Manchester Nostalgia and a fair bit of Brutalism

 

The Manchester University Schools of Architecture and Planning Building
Architects Professors Hanson and Kantorowich, completed 1970.

There are many things about becoming old, some good and some not so good. Having recently returned from a wonderful visit to Manchester after a very long absence, I  had a number of memories, which suddenly popped into my head and seemed important to share. 

I remembered my interview in 1967-68 for a place on the prestigious MA Architecture course. I was interviewed by the then Professor of Architecture Norman Hanson a formidable white South African emigre. In particular I recall his final remark delivered in the style of Joss Ackland in Lethal Weapon 2. " We will give 'u' a place Roberts but you need to lose that ridiculous accent". ( I came from Maidstone, Kent -so was geographically almost French). 

I never saw 'Norman' again in the seven or so years I attended the School of Architecture. He seems to have disappeared from my student radar after he was named in a Private Eye article. As for Professor Kantorowich my only memory of him was once bumping into him , one summer vacation, in an otherwise deserted  lift in the School of Architecture and him bemoaning " There's no paper in the toilets".

Funny what sticks in the mind as you age disgracefully!

I joined the School in the September of 1968, when it was housed in a building located in Moss Side and shared with the Department of Law. The curriculum and methodology was based upon the Bauhaus, with Architects expected to acquire a wide and mixed set of skills and knowledge. I recall with pleasure, the Wednesday afternoon 'life-drawing' classes, where I first saw a real naked woman with the lights on! The structural engineering, materials sciences, urban design, history of art and architecture, building construction, environmental engineering and legal studies - were less enjoyable and fully clothed.

I moved into the new building shown in the above plan and photographs in 1970 and continued my studies leading to a Ba (hons) Arch in 1972, a BArch in 1974 and I became a Registered Architect in 1975. Sadly, the MA I set out to pursue in 1968 had changed into a BArch, through no fault of my own.

The 'throw out' rate from the School of Architecture was scandalously high. I remember when I was in my first year, a girl in her sixth year saying, " look around your first year friends and by the time you get to sixth year only one in four will remain". As it turns out she was spot on right, with the original 60 students in my first year reduced to 15 in my sixth.

When we first entered the new building on Oxford Road we thought Hanson and Kantorowich had overdone the number of toilets provided. When we stood awaiting our third year examination results every toilet was taken. 100% occupation for two hours, which seemed like a lifetime for those about to crash and burn. Never underestimate an architect or a nervous bowel!

Well interestingly, 'Brutalist Architecture' of which the School is an example has had a bit of a renaissance. Truthfully, I was never a great fan but good examples of all types and styles of architecture generally age well. My final year professor and project tutor, the late Mike McKinnell, was a truly lovely man, a fine architect and a great teacher. He was also the architect of the world famous and Brutalist building, Boston City Hall. 

Boston City Hall

Brutalism, as an architectural style, was and is all about exposing the structural elements and baring essential materials used in construction. For 'Brutalists', decoration was an unnecessary architectural addition and should therefore be avoided. The minimalist use of concrete, steel and glass can provide for great buildings but poorly understood material and environmental science can render such buildings unuseable. Extreme weather can also compound material and environmental issues.

The public will often criticize some buildings as being 'ugly' but it is worth noting that good architecture does not have to be pretty!

Many of the staff at the Manchester School who taught me, I still remember with affectation:

Rod Males, Don Buttress (great name for an architect), Bernie Gosschalk, Joe Lynes, Prof Bell, Prof Benson, Geoff Worsley, Betty Bicket the librarian and Mr Dearden (who was immensely kind to have put up with me- as I could be loud and difficult). Apologies for any bad name spelling. There are other teachers and academics I have probably forgotten, who I should have remembered and mentioned but I am quite an old architect now - so please forgive me. 

My absolute favourites were Dr Buttle and Gordon Toplis. Two quiet, modest and decent men with extraordinary personal war time histories. I am not sure how much architectural knowledge I gleaned from them but I truly believe, I learnt much about myself and my strengths and weaknesses, through their kindness, conversation and positive criticism. After all when the architectural technical stuff is laid end to end, you cannot fail to appreciate, that University is mostly about growing up, becoming independent and coming to terms with yourself, warts and all! At 18 years of age, I had a 'shed load' of unacknowledged warts!

The 'circle of life' has now played its part and  in 2024 -25, a granddaughter has Geography lectures in the very same building and lecture theatres, where I once sat and contemplated my uncertain future. How good is that Simba!