BA ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
PORTFOLIO
JOANNA LINDLEY SESSION 2013-14//STAGE 2
What? You’re thinking for yourself? You’re deciding on your own? You’re applying your own yardsticks, your own judgements, your own values? Who do you think you are, anyway?
And, indeed, that is precisely the question you are answering. -Neale Donald Walsch
CONTENTS *
Improved work based on feedback
CHARRETTE WEEK
PLACED DISPLACED
LIVING ON THE EDGE
CIVIC CENTRED
CROSSOVER
CHARRETTE WEEK
GANGHUT AIM: EXPLORE FULL SCALE, HANDS ON MAKING RE-USE DISCARDED MATERIALS CREATE PLACES OF ACTIVITY, EVENT & SURPRISE OUTPUT: COLLABORATED WITH QUILLIAM BROTHER’S TEA HOUSE RE-USED DISCARDED ARTWORK CREATED AN ALTERNATIVE OUTDOOR ‘TEA COSY’ CREATED A PLACE TO ENJOY TAKE OUT TEA
PLACED DISPLACED
* AIM: FOCUS ON SPATIAL AND VOLUMETRIC PLANNING AND DESIGN OF A SMALL TERRACED HOUSE CREATE INNOVATIVE USE OF RESTRICTED SPACE
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CLIENTS: YOUNG PROFESSIONAL COUPLE NEED STORAGE FOR BIKES AND OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT NEED SPACE TO ENTERTAIN GUESTS AND EXHIBIT POTTERY COLLECTION OUTPUT: USED A SIMPLE CONCEPT OF 3 IN 1 DESIGNED SPACE SAVING MULTIFUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS CREATED TERRACED HOUSE DESIGN THAT WOULD FIT WELL INTO SURROUNDING AREA BUT ALSO HAD AN EXCITING AND INNOVATIVE SPATIAL DESIGN
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MAJA’S ROOM BY 81.WAW.PL GROUND FIRST SECOND ROOFTOP GUEST BEDROOM
BEDROOM, BATHROOM, STUDY
KITCHEN, DINING, LIVING
MAIN PRECEDENT
MAJA’S ROOM WAS MY MAIN PRECEDENT I THOUGHT IT USED A VERY LIMITED SPACE EFFECTIVELY BY CREATING THREE DISTINCT DIFFERENT SPACES WHILST STILL MAINTAINING ONE LARGER SPACE I HAVE USED THIS SIMPLE IDEA IN THE SPATIAL ORGANISATION OF MY TERRACED HOUSE BOTH FLOORS HAVE THREE DISTINCT FUNCTIONS YET LINK TOGETHER I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS ON THE GROUND FLOOR WITH PARTITION WALLS ON THE FIRST FLOOR THIS THEME IS CARRIED THROUGH WITH THE USE OF LIGHT FILTERING THROUGH FROM THE MAIN BEDROOM, THROUGH THE FROSTED GLASS AND INTO ALL THE SPACES * ELEVATIONS IMPROVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEEDBACK
* SOUTH ELEVATION
* NORTH ELEVATION
SECTION A
LIVING ON THE EDGE
*
AIM: DESIGN A SMALL HOUSING SCHEME IN THE HEART OF NEWCASTLE FOCUS ON THE EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEY FROM THE THRESHOLD ON THE PUBLIC STREET THROUGH TO THE PRIVATE BEDROOMS CLIENTS: DISADVANTAGED YOUNG PEOPLE WANTING TO BE REHABILITATED BACK INTO SOCIETY NEED TO LEARN A SKILL WHILST IN THE FOYER, WORKING TOGETHER AT TIMES BUT ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PRIVATE SPACE OUTPUT: TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE SITE TO PHYSICALLY STEP DOWN FROM THE PRIVATE STREET LEVEL TO THE SEMI PUBLIC WORKSHOP AND FINALLY TO THE FULLY PRIVATE LIVING AREAS CREATED AN EXCITING GLASS ROOF EXHIBITION SPACE LOOKING INTO THE GLASS BLOWING WORKSHOP TO INTRIGUE THE PUBLIC AND HELP INTEGRATE THE CLIENTS BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY STEP BY STEP
* SITE ANALYSIS
* STUDY MODELS
*NEW PAGE
*
RIVERSIDE ELEVATION
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* ROOF PLAN
I TOOK INSPIRATION FROM CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF GOING TO THE NATIONAL GLASS CENTRE IN SUNDERLAND. I REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT OF WALKING ON THE GLASS ROOF, PEERING THROUGH AT WHAT WAS GOING ON BELOW AND BEING AMAZED BY THE STRENGTH OF THE GLASS. I WANTED TO CREATE THIS KIND OF EXCITEMENT IN MY FOYER DESIGN. HAVING SEVERAL EXCITING AND UNUSUAL ELEMENTS TO INTRIGUE THE PUBLIC AND FOR THE CLIENTS TO ENJOY IN THE PRIVATE OF THE FOYER. THE STREET LEVEL WAS DESIGNED AS AN EYE CATCHING PAVILION, TO DRAW THE PUBLIC IN. THE ROOF IS CONCRETE BUT ALL THE WALLS ARE GLAZED, GIVING THE EXHIBITION SPACE A VERY LIGHT TRANSPARENT QUALITY. THERE IS A GREEN ROOF OVER THE LIVING AREAS OF THE FOYER, ALLOWING IT TO BLEND INTO THE LANDSCAPE AND REMAIN A HIDDEN, PRIVATE WORLD AWAY FROM PUBLIC EYES.
