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01 - Esquisse Sketches Barcelona Bristol
02 - Material Research Steel Nylon Polyethylene
03 - Ferry Terminal Context Elevation Perspectives
04 - Living Bridge Context Details Perspective
05 - Organic Cantilever Drawings Model
06 - Phloem Forum Context Masterplan Cross-Section Model Perspective 07 - Public Slaughterhouse Context Elevation Cross-Section Details Model Perspectives
Esquisse Sketches
01
In order to bring a sense of personal style, the initial chapter of this portfolio will draw upon esquisse sketches drafted across dramatic landscapes, both in Barcelona and Bristol.
Barcelona
1.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
2. Hospital de Sant Pau (5 mins)
3. Casa Mila (3 mins)
Bristol 1.
Park Street Fountains (10 mins)
2. Redcliffe Church (5 mins)
3. City Overview (3 mins)
Material Research
02
Throughout my architectural education material research has played a key role in developing my understanding of aesthetic preference as well as the variety of strengths that materials can offer. These characteristics ranged from permeability, compressional strength and elasticity.
1
2
In order to understand the rigidity of copper and nylon, I drilled into plywood to create a stable foundation for the copper poles which in turn stretched and pulled the nylon.
The cantilever structure is often regarded as one of the most complex engineering obstacles in architectural design. The second material sculpture brings together steel and wood, two common building materials. Their structural compositions allow the properties of the materials to work in unity, creating unnatural cantilevers.
3 The initial two prototypes investigated the use of traditional materials such as wood, copper and steel alongside the relatively new high-tech material of nylon. This created a firm foundation to build the final model. The frame for the third model was a triangular wooden hold. The triangle bound the steel poles into a structurally strong shape that would enable the steel to be held under tension by a vinyl film (PVC) that stretched when heated and subsequently tightened over the metal arches when left to cool.
Ferry Terminal
03
The first architectural project in this portfolio was drawn up with a brief to provide a new nautical transport hub to the heavily congested Bristol region. The intention was to deliver a new ferry terminal which would modernise the harbour taxi service to become a viable alternative to the mainstream road network.
Concept The problem with the current service was the increased lack of confidence in the product. To regain customer trust the scheme was designed into a modern alternative for a small transport hub that could serve a variety of yacht types while attracting a diverse range of customers to revitalise the degrading taxi service. The location on the corner of the pier will act as a natural pincer drawing the attention of the pedestrian population walking along the harbourside. This intended to be an efficient system that would allow commuters to regain faith in the outdated ferry service.
River Taxi
Material Research
The Avon River Taxi has gradually become financially unfeasible in recent years. However, with the election of a mayor, the city has witnessed an increase in planned infrastructure projects. This project hopes to eliminate the overcrowded road network through alternative modes of transport.
The new transport hub will integrate the diverse range of materials within the surrounding context while revitalising the ferry to enhance both a novel and practical way of moving around the city. This is why the pontoon will have minimal impact on the historic cobbled harbour and introduce a floating steel shell for the ferry terminal to run adjacent to the harbour cranes.
Living Bridge
04
The second design project in this portfolio was based around the delivery of a new bridge across the River Avon. The new bridge would act as a gateway to the city centre from the industrial and deprived south of Bristol.
Detail of Drawbridge & Island Connection
Bristol's historical heritage has been built upon over the past two centuries taking advantage of the increasingly powerful British Empire. 1 Folded Bridge Model Perspective 2 Walkway & Cycleway Model Perspective 3 Island Cafe Model Perspective 4 Wrapped Up Island Model Perspective The Living Bridge will role its walkways inwards similar to that of dried leaves. Recognising the 19th-century tobacco industry that provided wealth to the region. This will be linked through colourful triangular joints similar to the pastel colours of the Bristol streetscape.
Organic Cantilever
05
The first third-year brief was based loosely around the harbourside of Bristol. The brief was to create a new and innovative cantilever that would bridge two sides of the harbour together. After studying Thomas Heatherwick and his high-tech interpretation of the footbridge I set about searching for a new way for a bridge to sit in harmony on a bank while folding outwards into an unnatural span across the water.
Square Box
The first model was developed through the piecing together of 6 square cards. All squares were punctured in two corners then screwed together allowing the body of the squares to fold outwards into a cantilever while drawing back into a square box.
Viewing Platform
The second iteration of the model allowed a range of pieces to fold into a square box. This allowed for a widened central meeting point. The larger central meeting point could then act as a viewing stage when the bridge is in full swing.
