REVISED WORK
CONTENTS
A DAY IN THE LIFE
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AT HOME IN THE CITY
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STUDY TYPE
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LEITH 2025
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DWELLING PLUS
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INHABIT
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ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE
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EXPLORING EXPERIENCE
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NON DESIGN MODULE COURSEWORK
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PROCESS AND REFLECT
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A DAY IN THE LIFE
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For this introductory project we had to produce 3 studies that represented a common day in the life of ourselves. In this we had to analyse our daily routines formed through the spaces we inhabited- looking at the relationship between the space and its use. This was subdivided into three vignettes- morning in the bedroom, midday in the kitchen and evening in the lounge. Each A5 vignette was collated into an A3 poster and included spacial investigations, sketches, plans and a short descriptive piece of writing that described the scene at each of these 3 moments. This short project introduced the theme of inhabitation that would be present throughout the rest of the year.
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MORNING “Its already been a hectic morning: Shrieking alarms shock me to life, jump out of bed, a rushed shower, brushed teeth, pulled on some clothes, time to get ready. Sit down in front of the tall freestanding mirror to inspect the work that needs doing. The mirror stands tall and proud but takes up almost the entirety of the corner of the room. The mirror is kept close to the door of the en suite, that way I can rush between one room and the next with ease. I plug in my hair dryer, wrestling with the entanglement of cables like snakes coiled round each other forever getting in the way. They sprawl across the floor twisting and winding round any items that cross their path. Amongst their victims are multiple bottles of lotions and potions, a claimed necessity of every morning. I reach for the hair brush, pushing aside various make up bottles. The sharp bustles of the hair bush prickle my hand as I fumble to fix my hair. Once more I turn to the straighteners and the curse of the crazed cables. A small red light blinks rhythmically to show its progress, the light in the the dim room flashing across the faux metallic plastic coating it in a eerie red. A sudden flash of green shows they are ready to use, and my work begins again. Now I turn to the numerous bottles that are l ittering the floor space. Each one, after use, is returned to its rightful place on the side. An alarm rings signalling the little precious time I have left. I grab my shoes, bag and coat before rushing from the room. I fumble with my keys in an attempt to juggle my belongings and lock my door. I have a feeling it will be breakfast on the go for me again today.� MORNING TIME-LAPSE
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MORNING- BEDROOM 1:50 PHOTOGRAPH COLLAGE REPRESENTING THE ITEMS OF MY MORNING ROUTINE
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MIDDAY
“To the centre of the kitchen is a well worn wooden table where everyone sits to eat at this time. In its centre lies the tray. Its contents a multitude of flavoured oils, seasonings, strange smelling spices and floral herbs. Scattered throughout the contents are more salt and pepper shakers than I can count. I reach for a salt shaker. I am careless knocking over the vinegar and fumbling about to clean up the mess. The amber liquid barely visible against the vibrant stain of the wooden table. Six rickety chairs patiently wait attendance on the table, my chair left slightly askew in my hurry. In the sink are the remains of a hasty breakfast, someones dinner plates from the previous night and a half empty cup of coffee. Clean dishes bask to the right on their rack slowly drying. Little daylight passes through the thin frenchstyle glass doors that leads from the kitchen to the small courtyard out back. The dark tiled floor reflects the northern light as it diffuses its way in, providing the entirety of the room with calming natural light. As the door opens I can feel the cool breeze rush in. It takes away with it the heat and numerous smells that radiate from the oven, now sleeping in a dormant state. By the doors is the bin, overflowing and repulsive, I will need to take out later. I grab some fruit on my way out for a snack later and make my way back to my desk. Lunch break is over, back to work.�
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GLASS- BEFORE AND AFTER USE
MIDDAY- KITCHEN 1:50
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EVENING “Its getting dark. The last of the light trickles in through the two front windows, the only source of natural light. The thick and heavy light falls straight to the wooden floor boards, catching every natural nook and crack. This is a large space. Already darkness begins to dull the edges of the room; the alcoves to my right have already been devoured by darkness. Thick red curtains are drawn and artificial lights spring to life. A single uncovered bulb hangs from the ceiling, lonesome and naked. It gives off an eerie artificial orange glow and hums in a hypnotic buzz, background noise to the TV that has by now also in sparked into life. I can see the space more clearly now. In front of me are two tables pushed together to form one long one. On it: two coasters, one remote, a plastic bag and the remnants of lost or forgotten papers claimed by no one destined for the bin. Behind that a half occupied sofa and arm chair- people constantly coming and going. I look around again. The door to my left has been wedged open to allow the circulation of people to wander through- whether to access this room or the adjoining kitchen. In the corner by the arm chair stands another tall lamp, a mass produced plastic piece that provides little useful light to the space but helps fill it in to make this house feel more like a home. The smells of people cooking waft through the open plan and invade the space, challenging the floral diffusers in this room in a battle of the odours. I pull a shawl around me as the cool night air makes it presence known. I believe it is going to be another cold night.�
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“In this space everything has a place where it belongs,including myself. Unknowingly I sort myself into my spot each evening on my sofa. This is ideally positioned so that I can socialise, relax, eat and nap without having to exert any more energy than necessary.” “By observing this space I found that apart from my sofa nothing else in this space ‘changes’ in the evening. Evidently, the shear presence and inhabitation of a person can alter a space.”
