Exploring Emergence: Biomimicry and its implications for the Open Campus

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

E X P LORING EMERG EN C E BIOMIMICARY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE OPEN CAMPUS

S T U D I O

I U S

{

}

2

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

C O N T E N T S

Precedent Study: The Cycle Hut

2

Precedent Study: Saint-Pierre, Firminy

4

The Wider Estate

6

Campus History

8

Tall Buildings

9

Toward an emergent urbanism

10

Flexibility & Growth

12

A Hub and Spokes University?

13

Case Study: Seed Planning

13

Organic growth of Sheffield

14

Site of Exploration

16

Investigation 1: University as Incubator

18

Investigation 2: Finding a network

20

Case study: Tokyo Rail network

21

Observing Physarum growth

22

The Site: St Vincent’s Quarter

24

EquipMment set up

26

Hypothesis

28

Get in touch: benjaminthomashooper@gmail.com @benjaminthooper benjaminthomashooper.wordpress.com

1

I U S

{ P r e c e d e n t

S k i n s }

Precedent Study: The Cycle Hut, Sheffield.

T H E

S K I N V

4.

I N T E R A C T I O N

T H R O U G H

5.

O P E R AT I O N

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

The awning and doors are pulled open, the routine interaction symbolises the opening of the hut.

Steps to the porch of the hut are assembled. The skin is expanded to support access, see below.

Customers push their bike along the ramp, the skin informs the motion of those using the hut.

City dwellers step within the skin of the building to interact with the bicycle repairman.

The bicycle is repaired within the skin of the building the city dweller trusts the repairman and leaves.

After repair the bicycle is left on the porch of the hut protected by the rain by the awning and supervised by the repairman.

City dwellers might chose to rely on the passive security of the cycle hut in future by tying their bicycle to the cycle rack outside.

The skin of the hut informs City dwellers of how they can interact with its activity digitally.

842 230 500 L IKE S FOLLOWERS REFIRBISHM ENT S

2

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

P R E V I O U S

S T U D I O

I U S

L O C AT I O N S

Cycle Hut

Edinburgh Bike sales

July 2013

Sheffield Cardiff

Birmingham

Dec 2012

ReCycle base

London

May 2013

Re-Cycle

S H E F F I E L D

N E T W O R K

social Enterprise of its context

M

T

W

TH

F

S

SU

1.

14:00

3.

08:00 6.

7.

8.

2.

F U T U R E The urban skin of the cycle hut is built upon to make it accessible to customers. Future adaptation of this skin could be built on to reflect the same theme.

Bike shop on the roof

The cycle hut is presently not accessible to all city dwellers because not all city dwellers own bikes. A bike store on the roof could offer this opportunity to all city dwellers while expanding the bike hut’s skin.

A D A P TAT I O N Staircase to the bike shop on the roof

To make the bike store on the roof accessible a staircase need to be added to the side of the bike hut this could also be used as storage for bike testing facilities.

Bike testing facility area

With bike testing equipment now stored in the staircase leading to the bike shop a bike testing area will have to be made outside a festival atmosphere will need to be created to attract people here.

DJ on the porch

A festival atmosphere will be created by a DJ playing on the porch of the bike hut.

Yurt for a poet in residence

The bike hut is based in the University to add a cultural element to the festival atmosphere a poet in residence will be invited to live in a yurt built off the side of the Hut expanding its skin.

3

{ P r e c e d e n t

S k i n s }

Precedent Study: Saint-Pierre Firminy.

Symbolism

I N

C O N T E X T

TR A DITI O N A L F RENC H · C H U RC H · S ETTIN G

Ever Present

L E · C O R B U S IER ’ S · V I S I O N

Above the people On a hill weekly pilgrimage

In Context of hills

With the people For the People

Church is the hill Pilgrimage is Promenade

Town Below

Interaction through

S T O RY T E L L I N G The resurrection of Christ Told through a downpipe

1.

3.

Christ is Crucified at Calvary.

‘Joseph of Arimathea... asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body’

‘One of the soliders, however pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water flowed out’ John 19:34

John 19:38

2.

The Father and son become Father son and Holy Spirit.

‘He said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit’ John 19:30

4

4.

5.

6.

‘Since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus There’

‘ M a r y Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance’

‘ M a r y Magdalene found the diciples and told them, “ I have seen the Lord!”’

