U N I T I A FORGOTTEN PLACES 2 A L I S D A I R R U S S E L L
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S T U A R T B U C K E N H A M
5 C H R I S T O P H E R M C C U R T I N
A L I S D A I R R U S S E L L
S T U A R T B U C K E N H A M
Alisdair Russell is a Chartered Architect and Tutor at the University of Nottingham.
Stuart Buckenham is a Chartered Architect and Tutor at the University of Nottingham.
Alisdair is the Managing Director of Caven Associates Architects, having studied at the University of Nottingham before teaching at both the Undergraduate and Postgraduate level from 2002. Alisdair has achieved sucess in various architectural competitions, both as a student and practitioner.
Stuart is the Managing Director of Buckenham & Co. Architects, Nottingham. He has worked for award winning practice Marsh:Grochowski, exhibited at RIBA and been a tutor at the University of Nottingham since 2001.
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C O N T E N T S Forgotten Places: 2015 3rd Year Work Contact Details 2nd Year Work
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C H R I S T O P H E R M C C U R T I N
Christopher McCurtin is an award-winning architectural designer, artist and university tutor. His work has been exhibited throughout Europe and featured prominently in both print and online publications, including Architectural Design (AD) magazine, The American Institute of Architects website (in an article written by Cincinnati Art Museum director and architecture critic Aaron Betsky) and ‘Educating Architects’ for Thames & Hudson. Chris has worked with the unit for the last 5 years, starting as a full-time contributor in 2014.
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T H E
E L E P H A N T
The Elephant & Castle is historically a major point of convergence and a key trading district in South London, its position is quite central, just 1 mile from the banks of the River Thames, as a major intersection and Gateway to the City of London it forged itself as important connection to the City. The area suffered major bomb damage during World War 2 and was extensively rebuilt in the post war period, its ambitions paralleled the spirit of the age of the Post War Period and the Utopian Planning Ideals of Le Corbusier, as elsewhere in London were wholeheartedly embraced by the young, idealist architects and planners of the LCC (London County Council). During the Post War rebuilding period of the 1960s it was subject to some of the most extensive development in Europe, including the notorious Aylesbury Estate which housed some 2700 residents, and the first covered Shopping Mall in Europe; it paralleled the ambition of
British Society in a boom period. As with all Mass Housing Developments of the 1960s, rising unemployment in the ensuing decades, socio-economic problems and conflict soon turned the area in to a vast ghetto on the periphery of London`s Central Business District. Existing London communities, traditional housed in the low rise terraces, and incoming migrant workers were all housed at the Elephant and Castle, making it the largest working class population in Central London, and latterly one of the largest areas of unemployment and social deprivation. The stratospheric economic growth of the City has resulted in the Elephant and Castle not only becoming targeted for regeneration but it will also be the inevitable subject of Gentrification. Ostensibly a positive economic force, whilst Gentrification makes places more socially acceptable and visually pleasing, it also has the result of diluting, displacing and disenfranchising. Notting Hill, once the gateway for the Jamaican Windrush Immigrants in the 1950`s, then became cosmopolitan, then desirable, then finally a 3
place for the rich, once a year the Notting Hill Carnival allows its lifeblood to flow through its calcified veins. This has happened throughout London, undesirable low value areas becoming vital, exciting new areas, and the only way for the young seeking a way to live in the City. The Heygate Estate sits at the core of the Elephant and Castle, as with the Aylesbury Estate it once housed 3000 people, and is currently under demolition with plans in place for its regeneration. So what does this mean for the place as the inevitable Gentrification occurs to an area of poverty and absolute ethnic diversity, as compulsory purchase orders force residents (economically) out of the area. The Elephant and Castle due to the convergence of routes into the city, could always be seen as an interstitial space, or as an `island`. The Heygate in its social deprivation made the area internally a private ghetto, but its mixture of population enriched and filtered throughout the surrounding environments. So what of the island now; what should it become?
