Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Contents Page
- Frame -Communication
Both Projects completed in Second Year
- Introduction
Second Year -Summary of Projects - Ha-ha - Productive Garden, Masterplan -Productive Garden, Cook house
Third Year -The Literary and Philosophical Society, ‘The Young Lit and Phil’ -The Sill
Photographic culmination of second year, combing the team building Ha-ha project, and the field study trip to Rome at the end of Second Year. Both of which enhanced our sense of identity and we learnt the values of working as a team and cultivating a successful working environment.
FRAME The first project in second year, based at Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland, involved producing an evocative image that conveys the atmosphere of a space within the historic building. The layers of pencil and graphite pull the cracks and layers of masonry to the forefront. A fire destroyed the rear of the building that has been added to for centuries, the part restoration of the building means that the traditional building techniques are still apparent and the atmosphere is one representing a deep patina of history.
COMMUNICATION The Second Project of Second Year involved designing an intervention for the abandoned mausoleum on the site. The communication module involved digitally representing our design, using 3ds Max, v-ray and Photoshop, in order to express our designs in an atmospheric and more ambitions way.
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Introduction I am a Third Year Architecture student at Northumbria University; where I find the concept driven design process encouraged by the school, inspiring and fulfilling. Taking influences from other cultures in terms of both designing and finding solutions is a major interest of mine, this is derived from my childhood, growing up in South East Asia, when I began to establish my fascination with different styles and ways of living. I am a creative and experimental person, and I feel this approach is evident in my portfolio. I am furthering my computer based skills in order to express my designs in an increasingly ambitious way. I have enjoyed the studio based community of University, working with and learning from others has had a positive impact on my education, developing my own communication and teamwork skills invaluably. Context driven design is my foremost interest, as successfully designing sustainably can only achieved by both respecting and understanding the surroundings one is within; where historical relevance as well as visual and topographical connections should all be viewed as being equally important. I like to feel that the importance I personally impress on this is evident in my work. Since deciding that architecture was what I wanted to do I have participated in work experience at three firms in London. The experience was invaluable in terms of both establishing independence and learning from others. My experience both Autocad and Google Sketchup were established during this period between 2009 and 2012. Working in a practice made me realise that it was I wanted to do; having a goal has inspired me to work to the best of my abilities, pursuing aspects of design that I find exciting, challenging and important.
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Second Year- Description of Projects Included
All Second Year projects were based around Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland The site has a rich history as did the colourful lives of the Delaval Family who resided there over the centuries. This meant we had endless resources to exercise our imaginations. The projects were separated as so: - Frame: As a result of the first site visit we had to compose a piece of artwork representing a space within the Hall that we felt was atmospheric or best showed evidence of the tumultuous history of the Estate. -Ha-ha: A Group project to design a bridge that crossed the Ha-ha surrounding the Mausoleum on the site that was never occupied and has since fallen into disrepair. - Theatre: The brief detailed designing an theatrical intervention in the derelict mausoleum that could rejuvenate the use of the estate; at the end of the year we had to digitally communicate our design using 3ds Max . - Productive Garden: The final project, involving the now abandoned walled garden, the first stage involved creating a masterplan which gave the garden a new function, I designed a series of allotments intricately spread across the garden. The second half involved creating a Cook-house on the site, providing a link with the past, as the garden would once have kept Seaton Delaval Hall a self sufficient estate.
SEATON DELAVAL HALL
THE MAUSOLEUM
PRODUCTIVE GARDEN
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Ha-Ha Group Project A Ha-ha acts as a deterrent for cattle surrounding the garden of old country houses, it is a ditch, similar to a moat, but generally on a smaller scale. The team building exercise gave us a week to design a bridge to cover the expanse. The project culminated in the building of a 1:5 model to represent our design.
Watercolour section
Initial Sketch
Watercolour connection
Model photographs
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Productive Garden- Masterplan
My response to the investigation we undertook at Seaton Delaval hall concerned the issue of abandonment and the decay that ensued after the Delaval family left; both in terms of the structure of the community that depended on the grand house to survive, and that of decaying matter left when the garden fell into disrepair. The form of both the garden development and the cook house are derived from process of decay of plant and animal matter, as both would have been present at the walled garden at the time of the Delaval family. The segmented garden is divided into allotments to support the Cook-house, the where visitors could eat the produce from the productive garden.