John 19:42

John 20:01

John 20:18

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

Architect

LE CORBUSIER

Designed

Paris

1961

Built 2006

Location

FIRMINY, LOIRE, FRANCE

Materials

Firminy

CONCRETE

Cost

€7,000,000

Type

CULTURAL CENTRE

7.

9.

10.

‘The disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders’

‘Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven”

“Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”

8.

John 20:19 ‘Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.’

John 20:22

Matthew 28:19-20

John 20:19

11.

‘Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.’

Luke 24:50-51

5

{ Th e

Campus }

The Wider Estate.

The University extends beyond the central campus with student villages and areas which overlap university and city life in commercial and social terms. The universiy also has sport facilities as well as buildings run in partnership with other organisations away from the city cenre.

The Wider Estate

1 .

C A M P U S

/:kĂŚmp:s/

2 . F I E L D /fi:un

noun (pl) -puses the grounds and buildings of a university

an expanse of open or cleared ground, especially a piece of land suitable or used for pasture or tillage.

Sports.

(mainly US) the outside area of a college, university, etc

a. a piece of ground devoted to sports or contests; playing field.

Word Origin

b. (in betting) all the contestants or numbers that are grouped together as one:

C18: from Latin: field

c. to bet on the field in a horse race. d. (in football) the players on the playing ground. e. the area in which field events are held.

Military.

Playing Fields

a. the scene or area of active military operations.

Student Villages

b. a battleground.

Areas of student overlap

c. a battle.

Central Campus

d. Informal. an area located away from the headquarters of a commander.

Partnered Facilities

T h e University extends beyond the central campus with student villages and areas which overlap university and city life in commercial

and social terms.

The university also has sport facilities as well as buildings run in partnership with other organizations away from the city Centre.

90+ 85-89 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-70 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4

Female

40.0

2 0 1 3

Sheffield City Council

Event space

M A S T E R P L A N

Proposed high quality public space

Plan for the Campus

High quality public space P

T h e University extends beyond the central campus with student villages and areas which overlap university and city life in commercial

and social terms.

The university also has sport facilities as well as buildings run in partnership with other organizations away from the city Centre.

30.0

20.0

10.0

Male

0.0

10.0

Percentage by age group

20.0

30.0

Parking Medical Centre Community Hub Performance venue Primary School Improved Pedestrian Crossings Neighborhood Green Space Night Club/Music venue University Urban Grain Controlled nighttime use zone

6

P

40.0

E X P L O R I N G

C A M P U S

A N D

Urban Grain

T H E

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

C I T Y

In 2003 Turnberry Consulting were commissioned produce a development framework which looked to density the campus resulting in the IC and deviating from some of the principals set out in the framework the Diamond. The 2014 masterplan seeks to take this forward by providing University square as a centre point for the University uniting the two sides of the campus.

Although the two campuses are now united the campus itself is no homogeneous closed area it is part of and one with a wider campus of the city itself, this should be borne in mind when developing plans for its future.

University Buildings

7

I U S

{ Th e

Campus }

Campus History 1900

Mappin Technical School

Firth College

1km

United to form the University

1923

Sheffield Medical School

The Two original University buildings have provided two academic foci from which the University has grown around.

A post war boom in university attendance was facilitated by the 1953 GMW masterplan giving the university ‘a new architecture’ which led to the University’s homogeneous and fragmented urban grain.

1958

1953 GMW masterplan

1970 A n ARUP associates Masterplan in the 1970’s tried to unite the two campuses although this has been largely undermined by the placing of the A61 ring road in the 1960’s around the University the street scape became more Homogenised.

8

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

Tall Buildings 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Slender

High floor to plan ratio

High floor to plan ratio

Most 75m above contour level

Often entire block

Make up most tall buildings in Sheffield

Profile is squat rather than tall

Often do not respect existing street pattern

Randomly dispersed

Nondescript

Nondescript Grid fenestration Vertical emphasis

F O R

9-12 Stories

TA L L

B U I L D I N G S

D e f i n e gateway sites; Mark an area or site of civic importance; Mark a principle activity node within the City Centre, Form the focal points of vistas.

Consume large tracts of intricate medevil street network

Services visible on the roof

Nondescript Grid fenestration

13 Stories +

R U L E S

Grid fenestration

URBAN GRAIN L A ND M A RK BUILDINGS PREFERRED SITES FOR TALL BUILDINGS CONTOUR LINES KEY VIEWS SHOULD NOT BE INTERRUPTED RADIUS OF LANDMARK BUILDINGS SHOULDN’T BE BUILT IN

5-8 Stories

A tall building must make a positive contribution to the appearance and activity of the streetscape and not detract from the pedestrian experience at their base.

