PROJECT CATALYST
CONTENTS SITE ANALYSIS EMOTIONAL ANALYSIS PRECEDENTS CLIENT PAGE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTED UNIT CONCEPT CLADDING BUILDING INTRODUCTION ELEVATIONS AND GROUND FLOOR ADDITIONAL FLOOR PLANS CROSS-SECTION ACCESS STRUCTURE BUILDING MATERIALS SKETCHES MODEL MAKING
Narrative on next page
EMOTIONAL ANALYSIS PAGE 1 - PHOTOSHOP COLLAGES Construction sites - Heading south from the site, following Oldfield Road are multiple construction sites for luxury flats. These must be acknowledged as new tenants have the potential to contribute to additional traffic around the site Busy road - The busy Crescent Road is directly north of the site, with buses and cars causing most of the noise around the area. EMOTIONAL ANALYSIS PAGE 2 - MATERIAL ARTEFACT Graffiti - The derelict areas around the site are heavily vandalised with graffiti. Private land - The unused areas around the site are all private land and require authorised access to enter. Red bricks - The buildings that surround the site are mostly red brick buildings. This impacts on the project design as I intend to make the building to stand out in the area in order to bring the community together. Existing Buildings - There are two existing buildings next to the site. The first building is to the east and is right next to the site. The second is south west to the site and blocks a lot of the sun light entering the site during the afternoon. The iPhone box represents the modern style of the existing buildings around the area. Rubble - Most of the surrounding area is littered with rubble.
By Precht The Toronto Tree Tower is an 18-story building that combines residential space with communal facilities including a cafe and workshops for the neighbouring community. The structure of the tower is mostly consists of pre-cut Cross-laminated timber panels with additional elements in concrete and steel. Each unit featured in the tower incorporates a personal balcony large enough for greenery to be grown on. These vegetation features act as natural privacy and cooling for each unit and is a fantastic idea for encouraging occupants to grow their own miniature gardens on their balconies.
By ARTEC Until 2018, Treet (‘Tree’ in Norweigan) was the world’s highest residential building made from engineered timber. The 18-story tower contains 62 modular units. The buildings main structure consists of Glulam truss work, while 385 square meters of CLT were used for elevator shafts, staircases, internal walls and balconies. The use of engineered timber materials in this project is my main source of inspiration for my project. The use of CLT and Glulam (highlighted in red, top right image) will be incorporated into my design. As Glulam is pound-for-pound stronger than steel, the material is used to replace steel truss frames. Glulam will be used in the interior ans exterior load bearing walls of my modular units.
(Inexhibit, 2020)
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Privacy
Sociable
A retractable sofa bed in every living room allows friends to stay over.
Independent
First year in University is often the first time that students are living away from their family. Designing an adaptable unit with removable walls allows the clients to configure their space and gain a sense of belonging in their new home.
Energetic
The units needs to accommodate as much space as possible.
Busy
Students always have submission deadlines on the horizon, a study area and desk in every unit will support a strong learning ethic and is essential in every unit.
Slidable doors will allow the clients to control the amount of daylight entering their home, as well as offering additional privacy in the unit. Clients will also be encouraged to grow their own gardens on their balconies to support urban forestry, this also adds natural privacy to their home.
Bathroom
Most students would prefer their own bathroom in order to maintain their own level of cleanliness within it.
Bed
ž sized beds will be standard with every unit.
Desk / study area
All students require their own desk for productive home working.
Personal Space
All units will feature sufficient living room space to house at least 3 people at a time.
Eating area
Every student will have a kitchen area with a fridge and freezer, with counter tops for preparing food and cupboards for storage.
Fresh air
Every unit will have a private balcony as fresh air is vital in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PAGE 1
DEVELOPING THE CONCEPT
1. THE UNIT
The hexagon was chosen for the unit design as it is considered ‘natures most efficient shape’. The use of hexagonal units creates a stable structure when units are connected.
4. TOWERS
The pyramid design was altered to form a series of towers. The designs would feature larger units for multiple clients at the bottom while housing single client units at the top of the tower.
2. ITERATIONS
When duplicated other the units or a honeycomb Manchester worker design to associate
5. THE HIVE
and placed next to each form a hexagonal pattern effect which links with the bee, therefore allowing the with the heritage of the area
The multiple towers were condensed into one structure to maximise site space, forming a neater and more symmetrical building that houses every client in a singular complex. The large units were also halved to house double the amount of tenants.
3. PYRAMID
A stable structure was desired without the need for a lots of support. The first unit structure design was of a pyramid, due to the shape’s stability.
