COMPONENT 1 Rachel Lowe
Concept 1- Natural & organic vegan restaurant.
Concept 2- Juxtaposition & contrast art gallery.
Concept 3- Linear connecting place or community Infrastructure
Commercial
Design brief and specification I aim to create an information and art centre that will allow the local community in Rainham to understand their heritage and what their area has seen through time. The aim of the centre will be to inform and inspire generations and to breathe some life back into a derelict area. Rainham, like most of London, is a built-up area with little parks or community centres. This has led to many areas along the Rainham marshes to become derelict and in need of rejuvenation which is why I think that a community information and art centre is just what this area needs. By following my theme of juxtaposition and contrast, the centre should attract people from all areas of East London. It should also provide services for the local community, such as a local café looking out onto the Thames and a small museum and exhibition centre. Specification: It must have; • Disabled access such as ramps, lifts and wide doorways. • Disabled, male and female toilets. • A café and restaurant. • Gallery/exhibition spaces • Information centre • Gift shop • Function rooms • Indoor and outdoor seating areas The way that the light reflects through this window produces an interesting pattern on the floor
This building demonstrates a perfect contrast between old and new materials
Because of where the site is situated, I will need to consider many different things in order for the design to in keep with the theme but also not stand out too much as the Rainham marshes is a nature oriented place and public park. To do this I will need to consider:
Use of colour: • Using complementary colours to tie the whole thing together • I could use different colours to create zoned spaces • I will need to keep the colours quite muted so that the centre doesn’t look out of place in the middle of a modern residential area Manipulation of light: • The placement and size of the windows • Including sky lights and glass rooves Use of materials: • I will have to consider the way that the different materials that I use work together • The qualities of the materials will need to be considered so that I can manipulate them into different forms
Location 90m
68m
66m 98m
105m 50m
This area is very close to the concrete barges, a historical landmark that is the remains of concrete, iron rod-enforced ships from World War II. There are 16 of these barges and they have been sat there for decades. They were once towed across the channel as part of a project to create artificial harbours for the Normandy landings, helping to move men and equipment to the shore and to transport fuel to other ships engaged in the invasion. This site is situated on the Rainham marshes. Many things will have to be considered when designing this centre as it will be surrounded by a landfill site and it neighbours a Tilda rice factory. This means that transport cannot be blocked and all roads that are currently there must stay there.
Site visit
The Diver: Regeneration The piece is inspired by the artist, John Kaufman’s own family history. His grandfather was a diver in the London docks in the 20th century. The sculpture stands as a monument to this man and all working men of the area who have worked in difficult and dangerous conditions.
Running pirate theme throughout the Rainham marshes
The only piece of information on the whole of this site is an information board near the carpark. It gives a very brief history of the barges and the area, including that just upstream from the barges there is the old site of Murex Limited which used to be Rainham's main employer. They specialise in extracting and processing raw metals. Tilda now occupy this site and stand as one of Europe's largest rice mills. This sign also gives you a map of the barges and displays a historic picture of the site in the 1930s.
Juxtaposition
& contrast
Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre Changsha, China This Culture & Arts Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects incorporates a contemporary art museum, an 1,800-seat theatre with supporting facilities and a multipurpose hall. It’s design is very organic, with pedestrian routes flowing through the middle of the buildings to connect to neighbouring streets. It provides fantastic views of the Meixi Lake and gives the local community access to new parks and walking trails on the lakes festival island. There are areas for outdoor events to take place and for sculptures and artwork to be exhibited.
Fuzhou Strait Culture and Art Centre Fuzhou, China Located in Mawei New Town, facing the Minjiang River, the Arts Centre connects cities and communities along and over the Taiwan Strait and it connects people to culture. The cultural programmes of the Centre are complemented with commercial and entertainment services to create a modern hybrid complex. The design takes inspiration from the petals of a jasmine blossom. Five jasmine petals are represented by the opera house, concert hall, multi-functional theatre, art exhibition hall and cinema centre. They are all linked by an interjoining roof terrace.
Multi-aged community centre Poggio Picenze, Italy The design intent of the new complex is to revise the work the "Grande Cretto" by Burri, built in Gibellina and realized in white concrete. The new centre maintains many characteristics of the previous project, but it also conveys new ones. The zig-zag elements evoke imaginary cracks, in remembrance of the earthquake occurred in 2011. The building is covered in wood and in green making sure that the project aims at giving a positive value to nature. The roof is covered with grass and a series of coloured wires on which some vines climb.
Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater Fallingwater is a house that was designed by Frank Lloyd wright. He is a historical architect who inspired the modern/ organic art movement in architecture with this house in 1935. it is situated in rural Pennsylvania. Its built partially over a waterfall on Bear Run located in the Allegheny Mountains. It was designed as a weekend home for the Kaufmanns and is known to be one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most beautiful designs. Its currently designated as a National historic landmark as of 1966 and in 1991 was named “best all-time work of American architecture”.
Model inspired by Fallingwater
Developing and including colour in my models
Primary research
Model 1
Paper models
Model 2
This paper model could very easily be transformed into a community pavilion. Accessible to the entire public
It could be positioned where the view of the Thames is the best
Could also be used as one of the main buildings as round spaces are highly uncommon which would make my design unique
Key meeting point for groups
Model 3
Model 3
Sketchup development of model 3
SIDE ELEVATION WITH MAIN ENTRANCE
FRONT ELEVATION
The manipulation and development of my third model has lead to this SketchUp interpretation. Majority of the structure will be created from reinforced glass in order to let a lot of light into such a massive structure. This is a very linear design as I have used straight lines and basic shapes to create a very dynamic design. BACK ELEVATION
SIDE ELEVATION
From creating a CAD version of my sketches, I was enabled to see how well a building of this type would fit in the space. I now know that this design doesn’t fulfil the maximum potential of the site or meet all elements of my specification, so I recognise that it needs further development.
Sister pavilion
Current site
New site
My client has revised the brief and this new site, they have requested that I create a sister pavilion to the new centre. It should follow the same theme of juxtaposition and contrast, but somehow enhance the natural environment that it will sit in. Due to the location by Dragonfly Pool and Aveley Bay, the view from the pavilion will be some of Rainham marshes’ finest, therefore my design should make the most of this fact.
Functions of pavilions A pavilion can function as many things, including: • Shelter • Café • Market space • Seating/ meeting point • Amphitheatre • Event space This mood board displays an array of different types of pavilions to help with my decision on what the function of my design should have.
Metropol parasol Seville, Spain
Metropol parasol is the worlds largest entirely wooden structure, known in Seville as Las Setas de la Encarnacion (Incarnation's mushrooms). This structure contains 6 mushroom-like parasols and is inspired by Seville’s famous cathedral and ficus trees that are grown and found in the nearby Plaza de Cristo de Burgos. There are 4 levels to this structure, level 0 being an underground museum displaying roman remains found in Seville, level 1 being the central market space at street level and levels 2 and 3 are shops and restaurants open to the public. On top of this, there is a rooftop walk that is popular to tourists as it allows access to fabulous views across the city. The wood used to construct this structure was birch due to its straight qualities, however the design violated the limitations of this material and had to be changed and developed many times as adding more materials would make the structure far too heavy, leading to a collapse. They decided on glue reinforcement as the best alternative, but because of the expensive redesign the cost of this project amounted to around 100 million euros.
Ficus trees that the mushroom shape originated from
The interlocking design is based off of Seville Cathedral's expansive vaults
7 separate canopies
Metropol parasol manipulation and development
Arranging the shapes in a way that fits with my site
Reassembling the basic shapes used to formulate the original design
Creating a plan view of my first proposed idea
The Serpentine temporary summer pavilion The serpentine gallery is an art centre situated in London composed of two buildings either end of the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park. One building dates to 1970 where it was designed to be a tea pavilion, and the other was designed in 2013 by Zaha Hadid to function only as a gallery. The Serpentine is renowned for its temporary summer pavilion that allows a new architect to design a pavilion to sit outside of the serpentine in the heart of Kensington Gardens each year. The temporary pavilions last for 3 months each to provide a multi-purpose space for gatherings and a multitude of events. The designers involved in this project include Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Toyo Ito and Frank Gehry to only name a few.