THE SOCIAL SPACES, SUCH AS THE READING SPACES INCORPORATED INTO THE STAIRWELLS AND THE COMMUNAL KITCHEN, DINING AND LIVING AREAS ALL HAVE LARGE AREAS OF GLAZING. THE WINDOWS FACE DIRECTLY ONTO THE RIVER. MAKING IT A MORE OPEN, SOCIABLE PLACE WITH A LINK TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. * WORK IMPROVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEEDBACK
* STREET LEVEL
ENTRANCE, EXHIBITION, SHOP
THE BEDROOMS MAXIMISE LIGHT BY HAVING ANGLED, SOUTH-FACING WINDOWS, MEANING LIGHT FLOODS INTO THE SPACES AND THE CLIENTS HAVE A VIEW OF THE RIVER. BUT PEOPLE ON THE FOOTPATH ACROSS THE RIVER CANNOT SEE DIRECTLY IN, CREATING A TRULY PRIVATE SPACE.
TUTOR’S FLAT, BEDROOMS
STREET LEVEL -1 GLASS BLOWING WORKSHOP, KITCHEN, BEDROOMS
STREET LEVEL -2
* SECTION A
*
LIME STREET ELEVATION
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SECTION B
CIVIC CENTRED
AIM: DESIGN OUR FIRST MEDIUM SCALE PUBLIC BUILDING SITUATED IN TYNEMOUTH ALTER THE EMPHASIS FROM THAT OF THE PRIVATE AND wPERSONAL TO THE PUBLIC AND COLLECTIVE
* *
SITE AND INSPIRATION PHOTOS
CLIENTS: THE DIVERSE AND GENERAL PUBLIC THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN TYNEMOUTH WITH THE SITE I CHOSE, SITUATED IN THE GARDEN OF ST OSWIN’S CHURCH NOT ONLY WAS IT A RELATIVELY SMALL SPACE TO WORK WITH, BUT ALSO A VERY SENSITIVE SITE MEANING THE EXISTING BUILDINGS MUST BE RESPECTED OUTPUT: I DESIGNED A MOOT HALL COMBINED WITH LITERARY CO-OP ON THE MEDIEVAL FRONT STREET IN TYNEMOUTH THE BUILDING REPRESENTS THE ‘DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT’ OF THE TOWN, BY HAVING A VERY TRANSPARENT GROUND FLOOR IT ACTS AS AN EXTENSION OF THE STREET, DRAWING THE PUBLIC THROUGH TO THE COMMUNAL GARDEN INSPIRED BY LIBRARIES THERE ARE MULTIPLE ‘UNEXPECTED SPACES’ DRAWING THE PUBLIC AROUND AND UP THROUGH THE BUILDING, CREATING A TRULY PUBLIC PLACE
* STUDY MODELS
AN GAELARAS BY O’DONNELL AND TUOMEY
* CONCEPT MODEL
*
FRONT STREET ELEVATION
ENTRANCE, CAFE, CRECHE
GROUND LIBRARY, COMPUTER CLUSTER, WORKSPACE
FIRST
MOOT HALL, INTERVIEW ROOMS
SECOND MAYOR’S OFFICE, ADMIN OFFICE, STAFF KITCHEN
THIRD
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SHORT SECTION
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CROSSOVER
AIM: short ideas based project designed to give a sense of the architecture design process to engineering students and to give the architecture students an experience of a more technology driven design problem group work exploring, recording, realising and presenting a joint design proposal for a timber park and cycle ‘super hub’ and smaller ‘satellite hubs’ around the city CLIENTS: THE DIVERSE AND GENERAL PUBLIC THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN SHEFFIELD OUTPUT: Our group took inspiration from our chosen site, bringing the derelict ski slope in Sheffield back to life, creating an interesting hub of connectivity with innovative ways of using timber and a twist on the history of the site
Gridshell Roof Structure The structure’s Gridshell roof is inspired by the Savill building, Windsor Great Park. It is made up of a series of 80x50mm larch beams in a regular 1 metre grid. Shear blocks are incorporated into the Gridshell deisgn to help stabilise the structure whilst also allowing it to remain malleable. The medium density, lightweight material means the self weight of the structure is easily carried by the timber, and the separation of this structure from internal spaces means no other loads are applied, therefore stresses in the laths and the bracing are small. The larch is also ideal for highly exposed elevations making it an ideal choice for Gridshell roof.