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U N I T
E T H O S A L I S D A I R R U S S E L L
As a unit we will continue the theme of Adaptive Re-Use and Urban Reprogramming in the context of the Elephant and Castle in South London. The overarching theme of the unit is to consider and to speculate new futures for important sites that have reached the end of their useful lives due to recent socioeconomic shifts. This year the unit will consider the Elephant & Castle, historically a major point of convergence and a key trading district in South London, just 1 mile from the banks of the River Thames. In addition to being an important trading post it also became one of the most significant areas of mass housing in London, the Heygate estate, once housing some 3000 people, it is in the final stages of demolition and a new future is emergent.
The Mnemonic Guild, Sophie Barks, p.12-13
The Unit will study Lebbeus Woods War and Architecture and the post war rebuilding of Sarajevo as a design Primer for ideas and speculations of what the future of the Elephant and Castle may hold.
R E G U L A R
V I S I T I N G C R I T I C S
A N D R E W
C R O S S
Photographer, Film maker & Curator
G O R D O N
R E AV L E Y
Critical Theory, NTU/Oxford University
O C C A S I O N A L V I S I T I N G C R I T I C S N E A L
TA N N A
Architect, Heatherwick Studio
G U V E N C
T O P C U O G L O Architect, Buro Happold
P H I L I P
H AY E S Architect
R I C H A R D
M U L L I N S Architect
M AT T H E W
S T R AT F O R D Structural Engineer, BSP
T I M O T H Y
M O O R H O U S E
Year out student, Rogers, Stirk Harbour
T O M
D I C H M O N T Year out student
M AT T H E W
M I T C H E L L
Year out student, Wilkinson Eyre
M A R I A The Urban Explorer’s Guild, Samantha Wilson, p.14-15 (colours edited)
K R A S T E VA
Part 2 Student Bartlett/Herzog De Meuron
1 A / 2 0 1 5 / F I E L D - T R I P This year, the unit traveled to Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Still visually in a state of recovery from the 1,425 day military siege which formed a key element of the Balkan War; the city offers a very different approach to redevelopment and reconstruction. Unlike other European cities, such as Berlin or Prague, who opted to perhaps ‘build over’ the past, Sarajevo has consciously chosen to return itself to it’s pre-war condition, reclaiming the heritage and national/cultural identity which it’s oppressors tried so brutally to remove.
S A R A J E V O C H R I S T O P H E R M C C U RT I N
Through this process, it has found a degree of catharsis, emerging as a beautifully honest place; a place that does not attempt to hide it’s historical wounds. Not so that we may be reminded of the events which occurred, but instead to enable us to see how the people of the region have fought for their right to survive; to exist and to truly live.
U1A
THIRD YEAR
SOPHIE BARKS - JAQUELINE BERAHA - ANDREW EDWARDS - FILIPPOS GLIBBERY - MALIKA GRANT - DANIELLE HART - JACK HOBBS HOI SHING KWAN (BILLY) - JOE HOLLIS - CHRYSTAL KING - PHILIP-JAMES MOSSCROP - KEKAI REN - SAM ROBINSON - SHOGO SUZUKI CHRISTIANA TORTO - HOLLY TREEHEARN - SAMANTHA WILSON - AHMED ZIDOURI
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The Mnemonic Guild comprises of a series of architectural interventions or ‘time capsules’ fragmented along the viaduct running through the existing infrastructure of the Elephant and Castle. Each time capsule is based upon a period of recent history specific to the Elephant and Castle and then in turn linked to a process of creating a memory.
The theoretical basis of the project is established upon the creation of false memory and our experience of the hyper reality in reference to how this can feed into our subconscious and affect the way in which we experience and understand history. The Mnemonic Guild acts as a showcase for interpreting the past and although it is best read as a journey between the interventions, each capsule is independent of one another.
MARGOT 1920’s Prosperity | Encoding. HELEN WW2 | Perception.