At ground level, the detailed design and function of a tall building must be in scale

with its immediate environment and contribute to the ‘sense of place’.

It is important that the ground floor uses of tall buildings are compatible with the activity of the street and the locale.

Tall buildings should aid in the permeability of their context by allowing throughblock pedestrian connections.

Tall buildings can better integrate with their surrounds by providing internal or external spaces for public access such as parks, cafes, shops, thoroughfares etc.

Impacts such as the cåreation of wind tunnels or overshadowing must also be considered.

The design of tall buildings should be striking and distinctive so that they become identifiable landmarks on the skyline.

It is recommended that tall buildings are slender in form and proportion having a vertical emphasis to its overall mass.

If a tall building is part of a larger complex then it is important to have sufficient contrast between adjacent building heights to maintain emphasis on the taller element.

A l s o important are the treatment of facades and the colour and reflectivity of building materials.

9

{ Th e

Campus }

Toward an emergent urbanism.

LITTLE

KELHAM

B A K E R Y : CORNER PLOTS

S E L L A R S

WHAT

MADE

SHEFFIELD’S DENSE

HISTORIC

URBAN GRAIN To Understand Sheffield’s Historic Urban grain it’s important to understand the building typologies which contributed to its form, these featured buildings all still exist in Sheffield but not in the university area where most of the dense historic building stock has been demolished.

Instead they represent similar buildings to those which can be seen on the 1900 map.

CORNER PLOTS Historic Centers of Sheffield like Kelham Island or the CIQ house a number of very

narrow corner plot buildings all of which have a typologically significant curved edge.

This would have been from a time when brick yards were common and curved walls were a good way of securing a street presence while using minimal materials and housing a large floor-plate.

buildings now make up popular mixed use buildings with Butcher Works offering gallery space a cafe shops and office accommodation on the ground floor with flats above.

WHEEL:

LITTLE

MESTERS

BUILT

UP OVER TIME

4.

2.

LITTLE MESTERS BUILT UP OVER TIME

3.

A typical factory typology for Sheffield these Mesters may have started as a front building with side wings and a back house added over time to form a courtyard.

C O U RT YA R D FACTORY’S Also build around a courtyard these

B U T C H E R W O R K S : C O U RT YA R D FACTORY’S

10

1. 1.

E X P L O R I N G

URBAN GRAIN TO RESTORE Sheffield was at its most prosperous and its population highest in the early 20th century by taking the urban grain of the city in the 1900’s we can start to think about how the city

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

was originally meant to fit tightly together to create new plans for a denser future.

1900’s Urban Grain Existing Grain U n i v e r s i t y Buildings

REPAIR RECOVERY

AND

Where possible development of the areas covered by the 1900’s urban grain should follow a policy of repair and restore by building into existing building stock developing in th same way some of Sheffield’s

little mesters have however some buildings run so inflexibly counter to the urban grain That it would be impossible to pragmatically retrofit density onto these therefore to recover the urban grain of these sites and despite the age of these buildings when opportunities for development

arise these should be demolished.

11

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

Flexibility & Growth TOO HIGH

Number of Students /Money

THE FUTURE

University needs to invest in new assettes

Cafe

Uncertain, lying in the ballence of few interconnecting factors

Teaching space Multi-use space

University only needs to invest in new assettes to replace old ones

Jessop West

G R O U N D University Ranking

Exhibition space

International relations

Faculty offices

Reasons for attendacne

Jessop West

F I R S

Student Fees

Scholarships & Bursaries

TOO LOW

Engineering Natural Sciences

Engineering Natural Sciences Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Engineering

Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities

F L O O R

Time

University needs to sell off some of its assettes

Arts & Humanities

F L O O R

Social Sciences

Teaching space

Arts & Humanities

Jessop West

T H I R D

F L O O R

Management Science

Core Services

Jessop West

A FLEXIBLE SPACE Contemporary University b u i l d i n g s are generic programable spaces

ideally suited to changing interest in subjects.

A colum and slab construction allows the space to provide

for a variety of faculties or student bases. As time passes faculty offices may give way to an more teaching spaces.

Resteraunt Student Housing

Jessop West

FUTURE USES Flexlble

Theatre floor plans also

accomodates for the uncertain future of the university, if the

W IT H O U T UNIVERSITY BUILDING

The area lacks a key attractor businesses struggle to find footfall necessary for success and so without critical mass the area enters decline.

