LSA Magazine Issue 2 (PDF) - University of Lincoln

etrospectivegraduationLincoln’s Modernist pastGraduatioNWould you be surprised to learn that thecathedral city of Lincoln was once atthe forefront of the Modern architecturalmovement?In the 1960’s, Lincoln saw theconstruction of the most innovativestructures: hyperbolic paraboloids (orhypars for short). This futuristic soundingterm describes a double curved surface– a ‘Pringle’ shape – a continuous planedeveloping from a parabolic arch inone direction to a similar, but inverted,parabola in the other. The fashion forhypars can be attributed, in part, to thepopularity of Felix Candela’s experimentalbuildings in Mexico and, in part, to steelshortages. For ten years in post-warBritain, an executed in in-situ reinforcedconcrete hyperbolic paraboloid was aparamount architectural achievement.Lincoln-born architect, Sam Scorer(1923-2003) in partnership with DenisClarke Hall (his former tutor from theArchitectural Association) and Hajnal-Kónyi (a structural engineer) designedwhat was perhaps the first concretehypar roof in the UK, for the tank towerat the Charnos lingerie factory block inIlkeston (c1959). With the experiencegained from this, Scorer had by 1963designed and built four further concretehypar shell roofs in and around Lincoln,of which three have since beenrecognised as being of nationalimportance: Markham Moor petrol station(1959-60) in Nottinghamshire; showroomfor the Lincolnshire Motor Company atBrayford Pool (1959-61) and St. John theBaptist church (1963), both in Lincoln.A fifth hypar, in Welwyn Garden city,was designed but never built.When the motor showroom at theBrayford was being built, it causedquite a sensation. In 1959 this was thelargest hyperbolic paraboloid to havebeen built in the UK, and remained sountil the Commonwealth Institute wasbuilt in Kensington in 1962. The localnewspaper, the Lincolnshire Echo,received a number of telephone callsfrom passers-by informing them that theroof had subsided in the middle and wasabout to collapse.Hypars embodied the ideals ofengineering efficiency, and offered anexciting and tangible sense of lightness.Their thin concrete cantilevered shellsare proportionally thinner than the shellof an egg. Though geometrically simple,their formworks were expensive toconstruct, and the shells themselveshad persistent maintenance problems.For large spans, they were supersededby cable-net and membrane structures.But despite this, Scorer’s hypars, withtheir sense of lightness, hovering inspace and contradicting the laws ofgravity, were a high-tech symbol of theirera. In our more cautious times, theirexpression of a popular enthusiasm forthe new, so typical of the mid twentiethcentury, endures in the shape of theseremarkable structures.Written by Karolina Szynalska, Lecturerat the Lincoln School of Architecture.Interior of St. John the Baptistchurch, LincolnSam Scorer, Markham Moor PetrolStation, 1959-60. Reproduced withpermission from Paul Scorer.Before our graduating students leave us for the world of the creative industries, they returnto us just one more time to attend their Graduation. Each of the graduation ceremoniestakes place over four days at Lincoln Cathedral, which must surely rank as one of, if not thebest graduation venue ever, followed by celebrations in the grounds of Lincoln Castle,home to the Magna Carta, and film location for the prison scenes from Downton Abbey.Sam Scorer, St. John the Baptist church (1963). Christened by the pressas the ‘church of tomorrow’. It has a hexagonal plan with the congregationseated around the circular sanctuary, reflecting the latest liturgical thinking.Photograph by Karolina Szynalska, 2010.Sam Scorer, former showroom for the LincolnshireMotor Company at Brayford Pool in Lincoln(1959-61), now houses several chain restaurants.Steeped in history, the Cathedralprovides the most awesome backdropfor our students in which to graduate.Full of tradition, ceremony andreverence, this wonderful occasionis surely the pinnacle of three yearsstudy for each and every graduate whoattends, watched on proudly by familyand friends alike. The Cathedral itselfis no stranger to the movie industry,providing the film set for such film epicsas The Da Vinci Code, staring TomHanks, and The Young Victoria.Thankfully the sun always seems toshine, as the graduates then processfrom the Cathedral, exiting via its largeWest doors, across the square to LincolnCastle, where the celebrations can start inearnest in the hospitality marquees.It is also an occasion to mark theachievements of notable persons whohave made a major contribution to theirchosen field at national or internationallevel by the awarding of an honorarydoctorate. Recent honorands from theCollege of Arts have included Oscarwinning actor John Hurt, conservationexperts Loyd Grossman OBE andJonathan Foyle, Italian 3D DesignerDr Alberto Alessi and Fashion DesignerAntonio Beradi.2021