Name: Alec Borrill Student Number: 07027752 Academic Year: 4
Module Number: Module Title: Unit:
ADP030N Design Level 4. Subject and Context Unit 2. Rik Nys. The Space In and Between
Building as the Pin Hole OMA, Kuntshal, Rotterdam. Creating apertures in the building form allow chance happenings of light to penetrate the dark spaces.
Building as a Frame DACA, Hayward Gallery, London. Fascinating shapes created out of the profile of the building form. This frames the sky.
The Route as a Shadow DACA, Hayward Gallery, London. Here an indicated route is enforced with the continuation of shadow on the walls and the ceiling.
Frame of Space Foster + Partners, World Port Centre, Rotterdam. Horizontal planes allow for observation but also distraction.
Creating false Perspective Studying the aperture of light in the OMA building and the space created. Change in scale and atmosphere of the ‘set’ as the light is introduced from alternative sources and rotated in another way.
Scale and Atmosphere Rotated model and lit from a different aperture creates a dramatic change in atmosphere and scale.
Casting the Pin Hole Where previously the lighting occurred in the distance of the photo, this is the point where the wax is thickest; resulting in patches of darkness radiating out along the perspective lines.
Casting the Pin Hole Casting the volume of the model with a semi-translucent material, paraffin wax, enabled the final moulding to be back lit, in-turn creating an inverse of the original image.
Sketching with Light To develop an understanding in the way light creates space the unit completed a sketching workshop with the artist Rose Nag.
While referencing the images on previous pages I studied the creation of areas, perspective and spaces through sharp shadows.
Edges were defined by contrast. This enforced the understanding that lines do not exist in reality, they are only changes in light on surfaces and in different planes.
Cuba Lying at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands.
Sancti Spiritus City The site is located in the city of Sancti Spiritus, the capital of the province of the same name. East of Havana, the city occupies a central position on the island.
Havana Like nothing I have experienced before. The city is dense with history and drama. The buildings, in various states of repair and architectural styles offer a variety of architectural design influences and concepts.
Sancti Spiritus “Is it a city?� Coming from London and Havana, Sancti Spiritus was like no city I had visited. The intimate scale throughout the town, the pattern of the layout. There is an almost humble, dignified, unassuming quality to the streets and the people there.
Ind
n
n epe den
nel
egÛ E. L
Coro
cia
Baya mo Sa
n Cir
iac o
05
A. RodrÌguez
Building Typologies and Occupation Scale 1:100 1 1+ 2 2+ 3 3+ Residential Commercial Public Ca Òa d
a
Educational
Higher Education Restoration Projects Agramonte and University Site
Ag ram on te
o
edo
Pe dr oL eÛ n
nd
oR Cir
Calle De Cespedes: Points of Interest Alessandro Milani Ben Smith Francesca Gianuzzi Ilgi Karaaslan
Escuela de Cespedes: Internal View of Formation Patio towards Street Despite the relitlvely intact apearence of the elevation the school itself was derilict. With the same experience at the Escuala de Panchito Gomez Torro the common nature of this freed the design: retention of the existing elements was not a requirement as it was not a unique situation within the city.
Escuela de Cespedes: Street Elevation Two colonial mansions form the elevation to the street. To the right is the home of the Canizares Vera family.
b
a
Neigbouring Courtyard
Director 14 m2
Office 8 m2
Classroom 25.5 m2
Male Toilets 12.6 m2
Classroom 28.8 m2
Library 53.8 m2
Female Toilets 7.2 m2
Teachers Space 12.1 m2
Calle de Cespedes
Workshop 19.4 m2
c Formation Patio 228.4 m2
School Entrance 18.8 m2 d
d
Courtyard Photograph
Store 7.3 m2
Admin. 6.9 m2
Secutary 15.6 m2
Workshop 15.6 m2 Food Prep. Store 9.2 m2
Canteen 48.5 m2
Classroom 20.8 m2
Classroom 35 m2
Textiles Workshop 11.5 m2
Joinery Workshop 27.5 m2
Classroom 19 m2
Electrical Workshop 16.7 m2
Electrical Workshop 22.7 m2
Workshop 25.4 m2
e
e Computer Room 30 m2
Office 13.4 m2
Utility Room 13.3 m2 Metal Workshop 15.5 m2
f Prototyping Patio 104.9 m2 Store 7.6 m2
Changing Room 8 m2
Joinery Workshop 28.5 m2
W.c.