12

W IT H UNIVERSITY BUILDING

Students must engage with the area simply by passing through to attend classes. Doing so gives the area passive security and the appearance of vitality.

ESTABLISHED

UNIVERSITY BUILDING

With an active footfall shops open to capitalise on the student presence, the critical mass of shops then attracts more footfall.

industry fails like Sheffield’s steel industry in the 20th century the floor plan is deep enough to accomodate

for domestic commercial uses the university is sell off the asset the private sector.

or if to to

F O R M ER UNIVERSITY BUILDING Questions remain over whether the area will return to decline following the departure of a University building or whether it will have acted to catalyse the critical mass necessary regenerate the area.

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

A Hub and Spokes University?

Area benefiting from University

Area benefiting from University

Area benefiting from University

Area benefiting from University

University

University

University

University

University m a k e s Speculative expansion into Declining Neighbourhood

Declining Neighbourhood

New University Asset

Declining Neighbourhood

The area surrounding s t u d e n t ’s commute to the asset capitalises on new trade creating a spoke.

Neighbourhood Centre builds round Asset

In times of University decline, the University can sell the asset to partnering Private sector firms, leaving behind a vibrant Neighbourhood centre.

In times of prosperity the University can then repeat the process in new areas in need of regeneration.

Regenerated Neighbourhood Centre

Case Study, Seed Planning: Parque Bibleotecha Medellin http://archkiosk.com/2013/10/03/829/

http://catalystreview.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ Infographic.jpg

The Mayor of Medellin, Sergio Fajardo believed the poor deserve the best architecture to take ownership of the community on the principal that you give the poor first class architecture you unbalance the city, those who are disadvantaged should get proportionally more than the advantaged give the poor the best take a function and give to different

architectural forms on a notion that libraries should be the seeds of growing a community centre.

They should be as different from eachother as possible.

13

{ Th e

+

S c e n a r i o }

+

+

ORGANIC GROWTH OF SHEFFIELD

+

+ + +

R AT I O N A L

N

The diagram shows only publicly accessible buildings against a Strava heatmap of where people run in Sheffield. It aims

+

to highlight an organic formation of neighbourhood centres along well traveled roads with thsoe used more often as thicker lines.

+

+

+ +

+

+ + + +

+

+

+

+

+ +

+

+ + +

K E Y Central Quarters Community Buildings Neighbourhood Centres Popular routes Unpopular routes Publicly Accessible Buildings

+ 14

+

+

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

Riverside

+

+

The Wicker

++ St Vincents Quarter

Castle Folds Castle Gate Cathederal

+ The UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD main campus St Georges Quarter

The Heart of the City

+ + +

+

+

++

The Moor

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

Devonshire Quarter

Sheaf Valley

+ ++ +

+

+

+

Cultural Industries Quarter

+

+ +

+

+

+ +

+ +

+

+

+

+

+ +

F I N D I N G S

+ +

+ +

+

All of Sheffield’s city centre quarters have neighbourhood centres, except for the St Vincent’s quarter which is poorly connected in being bound by busy roads.

These poor connections halt student movement further north of the city if well connected it could extend the reach of Walkley, Upporthorpe and Hillsborough as a vibrant city centre has connected students to far flung Abbeydale road.

+

+ +

+ 15

I U S

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

SITE OF EXPLORATION

Edinburgh

Campus

Sheffield Cardiff

City Centre

Student Villages

MOO

RFIEL

Birmingham

DS

London Area of Interest

V I N C E N T ’ S

Q U A R T E R ME

S T

I.

AD OW

Shalesmoor

GR OA D

ST

SH

ER

G.

IN

F.

SCOTLA

ND ST

H.

INV. 1.

E.

SOLLY S

TREET

OC BR

NT

ST

H

EP

RIN

1:1250

AR

O ST

RD

B. A.

ST

D.

C.

INV. 2.

A W D E

SE ST GEORGE’S CLO

GARDEN

16

ANE

DL A O BR

ST

E X P L O R I N G

A.

D.

G.

B.

E.

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

C.

F.

H.

I.

17

I U S

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

INVESTIGATION 1.

UNIVERSITY AS INCUBATOR Tomato Plant

MOO

RFIEL

DS Gineric Space frame

ME OW

AD

GR OA D

ST

AR

ST

SCOTLA

H

EP

RIN

SH

ND ST

INV. 1.

SOLLY S

O OC BR

TREET

ST

RD

INV. 2.

