Andreea Ioana Pirvan Portfolio Sample
Par t I RIBA UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
Studio 1 Masterplan- A new centre for Woowlich, London
Year 3 Masterplan This year our Studio worked on a group exercise to create a masterplan for Woolwich, an area of intense change in London. The masterplan addressed a string of sites located South of the A206, or Woolwich High Street, which was identified during a reasearch phase as the main physical, economical, historical and ethnical boundary in Woolwich. Measures such as traffic calming on the A206 and a series of routes accross the site were proposed in order to create a connection beteen the Old Town and the Arsenal, which is undergoing major redeveopment. The aim was to provide a meeting ground for locals and incomers by a series of Ground floor public functions and to address pressing housing and employment needs. The masterplan was then divided in four main quarters (W to E): The riverside- an entertainment location meant to bring the public to the river. Callis Yard- A cultural quarter with sports and education facilities Murray’s Yard - An entertainment quarter including a brewery, cinema and Maker’s Yard: Historic evolution from suburbian quarter to Ad-Hoc urbanism and proposed reorganisation
culinary school Maker’s Yard - A light industrial quarter providing workspace as well as housing and a District Heat centre
Research Booklet Boundaries in Woolwich Developed in a team of two, this booklet aimed to look at the physical, administrative and perceived boundaries in Woolwich. My focus was the physical boundaries, which led to a series of interpretations of time distance as a boundary towards Central London for Woolwich. The second stage of the project was interviewing people on-site to understand how they perceive their neighbourhood and the centre of Woolwich. We found that the closer people lived to the new development, which tended to be high-rise, the notion of neighbourhood changed and included a smaller surface.
Travel distance One finding of my research was that travel times from Woolwich to Central Europe are comparable to travel times within the UK. This is partly due to poor connections within London at the moment, as well as the proximity of the LCA, which enables the residents of Woolwich to be connected to Europe at similar prices and travel times as the rest of the UK.
Perceived Centre of Woolwich result of on-site survey
Where is your neighbourhood? result of on-site survey
Comparison of travel times before and after the introduction of Crossrail in 2018
Economicand ethnical boundaries Another stage of my research was attempting to understand the invisible boundaries that affect Woolwich. For this, using Census Data, I mapped out the dominance of multiple ethnicities in Woolwich, arriving at the conclusion that the Woolwich High Street is a definite boundary between Caucasian and African- American and Asian residents. Moreover, the Woolwich High Street also marks a difference of income. The result of the research was that the A206 represents a complex, layered boundary and should be addressed through the masterplan by increasing permeability across each side.
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Initial plan for Maker’s Yard 1- Woolwich Covered Market 2- Vocational College 3- District Heat Centre 4-Light industrial spaces 5- Artist Studios 6- Shared Back Yard
The upper floors
a mix of residential units and rooftop terraces
Year 3 Design Project A textile manufacture forWoolwich Along with the other proposals within the Maker’s Yard Quarter of our Studio Masterplan, he building addressed three main needs in the Woolwich, London: employment affordable housing training facilities for makers and artists This project explored the possibility of a new urban typology by including large production spaces dedicated to textile manufacture on the ground floor of a high rise live-work residential scheme. By doing so, it looked at an alternative to the typical high rise development, which provides ground floor retail. In order to offer much needed workspace in the area, this project turned to Woolwich’s industrial past for present solutions. A variety of public functions, including an information centre, a cafe, a library and teaching spaces are knitted within the Ground floor of the building in order to integrate the building with users accross Woolwich.
Introducing the public as a user of the textile manufacture Above: Co-working space for artists Below(left): Production hall Large windows increase visual permeability from street Below (right): Information centre and library
Approach from CrossrailFraming the entrance to the Makers’ Yard
Ground Floor Plan In urban terms, the massing aimed to frame the entrance to the Masterplan area as viewed upon arrival from the Crossrail station. Thus, a couple of plynth and tower structures are employed a ‘gateway’ to the Maker’s Yard.