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JAMES The Teddy Boys | Retrieval.
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THE ELEPHANT Present day | Storage
T H E
S O P H I E B A R K S
M N E M O N I C G U I L D
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A B O V E G R O U N D A R C H I T E C T U R E As the explorer makes their way through the darkness of the connecting tunnels they arrive, along the uneven tracks, at the opening. In front of them fragmented along the line seems to be derelict builds, unique at each moment. The concrete of the towers is cracking, abundant with vegetation that is slowly, but beautifully colonising the ruin. Walking along the tracks presents new opportunities, spaces and access for the explorer to make their own path through the urban dereliction. To a passer buy, it becomes a negative space, void of activity and life. To an explorer this hidden guild allows an immense archive of knowledge, skill and training. The instalments, through the years are becoming more a more derelict through aesthetic. The weathering of the materials in evident, naturally decaying and rusting, allowing the guild to slowly hide into it’s own ruin. From above, it is not clear what this building withholds, it is only through exploration that it’s derelict spaces can be found. For otherwise it becomes just another urban ruin.
The Urban Explorer’s Guild allows the community of Urban Exploration to come together and share their knowledge of urban finds, to document through photography, mapping and written accounts the spaces they have found through London, that would otherwise be forgotten through the effects of globalisation and gentrification. Urban Explorers are passionate about forgotten spaces; they seek the thrill and adventure of exploring these untapped areas seen as negative, useless spaces,
when in fact that are abundant with history and life.The Guild becomes a parasitic architecture within a derelict station in Camden, that protests against the urban form, way marking only for the explorer, a secret to the untrained eye, allowing the ruin and Guild to decay naturally and beautifully whilst allowing the community an archive to record all their findings to share with explorers in decades to come. The design will change through its lifetime and eventually become a ruin itself. 15
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S A M A N T H A W I L S O N
T H E U R B A N E X P L O R E R ’ S G U I L D
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Silicon Liturgy is a project that narrates the rapidly evolving relationships between humanity, technology and our sociality, exploring the role that architecture can take in interrogating these relationships. The design outlines a mixed scheme of education, archive and exhibition in Hyde Park upon the original site of the Crystal Palace, incorporating facilities for emergent technologies such as virtual reality and intelligent architectural prototyping.
The design for Silicon Liturgy has emerged from previous research projects that explore the role of sentient technology in relation to architecture and society. This research process culminated in the completion of a series of concept drawings, each of which addresses conceptual hierarchies and methodologies that have been approached throughout the design process. From these drawings, a methodology of interrogative design matured – of
deconstructing and rebuilding emergent technologies, colliding them with architecture and allowing each to affect the other. This methodology was applied throughout the design process, allowing the architecture to become a both vessel for the interrogation and exhibition of technology, whilst retaining a poetic architectural agenda that transcends the technology itself. 17
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A N D R E W E D W A R D S S I L I C O N
L I T U R G Y
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To allow or the population increase, London will become denser, with less space available for storing building materials and machinery on-site for construction works. London is once again growing at an exponential rate. With the population estimated to grow to over 11.3 million by 2050, London is faced with many problems, with infrastructure being one of them.
This project proposes an infrastructure which allows drones to be used as for transport and construction robots within central London, where a main central hub and
research centre resides on a now disused subterranean rail network station of the mail rail. The disused tunnels become a linear builder’s yard storing emergent materials for use within this new construction system below central London, where the main building researches and develops the system while 1 A - 3 - 0 0 4 allowing nearby clients from S H O G O S U Z U K I architecture offices to see D R O N E C O N S T R U C T I O N the system and students from & E M E R G E N T M AT E R I A L architecture schools to partake R E S E A R C H C E N T R E in research. 19
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The Entropic Resonator is a project which looks to introduce a new typology of building into the Elephant and Castle, developing a typology which is experienced primarily through people’s auditory sense rather than their visual. This is in order to disrupt the monotony of urban city life. I wanted to explore the possibilities of how the entropy of materials can be harnessed in a musical building. In the state of flux the Elephant and Castle
finds itself in, it is the perfect breeding ground to introduce a new type of building. In a musical sense the musical rhythm of the Elephant and Castle is changing with its redevelopment. The one rhythm that has pulsed through the Elephant and Castle since the completion of the railway viaduct in 1863, has been the timetabled trains which have passed through the Elephant. The project has broken musical instruments down to the very essence that defines them.