Precedent: ‘Dividing Cells’ Charles Jenks, landscaping plan, relevant due to the plan using molecular shapes.
Precedent: Nigel Peake, stark differentiation between usage of space shown through hatching.
Sporg Cells: my masterplan is inspired by the key shapes within the structure of these micro-organisms.
Cook-house Floor Plans Productive Garden- The Cook-house The direct influence of cellular structure can be seen in the masterplan, for the ‘house’ however, I developed the idea into a more realistic and versatile space. Due to the busy nature of the masterplan, the building had to be more controlled and directly concerned with the geometry of the breakdown of structures. It was after stripping back the decay process of a pig that I settled on a modular design, one that straddled the existing wall, the most important feature of the garden, and being respectful to the surroundings.
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The separation the wall provides is practical as well as conceptual, providing a natural division between public and private spaces, as the floor plans for the private spaces demonstrate opposite.
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1- Entrance 2- Deliveries store 3- Store for Kitchens 4- Managers office 5- Staff Room 6- Large circulation area 7- Male changing room 8- Female Changing room 9- The wall 10- The internal garden 11- Access to the public area
Sketch Axonometric portraying the masterplan
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The internal garden acted as a reminder of the important link between the garden, that generates the produce for the Cook-house to run it’s restaurant and cookery school.
Development model photograph
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1- Access to the kitchens a- Professional Kitchen b- Demonstration area c- Practical Kitchen 2- Cold Store 3- Dry store 4- Unisex WCs 5- Bridge access over the wall
Diagramming the decay of animal matter, a pig.
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1- Restaurant terrace Kitchen 2- Female staff changing room and WC 3- Male Changing room and toilet 4- Male WC 5- Disabled WC 6- Female WC 7- Lift 8- Butlers Pantry 9- Public access over the bridge to the terrace
Modular summary of the decay of organic matter
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Perspective
Design section, pencil
Third year project1: The Young Lit and Phil
The brief involves making a link between two libraries, on of which has been a well established institution since 1825. The young lit and Phil is proposed to mirror the purpose of the original library, and the ethos involved. However the Young Lit and Phil will be a specialist library, one that is accessible and inviting, encouraging a new generation of enquiring minds and giving Members the opportunity to pursue their own interests. The Newcastle branch of the literary and philosophical society opened in 1825, and it remains the largest independent library outside of London, to this day. The institution boasts more than 150000 books in its collection, spanning many a genre. In the formative days of the library, politics and religion were banned subjects (due to the turbulent political times they lived under) in order to maintain an open friendly atmosphere. It was a conversation club, a place to distribute and absorb information, in general the establishment was very liberal, pioneering mechanisation and moving with the pace of society into the future.
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
The Young Lit and phil- Introduction N The New Specialism of the library involved creating a comfortable environment for reading and writing to be renewed, both in terms of craft and general interest. Hosting literary events both in regard to academia and creativity, inspiring young talent and encouraging writing and discussing literature as a past time, rather than a chore or an expectation from others. The Library will cultivate the original fiction collection of the Lit and Phil, expanding on its current collection of fiction and creating a more specialised archive. The design will cater for the specific arts of reading and writing, bringing books to the forefront of people’s experience within the building.
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The form was derived from the axis of the Durham peninsula the site is located on, and the relationship between the position of the site and that of the UNESCO world Heritage Sites, Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral. The relationship between all three sites on the axis of the peninsula created an ellipse, this is what drove the elliptical form of the building . The elliptical timber drum of the building housed the library, where the internal walls were made up of structural bookcases, which creates a comfortable environment.