Interior view of Information Centre and Tufting Space
Visualisation of public space within Makers’ Yard
Cross-Section Shwoing building within context of Makers’ Yard and Berkeley Homes Development
Grond Floor Production Hall Establishing an industrial language of material through a solid brick base and lightweight steel roof. Interior model 1:50
Live-work Apartment Within the tower, a series of apartments addressed the need for workspace as well as housing in Wioolwich. An industrial language that is different from that of the heavyweight plynth is established through the use of lightweight steel structure in the live-work apartments (below), situated in the lower levels of the towers, whereas a variety of family housing units is povided on the top floors (left: Typical floorplan).
An industrial atmosphere within a live-work apartment Interior model 1:20
Facade development The facade is a based on the existing industrial language of Woolwich. A strong rhythm is established in the brick base by expressing the buttressing of the loadbaring masonry, with a double window bay. The structural rhythm is continued into the tower, which is clad in steel to create a contrast between the vertical and the horizontal elements of the building. In the interface between the tower and plynth, a staircase is inserted.
Abstract Axonometric showing position of industrial and residential areas
Year 2, Project 2
A theatre for Peckham Arcola international theatre on Peckham High Street Building on a case study of Arcola Theatre, this project aimed to create a lively presence and harvest the busy activity of the high street. The building is composed of a timber auditorium, situated in the centre of the building, surrounded by a series of brick vaults which host the foyer spaces. The ground and top floor include a Jazz bar and a rooftop terrace, with views out towards Southwark.
Context current site condition: Burger King potential for a more dinamic presene to the site and theatres on the A206
Conceptual resolution Crust and Core The resolution of the project depended on a simple concept of differentiating the Auditorium, arguably the most relevant space of the scheme, or the Core of the building, and the adjacent foyer and supporting spaces. This was articulating by placing the auditorium, a ‘Timber box’ in the centre of the building, and surrounding it with heavyweight masonry vaults. Thus, the contrast of materials allowed a clear division of spaces and uses, which permeated into the construction, structure and atmosphere of the building.
Massing Creating a distinctive presence within Peckham 1:200 Models
Facade and dramatism Palazzo della Civita Italiana, Rome Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Lapacula, Mario Romano, 1943
Facade studies: starting point for articulating the corner of the site 1:200 Facade model in context (above) Materiality (middle above)
Imposing an internal grid through arches Tama Art University Library, Tokyo Toyo Ito, 2015
Interior relation between ‘aedicule’, facing auditorium
Intimacy: aedicules separated by arches and bookshelves Concept drawing
The ‘Crust’
Ground floor plan and section The auditorium is removed from the street, the ground floor being completely dominated by a bar , with an open stage with the potential of turning into a Jazz venue at night. The vaulted colonnade creates a threshold from the street and accommodates for crowds before events during rainy days.
Upper level plans There is a clear division between the performance space, constructed from timber, and its vaulted surroundings. Nonetheless, there is also potential for interaction because of the openable ply wall fillings of the auditorium. On the rooftop, the plan is delineated by the skylights which bring light to the auditorium. This creates a square perimeter which serves as a bar, then stepping down towards the edges - a terrace surrounded by an open colonnade, which frames the views out to the city.
The rooftop terrace Making the most out of the spectacular view to Southwark
Ground Floor Bar an intimate setting underneath the timber structure of the auditorium
TheAuditorium The initial intent to create a small scale, intimate auditorium merged with the desire to create an adaptible performance environmen through low-tech transformations. The design focused on strategies which would allow the space of the auditorium to open up to the rest of the building by opening of plywood panels fixed to a Glulam frame, thus spilling out into the rest of the building, and the street.
A flexible venue Different configurations within the Ttimber core
Year 2, Project 1
Mixed Use building.Yoga Studio +Actor’s Hostel Moncrieff Street, Peckham This project was an exercise in designing a small scale building which can encourage interaction between locals and visitors to Peckham through vertical layering and fluid use of spaces. A focus on the experiential aspect of the Yoga Hall emerged alongside the desire to create a dyniamic setup for potential encounters between locals and actors’ rehearsals.
Material explorations The yoga hall was designed a a sensory exprience. For this, a series of CorTen custom perforated screens were placed on the facade, in order to create light effects on the floor and partially separate the yoga students from the street. The floor,designed to be experienced barefoot,consists of different types of concrete - chiselled and smooth.