P O R T F O L I O B S C R I B
I N A /
A R C H I T E C T U R E A R B P A R T I
INTRODUCTION I n t his p o r t fo lio I have ch o s e n a var iet y o f pie ce s t h at re pre s e nt my archite ct ural f lare , an d abilit y to cre ate and deve lo p pro j e ct s
f ro m
a
co n glo m o rat io n
of
s kills . I h ave s e le cte d s pe cif ic p ie ce s re pre s e nt ing t hat I am a co m pete nt le ar n e r pro gre s s in g my s kill s et wit h e ach pro j e ct . I h ave cho s e n to f ur t he r my ab ilit ie s by un de r taking
a
range
of
co m pet it io n s ,
s o m e o f wh ich are co m p lete d an d o ngo in g.
O ve r t he ye ars o f unive rs it y st udy, I have advance d o nto large m o re dive rs e p ro j e ct s wit h b r iefs I have be e n able to ex plo re and pus h t h e bo und ar ie s . M y po r t fo lio is ar range d to dis p lay f irst ly my m o st re ce nt wo r k, to my o ld e st in o rd e r to s how whe re I stand currently and where I proceeded from.
C O N T E N T S COMPETITIONS
05
120 HOURS - PRESERVING PYRAMIDEN
07
LOCH SHIN SAILING CLUB
10
UNIVERSITY DESIGN STUDIO
15
REVITALISING VICTORIA ROAD
17
MAXIMUM IMPACT, MINIMUM MEANS
28
A CLUB FOR ACADEMICS
40
INTERVENTION AT DUNNOTTAR CASTLE
48
A HOUSE FOR TWO PROFESSORS
56
A SPACE IN THE CITY GARDEN
60
EXTRACURRICULAR
63
BON ACORD HISTORICAL SURVEY
65
MODELLING
68
SKETCH BOOK
70
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
73
C O M P E T I T I O N S
G L A C I Ä R E N 0
500 m
N
Frozen in time, Glaciären drapes its protective form around the abandoned Pyramiden. Glaciären was conceived through analysis of the location’s strengths – the landscape. The picturesque mountain-scape and shimmering fjord offer the town of Pyramiden the perfect setting. This dilapidated town, once bustling with the mining industry has been left as stark
as its surroundings. A rarity in this area of the world, the history of this once pulsing but illfated community must be brought back to life. To play to the town’s strengths we turned to the landscape to find the answers in order to preserve this piece of history, a structure that can dwell for thousands of years – a glacier. The aim for this piece was to be able to protect
the town from the harshness of the extreme environment it lies in, whilst reflecting the arctic landscape. The Glassier will harvest the inconsistent sunlight it receives through fibre optic technology so it can act as a beacon of the north. Highlighting the monument, the piece will be seen from miles away and can be explored by visitors touring Svalbard.
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LOCH SHIN SAILING CLUB
Our proposal for the new Loch Shin Sailing Club is a simple, bold, characteristic building inspired by rural Scandinavian architecture and the traditional crannogs in Scotland. The site is located on the edge of a reservoir in Sutherland, Scotland; overlooking the small village of Lairg. The views, sculpting of the land and the qualities of the surrounding landscape played a significant role in our design. The form of the building follows the landscape. Although the roof is continuous, gaps in the walls frame views out to the loch and towards the village, while also acting as shelter and divisions between the three main functions within the building: observation room with catering services, accommodation and a boathouse.
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U N I V E R S I T Y D E S I G N S T U D I O
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Torry has been incorporated into Aberdeen City since 1891; however its location, topography and social mix continue to define it as a distinct area. With its coastal location at the mouth of the River Dee, Torry shared a similar fate as other North Sea seaports: rapid growth linked to the rise of the fishing industry followed by a rapid decline with its demise. This change of economic fortune - combined with the related changes made to the Aberdeen harbour basin had a devestating effect on its citizens and their once proud, close-knit, working class ethos. While some of this spirit is still thriving in the remaining older generation, other parts of the population experience high levels of social neglect with a colleration of unemployment and social deprevation. With the rise of social problems , the reputation of the area suffered resulting in lower property values and neglected environments. My strategy for this project was to try and integrate vulnerable members of the community back into society by providing sheltered housing accommodation, new retail units and replacing the police station. I have addressed the existing building typologies to develop my form for the building, the 20th Century Church and the 19th Century Tenament Block.