Glass Cantilever
Similar to the first two sculptures the third model looks to draw from both ideas creating a horizontally folding glass cantilevering bridge that will link two broken communities together through transparency and innovative design.
Phloem Forum
06
The final third-year design brief set out to create a cultural forum alongside Bristol's historic harbourside to reconnect the two fragmented parts of the city. The cultural forums design enhances the natural surroundings of the park while drawing visitors from the densely populated surroundings.
Perspective 1. The perspective Cross-Section builds on the sketched perspectives to illustrate what the views will look like. 2. Perspective collage through the foliage of the double-height showroom. 3. Ground to roof detail slicing through; the lecture theatre, the gallery and the student accommodation above.
Public Slaughterhouse
07
As a response to the rise in Bovine T.B. in cattle in the UK the government are pushing for badger culling. This project explores whether this atrocity could be prevented. The aim is to create a transparent relationship between modern life and the food we eat, cultivating a more responsible meat-eating culture with an understanding for the welfare of the animals who give their lives to satisfy our hunger.
The public abattoir depicts an activist building comprising of a working slaughterhouse (visible for all to see). This informs the public of the malpractice and injustice in meat production, while demonstrating the best practice of humane slaughtering and responsible meat-consumption. This in theory will eliminate the demand for widespread cattle farming and subsequently reduce the spread of Bovine T.B.
Past
Present
BOVINE T.B. IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND The disease with a lot of stigmas which could easily be eradicated. Bovine T.B. rates have shown another modest fall across Britain, the latest figures from Defra reveal. In the South West, a T.B. hotspot, 2,142 herds were designated not officially T.B. free, down from 2,588 at the beginning of the year. There has been a small fall each month since. There is no clear explanation for this decrease because T.B. is a multi-factorial and chronic disease with complex epidemiology in cattle and other wildlife. As a result of surveillance and testing, there are figures that alarm the public of the ongoing problem. This is an ongoing problem because of the relevance of the data provided and its comparison to other less volatile research. Further to the above, we should ask ourselves whether we are proud of a slow decline or whether we should push and fight for a quick eradication of the disease? This project explores the eradication of the carrier of the disease. However, viewed from a different angle and focusing on the elimination of cattle production as opposed to the eradication of the disease- prone badgers which are native to this country.
THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE Prologue noun 1. a place where animals are butchered. 2. a scene of massacre or carnage. Also referred to as a "shambles". A place or scene of bloodshed, carnage within a condition of great devastation. Slaughtering animals on a large scale poses significant logistical problems and public health requirements and public aversion in many cultures influences the location of slaughterhouses.
BRIEF OUTLINE Client
Aims
Integration & Separation
The observing public will act as the clientele for the abattoir. The symbolic interaction between the client and the slaughter process will bring together a new form of theatre aimed at aggressively confronted the onlooker with reality while working functionally as an efficient abattoir.
To provide an insight into the processes which happen within this “black hole” of society. The building hopes to achieve a central space that draws people towards an enlightened vision of how the meat industry currently processes the vast quantities of food for an ever-growing population. This hopes to give an insight into the absurd practice that happens behind the closed doors of slaughterhouses.
Abattoirs are renowned as clinically clean places, cleaned every morning to create a sterile environment for the day ahead. This will be achieved through a variety of fluid transportation routes for those using the building. As movement occurs parts of the building will organically merge into one, creating spaces with multiple uses. Areas like the restaurant will abut the slaughter hall to blur the boundary between killing and eating. The physical glass screen will allow the public to have a more controlled view of the barbarity withing the unseen kill zone.
“I’m fine with dead animals, but the point at which animals cross from living to lunch is one that makes me wobble” Jamie Oliver
North Elevation
West Elevation
East Elevation
South Elevation
North View of Restaurant
West View of Refrigeration Tower
East View of Restaurant
South View of Dispatch Zone
Cross-Section Through Restaurant
Menu of Slaughtered Cattle
Perspective View of Slaughter Slope
Perspective View Of Viewing Gallery
Detail 2
Detail 1
Model Southernly View
Teaser
08*
Since completing my Part 1 I have worked across the built environment (mainly in Real Estate development). During the COVID 19 lockdown I spent my time away from the metropolis of London hunkered down on the south coast. Here I had the opportunity to conceptualise and start the build of my own dwelling. Although not complete at present, the building will be habitable for summer 2021.
The large circled pictures represent the scheme during construction. The small circles represent the proposed material palette.