RE BELLION RETROFIT
“Some things are worth keeping” -Kamu Iyer
CONTENTS
1 2 3 4
01 02 04 08 10
The Initiation Wasted Crisis Hits Location Heritage
12 14 16 18 20
Unearthing The Inherited Sectors Trip Advisors It’s Just a Phase
26 28 32 34
The Rebellion Manifesting Under the Influence Under the Hammer
38 40 42
The Future 2030 Time Travel
5 6
46 48 50 52 54 59 60 64 66 68
A Simple Taste Placement Support Local ‘Centre’ of Attention Set By Example Checkpoint Set By Example 2 Finally Arrived What Went Where? The Proposal
72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 87
The Last Leg The Main Deal The Before Its a ‘Parti’ What Do We Want? Spaces Space Landing Reflection Brief
1
ACT ONE: THE INITIATION
WASTED The self (de)construct task to break down home waste and energy use made it clear that the house I live in uses a lot of water, energy (both low and high) and a high number of car journeys compare to walking. This is due to the location being very rural and living in a Tudor house which has not been repaired with energy efficient fittings. This brought attention to how older homes can waste so much energy if not retrofitted.
Author, 2020
03.
Chatterton, 2019
CRISIS HITS An analytical summary of a discussion concerning the current climate emergency to understand how architecture can be part of the solution to the crisis.
Paul Chatterton discusses of the importance of climate change and the next steps towards a solution in the text ‘A Civic Plan for a Climate Emergency’. He states that it is city lifestyle is one of many contributing factors that are damaging our environment and calls for a system redesign. Cities, which add up to a population of 50 million, have declined an emergency but what are they doing to create action? Initially small amendments were a seen as a good start to correcting humanities damage but Chatterton fairly questioned when will small adjustments stop being enough? The task of city redevelopment to a clean, renewable and sustainable future isn’t simple and the project will take time, energy and money; factors that governments aren’t showing willingness to put in.
Cities are designed to make profit and using brown energy gives them just that. They must accept that redesign and action will come with a loss in profit but it is better for the environment.
05.
ADD AN IMAGE / DIAGRAM / COLLAGE / MIND MAP.... ADD AN IMAGE / DIAGRAM / COLLAGE / MIND MAP....
2
Author, 2020
Chatterton has stated four action areas to facing the urban problems that come with changing city lifestyle...
1 2 3 4
A complete system redesign to stop cities from making small amendments that will not amount to anything.
Some cities need bigger action to create a green future, those who have created less damage or do not require as much change can adapt gradually. It would be less complicated if city development began in similar time-frames but this is not the case so action must be taken with consideration to social equality. Some cities have benefited from the carbon economy whereas others are only just beginning their carbon economy and have not received the benefits as of yet and, for a sustainable future, they won’t get the chance to. Cities are creating deadlines to force change and action however the time-scales are not equal nationwide, creating confusion. Instead of the focus being on the deadline it should be on the change and aim for a zero carbon city. Carbon neutral cities are not the answer and are a temporary target. Cities are not taking responsibility for Scope 3 emissions which include the air travel companies within the city are using to ship in their goods at a smaller cost. The less the cities are taking responsibility for the more is seems they are changing and creating more action when this is not the case and they should include these emissions.
07.
Google Maps, 2021
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The location of this project is Alcester Road which runs south out of Birmingham City centre and links Balsall Heath to Moseley village. Balsall Heath began as just farmland a few miles from the city. Initially it was connected to Birmingham to supply food but with the urban growth, the settlement was eventually enveloped and now stands within the inner city. The village’s first housing estate was opened in 1833 found on Edward road. Balsall Heath became more established in 1840 with the building of the train station. The early Victorian era brought more housing and the introduction of trams for Balsall Heath and Moseley. (Balsall Heath Local History Society, 2019)Moseley has been around longer that it’s neighbour village as its first record of existence was discovered in the 1086 Doomsday book under the name of “Museleie”. The towns have lived through key moments of history, including surviving World War bombings, and it would be a shame to see such history waste away. (William Dargue, 2009)
09.
Author, 2020
HERITAGE
Lentil
Date Plaque
Twin Windows
Steeply Pitched Roof
Cupola
Decorative Milled Panel
Portrait Windows
Stained Glass
Bay Windows
11.
2
ACT TWO: UNEARTHING
Non Victorian Buildings Victorian Buildings Same Use Victorian Buildings New Use
THE INHERITED
The history built along Alcester Road has driven the research process of this project towards unveiling the Victorian heritage the streets hold. From de-constructing self waste and reading into the climate crisis, it was clear to me that energy efficiency of the already built needs to be vastly improved. Firstly, I needed to understand the scale of Victorian buildings that are situated along the street as these are the key buildings that require the change. I also wanted to understand whether they still have the same use as to when they were built. This was to understand whether the buildings have seen refurbishment or change in their lifetime and therefore the scale of energy negligence. Towards Moseley, the Victorian building quantity is dense compared to Balsall Heath. This is due to the bomb damage of World War Two which tore through Balsall Heath and spared Moseley. We can see there is little change in building use also, so there is a lot of buildings to work with. The next step is to research the building sectors to understand what these uses are.