EVENING- LOUNGE 1:50
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AT HOME IN THE CITY
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P2.3.1 | STUDY TYPE
STUDENT RESIDENCE COURTYARD SKETCH
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STUDENT RESIDENCE
| LAN ARCHITECTURE
For this project we were tasked with working as a group to research and produce an A5 typology booklet that related to a type of residency. Our building was the ‘student residence’ in paris and as the name implies is a student halls for a central paris university. Our booklet was split into four sections as we delegated work to each person, these sections were: the site, the exterior, the interior and the social environment. This was a good team building exercise to start of the semester 1 design module that allowed us to share skills and develop on new ones as a collective team. A complete copy of our A5 booklet can be found as part of this portfolio.
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EDINBURGH 2015
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EDINBURGH- EXPLORING THE CITY
I started this project of with exploring the city of Edinburgh without knowing the locations of our sites to grasp the concept of the surroundings and experience the context our project will be situated in. Walking around the city there was strong contrast between different eras of architecture but in a way the collection of all these different materials and textures gives the city its character. From a lecture we received in the Edinburgh school of art I discovered the deep history behind Edinburgh and Leith which over time has developed a rich culture through its environment and past economy. This would be a strong starting point to develop ideas further into the project. Exploring the city I made sure to photograph my experience and sketch buildings that I felt held architectural importance at the time.
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LEITH 2025
LEITH 2025- SITE VISITp
SITE SKETCH FOR GROUP E- WATER STREET 30
For the symposium each group had to conduct a detailed site analysis that would come together to form a symposium of work that covered the majority of Leith. For our group we investigated the site dynamics as well as the social and physical make up for our area which spanned from Water street to Burgess street. Some interesting buildings such as the banana house lay close to our site and gave Leith its built up brutalistic appearance. Using our site readings we then had to return to our typology groups and gather our ideas of what Leith might be like in 10 years time in 2025. The final product would become the focal point of the symposium work to be presented at the end of the project.
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SITE ANALYSIS
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PROPOSAL- LEITH 2025
THE ARTS CENTRE AND WATERFRONT The concept of our proposal was to open up the waterfront of our study area in Leith. During our site visit, we collectively thought that the waterfront was heavily congested and could be opened up and pedestrianised. By doing this, we also created more opportunities for new businesses to move in and make the street more welcoming to shoppers- encouraging business growth and thinking of the years theme of ‘ECONOMY’. We also noticed there was a lot of opportunity for new development such as more housing (affordable housing that fits in with the existing surroundings) as well as community centres that reflect on Leiths culture. The example we chose to explore was the possibility of fitting an Arts centre within our pedestrianised sector that would reflect on the rich history of Leith.
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A PEDESTRIANISED VIEW ONTO BURGESS STREET
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STAGE 2 SYMPOSIUM | LEITH 2025
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Our typology booklets featured as a main part of our stage 2 symposium. The atmosphere through lighting made these a focal point of the room and brought great interest. It was also a good experience to see other peoples work and explore new different typologies that could be used as inspiration in future projects.
Each group was in charge of producing a site model for their associated site. The idea was that when each groups model was placed together it would produce a whole site model for the majority of Leith. This huge model featured at the centre of the symposium gallerysome Leith 2025 massing proposals featured on this map to help aid multiple groups presentations. I found using this model to be extremely useful especially in the next stage of this project ‘DWELLING PLUS’.
The overall experience of ‘LEITH 2025’ provided me with a key insight into what the city was like. It helped me develop a deeper understanding of the sites around Leith as well as develop on skills I was not confident in such as taking site readings in short periods of time. Working as a group we were able to learn from each other and be able to produce work quickly in a short period of time.
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DWELLING PLUS
One of the most noticeable features during our visit to Edinburgh and Leith was the collection of narrow spaces that made up the city. The various circulatory corridors are like the veins of Leith that connect each dark corner to the heart of the city. This characteristic stood out to me as an identifiable feature specific to our site and region. During the site visit, I took a walk around Leith where I only followed the narrow pathways of the city to see where it would take me. Meanwhile, I documented my thoughts as I went with my sketchbook and photographs. These can be seen in my learning journal. It was my intention to use this idea of ‘Narrow Spaces’ as a start for my design process. I wish to incorporate the ‘character’ of Leith into my building and provide context to where the building will be located- thereby making the build extremely site specific. In doing so, I also wished to include reference to the culture and atmosphere of Leith both inside and outside of my development where possible.