Axis of the peninsular and confined site informed the design
The restrictive nature of the site and limited access created a challenging project
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Elliptical form required continuous development due to the complicated geometry
Full context section
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Sketch Perspective of Internal Drum
Elevation in Context 3m
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Autocad Ground Floor Plan
The 1:20 model best demonstrates the library space. The library is intimate despite the open plan nature of the bookshelf walls. The internal sculpture is one that grows with the building, as members of the library attach their own stories to the sculpture as they pass through, meaning it is ever evolving. The suspended bookshelves protruding into the light-well, appear to continue through the green roof, however they are in fact ventilation shafts to provide stack ventilation, as shown below.
The drama of the building is internal, the exterior is modestly clad with ash, silvering with time, so as not to detract from the historic centre of Durham, or be obtrusive when viewed from the River Wear,.
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
third year
project 2: The Walltown Crag Ecological Regeneration Centre Introduction to Site Walltown Crag, a former quarry, is currently under regeneration, the effects of an initiative to improve the conditions of a site formerly victim to resource extraction, can be seen in terms of landscaping and planting. However rather than detracting from the natural beauty of the Whin Sill, the regeneration adds another layer to the patina of history shrouding the site. Generations since the Romans have manipulated and used the site to their own advantage. WEBSTERS DICTIONARY: “ HEATH [...] A TRACT OF WASTELAND... AN EXTENSIVE AREA OF RATHER LEVEL, OPEN, UNCULTIVATED LAND, USUALLY WITH RATHER POOR COURSE SOIL”
This acts as an apt description of what the site at wall town has become after years of human abuse. The Brief Walltown quarry is a site summarising the personality of Northumberland, encompassing the industrial past of the county, the rise and fall of mining ( of sorts) a definitive link to the past, as is the presence of Hadrian’s wall. The aim of the Brief for the project is to create a diverse location where enthusiasts, researchers and the general public alike can all learn about the ecological balance the county is in, how the people of Northumberland have damaged it in the past and how the future is progressing positively. The site will be divided into distinct areas, one that educates and entertains, an interactive space for the public to come and learn, alongside which the facilities they would expect are provided. A research and Field study centre, where real conservation work is carried out and research can be conducted in a professional environment, with the site itself being the test subject. Accommodation is the final zone, making allowance for possible school groups and study trips, as well as walkers.
The form is derived from the concept of the virtual nature of the wall, capitalising on the idea of the Wall being both existent and non existent due to the passing of time destroying some of the remnants.
Permanence, the Wall still remains, in parts Along its original course, the ebbing nature of its form is counterbalanced by the permanence of its purpose and the memories it is en-captured in Timber Piles are the least intrusive method of installing the buildings, also aspects as a carbon store due to the wood being locked underground.
The Roman Army Museum
View through the trees- Connection with nature
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Walltown Crag restorative Ecology Centre
The purpose of the development is to educate the public about the necessary ecological restoration required in and around the Northumberland National Park. The Site plan opposite indicates the areas within the site itself that can be developed as examples to the public, showing process and the end results.
location
Carlisle
Newcastle
Walltown
The Location of the site is in the centre of the stretch of the wall, in the centre of the journey across the country. Proposed Positioning on-site, hugging the landscape and hidden from obstruction by the Heugh, the lake and the surrounding trees. Influence from the language of the form of the wall
Exploded axonometric showing the visitors centre and auditorium where the public can learn about the work being conducted at Walltown
Also from that of the vernacular tradition of dry stone walls, used for agricultural purposes across the country and the world.
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Walltown Crag restorative Ecology Centre Technical Perspective Section The textual depth of thatch, teemed with the low embodied energy of the material, make it a sustainable and sympathetic material, sympathetic to the landscape as the colours of the surrounding moors and hills are akin to it. The material is low impact in terms of environmental considerations and in terms of aesthetics.
Conceptual Site PLaN: The site map has been hatched the separate areas all identifying the possible areas of regeneration around the sight, relating to the Issues affecting the region as a whole.
Heather Northumbrian Heather Thatch is unique to the county, due to the quantity grown in the area over the centuries. 70% of Northumberland is still covered in Heather, as it supports the habitats of the endangered Grouse, However the traditional method of Heather thatch completely died out in the 19th century due to the industrial revolution, Causeway House, two miles away from the quarry is the last remaining example in the county, rejuvenating this tradition seems both a sustainable and relevant option. By encouraging cultivation on site repairs to the materiality can be sourced on-site.
