Memory Bank - Socio-Digitial Architecture

Final year P2 - ‘Memory Bank’ - Data to Things/Things to Data

Andrew Merrison Dual Architecture and Landscape Architecture Part I Graduate University of Sheffield - 2012-2015

Project Outline The ‘Memory Bank’ project was an integrated Architecture and Landscape Architecture project, combining multiple scales of design, from large scale urban masterplanning and phasing to landscape construction detail and planting design.

Due to the long-term vision and broad approach to the project, the area of focus was loose and addressed a wide strip across the Sheaf river valley between the busy Abbeydale road Antique Quarter and the residential Meersbrook and Heeley Districts.

School Yard

Site Analysis Character Section Looking north-east along the Sheaf River Valley

Sheffield City

Nether Edge Primary School

Sheaf River Valley

Abbeydale Road

Leyburn Road

Abbeydale Business Park

Broadfield Road Park

River Sheaf

Site Photos bridging the Sheaf River This central area along the river Sheaf was neglected due to long periods of industrial decline and a lack of funding from the council. The areas to the north and south are, however, prosperous and sustainable urban communities. By improving this central under-utilised space, a vibrant and diverse working community could be established.

Abbeydale Business Park

Hope and Chesterfield Lines

Heeley Retail Park

Urban Masterplan The beginning of the project focused on improving the connectivity between the Abbeydale and Meersbrook areas, by proposing a masterplan and phasing strategy for the area.

Simultaneously, work began on the Architectural design side of the project, which suggested that an ambitious and speculative narrative should be applied in order to best reflect the themes of the brief.

A list was produced of significant issues with the urban form and public services in the area, which helped to create a set of parameters for new development and conservation in the locality. Primary subjects included transport, the future of employment, and flood alleviation. It was also apparent that a movement towards encouraging nature into the city was a key drive within the local community, and this was supported by the scheme illustrated.

Present Day

10-15 Years

• Poor connectivity between Meersbrook and Abbeydale

• Historic millpond/reservoir excavated providing new habitats for flora and fauna

• Under-utilised commercial/business park

• Water body utilised for recreation, annexed to play space and climbing centre

• Need for housing

• Rejuvenated Sheaf river bank visually inking the body of water to the neighbourhood

• Significant area for development in Sheffield

• Flood alleviation provided by water body, creating variable and animated environment

• Potential for flood alleviation

20 Years

30 Years

• Development of tram and railway lines, improving environmentally friendly public transport across the city and to nearby urban hubs

• Residential development provides new axial landscape leading towards the reservoir and forming an urban spine for the valley

• New railway platform on the Hope Valley Line, reflecting increase in residential population and decrease in automobile use

• Retail and office address the corner, highlighting and reinforcing the connectivity between the two urban settlements

• Station development provides additional flexible office space for the local population for long distance workers and conferencing

Masterplan Perspectives These quick illustrations aim to provide a suggestion of the environments that could be created in the Sheaf River Valley, used as a guide for further design work, without placing too much significance on the final form of the various elements.

As a part of the narrative for the area, it was important to provide the spaces with a sense of place, illustrating a scale and atmosphere for the different locations.

Housing and Axial Landscape (above) Railway station and pedestrian crossing point (opposite)

Conceptual Illustration The Architectural brief ‘Data to Things’ or ‘Things to Data’ linked well with the themes of connectivity and social integration already discussed in the masterplan section of the project. The long term narrative for the area, as suggested by the phasing strategy, highlighted a sense of increased technological use, and integration into people’s lives. With employment adapting to the advances in electronic communication, and taking advantage of a new generation of ‘home-workers’, it seemed logical to assume that integrated technology, or ‘biotech’ would be an accepted part of daily life.

Biotech development and wide-spread use, would increase the fixation and improve the view of social media, harnessing the capacity for social cohesion and movement. It is suggested that as society becomes more aware of the worth of individual thought and experience, so the reliance on invisible ‘cloud storage’ would decrease, creating a need for a new urban and architectural form: the Memory Bank.

Conceptual Illustration depicting the conceptual links between experience, storage of experience, social collaboration and expression of statement (above) Still from TV series ‘Black Mirror’ (near opposite) Sketch of Biotech in exploded form (far opposite)

Process and Narrative

Environment creates unique experiences.

Mapping emotional and hormonal data alongside visual and audio, the individual retains a true copy of themselves during that moment in time. This is saved internally on an encrypted device.

Moving away from ambiguous cloud storage, a new physical environment for the storage of memory data is created. Significant urban bodies develop disused areas as Memory Banks, encouraging new growth, and a social hub space.

The Memory Bank can be any size or shape, but should focus on integrating people from all walks of life in an open and flexible environment, designed for change.

