The craft, choreography and culmination
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Vantage Pointe
Queen Square Place, Bath ‘The Pointe’ Theatre, Studios and Workshops for a resident ballet company in Bath.
The building is one of layers - serving to bring together and highlight practices associated with ballet that are typically ‘behind the scenes’. The building consists of a ‘pas de trois’ of principal elements; pointe shoe workshops (the craft), dance studios (the choreography) and auditorium (the culmination). The architectural choreography of these elements, and relationship between them, establishes and exploits particular vantage points in order to present the multiple building users with opportunities to glimpse each other at work, thus revealing and honouring the forgotten craft. The building plays on the relationship between the public and the dancers, each with their own choreographed built elements whereby complementary rhythms are established across the site, creating a hidden inspiring world.
Roof Plan 1.500
Building Plans
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1 Stage Lift 2 Orchestra Changing 3 Orchestra Changing 4 Sub-Stage Store 5 Green Room 6 Orchestra Pit 7 Sound Lock Lobby 8 Instrument Store 9 Physiotherapy Room 10 Plant Room 11 Studio 01 12 Workshop Store 13 Binding Room (workshop) 14 Makers’ Room (workshop) 15 Staff Room 16 Pointe Shoe Fitting 17 Dancewear Shop 18 Male Changing 19 Female Changing
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Lower Ground Floor Plan 1.500
Scene
Dock Stage Door
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Sec o Ent ndary ran ce
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En Ma tra in nc e
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Stage Lift Backstage Stage Stalls Prop Store Quick Change Cloakroom Lobby WCs Foyer Box Office Workshop Reception Servery Cafe/Bar Terrace Offices - Ballet Company Directors and Theatre Managers
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Ground Floor Plan 1.500
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Circle Left Royal Box Circle Right Lighting Control Room Balcony - overlooking foyer Balcony - overlooking cafe Sound Lock Lobby Studio 02 Offices - choreographer, ballet master/mistress, artistic director
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First Floor Plan 1.500
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First Artist and Soloists’ Dressing Rooms Fly Galleries Upper Circle
Second Floor Plan 1.500
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Soloists’ and First Artists’ Dressing Rooms Fly Galleries Lighting Galleries
Third Floor Plan 1.500
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Corps de Ballet’s Dressing Rooms Fly Galleries
Fourth Floor Plan 1.500
Exploded Isometric of Main Building
Aerial view from the North-East
Aerial view from the South-East
Aerial view from the South-West
Aerial view from the North-West
Aerial Views
Visual of pointe shoe workshop looking onto zen garden and shop
Visual of auditorium from wings on stage left
Visual of lower ground dance studio looking onto zen garden
Visual of first floor dance studio
Physical Model
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‘Nothing is more revealing than movement.’ Martha Graham
‘In the practical world the guiding principle seems to be the straight line, the least action, the shortest time. The dance is the exact opposite. It moves in a self-contained realm of its own.’ Copeland and Cohe
Public routes bounded by the flowing form of the larch cladding
A Rhythmic Choreography The public route vs dancer route Dancer routes bounded by orthogonal rationale of the copper panels In effect, the treatment of routes for the two principle users of my building, the dancers and the public, sees a role reversal; with the more functional, direct routes of the dancers contrasting with the highly choreographed, flowing route of the public. Whilst the dancers require direct and quick routes in order to quickly access the stage, for example, the intricacies of the public route are not implemented through necessity but through the desire to choreograph a sequence of events which allow a degree of enlightenment at each point toward the backstage activities of a ballet production.
Vantage Points Pointe Shoe Workshop
‘Zen Garden’ Courtyard
Level Public Entrance Route from Chapel Row Dancewear Shop ‘Zen Garden’ Courtyard
Ballet Studios
Windows at rear of western block of Queen Square
Highlighted section illustrating vantage points
A Building of Layers Honouring the forgotten Integral to my brief was the concept of bringing together and highlighting practices associated ballet that are typically ‘behind the scenes’. Setting up the choreography of my building has allowed me to utilise particular vantage points to offer the multiple building users opportunities to glimpse each other and their craft. The two principle layering mechanisms involve the varying transparency levels between day and night of the integrated copper mesh glazing panels (used in relation with the dancers and their associated spaces/circulation routes) and the larch cladding whereby decreasing its density at desired points will allow for views out (used in relation with the general public and their circulation routes).
COPPER SCREEN - PUBLIC/DANCER RELATIONSHIP Day - Dancers warming up at the barre have views out of the studios whilst the reflective nature of the glass will prevent them being significantly overlooked from the outside. Night - As the sun sets and the public arrive to watch a performance they will observe the silhouettes of dancers in the studios. The copper will appear to glow with the illumination of the studio lights and they will stand as beacons from Chapel Row, highlighting the enduring hard work and dedication of the dancers as classes continue into the evening.
COPPER SCREEN - RESIDENTS & OFFICE WORKERS/DANCER RELATIONSHIP Day - Dancers in the first floor studio will look onto the rear facade of the western block of Queen Square, establishing them in the context and traditions of Georgian Bath as they establish a new tradition of ballet in the city Night - Those working in the adjacent offices during the evening will also enjoy views into the first floor studios as dancers partake in classes and rehearsals.