(2001) Daniel Libeskind
(2009) Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa
(2007) Olafur Eliasson & Kjetil Thorsen
Much like the serpentine pavilion, I could create my sister pavilion to function as many different things. I believe from my research that from doing this I will have used the space as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Vincent Callebaut Vincent Callebaut is a Belgian architect born in 1977, who is seen as one of the best eco-prospective and visionary architects as he creates complex designs addressing global environmental and social issues, harmonizing man with nature. Callebaut has over fifty projects to his name, his eco-visions being been known to surpass any human imagination as he challenges conventional solutions to push all architectural boundaries with his designs. Architects like Callebaut bring hope to future design, as he shows with great success a determination to change future architectural design for the better and abolish the use of raw materials by making sustainable design look good. Many architects have already followed in his footsteps as each of his green project showcases have combined bioclimatic rules and renewable energy in an effective way. Callebaut’s work is a key example of modern architecture, as his designs are very successful in combining nature with man.
From studying the form and concept of the Tao Zhu Yin Yuan Apartment Building designed by Callebaut, I have decided to interpret the interlocking structure and copy the concept of this building to create a piece of carbon absorbing architecture.
MAKING MODELS This model is based off the Tao Zhu Yin Yuan apartment building. Because the location that I have chosen has beautiful 360-degree views I am going to create a roof terrace on each of the canopies and this will be the staircase design leading to the top in the centre of each one. It could be made from easily sourced materials and would be very easy to put together whilst also being environmentally friendly.
X ray sketches of different floors of Lilypad
Lilypad manipulation and development
One of Callebaut’s most celebrated designs is this proposed scheme to provide a long-term solution to rising sea levels with a floating metropolis. Lilypad was a proposed scheme for an auto-sufficient amphibious city based on the shape and floating nature of a Lily pad. It was built to provide a space for climate refugees, a subset of environmental migrants that have been forced to flee from their homes due to a certain climate crisis which would be, in this case, extreme flooding
Combination of ideas
Based on my model and the Tao Zhu Yin Yuan apartment building I creates a spiral staircase that leads to a roof terrace on top of my pavilions.
This CAD model is a combination of my double helix structure model and my manipulation and developments of the Metrapol Parasol canopies. The three shelters are based on Lily-pad by Vincent Callebaut, each one having a roof terrace accessible by stares that rotate by over 360 degrees once you reach the top. The roof terrace is to maximise the beautiful 360 degree view of the Thames, Dragonfly pool and Aveley bay.
I believe that this structure is a very coherent final solution as it combines the use of nature in design with the ability to enhance nature with design. The creation of this project will be completed as environmentally friendly as possible to ensure that minimal damage is caused to the precious environment it will stand on, especially considering the fact that Rainham marshes is a nature reserve. Although, my pavilion will give easy access to hotspots such as the dragonfly pool and one of the Thames’ many beaches.
Viewing my rendered design in context
Linear model
This model brilliantly demonstrates the effect I am trying to create with my art centre. It shows a possible layout for the site, including exterior and interior elements.
Developing a simple model into a building design. Gift shop and information centre
Hired event space
2 storey teaching spaces
Main gallery space and entrance hall
Restaurant
Café with outdoor seating
Viewing corridor (best view of Thames)
Combining ideas
I decided that the original model didn’t include enough room for all of the specification points. By adding this large side structure, I have created an event space and clear entrance to the design.
North
West
North-East elevation
South-east elevation
East
South-West elevation
South
Interior layout
These two triangular shaped buildings will act as study and office spaces above ground, and slope seamlessly into the ground to provide an underground car park.
This building will provide a ground floor gallery space and first floor museum and information centre on the history of WW2 and the concrete barges that this centre was originally inspired by.
This long corridor will provide a view of the Thames at one end, and views of the Rainham marshes at the other.
This two storey long room would be split into two extensive rooms to create an extravagant but classy restaurant and a café, both with ground floor access from reception as well as outside. There will be an extensive outdoor patio for customers to sit and enjoy the view of Rainham marshes in the summer, and it will be covered to provide shelter in the winter.
This building creates a hired event space that’s available for the local community to hire, with the best views of the marshes and access to birdwatching stations outside of it.
This area would be the main building entrance hall. It would have a striking central feature much like the atrium in the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre main building.
Hired event spaces
One side of the building will provide a spectacular space that could be used for wedding receptions.