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EXAMPLES OF NARROW SPACES IN LEITH
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SITE A: located on an old car park, brownfield site, with access of a busy main road. The site itself is connected to a gable end and forms the break between the existing shops on the waterfront and the park. It overlooks Links view house as well as other concrete mass housing. The building it is attached to has a facade of sandstone as well as concrete arrogate rendered sides. The location is in close proximity to shops, cafes, the waterfront and a bus stop.
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GROUP E: OCCUPANCY 2.0 As part of group E’s brief we had to select two different types of ‘occupancy’ to home in our design. One of the key observations I made during our site visit was that there was a lack of obvious disabled or third age housing available. The city itself was multileveled- created through the use of staircases and stacked buildings. I saw this as a problem that the area needed to address so I chose my first occupancy to be Third age/specialist needs care housing. The second I chose to be work/live units- these are studio apartments where people can both live and work. It is usually younger people who rent these types of accommodation. My idea was to create a studio space and welcome artists- encouraging the rich art history and culture of Leith. My aim was to create a housing scheme that could house the young and the old by catering to both their specific needs. I researched the specific specifications for disabled living and access, finding typology studies such as Lingham Court in London to take inspiration from.
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SITE A ANALYSIS The site dynamics greatly influenced the distribution of space across the site and allowed me to apply basic design rules. For example: -Ground floor taken back of the road to increase privacy and control noise levels -Gardens or outdoor space preferably facing onto side road not main road to provide privacy but also make sure of South/South West light -Third age housing pushed to the back of the site to reduce noise levels -Studio space to be located either at the back of the site or on top level to make use of soft northern light (which is preferable) -Larger windows on front of building (south facing) and smaller windows to the back of the site (north facing)
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DEVELOPMENT MODELS 1:100
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Through physical models I started to explore the spacial organisation of how I could fit my numerous different housing occupancies on the site. I started with a simple block with the idea of being able to get direct light to the spaces that need it (such as the studio) as well as maintain a contextual streetscape. To provide enough light into the centre of my building a central courtyard was introduced that over time needed to be widened. Additionally the shape became more staggered and followed the curve of the gable end. Following basic principles of loud and quiet spaces I started to mass the third age housing to the back of the site where it was quieter and the studio apartments to the front where there was more light. Over time the circulatory areas begin to develop to narrate the characteristics of Leith forming new complex shapes. Gardens and exterior spaces are introduced into the plan once again staggering the massing of the building. At each stage the design develops its complexity. Through these massing studies I was able to reach a final design where I could house both the young work/live and third age communities.
ABOVE - INITIAL MASSING DRAWING LEFT- SERIES OF DEVELOPMENT MASSING MODELS 1:200 IN ORDER STARTING FROM THE TOP
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SITE PLAN
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FINAL MODEL 1:100
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GROUND FLOOR 1:200
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1 MULTIFUNCTION ROOM 2 STORAGE 3 CIRCULATORY CORRIDOR 4 CENTRAL STAIRCASE AND LIFT 5 PLANT 6 CENTRAL COURTYARD 7 THIRD AGE HOUSING
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FIRST FLOOR 1:200 1 THIRD AGE HOUSING (TWO BED) 2 STORAGE/CLEANERS 3 CIRCULATORY CORRIDOR 4 CENTRAL STAIRCASE AND LIFT 5 PLANT 6 THIRD AGE HOUSING
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SECOND FLOOR 1:200
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1 WORK/LIVE STUDIOS 2 STORAGE 3 CIRCULATORY CORRIDOR 4 CENTRAL STAIRCASE AND LIFT 5 PLANT 6 THIRD AGE HOUSING 7 BALCONY
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THIRD FLOOR 1:200 1 1 WORK/LIVE STUDIOS 2 PLANT 3 CIRCULATORY CORRIDOR 4 CENTRAL STAIRCASE AND LIFT 5 STUDIO STORAGE 6 WORK/LIVE BALCONY 7 STUDIO WORKSHOP 8 ROOFTOP GARDEN
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COMMUNAL SPACES 56
CIRCULATORY SPACES
THIRD AGE HOUSING
WORK/LIVE STUDIOS 57
AXONOMETRIC EXPLODED VIEW 58
CIRCULATION DIAGRAM
3D SECTIONAL DRAWING 59
A key concept of my design was to maintain the streetscape facade. I made sure that the lines of the existing building and the new build matched up and the interior ceiling heights matched accordingly. The building heights up to the roof are the same, and appear to match up from a street view due to the parapet on the flat roof. There is a raised pitched section of roof over the studio to create a more open, light and useable space to work. The roofs are both covered with black slate tiles to match. The windows are kept to similar dimensions and style to mimic the building next door with the use of cladding on the balconies to make sure they align.