An action which leads to a material creating a noise which is recognised as a note. I wanted to explore how the entropy of materials could change the length of this note. I therefore developed a sacrificial joint that harnesses the bi-metallic corrosion of metal. In this case when aluminium comes into direct contact with steel in a joint when moisture is present. I wanted the corrosion of the joint to allow for the changing in the length of the note produced. 21
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S A M R O B I N S O N T H E E N T R O P I C R E S O N AT O R
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There are many different coffee traditions across continentsfrom the famous Italian espresso to the Cafe de Olla served clay pots in Mexico to the Ethiopian buna with its own coffee ceremonies. Despite the differences in preparation and drinking traditions it is a beverage that lots of people share a love for around the world. I have used coffee as a basis for my architecture, using it as a social glue between the existing
community of Elephant & Castle and the new that will be arriving in the future.
more about how coffee is made, a bespoke profiling service allows customers to have their own batch of coffee made specifically to their taste and personality in the factory. A unique feature of the factory is the Exhaust Gallery. A contained space, it holds metal panels that transform when exposed to the waste gases from the basement processing to create different ‘patinas’ which create different effects depending on the coffee type processed.
Common Ground is a coffee factory with its own coffee house and retail space. It has a coffee terrace that acts as an urban day-to-night venue. The coffee factory is composed of 3 tailored processing lines, each producing a different blend of coffee to distribute to the coffee shops of London. For those who haven’t found their perfect coffee, or those who simply want to know 23
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H O L LY T R E E H E A R N
C O M M O N G R O U N D C O F F E E F A C T O RY
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At present, London is in a state of austerity for the working class people. Gentrification is a major problem that is robbing people of their homes and forcing some to move even out of London. Childhood obesity is also an issue, with over a third of children being overweight by the time they leave primary school. By the time the regeneration of London is complete, one could easily assume that victims of gentrification may become nomadic, living in mobile homes
as the only hope that they can remain in the city. Inevitably many would live in poverty and subsequently, childhood obesity rates would hit at an all-time high; due to reasons like families favoring fast food as a quick, cheap and convenient alternative to healthier meals. The proposed architecture aims to provide a facility for children to be educated and also exercise under the guise of ‘play’, the facility also aims educate communities about healthy eating.
Naturally the site of the Northern Roundabout is the most ideal as this is the ‘hub’ of the Elephant and an exposed structure is a particularly important feature for the facility so that children can subconsciously observe how different elements work and are put together. Most importantly the proposed architecture aims to save the future generation from the powerful grasp of childhood obesity.
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C H R Y S T A L T H E
K I N G
N O M A D S O F L O N D O N
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In this project, I investigate the potential of an unconventional approach to housing schemes, embracing the mechanisation and automatisation of architecture. Looking at old ideas such as mass production, modular architecture and metabolism, I combine their advantages with newly formed ideas and technologies such as mass customization, opensource systems and 3D printing technologies to create a scheme which satisfies a much larger portion of the population than
traditional housing. I then investigate the potential of my proposal to be applied on top of the existing railway infrastructure, allowing for a potentially limitless expansion. The houses are made from a variety of different modules, and can be customised to the specific needs of each client, which are processed using a simple algorithm. The proposed design can then be further refined by the client
himself, perhaps with the help of an architect, in order to achieve the best possible outcome. When the design has been completed, it is sent to a 3D printer which prints the basic form of the house. The overall process is thus significantly faster and simpler than traditional methods, and much cheaper. The flexibility provided by the modularity of the scheme also allows for a potential expansion or reduction of each dwelling, according to the will of the client. 27
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F I L I P P O S G L I B B E R Y L I V I N G
A U T O M ATA
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With the ever growing demand for houses in and around London, house and land prices are becoming ever more expensive. As gentrification runs riot throughout London, mass-housing schemes that were previously intended to be affordable are being demolished to make way for unfordable homes, leaving their occupants penniless, on the street and with no place to call home.