Viewing platform and corridor This long, tall and thin corridor will have to include a design feature that encourages visitors to walk the length of it, such as this snake of LED lights that leads from one end to the other.
The main building will be completely separate from the event spaces so that when they are hired out, complete privacy can be supplied. The only connection between the two will be via the viewing corridor that suspends over a lengthy courtyard outside.
The viewing platform at the end of the corridor that overlooks the marshes will double up as an outdoor birdwatching station
Gallery space and museum
Restaurant and café
The gallery will provide work completed by local artists and within the community centre, and the museum will be a monument of WW2 providing history of the area and the part that this community played in WW2. Imperial war museum, London
Pier Arts Centre, Stromness
Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Cold War Museum, Jutland
A completely juxtaposing outside space to inside space will intrigue and draw customers into the restaurant and café.
Entrance hall
Study and office space
The highest point of this entire site will be where the two classroom buildings meet above the entrance hall. Here I will create a glass atrium to join the two together and create a focal point in the main area of the building
Studies show that well lit and comfortable spaces make the most effective and productive work environments. By adding panels warmly lit from behind to the spaces that have tall ceilings, I will be able to achieve a cosy feel to my study space.
Award winning commercial office spaces
The idea of having curved walls that are lit up all around the edges sparked from Zaha Hadid’s design of the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre to contrast the harsh and linear exterior.
Often, sloping rooms can feel confined and claustrophobic, but I have alleviated this feeling by creating sky lights all along the roof to allow as much natural light in as possible
By having a mezzanine level above the main entrance of my design it makes the building seem more welcoming as it creates a social hub. It also supplies visitors with a place to meet and relax. The welcome desk will be the focal point of the room, so it must be well designed as it will draw people in though the front entrance.
Linear model development
The development of this model was inspired by the form of a praying mantis. This x-ray photograph of a praying mantis shows the similarities and like my model, demonstrates brilliant juxtaposition and contrast.
The main inspiration for my pavilion will be the wings of a praying mantis and the intricate honeycomb form that they possess. This will be an excellent example of biometric architecture
Biometrical architecture inspiration Much like the wings of a praying mantis, most natural forms are created with a mathematical precision and therefore provide excellent foundations for a building design,
Cross section of a Venus basket sponge shows where the geometric pattern on the gherkin originated from.
The Gherkin- inspired by the Venus basket sponge This interpretation of a natural form is the exact effect I want to create with my pavilion. I stands out from the high rise buildings that surround it and shows a modern variation of biometrical architecture.
The Eden project- the worlds biggest greenhouse
The shape of the Eden Project was inspired by the natural formation of bubbles. The inner structure is made from a lightweight steel frame and coated in two layers of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer in a geodesic, hexagonal form. The entire structure actually weighs less than the volume of air that it holds inside of it.
The Elytra Filament Pavilion manipulation and development The interlocking design of this pavilion is based on the shells of beetles, also known as elytra, a light and strong form. Its made of glass and carbon fibre with each canopy being produced by an intricate winding method to create a honeycomb structure. I believe that the design of this pavilion is extremely clever because of its ability to fill any space it is placed into and how it adapts to any area because of the interchanging shape.
String model development based on Elytra Pavilion
A string model was the best way of conveying this interchanging pavilion design, as it can take any shape that you create so is very adaptable to the site. The shape imitates the microscopic patterns found on the wings of a praying mantis, which is what the shape of my main building design is based on.
Pavilion design
A small model demonstrating what the roof of the pavilion will look like in reality.
Designing a pavilion so that it can be accessed from all areas of the site is the most practical solution. This diagram is to prove how adaptable the pavilion is, and if the ground of the site changes for any reason then the pavilion can change to best suit it.
Developed model
Adding the trees and people really gave me a sense of scale and an idea of how my model would work practically
CAD development
Elevation 1
Elevation 2
Elevation 1
Elevation 3
Elevation 4 Elevation 4
By developing a rendered CAD model I am now able to see a successful visual of what the card form would look like at the correct scale in respect to its surroundings. You can now evidently see how easily accessible this building will be from all angles, and also its been made obvious where the front entrance will be placed on the main building because of the open space in front of it where the pavilion should be situated.
Elevation 2
Elevation 3
Final model
Some elements of this building are underground, so I have shown this by creating two levels to my model and adjoining them by stilts.