Joining the lattice requires a connection that still allows some flexibility. Therefore, the larch will be joined to from the Gridshell using a series of concealed steel connections, particularly shear connection cups and two-way shear connectors. These allow a flexible connection whilst also preventing shear failure occuring, and the bolt being torn from the grain. The structure will be covered using a translucent Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This lightweight membrane will provide the tensile stiffening for the structure whilst also allowing the regular structure of the Gridshell to be visible through the material.
The Gridshell roof will be supported on a series of columns and arches made from Glued Laminated Timber. The Glulam is prefabricated from smaller pieces to create large structural members and provide the strength and versatility of solid sawn timbers. The laminating process also allows timber to be used in longer spans, heavier loads and complex shapes, making it ideal for the supporting members of the Gridshell roof. The arches and columns will be connected using a series of steel node connections, similar to the ones used in the Bodegas Protos Winery, Spain.
YEAR DESIGN REPORT I FEEL THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE LEARNING CURVE FOR ME, THERE HAVE BEEN MOMENTS WHEN I FEEL LIKE I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND HOW I WORK BEST AND AM REALLY PROUD OF MY WORK AND THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN TIMES WHERE I HAVE FELT COMPLETELY LOST AND AS THOUGH I AM NOT CAPABLE OF DOING THIS COURSE. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THESE SEEM NEGATIVE I THINK ALL OF THESE EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE IN MY LEARNING. I FIND THAT THIS COURSE PUSHES YOU TO THE ULTIMATE LIMIT- WITH TIME LIMITATIONS, WORK LOADS AND EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT WITH EACH PROJECT. ALTHOUGH AT TIMES WHEN I HAVE REACHED THE LIMIT, I DOUBT MYSELF AND FEEL TOTALLY LOST, I KNOW THAT THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE COURSE, IT HAS DEFINITELY PUSHED ME FURTHER THAN ANYTHING HAS EVER DONE BEFORE, I CAN CLEARLY SEE HOW FAR I HAVE COME SINCE STARTING THE COURSE LAST YEAR AND I GENUINELY THINK IT HAS CHALLENGED ME SO MUCH I HAVE GROWN BECAUSE OF IT AND I AM REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW FAR I HAVE COME. I THINK IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO PUT YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN WORK DOWN, BUT I HAVE BEEN WORKING PARTICULARLY HARD AT CHANGING MY ATTITUDE THIS YEAR. I HAVE TRIED TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY LIMITS, TAKE BREAKS WHEN I NEED TO AND HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN MY OWN ABILITY. I PERSONALLY FIND THIS INCREDIBLY HARD TO DO BUT HAVE DEFINITELY MADE PROGRESS, EVEN FROM THE FIRST PROJECT TO THE LAST ONE. THE THING I AM MOST PROUD OF IS HOW I HAVE DEALT WITH STRESS, AT THE START OF THE YEAR I COULD NOT COPE WITH ALL THE STRESS OF A PROJECT, MY MIND WOULD BECOME CLOUDED WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS I NEEDED TO CONSIDER AND THUS WORK VERY SLOWLY BECAUSE I WAS NOT FULLY FOCUSSING MY ATTENTION. BUT BY THE END OF THE YEAR I WAS ABLE TO REMAIN RELATIVELY CALM THROUGHOUT FULL PROJECTS AND JUST WORK THROUGH EACH INDIVIDUAL ELEMENT, PRIORITISING MY WORKLOAD AND NOT GETTING DISTRACTED AS MUCH. I WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE THIS FURTHER NEXT YEAR AND AIM TO WORK TO A NINE TILL FIVE ROUTINE, I’M HOPING A LONG PERIOD OF WORK EXPERIENCE OVER SUMMER WILL HELP ME GET INTO THIS HABIT OF A MORE PROFESSIONAL WORK ETHIC.
