15-16, 01, 2013
[CONTENTS[
01-02
[THE BRIEF[ -LOCATION
-SITE VISIT
03-07
[PROPOSAL[ -INITIAL GROUP RESPONSE -DESIGN PHASING
08-11
[PRESENTATION[ -PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION -THUMBNAILS
12
[CRITICAL ANALYSIS[ -RESPONSE TO GROUP DESIGN -LIMITATIONS TO DESIGN -RESPONSE TO DESIGN WEEK
[PROJECT SHEDULE [
Tuesday 15th January AM: Brief presentation and site visit. PM: Initial group brainstorming & Design research Wednesday 16th January AM: Design generation PM: Presentation formatting & Group presentation on powerpoint.
Final visual of transportation scheme
[THE BRIEF[
01
The brewery site is located to the south of Leeds city centre, approximately 200 meters south of Briggate, 400 metres south east of Leeds train station and 200 metres to the west of the Clarence Dock development. The site is a large 25 acre site with good links to the city centre, the national motorway system and some modern residential developments which surround the site. The brewery closed on June 17th 2011 with the loss of 179 staff. Following the closure various proposals have been created for the redevelopment of the site; these have included a data centre providing broadband capabilities and even a contemporary art galley. Due to the economic climate, Carlsberg have since decided to turn the site into a large surface car park and demolition of the 37 buildings on the site has begun. The aim of the brief is to propose an alternative development to the huge 9000 space surface car park proposed by Carlsberg which envisages a more long lasting and sustainable ethic which can move the city of Leeds forward as a city of the future.
[LOCATION[
The site has strong possibilities of transport links with the city. At present the majority of city activity centres around the north of the river but some modern developments have been built in close proximity to the site. The closest is a modern development located between the site and the river, called Brewery Wharf. For a time the Brewery Wharf development had a brewery museum which has since closed - the development currently contains bars, restaurants, a hotel, offices and some speculative residential developments. To the east of the site sits the modern development of Clarence Dock - containing residential, retail, office, leisure space and most notably the Royal Armouries.
[SITE VISIT[
02
To start the project we took a site visit which introduced us to the site and allowed us to document the surrounding areas and issues such as access, views and circulation. This enabled us to discuss the site as a team and envisage possible ideas for site regenration. It was also a good opportunity to get to know the team and discuss strengths and weaknesses in our abilities which we take forward later in the project. However i noticed that not all team members came on the visit especially the project managers who seemed to be taking a back seat at this point.
Site view towards the north of the city and the residential developments encapsulating the site
Tetleys brewery office building (retained on site)
Site arial photograph
[PROPOSAL[
03
INITIAL GROUP RESPONSE
Directly after the site visit we sat down as a group and discussed the issues on the site and how they could be alleviated During this brainstorming everyone from all areas of expertise put forward ideas for consideration, However some of the ideas raised were lacking creativity, which i think this project needs in order to suceed. Each idea was discussed further with strengths and weaknesses being highlighted. An example of an idea which was raised but not carried forward was the integration of shopping centres; as we found that Leeds is now the 3rd biggest retail city in the UK after London and Birmingham and didnt need any further development in this sector. My first recognition of the site was its close proximity to the south of leeds city centre and the popular transport links such as the train station and the bus station. However i highlighted that these transport links were disconnected from other forms of transport like cars and motorcycles. I suggested to the group that a new transport system could be created which connects the present transport systems to a new more sustainable approach. From This, we researched new and sustainable methods of transport aswell as old concepts which have been tried but not yet integrated into an urban setting. As an interesting precedent we looked at the use of Air powered public transport and instantly researched the air ship. One of the first visions of such use of air ships was on the Empire state building which was designed to be a dock for such ships to allow passengers to enter and exit without leaving the skyspace, thus saving precious space on the ground. The scope of this area of research seemed vast and exciting. I think that the team enjoyed the research stage as it involved learning about new methods of transportation aswell as old conceptual ideologies of the 1920's Images of initial group contributions
[PROPOSAL[
04
As a group we decided that we wanted to implement a radical scheme that would deliver technological complexity as-well as creative spaces. By thinking outside the box we felt that our work would become more engaging to the public. The main reason for developing such an intervention was to respond to some research found by my colleague Helen. A graph was found which records the transport use and time in the Leeds district. It shows that to the south and centre of Leeds the car is predominantly used which is causing travel times to be exaggerated due to high congestion.
