To mark the 40th anniversary of the opening of the library, the University of Sussex held a Spence lecture, given by Anthony Blee, a member of Sir Basil Spence's practice who designed the campus
Introduced by Alasdair Smith the Vice-Chancellor and Debby Shorley, University Librarian.
Some very brief selective notes of his talk:
Spence and the sea and sailing; nautical elements in his pavilion for the 1951 Festival of Britain
Anecdote about Spence sitting for Jakob Epstein for a bust for his presidential year at RIBA
Spence was never negative; while out in New Zealand and working on their parliament building he was asked to advise Kennedy family on the JFK presidential library at Columbia Point, and thrown in front of the press, he said that the site Edward Kennedy had in mind was excellent, but that the power station on the opposite side of the river "would have to be moved", his way of pointing out that the site was in fact quite unsuitable
The Falmer site: an "emerald saucer"; Spence saw it as important to keep the trees, and advised the panel who were, though he didn't realise it, interviewing him, to do so.
Syncopated rhythms of the design, in particular the arches; Blee once explained these to a sceptical town council audience in musical terms as "dums" and dis" though one could think of them metrically as dactyls and anapaests
Water (AB was disappointed that the pools outside Falmer House were empty): explained to the client as "two buildings for the price of one"
Relationship with work of other architects (though not influenced by, or influencing, AB stressed): Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn
One part of original conception not built was a Vice-Chancellor's house
Hans Coper candlesticks and chalice for chapel: sold off, sadly