6. ACCESS
Access to the structure became a concern; to avoid complicating the design while still keeping it adaptable, an additional access structure was designed. Positioned directly behind the units, the structure allows clients to access their homes. The adaptable design enables additional units and floors to be added to the design in the future. The top level of the complex always houses multiple client units due to the removed load bearing internal walls.
ACCOMMODATES: 1 Client INTERNAL WALLS: 200mm 100mm (wardrobe and storage cupboard) EXTERNAL WALLS: 300mm UNIT INCLUDES: The use of sustainably sourced engineered timber materials, including Glulam and CLT presents a critical environmental advantage over other materials like steel and concrete. The lightweight materials allow for ease of transportation, reducing The Hive’s carbon footprint. The material also enables prefabrication of the building’s structure off-site, enabling a less disruptive construction process.
¾ sized bed Personal bathroom Storage cupboard Wardrobe space Personal kitchen area Desk / Table Slidable bedroom walls Retractable sofa bed 43” television Private balcony Plant pot
ACCOMMODATES: 3 Clients INTERNAL WALLS:
200mm 100mm (wardrobe and storage cupboard)
EXTERNAL WALLS: 300mm UNIT INCLUDES:
x3 ¾ sized beds x1 Personal bathroom x2 Storage cupboards x3 Wardrobes x1 Large kitchen area x1 Kitchen island x3 Desks Slidable bedroom walls Retractable sofa bed 43” television Large private balcony x2 plant pots
VIEW FROM THE CRESCENT
The primary objective for this project is to provide sustainable modular units for first year Salford University students and an environment that provides everything a first year student needs. The Hive is a complex that includes single client and 3 client homes. On the site’s courtyard, students are provided with everything they need for a perfect first year including a public pool + gym, bike shed and hire unit, a study area and a laundry unit. The Hive is situated only 0.8 miles from the Salford University campus and 1 mile from Salford Crescent Train Station. Opposite the accommodation building is the student bar The Old Pint Pot. The site is the perfect spot for first time University students. To encourage students to spend money on local businesses, The Hive does not feature any bars or fast food units on site in order to encourage clients to spend money on local businesses like Chungs Chippy, a fish and chip shop to the East of the site and the Old Pint Pot, the student bar to the North.
VIEW FROM HULME STREET
Looking North from Hulme Street this is the view of The Hive courtyard. In addition to the City view, all units are South facing in order to maximise the natural light entering every home. The Hive’s design was purposely intended to look ‘incomplete’ with spaces left in the unit structure. This is to represent how adaptable the design is and if there is a demand for more units they can be ordered , transported to the site and added to the complex. The courtyard features no car parking area on site in order to encourage students to use their bikes to reduce carbon emissions in the city. There is a bike shed unit on site where you can also hire bikes.
VIEW FROM SALFORD ROYAL HOSPITAL
The unique aesthetic of the project contrasts with the area, largely populated with red brick buildings. In order to achieve this goal the glass used for the access structure is coloured blue. The on site pool, gym and supermarket units are accessible to all students as well as the public. This creates an opportunity for the local community to experience the performance of the design and it’s power of bringing the community together whilst still boosting the local economy.
VIEW FROM HULME STREET
The distinct hexagonal pattern created by the design of the modular units are intended to establish a honeycomb pattern that links with the Manchester worker bee - an iconic symbol to the area. This was to associate The Hive with the heritage of the area, a design that the community recognises. The units are specially designed with load bearing walls. The internal wall in the centre of the single units are load bearing, which allow for other units to be carefully stacked on top of each other to form The Hive. The internal wall of the single units also separate the pods into two independent homes. Controlled amount of glazing and open space on each unit balcony increases energy efficiency and contributes to the environmental goals of the project. The greenery on the balconies allow for natural cooling in the homes and as well as acting as natural privacy and shading. Each balcony features a large plant pot which encourages clients to grow their own miniature gardens for their homes. By doing this it increases urban forestry and reduces carbon dioxide emissions on the site.
SITE PLAN
Model 1 is the access structure. This was the first model that I made. It helped me to develop The Hive design as I was able to place different unit concepts in front of the model in order to work out what design worked best.
Model 2 is the unit structure. Due to my home environment I did not have enough materials to create the 101 hexagonal units that The Hive features. I substituted these units for toilet rolls, a representative structure, to present how the units may look in front of the access structure and if the project design would function.
I used toilet rolls to replace the hexagonal units as they allowed me to create rapid fire models that helped to develop my design. The model above shows a tower concept that I considered for my accommodation design. The design was later abandoned as the number of towers required to house 100 clients covered too much area available on the site.
Model 4 is the final model of the Hive. This model helped in creating. The Hive design as it gave the best possible physical perspective for how the concept would look.