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This project aims to provide housing for the people who have been displaced by the onslaught of gentrification and for those needing short term accommodation within the centre of London. This agenda helps the immediate problem, people living on the streets, and helps to prevents further demolition by housing the city migrants.
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P H I L I P - J A M E S M O S S C R O P F L E X I B L E
L I V I N G
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I have designed a mixed use building, providing both learning supports and jobs opportunity for the local and Latin American community. The lower levels of the building will consist of a large food market and smaller retail spaces which will be rented relatively cheaply to the existing retailer from the elephant and castle shopping centre. There will be a Cookery school in the upper levels of the building, providing lessons on healthy eating and catering.
The idea of the school is to provide an environment for the student to understand the whole process of food production. Therefore the centre will consist of an underground hydroponic farm where they can learn to grow their own crops. The centre will be growing a range of crops, from everyday vegetables such as lettuce and tomato, to Latin American spices such as chillies and seeds. Once the crops are harvested, they can be supplied to the market.
Once the students have gained enough knowledge and skills on food production, they will have the opportunity to practice in the cultural restaurant or other sectors of the building. The ultimate aim of the building is to provide wide range jobs opportunity, educations and needed skills for the Latin American community.
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H O I S H I N G K W A N ( B I L LY ) F E E D I N G T H E
F U T U R E
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The programme is a social and infrastructural catalyst that can help to support the rebirth of the Elephant and Castle in the years ahead. The site will be in the centre of The Elephant, which is a roundabout at present. The design will be based on the updated peninsular site considering the government’s roundabout redevelopment proposal, and comprises of a transportation interchange and a mediatheque as a cultural and community centre. 33
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K E K A I
R E N
T H E E L E P H A N T T R A N S P O RTAT I O N & M E D I AT H E Q U E C E N T R E
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Multiple layers of excitement, drama and interest. This describes the building both in composition and meaning. The Elephant Arts Centre is designed primarily to integrate theatrical performance spaces and art with the movement of people through the building and site. It includes a variety of performance spaces, a multi-purpose cultural centre to support any type of local event. These are all connected through public walkways, seating and a signature piece – the ‘Flytower’ which runs through the centre
of the building and impressively suspends people and props at different gravity-defying heights. This interlinked design to promote culture in everyday life is achieved through the careful organisation of these spaces relative to each other, and is supported by a manufacturing zone that creates purchasable art for the gallery in addition to props, costumes and small scale merchandise. The building seeks further to integrate into the local community by providing
education programmes and bookable practice spaces running 6am to 6pm daily teaching individuals how the performance spaces operate. Official performances will run later in the evening and night but the spaces will be open for the recreation of young professionals to practice their art.
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A H M E D T H E 35
Z I D O U R I
E L E P H A N T A RT S C E N T R E
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The People’s Parliament is a space designed for both the Southwark locals and those who commute to the borough, providing key spaces for debate and conversation within the community.
Council members and community leaders also have a home here – a place of discussion amongst the people they are advocating for. Nestled within the focal point of Elephant’s community and culture, the Parliament becomes a social space of meeting and gathering as well as a platform for change. 37
Fundamentally, the Parliament aims to withstand the pressures of conformance due to recent gentrification in the area, rising up for the people both rich and poor. It stands as an attribute to the thick blends of its existing cultures, a place for community to reside and social priorities to be met. Its concrete structure resonates with the scars of Elephant’s past; building the community by commemorating the forgotten.