15.
SECTORS
This map shows the range in building sectors that occupy the Victorian buildings. From this, the mode sectors are retail and residential, with most of the retail buildings containing flats above. Homes are huge energy consumers and so to be able to retrofit these to reduce energy waste would have a greater impact on the environment. If homes are transformed into carbon neutral buildings this could also have a positive impact on the retail owners along the street to reduce energy and find more sustainable ways to run their business. When researching into the sectors, it was also clear that the retail buildings are in great need of refurbishment as their image is important to bring in customers and the industrial and grey atmosphere is uninviting.
Religious Residential Industrial Leisure Hospitality Retail
17.
TRIP ADVISORS
When researching into the local community and their relationship to the Victorian heritage, there appeared to be a conflict in opinion between the Balsall Heath and Moseley inhabitants. People who lived close to Balsall Heath had a negative emotion towards their heritage, which contained abandoned and dilapidated buildings. On the other hand Moseley villagers had societies and conservation programs in place to protect the Victorian buildings which allows them to enjoy the village’s history and have a positive relationship with them.
19.
IT’S JUST A PHASE
The Victorian buildings found on Alcester road have been through many stages of development to accommodate the demands of ever-changing streets. Many of the Victorian building’s on the street were built for housing, some designed specifically as grand homes from the wealthy. Some still are for residential purposes but have been divided into flats as this divided the cost of living in a grand house between two residents making affordable housing which is easier to sell. A lot of housing has been adapted into commercial premises. The first changes were done by large company chains such as supermarkets. The final stage is for retail or commercial on a smaller scale, breaking the large stores into smaller ones to let out to smaller, often locally founded, companies.
Google Maps, 2020
21.
Moseley Road Library and Baths Balsall Heath
23.
Bohemian Cocktail Bar Moseley Village
25.
3
ACT THREE: THE REBELLION
Author, 2020
MANIFESTING
To reconstruct Alcester Road and further into a sustainable estate.
Retrofit Victorian architecture on the street.
Supply sustainable jobs for the community.
Make the Victorian buildings low to zero carbon.
Use only recycled materials.
Increase building life span.
Make the buildings sustainable for future living.
Build local community and a sense of camaraderie.
Preserve Victorian buildings that represent British history.
29.
Author, 2020
Author, 2020
31.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE A plan to protect and build the things people care about and is not driven by income and wealth. Written with the earth’s health in mind and people at the heart. The deal includes 5 main goals: De-carbonise the UK, Create secure jobs, Transform the economy, Protect and restore wild habitats, Promote global justice. This is the idea I would like to create towards saving the Victorian Buildings on Alcester Road
First mentioned in 2008 and brought into action in the green party’s new deal in 2009. The carbon army is “the creation and training of a ‘carbon army’ of workers to provide the human resources for a vast environmental reconstruction programme”(Green New Deal, 2009) This is exactly what I want to build towards renovating Victorian buildings to encourage a trend of renovating old properties rather than building new.
Granby Four Streets is a continuous project led by the community to save the buildings in Liverpudlian neighbourhoods before they became derelict. A local regeneration scheme saw the Victorian buildings that stood before be demolished apart from four that still remain. The remaining four Victorian houses led an ugly life after however the community teamed together to refurbish the houses and give them a new life. The residents who began this are very inspiration and I am wishful that I can build a team to retrofit the Victorian buildings on Alcester Road. (Assemble, 2016)
Green New Deal, 2020
Rosie Winterton, 2011
Thorne Moorends Council, 2020
Assemble, 2016
33.
UNDER THE HAMMER
When building a retrofitting team, it is important to understand the jobs at hand. This diagram explodes the layers of a Victorian Building and the craftsmen needed to face and work with each part. If taking a repair approach to the buildings, these craftsmen must have experience with this era and the methods that were originally used to respect the history.
35.
UNDER THE HAMMER [NEW]
This diagram highlights the improvements that need to be done to the Victorian buildings to ensure they are up to current standards and are energy efficient. These will require contemporary trades to work along side the traditional craftsmen. If the retrofit does not require repairs as part of the design, these requirements will still need to be met.
37.