Hay Meadow area: Much of the agricultural land in the uplands is used for grazing livestock, due to the presence of limestone in certain areas surrounding the wall, upland calcareous grass meadows used to be common, the main species found in the upper Pennine area being: • Salad Burnet • Birdsfoot trefoil • Quaking Grass • Eyebrights
Marshes and Bogs Forests
Calcerous grasses
A predominant feature of the Northumbrian Natural park, the wildlife trust has shown evidence of reinstating woodland on the site. This could be more appropriately positioned so as not to interfere with the development of the marshes, a habitat in danger of depleting further in the near future. Not to imply that the fate of woodland is unimportant, as many rare species of animal and plant rely on the habitat.
Centuries ago the grasses would have covered the site, and they are found sparsely across the Northumbrian uplands, however the Dolomite quarry excavated 30m of the topsoil, leaving behind glacial soils, devoid of nutrients, hence the limited variety of meadow plants in the area. As the name suggests, Calcerous grasses grow in Limestone rich soils. The Quarry was founded due to the dolomite rich landscape in the area; however the soil is effectively a blank canvas for development and for encouraging rare species to be grown, increasing the variety of flora and fauna growing, in turn attracting more wildlife to the area.
The areas are found on peaty soils however they are under threat. Drainage of bogs in order to graze cattle has made the volume diminish in number; this has caused the majority of blanket bogs around Keilder forest to be destroyed. Afforestation has the same effect, the planting of trees causing the water table in the marshland to lower. Therefore the man made pond made as a result of the quarrying could be used to create an environment reminiscent of those lost due to changing attitudes in the county
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Walltown Crag restorative Ecology Centre Visitors Centre plans v
1. Research Mezzanine Disabled access via lift Interactive area Learning corner Presentation booth
Model photographs of the visitors Centre
2. Visitors Centre Exhibition showing different techniques Interactive pond Exhibition Educational exhibition Seating area Disabled wc Gift shop Circulation area to access both the mezzanine above and the rest of the building. Terrace outside to view the site
3. Cafe and Auditorium Auditorium to seat 80 i.e.. a conference or university field trip Cafe serving local organic food from locally sourced farms Public WCs Kitchen Staff Changing Rooms Store Rooms Staff office Managers office Plant room
Scale Bar 1
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Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Walltown Crag restorative Ecology Centre Visitors Centre Plans
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1. Ground floor Reception Boot Store Communal Lounge Dining area Plant room Laundry Room Store rooms Cold store Kitchen Circulation area Eight eight bed thatched bunk rooms Covered walkway Accommodation for four permanent staff Two twin disabled rooms
2. First Floor Lift access Four Disabled wet rooms Male shower Room Male Shower room with WC Male WC Female Shower room Female Shower Room and WC Female WC Staff Headquarters Mini Kitchenette Scale Bar 1
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Model Photographs, Visitors Centre
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Walltown Crag restorative Ecology Centre Visitors Centre Perspective
Perspective showing the entrance to the accommodation block. The Heather Thatch roofs cause the roofs to be constructed at a 45 degree pitch, creating a dramatic double height space. Green oak columns support the roof great weight of the roof, a bookshelf runs along it, creating a separation between the public and private spaces in the plan, also creating an inviting environment for guests to relax in at their leisure. The facade is predominantly made up of sliding doors that allow a free connection with the Landscape that is so integral to the design. Views across the lake to the rest of the development create a sense of community
Location plan
Part 1 Portfolio Florence Bill, BA(hons) Architecture
Walltown Crag restorative Ecology Centre Visitors Centre Perspective
Perspective from the mezzanine in the visitors centre, looking down over the communal lounge and dining area. The perspective also shown the glazed walling positioned in the kink of the building where a tree is planted - the overhangs of the Roof. The glazing gives the impression of the landscape creeping back into building, the infiltration a constant reminder of the purpose of the structure.
Location Plan
Site Section and External Perspective Watercolour and pen 1
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