TAYLOR SQUARE WAREHOUSE - VARIATIONS IN STREET VIEW CONTEXT

Taylor Square Warehouse  Virginia Kerridge

see: https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2018/02/virginia-kerridge-seriality-of.html

The puzzle was the Citroen. It looked to be in an unusual location, but it was still prominent in the frame. Might it be concealing something? Could this ‘something’ be street furniture, like an untidy rubbish bin; maybe a fire hydrant? It was decided to look at the project on Street View. The starting point was vague, so the Internet was searched to see if the precise address could be found. The Virgina Kerridge - vk.com.au - site has become ‘403 FORBIDDEN’ for me, so one had to press on without the possible assistance one might discover in this office information.

Unfortunately, no street address could be found. The only clue was the project’s cryptic title: Taylor Square Warehouse. Google Earth was opened and Taylor Square, Sydney was searched. One wondered where Taylor Square started and finished. It seemed that the only way forward would be to examine the area to see if the project could be discovered. The clues were scarce. A couple of photographs of the project from the ‘vk’ site had been used in the blog – see: https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2018/02/virginia-kerridge-seriality-of.html – so these were analysed. The building was in what looked like a terraced street with no awnings. The task was the equivalent of seeking out the proverbial needle in a haystack.

The search for context

Taylor Square looked to be a large and complex zone. The aerial views of the street frontages were studied. One could quickly dismiss some locations as these were either an array of larger complexes, or they were buildings with awnings over the footpaths. The search continued for some time. Pure determination kept the interest levels up. Finally, after repeated efforts over some frustrating hours, the distinctive roof profile was seen through the leaves. One had not expected trees as there were none to be seen in the architectural images.

Street View was opened up; yes, this was the location: 24 Taylor Street, Darlinghurst. The camera was swung around to peruse the context. It was indeed a surprise. There was no street furniture that might have necessitated the careful location of the Citroen. The street was narrow and full of parked vehicles, so might there have been an unwanted car parked outside when the photographer arrived? Is the Citroen the photographer’s car? It was night-time, so one could expect folk to be home with their vehicles parked nearby. Parking was obviously a problem as Street View revealed a NO PARKING sign on the front door of the project. The Citroen seemed to be some distance from the front door, so it could be concealing a less impressive car?

Taylor Street

The original door handle detail.

Might it have been just too awkward to turn the key?

The new door and the adjacent pole and switchboard

The eye wandered: there appeared to be a different front door on the project. The original scheme had a rust brown infill with a Scarpa-inspired handle and lock. Now the infill looked like burnished stainless steel. The intricate handle/lock had gone. The door appeared to have been moved across and to have been swung the other way. It now had no handle at all, just an escutcheon plate with the keyhole in it, nothing more other than the sign to stop cars blocking the access. Might the self-rusting protective layer on the steel have proved to be a problem?

American research has shown this product to be not as durable as it promised. Pin holes have been found in containers made of this grade of steel that has become fashionable with artists and architects. The product does give a beautiful patina, but if folk chose to be observant, they would notice that the rain water washing over the surface carries rust stains along with it, marking everything below with ferric red streaks.

Is there a new downpipe too?

Then there is the other problem of physical contact. The rust surface relies for its protective properties on not being disturbed. In spite of its reputation, it is a surface of relatively loose rust that will rub off onto body parts and clothing if contact is made. Might the front door have proven to involve just too much contact with this material? Rust is not easy to remove from the body or clothing. Nitric acid products are no longer available to remedy the problem. Had the finish become a nuisance; an annoyance? It seemed that the burnished stainless steel might overcome the rusty problem; did the re-positioned, re-sized door help too?

The antennae

Having noticed this change, the eye browsed for more. Had there been security problems? Bars had been added to two outer sets of upper windows; and there seemed to be a new television aerial on the top right of the elevation that the architectural shot did not reveal. Could it have been erased? From the look of the building in its street context, one could see how cleverly framed the published image was. The power pole directly adjacent to the front door, along with its multitude of signage, had been cropped, as had been the external switch board. Street View is always enlightening. Why do architects do this?

Note the original door handle, size and swing, and the mere glimpse of the pole

One wondered why the image had been taken at night. What was being concealed? Was the original exterior considered too messy? The contrast in the images, that of the architectural photograph with the light spilling from the open door, and the Street View image, is stark. The Street View camera was swung in order to get a glimpse of the broader context. The project was opposite a large development at a fork in the road. The streets were narrow and tree-lined. One had no idea of this is any of the architectural images, yet, to the passersby, all of this would become an immediate part of the experience of the place, of being there. Why does this information have to be edited?

The neighbours

This little bit of research proved interesting. Google Earth/Street View can be useful in locating particular places, and in learning more about contexts and details. Street View needs to become an architect’s tool, not only to learn about contexts, but to see the world as it is experienced, not as the camera chooses to fame it. Why do architects appear to be embarrassed by bits and pieces of our cities? Do architects seek a vision that can never be; shaping possibilities and outcomes that are only a reality as a photograph? Why are signs just outside the front door noting speed bumps, alcohol-free zones, and 1P parking so offensive to the architectural vision when they are there, as necessities like the switchboard? What other realities need to be suppressed in order to achieve an award-winning outcome? The 'architectural' eye needs to be re-evaluated, reassessed.

NOTE

2nd November 2019

The thought is: if architects are not prepared to engage with a simple lamp post and a few signs, what hope is there for architecture and the street, let alone towns and cities?

NOTE

15 February 2020

The struggle with context can also be seen in the Clare granny flat that has been shrewdly photographed to exclude every glimpse of its suburban context at Palm Beach, Queensland: see - https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2015/06/pairs-15-naked-queenslander.html  and http://claredesign.com.au/portfolio/residential/granny-flat/  It is the same circumstance as can be seen with the Drew Heath extension to his cottage in Sydney: see - https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2016/11/drew-heath-bespoke-details-practise.html