1: Buildings

摘要

There was a point at which sustainability looked like it might change the face of architecture. And more particularly its rooflines. Stroll along Manchester's Oxford Road and you cannot fail to notice the exuberant and excessive chimneyscape of the Contact Theatre, Alan Short's demonstration of natural ventilation applied to the revamped sixties theatre (completed in 1999). From Feilden Clegg Bradley's jaunty solar chimneys for the BRE in Garston (1996) to the formal bronze affairs at Portcullis House (2001) the chimney looked prevalent enough to trigger a counter movement of architects promising clients that chimneys weren't essential for a sustainable building.