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Water pipeline
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Between the central structures are the pipelines that pump river water to the machine core to be filtered and than distributed to the individual rooms along with and air circulation
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On ground level the path around the outside of the park gives access to the gym modules / walking machines from where they are able to climb in and run on a treadmill out into the river to harvest energy for the spa.
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The spa is situated on the river edge close to the wear, this location was the most adequate area for the fundamental processes of my building such as the walking machines and the reverse osmosis pipelines to be in the river from which the building get power. The overall structure of the building is based on the processes of the journey the occupier must take to reach their goal of this meditative experience that they have come to seek. 5 central crane like structures radiate out from a single spot from which different layers of spaces are suspended in the trees. The first of these layers is the machine core, than the access points which consist of 5 different staircases giving access to the different service rooms. From the service rooms the occupier finds themselves on an elevated walkway up in the trees and than the serviced rooms where the occupier can relax within the environment created by the machine.
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Spa from above
Core Structure
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The core structure is made up of 35 circular space frame columns of which are made up of 200 mm diameter tubular steel. From this there are 3 different sizes, the largest (facing outwards) is 40 meters in length and also the widest at 2 meters. The columns facing inwards are at three quarters scale therefore they are 30 meters in length the large size of these columns is because they take most the weight of the suspended rooms, the pool reaching more than 500 ton in weight, and they are the direct link to the ground. The crane structure branching out from these are exactly half scale to the larger frames
Foundations
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a The foundations are the fundamentally what connects the building to the ground, this building has quite unique foundations as there is no standard large single hole that is filled with concrete and piles, instead throughout the structure there are 112 large angular concrete blocks that spike out of the ground creating their very own landscape. But although they provide an architectural feature to the sub levels of the building they fundamentally have one purpose, to keep the building standing. Due to the massive forces in tension and compression the foundations must take tremendous strains and therefore although small with respect are deeply rooted with pylons reaching 10 meters below ground level. Although there are 112 separate foundation blocks that are dictated in shape and position by the spaces and frames above them, therefore they are arranged into 11 different types within the different structures. They are fundamentally the same but slightly different in shape.
Section cut of generic foundation component showing how the tension in the cables are fanned out into 20 separate smaller cables and than fanned out further and embedded into the concrete.
a. Silicone flange to stop moisture from entering inner spaces.
b. ‘O’ ring clamp keeps cables tightly packed as they leave the concrete base
c. First circular disk clamp fans out cables to 300% diameter d. Second circular disk clamp allows cables to be faned out further to 600% original diameter
e. Final solid steel anchor clamp cemented into the foundation itself
f. Steel re bar structure embedded in concrete circle entire anchor mechanism
1. Central foundation core for all primary cables 2. Anchor points for pullie wheel 3. Anchor points for winch mechanism 4. Anchor points for walkway supports 5. Anchor points for outside core structure columns 6. Anchor points for interior core structure columns 7. Anchor points for hot tubs utility rooms and cloak rooms 8. Anchor points for machine core and changing rooms 9. Anchor points for sauna room 10. Anchor points for restaurant and plunge pools 11. Anchor points for swimming pool
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The idea of a pipeline in a suburban park is quite controversial but an essential part of the structure and concept of the machine landscape. With respect to the systems and considering that nothing is possible without the systems being able to receive water to create energy and a suitable environment for a spa, this is the first step for everything.
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The pipeline extends from the machine core, stretching over 70 meters across the landscape just above head height, therefor there is no need to dig up the ground to lay pipping but also does not interrupt the walking path that runs under the building but at the same time is still present to people following the path. Once the pipe line reaches the river edge it dips into the water where the large copper openings at the front take in water rushing down from the wear
Although this is only the beginning of the process of the machine this device is a machine within itself, creating its own power for its own processes from its pumps and generators, these processes give no power to the central machine itself but the central machine does not have to give power to run the smaller machines on the water edge. By separating up the systems into their individual processes rather than having one overall process creates a more efficient way of creating the power and utilities needed for the spa. This technique also takes into account that if one of the components were to break down there will be other components to make up partly for the loss, where as in the case of one overall unit breaking down the entire system breaks down. The machines work as a colony rather than an individual.
1. Part of water intake is split off and runs through small hydroelectric generators 2. Electricity created from the generators allow 5 pumps, smaller than the central units, to create a higher pressure for the journey the water must take and to allow the reverse osmosis systems to work efficiently 3. Once enough pressure is generated water is passed through a micro fibre membrane that filters the water to make it pure enough to swim and relax in
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Sketches showing how a reverse osmosis unit works, this way of filtering water was selected because of its modular formation and its incredible reliability and efficiency as there are no moving parts. The lower sketch shows the first analyses of how the systems will work together and be distributed.