CHARRETTE WEEK:
THIS GROUP PROJECT ALWAYS FALLS ON THE FIRST WEEK OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR. I THINK IT IS A BRILLIANT WAY OF NOT ONLY BRINGING TOGETHER ALL THE YEARS IN THE SCHOOL BUT ALSO FOR GETTING BACK INTO THE CREATIVE PROCESS. WITH IT NOT BEING AN ASSESSED MODULE I THINK IT GIVES A SENSE OF FREEDOM, ALLOWING YOU TO BE AS CREATIVE AS YOU LIKE WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT GRADES. MY GROUP THIS YEAR WAS CALLED ‘GANGHUT’, IT FOCUSSED ON FULL SCALE, HANDS ON MAKING, THE BRIEF WAS TO DESIGN AND BUILD A TEMPORARY INSTALMENT WHICH ENCOURAGED A CERTAIN ACTIVITY, USING ONLY RECYCLED MATERIALS. I FOUND THAT ONCE WE WERE GIVEN THE BRIEF, I WANTED TO GO OFF AND START DESIGNING AND BUILDING IMMEDIATELY. HOWEVER, OUR TUTOR EMPHASISED THE IMPORTANCE OF FULLY EXPLORING OUR IDEAS- TAKING EVERY THOUGHT ‘FOR A WALK’ AND DRAWING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND BOUNCING OUR IDEAS AROUND THE WHOLE GROUP. I STRUGGLED WITH THIS, I FIND I A QUITE IMPATIENT AND WANTED TO GET ON WITH IT STRAIGHT AWAY. DUE TO THIS, CHARRETTE WEEK WAS A REALLY USEFUL EXPERIENCE TO START THE YEAR WITH AS IT TAUGHT ME HOW IMPORTANT THE INITIAL EXPLORATION PHASE IS. THE MAIN THINGS I LEARNED WERE TO NEVER UNDERESTIMATE HOW FAR AN IDEA CAN BE PUSHED, DO NOT JUST ACCEPT THE FIRST IDEA AS THE RIGHT ONE AND ALSO HOW IMPORTANT MATERIALITY CAN BE. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT DESIGN ANYTHING AS A TOTALLY INDEPENDENT ENTITY, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND MATERIALS, WORK WITH THEM AND USE THEM IN EXCITING AND INNOVATIVE WAYS. WE RECEIVED NO FORMAL FEEDBACK FOR THE WEEK, BUT WE ACTUALLY BUILT OUR DESIGN, WHICH WAS INCREDIBLY EXCITING AND WE RECEIVED A LOT OF INTEREST AND AMAZING FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC WHO USED THE TEA COSY. I REALLY ENJOYED WORKING AS A GROUP, EVERYONE BROUGHT DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, INTERESTS AND PREFERENCES TO THE TABLE AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE WHERE WE ENDED UP, I WAS AMAZED WITH ALL OF THE AMAZING OUTCOMES FROM SUCH A SHORT PROJECT, IT TAUGHT ME HOW MUCH CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT.
