Inside/Out | Carmody Groarke
We hosted an Inside/Out lecture with Carmody Groarke last night. Lukas Barry (Associate Director) centered his lecture around 3 projects, BFI Southbank, the restoration of the Kit Kat Club Theatre, and two pavilions in the countryside. I most admire how the studio has a resourceful approach to design, and how these ideas have translated into a low impact attitude to making longer lasting architecture that looks to retain, reuse and reinvent our collective built heritage.
I was first introduced to Carmody Groarke's (CG) projects during our visit to the Hill House Box in October 2022. The Hill House is one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's most significant works and is widely recognized as one of Scotland's most iconic buildings, making it a seminal part of early 20th-century European architecture. CG’s design for a protective steel frame structure covered in a chainmail mesh was created to protect the house from rain damage and allow the walls to dry out. It was an extraordinary experience to observe the Hill House from unexpected angles. My favourite route was through the walkway above the roof, where you could peer through the grates. Although it was an unforgettable experience, it was also a little terrifying.
During the Q&A session at the end of the lecture, an audience member posed a thought-provoking question about how Carmody Groarke approaches the passage of time and the effects of weathering and wear and tear on their buildings. Their response lingered in my mind long after the lecture had ended.
They strive to design buildings that acknowledge the inevitability of time's passing rather than trying to deny it. They focus on creating long-lasting spaces that are sustainable, which often involves incorporating a certain degree of flexibility into their designs. Many of their spaces have a warehouse-like feel, and they aim to find precise ways to form large and open spaces that can accommodate different functions over the course of a building's lifespan. Rather than designing for a single, specific function that may change over time, their goal is to create high-quality proportions of space that can adapt to different uses over various phases of a building's life. This approach enables their buildings to stand the test of time while remaining functional and relevant for generations to come.