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C H R I S T I A N A T O R T O T H E P E O P L E ’ S PA R L I A M E N T
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Through gentrification, Elephant and Castle has become a place of instability. The people who provide it with a cultural identity are being pushed out and replaced by the rich and wealthy; consequently causing a social rift.
This project focuses on what the residents of Elephant and Castle want...a space they can call home. It integrates spaces where the people can celebrate: food, art, business ventures, family socials, as well as build on skills to help them fabricate their own environment. By breaking down what it means to be a community, I’ve deconstructed the traditional requirements to a town hall, in a form of a promenade. 39
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M A L I K A G R A N T
AWAY
F R O M H O M E
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In vulnerable communities there is a distinct lack of expertise when it comes to the humanitarian rehousing effort after a significant displacement. Has architecture lost its moral compass? Who should architects be designing for: those who need it or those who want it? In today’s climate architecture is often reserved for those who can fund it. Commercial client driven architecture is the basis of the profession we know today, but should it be?
When slum dwellers are evicted from their homes, relocation to volatile sites coupled with poor design and construction can lead to dangerous and uncomfortable living environments. 41
This project intends to take part of the design process out and using the principles of mass customisation creates a kit of parts for a successful community - from the initial emergency housing stage after a displacement, through a temporary housing scheme and ending up with a permanent thriving community. This kit is intended to give maximum flexibility of spatial, aesthetic and typological use to the community it is housing.
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J A C K H O B B S S L U M L I F T I N G
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A Fashion College in Elephant & Castle is the appropriate typology to recover the former attitude that was established by the birth of the teenager in the 1950s.
The Teddy Boy, a nickname taken from their Edwardian influence, established the demographic of the teenager in the UK. As influential as their new sense of style was, it is their attitude which is to be rediscovered in this project; showing the world what they were about through a style that spewed confidence, individuality and revolution. This movement started in Elephant & Castle, thus it is appropriate not only to pay
homage to this attitude but also to recycle it and breathe the forgotten elements of success back into the area. The intervention of this project will in time aid development of the London Road axis to become a desirable high street. Having lost the high street concept that was possessed before the 1950s, Elephant and Castle would benefit greatly from this injection of community-based infrastructure. 43
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J O E H O L L I S
R E D R E S S I N G A R C H I T E C T U R E
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Elephant and Castle was previously a marshland with the River Neckinger running through it. Although our needs and life processes are controlled by water and our natural surroundings, they are the elements that are sacrificed as the population grows and the expansion of planned land is demanded. This project resurfaces the river to the streets of Elephant and Castle to encourage the healing qualities of water to feed into the
city and community. Starting from the railway, the river provides an interactive water feature to the streetscape so even the commuters can benefit and interact with the elements.
building they can select which plants they would like used in their treatments. Similarly, the varying concrete textures further encourage a more sensual experience as the user can engage with the alternating concrete surfaces to suit the spaces. Concrete is a material familiar to its context, and its use throughout the scheme shows how man and nature can coexist.