PLACED DISPLACED:
ALTHOUGH I ALWAYS GET A BIT NERVOUS WHEN STARTING A NEW PROJECT, I WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE. I THOUGHT THE STRICT SPACE RESTRICTIONS MADE IT DIFFERENT FROM OUR FIRST YEAR PROJECTS AND IT COULD FORCE OUT SOME REALLY INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE SOLUTIONS. IN THE FIRST WEEK WE HAD TO DRAW THREE SPACES WE WERE VERY FAMILIAR WITH, AT FIRST I DIDN’T THINK THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT TASK, BUT AFTER COMPLETING IT, I FOUND IT MASSIVELY HELPFUL. SEEING ROOMS I WAS SO FAMILIAR WITH IN THE FORM OF TECHNICAL DRAWINGS REALLY HELPED ME UNDERSTAND TECHNICAL DRAWINGS MORE AND HOW TO EXPRESS WHAT A SPACE FEELS LIKE TO BE IN. THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT I THINK I MADE REALLY GOOD USE OF PRECEDENTS, TAKING TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE ARCHITECT HAD DESIGNED IT THAT WAY, WHAT IT WOULD FEEL LIKE TO BE IN THE SPACE AND WHY I PARTICULARLY LIKED IT, I THINK THIS IS A BIG IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST YEAR. WITH EVERY PROJECT WE HAVE TUTORIALS EVERY WEEK WITH THE SAME TUTOR I THINK THIS IS BRILLIANT BECAUSE THE TUTOR REALLY GETS TO KNOW YOUR DESIGN, IT PUSHED ME TO WORK HARD TO DEVELOP MY IDEA EVERY WEEK AND EXPLORE IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE- AS I HAD LEARNED TO DO IN CHARRETTE WEEK. I LOVED WORKING ON THIS PROJECT, I FELT YOU COULD REALLY GET INTO ALL THE DETAILS AN CREATE SOMETHING VERY CLEAR AND PERSONAL WITH IT BEING SUCH A SMALL SCALE. I HAD A CLEAR AND SIMPLE CONCEPT, I COULD CARRY THROUGH TO ALL ASPECTS OF MY DESIGN. AT TIMES WORRIED IT WAS TOO SIMPLE, BUT MY TUTOR EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS A SKILL IN HAVING A STRONG IDEA AND BEING ABLE TO SIMPLIFY IT TO THE MOST BASIC OF TERMS. I THINK I PRESENTED MY WORK QUITE WELL, IT WAS A BIG IMPROVEMENT FROM MY PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS. I RECEIVED AN A FOR THIS PROJECT, WHICH I WAS ECSTATIC ABOUT, MY FEEDBACK INCLUDED IMPROVEMENTS SUCH AS REVISITING THE ELEVATION, WHICH I HAVE DONE FOR THE PORTFOLIO, OTHERWISE Y FEEDBACK WAS VERY POSITIVE COMPLEMENTING MY USE OF MATERIALITY, SECTION AND USE OF THE SPACE. THIS WAS A GREAT WAS TO START THE YEAR AND GAVE ME A CONFIDENCE BOOST TO MOVE FORWARD WITH.
LIVING ON THE EDGE:
THE SECOND PROJECT OF THE YEAR FELT LIKE A MUCH BIGGER SCALE THAN I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH BEFORE. I THINK THIS THREW ME OFF-GUARD, I REALLY STRUGGLED TO GET MY HEAD AROUND THE SIZE OF THE SITE AND SPACES REQUIRED. TO START WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE SITE, THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF THIS PROJECT SEEMED TO FULLY FOCUS ON THE SITE ANALYSIS; LOOKING IN DEPTH INTO THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE SITE, THE HISTORY, EXISTING BUILDINGS AND ANY OTHER RESEARCH WE COULD DO. I FEEL LIKE WE SPENT PERHAPS A BIT TOO LONG DOING THIS AND WHEN I FINALLY STARTING DESIGNING MY BUILDING MORE IN DEPTH I FELT A BIT RUSHED FOR TIME. HOWEVER I DO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO DO THIS IN DEPTH SITE ANALYSIS, IT HELPED ME MAKE DESIGN DECISIONS THAT WORKED WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT NEXT TIME I WOULD TRY TO SPEND LESS TIME DOING THIS RESEARCH, PERHAPS GOING JUST AS IN DEPTH BUT ONLY WITH RELEVANT FACTORS. I THINK MY MAIN PROBLEMS WITH THIS PROJECT WERE INITIALLY UNDERSTANDING THE BRIEF, GETTING MY HEAD AROUND THE SCALE AND ALSO WORKING SLOWLY. LOOKING BACK, I FEEL LIKE I WASTED SO MUCH TIME ‘THINKING’ INSTEAD OF ‘DOING’. WITH HINDSIGHT, I NOW REALISE I CAN ACHIEVE SO MUCH MORE BY DOING DRAWINGS AND QUICK SKETCHES THAN THINKING ALONE AND NOT PUTTING PEN TO PAPER. THE MAIN ISSUE IS THAT I GET TOO PRECIOUS WITH MY DRAWINGS AND IDEAS. I GET SCARED THAT THE DRAWINGS WONT BE PERFECT, BUT THAT IS THE POINT AT THE START OF A PROJECT, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS RIGHT. I THINK THIS LACK OF DRAWING AT THE START OF THE PROJECT LEAD TO ME NOT DEVELOPING MY
DESIGN AS WELL AS I PERHAPS COULD HAVE. I THINK THIS PROJECT IS THE FIRST TIME I HAD GIVEN A LOT OF THOUGHT TO THE MOVEMENT, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE BUILDING BUT ALSO AROUND IT, THIS CREATED SOME REALLY INTERESTING DESIGN FEATURES, SUCH AS ANGLED WINDOWS IN THE BEDROOMS. I FOUND IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO LE THE DESIGN BE INFORMED BY THE SURROUNDING SITE TO CREATE A BUILDING THAT BELONGS TO THE SITE, THAT COULDN’T JUST BE PLACED ANYWHERE. I DON’T THINK I MADE ENOUGH STUDY MODELS, BUT I WAS REALLY HAPPY WITH MY FINAL MODEL, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD USED A GLUE GUN, THOUGH A SMALL ACHIEVEMENT IT TAUGHT ME THAT JUST BECAUSE A TOOL OR SOFTWARE IS UNFAMILIAR, IT DOESN’T MEAN IT IS NECESSARILY HARD TO USE, THIS ENCOURAGED ME TO TRY DIFFERENT SOFTWARE (CAD, REVIT AND PHOTOSHOP) IN FUTURE TO IMPROVE MY WORK AND WORK FASTER. I RECEIVED A B- FOR THIS PROJECT, WHEN I FIRST GOT MY GRADE I WAS DEVASTATED, I THOUGHT THE CRIT HAD GONE EXTREMELY WELL AND WAS HOPING FOR A HIGHER MARK. THE FEEDBACK PRAISED MY HIERARCHY OF SPACES, VERBAL PRESENTATION AND USE OF MATERIALITY. BUT EXPLAINED THAT BECAUSE I HAD CHOSEN TO DO A RATHER COMPLEX SHAPE, THE SCHEME COULD HAVE BEEN REFINED FURTHER, WHICH MAY BE A REFLECTION OF THE SLOW FIRST FEW WEEKS. WE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO OUR TUTORS ABOUT THE FEEDBACK, WHICH WAS VERY HELPFUL, HE FULLY EXPLAINED WHAT HE HAD MEANT BY EACH THING AND I COULD UNDERSTAND WHERE HE WAS COMING FROM AND THUS COULD EASILY MOVE FORWARD AND IMPROVE MY WORK. THE EXPERIENCE TAUGHT ME THAT THOUGHT I DIDN’T GET THE GRADE I WANTED, IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE WORK WAS BAD, IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA THAT JUST NEEDS REFINING TO FULFIL IT’S POTENTIAL. OVER ALL FOR THIS PROJECT I THINK I GOT FAR TOO STRESSED, I HAD MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS WHICH LED TO UNPRODUCTIVE DAYS. I HOPE TO LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE AND WORK HARDER AT THE BEGINNING OF PROJECTS AND WORK A SOLID DAY AS OPPOSED TO GETTING DISTRACTED.