Canizares Vera Family Courtyard b
Existing Plan In the ten days we spent in Sancti Spiritus the group utilised the total station equipment to complete three site surveys of the respective sites. Using methods of photographic, electronic and sketch surveying while collaborating with the Cuban architectural students we managed to accurately record and produce ‘as existing’ plans, elevations and section drawings for all sites. Scale 1:100
c
a
f
Escuela de Cespedes: Street Elevation Survey Two studies are undertaken here: 01: Sketch survey of the existing elevation. 02: An analysis of the variation of spaces and thresholds between the pavement line and the building facade. This second observation also highlights the importance of rhythm the openings provided, tying the elevations to their neighbours and the whole street.
Street Elevation and Existing Sections Calle de Cespedes Elevation Section aa Section bb Scale 1:100
Existing Sections Section cc Section dd Scale 1:100
Existing Sections Section ee Section ff Scale 1:100
Canizares Vera Family Approached by the Grandfather on the street and invited in for coffee, this family offered me an insight into the real Cuban life. Over the 10 days spent in Sancti Spiritus they aided my understanding of the needs of the Cuban people, their hopes, worries and needs. Most of all, the experience of sitting with the family for dinner and meeting their friends, integrated me into the project further. The requirements of the country were presented to me as a primary source, not thought the government but through the Cuban people themselves.
Formal. Planned. Unoccupied. Iglesia de la Caridad y Plaza Maceo Calle de Cespedes The square addressing the church is shaded with trees providing a welcome relief from the narrow city streets. Boardered by roads but the space planned dictates the surroundings.
Informal. Planned. Occupied. Escuala de Cespedes, Calle de Cespedes Building layout dictated by street layout. The streets become additional rooms. Shaded by the eaves of the houses. Narrowness limits exposure to the sun throughout the day.
Formal. Resultant. Occupied. Cuadrado de Labori Calle de Cespedes The resultant space is dictated by the street layout. Statue used as a focal point. Atmosphere more of a street than a formal square.
Informal. Resultant. Occupied. Market Place Calle de Cespedes Presence of the market place and its need has shaped the street layout over time. Origional layout has relaxed to allow for deliveries while enabling traffic to continue to pass.
Considering the sense of urban identity which came from the angled street market area there were rare chances where a road would change character through a brief elevation change.
Despite the visual change the wall still divorces the road from the space, creating only a subconscious sense of space.
Here the space has become fully integrated into the road environment. The previous examples occurred where the back-to-back plot system was broken, resulting in a garden open to the road. In this instance this space occupies the front of a house, a conscious design decision.
The User Stood outside waiting for school to begin. The narrow pavements offering both a small amount of waiting area and direct contact with the hazards of the street.
Pragmatics of Child safety With the re-use of buildings throughout the city, several colonial houses have changed program. Here, children queue in the road for school to open. Movement into the site would provide a space for the ‘accommodation’ within the city and a start to the design.
Market: Street Identity Development The angular space created in the street outside the market hints at the role the use of the building had in the shaping of the road layout. These diagrams map the process of issues and solutions. Over time the city moves its urban thresholds to accommodate the peoples and the buildings needs.
School: Creation of Street Identity considering Pragmatics of Child Safety The city will need to change once again to accommodate the needs of the new school. I propose recessing the threshold to the school back into the site, combining the concept of urban change with a conscious creation of a public / private threshold space in front of the building for the children.
Holloway Road Here the urban edge echoes the concept. The tight space suddenly opens up, allowing you a chance to observe the recessed building elevation. In this sense the children would approach the school, rather then simply arrive at a door. The bollards here define the space, while allowing people to weave through, deciding their own point of entry and exit.
Building as City When visiting the arts institutes outside Havana, the feeling of a alternate scale was apparent. Here in an tight urban setting, the idea of creating a building is considered with the aesthetic of a small city for education. Referencing the important element of variant roof forms found throughout Sancti Spiritus results in a similar aesthetic.
Colonial Single story. Over-size street scale. Ceiling heights offer maximum heat convection. Psychology of the space, the high open ceilings are not oppressive, therefore the room feels spacious.
