PORTFOLIO urban design + planning christopher hall 2014
CHRIS HALL
URBAN PLANNER // URBAN DESIGNER // GRAPHIC DESIGNER
EDUCATION:
EXPERIENCE:
2012 / BA(HONS) Urban Planning. Department of Town and Regional Planning, Sheffield University
2011 / Urban Planning Internship. Januarys Consultants, Cambridge
2013 / MPlan Urban Planning. Department of Town and Regional Planning, Sheffield University
2012 / Urban Planning Internship. Januarys Consultants, Cambridge
2014 / MA Urban Design. School of Architecture, Sheffield University
2011 onwards / Freelance Graphic Designer
SKILLS: Planning Knowledge / Teamwork / Working to Deadlines / Presentations / Graphic Design / Mac OS X / Microsoft Windows / Adobe Creative Suite / Trimble Sketch Up / Trimble Layout / AutoCAD / Microsoft Office / Report Layout / Photography / Model Making / Research / Learning Software / Urban Exploration
CONTACT: chris.hall47@googlemail.com 07540997299
linkedin.com/in/chrishall47 @chrishall471
WELCOME... Urban Design Thesis Project Facilitating Resilience Studio Project Castlegate Urban Analysis 1900 Modelling Urban Animations Attercliffe Area Action Plan Graphic Design Projects
URBAN DESIGN THESIS PROJECT My MA Urban Design thesis project allowed me to explore a topic close to my heart which is also one of national significance. The project explored the issues around housing affordability in Cambridge, critiquing current green belt development, before proposing an alternative housing model. The project proposes using green infrastructure as a mechanism to provide new housing extensions on current settlements beyond the green belt through developing strong sustainable transport routes into the parent city. Since completion of this project, the URBED’s Wolfson Prize project has proved the viability of this project, by sharing a similar concept and delivery. The full project can be viewed here: issuu.com/chrishall12/docs/maud_thesis_2014_chris_hall
The project re-imagined Bar Hill on the edge of Cambridge’s green belt as a new viable housing location through a new sustainable route into Cambridge, a new local centre, new movement pattern, sustainable architecture and social infrastructure.
BAR HILL
Left: The project built on Cambridge’s unique history of new settlements as a means to provide new housing for the City Council, in order to meet the housing demands driven by tight urban containment and the Cambridge Phenomenon
Below: A key strategy in the re-imagining of Bar Hill was a new movement pattern, reducing car dominance through shared space. In some cases, this proposed the re-orientation of housing to address the street and encourage active uses
SHARED SPACE MEWS COMMUNAL GARDEN
FENCING REMOVED
CURRENT
PROPOSED
Below: Bar Hill only supported 1 access from the settlement, which linked to the already overburdened A14. A current widening programme for this road was used to propose a new sustainable route into Cambridge which included a walk/cycle way and an extension of Cambridge’s Guided Busway
A14 Carriageway Eastbound (into Cambridge)
Proposed Green Barrier
Proposed Guided Busway
Proposed Cycle/ Pedestrian Pathway
A14 Carriageway Westbound (out of Cambridge)
CURRENT
PROPOSED
Right: The 6 strategies proposed to re-imagine Bar Hill as a viable location for new housing were collated and shown in a strategy masterplan
Left: The project built on Cambridge’s new settlement proposal of Northstowe, and the guided busway which was developed to link Northstowe to the city centre. A new arm of the guided busway was proposed to link Bar Hill to the city and beyond
Below: An integral element of the project was the development of a communal housing typology which incorporated sustainable architectures, communal benefits and a reduced car dominant environment
FACILITATING RESILIENCE STUDIO PROJECT My Urban Design studio project was based on the theme of Facilitating Resilience. The project began with a community growing project, Dalston Eastern Curve Garden, in East London. This project was being threatened with development following the revival of London’s East End through the success of the 2012 Olympic Games. The project proposes a scenario based on the local community having lost their voice concerning the rapid change of their neighbourhood, and therefore fights back through growing projects which flirt with permitted development rights. These projects, named prototypes, are an example of bottom-up community regeneration, and are each documented in manuals for implementation in new locations. For the full project, visit: issuu.com/chrishall12
The project incorporated all elements of Dalston, from the social housing in the east, to the new development in the centre and the relatively affluent housing to the west
URBAN GROWERS MARKET DALSTON JUNCTION
DALSTON EASTERN CURVE GARDEN
PROTOTYPE #02
PROTOTYPE #01
KINGSLAND DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPE #03
KINGSLAND ROAD
N
DALSTON SQUARE PROTOTYPE #03
DALSTON EASTERN CURVE GARDEN
DALSTON JUNCTION
PROTOTYPE #02
PROTOTYPE #01
KINGSLAND ROAD
Left: An urban analysis exercise was carried out in an attempt to understand how the prototypes could facilitate an improved movement pattern around the site to aid communal activity
Below: Prototype 01 is shown below. This consisted of party wall agreements to allow communal growing projects in front garden space. In all prototypes, a series of stages were developed showing the growth of the project. In each case, these stages ended with a radical element, shown below with the public growing space, where the space has protruded into the street
PROTOTYPE #01 PUBLIC GROWING SPACE This prototype could be extended into the public realm through the removal of the front wall, opening up the available gardening space to challenge our ideas about private land. Planning permission would be needed, however more people could then benefit from this proposal. This idea could not be managed in the same way as communal growing space, as planters could be added anywhere, testing the communities right to take control of their area.