With the small time scale provided we decided that we needed to run with an idea almost immediately to enable use to support the project with sufficient imagery, research and data. Therefore our brief was as follows: With increasing fuel prices and levels of congestion within city centres, we decided to create a plan to develop an Alternative Transport Hub (ATH), on the former Tetley Brewery Site. The ATH will serve to provide transportation methods which are not dependant on fossil fuels thus allowing Leeds to become a green city. The ATH will be delivered in phases highlighted on the following page Site plan.
[PROPOSAL[
DESIGN PHASING
05
Phase 1 Park and Ride & Cycle Hub The first phase was a general park and ride scheme which we decided to introduce to feed the ever growing population of Leeds. As Leeds is developing economically, especially in retail we found it important to retain a large parking area beneath the site which could be used by the visiting public entering by car. The public ride would firstly be envisioned with a 1000 space car park, using a tram system stemming from the site which supports the main destinations in Leeds. We had to consider however that tram systems in the past have failed in the city.
Phase 2 Green Space & Allotments
visual of green space lanscaping and allotments
As the site at the moment is an eyesore it became apparent that simple green additions had to be made to the site. The landscape architects with their knowledge of planting methods suggested large areas of trees which were used to make the area more quiet and intimate however they seemed to be very basic with their ideas. As-well as this we wanted to provide an additional use to the green area with the use of Allotments which allowed the residential areas encapsulating the site to actively grow food to support the economy of the scheme. The Allotments were situated on the periphery of the site to allow ease of access. Although I feel that these green spaces would be successful I don't think that they fully engage with the other main aire-port design. I think that we could have done a better job at creating a fully cohesive scheme.
06
Phase 3 Aire-Rail The Main focus of the intervention was the implement a new sustainable mode of transport which would provide a local connection to other areas of the Leeds city area. The project managers were very sceptical at this point as they felt that the design was over the top and unrealistic. The landscape architects also seemed to revert back to a more standard car park design. However I feel that the architects did a good job at moving the project forward. Although challenging we decided to pursue the route of an air rail system that would reconnect the important areas of Leeds through a vacuum transport system. The technology behind the design incorporated an elevated vacuum tube with capsules inside powered by magnetic levitation which would drive passengers to various destinations. The time-scale compared to other forms of travel is reduced considerably and also the travel becomes more 50 times more efficient because there in no friction from the track. Images of vacuum system.
Transportation map As a group we decided to split these destinations into routes for certain people and places. For example we had student routes that would enable access to the various university campus's and a business district route which would enable access to the business district and banking areas of Leeds. We successfully found a niche in the Leeds transport system. I feel that by having this aire-rail systems leeds would be able to grow and develop. Aire-rail subducting through the lanscape to connect the city.
07
Phase 4 Aire-Port The Secondary transportation system envisioned a connection of Leeds on an international scale. After research into new, High technology transport systems we decided to implement an air-ship port which allows the transportation of the public to regions all over the world. This type of transport promoted sustainability by reducing the need for fossil fuels. The efficiency of these air ships compared to other forms of transport was researched and critical information showed that they reduced energy consumption because of the use of air. The destinations are highlighted in the map below. We thought it would be useful to show the impact of the intervention on a larger scale.
We decided to implement various uses for the air ships. The first being an aire-cruise which would allow the transportation of passengers to destinations over the world. The second is an aire-ferry which allowed the introduction of transportation of cars and cargo. Due to the ships high weight carrying capability a more far reaching solution could be created.
