William Carroll

Professor Watson
Project 2 Assignment
February 7, 2023

Prompt: C

The plan depicted above is that of Hardwick Hall, designed by architect Robert Smythson
for patron Elizabeth Shrewsbury, and is located within the countryside of England. Within this
time period, the nobility were tasked to build these massive estates which were in turn an act of
soft diplomacy. The latter is seen throughout the architectural details within these massive
estates. Another influence determined the architectural styles and principles of this estate, that of
Palladio. The influence of environmental resonance with functional aesthetics were themes that
were drawn from Palladio’s concepts of designing estates into the English context. Within
Hardwick Hall, geographical conditions were analyzed and the form followed. Light and wind
were considered to provide ample lighting and air conditioning. As seen within Hawke’s
“Elizabethan Country House”, light and form was in full correspondence as “the ascent of the
staircase, the room is flooded with daylight from windows that face south, west, and, on one side
of the bay window, north.” (Hawkes 47). Glass, light, and sun position determined the placement
of windows within the space to not only lighten the rooms that flowed within the form of
Hardwick Hall but emphasize the poetic undertones of each room. Some rooms were adorned
with the soft light of the afternoon sun while others possessed tall windows that aided in their
inherent function. This transition in light is also seen within the “bright light of the forecourt” as
it is passed “into the relatively dim light of the great hall” (Hawkes 46). This flow of light
transcends the interior environment, well considers the external, and creates a form that resonates
to the site and its environment.
Drawing away from how light affected the characteristics of Hardwick Hall, air
conditioning and circulation was a large factor which commanded the final form of the estate.
Due to the “closer” proximity of England to the Northern Pole, the winter months posed stresses
towards any form of ventilation. Hardwick Hall possessed numerous fireplaces, “in total at least
28”, and some were placed along “the glass-filled envelope enclosing the spine and transverse
walls”(Hawkes 48) of the predominating form. Candlesticks were meticulously counted and
placed around Hardwick Hall to combat the limiting light within the winter months.
Additionally, the windows helped bring some of the warmth of the sun into the interior spaces;
further utilizing the environment to create an insular space.
Hardwick Hall is an exemplary example of the combination of environment and interior
spaces to create a form that compliments both spheres and utilizes their respective qualities.

Citation: Dean Hawkes, “Robert Smythson and the Environment of the Elizabethan
Country House,” in Architecture and Climate: An Environmental History of British Architecture,
1600–2000(London: Routledge, 2012), pp. T