FIRST FLOOR
FOURTH FLOOR
ABERDEEN SCOTLAND
THIRD FLOOR B C A
B C
D
SITE PLAN
D
GROUND FLOOR
A
BASEMENT
SECOND FLOOR
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SECTION A-A
SECTION B-B
SECTION C-C
SECTION D-D
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S O U T H E L E VAT I O N
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W E S T E L E VAT I O N
N O R T H E L E VAT I O N
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M A X I M U M I M PA C T MINIMUM MEANS
Gray’s School of Art, a sleek, modernist glass and steel construction; located in the lush, rolling landscape of south Aberdeen houses the art students of The Robert Gordon University. This will briefly assess the cultural significance of the building in which the school resides, and why it should be considered culturally significant locally and nationally.
The building, completed in 1966, is a prime example of post-war Modern architecture, found few and far between in Scotland. A hard composition of steel and glass contrasts it ’s setting of soft landscape: mature trees and cascading slopes down to the River Dee. Although a strong theme of man versus nature resides here in the choice of material and arrangement of composition, one cannot help but notice how the architect ’s vision of transparency and lightness becomes apparent, and as a result, reflects the beautiful landscape around it. These few factors alone show cultural significance, how the building settles into its surroundings, and reflects its historical period, displaying the evolution of how architecture was developing scientifically and artistically. This building for the School, was considered a great achievement, and was close to winning a prize. It was constructed in a time of great prosperity, when hopes were high for the future, yet the nation was still waiting for the tender scars of war to heal. Gray’s was lucky enough to be constructed with the cutting-edge technologies and materials. These buildings, now under frequent scrutiny and their fate, are now often crumbling to the ground. If this trend continues, an icon in Scottish architectural history may be lost.
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My concept was to try and encapsulate Shewan’s original vision as much as possible, whilst adapting the building to the new use of a conference and exhibition centre. So my architectural intent was to ‘strip back’ to the bare bones of the building and remodel with the component of the building which is timeless, it also holds great flexibilty the structure.
Removed
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
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SECTION A-A
SECTION B-B
SECTION C-C
SECTION D-D
NORTH ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
EAST ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION
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D E TA I L E D S E C T I O N
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A C L U B F O R A C A D E M I C S
This project is located inOld Aberdeen; a setting with great historical value, with buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. The following is a proposal for an Academic Staff and Alumni Private Club for The University of Aberdeen. My partner and myself created an environment in which academic staff and students could gather to relax, dine, and debate whilst in the heart of a University Campus. Due to our allocated site being positioned amongst a residential area, it was paramount to ensure that we took a respectful approach. Massing exercises highlighted to us the issue of the surrounding houses and how we would need to leave sufficient voids for natural light. By studying Aires Mateus Building Casa en Brejos de Azeitao, we were able to use certain principles and employ them in our design. The majority of the site itself is covered by our proposal, which stretches over two floors with a double-height Function Room. Three distinct sections exist from east to west separated only by an elaborate system of glazing, which encases the middle section. The structural arrangement of
our building is primarily timber post and beam, apart from the central section which is supported by existing masonry walls and glulam beams spanning from north to south. The transition from an area patterned with columns to a vast open space, creates the illusion of a floating room up above. A key feature of our design is our use of timber for structure and cladding. By using this material we have ensured a low embodied energy and low carbon footprint. This is due to timber ’s carbon neutral properties. By taking a subtle approach in terms of materials and general scale of the building, our design offers a luxurious and spacious facility, which responds well to the requirements of the user.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:200 GROUND FLOOR PLAN
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN 1:200
SOUTH ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION 1:200
SECTION A-A 1:2
SECTION A-A
SECTION A-A 1:200
SECTION B-B
SECTION B-B 1:2
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SECTION C-C 1:200
SECTION C-C
SECTION D-D
SECTION C-C 1:200
SECTION D-D 1:200
SECTION D-D 1:200
SECTION E-E 1:200
SECTION E-E
SECTION E-E 1:200
SECTION F-F
SECTION F-F 1:200
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I N T E R V E N T I O N AT D U N N O T T A R C A S T L E
My intervention proposed an imaginative 21st century re-inhabitation of part of the castle that transforms the visitor ’s experience – reinforcing the qualities of the ruin - and providing spaces that allow for a rich physical and cultural understanding of Dunnottar castle and its place in Scottish history. The spaces I proposed will appeal to the wide variety of tourists that visit – from the elderly scholar, to the small child, tour groups, school groups and families. Some will want to read in detail, others may prefer a short film; children enjoy hands on three dimensional activities. All should find the experience of moving through your intervention an uplifting one in which they are engaged by the ruins, the new spaces and the incredible landscape beyond. On the busiest summer ’s day there can be as many as 700 visitors through the Castle (and coach parties can arrive simultaneously), while in the darker winter months numbers are vastly reduced. My design houses a tourist information helpdesk, picnic areas, a library, administartion office space and a lecture area in the medieval chapel.
