Granite Crisis!

Over the years that we've lived in Aberdeen, we've noticed a tendency amongst the population: an odd attachment to "The Granite" and a willingness to fetishise it beyond reason. We find it odd, because there's nothing unusual in a town to being so homologous in its predominant construction material - most are.

Let's be sure not to be misunderstood. The architecture of late 19th and early 20th Century Aberdeen is unquestionably magnificent and praiseworthy. But this is now the early 21st Century. Architectural alternatives to the still-prevailing Victorian paradigm do actually exist and we should not be afraid of them. Indeed it's true that the dove-grey and shimmering stone from Kemnay and Rubislaw and other quarries is a very high quality building material, but - in the final analysis - a building material is all it is. And now there's none left that can be economically extracted. Alternatives do exist; we should, similarly, not be afraid of them either. Indeed, our irrational attachment to "The Granite" might now have more psychogeographical drawbacks for us than it has benefits.

We are nonplussed that every so often there's talk of a "Granite Museum" (!). We are perplexed that Big Oil manages to manufacture consent amongst the population by paying documentary-film lipservice to our town's granite heritage. And we are downright confused that "matching" granite for new development is sourced from far-flung quarries on the other side of the world. Why is it necessary that new buildings ape the old in every possible respect? If there's one good thing to be said about Stewart Milne's risibly Disneyesque Dalhebity House, it's that he chose to transcend the granite paradigm, build it from sandstone and so perhaps set a precedent which will allow our town to move on.

Next, we are faintly embarassed that Aberdonians continue to boast of Marischal College: "The Second Largest Granite Building in the World." Honestly, "second largest". It's like that Community Chest card you get in Monopoly: "Congratulations, you have won second prize in a beauty contest". It's an insult. We insult ourselves with this bathetic and vainglorious hubris.

We also feel that -  just as the Georgian/Victorian fakery of kilt and highland games and gathering of the clans to this day helps keep Scotland down: in its place, in the past - likewise this fetishisation beyond reason of our granite heritage has the potential to act as a brake upon the realisation of a progressive Aberdeen of the future.

But finally, and most importantly, (and it is important that we admit this), The Granite is now, after a hundred years in situ, mostly just a disgusting mess.

Truly horrid

Disgusting

Embarrassing (click the pic to see the full-size HORROR!)

Foul

We have already discussed on more than one occasion the difficulties and pit-falls which are experienced when building owners attempt to clean their facades. Aberdeen is turning yellow with the failures.

And then, if a building is successfully cleaned, it merely serves to highlight the grimy dilapidation of its neighbours.

Dirty to the left, as if new to the right.

Given all this, we think it's now time to think the unthinkable, time to slaughter a few sacred cows. Now is the time to break this restrictive tabu.

We are prepared to offer a radical solution:


Paint these troublesome buildings. 

A precident already exists in Aberdeen. Rather than clean modernist concrete buildings, many have recently had their fascias painted. Johnstone House in Rose St. is the first which comes to mind, and we think that Shell's Aztec Ziggurat at Altens Farm Road recently got the treatment too.

Baby blue Johnstone House

Indeed, Aberdeen has some modernist tower blocks which combine concrete elements with granite rubble decorative insets. These have been painted. Nobody moaned.

before

after

Looks great. As if brand new.

The benefits of painted facades for Aberdeen's troublesome granite buildings are manifold: The building's facade becomes flexible and easily and cheaply refreshable - changeable to suit fashion or function, whim or caprice; we could at last move away from our dour "Granite City" image and become something altogether more attractive and approachable - the "Ice Cream Pastel City by the Sea"; in the fulness of time, this could become a distinct new aspect to our heritage - unique in the UK - perhaps at long last we would gain the spot on the tourist map which we deserve.

Here are some examples from Do You Know:

Of course, not all of these will be to everyone's taste, but that's part of the beauty of the idea - it's diverse, thought provoking, de-familiarising and playful. And, once you've made the leap to decide to paint a building, you have literally rendered it's appearance infinitely changeable.

[Puts on flame-proof boiler-suit]

First Look - Marischal College

A heartbreaking few minutes spent looking at the reconditioned frontage of Marischal College on saturday, now that the scaffolding has been struck. The Marishal College building is being re-developed as a new headquarters for Aberdeen City Council.

Looks OK from a distance...
But it seems that Greyfriars has been left untouched,
contrasting nastily with the Marischal frontage.

Moss, lichen and grubby filth on Greyfriars spire
detracts somewhat from the newly-reconditioned Marischal frontage.

Actually, the closer you get, the nastier the Marischal frontage looks.  