SOUTH ELEVATION 1:200
The idea was to clad the entire street facing facades to match the existing buildingshowever it would be inefficient and expensive to use sandstone to do this. Instead I chose to use fibre cement panels that mimic the appearance of sandstone but have the texture of concrete (an example brand being ‘EQUITONE’). The textures mimic that of the concrete structures that surround Lieth including Links view house that sits opposite SITE A. By using materials this way, the building appears to bend the streetscape round the corner as one continuing strip.
EAST ELEVATION 1:200 60
In the centre of the development is a large open courtyard to provide key circulatory space, private access for residents, access for light as well as a public green space. The non street facing walls are clad in timber, inspired by LAN architects Student Residence typology study our group did for ‘STUDY TYPE’. The more natural cladding opens up the large courtyard as if the building is hugging you to welcome you inside. The timber panels disguise the multiple slit windows that run ceiling to floor length across the corridor circulatory spaces, so the facade seems to run seamlessly. These thin slit windows mimic the ‘narrow spaces’ observed throughout Leith to provide atmosphere and symbolism to the development- I explore this more in ‘INHABIT’. Large end windows are provided at the end of each corridor to ensure enough light is obtained in these spaces but maintain the seamless look of the timber cladding.
SITE SECTION 1:100 61
INHABIT
UNDERSTANDING DWELLINGS- WORK LIVE STUDIOS 64
UNDERSTANDING DWELLINGS- THIRD AGE HOUSING
INHABIT SKETCHES 65
1:50 MODEL- MULTIFUNCTION ROOM 66
The main communal area in my design is my ‘multifunction room’ that acts as a community centre. The idea is that this is a communal space that can be rented to host multiple events. With partitioning walls and plenty of storage space the room can be adaptable to various needs and occasions from playgroup to business meetings. Ideally, the residents could take advantage of the space with the possibility of daily activities or groups being held to for the Third age occupants as well as the opportunity for the Work/Live residents to host workshops or classes to increase their income. This space is public and open to the community of Leith. There are three points of access: off the main road, from the central courtyard and from the residents entrance.
MULTIFUNCTION ROOM
MULTIFUNCTION ROOM CONCEPT ART 67
ROOFTOP STUDIO
The rooftop garden and studio provides a communal space for the residents. The studio provides an open space for the work/live inhabitants to work in if they choose. The studio provides soft northern light to flood the natural timber room inspired by the plywood artist studio in Moscow. There are inspiration views out towards the North West waterfront as well onto the relaxing rooftop garden. The communal garden space allows an exterior area for residents to grow and look after ‘their’ garden as well as a relaxing open space that looks out over the greenery of the park. This is a natural rural escape from the urban environment of the city. There is ample of storage with provided security that this space will only be available to the resident community. With the joint use of space and interaction, I hope to encourage the development of an internal community where the old and young can live together like one large family.
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1:50 MODEL- ROOFTOP AND STUDIO 69
NARROW SPACES
Throughout this project I have been working on the conceptual idea of trying to incorporate a part of Leith into the building so that the city can be experienced inside and out. A problem occurred when designing for the Third age residency that the corridors needed to be widened, spaces needed to be enlarged and turning points had to be put in place. To have this continuation of Leith throughout I had to find a way of making these large spaces feel like the small narrow corridors of Leith. By using narrow slit windows I can create a walkway between spaces that symbolically represent Leith itself. Instead of just a corridor, the connection becomes an atmospheric journey across thresholds, clearly identifying boundaries between the public and private spaces in the residency. The interior walls will reveal raw concrete panels making no effort to hide its structure and rough textures. This is one of my favourite design elements featured in this project. To the right is an atmospheric representation of the corridors and their effect in portraying the narrow spaces seen throughout Leith. MODEL PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING INTEGRATED NARROW SPACES 70
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WINTER GARDEN SPACE
As part of the design it was crucial that every resident had access to a garden or private exterior space such as a balcony. With the shape and size of the site this proved to be difficult, especially for the third age housing whom in my opinion would need these spaces the most. Therefor the third age apartments all have winter gardens to provide them with private gardening space as well as a private place to relax and unwind. Other studio apartments have access to either a balcony garden to the front of the building, central courtyard or the rooftop communal garden on the top level. Winter gardens allow the residents to be able to grow plants all year round without having to go outside risking the cold and damp. The positioning of the extruding wall gardens also provides a view over greenery and on the top levels a view out towards the water of Leith. This space is designed to be calming and quiet with ample of light. The main living space and winter garden is separated by a large exterior wall partition which is mainly insulation to prevent draft coming through the house from the winter garden. Each third age apartment was designed to give freedom to the user. It is an extremely adaptable space that can mould around the specific specialist needs of each inhabitant. It is important these rooms are kept warm and light as to keep the residents happy and healthy. The winter gardens act as a natural space to break up spaces- with both benefits of the indoors and outdoors.