Colonial Developed Enough height for two levels.. Over-size street scale. No large environmental benefit of increasing height over 2.7m from ground level. Large amount of materials used to achieve the aesthetic of a light space. Scale not really appropriate for workspaces for children.
Scale / Environmential Proposal Single Story. Humane street scale. Open space up to 2.7m. Smaller module roofs, angled give effective heights to rooms of 4.7m. Scale feels more appropriate for a school environment.
Scale Our subconscious allows us, as adults, to read these surrounding buildings as single story, when the reality is their height is equivalent to a 2 / 3 story building. The scale of the school reflects this with consideration to the users.
Calle de Cespedes 03
01
02
Development of Threshold Space Studying the layout development of the two colonial mansions using the survey plan the lines of the original formal rooms to the street are apparent. These inform the layout of the proposed public / private threshold space to the Calle de Cespedes. 01: Doors and Windows, Space definition, Rhythm of the street. 02: First wall, conceptual reference to the elevation of Mansion 106. 03: Second wall, conceptual reference to the elevation of Mansion 108.
Spine Wall This element of the existing school made access from one room to another difficult. The proposal reverses this, focusing the clarity, movement and understanding of the school on this axis; while retaining the historical reference of the two plots.
The Brief The brief asks for more accommodation than can feasibly fit within the site (even without the street recess) on one level. The model above is a volumetric study of the total number of room volumes needed to fulfil the brief.
Layout Referencing the room layout of the original houses. Determined to proposes a disabled accessible school without the need for a lift required a ramp. To achieve a floor to ceiling height of 2.7 m the ramp would need to be at least 45 m long, excluding landing spaces. Rasing the building would also effect concepts concerning the scale of the building.
Level 01 -1.600 m Below Street Level Practical Workshops Space Canteen Audio Visual Room Level 02 0.000 m - Street Level Public / Private Formation Square Building Entrance Reception Teachers Rooms
Proposed Layout Working with the ramp on the position of the existing spine wall the solution to both the scale and the arrangement of the building is resolved by considering the site and the levels in a different approach. Instead of two set levels, ‘street level and first floor’, the proposal treats the street as a ‘half landing’. From Street Level (02) you enter the school, with a clear understanding that the ramp access connects both the Lower Ground (Level 01) and the Upper Ground (Level 03). Steps then connect Level 03 to First Floor (Level 04) which houses teaching accommodation. Security and ‘Frame of Space’ Continuing the tradition of the introspective building typology (the courtyards of the colonial house), the school limits the views to the outside. The teacher accommodation, with horizontal views, occupies the ‘buffer’ between the publicly accessible Formation Square and the workshops and classrooms. This is to provide security to the children, while also avoiding the disruption to their classes from the street; referencing the concept of horizontal planes allowing observation but also distraction.
Level 03 +3.000 m Above Street Level Theoretical Classrooms Computer Rooms Library
Level 04 +4.300 m Above Street Level Meeting Room Teachers Rooms
Roofscape Model The model enforces the idea of the building as a city. The variation of the direction of the roof forms are enhanced by the shadows. Testing the method of a single repetitive module. Each room has at least one ‘hood’ which faces North, South, East and West; maximising on any natural wind ventilation across the site through direct capture and negative pressure.
Light Study Model to test changes in atmosphere within the theoretical classrooms throughout the day. All photographs are identical in their view; the movement of light and shadow alone distorts the perspective of the room.
Building Study Model to study external spaces and scales created.
Street Elevation The volumes of the school, informed through the original layout of the site, create the entrance space. The forms of the elevation are expressed differently. The upper level is hung with hemp fabric, allowing teachers to monitor the street area through the concealed windows.
Inner Yard The space where the ramp begins and the user first understands the building layout. Here the scale of the split levels is most apparent, allowing the pupils a chance to look down into the canteen and up and across to the classrooms. The roofs break the scale down, reflecting light and creating random patterns of shadows across the space.
Ramp Access Where once the spine wall divided the two plots the ramp ties the school together. This main access route offers a high level of clarity to the school layout.
Sectional Study Model to study internal spaces and environments created. Study of textures and material language.
Workshop Study Sectional model to study the workshop spaces. As the light moves over the site voids in the floor above this highlights different areas within the workshop area, providing a changing atmosphere throughout the day.
