ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO DANIEL MAGUIRE
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Adapting Utopia : Enhancing Vitality in New Towns The following pages offer an insight into my work during the final stages of my Masters degree and my final thesis project. The thesis was centred around the need to revitalise the British planned communities and in particular focussed on the first designated New Town - Stevenage. I argued that it is as imperative to regenerate already built communities as well as building new ones in an attempt to alleviate the housing crisis and provide opportunities for the public to live,work and play outside the major UK cities.
It aims to learn from the past ideas conceived by the original designers and proposes new adaptations to regenerate the perceived failings placed on the dilapidated urban fabric. Similarly to the ambition showed by policy makers upon their creation,the scheme focusses on future generations and requirements by proposing the introduction of a recycling plant used to help generate power and maintain,enhance and revitalise the public realm along side an already existing typology within the town that needs dire attention The Gordon Craig Theatre.
The proposal took on the existing site of the Stevenage Arts + Leisure Centre and retained the existing concrete frame and high level walkway ,the main architectural tectonic expression came through the form of legibility and improving the tangible activity occurring within the buildings and spaces inhabiting the town.
The image opposite shows the faรงade treatment between the recycling plant and public realm.
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Mark I New Towns - Stevenage Public Space Analysis
Mark III New Towns - Milton Keynes Public Space Analysis
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The map above illustrates the governing and public spaces located around the centre of Stevenage. All
The map above illustrates the governing and public spaces located around the centre of the town. The
entities are controlled out of the Stevenage Borough Council, the funding afforded to the regeneration
MK Development corporation split their trusts in order to maintain their public realm. For example,
is stretched too thin and this is reflected in the existing urban fabric.
the Parks Trust is solely responsible for handling the green spaces around Milton Keynes and all of the funding they generate is put back into these spaces.
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Eco Towns - North West Bicester Public Space Analysis 1 : 5 000@ A1 The map above shows the construction of the first British Eco Town of North West Bicester in relation to the existing town. The contemporary approach to constructing new communities is to anchor the
MArch Thesis Project
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Kickstaring Planned Community Regeneration Public Space Collage The collage illustrates the implementation of a recycling programme as the base function for regeneration of public realm. Providing funding for swimming pools, theatres, playgrounds and housing amongst others.
project around the economic generator of energy production. In this case the inclusion of a waste to energy plant.
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Mark I New Towns - Stevenage Void Analysis
Activity Mapping Public Space Analysis
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1 : 500 // 1 : 1 000 @ A1
The map above is an amalgamation of a series of first hand observation studies undertaken within
The illustrations on this page are an exercise in problem definition, mapping where valued and social
Stevenage Town Centre. It essentially maps out the valued elements of public realm attested to by
activity is occurring in the public realm. The top image illustrates the spaces legible with activity
residents either through activity or interviews. The main avenue for legible activity is within the
(orange) and the public buildings lacking in any legible activity or public outreach (blue).
central retail spine of the town.
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Design Ideologies Original Planners + Policy Makers The original analysis focussed on the characteristics the initial planners and developers placed upon the design of the town. Most of these characteristics are still visible in the town today. These proposed enhancements were derived from looking at the prominent features within the existing New Town and also looking at later planned examples of planned communities explained earlier.
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Thesis Conclusions The two collages here illustrate the two conclusions from the thesis. The implementation of a energy based typology to kickstart regeneration [bottom]. The top image is showing the retention and enhancement of the valued public spaces within the urban fabric. Having narrowed down the site to the existing arts + leisure centre the programme for the proposal calls for the retention of the existing valued theatre function.
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Adapting Utopia : Implementation After completing the written thesis and the declaration drawings accompanying the intentions,the project moved forward to first analysing the chosen site and then beginning to propose a finished scheme within the urban fabric of Stevenage.
At every scale the proposal adhered to and followed the rules established within the thesis research document. The main architectural idea was that of improving legibility,derived from the interpretation of the existing realm and original ideologies. This was complimented by the retention of as many valued aspects of the public realm as possible.
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Site Study Assessment of Significance Stevenage is located 30 miles north of central London, shown in the map at the centre of the page. As mentioned the site chosen to prove the thesis concept is the existing Stevenage Arts + Leisure Centre located on Lytton Way to the west of the town centre opposite the train station. This page analyses the area surrounding the chosen site. Picking out the intrinsic qualities of the built form and the dominant concrete material palette consuming the area.
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Existing Internal Elevation Details
Existing Reflected Ceiling Plan
Site Study Assessment of Significance The proposed site area was surveyed under a method ascertained during groupwork in the first semester of final year. The assessment of significance pinpointed the valued intrinsic qualities on the site using the rules derived from the thesis. The images illustrate the qualities to be carried through into the design proposal.
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Materiality Study
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Urban Strategy 1 : 4 000 (unless otherwise stated)
The diagrams above illustrate the four core ideologies behind the project across all levels from urban to detail. The four urban rules come from an amalgamation of the declared thesis ideologies and the in depth site assessment.
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Adapting Utopia : Masterplan As well as a proof of concept being addressed on the site I believe the best way to illustrate the public intent the project has is through a proposed masterplan. The design takes cues from the original planned proposals which looked to create a pressurised catalyst of activity between designated zoned areas. Elements of retail,leisure,light industry and social clubs were all given their own district but all intermingled closely with one another creating an in between zone for cafĂŠs,pubs,bars and restaurants to take advantage of.
Fast forward to the present day [the middle of the three maps] and you can see this activity has been stripped from the town centre. The proposals seek to bring light industry and leisure activity back into the centre and also decrease the boundary between the zones. This is shown in the lower map on this page and on the opposite page through a site plan.
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Existing Condition Site Axonometric The existing arts + leisure centre allows for a trickle of people to pass through at high level over a large sheltered bridge. This unwelcoming passage contradicts the ease of movement and public realm legibility the thesis declaration drawings explored. The existing plastic cladding essentially encloses all activity and lends no visual connection to the internal spaces.
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Proposed Site Axonometric The main image illustrates the relentless expression of grid and pattern of structure of the design proposals. In line with the thesis declaration ideologies - the exposed grid structure enhances the faรงades legibility. The coloured members allows allow users to read separate functions within the scheme.
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Adapting Utopia : Bringing back the Ambition Another element used to further the connecting to the past was undertaken during a colour study. The three sets of images here are the original picture next to an extrapolated colour hue study. The colour of the pixelated images corresponds to the major pigment displayed on the image opposite. The size of the square represents the impact the colour has on the overall image.
The two upper sets of pictures are from the 1960’s when Stevenage New Town was first being inhabited,the vibrancy and colour attributed to the architecture is clear to see. The lower image is of contemporary Stevenage, the modern day that has been diluted by browns and greys. The ten colours at the bottom form the colour scheme for the proposal. They are an interpolation between the original colours and what is now missing from the modern era.
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Integrating the Function the recycling process
The plastic recycling process documented here helped inform the architectonic approach towards the building. The need to improve the legibility of public space is also applied at building level, each element of the process is easily identifiable through machinery, colour and activity. Each stage is pushed towards the facade, with the facade itself being as transparent as possible to give passers by an identification with the scheme.
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Arrival improving Legibility
The proposals aim to make the public realm more legible and flexible. Enhancing the existing thoroughfare from the train station to the town centre helps provide opportunities for engagement and activity more often than the existing footbridge and tunnel access..
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Short Sections NTS
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Exteriors Proposed Square + Promenade
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Interiors Offices + Industry
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Gordon Craig Theatre Lobby + Café
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Long Sections 1 : 200 @ A1
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