Planning and Architecture

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In Britain a better standard ofliving was enjoyed by most ofthe population, more people hada disposable income and the

young generation provided a readymarket for luxury commoditiessuch as clothes, pop records andhousehold paraphernalia.

The Sixties was also a decadewhich, in its latter half, saw muchlarge scale domestic building,

ranging in size and style frommassive Le Corbusier-inspired slabs to

"Scandinavian" high risetower blocks, many oninner city sites.

New requirements inhouse designincorporated picturewindows, central

heating, bathrooms,kitchens, porches andbalconies. Developmentby large organisationsrather than speculativebuilders became the norm,resulting in standardised

houses and flats with relatively littlevernacular reference. This nationaluniformity spilled out to theperipheries of Britain's major townsand cities. Satellite developmentsof housing, schools, shoppingcentres, factories and newuniversities, irrevocably changethe face of these towns and cities.

Interior decoration and furnishingwas often a curious amalgam ofmodem design and junk shoptrophies. Synthetic materials; fibreglass and plastic, pushed forwardthe boundaries of furniture design.Modern designers reflected thespace age in fashions, furnishingsand fabrics. Ultra modern homesboasted tubular steel, perspexand PVC.

Luxuries were seen asnecessities as many homesboasted a 'fridge, washing - *jmachine and hi-fisystem. Fully fittedbathrooms andkitchens were normalrequirements and were .̂.joften the most "^"~"'important rooms in the *-•, •**""•house. Kitchens werepredominantly modern, *• >• -fitted out with Formica units in --.*olive green or blue. Alternatively,a country style was favoured, withwalls of natural brick and quarrytiled floors

A whole new generation had adisposable income. Foreignholidays were gaining in popularityand during the late 60s andearly 70s. high rise and studioaccommodation came to dominatethe coasts of Spain. Some of theseContinental studio designs came toBritain in the form of houses ofbijou proportions.

Towards the end of the decade,however, there was a reactionagainst brash materialism; Easternmysticism travelled West, bringingwall hangings. Indian prints, incenseand patchouli.

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Birmingham embraced the Sixtieswith typical enthusiasm; the BullRing redevelopment by Laing at acost of £8 million began in 1961and was opened three years later.

It occupied 23 acres andprovided upwards of 350,000

square feet of retail space, a9 storey office block and a

bus station. Based on theAmerican mall, the Bull

Ring Centre was in thevanguard of the new

way of shopping in Britain.

Details of a new Central Librarywere unveiled in 1967; it was tohouse 1,500,000 books and be"twice the size of the Town Hall".Opening in 1973, it was reputed tobe the largest in Europe.

In Broad Street, the foundationstone was laid in 1967 of anexciting new repertory theatre,replacing the "Old Rep" inStation Street.

Symbolising the new BirminghamCity Centre was a novel andindividual office block. The Rotundawas erected in 1964 and its 25storeys formed a landmark whichcontinues to dominate and is stillmuch loved.

Equally symbolic of Birminghamwas its profusion of road networks;predominantly the Gravelly HillMotorway Interchange, which cameto be known nationally as"Spaghetti Junction". Constructedduring the 1960s by Sir OwenWilliams and Partners at a cost of£8 million it opened in 1972 and

was Britain's first freeflow multi-level

motorwayinterchange. Saidto be the largest

in Europe itsought to

emulate and evensurpass the German

autobahns of the 1940s and 50s.

Construction of the new link to theM6, the Aston Expressway,commenced in 1972. It was vital totake advantage of Birmingham'slocation in the heart of England andthe intention was to create a hub.

The extensive motorwaydevelopments on a national scaleled the Council to re-evaluateand improve the City's arterialroads, ranging from the BirchfieldsUnderpass of 1962 to theupgrading of the Coventry andStratford Roads.

Large scale house building tookplace during the 1960s on theformer Castle Bromwich Airfieldsite, which was purchased by theCity in 1959. The resulting Castle ^_Vale estate was to accommodate a ***predicted 20,000 people in a ,number of high density, multi storeyflats, all constructed at relativelylow cost.

By 1963, there still remained anurgent need to increase the housingstock. An estate for 50,000 people -at Chelmsley Wood was begun,but, mindful of growing publicopposition, it departed from thehigh rise format and comprised only15% of high rise dwellings.

Pushing through these changeswas the formidable City Engineerand Surveyor, Herbert Manzoni. Hewas determined that Birminghamshould sweep away the slums ofthe past and replace them withnew. clean, dynamic alternatives inthe spheres of housing,employment, transport and leisure.His was a comprehensive vision ofa transformed city, with clearsegregation of traffic andpedestrian, land zoning and anincreased efficiency brought aboutby the Inner Ring Road. The resultshave been both praised anddamned, but Manzoni's intentionwas to fix Birmingham firmly intothe 20th century.