Throughout the scheme, water is exposed in order for the user to be able to hear, see, touch, taste, smell the purity of water and invigorate the senses. The botanical spine is fed by the water source so as the user travel through the 45
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D A N I E L L E H A R T
M A N O R B O TA N I C A L
P L A C E B AT H S
CONCEPT DRAWING
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p.12-13
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p.14-15
S O P H I E B A R K S
S A M W I L S O N
sophiebarks@hotmail.co.uk
samanthann.wilson@gmail.com
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p.28-29
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p.16-17
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A N D R E W
E DWA R D S
contact@andrew-edwards.net www.andrew-edwards.net
p.30-31
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p.32-33
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p.18-19
S H O G O
S U Z U K I
shogosuzuki94@gmail.com www.shogosuzuki.uk
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p.34-35
P H I L I P - J A M E S M O S S C R O P
KWAN HOI SHING ( B I L LY )
K E K A I R E N
AHMED ZIDOURI
p.mosscrop@live.com
hoishing.kwan@gmail.com
laykr1@nottingham.ac.uk
ahmedzidourii@gmail.com
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p.20-21
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S A M R O B I N S O N
H O L LY TREEHEARN
C H R Y S T A L K I N G
FILIPPOS G L I B B E RY
samr.3012@gmail.com
layht1@nottingham.ac.uk
layck2@nottingham.ac.uk
p.glibbery@gmail.com
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CHRISTIANA TO RTO
M A L I K A G R A N T
JACK HOBBS
J O E H O LLI S
christiana_t@hotmail.co.uk
malikagrant@hotmail.co.uk
hobbsjack93@googlemail.com
joe.hollis2@btinternet.com
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U1A
SECOND YEAR
ANDREA ALVAREZ - RALUCA BURLACU - MORGANE COPP - BRADLEY HAGUE - ALICE HARDY - ELIZABETH HORESY BOYAN HRISTOV - ALEXANDER LAU - REBECCA LIPSCOMBE - SEAN MARTIN - EOIN O’BRIEN - KAYODE ‘JOULES’ OGUNTAYO AARON PERRY - GODA PLETKUTE - ELLA QUINTON - VALENTINA RIVOLTA - LUCY ROBERTS - EDWIN WONG
The project aims to bring back the once strong theatre culture of elephant and castle, but in a way people will have never experienced before. It is this deconstruction and representation of performance that will encourage people back to the area, and put it back on peoples radar.
The design is that of a set design school, linked to the university of the arts London, who needed a new home for their set design course. The flexible architecture lends itself to teach the main areas of set design: Art, costume design, and construction, with a central exhibition area connecting these 3, which opens up to the 50
public for an end of term show, showcasing the sets as art pieces, as scenes of plays or to create a surrealist world the public immerse themselves into, all this is completely down to the students. The learning areas connect onto a students union, tapping into their desire to have a hub with cafĂŠs, shops and bars. This gives them the campus they so desperately need, and gives these students a physical identity in Elephant and Castle.
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E L I Z A B E T H H O R E S Y
I M M E R S I V E S E T D E S I G N
Located in the heart of Elephant and Castle and accessible at the subterranean level through a network of subways, the roundabout connects all the routes and becomes very busy throughout the day.
design is a ground for freedom of expression and a place that belongs to the people. The dance school focuses on both informal performance and on educating the dancers, giving street performance a professional and technical approach.
My project seeks to redesign the subways and create an inhabitable and pleasant atmosphere where the main routes intersect, by opening a public courtyard in the centre of a dance school. The
Evolved from Project 3, I wanted to further develop the relationship between the public and the dancers, how the architectural elements encourage the public to get involved. 51
The building is split into two parts: one allocated for studios and the other one for the library and lecture theatre. These two are connected by a diagonal bridge which becomes a space for an informal performance.
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R A L U C A B U R L A C A U
S C H O O L O F A C R O B AT I C S
In times of gentrification and drastic change it is crucial for a community to be preserved. Introducting a new cultural centre that can educate, entertain and connect the people would be of benefit to the residents of Elephant & Castle. 52
Resonating with the history of the area, particularly the time of the famous Trocadero Picturehouse as well as the birth and childhood of Charlie Chaplin the typology of a film and photography school comprised of an educational core, cinema and gallery space situated in the main roundabout would be suitable.
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B O YA N H R I S T O V
C O M M U N I T Y P R E S E RV E R
For an area to be successful, much must happen: There must be a sense of community, culture and education. This project revolves around the revival of ‘The Coronet Theatre’,which would be transformed into a communal space of culture and discovery of the arts.