Mmmm. The more you look - the nastier, blotchier, more stained and uneven it looks.
Something's wrong.

Blotchy. Patchy. Uneven finish.

Stained, burned(?), blotchy. 

Stained, burned(?), blotchy, scuffed, scratched, uneven, patchy.

Earlier in the year, Aberdeen City Council's Enterprise Planning and Infrastructure Committee slashed £2.5 million from the Marischal College redevelopment project's contingency budget. The funds were re-assigned to the Aberdeen roads budget, following the harsh winter which had caused issues with the 'state of the roads'. Oops.

We pretend no expertise in these matters, but we really hope that what we've pictured above is just an intermediate stage, and that when the contractors leave the site, these issues will be resolved. We've noted similar issues at other sites around town.

On the council website, this update was published earlier in the spring:

Marischal College's stunning "new" look is being gradually revealed as refurbishment work on the landmark building continues.

While McAlpine carries out the construction work on Aberdeen City Council's new corporate headquarters, Glasgow-based LaserClean is steadily restoring the stonework to its former glittering glory.

The face of the grey granite building was steadily blackened over the years as carbon deposits polluting the air took their toll. But the listed building's true colour, which has never been seen by many Aberdonians, is being revealed by the cleaning work.

...

About 40% of that cleaning work has now been completed and decorative features which were barely discernable in the grime, including the leopard's heads which protrude from the Broad Street walls, are now clearly visible.

Marischal College Advisory and Monitoring Board convenor and council leader John Stewart said: "The difference in the colour of the granite as the cleaning work progresses is really quite striking. It is hard to believe that what most of us know as an almost black building will soon be a light grey granite again, sparkling in the sun and once again reminding locals and visitors why Aberdeen is known as the Granite City.

"Marischal College will look quite spectacular once the work has been completed, not least because of its dramatic change in colour restoring the stonework to its former glory."

Hmm. "Stunning new look", "dramatic change in colour".

Yeah, but we don't think it was meant to be brown and yellow.

Psychogeography for Edinburgh & Glasgow!

Edinburgh based psychogeographical best-practice from a guy called Ed.

He's got a couple of books coming out later in the year - one on Edinburgh and one on Glasgow, so we're looking forward to that. Meantime, check out the splendid website:

From Z to A

"knit one street, purl one city"

"creative, critical, playful city+hinterland journeys using psychogeography and urban topography"

March Stones 37 to 39 ABD

Regular readers will know that, over the weeks and months, we've been touring the ancient boundaries of Aberdeen, and the marker stones or "March Stones" which identify the extent of those boundaries.

There's all sorts of histobunk available online, and we recommend having a look at both this article in the Leopard Magazine, and this heritage trail leaflet from Aberdeen City Council. Both are excellent sources of information.

The March Stones we're cataloging today are all on Tulloch Road. This road runs round the north east face of Brimmond Hill and borders the now failed Craibstone Golf Centre which went into liquidation in the autumn with debts of half-a-million pounds. Our thoughts about golf are a matter of record, but we don't like to see businesses fail. Let's hope the employees will be OK.

Though perfectly visible and accessible, March Stone 37 is up against a wall in somebody's garden at the south east end of a renovated and converted former outbuilding of Ashtown farm.

37 ABD. Ashtown Farm.

East of Stone 37 towards Newhills, March Stones 38 and 39 are within 50 metres of each other on either side of the road, close to the Gough Burn and its source: the Moss of Brimmond; an area of boggy ground to the south and west of the road. Run-off fom the Moss is drained via a system of channels which empty into and form the Gough Burn. Stone 38 is on the south verge of Tulloch Road, Stone 39 on the north. Stone 39 is also thought to mark the boundaries of the lands of Craibstone.

38 ABD - a bit worn. On the bank of the Gough Burn.

39 ABD
You can just see the golf course in top left quadrant of the shot.

The detail route plan drawings for Aberdeen's proposed bypass - the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) show the new "special category" road passing very close to the location of March Stones 38 and 39. Indeed, as drawn, the embankment for the Ashtown Overbridge will necessitate the re-siting of Stone 39.

AWPR - Special Category Road. Whatever that means.

If and when it is built, the AWPR will mark a new de-facto boundary for Aberdeen, one which at its westernmost extent tracks surprisingly close to the boundary set by Robert the Bruce in the middle ages.