[PRESENTATION[
08
Everyone in the group had different strengths and weaknesses when it came to making the presentation. The majority of the visual information was created by the architects and the landscape architects, and the legislation work by the other team members including the project managers. Although the creative and legislation side was disconnected we still worked together as a group to allow ideas to transcend throughout and make sure the work had a cohesive language. After each bit of work was produced as a group we read through it and made sure that the ideas and imagery was successful. To make sure the design presentation was good aesthetically I adapted the pages to a certain style of presentation. Although at times certain people pushed for certain things I would say that everyone had an equal contribution in terms of the design side. However on the legislation side the effort was not the same. I understand that the project managers have little say in the design intentions but they could of helped more in the management side.
[PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION[
After initially presenting the chosen idea to my group I decided to take the presentation of the project by doing some of the final images and the sections which explained the scheme. I, along with another architects were required to create the design presentation. We created a simple diagrammatic section to explain the scheme and all of the phases implemented. This section was easy to read to allow all of the phases to be understood. I was also in charge of creating the marketing of the project. Successful projects have a strong branding and because of this I created the logos and the final images which I think really sell the scheme in a visual way.
Sectional representation of scheme
The main design of the docking tower which holds the 2 transportation systems was designed by myself. I used a quick grasshopper and rhino model to show the scale and structure that we intended to use. I think that this worked well to enable a quick visualisation of how the intervention would look on the site. It also enabled the other members of the group to understand more what the architects wanted. Although I was involved with much of the visual process I would have liked to create the master-plan. I felt the final design that the landscape architects produced wasn't of a high quality and didn't represent the ideals of the scheme. However due to the time scale I am very pleased with the amount and quality of the overall presentation.
[PRESENTATION[ THUMBNAILS 01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
09
[PRESENTATION[ THUMBNAILS 11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
10
[PRESENTATION[
11
The presentation of the intervention was done at the front of the studio in groups. We presented our ideas to the tutors who specialised in architecture, landscape architecture and project management. The visual information that we presented sold the scheme successfully as it seemed that the audience were engaging with the radical nature of the project. Each slide was talked through for about 20 seconds to give an overview of the ideologies presented. Overall the comments given were successful and the tutors seemed to like our ambitious design and the phases implemented. However in some cases the money side of the design was questioned. The group presenting the scheme
The group recieving feedback from the tutors
[CRITICAL ANALYSIS[
12
RESPONSE TO GROUP DESIGN Phases 1 and 2 -Benefits: 1st Park and Ride Takes Traffic out of the road and bus transport system, reducing congestion in the city. -Increased vitally needed available parking in Leeds -Retail Allotment helps offset portion of initial investment Cycle-Rental helps with green transport in Leeds,Green Space provides aesthetically pleasing view of the area. Phases 3 and 4 -International Pioneering Air Ship Port, the first in the UK, Providing links to other major destinations. -Inter-Rail Gives new green method of transport around Leeds. Avoids Congestion, It creates a high speed link to connect the most important areas of Leeds on specialised routes.
LIMITATIONS TO DESIGN -Funding Awaiting Backing from Leeds City Council -Planning Permission and Land needed for Aire-Rail Stations and structure around the city especially the historic areas. -Air Ship port needs foreign investment abroad for other Air Ship ports, Air Ships still need to be Validated as a accepted successful method of transport.
RESPONSE TO DESIGN WEEK Due to the short time scale of the project, the experience has given me a greater understanding of the stages and people involved when making a project a reality. The most striking aspect of the experience was the amount of people needed to complete a project. I understand that in practice architects work in large scale groups as-well as with engineers, planners and project managers. The jobs in regard to planning and legislation were almost totally overlooked by myself before this project. Working with people in these fields has given me a greater understanding of their jobs and just what goes into making a design a reality. However the intent of the project managers was lacking as I felt like the architects did the most work. The team work of such projects is crucial in the architectural discipline and so by doing such work with other faculties has allowed me to work in a more professional situation on a strict time scale as if it were in a real job situation. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work on the brewery site and doing so I have reinforced my knowledge of the Leeds area. Having a design project on the immediate future of Leeds was very interesting The highlight of the week was creating the intervention. Due to our radical proposal our design intervention won the prize for the most successful project. The photo to the left shows the team members collecting the prize for the project. It shows that a generation scheme requires a certain amount of creativity as-well as complexity.
Winning group presentation