Within the Memory Bank hub space itself, the visitor will have the opportunity to be guided around the institution by Memory Archivists, the custodians of experiential data held within the Bank. They can help direct visitors to resources and viewing pods located in and nearby the facility, and suggest ways of interacting further with the technology and creating new discussion from the data.

The discussion surrounding publicly accessible memories helps to promote an ethos of sharing and social interaction, resulting in further debate, social commentary and social change. Alternatively, memories can be stored as private and locked within the system for personal use.

Architectural Form

Building as two blocks, highlighting the social and personal approach to memory storage. The function of the building reflects this and balances the interests and processes under one roof to create a feeling of unity and trust in the interactive service. One may move between the two spaces easily, and view the surrounding environment, celebrating the grounding of the space in its local.

The debating chamber (sphere) and the Archive library (cuboid) represent the two focal elements within the architectural form.

The Archive representing individual introspection and research, whereas the debating chamber, located at the front of the building and the busy public plaza, represents social debate and interaction.

The internal structure is designed to be as flexible as possible, with a lightweight metal grid providing a structural lattice within the reinforced portal frame. With increased legibility of the internal spaces and views to all corners of the building, the environment should appear transparent and readable

The flexibility and legibility of the space are paramount to the success of the architecture. The services and access shafts are located along the side of the building, reinforcing the structure and providing a clear route through the spaces.

The larch timber cladding and internal polycarbonate sheeting provide a soft and translucent atmosphere for the space and help to compliment the large spans of steel box trusses and glass curtain walls. This was important as the natural context of the Valley needed to be supported. The technology and related visual content helps to animate the space, and the materiality creates a calming and lightweight backdrop for this animation.

At the front of the building, facing the public plaza, large screens and viewing spaces help to create a sense of the building opening up into its environment. This creates a gathering outside, bringing people directly down the axial cross-route into the building.

Site strategy and masterplan of scheme, highlighting key features of the development (left) Masterplan of the Sheaf River Valley area, at final phase construction (above)

Landscape Design Concept At a wider scale, the Landscape surrounding the Memory Bank plays with a traditional naturalistic landscape, similar to those of Capability Brown, with follies emerging from the wetland to animate the space. These are in the form of memory pods, individual booths for downloading information into the servers, and data storage towers, which reinforce the perception of accessible and tangible data storage.

Landscape Concept plan, showing concentric circles of infrastructure and data storage (right) Axial nature of the Memory Bank and it’s position bridging the formal landscape to the north and the naturalistic wetland to the south (above and opposite)

Architectural Design The scheme was developed with help from perspective sketches (left), CAD models and drawn plans (opposite).

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Vectorworks Model

Vectorworks Model Although not modelled fully in terms of details and construction, the CAD model enabled me to quickly move various elements of the internal and external layout to reflect developments in materiality and structure, which occurred multiple times during various discussions with qualified architects and senior tutors.

Revit Model Using Revit 2017, I modelled the Architectural components of the scheme, which helped me begin to understand the internal furnishings and structure of the building, which I had not achieved to such a high level of detail in the Vectorworks model. It also helped to represent in a more concrete fashion the internal workings and relationships between the various components of the design.

Cross section (left) through the front of the Memory Bank, including the debating chamber and cafe. This gives an impression of the layers of function within the building, with the public exhibition and interaction facilities located on the ground floor (below), and the social-led on the top.

The Archivist offices and visitor information points (above) are located on the ground floor at the back of the building, and are linked to research primarily.

The various screens located on this floor preview work being carried out by researchers in the community.

The middle section of the Memory Bank (opposite) acts as a physical break between the two functions of the building, but also as a landscape tool. As the visitor journeys through the building, they are made aware first of the formal landscape and public plaza. Then, after a period of disconnect, the building breaks open and they find themselves transported to a wetland edge environment, with water tolerant woodland trees dispersed through dense ferns, marsh plants and irises.

Long section cutting through the Memory Bank, and into the landscaped spaces to either side.

Sectional elevation exploring the relationship between the Memory Bank, the Film Institute, Storage towers and wetland environment

Architectural Construction Detail Section This 1:20 section cuts through the debating chamber and front entrance into the building (opposite), showing detail connections and structural elements. The top floor of the scheme was not included in this section due to the restrictions of the submission, and the repetitive nature of the construction shown. The full building is shown above in the Revit model.

Revit Model Views of the southern corner of the scheme in a forced perspective give a sense of the scale of the project, and the complexity of the internal workings of the model.

Landscape Construction Detail Submission - page 1

Landscape Construction Detail Submission - page 2

Landscape Planting Design Submission (opposite) Early sketch of the project exploring the different landscape environments and how they work around the building (above)

Vectorworks Massing Model