Manzoni's view was not shared byall Birmingham's citizens and alobby was activated to slow downor even stop the demolition ofBirmingham's historic buildings. Inaccordance with the 1967 CivicAmenities Act, Birmingham Councildesignated a number ofConservation Areas in and aroundthe City Centre. A ConservationAreas Advisory Committee wasset up in January 1970, comprisingrepresentatives of the Public WorksCommittee and Civic Societies.

The sense of disillusionment whichdominated the popular view of thearchitecture of the Sixties prevaileduntil very recently. That theexperimental use of concrete andfibreglass failed and the bubble ofoptimism burst in the late 1960scannot be disputed but it was witha genuine desire to satisfy socialdemands for better living andworking conditions that LocalAuthorities attempted to do so.

The visionary ideals of providingpublic housing on a massive scaleepitomised the housing drive of theSixties, following Le Corbusier'sdictat of 1936 that the 'benefits ofthe New Architecture must bewidely diffused'. Certainly, in thewake of Le Corbusier and WalterGropius, architects still believedthat their social mission was toprovide social housing and radicallyimprove people's lives throughdesign on a large scale. Since the1960s, this belief has beenquestioned and there has followeda move away from high rise, highdensity housing.

The massive reconstructionprogramme of the Sixties has beenput into its historical context as atestament to a national commitmentof state capital and labour toprovide, in a very short space oftime, decent working and livingaccommodation for all. Thissentiment must surely not becondemned?

Muirhead Tower

Birmingham University

Shenley Court Comprehensive

Shenley Fields

Swan Headquarters

Coventry Road

SI MATTHEW'SPerry Beeches

THE ROTUNDANew Street

AUSTIN FACTORYLongbridge

Maguire & Murray 1964 James A Roberts1964-5

Recommended forstatutory listing byEnglish Heritage in 1996,this church is unusual inits form. The exteriorpredicts a more complexshape than the interiorreveals. Constructed inan ascending hexagon,the forms on the interiorconverge to create asingle worship space.The interior is striking inits simplicity with pewsarranged radially beforethe altar. The plainbrickwork walls aredecorated minimally withpre-cast concretebanding and the flooringis covered with polishedbrick paviours. Theoriginal brick font andinterior lightingstill exist.

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Towering 265 feet abovethe city centre, theRotunda continues todominate Birmingham'sskyline and retains aspecial place in theaffections of the city'sinhabitants. It was thebrainchild of innovativelocal architect JamesRoberts, who had alreadydesigned the RingwayCentre on SmallbrookQueensway. He seemedthe obvious choice forthe creation of a newbuilding at the end ofNew Street on what hadbeen a bomb site.

The Rotunda's formprovides a counterpointto the rectilinear buildingsnearby, while echoing thesweep of the Inner RingRoad and the circularconfiguration of the BullRing. Hidden fromgeneral view, its mostcharacteristic periodfeature is John Poole'sspectacular abstractmural in ciment fondu inthe ground floorbanking hall.

By the 60s, the Austincar factory requiredincreased storage for thenewly assembled cars.The solution was an eightstorey carpark containinga split ramp with parkingon the ramps. Theimmense length of thebuilding allowed theramps to rise gently. In1961 this was the largestof its kind in the world,with a capacity for3,000 cars. It wasconstructedusing

flat-plateconcrete floor

slabs with the exteriorenclosed with a lightbalustrading of plastic-faced, embossedaluminium sheeting.

OUR LADY HELPOF CHRISTIANSTile Cross

Sir Giles Scott, SonPartner 1966

CALA DRIVE/ESTRIA ROADEdgbaston

John Madin C1962

UNIVERSITY OFBIRMINGHAMMining and MineralsEngineering & PhysicalMetallurgy Departments

Arup Associates 1966

This rather squat brickstructure with itsextraordinary roofresembling a crown doesnot anticipate itsbreathtaking interior.

The crown of the exteriortakes the shape of atent on the interior withits folds of concretesweeping dramaticallydownwards from theoctagonal roof. Thiscreates a comfortableintimacy withoutdetracting from thedrama of the soaringbrick east wall. Anintensity of light andcolour is achieved bythe abstract designsin coloured glass. Thepredominance of blueis counterbalanced oneither side of the altarby flame-shapedwindows of vivid orangeand yellow.

John Madin's collectionof houses in Gala Driveand Estria Road hasrather a Continental feel.Flat roofed, of buff brickand white woodenpanelling, many withbalconies, these housesare designed to attractmaximum light. They arereminiscent of thecontemporary "studio-apartments" which beganto adorn the Spanishcoastal resorts inthe 1960s.

