Chapter 4 - The ephemeral architecture of socio-environmental practices in the Houses of Parliament, 1836-1966

This volume is concerned with the study of parliament buildings, seeking to shift the focus from the study of their monumental expression towards the spatial construction of political practices and traditions. This objective, however, raises the important question of what we consider eligible for inclusion under the terms of political practices and traditions. The Palace of Westminster, which was built after a large fire in 1834 had destroyed an earlier, largely medieval, complex of buildings, was designed to incorporate spaces required to support inherited and newly invented political practices. Among the newly in- vented traditions was the ceremonial approach for state opening and a voting system involving the use of two division lobbies. Its design was also shaped by more technical requirements, of which the provision of adequate ventilation and indoor climates was the most prominent. The Palace of Westminster was equipped with complex systems for ventilation, and the debating chamber provided with an early form of air conditioning. Meeting these environmental requirements, however, was not solely a matter of technology, but also relied on complex social processes.