PROTOTYPE #01 COMMUNAL GROWING SPACE Party wall agreements alongside informal easements between landlords and tenants allow a communal growing space to emerge between gardens. Large planters could be shared and gardened communally in this new space. A communal space for conservations is needed to allow self-governance to occur, alongside shared tool sheds and composting facilities.
Below: Each prototype explored one policy strand to exploit in order to develop a growing project. In the case of prototype 02, this was easements as a means to access terraces for growing
Right: Prototype 02 shows the amount of dead space which exists within our cities. Terrace growing opens up these spaces as unique environments which adds new depth to an area as well as greening the urban environment
conservation area Controls the external alterations to properties in the area. This includes the right to remove trees. Alterations concerning gardening are not considered however.
Governance between flats
a1, a3 or a5
It is important that any alterations are agreed between all users of the building to ensure community cohesion.
terrace ownership In law, the owner of a roof terrace is solely placed into the owner (or renter) of the use below it. Therefore the commerical unit will always need to be consulted for gardening to occur on ‘their’ roof terrace.
Residential Access Access to the residential units is secured via a separate door to the rest of the building. If this is the only access up to the terrace, an easement would need to be granted by the landlord to anyone who doesn’t currently have access in.
Left: Prototype 03 explored the community right-to-build orders as a means to turn underutilised green spaces which are so common in social housing, into communal allotment plots around a ‘single shed’ to encourage communal growing
Below: The radical elements of the prototypes were visualised along the main artery through Dalston, to show just how powerful the community could be, if a project such as this was initiated and self-governed efficiently by the residents
PROTOTYPE #03 PROTOTYPE #02
COMMUNITY ALLOTMENTS
(ROOF) TERRACE GROWING PROTOTYPE #01 FRONT GARDEN GROWING DALSTON EASTERN CURVE GARDEN KINGSLAND ROAD
N
WATCH DALSTON GROW
Below: For each prototype, a manual was produced to document all the aspects of a communal growing project. The manuals were designed as a generic tool for implementation elsewhere, and therefore were seen as a way to facilitate knowledge sharing
Right: The entire Watch Dalston Grow project was also contained in another book, as a record of the project from start to finish, to act as a precedent
CASTLEGATE URBAN ANALYSIS This project involved a number of different means to analyse the Castlegate area of Sheffield, in order to propose a strategy for redevelopment of the empty site. Within the analysis included a design charrette activity, analysis according to particular urban design theorists and public participation activities.