The dramatic expansionof British universities inthe 1960s brought with itexciting opportunities forarchitects of the dayand the University ofBirmingham campus wasone of many to benefit.The Minerals andPhysical Metallurgybuilding was consideredto be an outstandingexample of its kind,winning the RIBAArchitectural Award forthe West Midlands in1966 and was statutorilyIistedin1993.ltcomprises four blockslinked at the corners toform an interesting grideffect, i.e. two blocks setforward, two set back.Although the buildingframe is emphaticallyexpressed, its severity ismitigated by the elegantpiers and dark, verticalwindows. The squarishventing blocks which capeach column give thebuilding a distinctivelychunky profile.

macCannon Hill Park

SIGNAL BOXNavigation Street

Jackson & Edmonds J. Seymour HarrisC1964 & Partners 1962

Bicknall & Hamiltonc 1966

mac (Midlands ArtsCentre) is designed withthe emphasis onaccessibility and flexibilityto encourage people intothe Arts. The externalfinishes compriserandom rubble wallingand wire-cut sandfacedrusset brickwork.Window surrounds andentrance porch jambs areof polished slate, while awarmth is achieved fromorange-red hand maderoof tiles. Internally, avariety of high qualityhard and softwoodsproduces a distinctcolour and texture.

The early 1960s sawthe expansion ofBirmingham's businesscentre westwards alongBroad Street and theHagley Road, as theCalthorpe Estateamended itsdevelopment plans toallow for new commercialventures. AuchinleckHouse, one of the firstnew buildings to beerected at Five Ways,incorporated a traffic-freepiazza, a second floor carpark and a restaurant, aswell as ten storeys ofoffice accommodation.Although its internallayout is uninspired, itoccupies its corner sitewith panache: the zig-zagcanopy, splayed pilotisand colourful murals byTrewin Copplestoneproduce a lightness ofeffect which few otherBirmingham buildings ofthe period can match.

The British Railmodernisationprogramme of the 1960snecessitated a type ofbuilding in which thearchitecture reflected thenew electrified railnetwork. It combinedflexibility of design withspeed of construction.The Signal Box at NewStreet Stationaccommodated the hightechnology. Clad withpre-cast concrete units,serrated in profile with anexposed aggregate rib itis cantilevered fromcolumns. The combinedeffect resembles a 'Jackin a Box'. The Signal Boxwas statutorily listedin 1995.

BANK OF ENGLAND SI CATHERINE'STemple Row OF SIENA

Bristol Street

UNIVERSITY OFBIRMINGHAMFaculty of Commerce &Social Science Building

Harrison & Cox1964-5

Howell KillickPartridge & Amis 1965

A subtle yet strikingbuilding of extremely highquality, this office blockand banking hall ofpolished granite andlimestone is deceptivelycomplex. Deriving in stylefrom Classicalarchetypes, it may bedescribed using Classicalreferences. The bankinghall rests on a raisedterrace (podium), reachedby a flight of steps. It isrecessed under the upperfloors which are jettiedout over the podium onclearly expressed beamswith projecting ends.There is a symmetricalarrangement of openingswith three central doorsflanked by slit windows.The five bays on theupper floors areinterspersed withrecessed cruciformwindows.

The attic storey isstepped back, aconcrete beam piercedwith horizontal openingsand vertical ventilation

Occupying a large cornersite, St Catherine's is animpressive asymmetricalbuilding of brick withconcrete detailing. Asimple recessed entranceis flanked by a circularstructure, capped by acopper dome, housingthe body of the church.Balancing this, is anelegant campanile. It isrelatively unadorned withfew concessions toornament except for acovered open air pulpit.A vertical emphasis isachieved by smallwindows pierced on eachface of the tower.

The interior of the churchis light and airy with theseating radiating aroundthe altar. A coolness isachieved by the use ofpale green, light woodand plain glass.

Jta«&&*&^The Faculty ofCommerce and SocialScience building on theUniversity campus bringsa note of space-agefantasy to itssurroundings, whilstdisplaying a concern fororganic structure typicalof the period.

In its final design, a long,slightly curved two-storeyblock containing lecturehalls and seminar roomsadjoins a circular,honeycomb buildinghousing offices whichradiate from a centralspiral staircase - anunmistakable echo ofFrank Lloyd Wright'sfamous Guggenheim inNew York. The intimacyof the building's internalarrangement affords amarked contrast with itsbrutalist neighbour, theMuirhead Tower (ArupAssociates,1969). Thebuilding was statutorilylisted in 1993.

New Street Station Signal Box

Control Room

Inside spread: Wheelright carpark.Photograph: Birmingham City CouncilTransportation Department.

Illustration: J. Smith F.R.I.B.A

Outside spread: Spaghetti Junction

Longbridge carpark reproduced by kindpermission of Architectural Review

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