Psychogeography is not primarily about history, fascinating though that can often be. We have journeyed to the various March Stones not only for their own sake, but also and more importantly as a semi-arbitrary construct upon which to hang the variety of many of our psychogeograpical adventures. We must take care not to get hung up on the historical aspects of Aberdeen's ancient boundaries, so in that context, it's enough for us to reiterate that the March Stones mark the extent of the "Freedom Lands" which were "gifted" to Aberdeen by Robert the Bruce in 1319. Bruce is to be commemorated in a new statue which is to be sited outside the redeveloped Marischal College.

And it is at this point, where history and deep topography and politics and urban placemaking combine to affect the lives of modern and future people that the subject of Robert the Bruce and his interaction with Aberdeen takes on a psychogeographical significance for us today.

We have qualms about this forthcoming statue. We cannot help but wonder whether Bruce is a suitable person to be commemorated in this way, in this town. Firstly we have (both municipally and nationally) plenty enough statues to Powerful White Men who's stock in trade was violence. Secondly, do we really want to commemorate the man who, in order to crush an enemy's power-base, conducted an ethnic cleansing genocide in Moray, Buchan and Aberdeenshire in 1308: the Harrying of Buchan?

The Harrying was a devastating event for this area, characterised by its (surprisingly modern) ruthlessly systematic nature. This was a policy, managed and executed with businesslike efficency; entire towns like Ellon were completely eradicated, livestock and crops were burned in the fields, infrastructure was dismantled and dissipated. Some historians say that so complete was the destruction that the innate and potential wealth of Buchan was damaged for centuries after. A terrible and exceptional act of vengeful spite, unparalleled in these islands before or since.

Small wonder the Aberdonians cowered and offered Bruce whatever he wanted. The  fearful and pusillanimous capitulation of Aberdeen's burghers (who had been loyal to the English crown until the pogrom in the hinterland) no doubt, in time, pricked Bruces' conscience and lead to his eventual largesse. According to the Aberdeen City and Shire website, the ordinary people of Aberdeen also "furnished" Bruce with "large supplies" of cash, food and other goods. We cannot help but wonder under what levels of terror and sword-edge compulsion this "furnishing" was obliged. In this context, the "gift" of the Freedom Lands more than a decade later might be seen as a form of belated conscience-stricken compensation from Bruce to Aberdeen's craven burghers.

Those craven burgers, the pattern of their behaviour - their contemptible gutlessness - reinforced and rewarded by their eventual payoff from Bruce, set the precedent for a peculiarity of Aberdeen's civic character which is evident to this day. It is telling that, even now, our local paper adopts a fawning tone when writing of the "heroic" Bruce.

In pointing out that, in order to win a little monetary gain, the Aberdonian is content to humiliate and debase himself grossly, Paul Theroux was no doubt tuning in to this mercenary venality. As he said in his psychogeographical masterpiece "The Kingdom by the Sea" :

The average Aberdonian [is] a person who would gladly pick a penny out of a dunghill with his teeth. 

O Paul, it's actually much, much worse than that.

Shock Traffic News

Despite our promise not to read local newspaper The Press and Journal (as it often winds us up a bit too much) our attention has been drawn to this encouraging report:

Traffic on Major City Routes at Lowest Level.

Quite quiet on the A956 Inner City Ring-Road.
If this ringroad is so quiet, why do they think they need another one?

Apparently, motor traffic on some of the town's strategic road network has fallen to levels not seen since the early 1990's. We're delighted by this, and not entirely surprised. We have mentioned in the past how Aberdeen is a surprisingly good place to cycle, and every day we seem to see more and more cyclists on the town's roads, an impression confirmed by official figures.

Maybe we'll start an "Aberdeen Cycle Chic" blog.
Like Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

We were also unsurprised to see that some of the commenters who have posted their thoughts at the bottom of the report's web page are in denial about these figures (they are suffering from the paradox of rising expectations). They believe that buses cause congestion, and call for the abolition of bus lanes. Gave us a good laugh, that did. 

The P&J's report is correct to mention the growth in cycling and train use as being instrumental in the drop in traffic levels from their previously problematical and harmful levels (although they are, of course, still far to high). But they have failed to notice that many people actually use walking as a great, low cost, low carbon, healthy way of getting around. We've seen them, the flâneurs, appropriately and stylishly dressed, their boots were made for walking - and for cutting a dash around town. They walk the city in order to experience it. We are these people, we can all be these people.
Join us.

"Undertaking a key role in understanding, participating in
and portraying the city."

International Standard Cycle Infrastructure.

We were delighted when the creators of Copenhagen Cycle Chic gave us a mention on their "Copenhagenize" blog, which agitates for the building of better bicycle cultures internationally. Hey, Aberdeen cycling's now on the map!

Hardcore fixie!

