IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section A

Abstract

A common misconception among the general public, and unfortunately also with many individuals in the building industry, is that buildings styles in general, and particularly ornamental articulation on historic buildings were used purely as aesthetic statements. Historically, buildings were empirically based designs accounting for the climate, culture and locally available materials. A building constructed in a hot arid region of the world had a significantly different appearance than a building constructed in a cooler moister climate. Through overall form as well as ornamental articulation, the building became an organism of sorts naturally responding to the environmental forces such as wind, sun and rain. Architectural elements such as cornices, watertables, window surrounds and plinths were not only aesthetically pleasing, but also served important functions relative to moisture management and thermal comfort. The introduction of the International Style following World War II, and the concurrent wider use and affordability of air conditioning resulted in a loss of institutional knowledge and appreciation of how building articulation and materials can be integrated into building designs to improve environmental performance. With the recent sensitization of environmentally responsible design, a survey of history can provide valuable insight. This paper will generally explore historical building typology along with specific ornamental components and materials and their intentional use to naturally work with the environmental conditions to improve thermal comfort, reduce maintenance costs and minimize water infiltration potential.