4
ACT FOUR: THE FUTURE
Image by Author, 2020 // Ideas by Author, Laura Hastings, Emily Haigh and Tina Chaova
2030
It is not news to hear that there is a climate emergency, and if you’re not aware of the crisis - where have you been? The important part to saving our planet is the next steps whether you just look to tomorrow or in a year from now. However, a project on this scale can not be solved in a day as it requires a global system reconstruct so we need to set goals with an honest time frame - such as 2030. The United Nations has a list of 17 sustainable development goals that world leaders have signed an agreement to work to with a target date of 2030. If these goals are to be met this would change both quality of life for many people and help nurse the planet back to a healthier state that is sustainable. But what can architecture do to help? Here is my proposal of a sustainable Alcester Road in 2030.
41.
Residential Community Work Opportunities Electric Recharge Points Urban Farming (Products sold at Site) Retrofitted Victorian Buildings Commercial / Retail Pedestrian Paths Retrofit Workshops Sheltered Bike Route Communal Gardens Moseley Park
Urba a nF
rm ing
TIME TRAVEL
e ter Shel
d
Bi ke Ro
ute
43.
45.
5
ACT FIVE: A SIMPLE TASTE
PLACEMENT
Creating a fragment of the ideologies developed so far in a form rather is the next part of the process. This will not only help to test ideas but it will also act as an introduction to the building that will be. For the civic fragment that introduces this project there’s no better opportunity than this to design a recruitment and education hub for the retrofit rebellion. This will need to draw in people to come investigate and hopefully recruit the community to join in the retrofit project. To ensure maximum visibility, the placement is key as the building will act like a billboard so first is to find the perfect placement for the hub where it can receive this needed attention.
Potential Sites Clutter of Potential Sites Clutter of Victorian Buildings
49.
SUPPORT LOCAL
To ensure that the hub follows all the rebellion’s ethics, it is important that the centre is placed close to supplies. This not only supports local businesses which is key especially since the coronavirus pandemic but also to keep carbon footprint of supplies low with short shipment distances keeping fuel down. This map shows that Alcester road has plenty of options for local supplies, particularly towards Balsall Heath in the North.
51.
‘CENTRE’ OF ATTENTION
I chose this site as it sits in the middle of a busy T-junction. The junction causes traffic to build which for advertising is perfect and attention is exactly what the recruitment hub needs. Zooming closer to the site, I was able to analyse where the advertisement and pedestrian access would be best to interact with both vehicles and people on foot. This can then be implemented into a design and gives a good base to begin drawing from.
Slow Traffic Parked Vehicles Advertisement South Face Pedestrian Route Information Area Activity Area
53.
SET BY EXAMPLE
The precedents I explored for the civic fragment were to find ways of expressing the rebellion’s manifesto and ethics through design. I looked more into aesthetics for inspiration rather than circulation or technical drawings as I felt the site analysis had already moulded a strong circulation and this building wasn’t to be a technically intricate design as it is just a fragment of what the rebellion is to be about. Each precedent allowed the design process to take a different route and helped the design mould into the final form.
Foster Lomas - Infobox
I chose to look at this pavilion because of the rotating panels that make up the facade. This inspired me to be creative with advertising the Retrofit Rebellion as that is a key part of the hub’s purpose. The concept of the panels was a key precedent for the project which is seen throughout the design process from start to finish, with changes in size and materials.
Architizer, n.d.
55.
Rural Studio - Akron Boys & Girls Club 2
The curved shelter creates an interesting space in this design that I could see being useful for my activity space to create an open and inclusive space with the passing public. This concept was revisited after these initial sketches as I wanted the activity space to keep the open but sheltered element from this design.
Rural Studio, n.d.
PUP Architects Antepavillion
The architects were creative with their facade using recycled cartons to create the silver scales, I want to incorporate recycled materials in my own design. These initial sketches show the recycled material being the design rather than integrated into a design which is what PUP Architects have done here. I felt it was more sophisticated.
Archdaily, 2017
57.
Marks Barfield Architects Cambridge Central Mosque
The tree-like structural columns celebrate joinery and the art of craftsmanship in this design and I want my design to celebrate the trades wanted by the rebellion. The use of timber was for a sustainable design which is also important to the rebellion. It also could make my design become a landmark and draw more attention to the building.
Dezeen, 2021
CHECKPOINT
Rotating panels for advertisement
Reclaimed windows and frames
Reclaimed scaffolding steel to create tree-like columns
Workshop Information panels Recycle drop off point
Reclaimed timber
Briefing space
Roof slope to persuade circulation of space
59.
Avatar Architettura - Pavilion of recycled pallets
I wanted to use timber and recycled materials so this design from old pallets showed me that recycling material does not limit design possibilities. I tried to incorporate the other precedents with this such as the advertising panels or the open space with the design just acting as shelter. The pavilion definitely made me be more creative.
Arch2o, n.d.
Temporary Observatory BAG
This design also uses wooden pallets but works with horizontal lines so I explored using the idea of this design but with vertical designs as verticals respond to the urban site. I then explored allowing nature to grow through the design as there are trees on site that I would like to remain and so this precedent indirectly inspired the final design.
Archdaily, 2014
61.