ST

A W ED

GARDEN

ANE

DL A O BR

18

Demountable Pinned Structure

ST

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

H Y P O T H E S I S As the tomato plant grows, it will model the sustainable growth of a private sector University partner eventually the private sector partner, (or tomato plant) will take over the entire structure, the university can then leave and begin a new spoke elsewhere.

The structure of the frame is demountable and pinned if the tomato plant wishes to wrap round or remove a truss it can.

The investigation begins to represent a manifesto for the University as a paternalistic incubator of ideas and businesses, flexible and open to change.

19

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

INVESTIGATION 2: FINDING A NETWORK I

I I

I I I

A

A

A

A

B

B

B

B

Two datums are placed within Proximity of each other, providing there are no mitigating environmental factors the Physarum will spread the radius of the datum in infinite directions.

To produce mass the single celled slime mould the groups together to form intelegent strands.

E N V I R O N M E N TA L Multiple Datum

+

+

P H Y S A R U M

M I T T I G AT O R S

Over time cells will cluster around links to the most efficient network leaving only the most efficient route remaining.

M O V E M E N T Lighting

Physarum moves by pulsing around once every minute, near sources of food it pulses quickly informing movement towads the food source, in light or cold conditions it pulses slowly attracting cells away from the source.

A

A

A

A

B

B

B

B

+

+ B

The most efficient networks to the datum form tubes to pump nutrients back to the body of cells. Cells which grew away from the datum retract back into the mass of cells.

Physical Obstruction

A

A

+

I V

+ B

P O LY S E P H A L U M

Network

Nodes

Datum

H Y P O T H E S I S Physarum grows to create the most efficient networks between nodes but also indicates secondary nodes which may also be successful points of connection.

20

In doing so they model the networks of people across geographies and can be used as a tool for predicting where regeneration may be most successful.

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

CASE STUDY: TOKYO RAIL NETWORK

H Y P O T H E S I S In 2010 Physarum was proven to mimic the rail networks to cities in the Tokyo bay area, from this it wouldn’t

0

H O U R S

NODAL SHIFT + +

+

+

+

+

+ +

+ +

+

+

+

+ +

+

+ + + + + +

+ +

+

+ +

+ + +

+ +

+

+

+

+ +

+

+ + + + + +

+ +

+

+ + +

+ + +

+ +

+

+

+

+

+

+ +

+

+

+ +

+

+ + + + + + + +

+ +

+

+ +

+

+ +

H O U R S

+ +

+ +

+

+

+ +

+

2 4

+

+

+

+ +

H O U R S

+ +

+ +

+

+

+ +

+

1 2

+

+

+

+ + + + + + + +

+ +

+

+ +

H O U R S

+

+ +

+

+

6

be unreasonable to deduce that physarum is an accurate model of human networks.

+

+

+ +

+ +

+

+

+

+ + +

+

NET W O RK S

21

+ +

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

OBSERVING PHYSARUM GROWTH

Emergence from a point

New Lines of Flight emerge

Lines of Flight cover new territories

Trajectories of lines continue new lines of flight emerge from these.

22

E X P L O R I N G

New territories are reached and the initial

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

Etcetera.

trajectories are subverted

23

I U S

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

THE SITE: ST VINCENT’S QUARTER

The Site for this experiment will be Shalesmoor otherwise known as the St Vincent’s quarter, the site is of special interest as the only of Sheffield’s eleven quarters with no discernible neighbourhood centre acting as well on a block to access areas further afield such as Walkley and Hillsborough.

The model has been constructed with a vacuum formed topographic site model suspended on four threaded steel rods. The buildings are constructed with layered clear acrylic, it was aimed the model could then become a wipe down test-bed for experiments.

24

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

25

I U S

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

EQUIPMMENT SET UP

Perihpheral light

L I G H T I N G

The effect of the topography can be replecated by lighting, people prefer ont to climb hills therefore steem hills may be indicated by direct spot lighting on hardest areas to climb

Bright Light Edward Street Flats

26

E X P L O R I N G

Mappin Building

North Campus

E M E R G E N C E :

S T U D I O

I U S

Paradise Square

27

{ Th e

S c e n a r i o }

HYPOTHESIS

28

E X P L O R I N G

E M E R G E N C E :

I would suggest results will be similar to the

heat-map of peoples walking activity, yet the network

will allude to new opportunities for development by

P H Y S A R U M

T O K Y O

S T U D I O

showing routes.

I U S

secondary

N E T W O R K

A R E A

N E T-

W O R K

29