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Building Systems
Lithium storage batteries: preserving abundance of energy from hydro electric generators
The systems that keep my building running are fundamental to the concept itself as when I speak of the systems I speak of the identity of the machine, the machine that allows people to feel the heat of the steam, the cold of the water, this ‘system’ is what gives the individual that connection to their inner selves that they have come to seek, as the park is a place to get away from suburbia, the spa is a place to get away from the normal of reality all together.
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Hydro electric generators: receive water from river pipeline to create energy to distribute to the building
The connection between the person and the machine is and a shallow level unnoticeable, yes the inner workings of the building is on display much like the centre du pompidou. But this is on display for an entire different reason, a deeper reason of connection and the understanding of the served and the serviced, and when that mutual respect and understanding for these separate but intertwined components is understood the building has no longer become an ascetically cold mass of cranes and pipes as the inherit beauty in the machines that we create for ourselves is revealed on an entirely new level
Cooling, heating and air circulation intakes: using energy from the generators and water from the pumps these cool and heat the water whilst also circulating air throughout the building
The machine heart (Fig 4) on a more mechanical level is the central systems hub of the building, there are other sub systems around the building that will be presented later but this structure provides the majority of power to the modules. Although using conventional mechanisms which require a large amount of power to run several systems have been put in place to ensure that next to no energy is waisted through heat or unnecessary processes. Such as the batteries, which produce large amounts of heat when in use and being charged are insulated but at the same time water passes around the cylinders, aiding the heating of the water rather than heating the outside air. The pipes and systems are clearly visible throughout the exterior of the building but this theme continues in a more descriptive manor in the interior of the service spaces (Fig. 2, 3) colours representing their purposes, Yellow: electrical power. Red: cooling, heating and general air circulation. Blue: water.
Water Pumps: these high pressure pumps circulate water throughout the building and distribute it to the service and serviced rooms
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Fig 1: initial concept sketch of machine core
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Fig. 2, 3: pipes running through changing room and cloak room
Fig. 4: explosion of machine core Fig. 4
Walkway Detail
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The left detail shows a section cut through the walkway which the individuals must walk across from the service rooms (changing rooms and cloak rooms) to the serviced rooms (pool, sauna, Turkish baths, hot tubs and restaurant) the paths, in keeping with the identity of man and machine follow the pipes coming from the machine core. This exterior exposure, although seeming odd is necessary in the proses of the ‘journey’ that the individual must take to reach their area of relaxation. This environment allows the individual to become distracted from the original intention of reaching the serviced rooms, weather it be the picturesque view in the summer or the harsh temperatures in the winter it empathises the identity of the environment that they enter next. 1500 2000 2266
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The right detail shows the delicacy of the steps with much more accuracy. There is an intent of gaps and views from the walkway above to the park down below as the machine and your environment is elevated, literally and metaphorically, above the park but there must still be a connection from above and below, a concept first explored in the structural concept model shown earlier
Movment Model
This 3D model represents the flow of movement throughout the building, examining the shape without the visual aid of the physical structure of the building allows you to realise that the visual identities of both structures are very similar, showing that the way the people use the building is very similar, if not almost identical to the way the machine distributes services throughout the building, allowing for the relationship talked about so much between the two identities to be understood. Although this relationship between the individual and the machine is the central philosophy of the building there is another layer which is more relevant in this diagram rather than the physical building. This is shown in the two different colours of movement paths shown. The white is the elevated walkways and rooms, the path of relaxation and calm, the black however is the original perimeter path of the park which runs directly underneath the walkway shown earlier. This path has small routs branching off going directly underneath the serviced spaces themselves to the waters edge. This is where the gyms or walking machines briefly explained earlier dock to the outer faces of the serviced rooms. People running along the path can branch off and climb up into one of the walking machines and continue running on a tread mill to generate energy for the building, this will go into more detail further on The overall intent of the way people move throughout and below the building is to create layers and connections between the above and below, the relaxation and the exercise, the machine and the person, the park and the structure, theyare all connected by what the people do around the environment they are situated in
origional concept sketch of moving through different identities of the building
Stairway Detail The first point of access is the stairway, the path the building elevated above, as shown in the top elevation earlier, they are spread out across the open grass land of the park. This concept of not creating a physical path to the entrance gives an anonymity and an awkward accessibility to what is on top. The individual is entering, not because the architecture tells you to enter. The individual enters because of the attracable interest of finding out what is above. It is an adventure of the unknown. The true identity I the architecture within is hidden, kept away and masked from the outer environment as it is an environment all on its own. This experimental adaptation of how a building is used sums up to create the experience first realised in the concept of what a spa can become and it begins with a person making the first physical steps up this stairway.
