Spring 2003 - University College Cork

T HE COLLEGE COURIER SPRING 2003
THE COLLEG E COURIER SPRING 2003
U C C ’s Jewel in the Cro w n
Interior views of the Aula Maxima
undergoing refurbishment
For UCC graduates past and present, and for many people who know the University as an integral part of
the fabric of Cork City, the Aula Maxima, designed by the eminent architects, Deane & Wo o d w a rd in 1846,
epitomises the quintessential charm and heritage of the built campus. While there have been maintenance
“ i n t e rventions” in its 150-year history, the Aula Maxima, described on completion as “one of the most
magnificent rooms in Ireland,” has never been the subject of a major conservation and renovation eff o rt .
But now, as just such a project draws to a conclusion, at a cost of €1.9 million, the great hall, seat of examinations
and ceremonial occasions down the years, is about to throw open its doors again, revitalised but
unchanged and, above all, pre s e rved for posterity.
A protected building under the Planning Act (2000) as well as UCC’s
own Conservation Plan, it was a prerequisite that special care and
attention should be paid to how the building would first be made
secure against the elements, and then painstakingly conserved and
restored internally without disturbing or altering its historic status.
That has meant investigating the condition of its timbers, ceilings,
floors and walls, using non-toxic and non-intrusive methods, seeking
expert advice on the wonderful stained glass windows and other
aspects of the building, and using materials, such as lime-based
mortar and special paints, that would be in keeping with the original
construction methods while guaranteeing the integrity of the Aula
Maxima for a further 150 years.
The initial requirement was to secure the roof of the Aula Maxima,
which although remarkably sound for its age, was allowing dampness
into the building. Following UCC’s decision to carry out roof repairs to
the north wing of the Quadrangle, including the Aula Maxima, work
began in April 2001. The roof of the building was stripped of all its
slates, timbers were checked for rot, and where, necessary, replaced
with matching timbers, and where the removed slates could not be
replaced, reclaimed slates, in keeping with the character of the
building, were sourced elsewhere. In keeping with best practice,
conservation grade insulation was also installed in the roof, intervention
was kept to a minimum and the non-toxic, inorganic
substance, Boron, was used to stabilize wet rot as, Niall Mc Auliffe,
UCC’s Buildings Officer and Projects Leader, put it: “There was no
point in the refurbishment going ahead until we had secured the
building externally. We had to tackle that problem first.”
With the roof secure, UCC submitted a planning application to
Cork City Council together with a history of the building and a
detailed conservation plan outlining the step-by-step approach that
would be adopted in the refurbishment project. The Aula Maxima is
rightly regarded by the City Council as one of the most important
buildings in Cork, and the application was carefully considered prior
to the granting of planning permission in May 2001. The project team
included, Consulting Architect, John O’Connell, Building Defects
Consultant, Dr Thomas Brennan, who had previously worked on the
restoration of Farmleigh House and Castlehyde House, Quantity
Surveyors, Bruce Shaw Coveney Partnership, Structural Engineers,
Barry Kelleher & Associates, Service Engineers, Arup Consulting,
Acoustic Consultants, Arup Acoustics, London, Fire Consultants,
Cantwell Keogh & Associates, Building Officer and Projects Leader,
Niall Mc Auliffe, and Maintenance Coordinator, Paul Prendergast. The
contractors were Cornerstone Construction.
Work on the interior of the building began in October of last year.
“The Aula Maxima is an icon in UCC and in the city, everyone knows
it, including people who have never studied at the University,” Mc
Auliffe told The College Courier, “The project brought a great deal of
expertise together. Everything we did was informed by the need to be
as sensitive as possible to the character of the building, to use
materials that were natural to its character and to complete the
restoration with as little intrusion as possible.”
Built of Cork limestone (reputedly quarried on the site) the Aula
Maxima was designed by Deane & Wo o d w a rd as a major statement in
the tradition of the late medieval banqueting hall. The work of Deane &
Wo o d w a rd, one of the most prominent architectural firms of its time,
may also be seen in the Museum building at Trinity College Dublin and
at the Oxford Museum. The Trinity building, with carvings by the O’Shea
b rothers, was erected after Benjamin Wo o d w a rd joined Sir Thomas
D e a n e ’s firm in Cork. The Aula Maxima, with its wonderful stained glass
windows, high vaulted ceiling, supported by elegant queen post tru s s e s
was judged to be an outstanding success - the jewel of the UCC
Quadrangle. Over the intervening years, the building has aged gracefully
and its significance as part of the architectural heritage of UCC and of
Cork, is reflected in the fact that of the €1.9 million project cost, €1 . 3
million was raised through private sector funding.
The range of works undertaken in the Aula Maxima, following
expert advice, was extensive. As well as the assessment and
restoration of the ceiling and roof trusses, the mix of the original lime
plaster used on the walls was analysed by Dr Brennan, so that where
the walls were cleaned back to original stone, they were consolidated
using traditional lime-based mortar. Specialist contractors were
employed to restore stone work and stone tracery. The gallery and
bookcases, constructed to the design of E Trevor Owen of the Board
of Works in 1864, were restored, and the free standing columns
supporting the gallery were reinforced. All the existing pine floorboards
were lifted, carefully removed and numbered, before being
cleaned and replaced over a supporting layer of plywood. Arup
Acoustics conducted tests to ensure that the natural acoustic of the
Aula Maxima was enhanced. All electrical services were upgraded, and
from the UCC archive, a turn-of-the-century photograph provided
evidence of the original pendant light fittings used in the Aula
Maxima, long since removed. These were replicated, and now form
the basis of the new lighting scheme. The original fireplaces were also
conserved and restored. Paintwork was removed and replaced with
micro-porous paint that allows the entire structure to breathe, with
the imperative being to use materials that were compatible with the
conservation of such an important building.
And if the Aula Maxima is the jewel in UCC’s crown, then
u n d o u b t e d l y, within the building itself, the two stained glass
windows, known as the Boole Wi n d o w, after the father of modern
computing, George Boole, and the Pro f e s s o r’s Window (in some
re f e rences this is given as Professors’ Window) are jewels in their
own right.
The Glasgow-based firm of stained glass conservators, M P
B a m b rough, was contracted to assess the condition of the windows
prior to preparing a detailed plan of action for their conservation. Even
though not signed, Bambrough concluded that the stained glass in the
Boole Window was designed and supplied by John Hardman & Co of
B i rmingham, together with other interior fittings. Hardmans had
m a n u f a c t u red Pugin-designed windows for the House of Commons in
England, which were completed in 1852, the year of the arc h i t e c t ’s
death. For Bambrough, the similarity in design suggested that the
Boole Window had indeed been inspired by Pugin’s design for the
House of Commons. Both windows were removed prior to being
refurbished and reinstated to very high specifications. In his re p o rt on
the Boole Wi n d o w, Bambrough observed: “Given the accuracy of the
p o rt r a i t u re in the window, I feel that the Boole Window can be
c o n s i d e red a very fine example of its type and is well worth caring for. ”
The restored Aula Maxima will reopen this month. A testament to
the conservation ethos and the significant financial resources which
UCC has committed to the project, in its restored glory, it will stand as
a symbol of continuity in the long and proud history of the University.
2
3