LARCH CLADDING - REVEALING VIEW SOUTH OVER BATH OTHERWISE UNNOTICED As the public circulate the building, those seated in the Upper Circle of the auditorium will come across a relief in the density of cladding, slowly revealing a view across the city centre, referencing the building within the context of the wider city as the fly tower of the Theatre Royal can also be seen from this elevated vantage point.
LARCH CLADDING - REVEALING THE CRAFT Those seated in the cafe/bar will be allowed views into the pointe shoe workshops as the density of the cladding decreases, revealing an otherwise uncelebrated and forgotten craft so integral to the practice of ballet.
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Screen Machine Spike Island, Bristol
A film institute comprising of three opposing cinematic and architectural experiences.
Film is a form of escapism. The act of going to the cinema can be viewed as a process; one arrives, experiences the film, and the leaves in a different state. Between entering, watching a film and leaving, a change in the human psyche occurs. The nature of this change, be it emotional or psychological, is not completely quantifiable or understood, the notion of such an effect relates to the unknown qualities of a black box. Black box: an object that can be viewed in terms of its input, output and transfer. Its internal workings cannot be seen or altered. White box: a device whose internal workings can be seen but similarly not altered. Whilst both the black and white box theories state that the inner workings of each cannot be modified, the idea of a third contrasting element was explored in the form of a ‘process box’ whose internal workings can be both seen and altered. The notion of these extremes of black and white further relates to the conditions of the context; from the ‘dark’ private spaces to the south, to the ‘light’ public spaces to the north. The architecture of each element provides a distinctively different cinematic experience, from the total solitude of the black box, communal experience of the outdoor white box and the interactive process of film making explored in the process box. This concept is further translated into the aesthetic, structural treatment and experiential qualities of each cinema.
Ground Floor Plan 1:200
First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Plans and Exploded Structure
Section Perspective
Physical Model
MUSEUM SQUARE External cafe seating Entrance to train shed
GRANITE SETT PAVING Punctures through wapping wharf emphasising main route through the site Paving stones vary from light to dark grey
BLACK CONCRETE Carbon pigment for optimum black colouring Smooth as cast Aggregate found on site Forms covered walkways around reflection garden
GREY CONCRETE External stepped performance seating cast in-situ Portland cement, smooth as cast Natural sand and other aggregate found on site
VIEW OF BLACK BOX WALKWAY AMONGST THE TREES
VIEW OF REFLECTION GARDEN FROM WITHIN BLACK CONCRETE WALKWAY CHERRY TREE Light pink blossom contrasts with materiality of Black Box Singular tree acts as focal point in the reflection garden
ILLUMINATED SURFACE Entrance portal of Process Box projects light onto ground surface Illumination pronounces main entrance
WHITE CONCRETE White portland cement Silicon sand Fine white marble aggregate Smooth as cast
COMPOSITION OF SILVER BIRCH AND ILLUMINATED BENCHES EXISTING OAK TREES The additional trees proposed will be of the same species; added to create a dense forrest effect Naturally shaded area Darkest side of dark to light gradient Shelters private end of site
SWEET CHESTNUT BENCHES Alternate layers of sweet chestnut and acrylic Acrylic layers illuminated at night Organic form and materiality contrasts with the geometry of the landscape and surrounding buildings
SILVER BIRCH TREES Serve to soften the regular geometry of the public steps and surrounding buildings Illuminated at night Bright green foliage and silver bark contrast with the black steel of the Process Box
Landscape Tectonics
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Contemporary Dance Platform Museum Quarter, Amsterdam
An experimental stage for a newly formed professional contemporary dance company ‘Dansgroep Amsterdam’. The building was designed to stand as an architectural expression of the dances created by Itzik Galili, DGA’s principal choreographer. “Galili’s art lies in his capacity to balance abstraction and narration with finesse, creating works that impress themselves strongly upon us. He is one of only a few choreographers working in the Netherlands today who can structure a fragile equilibrium between humour, aggression, lyricism, sex and elegance” (Michael A. Kroes, Ballettanz International Magazine, March 2007)
The building also echoes themes commonly explored in contemporary dance; NUDITY • serving to reveal something about human experience, stripping down to a spiritual essence. • having the power to force the audience into a heightened state of alertness as feeling of slight discomfort unifies both dancer and observer. • an apparent tough and raw, yet unmistakably vulnerable appearance RELATIONSHIPS • any dynamic between the masculine and feminine will invariably be interpreted as a relationship TENSIONS • balancing on the edge of success and failure • vulnerability that is also a strength • artificial and natural • cerebral and animal • something that is at odds, yet in harmony with itself and all that surrounds it
Ethereal Translucence Veiled form and its relationship with the water
The veil renders all that is hidden intriguing
Raised in response to scale of adjacent building
The most important relationship between the audience and dancer is embraced
The public are invited a glimpse into the life of a dancer Raised canopy facilitating public gatherings Opening to accommodate public
Massing The underground workings of a dance company
Hierarchy
Conceptual Imagery and Plans
Sectional Perspectives
Visualisations and Elevations
Physical Model
Physical Model