The Building Conservation Directory 2022

162 T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 2 2 C AT H E D R A L C O MM U N I C AT I O N S CASE STUDY: VINCENZO VALDRÉ FIRE SURROUND, STOWE HOUSE At Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, the integration of digital technology into traditional process has been used with great success in their reinstatement of an 18th century fire surround. Stowe is one of the country’s grandest 18th century houses. Like many others, its upkeep could not be sustained in the aftermath of the first world war and, following bankruptcy, a grand auction was held in 1921. Much of Stowe House’s interior was then gutted and its contents scattered around the world. Today the building is listed as one of the World Monuments Fund’s 100 most endangered sites of world significance, and in recent years, the Stowe House Preservation Trust has gone to great lengths to preserve and restore much of Stowe House with magnificent results. The trust’s recent restoration of the State Drawing Room included plans to replicate the vastly ornate Vincenzo Valdré marble fire surround with bas relief inlays that once adorned the room. This project faced considerable obstacles as the original was now residing in Spain and in very poor condition. Furthermore, recreating the highly ornate surface and fine craftsmanship of the original posed great problems as traditional production methods alone would be prohibitively expensive One option was to replicate it in timber, hand-painted using traditional techniques to give the appearance of the original marble. An innovative solution was put forward by Refinery a partnership formed by a traditional craftsperson and a digital production specialist. Its proposal would reduce the costs further through the use of a digital model made from scans of the original, and the use of CNC machining to prepare the joinery for hand carving and finishing. This combination of digitally-led production with expertise in traditional joinery and timber carving would not only make the project a practical possibility, but it also offered verifiable accuracy and efficiency, and it brought with it a wealth of new possibilities for communication and client involvement. The proposal was accepted by the client and work began in July 2020. Working with detailed scan data taken from the original fire surround, 3D modelling was used to transform this surface data into a highly accurate 3D digital production model. This model included the full surface in fine detail, and its structure was accurately defined and was even divided into the component parts ready for construction. The design approach was supported by an extensive knowledge of traditional joinery techniques and how wood behaves as it ages, Joinery and assembly techniques were selected that matched the original design as closely as possible and allowed the wooden structure to settle as it aged. While this 3D digital model’s primary CNC was used for the reduction of timber down to a ‘near-form’, ready to be hand carved to its final surface. With ornate forms covering almost the entire surface, this digitally led process brought remarkable accuracy and efficiency to the project. HAND CARVING Once cut by CNC, each component part was then carefully carved by hand, using tools and process that have been used unchanged for centuries. ,taking it from its soft, near- form to a finely detailed finish. the hand carving brings a continuity and authenticity to the work. The result is a fully hand carved surface, with crisply defined features and a rich interplay of light and shadow across a surface that comes to life with vibrant organic quality. Finally, the entire wooden structure was decorated with marble paint effects, giving it the appearance of marble, in keeping with the original. The accurately depiction of the central alabaster bas-relief was aided by life sized, colour accurate photographic prints of the original. Brass frames were then applied, having been cast using traditional lost wax process, in moulds taken from 3D printed replicas of the original frames. The result is a fire surround of exceptional quality. Its carved surface is a precise match to the original, with a finely detailed finish, rich in the visual language of traditional craft. It now forms a centrepiece to the fully restored State Drawing Room at Stowe House. As a project, it highlights the benefits of employing digital technology within a considered approach, and it illustrates a ground-shift in our understanding of the potential uses for this technology in the repair and reinstatement of historic features in restoration projects. The fire surround is the first completed project in Refinery’s ongoing series of works for Stowe House, and it is now working on the creation of two twin chimney pieces designed by Henry Flitcroft, for Stowe’s State Dining Room. MATT BATEMAN and Greg Meeson are partners in Refinery Works LLP (see entry on page 163). Matt is highly experienced in the conservation of historic woodwork and runs his own workshops near Cambridge. He has served as a conservation consultant on major restoration and renovation projects at sites of great cultural significance, most recently on the refurbishment of New Court, Trinity College, Cambridge. GREG MEESON is a digital artist working in CGI. He has run his own 3D design studio for over ten years and has extensive skills and experience in the creation of finely detailed 3D models, CNC machining and 3D printing. Greg’s artwork was included in the recent major museum exhibition ‘Le Rêve D’être Artiste’ at the Palais de Beaux Arts in Lille, alongside works by Manet, Gaugin, Picasso, Koons, Warhol and Banksy. role would be to drive the CNC process of cutting timber, it also served more widely, yielding a wide range of benefits to other stages before production began. Scale drawings, photo-real visualisations and 3D printed models were all used to deliver a comprehensive view of the planned work ahead of production. It enabled a new level of understanding and involvement for the client, seeing tangible information about the project before work began. With the digital model broken down into component parts, it also provided a visual management framework for the project, from which schedules of work for each stage of the project was created. When production began, the many digital 3D components were each used to drive the CNC cutting of timber. Rather than attempt to replace or rival the quality and natural feel of a hand carved surface, Completed fire surround, installed in the newly restored State Drawing Room at Stowe House Close up of the Stowe House fire surround showing the fine detail in the carving