Project 3 focused on the theatre part of the building, whilst the exhibition space here demonstrates the dance school design. They are extensions of each other. This project focuses primarily on the exploration of various access points from both the prior project, the archway viaducts, the shopping centre and 53
the train station. This building allows for the client to walk up to building in a circular way, receiving four main views. Whilst walking up the building, the four geographically corresponding views will correspond to different architectural time periods in Elephant & Castle and hence demonstrate its evolution.
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M O R G A N E C O P P
C O M M U N I T Y P R E S E RV E R
This project follows on directly from the previous design for a dance performance space on the roundabout, the central hub of Elephant and Castle.
Consequently, I researched the performance aspects of the Elephant and found that the first performance to take place was a pantomime. I thus studied the movements and costumes of such productions and desired to design a fashion design centre connecting to the UAL. After researching further I discovered the prominence of silk when performing, and its metaphoric status of strength, reflecting the growing strength of the Elephant.
I designed my building to be interactive and serve as a space where silk is made on the premises through silk worms that go through the stages of silk processing throughout the building. The space is almost skeletal in design to reflect a silk worm, and invites people in with consideration of glass and materiality to create interesting light plays that bring people to the site and rejuvenates the area. 54
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A L I C E H A R D Y S I L K
PAV I L I O N
The building tied in with project 3 by a ribbon ramp-way to lead its way into the theatre stage area. Overall this created a constant cycle where people could move throughout the building. In the future I would go on to continue evolving my building as well as the fashion boutique/market floors, as I believe the integration of architecture inspired by theatre fashion, as-well as a market hub, are two strong Elephant and Castle qualities that should be made the most of.
Using the history of theatrical fashion in Elephant & Castle I designed a fashion workshop/ market place. My ground floor plan consisted of being open plan, mimicking that of an industrial workshop, with sewing tables and sewing machines set up accordingly. 55
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V A L E N T I N A R I V O L T A F L E X I B L E
L I V I N G
The school reflects its typology of performance through its various flexible elements, such as the bi folding exterior screens, which are controlled by its users, as well as the flexibility of its interior studio spaces. I have designed a new cultural hub that will provide the fragmented community of Elephant and Castle with a new diverse type of entertainment and teaching of gymnastics, aerialist and cirque skills.
The school may provide seasonal workshops from travelling circuses, attracting people from different areas, creating a busy exiting hub in the centre of Elephant and Castle.
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A N D R E A A L V A R E Z
S C H O O L O F A C R O B AT I C S
The chosen site is currently an open green space within this dense urban context, and it is an open space currently not used to its full potential. These spaces should be embraced and enjoyed within a city. The project aims to extend upon project 3 in which a performance space was introduced to elephant and castles shopping centre. The new chosen site relocates the performance aspect and introduces an educational role within the design.
Therefore, my project was to become predominantly subterranean. The theatre and its facilities would operate below the park, whilst the function of the theatre in everyday life would attract people to the park land that surround and exists above it.
The design aims to be simple and geometric, the spaces and their activities are to be the performance not the building itself. The design aims to become S a destination within what is quite a lifeless urban realm currently. The park now has the purpose of P A R K performance.
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E A N
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M A R T I N
P E R F O R M A N C E
The Weaving School revolves around two key steak holders, the student community and the transient public that pass through Elephant & Castle. The building is similar to a pavilion, creating a spectacle to inspire. The site is located next to the London College of Communication building, part of the University of the Arts London. 58
The area was built as part of the 1960s master-plan of Elephant & Castle, but is now the centre for regeneration. Throughout this project I have considered ‘regeneration’ as a dynamic concept rather than an end state. Regeneration should go beyond the physical and embrace the social and economic aspects of Elephant and Castle. Project 4 continues the themes from project 3 of materiality, the building’s fabric and enhancing the public’s journey.
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E L L A Q U I N T O N T H E
W E AV I N G S C H O O L
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U N I T I A
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The unit would like to thank the department, its tutors, and all of its visiting critics, without whom the body of work presented in this document would not be possible. Edited by Andrew Edwards