We love Copenhagen Cycle Chic, and hope one day to institute Aberdeen Cycle Chic.

Aberdeen Lochnagar

Lochnagar?

Well ... the mountain is visible from within the parish boundaries of Aberdeen.

Just beyond the dark ridge of the horizon to the right of centre,
 you can see the snow-covered shoulder of the mountain.
(Photo taken from Gairnhill Wood in October.)

But that's not what we're on about today.

No, not that either.

This is "Aberdeen Lochnagar". The main BT (formerly General Post Office) telephone exchange. It's on Aberdeen's Bon-Accord Street in the city centre.

A fine-enough neo-classical 20th century building. Pink and Grey Granite with some nice details. It's solidity speaks of the certainty and surety provided by the state in its delivery of infrastructure technology in what was paradoxically a much more insecure era than that we live in today.

The ground floor of the building was once occupied by the magnetic relays and swichgear which physically connected phone calls. The clicking and whirring could be heard as you walked past.



At one time, the same work would have been done by human operators.

Technology and progress move on, and the exchange recently took part in BT's "Race to Infinity", when residents could place votes to reach a threshold at which BT would prioritise the exchange for installation of superfast fiber-optic broadband internet capability.

Aberdeen Lochnagar did not do well in the race.

While our civic leaders mull real estate deals, urban dual carriageways and bypass motorways, here at Other Aberdeen, we cannot help but think that they've missed something of profound importance for our future here.

Edit: 27 January 2011.

Well - better late than never, we suppose.
P&J Article: Broadband bid to let Aberdeen lead recovery

Though we do have our reservations about their conceit that Aberdeen is the dynamo which will pull the UK out of recession, and beneath the article there is a reader comment which appears to have largely missed the point.

O I Do Like to Walk along the Prom, Prom, Prom...

Aberdeen's Beach Esplanade and Promenade was originally built in the late 19th Century and was comprehensively rebuilt by local mega-engineering civils contractor William Tawse & Son in the 1960's.

Tawse (having merged with local competitor Alexander Hall & Son to become "Hall and Tawse") today at their Northfield HQ deal in specialist joinery contracts and products; fire doors and the like. They are a subsidiary of UK contractor Mansell, itself part of multinational civil engineering giga-enterprise Balfour Beatty. Phew, so it goes.

One-time operator of both Dancing Cairns and Rubislaw Quarries and high-tech fabricator of the plutonium handling facilities at the Dounray Fast Breeder Reactor atomic power research facility in Caithness, Tawse built upon wartime experience gained building "Churchill Barriers" when executing the contract to renew, consolidate and extend Aberdeen's Beach Esplanade and Promenade.

It is interesting to note that the construction of the Churchill Barriers involved the use of prisoner-of-war forced labour. Similarly, the re-construction of Aberdeen's Esplanade involved the use of labour which was to an extent coerced, being as it was part of a public-works "workfare" programme in the 1960's - a layabout uncle of mine was forced to work on the project or lose his dole. Plus ça change.The Esplanade and Promenade - forming a road-deck, walkway, and foundation for the sand-retention groynes - stretches all the way from Futtie and the mouth of the Dee in the south to the mouth of the Don in the North and also performs the function of a sea-wall; large portions of the links to the west along with Seaton and Pittodrie actually lying below sea-level at high tide.

Road-deck, walkway, stairway to beach.
The numbered concrete slab corresponds with the sand-retention groyne. 

It's quite a structure.

Some aspects of the older parts of the structure have, um, seen better days, and a recent storm surge has covered the beach with debris and forced sand up as far as the promenade deck.

For all that, we do love the prom and, to it's northern end, we enjoy very much sitting in the concrete shelters. The concrete curl of their precast roofs and porthole detail reinforces the maritime feel. If you can find a shelter not befouled by used condoms and dogshit, take a while, sit down and enjoy a view of the bay. The design of the shelters is also an acoustic amplifier which focusses the sound of the wind and waves and seabirds.

Around the esplanade, promenade, "Fun Beach" (ugh!) and links, there's a great deal of psychogeography to be done; locations and artifacts to explore. As the season improves, we'll be back for more.

College Street Multi Storey Car-Park.

Starting the new year with much in common with the way we blogged towards the end of the old, we paid a couple of visits to the other multi-storey car-park associated with Union Square; the College Street Multi Storey Car Park.

An interesting high quality modernist red-brick brick structure, the car park contrasts with the prevailing silver-grey which is usually regarded as characteristic of Aberdeen.  From the car park, [trainspotter alert] there's a great view of the arch viaduct which brings the railway from the south to Aberdeen and the Clayhills Engineering Works where passenger rolling stock is serviced.

