Building Refurbishment
November 1990

CLASSICAL COVER-UP
Brian Edwards reports on a cladding project in Edinburgh that has given three tower blocks a new sense of dignity.

THE rise of modern classicism has so far had only marginal influence on the over-cladding of 60s tower blocks. Most architects faced with the need to provide an extra protective skin to these unloved buildings have preferred to establish abstract patterns across their extensive facades. The resulting born-again buildings have added much-needed colour to the inner cities, but little sophistication and rather less creative effort.

By way of contrast, the Calders blocks near Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, have been overclad in a fashion that offers convincing testimony to the ability of postmodern classicism to give measured dignity to social housing through the skilful manipulation of image, scale and landmark. The three blocks, standing on the edge of the city alongside the new Edinburgh bypass, create with their huge overhanging cornices and cleverly modulated proportions the impression of luxury housing or, at least, some Bofill-inspired monuments to community endeavour.

The classicism is no mere whim of architects Kneale & Russell, whose New Town offices are as Palladian as any in the city. It was rather the influence of the tenant groups, who became not only part of the design team (on the insistence of Edinburgh District Council), but who asked for the finished blocks to look as far removed as possible from typical Scottish council housing. Purists may scorn this apparent wish to bury the memory of 1960s social engineering, but Newman and Alice Coleman both argue for design modification that attacks the social stigma of council housing. What the tenants did not want was yet another abstract facade mural created with corrugated panels recalling (at least in their eyes) the state-supported art forms of Eastern Europe.

Classicism or perhaps Dallas-Palladianism has grown out of a brief which rejects much contemporary over-cladding practice in Scotland and England. Instead, the scheme looks to Europe for inspiration and from the Lothian country side the view of Edinburgh now hints at the urban fringe rationalism of say Genoa or even Marne-la-Vallee.

Classicism provides the essential elements of the scheme — base, middle and top, and repeating rhythms that play upon near harmonic proportions (in this case squares, double squares etc). The building facades are subdivided into larger units and trimmed in red, blue or yellow to draw attention to their proportions. A collection of often different windows are grouped within each larger bay since the eye reads the bigger bay and hence the elevational whole. Scale is broken down by such means but in a fashion which allows a certain complexity to exist since the bays and sub-bays are not identical (they are in fact rhythmic).

The original structure and position of windows have not been modified since this is an exercise in overcladding.and by implication, in image rebuilding as part of wider environmental improvements. The cladding system uses a metal frame system developed by Modern Structural Plastics incorporating Korrugal profiled sheets to give extra protection and insulation to blocks built on the Cruden Skarne system. The cladding contractor and supplier worked as subcontractors to the main contractor. Since the system was relatively new some on-site development was possible, which satisfied the architects need to develop to the full the aesthetic aspects of the cladding system.

Each block contains 136 flats and in each the planning of ground-floor areas has been much revised. Originally the blocks stood upon pilotis, but the ground floor now contains a housing management office, a more luxurious foyer and some storage areas. By enclosing the draughty pilotis the buildings now have a solid base which is finished in banded brick and blockwork and coated with a highly-glazed veneer to deter graffiti. The brick base also protects the overcladding system which terminates at first-floor level.

The new cladding provides a protective finish to a building that has suffered from spalling concrete, draughty windows and poor insulation standards. Replacement upvc windows fit into two-storey aluminium panels, incorporating a breather membrane and 50mm of Rockwool. The cladding system consists of shallow corrugated aluminium panels set alongside smooth . sheets with coloured trim, creating the play of decorative finishes which is so conspicuous on the facades.

Over-cladding is not the glamorous end of architectural practice in Scotland but it represents an opportunity to address at least the aesthetic failings of the 60s tower blocks. There is an alternative to demolition: high-rise blocks can be upgraded internally and reclad to bring a little dignity, if arguable cultural meaning, to the lives of their tenants.

Architects: Kneale & Russell, Edinburgh.
Civil and structural engineer: Sir Frederick Snow & Partners.
Cladding contractor: Modern Structural Plastics (Scotland).