This group design charrette introduced concept strategies through the collation of a number of different opinions and analysis techniques of the site
ur of ss of ent2. ums oday, rban utes
Castle Ruins
Long combined facade
Instead of small freestanding blocks, larger blocks created from joining buildings together
aces ibed ama
uare
rm a sure
FREESTANDING SCULPTURAL MASS
ENCLOSURE
cient en in
Relationship between ruins and surrounding spaces and buildings key
ublic t off
ding f the mber f the ding ed to e key ding
A monument could be placed away from main paths and centre of the square
ndon:
SHAPE
MONUMENTS
The project also required analysis through the eyes of key urban design theorists. Here, the work of Camillo Sitte has been used to analyse a concept of a new square at the site
Kevin Lynch’s paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks was also used to understand the function and legibility of the site. This understanding leads to proposed changes to improve the area
Castlegate River frontage Permeability reduced by large blocks and lack of pathways
Victoria Quays
Tram path
Retail landmarks
New office development
Transport ‘hubs’
Lynch i Recogn attempt read the translat places in its imag • • • • •
Retail district
Pat peo Ed fea Dis ent No Lan bey wh
Castleg landmar paths pr
KEY:
Lynch s improve
New riverside district created
Potential for landmark building within the new development area
Improved pathways increases permeability and creates a direct route from Fargate to Victoria Quays through a series of nodes
1 way road and closure of Castlegate opens up the river frontage and creates potential for a new node This allows the barrier of the road to be reduced, creating a path that links across to the Quays Potential for new landmark to be created in a reinvigorated Victoria Quays
The inte site by r to link V the site to new holistic building
This for Develop the pat would b making neighbo
Larice, M 2 Lynch, K Reader. Lo 3 Lynch, K 4 Ibid 5 Ibid 6 Lynch, K 7 Lynch, K 8 Ibid 9 Ibid 10 Lynch, K 1
Left: Sketching was a key tool used to propose new massing and new routes through the site
Below: All of the ideas were then collated into a proposal plan, for which a basic masterplan is shown below
1900 MODELLING Another project I have been involved in is a 1900 model of Sheffield. The project was carried out as part of a small group, where we were given a 200m2 section of Sheffield, and we were asked to build a 1:500 model of it, as it existed in 1900. The model not only needed to be accurate to the date and scale, but also needed to be typologically and factually accurate in order to fit alongside the neighbouring completed squares, and the underconstruction squares, to form a much larger model. As team leader, I took great pride in our model being described as “the most beautiful and accurate model” stemming from our “harmonious cooperation”.
Our square, known as Z7, along the river Don at the heart of Kelham Island in Sheffield. Building the model required a huge amount of research to determine what existed there at the time. The image shows how we successfully matched our square to the research, and also the completed squares around it
Left: Marked on the model are the sections researched and built by myself. This was primarily back-to-back housing. Alongside the model, we also produced a report which details the research used to decipher the form of the area in 1900. I was also responsible for working out the contours of the site from historic spot heights
Below: The process of modelling is shown below. The map of the site showed building footprints and spot heights for contours. Historic photographs and fire maps gave building heights, while historic accounts and academic texts helped bring facades to life
URBAN ANIMATIONS A module reflecting on instances of co-production allowed me to re-explore my studio project in a new graphic way. The following drawings are a selection of stills from GIF files I produced to show how the Watch Dalston Grow project for my Facilitating Resilience studio project, evolved into co-produced growing projects. A GIF was produced for each of the 3 prototype projects, based around the original drawings from the studio project.
Stills from Prototype 01, front garden growing shows how the project is co-produced from neighbours joining adjacent garden space, up to the radical side of the project spilling out into the public environment
Left: The co-production of Prototype 02 from empty terraces up to fully gardened terraces with growing space protruding over the carriageway of the road
Below: Prototype 03 co-produced through the community right-to-build orders as part of the localism act
ATTERCLIFFE AREA ACTION PLAN This project was produced as part of my Urban Planning degree, and therefore existed a long time before the previous projects. I have included it not only to show the difference in work between then and now, but also to introduce my planning knowledge into this portfolio. In all of these projects, I have approached them with a consideration of the planning system. That is to say I have been realistic with policy, economics and social aspects of the projects. This Area Action Plan for the Attercliffe area of Sheffield showed particularly the planning aspect to my design well.
The masterplan for change in Attercliffe needed to be sensitive to the existing community, current land uses, local economics and planning policy to produce a strategy which could be implemented in the real world
GRAPHIC DESIGN PROJECTS...
Left: Logo and branding designed for Laughing Gecko, a Perth based Cafe
Left: Logo and branding including business cards designed for Washington based Image Bearer Pictures Right: Movie poster designed for independent film direct Sylvia Johnson
Left: Logo, branding and creative direction for independent clothing company Colab Clothes
The Candice Colley Foundation Ball Saturday 13th October 2012 Thornton Hall Hotel Champagne Reception at 6.45pm Dinner at 7.15pm
Left: Promotion material produced for the Candice Colley Foundation Right: Charity T-Shirt produced for the children’s charity, Plan UK
3 Course meal with wine, raffles, auction, live music and dancing Compere for the evening - Willie Miller Theme - ‘a touch of pink or purple’ Ticket price £55
Available here!
Far Left: Trademarked logo designed and produced for HIST, a subsidiary of non-league Histon Football Club Left: Logo, branding and promotion material produced for Sheffield University Planning Society
Right: Alongside commissioned work, I also have produced a plethora of independent work
Produced by Chris Hall September 2014 issuu.com/chrishall12