt/2ie7w8s user Alessandra Kocman</a> licensed under <a href='http://ift.tt/2az4bMy BY-NC-ND 2.0</a>

This and other essays go on to discuss various views on the subject, including the role of museums in cultural destruction, how Islamic culture is perceived abroad, how cultural damage affects local citizens, whether buildings deserve the same protections as people, Napoleonic forms of looting, and how the structure behind war can be influenced to prevent destruction.

Temple of Bel, Destroyed by ISIS, August 2015. Image © <a href='http://ift.tt/2ieexG9 user Jiří Suchomel</a> licensed under <a href='http://ift.tt/2jdvwwD BY-NC 2.0</a>

Learn more about The Destruction of Cultural Heritage by reading the full essay collection here.

Tetrapylon in the Great Collonnade. Image © <a href='http://ift.tt/2iea1Yu user Jiří Suchomel</a> licensed under <a href='http://ift.tt/2jdvwwD BY-NC 2.0</a>

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© Wieland Gleich

• Architects: MLB Architects
• Location: Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa
• Architects In Charge: Erik Janse van Rensburg, Peter Kraus, Xico Meirelles
• Area: 10000.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2014
• Photographs: Wieland Gleich

• Client Team (Su Facilities Management):: Gretha Jacobs, Maggie Walters, Kevin Matthew, Anton Kriel, Junaid Gafieldien
• Structural Engineers: KFD Wilkinson Consulting Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers: Triocon Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd.
• Electrical Engineers: Triocon Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd.
• Acoustic Engineers: Andrew Wade – Sound Research Laboratories – South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
• Landscape Architect: Danielle Cloete DCLA
• Quantity Surveyor: DV Boland Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
• Consultants/Other Specialists: Health & Safety Consultant: Safe Smart

© Wieland Gleich

The client for this project was SU’s Facilities Management,with the end user being SU’s Faculty of Medicine. The brief called for two 450 seater auditoriums, with break out areas. The budget was tight, the program fast-tracked and siting crucial.   

© Wieland Gleich

This building had to be located close to the existing Teaching Hub, while not affecting campus parking & landscaping. Of the three potential sites identified, this one was selected for its ability to comply with the above prerequisites, while offering more. 

© Wieland Gleich

By ‘docking’ into the Teaching Hub, with auditoriums straddling the axis, the opportunity arose to create a new iconic entrance. This also reinforced the axis, linking the Student Union to the Teaching Hub, bringing it indoors, transforming the row of trees into columns. 

Ground Floor Plan

Scale & Massing were important urban design considerations. A low profile was maintained, so to not block a visual connection to the Teaching Hub building behind it. Even so, ± 4,5m internal ceiling heights were maintained appropriately-scaled to internal public space. 

© Wieland Gleich

The Tygerberg campus lacked a focal outdoor space, as in UCT’s Jameson steps. These new entrance steps were thus designed to establish symbolic interface. The platforms out of which steps were carved, also serve as seats, while also having planters for trees. 

© Wieland Gleich

The low profile also gave the building good human scale. Straddling the 2 auditoriums over an axis,created the opportunity for a looser composition of solids. These were fronted by a biomorphic break out area, its asymmetry held together by the axis cutting through it.

© Wieland Gleich

The West-facing, glazed ‘fish bowl’, break-out area presented its own difficulties, which in turn, triggered design solutions. Firstly was the need for precise sun control measures. Secondly the quest to also capture good outward views to the campus gardens.  

© Wieland Gleich

A layer of vertical sun control fins was thus added to the West elevation, manufactured from Hulabond sandwich panels, perforated with stylized DNA patterns. The patterns & signage were designed in collaboration with renowned graphic designer, Robin Lancaster.

© Wieland Gleich

Considerable effort went into auditorium design – size, shape, raking, seating, finishes, lighting & services. The faceted plan was found to be efficient for sight-lines, acoustics & distance from lecturer, while strict lines of geometry where imposed on services, for visual order. 

© Wieland Gleich

A complex arrangement of communication, climate control, power, lighting, audio visual, acoustic & fire detection services were incorporated. The consultant team was managed by a high level of coordination, to achieve functionally efficient, visually uncluttered interiors.

© Wieland Gleich

Product Description.

The most significant material used in the project is that of the Hulabond aluminum screens.

Part of the client’s vision was to have break-way spaces from the main auditorium that would have a visual connection with the campus surroundings. Due to the orientation of the new building with relation to the old, a clear, unshaded Western façade was not possible. In response to this climatic barrier, the architects decided to introduce vertical sunscreens that were pivoted in such a way that the sun would be blocked out, and the view only partially obscured. 

© Wieland Gleich

Using aluminum made sense for various reasons. The product is light weight which made the manufacturing of these large fins easy. Being in a coastal area the corrosive properties and durability of the material is also advantages. From an aesthetic point of view, aluminum has a clean and contemporary appearance and could be punctured with a DNA pattern to let in additional filtered light. 

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In an exclusive half-hour episode focusing on the life and legacy of Jane Jacobs, “one of the most influential urban thinkers and city activists of our time.” Featuring interviews with a carefully selected range of city planners, historians and activists, alongside recordings of Jacobs herself, this special episode of Monocle 24’s The Urbanist examines why Jacobs was—and remains—so influential when considering the contemporary city.

Opinion: Why Our Cities Need Less Jane Jacobs
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