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WINTER GARDEN CONCEPT ART 73
ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE
ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE | STALKER 1979
MOVEMENT PLAN FOR OUR SCENE : THE ANTE ROOM IN THE MOVIE ‘STALKER’ 76
Our group D.3 was given the movie STALKER from 1979 with the scene ‘The Ante Room’ to analyse. The film is about three men who enter a place called ‘the zone’ in order to find ‘the room’ which is rumoured to grant wishes. This Russian film is directed with an eery sense of the unknown as the men travel blindly through the zone facing many dangers. They finally realise that the wishes they want come from the deepest darkest parts of their hearts they decide to turn back just before they reach the room. This space just before the room where they come to this decision to turn back is called ‘the Ante room’. This is the end point of their journey, even though the final room is so close they decide it is best to turn back. This is emphasised with long pan shots and built tension. We started by carefully studying the scene making notes on the cinematography, scenery and movement. Using this we began to think how we could best represent this scene in our own film, experimenting with the idea of the three mens journey, their perspectives and the long pan shots used in our scene.
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Our final idea for the film Maquette was to create a series of cubes that would represent the viewpoints of each of the three men looking into ‘the room’. Each room would reflect on that mans journey through the zone, his desires he wishes for as well as the reason he enters the zone at the start. Each man entered the zone for a unique reason therefore each room will have a different effect and provoke a different emotional response. The structure is made up of 4 units that is easy to separate for filming but can be presented together to be used as an interactive installation. The central room of the structure represents ‘the room’ that the men stare into at the end of the scene ‘the ante room’ in the film. In the film this space changes as the camera moves. We see a change in light and weather when it rains- both of which we wanted to emulate in this central room of the maquette. During this project I spent most of my time working on the maquette and aiding filming.
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FINAL PLAN FOR MAQUETTE
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MATERIAL STUDIES
For this project I underwent a series of material studies through the different atmospheres and experiences I could generate through materials. I looked at conventional crafting materials to more unconventional ‘random’ materials. These included: balsa, card, spray paints, glue, spray mount, leaves, polystyrene and smashed plastic shards. Some of the most successful trials can be seen featured in the final maquette. This investigation prompted me to think more about the experiences created through materiality and how this can be adapted into my design projects when it comes to individual work. All these trials can be seen explained and annotated in my Learning journal.
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WRITERS ROOM
Writers room is built from stressed tea dyed cloth stretched over a wooden frame to create a twisted warped perfective like a never ending journey which the character the writer was enduring throughout the film. His intention for seeking ‘the room’ through ‘the zone’ was to seek inspiration. We know little about his life although is name depicts he is a scholar and through his name we connote books and writing. In filming we referenced this through use of old Russian scripture. His journey is unclear and forever changing therefore our inspiration was to create a space that does this. The neutral tones and skin like appearance is unsettling yet interesting creating a unique experience where the viewer is uncomfortable but feels they have to keep looking. This reflects the feelings of Writer and his struggles through ‘the zone’ and the journey he took to get to his inspiration for writing.
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PROFESSORS ROOM Professors room reflects the detractive nature of man through the professors desire to create or detonate a large bomb through the use of ‘the room’. This truly is a dark desire and the room is used to reflect that. The room itself is constructed of card and grey board suspended in a wooden frame. It appears to look like a long corridor leading to ‘the room’ obstructed by industrial and brutalistic protrusions. It acts like a metaphor for the difficult journey the professor has had to take but foretells the detraction and darkness of his hearts wish. The long corridor can be split into two parts to provide ease for filming and photographing. In the film we used a long pan shot similar to that in the film with overlaid imagery of bombs, mushroom clouds and destruction. When viewed there is a sense of horror from the imagery but an uneasiness created through the use of the model.
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STALKERS ROOM In our scene ‘the Ante room’ Stalker reveals to the men that ‘the zone’ is one of the only places he feels like he belongs in and he shares his wish that if he could he would move his family there. While Writer and Professor view ‘the zone’ as an unfriendly place Stalker dreams to make this place his home if he could. This shows us that Stalker views this very inhabitable place as his home and this is reflected in our design. Stalkers room appears to first glance like a regular cave with a small opening into ‘the room’. The cave like room is then abstracted by a large white chair furnishing the room as if to make it homely and a liveable. A single light shines down onto the central chair to signify its importance, the white contorting greatly against the rough stone texture. Apart from this singular light, the only other light source is the slight orange glow from the rain room (central room) making the space mysterious and dramatic- which reflects Stalkers character. We used polystyrene to create the shape of Stalkers room which is formed in two parts to allow for a pan shot through the cave to pick up details in materials and change in lighting. The polystyrene is painted with a concrete texture stray paint and hand painted shadows with pebbles and fake greenery detailing. The chair in the centre of the room is made from card and spray pained white. It can be removed for filming and photographs if needed.
