Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament : David Boswell Reid and disruptive environmentalism

289 Pages·2021·42.653 MB·English

by  Henrik Schoenefeldt

Endorsements
“Henrik Schoenefeldt has made fascinating discoveries of many hitherto unknown
features of this complex system. Dr Reid produced one of the earliest forms of ‘stack
ventilation’ which has until now been an underappreciated aspect of this remarkable
building.
We learn how the architecture of the palace was infuenced by the ventilation
system and how the architect and the ‘Ventilator’ as Reid was known, came to
disagree to the point at which the system itself had to be divided between architect
and engineer.
This is a vital study of the inner workings of a building which is being analysed
overall in preparation for a major programme of reftting, repair and conservation.
It will be interesting to see which – if any – of Reid’s original principles, either of a
mechanical or natural type, explained so clearly here by Dr Schoenefeldt, could be
adopted in the forthcoming programme of works.”
Adam Watrobski, Principal Architect of the
Houses of Parliament
“Having been shown by Henrik Schoenefeldt at first hand several of the origi-
nal flues and passageways and how they were used, I have eagerly awaited
this book. It succeeds on all levels. He has investigated dozens of ventilation
ducts, how they work, how they were operated and who operated them. One
of the intriguing discoveries was the surprisingly modern concept of seeking
‘feedback’ from MPs and Peers post-occupancy to inform how the system was
functioning.
The ventilation system has always been hidden because the intention was to conceal
every vestige of the thousands of fues, the steam engines, fans and even the air
inlets and outlets by using the glorious decorative details covering every surface. By
employing the latest BIM modelling, the original features of the system, even those
parts since lost – including those for the original Commons Chamber destroyed dur-
ing World War II – may now be fully appreciated.”
Dr Mark Collins, Estates Archivist at the
Houses of Parliament
Henrik Schoenefeldt’s research provides a unique insight into the development, con-
struction, and maintenance of the Palace of Westminster. The personal, political,
and engineering challenges that emerged from the early nineteenth century until
today are expertly detailed and expounded upon. This research will be a vital asset
as MPs and Peers evaluate how best to preserve and restore the Palace for genera-
tions yet to come.”
Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough
“A fascinating account of how David Boswell Reid infuenced the design of the
Palace of Westminster. Previous studies have tended to dismiss Reid as a crank
whose grand ventilation scheme did not work, but Professor Schoenefeldt dispels
that view through archival research and study of the hidden structure of the Palace:
many of the “Gothic” towers and turrets of the Palace we see today were built to
disguise Reid’s ventilation stacks; his pioneering experiments with the temporary
parliamentary chambers were highly infuential on later Victorian buildings; and
elements of his system remained in use for over 90 years.
Schoenefeldt also sees implications for the long-overdue restoration of the Palace.
Reid understood that ventilation is the key to health and well-being in a heavily used
public building and tried to maximise natural as opposed to mechanical ventilation.
Two hundred years later, Reid’s ideas point the way towards sustainability and low-
energy design.”
Dr Richard Ware, Adviser on Parliamentary Relations,
Restoration and Renewal Sponsor Body
Ware was former director of the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal
Programme from 2013 to 2016.
“The Palace of Westminster, built in the middle decades of the 19th century, was an
engineering tour de force, designed and completed at the height of Britain’s indus-
trial revolution. The work of Charles Barry and A.W.N. Pugin, and of their crafts-
men collaborators, has formed a cornerstone in our understanding of design history
since the time of its completion. This focus on its aesthetic qualities has sometimes
been to the detriment of appreciation of the Palace as a pioneering modern, fully
serviced building and an outstanding technical achievement of its time.
As our understanding of cultural heritage has expanded beyond architectural history
in recent decades to include wider environmental, social and economic values, so the
role of historic engineering in the context of built heritage has been re-evaluated and
given new prominence. Henrik Schoenefeldt’s outstanding study illuminates the his-
tory, function and performance of the heating, cooling and ventilation of the Palace
of Westminster. In this book the work of the enterprising physician, Dr Boswell
Reid, who designed the Palace’s ventilation systems, which were largely realised
in the completed building, emerges vividly as the pioneer of modern engineered
building services. Schoenefeldt’s work provides a new narrative on the architectural
heritage of Britain’s most famous building, and is particularly timely in the age of
climate emergency, when the need for zero carbon solutions calls once again for new
approaches to the design of conditioned environments.”
Patrick Duerden, Conservation Architect and
Practice Director, Donald Insall Associates
Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament
Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament explores the history of the UK Houses
of Parliament in Westminster from an environmental design perspective,
and the role David Boswell Reid played in the development of the original
ventilation and climate control system in Parliament.
This book retraces and critically examines the evolution of the envi-
ronmental principles underlying the design of the Houses of Parliament,
engaging with fundamental questions about air quality, energy effciency
and thermal comfort. This yields insights into the historic methods of envi-
ronmental design that were characterised by physical experimentation and
post-occupancy evaluation. Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament examines
the history of the buildings’ operation, studying the practical reality of its
performance in use and offers the opportunity to refect on current chal-
lenges faced by architects and engineers adapting to the realities of climate
change.
This book is an ideal read for academics, politicians and practitioners
with an interest in architectural history and heritage, theory, engineering
and conservation.
Henrik Schoenefeldt is Professor of Sustainability in Architectural Heritage
at the University of Kent in England, National Teaching Fellow and AHRC
Leadership Fellow. He trained as an architect and specialised in environ-
mental design with an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge.
His main research interest is in historic principles of environmental design,
both as a feld of scholar research and architectural practice.
Routledge Research in Architecture
The Routledge Research in Architecture series provides the reader with the
latest scholarship in the feld of architecture. The series publishes research
from across the globe and covers areas as diverse as architectural history
and theory, technology, digital architecture, structures, materials, details,
design, monographs of architects, interior design and much more. By mak-
ing these studies available to the worldwide academic community, the series
aims to promote quality architectural research.
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Writing Architecture in Modern Italy
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Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament
David Boswell Reid and Disruptive Environmentalism
Henrik Schoenefeldt
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For more information about this series, please visit: https ://www .rout ledg
e.com/ Routl edge- Resea rch-i n-Arc hitec ture/ book- serie s/RRA RCH
Rebuilding the Houses of
Parliament
David Boswell Reid and Disruptive
Environmentalism
Henrik Schoenefeldt
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa
business
© 2021 Henrik Schoenefeldt
The right of Henrik Schoenefeldt to be identifed as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 9781138741522 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781315182803 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
This book is dedicated to my wife, whose love, care and
companionship has sustained me, and Professor Alan Short,
University of Cambridge, who has strongly infuenced my
work.

Contents
List of fgures xi
Acknowledgements xvii
Foreword by Dean Hawkes xix
Preface xxi
Introduction 1
PART I
The experimental phase: 1835–39 15
1 The origins of an empirical approach to design: 1832–36 17
2 Reconstructing the temporary Houses of Parliament: 1835–51 36
3 Testing the theory under real-life conditions 55
PART II
Attempted application: 1840–46 75
4 A tentative master plan for ventilating the Palace of Westminster 77
5 Reid’s original proposals for the two debating chambers: 1842–46 103
PART III
Realisation within new borders: 1847–54 135
6 Barry’s system in the House of Lords: 1847–54 137
7 Towards an independent system for the House of Commons 170