The pavilion
This abstract version of my pavilion has been hand twisted from a single piece of wire.
Rendered interior- student study space
This student study space is the brightest and airiest location on the site. I have maximised this feeling by including floor to ceiling windows to create a dual aspect space at one end. The pointed nature of the room imitates the bough of a boat, so by using a light cladding on the walls I have increased this feeling, so now the room appears to be a modern twist on a nautical theme. As well as this, in the two main meeting rooms, I added massive sky lights so that light floods the room at all hours of the day. The intention was to also add sky lights on the main ceiling, however I thought that this would take too much away from the green roof that sits on top of this building. Instead, I have seamlessly placed LED lighting around the room to give it a natural bright feeling. I have tried to separate the room into two zones, one end being a relaxing space with sofas to chill and take a break on and the other end being a buzzing work space that is a constant hive of activity.
Meeting room 1
Meeting room 2
Children's play area
Rendered interior- main entrance
Information desk
The main entrance will offer a range of facilities to the local community, including a welcome and information desk to sign in and get directions, a small café, a children's soft play area, an atrium full of luscious plants and plenty of seating all on the mezzanine level. The roof is entirely made of glass to create a focal piece and to lighten the space up.
Rendered interior- Gallery
The end of the gallery building will be a wall of glass.
The gallery will be a clean white and bright room covered completely in marble with a wall of glass at one end to provide beautiful views and also allow a lot of light to enter. The interior layout should be minimalistic much like the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre
Final model evaluation From the very start of this project, I knew that it would be a challenge due to the extremely large sight that I chose. In the brief given, I was told to provide for the local community an art and community centre following the theme of juxtaposition and contrast. I believe I have very much fit that brief, due to the fact that my building would stand out from the other buildings in that area because of its unique and linear design. However, it does not stand out too much because of my inclusion of the green rooves over the main building that incorporate the green surroundings of Rainham marshes. Because my site was so large, my model had to be fairly small meaning that I could not include all of the detail that I wanted to, but I compensated for this by providing renderings of certain parts of the interior so that I could display my creativity and passion for interior design in another way. Using SketchUp and ArchiCAD to render the interiors of my design really allowed me to view my model in the perspective of being an actual building rather than just a concept. I focussed mainly on the exterior design of this project due to the fact that it holds more of a wow factor than the interior. The inspiring architecture forms that I have used are much more interesting than the interior of the gallery for example, as it would be a very similar design to many other pre existing galleries in my opinion. I felt confident from the start that the linear style of architecture that I chose would work exceptionally well in this space, because currently the site is very natural and it goes with the flow of nature whereas my goal was to go against it. I believe that I have very successfully breathed some life back into this derelict area of brownfield that stood before this building, mainly by following the concept of juxtaposition and contrast. Because this site is now so different to what was there before, it allows the area to feel rejuvenated and attractive again, hopefully bringing more tourists to Rainham to discover its elaborate history and become fascinated by the architecture that will stand there. I adopted the styles of my studied artists and manipulated this in a way that worked for me, enabling me to develop some eccentric design ideas as well as studying and broadening my knowledge on the many different styles of architecture. I would have loved to explore the work of Nicolas Grimshaw and Norman Foster further because of my love and fascination for biometrical architecture. Their work incorporates natural forms as well as juxtaposing them, so this would have complimented my theme nicely. The work of Zaha Hadid was the main inspiration for my project. The purpose of the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre in china was designed to harmonise communities, so I have taken this concept and applied it to my own project, creating a harmonising, linear design that works in its given environment. The brief and specification have both been met, as every building has ground floor disabled access, space for a café, restaurant and gallery have all been provided as well as function rooms. The part of the brief that I have not developed as well however is the outdoor space. The specification required outdoor seating and apart from the pavilion, I have not provided any of this. I would have loved to develop the seating underneath the pavilion and outside of the restaurant and café if id have had more time to do so. Although, overall I believe that this project would be very useful to the urban planners of Rainham as it could provide an excellent regeneration opportunity because this building would lie on a brownfield site. Therefore, the amount of potential that this site has is abundant. It could join local communities and increase tourism from areas all over London. Most importantly, this design will provide people with a peaceful escape from city life and harmonize them with nature.