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THE FINAL MAQUETTE AND REFLECTION
In this project I have been able to resource and experiment with many crafting materials that previously I had no experience with. It has also helped me develop on my crafting skills in the workshop- as I spent a large duration of the project building and detailing our maquette. Light became and important quality I came to admire in our project. I had a large role in constructing the maquette and lighting the maquette during filming. Because of this, I began to appreciate the effects light can give to a space, as well as how the absence of light can be just as effective at creating an atmosphere. I feel this will become a key element in my future work. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this learning experience. It provided a unique experience to work with the creative minds of both artists and structural engineers.
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EXPLORING EXPERIENCE
BRIEF
Studio D was given the brief Like for Like which looked at the ways the social media and the digital world could shape architecture. Within the brief I analysed the meaning of digital stock and redefined the brief to focus on the value of information we keep online about ourselves and our relationship with the online world. The idea of digital stock could be interpreted as information therefore those uneducated in digital means such as those not born into the digital era or those without access to a computer lack this digital stock. Therefore a digital stock trade through educating the public becomes a necessity in the community in the concern of the value of information. My brief is to provide an introductory space to the digital age and share this information through educational spaces and public computer hubs. I was inspired by the BFMAF (Berwick film media arts festival) and my project becomes central on this festival. Therefore there will be space for film, media exhibitions as well as physical and digital art displays. This project is to create a community centre specific to the needs of Berwick community that provides key spaces for use in the BFMAF as well as provide education spaces where people can be introduced to the digital world. It is an immersion into the digital world, connecting people to the social economy and social media. The building should benefit the people of Berwick and be seen at the very heart of Berwick. The idea is to provide a huge benefit not just through digital stock but also benefit the economy through ways such as tourism, sales and consumption, knowledge and education, encouraging future investments and expanding on Berwick culture.
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PHOTOGRAPH MAP FROM INITIAL SITE VISIT SHOWING THE DIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE, MATERIALS AND CULTURE ACROSS BERWICK 93
SITE ANALYSIS Site 3 is located in the heart of Berwick located on a main high street closest the the sea. It is heavily protected by surrounding buildings and is connected to one building on its North side. The building it is attached to has windows facing south meaning special care needs to be taken in order not to block out sunlight to the exhausting building. The main street is located to the South east of the site and this will be the buildings front facade. To the back of the site (South west) there is a car park and one way road accessed mainly by residents of the surrounding apartments. Due to the built up surroundings there is high protection from winds and most noise sources, although it is to be expected that this will be a very public site which is ideal for public use. Its central location makes it easy to find and navigate from. It is also close by to the main highway for access by car as well as the train station for access by shuttle or train. Since the surrounding buildings all have a similar height marginal of 2-3 meters it is important to maintain the skyline and not cause any further overshadowing.
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Sunlight can be accessed from the NE as well as the SE and SW- there should be limited glazing on any SW or west walls to prevent glare or overheating. Any light activities should be located to the top of the building on the NE side to optimise the use of natural daylight. These design factors can be seen in my initial thoughts and sketched on this page. I have started to think about how activities would start to fit on my site including massing an auditorium, gallery, exhibition spaces, common rooms and services. Since I see my building as a completely public building available to the people of Berwick there is no ‘Private Vs Public’ areas but instead a diffusion between loud and quiet spaces. The ground floor will have the highest occupancy and therefore will be the busiest and loudest space. Meanwhile on the top floor the gallery may only have an occupancy of 50 people therefore it becomes a lot more quiet space (where you would want less people to enjoy the experience).
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MASSING AND DEVELOPMENT
Starting massing by introducing a facade and roof similar to the surrounding buildings, trying to fit all the activities onto the site. The auditorium lecture theatre being the largest of the rooms was too small.
An alternative for the auditorium space was to have it as an external space with open courtyard allowing light to access the exiting buildings windows. This seemed to take up too much space on the site as I could not fit all the additional activities on the site.
Introducing and atrium space to act as a double skin around the building. All the key elements became central. To fit the auditorium in it would have to be put in a basement level which is unpractical at that scale. First introduction to a fully glazed facade.
The atrium becomes more shaped and starts to form more of a double skin facade than an atrium. The massing is very cake layered and circulation becomes a problem as pushed to the outside of the inner core.
Glass facade starts to gain shape as massing starts to push outwards as some interior walls are removed to provide more open circulatory spaces. Light spaces and dark spaces are separated by floor following the previous theory of loud and quiet spaces.
Cafe moved to corner and auditorium lecture theatre takes up remainder of ground floor space. Introducing curves into the structure to provide fluidity and continue the building round the corner following a street scape. introducing double ceiling heights and voids. Room made for plants and services.