Morag Myerscough Movement Cafe
The use of scaffolding for the cafe suited the recycling theme and seemed perfect for the message this building is going to be advertising. The bold advertisement initially was the reason for looking at this pavilion but looking further into the design and materials inspired my project in a different way.
Archdaily, 2012
Ultramoderne - The Chicago Horizon
The strong horizontal and verticals follows the buildings background. The direction in this design brings together simplicity, sophistication and symbolism. The hub should image landscape to remind those to protect it and so using horizontals for the horizon and verticals for trees creates a connection.
Dezeen, 2015
63.
FINALLY ARRIVED
Using a cycle of: precedent, sketch and place on site, I created a development of sketches. Using this process allowed the design to fit perfectly on the site and have meaning behind each design proposal.
65.
WHAT WENT WHERE?
67.
THE PROPOSAL
an tri es
s th Pa
d Pe
Information Centre / Storage
Protected Tree
Activity Area / Open Workshop
Recycling Point
0m
Reclaimed Victorian Flooring
10m
Reclaimed Steel Scaffolding
Cork
Reclaimed Timber
Polished Recycled Concrete
69.
71.
6
ACT SIX: THE LAST LEG
THE MAIN DEAL
When coming to pick a site for the main building, I knew it had to be a retrofit to explore the retrofit rebellion manifesto on a large scale. In plan, I looked at the Victorian buildings close to the civic fragment for similar reasons as to why I placed the recruitment hub there in the first place, to gain attention. I also wanted to make sure that Victorian buildings were the face of the building so that the retrofit can be advertised and the positives of saving the buildings can be seen from the outside. These are a few ideas at this point of the process, without an understanding of the spaces needed, but the highlighted plan sparked a few ideas which worked well with the project. I explore these on the following pages.
75.
THE BEFORE
Here are some sketches of the façades on the sites I looked into. The key theme was that the beauty of the Victorian buildings were ruined by their newer neighbours that were built for purpose and not for aesthetic, but why can’t a building have both? The Victorian buildings have also been spoilt by their purpose with their night facade being closed up which can make the neighbourhood seem unwelcoming. The facade is the key point to my building as it acts as advertisement for the retrofit rebellion’s ethics. Whether this leads to façadism or celebrating the internal stereotype seen in Victorian home layouts, is yet to be decided as this will require further investigation.
77.
IT’S A ‘PARTI’ Parti diagrams to express the ideologies behind the chosen site and the reasons for choosing said site.
Facade used as advertisement
Victorian buildings, cluster used as entrance
Hollowed out Victorian building with central part as entrance
View to nature, captures meaning within building purpose
Front vs back thresholds and uses
Site in central position on the street to connect the two ends
79.
WHAT DO WE WANT? Parti diagrams to express the ideologies behind the building and its purpose.
Using history to separate the working threshold making the streets seem less industrial.
Investment into the local community.
Retrofit, Recycle and Reuse
Eco Efficient, sustainability, natural materials and regrowth.
Rebuild the community and make them proud of their home.
Celebration of trades and opening up local job opportunities.
81.
SPACES The next few tasks are for building the brief for this proposal. Here is a visual list of spaces that I feel the building will require to achieve the manifesto and the rebellion’s aim:.
PUBLIC
Lobby
Assembly Hall
Cafe
Educational
The assembly hall is the key space within this building where talks and events will be held for the community. These will be aimed at rebuilding the community and protecting the planet. The community can come together to brainstorm ideas or learn which will be essential for the area to adapt to future living. The diversity of the space and the potential community building makes this space so important within this building proposal.
PRIVATE
‘Flying Factory’
Briefing Room
Victorian Mock Up
Ceramics
Masonry
Timber
Outdoor
Lockers
Glazing 83.
SPACE LANDING
Glazing Workshops Ceramics Lockers Briefing Room Outdoor Workshop Education Masonry Lobby Assembly Hall Victorian Mock Up Timber Workshop Toilets Cafe
85.
REFLECTION
Through this investigation I have delved into Alcester Road and it’s Victorian heritage and found a productive way of saving the past whist creating a future. So, where to next? Further investigation into Victorian buildings is needed throughout the design process to ensure the influence and meaning is seen within the design. Decisions on how best to celebrate the Victorian buildings whilst giving it a new function need to be made with meaning behind to back these decisions up. And the main step from now is to constantly ask why.
THE BRIEF
To design a space the unites the community, gives history a future and helps heal the planet. The space should be a headquarters for the Retrofit Rebellion that manifests the army’s ethics and advertises their existence, which makes a Victorian retrofit design non-negotiable. The space should cater for: education, community events and skilled work in retrofitting, and must have the earth’s best interests at the heart of the design.
87.
RETROFIT REBELLION By Rebecca Davies s18110389 ARC6011 Design Exploration Portfolio Submission 2021