Façades
Sir: I am surprised the recent controversy over the listing of the Financial Times building, Bracken House, has denied architecture its unique quality. Gavin Stamp in his article on Bracken House discusses Fleet Street's heritage solely in terms of its facade. Architecture is, how- ever, not a one dimensional art; its quality lies in its totality.
To preserve a building's façade is to destroy the heart of the architect's work the aesthetics of space. Functional and aesthetic conceptions of space become fixed in space during the design of the
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building. The listing of Bracken House's fagade will lead to the creation of another lifeless building. If we are to preserve Britain's architectural heritage we must preserve its totality.
John Bryson
Department of Geography, The University, Leicester
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