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GROUND FLOOR PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
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SECTION A-A
SOUTH ELEVATION
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A H O U S E F O R TWO PROFESSORS
In the project this semester I employed the skills developed so far in first year to design a simple building in a given context. The building type that I designed was a house, a type that was familiar to me through my life experiences to date and the nature of the projects I had studied in skills tasks. The site we were given for this project is the site I studied West of
the Scott Sutherland School, Garthdee, Aberdeen. The users for the project were our two visiting Architecture Professors; Neil Gillespie and Alan Dunlop.
ro
G un d oo Fl n la
rP 10
1: 0
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
LOWER GROUND FLOOR PLAN
The visiting Professors work in the final two years of the School where they run themed specialist units in the RIBA Part Two of the course. They travel to the School from their homes and practices each week spending one or two days in the school. They will require general living and sleeping accommodation and a gallery/workshop space for informal workshops of up to thirty students. The design had to utilise the material brick inside and outside the building to full architectural effect and comply with the Scottish Building Regulations. The design had to develop around the views to and from the site and be orientated to make best use of passive design. It was required to have an unobtrusive access road for emergency access and general house servicing (Bins, cleaning etc). A path for cycle/ foot access had to be provided. The design and approaches should be fully disabled accessible compliant and employ at least one level change.
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EAST SECTION
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A S PA C E I N T H E C I T Y G A R D E N
For this project during my first semester at university we were given the opportunity to prescribe our own briefs, as a result I developed a brief for my space in the city garden to be around a botanist. I was inspired by my father, a keen gardener, so it was a subject area I could expand on. This was the brief I developed for my project:
SECTION A-A
After studying botany at university for several years, Miss Anderson desires a bespoke greenhouse of her own that she can work in. This greenhouse shall give her the ability to study plants further for work and pleasure, breeding plants, analysing plant structure and so on. Miss Anderson requires her greenhouse to work around the plants she is studying. This means that her greenhouse should have variable heights for her different plant species, with temperature and humidity controlling. She also requires an adjoining laboratory in which she could work and study. Miss Anderson’s major desire is that the new bespoke greenhouse and laboratory building will reflect and celebrate the garden for all its natural forms. She wants as few manufactured materials as possible, so that her new building can have as little embodied energy as possible, so she has small impact on the environment.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
Lastly, the garden must also be celebrated with several planting areas, plants, trees and a pond. There will also need to be an area within the garden that the other residents will be able to use as a social area; this should look over the whole garden so Miss Anderson’s work can be appreciated.
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E X T R A C U R R I C U L A R
B O N A C C O R D H I S T O R I C A L S U R V E Y
This Project was undertaken by myself with a large group of 17 individuals. The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen approached us to survey historical aspects of the area of Bon Accord. Originally design by architect Archibald Simpson in the 18 th Century was inspired by the work of the Royal Crescent in Bath. The following images of 3D scanning and Mapping in the style of Roger Tannick were undertaken by myself and a sub-group(see acknowledgments).
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M O D E L L I N G
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S K E T C H
B O O K
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LOCH SHIN SAILING CLUB AMANDA VOS BLANKA BORBELY JUSTIN PONTHENIER EMMA LINDBLOM 120 HOURS - PRESERVING PYRAMIDEN AMANDA VOS BLANKA BORBELY GABRIEL WYDERKIEWICZ A CLUB FOR ACADEMICS AMANDA VOS ANDREW PACITTI BON ACCORD HISTORICAL SURVEY AMANDAVOS GABRIEL WYDERKIEWICZ PATRICK MILL PATRICK SIM VICTORIA MICTHELL ANTONELLA KATI DOCHO GEORGIEV CHARLES FOLLETT KAREN REID NIKHIL MAIR JENNIFER ROBERTSON VALESKA BLOCK HOLLY BROWN KRISTINE SENKO JULIJA LEBEDINEC SOPHIE PERROTT FIONA LOGIE PROF. RICHARD LAING
THANK YOU For taking the time to browse my portfolio of works, I hope that it has been an insightful and invigorating read for you. If you have any questions or queries regarding my portfolio or CV, please do not hesitate to contact me. Phone: +44 7989 643 902 Email: amandaclairevos@gmail.com Website: www.amandaclairevos.co.uk LinkedIn: amandaclairevos
Kind Regards,