DESIGN DEVELOPMENT BOOK 3. PART 2
ASHLEA MASON. 18006685 MArch OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY ARCH 7010
CONTENTS INITIAL CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES CONCEPT ITERATIONS PRECEDENT STUDIES BUILDING DEVELOPMENT INHABITING THE BUILDING
SUMMARY OF PROJECT:
THE OXFORD ALL-WAY
THE PROJECT BEGAN WITH THE BOOK: THE RE ENCHANTMENT OF EVERYDAY LIFE (THOMAS MOORE). IT IS A SELF HELP BOOK FOR LOVING THE LITTLE THINGS IN YOUR EVERYDAY. THE POINT OF FOCUS I TOOK FROM THIS WAS THE EVERYDAY OBJECT AS KEY. A ROUND UP OF MY RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY IS THAT THE THINGS AROUND YOU ARE PART OF A RITUAL, A ROUTINE AND THEY ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE UP THE EVERYDAY. MY SITE IS THE ISLAND SITE, IN OXFORD (IT IS THE TRIANGULAR PIECE OF LAND PASSED AS YOU ENTER THE CITY, WITH HYTHE BRIDGE STREET AND PARK END STREET LOCATED ON EITHER SIDE). THIS IS A SITE THAT IS PART OF THE CITY USERS RITUALS AND ROUTINES BUT IT IS NOT USED WELL, IT IS SEGREGATED INTO DIFFERENT BUSINESSES AND MOST OF THESE LAY EMPTY UNITS OR FAILED BUSINESSES. THE FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTION OF THE BUILDING IS TO BE A PUBLIC THOROUGHFARE: “A THOROUGHFARE IS A ROAD OR WAY CONNECTING ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER.” THE BUILDING WILL AIM AT CONNECTING BOTH THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE WHO USE IT BY DESIGNING FOR THE EVERYDAY LIFE THAT RUNS THROUGH IT AND REFLECTING THE EVERYDAY WITHIN.
THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON THE TRANSLATION OF CONCEPT INTO DESIGN. TAKING THE KEY THEMES AND DEVELOPING A DESIGN RESPONSE FOR THE BUILDING TO BECOME.
MAKE SPACE OXFORD IS A COMMUNITY BASED GROUP THAT FOCUS ON THE RE-USE OF DISUSED BUILDINGS IN THE CITY. THE CREATION OF MEANWHILE SPACES CAME FROM THE IDEA OF USING VACANT BUILDINGS AWAITING OXFORD CITIY’S REDEVELOPMENT PLAN, AS THERE WOULD OFTEN BEEN 3 YEARS BETWEEN EMPTYING TENANTS AND THE WORKS BEING STARTED, THEY BECAME SPACES TO INHABIT IN THE MEANTIME. THEY HAVE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL WITH BOTH THE COMMUNITY + THE UNIVERSITY (THE OWNER OF MOST OXFORD PROPERTIES) THIS METHOD CREATES OPPERTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY AND SMALL BUSINESSES AND IT CREATES AN INCOME FOR THE UNIVERSITY AS BUSINESSES ARE OFFTERED STANDARD UNITS (4X9M) AT A LOWER RENTAL COST. BUILDINGS ARE INHABITED BY CREATING A GRID INSIDE THE EXISTING STRUCTURE, THESE GRIDS ARE THE STANDARD 4X9M GRIDS AND THEY BECOME THE WORKING UNITS. THESE UNITS ARE RENTED OUT AND USED AS WHATEVER THE OCCUPIER DESIRES. SOME SPACES ARE LEFT OPEN AS WE WORK SPACES AND COMMUNITY ROOMS FOR ACTIVITIES. THE IMPACT OF MAKE SPACE CAN BE SEEN AROUND THE BUILDINGS, IT HAS IMPACTED COMMUNITIES. THEY FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE RATHER THAN THE RENT AND CREATING A PLACE TO WORK AND LIVE, A BUILDING HOSTING THE TRUE SIDE OF THE CITY.
DIAGRAM SHOWING THE METHOD USED TO INHABIT MAKESPACE BUILDINGS
EL NACIONAL IS LABELLED THE CULTURAL AND FOOD CENTRE OF BARCELONA. IT SITS, HIDDEN, JUST OFF LAS RAMBLAS TOURIST STRIP. THE BUILDING IS A RE USE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OLD VACANT BUILDING. ONCE USED AS A CAR-PARK AND CAR STORAGE UNIT. THE DEVELOPMENT USED THE EXISTING BUILDING AND MADE LITTLE ALTERATION, ADDING MODERN DAY NECESSITIES AND FEATURES. THE OPEN SPACE HOSTS SEVERAL DIFFERENT EATERIES OR BARS, DOTTED AROUND THE EDGE AND IN THE CENTRAL ISLANDS OF THE SPACE. USERS ENTER THE BUILDING IN ONE OF THE TWO ENTRANCES AND ARE ABLE TO JOIN THE FLOW. THE INTERNAL LAYOUT IS SIMPLISTIC AND OPEN, VISITORS ARE ABLE TO FLOW FREELY BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER AND WEAVE IN AND OUT OF THE OFFERED SPACES AS THEY DESIRE. THIS IS A BUSY SPACE, IN THE HEART OF THE TOURIST CENTRE OF BARCELONA, AND THE BUILDING DID NOT FEEL OVERCROWDED. THE SIMPLISTIC USE OF FLOW AND DIRECTION GAVE WAY TO CLEAR ACCESSIBILITY INSIDE AND SIMPLE NAVIGATION. THE SEGREGATED SPACES AROUND THE BUILDING GAVE ATMOSPHERE, A SENSE OF PLACE AND DESIRE TO EXPLORE FURTHER.
