THE SUN GREAT

It Was Until It Hit The Side Of A Building

Throughout the years, as we as humans evolve and become fitter and more connected. The need for a gym or training spaces become ever more in demand. For my design, I wish to create a space that allows for people to train and become interconnected, to not only function as a gym but something more. Such a space will allow the surrounding community to reside in sweat and happiness within a space that ultimately reflects them. Of course this can only be possible with a site that actually needs it. A space that is in dire need of such design and connection, My site of a choice is the Upminster train station car park. The reason being while I'm aware that this car park can get full, its most of the time empty and with the designs I have in mind I may be able to retain the same parking spaces. A gym in this location is extremely ideal, the nearest gym to locals in Upminster is harrow lodge leisure centre in Hornchurch. There are smaller other 'fitness shops' like 'New Heights Fitness Limited' and 'Exercise with Sally Guise' which are very small fitness shops that offer classes and sessions. I think that these facilities are nowhere near enough to suffice. Thus Upminster Train Station car park is so ideal, it allows commuters from Upminster train station as well as locals to benefit from the gym. I think that while there is a lot of traffic and noise the site is somewhat in an enclosure and provides privacy for gym goers. NOTE: I'm only designing the Exterior with lesser significance on Site and interior

The site however does not come without its issue. The entrance to the site is very narrow and enclosed, the layout of the road means that people have to turn in from a busy main road which creates some traffic. The train station being practically adjacent means that surrounding area suffers from noise pollution and low-level rumbling, which means that the building design would have to be structurally sound to be able to withstand constant movement from the trains racing by and the noise pollution. While this is also good, the site is very enclosed and hidden. If a gym were to be there, I would have to workout a way to publicize the gym more and make it more apparent. Lastly the road layout into the car park is in my opinion in efficient, there is no clear lane marking which from personal experience makes crossing the road difficult as cars are just all over the place. The mini roundabout I also think is not utilised properly; with my gym idea I think that I would change the mini roundabout into a more compact roundabout that’s a lot more visible

While I list some solutions here, These solutions are just concepts and ideas. It would be foolish to think that without research and development a solution can just appear. I think that with the noise pollution and low-level rumbling from the train station a design that perhaps is lifted off the floor would mitigate this. Soundproof windows and sound reflective design would also be crucial towards the building's survival. Within the building design itself there would be some soundproofing measures to ensure that the only thing heard is iron clanging and aggressive music. For the road layout problems, although much more research would be needed to see if this would work. But a new changed road layout with marked lanes, traffic lights and a proper roundabout doesn't seem like the worst idea. Although research within urban town planning would be needed for this and perhaps more analysis on road layouts and their effects on people

Upon a visit to the site, I gathered some interesting information on the site. Walking up station road, and further gazing upon the entrance. I truly realised how enclosed and cocooned it is, there is not much/any knowledge or information onto this area being a car park. Considering the sheer size of the car park and how much it can capacitate; it should be made more apparent that this area is a car park. Walking further in, you could see a fairly large number of cars parked up on the left-hand side. I'm assuming that this is to set and pick up passengers off to the station. However there are double yellow lines right there, which is incredibly confusing as this seems like an ideal spot for people to quickly set down passengers or pick up. The entrance to the site is large enough for buses and cars to go by so I do not see as to why cars cannot park on the left. Walking further into the site and nearer to the car park, it became apparent that there was no pavement on the right-hand side of the road. For my design I would most certainly have to address this as one pavement for people to walk on with commuters and gym goers all at once, it could quite packed and unsafe. Walking into and further up the car park, the sheer size and potential of the site became quickly apparent. Bear in mind I had gone to the site at a 'peak time' of around 4:30-5 and the car park was only half full slightly less in fact. To the left of the car park from the entrance we can see some disabled spaces on a slight hill, which bearing In mind who its for I don’t think the incline is helpful towards disabled people. On the south elevation an oasis of large vibrant green traces covered the southern side. This is something I would most certainly keep and take advantage of

Upminster, a suburban town located in the London Borough of Havering, experiences sunpaths that follow a predictable pattern throughout the year. Understanding the sunpaths in Upminster is crucial for architects, urban planners, and individuals interested in optimizing natural lighting and solar energy utilization in their projects and daily lives.

As Upminster is situated in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun's path changes over the course of the year due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. During the summer solstice, which typically occurs around June 21st, the sun rises in the northeast and follows a high and elongated trajectory in the sky, reaching its peak at noon in the southern direction. This results in longer daylight hours and a higher angle of incidence for sunlight, providing ample opportunities for natural lighting and solar energy harvesting.

Conversely, during the winter solstice, around December 21st, the sun rises in the southeast and follows a lower and shorter path across the sky, with its zenith shifted towards the north. Consequently, daylight hours are shorter, and the angle of sunlight is lower, impacting the availability and intensity of natural light.

Site parameters

As you can see the total area of this site is very large in its stature. The small map below is not fully accurate as the greenery on google earth hindered my ability to get truly accurate dimensions. However the dimensions I have will suffice and give more than enough depth and understanding on site parameters. Directly below you can see the google earth view of the site rendered, I have highlighted the entire site and cut off the site entrance, in this view you can get a true understanding for the potential of the site. In the image itself its empty and when I took a site visit, the car park was not really full. Considering I went at 5 which is prime rush hour, what I’ve gathered from primary research is that the car park is not used to its full potential, thus my idea for this site I think will be really good

To my left you can see some google SketchUp renderings of the site. Its quite difficult to see as on the actual site itself there’s only the train lines and trees in close proximity which the software could not render. However it does show the buildings that are in play with the design of this site. In the first image to the left the highlighted buildings overlooks the prior entrance to the physical site, the station approach road which will be the road that leads to the site itself. These buildings affect the site flow as they will for sure cause some traffic at the station approach road entrance which could make it difficult for gym goers to enter. The Upminster station entrance on station road will cause some heavy traffic in close proximity to the site entrance. The second image down overlooks the small built up area around the site and Upminster station. As there are no contours in the rendering, from primary research I could definitely say that there is inconsistent incline and decline throughout station road and into the site. An exaction of the site to make it dead flat would be ideal however dearly expensive. Its also very important to notice that the design of the buildings exterior shell will be highly important. Due to the nature of the site, the building will struggle to have an identity in a concrete jungle of fairly old high street shops, I would go as far as saying that due to the massing of the surrounding site a fairly tall high rise building is not out of the question. Apart from the residential buildings on the south and perhaps the train line may create an engineering difficulty for a skyscraper, there isn’t anything else that causes an issue for a taller buildings design. In the final image we can see an overview of around ½ a mile radius around the site.

Western Elevation

East Elevation

NORTHERN ELEVATION

SOUTHERN ELEVATION