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When massing I began to investigate and experiment with different facades and attempt to model this to judge whether or not it would work. Through this I thought of a hatched weaved facade, a timber slotted facade, a clear class facade, a tinted/coloured glass facade, a metal or plastic lattice facade and a metallic facade. These models started me off thinking about the materiality of my facade and how it effects the surrounding context. For example metals and glass are reflective and reflect back the surrounding context which I believe to be an admirable effect. From these models I can start to visualise just how narrow the street to the South of the site is and the use of a solid material such as concrete or stone may make this space feel even smaller and tight. Therefore glass would be a good material choice, although privacy for the cafe may become an issue if not tinted or patterned glass. To the west and south west there will be strong solar gain so I tried to keep the use of of glazing to a minimum on these faces. An initial idea was to use the surrounding contexts as a base for my buildings facade. Therefore I superimposed the different brick and stone patterns seen in the surrounding buildings into one image and printed this onto acetate sheets (to represent glass). This gave the facade a unique and interesting appearance however the application to glass seemed unrealistic and too costly therefore I began to explore new methods and materials. This pattern would later be reused in my project for the cladding on the South West wall to include additional context and create a mrs fascinating back facade.
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The final massing for my design starts to emphasise the curves of the building and increase the fluidity in its form. The south east and south facades become more animated and take inspiration from 10 Hills Place in London. Different parts of the frame start to protrude out from the streetscape so the building is made event on the streetscape when walking down the street. The building itself becomes more ornamental and an identifiable landmark to aid orientation round the city- it also makes it easier to find in the city and being a community centre this is crucial. During the BFMAF its shape can be easy to identify and used as a centre point for those not local to the area as a means of getting around the city. The bulge in the frame also provides more space in the double ceiling height void. By doing this I overcome the risk of making the space too thin and therefore feel tight and ‘pokey’- the bulge provides extra space on the first floor, without exceeding the ground site limit, and makes the whole space appear a lot bigger. The roof in my design is inspired from the Birmingham bullring where the parapet of the flat roof follows the curvature of the glass over the edge to create the illusion that the roof continues over as a curved roof when in actual fact the parapet forms an infinity edge for a flat roof. Services can sit on the top of the roof for safe and easy acces while the parapet hides these from the public eye.
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BFMAF CENTRE The ground floor provides the main access for the building with a large open lobby and circulatory space connecting the three main sections to the plan- the auditorium, the internet cafe and the central core. The central core is made up of a protected stairwell and lift with toilet services for men, woman and disabled visitors. This core can be seen repeated on every floor and acts as the backbone of the building. The busiest areas are hosted on the ground floor and the further up the building the quieter these activities become. The first floor is made up of a classroom for digital workshops and classes along with a common room computer hub area that is open for communal use of computers. The second floor features a long gallery that wraps around the front facades of the building taking advantage of the natural North west diffused daylight. Behind it sits an exhibition space which has a multifunctional use. During the festival it could be used to show installation work or act as a second dark gallery. The space can also be used to host workshops or even additional classes. The ceiling height of the exhibition space is extended to make use of roof lights; the amount of light entering the space can be controlled by shutters making it an extremely adaptable space.
SECTION A 100
1 3
2 8 7
6
5 GROUND FLOOR 4
1 AUDITORIUM 2 LOBBY AND CIRCULATION 3 RECEPTION 4 INTERNET CAFE 5 KITCHEN 6 DISABLED TOILET 7 UNISEX TOILET 8 CORE STAIRWELL
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3 10
2
1
1 4 3
2
8 7
8 7
6
5
6
9 5
4
FIRST FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
1 CLASSROOM 2 CIRCULATION 3 OPEN VOID 4 COMMON ROOM 5 DISABLED TOILET 6 MENS TOILET 7 FEMALE TOILET 8 CORE STAIRWELL 9 PLANT 10 STORAGE ROOM
1 EXHIBITION SPACE 2 STORAGE ROOM 3 PLANT 4 CIRCULATION 5 GALLERY 6 MENS TOILET 7 FEMALE TOILET 8 CORE STAIRWELL 9 DISABLED TOILET
SECTION B 101
SOUTH EAST ELEVATION- FRONT FACADE
NORTH WEST ELEVATION
102
EDUCATIONAL SPACES
PLANT AND STORAGES
OPEN COMMUNAL AREAS
SERVICES
CIRCULATION
SOUTH WEST ELEVATION 103
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FINAL MODEL 1:100
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DETAILS
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DETAIL SECTION 1:50 107
EXPLORING MATERIALS Following on from the material studies I began in the ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE I started to look at some materials effected through light in more detail. I started to do this though modelling with printed acetate sheets, coloured plastics and resin. I had never worked with resin before and I found it to be a fascinating material although tricky to work with. In this project I conducted 4 resin tests of which only 1 survived (worked). By setting different metallic materials in the resin I wanted to explore the effect and relationship there would be between a steel frame and glass facade. While the test may have been unsuccessful the relationship between the two materials provides a confusion in density- the building will appear that the load of the building is being held up by curving glass while in reality it is the steal frame. The way light can pass through the resin and find any crack between the metallic materials again challenges the brains perception of glass and density.
