The Eden Dome This was submitted to a competition run by Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Tim Emmens Lower Sixth
As a centre for students and fellows to collaborate, this will be a busy space, and thus the noise levels may be high. To reduce reverberation, the panels on the ceiling will be clad in a dampening material. Different spaces in the dome are divided to further reduce unwanted noise: the study rooms are sectioned, and the lounge and study ‘bars’ are sectioned off by way of the aforementioned hanging sound barriers. These different modules cater for all different scales of collaborative work, from one-to-one discussions on the mezzanine floor, to group work on the large desks in the centre. Design brief: Design Challenge Brief: You are challenged to design a new building somewhere on the Fitzwilliam College site. This building will serve as a hub for interaction between teaching Fellows and students, where they can share and explore ideas. Design Narrative: My initial decision to build this ‘hub of interaction’ on top of the chapel resulted from observing the available space and deciding that the carefully considered landscaping should be preserved. My idea is to ‘crown’ the chapel. Many a cathedral has a magnificent dome and I believe the architecture of Sir Richard MacCormac deserves its own. Despite this grandiose metaphor, this design should simultaneously blend into the green spaces of the college. With an extensive sedum roof, this would maintain the natural, green aesthetic of the college courts and help fulfil environmentally conscious criteria. My inspiration for the angular, spiral design came from a combination of partly Fibonacci’s sequence - strongly featured in nature and specifically represented in spiralled sunflower seeds; and partly the angular, copper-roofed buildings surrounding the Central Building.
The triangular windows allow good levels of light throughout the day. Within the dome, the acoustic barriers are wooden slats with a foam cladding - preserving the light levels as much as possible whilst dampening sound. The large panel windows on either side of the stair well provide additional light. I wanted to sustain this light throughout the dome, so the study rooms have Jalousie windows, enabling light and privacy concurrently.
A small kitchen area is essential to keep students and fellows hydrated and ‘fuelled’ in their studies and encourage ‘watercooler moments’ - as unplanned interactions between a variety of different groups of students and fellows is key to the space’s intention.
The triangular windows allow good levels of light throughout the day.
Air is key to a productive hive of collaboration, so I have included indoor plants with a high oxygen output (e.g. Areca Palm, Snake Plant) to maintain a high air quality. The flow of air is also important, so the skylight windows will be remotely openable, and this will also counteract a potential heating effect in the dome.
There are three main aspects of architectural design I believe are paramount to a successful built space and a productive environment: light, sound and air quality. I have addressed each of these aspects with care in my design. 42
In retrospect, there are some aspects of the design that could be developed. To maintain the light coming into the chapel, the dome could have a smaller diameter, or vertical, rather than angled edges, retaining light coming through the chapel’s ceiling windows. These designs are based on the assumption that access to the dome can be constructed from the adjoining building.