The open plan allows for communication between the trades, establishing an environment to understand all of the materials being used. The work benches are positioned beneath the spaces occupied by the rooms above. Open spaces are allocated for ‘site’ works.
Spaces rise through the building, connecting the workshops with the theoretical level and the sky.
Workshop Study Light spills into the spaces from punctures in the slab above. The light dictates the feeling of the space, altering scales and perspectives every hour.
Viewing Tower To appreciate the context of the school within the surrounding buildings this offers a vantage point to see across the roofs.
External Treatment The concrete frame is exposed, educating the user to the buildings construction. in filled wall panels of Hempcrete blocks, finished in a rubbed lime plaster break up the impact of any direct sun. Hemp fabric covers the walkways, protecting the children waiting outside for class.
Theoretical Classroom When the pupils enter the room the roof form and outline of the sky will change, creating varying apertures for the sunlight.
Doors to the classrooms are constantly changing light installations throughout the day, displaying the effects within.
Theoretical Classroom In contrast to the textures and finishes on the outside the classrooms are finished in a seamless plaster, to focus the students. The hoods to the sky alternate the light within through the day.
Structural Aesthetic The buildings primary structure is assembled from a series of pre-cast concrete columns and beams. To achieve seamless lines, (with one column accommodating up to 4 beams) the reinforcement bars are extended out, and ‘hooked’ onto those in the columns core. The resulting volume is then filled with concrete (see diagrams bottom right).
Primary Pre-cast Concrete structure
Interlocking Hempcrete infill block wall
Pre-cast Concrete roof elements
Primary Pre-cast Concrete structure column and beam components
Interlocking of reinforcement around the columns central core
Fill volume created with concrete to join all components.
Integrated into the studio work my ATA Prototyping Architecture focused on the development of a new building material for Cuba; to combat both issues of local material shortages and concerns with soil erosion the island is suffering from. Proposing the cultivation of Hemp crops (integrated within the annual sugar harvest) resulting in the production of a Hempcrete pressed block lead me to develop a new fully dry construction system, which requires little training and can be consructed at speed. Since completing the ATA project, my studio work has developed the aesthetic of the blocks, chamfering the lower edge of the outer face, which results in a strong shadow gap, to define the panels of hemp blocks within the frame. The rough, irregular nature of the material, in contrast to the smooth concrete frame is retained, with a hemp and lime rubbed weatherproof finish. As the sun moves over these two different materials it will be both reflected and create fine shadows, reducing the glare that a smooth concrete wall would create. This effect, coupled with the pattern of shadow from the hemp fabric, creates a rich and varied backdrop to intrigue and engage the children throughout the school day.
a
Audio Visual Room
Workshop Area b
b
Fire Escape
Rainwater Pump Room
Material Store
Material Store
Equipment Store
Cleaner Store
Canteen
Female Toilets Male Toilets
a
Proposed Plan: Level 01 Scale 1:100
Staff Changing Room
a Neigbouring Courtyard
Headmasters office
Dept. Headmaster Office
W.c. Formation Space Exhibition Space Playground
Teachers Secretary b
b
Reception
Calle de Cespedes
Fire Escape
Inner yard Exhibition Space Lecture Space
Maintenance Access
Canizares Vera Family Courtyard
a
Proposed Plan: Level 02 Scale 1:100
a
Theoretical Classroom
Theoretical Classroom
Theoretical Classroom
Computer Room
Computer Room
b
b
Theoretical Classroom
Theoretical Classroom
Calle de Cespedes Female Toilets Library Male Toilets
a
Proposed Plan: Level 03 Scale 1:100
W.c.
a
Meeting Room
Teachers Preparation Room
Roofscape tower b
Teachers Preparation Room
b
Calle de Cespedes
Teachers Preparation Room
a
Proposed Plan: Level 04 Scale 1:100
a
b
b
Calle de Cespedes a
Proposed Roof Plan Scale 1:100 The spouts protruding at this level direct the rainwater away from the building surfaces. The roof system creates a network of gutters, all leading to the perimeter of the school, which is offset inwards from its neighbours to provide light to the workshops and Canteen at Level 01.
Proposed Street Elevation Calle de Cespedes Elevation Scale 1:100
Level 03
Level 02
Level 01
Level 04
Level 03
Level 02
Level 01
Proposed Sections aa bb Scale 1:100