this detail shows a section cut through one of the two central coloums that rises up through the staircase. 20 mm stainless steel tube 300 mm in diameter Silicone ring preventing moisture from seeping into the fixtures and interior of column 200mm hardened steel bold, 16 in total circling the column Stainless steel fins circle column to provide more support to base Re enforced concrete base, cast in situ
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Diagram of the structural tensions and compressions within the space frame. The pool room is the best example of how the frame deals with the rise of forces towards the centre of the frame, as the forces increase the spacing between the columns decrease therefore increasing the rigidity of the frame to counteract this
explosion diagram of the seperate substructure witin the box frame
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From the core structure hangs 11 modules, 5 of these are the service spaces, 5 the services spaces and 1 being the machine core structural frame from which the components are suspended. Each one of these spaces, although generically similar in appearance and structure have individual space frames and substructures suited to deal with the specific loads of what each space contains. Some of the spaces are near identical in either purpose, weight or shape and therefore have identical structures, such as the male and female changing rooms.
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This render shows a perspective section cut through the swimming pool module, the largest and heaviest of all 11 elevated structures because of the large mass of water it must contain. It therefore requires, structurally more interior and exterior support to stay ridged in suspension. . It is easily visible from the exterior to see the extra bracing required on the outside, such as the unique tubular steel structure and having three cable supports on each corner rather than one. But the structure beyond the cladding is not visible.
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Although a building being unique in concept and overall design the structure of the suspended spaces are somewhat conventional in framework, using steel ibeam box frames over which the cladding is simply bolted on. The cladding is a fibreglass honeycomb composit structure coated with a reflective black polymer, the cladding therefore acts as another layer of insulation whilst also efficiently absorbing as much heat as possible from direct sunlight due to its black colour.
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this detail shows a section cut through the top of the entrance, wall and cealing, showing the ibean joints, cladding technique and insulation placed between the ibeams
Conection Through Movment The walking machine has harvested energy from the river currents, as the jogger turns around to start running back as they run back the structure starts to bow, the arms of the walking machine retract meeting the structure to connect and supply energy to the people within. This more organic process than architectural culminates in a machine organism, individual parts providing individual services, by themselves they are simply a machine performing a task but together they allow the machine to come to life but only when the individual occupies its spaces.
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Winching Mechanisms The mechanism making the serviced rooms able to dip by 5 meters to allow the walking machines to feed energy to the central structure begins at the complete other side of the building. 5 heavy duty winches, similar to what crawler cranes use to operate loop around a large wheel. From which the lower set of cables traverse through the central structure using the guide mechanisms (fig.1, 2, 3) to the tip of the core structure, from which the final cantilevered steel columns lowers.
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This complex mechanism brings the building to live, changing heights and moving throughout the day as runners use the walking machines to harvest energy, every part of the structure is performing a task at one time or another, visible and understandable throughout the east side of the park.
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Fig. 1: lower sub winch - object A on previous page
These inserts show a detail of the control mechanisms that allow the winching cable to run through out the core structure whilst keeping the tension in the cable in equilibrium to create a stable structure.
Fig. 2: cable cross member - object B on previous page
Fig. 3: upper sub winch object C on previous page
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Water level of river Fig. 5 The walking machines allow the identity of the ‘machine’ to transform into a more natural organism, it moves and acts like a life form crawling across the river floor, its arms extending down into the water as the hydro electric units become submerged, gathering energy from the currents and storing it within the canisters on the sides of the machine. Than once fully charged they walk back to give energy to the central structure.
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Belt drive and small simplistic version of a gearbox attach to treadmill within interior of walking machine
Fig. 1: explosion diagram of hydroelectric turbine arm Fig. 2: 1:50 section cut of walking machine Fig. 3: detail of storage tanks and charging rod Fig. 4: detail of walking legs Fig. 5: elevation showing movement of arms
Although from the rivers edge these life forms may look as if they are walking themselves they are powered by human energy, the individual running on a treadmill, the machine uses the person to harvest energy this reversal of roles creates an mirror image of the philosophies of the central structure. Now the individual is providing a service to the machine, this circle of dependance is a core value within the many layers of the spa.
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1. Pressure sealed end cone 2. Cable socket 3. Rear water resistant shell component 4. Electromagnetic motor 5. Dual propeller unit 6. Harness attachment 7. Cage frame protector for propellers
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The connecting rod allows for the walking machine to dock and attach onto the outer face of each serviced room. This directly charges the power units within the serviced rooms, of which if any excess energy is built up it is transferred to the machine heart
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