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In circulatory spaces I wanted to introduce a piece of Berwick through materials. After experimenting with gaps in sheets of metal and lights I started to collage photographs from my site visit and thought about scrapbooking the walls of the transition spaces with recycled cladding materials from around Berwick such as scrap boats, old fishing nets or old roof tiles. This way there is a symbolic sense of Berwick throughout the building that helps shape the space. There will be a sensory overload of Berwick throughout the building: the smell, the touch, the taste, the sound and the appearance.
MATERIALITY OF TRANSITIONAL SPACES 109
MATERIALITY
In my initial site readings I observed Berwicks contrasting styles of architecture. As you walk through the city you can see the visual progression of architecture over time, resulting in a various mix that complements each other through contrast. In my building I do not attempt to carbon copy the materials of the buildings around it but instead use the contrast in the materials of steel and stone to make a statement of my building. My building represents the digital age and its place in Berwick- therefore a new era has come to Berwick and its community and this is reflected in the difference of material. The main structure is a steel frame with a glass curtain wall fixed on the front south east facade and south facade. The glass curtain features an aluminium mullion detail that can be seen drawn on the previous page. The frame needed to be able to support the massing of the building as well be able to form the intricate curved required in this design. The frame supporting the glass curtain wall will be raw and uncovered with no intention to hide the supporting structure. The south west facade is clad in recycled aluminium panels treated to the colour ‘sand’ which appears like the colouring of ages sandstone. While the colouring of the facade will fit contextually in with its surroundings the materiality of the aluminium with contrast against the surrounding buildings providing its own textures and unique individualism. The structure is not timber so it will not be the most sustainable resource, but the idea is to use recycled steel and aluminium wherever possible from local source to reduce the embodied energy. At the end of the buildings lifetime these materials can be recycled again.
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KEY SPACE: AUDITORIUM The key space of my design is the auditorium that will be most commonly used as a lecture theatre to host talks and classes. During the BFMAF it will be used to showcase films as well as other digital exhibitions. What makes this space unique is the route of access. The ramps to provide access to disabled seating towards the back of the room have been integrated into the stairs. Where the corner of the stair starts it begins to smooth into one flat piece of material which becomes the ramp. Then the stairs start to form part of the wall. The whole section from wall to step to ramp in wrapped in one continuous layer of material (secured timber clad with carpeted finish) and creates the effect of no connection between the wall and the floor. The eye cannot adjust and this gives the illusion of a seamless bubble room. The Auditorium space is a main feature in my design due to the amount of research I underwent to try to understand how to fit this space into the site meanwhile following building guidelines and applying the basics of acoustic design.
ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE LECTURE THEATRE IN USE 112
AUDITORIUM PLAN 1:100 113
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ABOVE : COLLAGE REPRESENTATION OF GROUND FLOOR CAFE IN USE LEFT : AUDITORIUM ATMOSPHERIC COLLAGE 115
ENVIRONMENTAL THEORY EXPLANATORY SKETCHES In my design the basic rules of conduction and convection apply to naturally ventilate the space. Towards the front south east glazed facade is a double ceiling height with open circulatory corridors running horizontally across the building with openings at either side. From this a small amount of cross ventilation occurs alongside stack ventilation in the front most facade where there will be the most solar heat gain. In enclosed spaces such as all the educational spaces mechanical ventilation will be required. MVHR systems are located in the plant on the second floor in a well insulated room inside the building. While there is some natural ventilation there will be a necessity for mechanical ventilation. The glass curtain facade posses multiple issues in regards to heat loss and mass solar gain. The use of pillars and raw structure acts as a small thermal mass but large open walls and floor spaces absorb the most heat during the day. Using hard materials such as tiles helps retain the heat for longer and helps heat the building after it has cooled.
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The facades provide enough natural light in daylight hours for artificial lighting to be unnecessary in some rooms until at night. Only in dark spaces such as the exhibition space on the second floor and mid corridors will natural light need to be accompanied with artificial lighting in daylight hours. The flat roof provides plenty of room for south facing photovoltaics that can generate some electricity during daylight hours for use at night in artificial lighting. To overcome the problem of glare and solar gain I chose to use tinted glass that would limit heat gain to prevent overheating but also minimise losses. Using tinted glass reduces the risk of overheating and excess solar gain (glare).
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ELIZABETH RIDLAND STAGE 2 BA ARCHITECTURE NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY 2015/16