DIAGRAM SHOWING THE FLOW INSIDE EL NACIONAL
LOCHAL LIBRARY IS AN AWARD WINNING PUBLIC SPACE, IT IS A LIBRARY FIRST AND FOREMOST. THE WAY THIS BUILDING SERVES ITS COMMUNITY IS NOTHING SPECIAL, OFFERING A SPACE TO GO, SIT, WORK AND READ. ATTRACTING ALL AGES AND BECOMING A FUNCTIONING AND VITAL PART OF ITS COMMUNITY. THE SPACE IS LARGE, A TRAIN WAREHOUSE AND IT WAS REDEVELOPED BY CREATING AN ENTRY THAT FILTERS THROUGH THE BUILDING AS VARIOUS DIFFERENT SPACES. THESE SPACES INHABIT DIFFERENT ACTIVITY, THE SILENT AREAS, THE GROUP WORKERS, THE CASUAL WORKERS AND THOSE JUST SPENDING TIME. THE EXISTING STEEL AND CONCRETE STRUCTURE ACTS AS A SEPARATION WALL BETWEEN ZONES, AND A WALKWAY AT THE HIGHER LEVELS. THIS STRUCTURAL FRAME HELPS TO DIVIDE THE ACTIVITY AND ZONE THE INTERNAL SPACES. INTERIOR DESIGN HAS USED VARIOUS SEATING AND SPATIAL SEPARATION TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP A SPACE THAT WORKS, THE CURTAIN SEEN IN THE RIGHT HAND IMAGE IS USED TO SEPARATE SPACES FOR NOISE AND DISRUPTION. IT CAN BE MOVED EASILY TO OPEN IT BACK UP AGAIN. SINCE BEING OPENED IT HAS DEVELOPED INTO A SPACE THAT HOSTS COMMUNITY EVENTS, AS IT PROVED SO SUCCESSFULL. THE STEPPED SEATING ACTS AS AUDIENCE SEATING, THE FRONT CAFE SERVES REFRESHMENTS AND BRINGS SUBTLE NOISE. THE USE OF SPACE, STRUCTURE AND USE IS SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE. OFFERING VARIOUS SPACES FOR PEOPLE TO SIT AND WORK, DIFFERENT SPACES TO ENJOY AND INHABIT,BOTH OPEN AND ENCLOSED. THIS MIX OF DESIGN INGREDIENTS WORKED TO DELIVER A SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPACE, BY UNDERSTANDING A USER AND THE SPATIAL REQUIREMENTS.
SAT OUTSIDE OF THE TOURIST SPACES IN BARCELONA, ENCANTS IS HOME TO THE MONTHLY FLEA MARKET AND STALLS. THE BUILDING IS LARGE, AND IT IS AN OPEN SPACE, PROTECTED BY THE USE OF LEVELS AND CENTRALISING SPACE AMONGST WALLS OF STALL LOCKERS AND UNITS. AS YOU APPROACH THE SPACE, THE ICONIC ROOF IS CONFIRMATION OF THE LOCATION ARRIVAL. THE ROOF REFLECTS THE INTERNAL ACTIVITY, HIDDEN BY THE STALLS AND WALLS THAT ENTRAP THE CENTRAL SPACE. WHEN INSIDE, THE REFLECTIVE CEILING IS USED AS A WAY-FINDING TECHNIQUE, VIEWING THE SPACES AHEAD AND USING IT TO NAVIGATE TOWARDS THE CENTRE. AS THIS BUILDING IS SO LARGE IT REFLECTS ALL THAT HAPPENS WITHIN AND ON EVERY FLOOR IS STANDS ABOVE. THE SLIGHT ANGLES IN THE ROOF CATCH THE LIGHT DIFFERENTLY AND REFLECT IT ONTO THE SPACES BELOW, GIVING A WARM ATMOSPHERE. THE ROOF IS A STEEL STRUCTURE, CONSTRUCTED ON THE FLOOR AND WINCHED INTO PLACE. THERE ARE SEPARATE SEGMENTS FOR THIS TO BE ACHIEVED STRUCTURALLY AND AFFORD-ABLY. THE REFLECTION OF THIS ROOF WAS UNIQUE, IT WAS A REFLECTION OF INTERNAL ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT.
DIAGRAMS SHOWING THE REFLECTION OF THE ENCANTS VELLS ROOF