From here, the rails extend south across the sea to join a network
which is uninterrupted from Vladivostok in the east to Lisbon in the west

And, surprise surprise! As ever when we visit the top-deck of an Aberdeen multi-storey car-park, we find a haven of peace and space. But don't just take our word for it, fellow psychogeographer of Aberdeen Lewis Dryburgh has shot this fantastic Ambient Video of the top-deck at South College Street. Enjoy:



Lovely. Do have a look at Lewis' other Ambient Videos on YouTube.

On one of our visits there was still a bit of snow about. And one solitary parked car, the red of its bodywork making a thrilling contrast with the blue-white day.

That single red highlight draws the eye -  making an almost martial statement, a bit like the little red dot on the black barrel of a Baretta Parabellum automatic, which shows that the safety catch is off. This red flash, we thought, by contrasting with the rest of the scene, merely serves to highlight the peaceful desertion which the College Street Car Park can offer.

Serene and paradoxically secluded in the open air in the centre of the town; calm on the top-deck as the life of the town bustles around the foot of the building, once again we find ourselves wanting to urge those in charge of these spaces to consider acknowledging their value as urban oases. Please - a couple of picnic benches, some container planting, a coffee vendor and Bob's yer uncle! A park! Sort of.

Indeed the South College Street Car Park was once used by some Aberdonians as urban open social space for leisure and sport. A blog commenter "Sam" emailed otheraberdeen@gmail.com to let us know that he shared our fascination in urban multi-storey car parks having this potential duality. He also told us about what was know as the "BT Comp".

College street or 'BT car park' as it was more commonly known was used for a long time in the Aberdeen skateboarding scene. Its rather strange that a car park can have a sort of alter existence or meaning. It was a standard car park by day but after 6pm when the attendants sulked off from work it became a social space for all skateboarders from across the city. Well, skateboarders and junkies who would inhabit the very bottom floor and the upper stairwells at night.

College street car park was also used annually for a number of years to play host to the BT comp. A one night only skateboard competition which would attract hundreds of people to congregate on the top floor to bear witness to an organized competition. Mayhem would be a good description. unfortunately though, as skateboarding became more popular generally a lot more kids would turn up and abuse the event which started to lead up to the end of the car park days. During the last comp a teenager fell to his death from the very top, im not sure of the story but from what i heard at the time they were larking about and being rather irresponsible by mucking around at the top ledge.

The introduction of Union square would also lead to more focus by the council on the use of College street car park. I think that the top floor also became part owned by an oil company so the employees would have a guaranteed car space. This meant 24 hour security which as you can imagine wouldn't take too kindly to the space being used by skateboarders and the like.

Many thanks for the information Sam - we really appreciate it! Sam also gave us a link to some footage shot at one of the BT Comps. Brilliant!



And, on a more downbeat note and with our sympathy to friends and relatives, here's a link to the BBC report of the tragic accident.

Well, all that sort of behaviour's over and done with now, and public use of the car-park is subject to published and displayed Terms and Conditions imposed by the management of Union Square, who now operate the car park.

We find the trumpeting of the use of number-plate recognition technology to be a highly sinister development. Not content with operating blanket surveillance upon us, non-governmental private operators have now taken it upon themselves to operate artificial-intelligence based tracking technology. Nice. We also note that they say:

"Records of vehicle registration numbers ... and images of vehicles and their drivers ... will be kept"

Which, in our opinion is totally unacceptable behaviour by a private organisation. That this impressive technology has been wrangled into a system used to extort parking fees from compliant consumers who have willingly traded their privacy for a dubious and short-lived convenience we find depressingly apt. It tells us a great deal.

Regular readers will know that we have had more than one  encounter with the people who are empowered to operate this surveillance and tracking technology at this site and at others. Our experience has caused us concern that the levels of skill, training and personal attributes demonstrated by these operators are not necessarily up to the standard which reasonable people might expect would be a minimum requirement for those charged with such onerous responsibilities. Still, number plate recognition robot systems overseen by teenagers less intelligent than the software they operate needn't trouble us pedestrians just yet and facial recognition software is still a good eighteen months away from being "productized" and we have not yet been "chipped". Not to our knowledge, at least.

We also noticed that the display sign T&C's point to the fact that further "Full terms and conditions are available" online (pdf). So we had a look at that too. We liked this bit:

The company has the right to exclusion rights in relation to persons who are causing ... unruly behaviour or misbehaving in any way and additionally in relation to persons who have no cause to be present on the car parking premises.

That'll be us, then. Because we came on foot.