BE1341 Virtual Project 001 Document D Personal Learning Journey 07024074 Word Count 1009
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INCUBATION The assignment was to turn an existing used building, notably the Lifeboat Station in Boulmer into an education centre. We visited site in October 2016 and took measurements and photos of the whole site to help us in our studies. It was a lovely sunny day but chilly with the breeze off the sea. Due to its location the building has held up well over the years which is testament to the original builders and materials used. The place wreaked of history which was evident by the plaques on the walls and the state of the building itself and it’s a shame that it has been left to get in such a state. The plot itself is quite level so that made my choice of building easy, I wanted something that looked old but was brand new and that took into account the history of the place. Do I go for a round building or a boat shaped building? do I have one floor or two? The challenge was trying to arrange the room sizes that were required by the spec and then adding the others to suit. I must have tried a dozen times until I got the final solution that I liked.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Deciding on the shape of the building was dictated by the shape and size of the site, because of the location and exposure making the new building a giant rectangle seemed to me to be the best way to go so I did as it’s one of the strongest shapes possible, any kind of overhang would act like a kite and could cause major damage so these would be out. I thought about using UPVC for the doors and windows as well as soffits and facia but in-keeping with the area I have decided to go with oak for the doors and window’s but have UPVC everywhere else. In designing this building I used the KISS philosophy (keep it simple stupid).
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Developing the site into an education centre seems to be a simple ask but certain things need to be taken into account first like who will use the building? What age groups will use the facilities? What kind of access is needed? How will the place be evacuated in an emergency?
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The building will be multi-purpose and cater for all age groups, Young and Old alike, Mothers to be, Business parties, Bingo, Crèche, Birthday parties and even small wedding receptions, Bat Mitzvah’s and Bar Mitzvah’s and Discos, and it will be the hub of the community. With the site being level there is no need for ramped wheelchair access but all doors will be wide enough to allow even the largest of wheelchairs to pass through and all amenities will be within reach too. An eight-person lift will be available as well as an internal concrete staircase for access to the first floor, as the building will be open to the public there will be a small air lock type room that leads to both the kit store and dry rooms which will only be accessible under staff supervision. Emergency access and egress will be via the front doors or the two emergency exits to the ground floor (north and south sides of the building) and an external fire escape to the first floor (North side) in case the internal stairs a blocked. There will be five sets of toilets in the building all situated on the ground floor (Men’s, Women’s, Boy’s, Girl’s & Disabled).
DESIGN DETAIL A flat roof would seem appropriate but it would not fit aesthetically into the area so it would have to be a pitched roof and as most of the buildings in the village are stone or stone clad then this is the option that I have decided to continue. It will be a tiled roof with each tile fixed in place. There will be no openings in the roof either, just a standard pitched room. To preserve the history of the site I wanted to find a way to honour the past and present lifeboat crews which would fit into the education/teaching theme of the new building so all along the walls where appropriate I want to fix all of the plaques that are in the old life boat station now. Window and door selection is another important requirement, as the building is near the sea a nautical theme would be appropriate so round double glazed windows will be used, all of the internal doors will have portholes in to continue the nautical theme and all doors and windows will be wood and varnished. Anything that is of a nautical theme in the old building will be re-used in the new (with the exception of the lifeboat itself) where applicable. The external façade of the building will keep the stone appearance all round. Old stone that is removed in the demolition will be kept, split and fitted to the external walls. 07024074
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FINAL COMMUNICATION This has been a very enjoyable experience and I can only hope that there is more of this type of thing to come. What I can say however is that there was one big obstacle in my way, I did not know how to use Revit, just like the living pod assignment, I had never used Sketch-up before, so I sat in front of my computer for hours and while watching videos on YouTube, I followed and so on, at least I tried and I am pretty sure that my use and understanding of the software will improve over time. Once I got the basics of the software things seemed to fall into place, I can honestly say that I am proud of what I did in the time I had, granted I would like to have gotten more technical but that I will achieve in due time. I even have my drawings on the wall in the bedroom. I would like to thank David and James & Emine for being so patient, it could not have been easy.
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