CIVIC CENTRED:
AT FIRST WHEN READING THE BRIEF FOR THIS PROJECT, I GOT REALLY EXCITED AT THE PROSPECT OF CREATING A ‘LITERARY CO-OP’ AS THIS EVOKES IMAGES OF CROWDED ROOMS, BURSTING WITH CHARACTER, COLOURS AND SMELLS NOT TO MENTION ALL OF THE WORLDS HIDDEN IN THE PAGES OF THE BOOKS. I FEEL THAT BECAUSE I FOUND THE BRIEF ITSELF REALLY INTERESTING I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO CARRY OUT EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, SUCH AS VISITING THE OLD LIBRARY IN NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY AND THE LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. THIS FUELLED MY CONCEPT OF CREATING A WHOLE BUILDING WITH THE SAME ESSENCE AS A LIBRARY; FULL OF UNEXPECTED AND EXCITING SPACES. WHEN WE WENT TO THE SEE THE DIFFERENT SITE OPTIONS IN TYNEMOUTH FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE MET THE TUTORS AND THEY WERE THERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND HELP US ANALYSE THE DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES. THIS WAS VERY HELPFUL, AS I WOULDN’T HAVE SEEN THE SPACES THE WAY THEY DESCRIBED THEM. FOR EXAMPLE, THE SITE I CHOSE SEEMED REALLY SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT AT FIRST BUT AFTER TALKING TO A TUTOR THEY DESCRIBED HOW IT WAS RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE FRONT STREET IN TYNEMOUTH AND HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL. IT ALSO POSED CHALLENGES OF MAKING IT EITHER STAND OUT ON THE STREET OR BLEND IN, AFTER SEEING IT THIS WAY I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SITE, IT ALSO SEEMED TO FIT MY CONCEPT PERFECTLY. THIS TAUGHT ME THAT WHEN LOOKING AT A SITE, TRY TO SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE, HOW A NEW BUILDING COULD RADICALLY TRANSFORM THE SPACE, EITHER BLENDING IN OR STANDING OUT, HOW THE SPACES IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING WOULD ALSO BE AFFECTED TOO, IT TAUGHT ME THAT THOUGH I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SITE ANALYSIS, I MAYBE HAVE TO HAVE A MORE OPEN AND OPTIMISTIC VIEW OF WHAT IT COULD BECOME. THIS PROJECT WAS DESCRIBED AS BEING OUR FIRST MEDIUM SCALE PUBLIC BUILDING, HOWEVER I BEG TO DIFFER, I THINK LIVING ON THE EDGE WAS A BIG JUMP FROM PREVIOUS PROJECTS. DUE TO THIS I WASN’T TOO INTIMIDATED BY THE SCALE AND DECIDED TO BREAK IT UP INTO IT’S SMALLER ELEMENTS AND ALTERNATE FOCUS FROM THE BUILDING AS A WHOLE TO THE SMALLER ELEMENTS AND BACK. I FOUND THAT ALTHOUGH I LOVED THIS PROJECT AND HAD A STRONG IDEA STRAIGHT AWAY, I SUDDENLY HIT A WALL AND COULDN’T TRANSFORM THE CONCEPT INTO A BUILDING, I THINK WHAT I DID WRONG, LIKE IN LIVING ON THE EDGE, I WAS TOO PRECIOUS WITH THE IDEA AND WAS SCARED OF IT CHANGING TOO MUCH SO DIDN’T DRAW AS MUCH AS I SHOULD HAVE AT THE START. WE HAD AN INTERIM CRIT HALF WAY THROUGH THE PROJECT, IT WAS INCREDIBLY USEFUL, IN SHOWING HOW SOMEONE WHO HAD NOT SEEN YOUR PROJECT OR IDEAS BEFORE THEN WOULD UNDERSTAND IT. I DID QUICK SKETCHES AND PLANS TO ILLUSTRATE THE ‘STORY’ HOW I GOT TO WHERE I WAS, IT WENT INCREDIBLY WELL WHICH SURPRISED ME. IT ALSO TAUGHT ME THAT OTHER PEOPLE’S WORK MIGHT BE GREAT, BUT I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING JUST AS MUCH, IT WAS A GREAT CONFIDENCE BOOST HALF WAY THROUGH THE PROJECT. THE ADVICE WAS TO FOCUS ON SECTIONS TO GET THE CONTEXT IN, WHICH LED TO ME CREATING A SECTIONAL MODEL. I THINK AFTER THE INTERIM CRIT I HAD A STRONG SENSE OF WHERE I WAS TO GO WITH MY WORK, WHICH MEANT I MADE GOOD PROGRESS FAST. I THOUGHT THIS PROJECT WAS QUITE A SUCCESS OVERALL, I KEPT VERY CALM THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH WHICH WAS A BIG CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT FROM THE LAST PROJECT. I ALSO TAUGHT MYSELF HOW TO USE CAD, REVIT AND PHOTOSHOP, WHICH WAS ONE OF MY AIMS FOR THIS YEAR. I DON’T THINK THE OUTPUTS WERE PERFECT BUT THE PRESENTATION OVERALL LOOKED FAR MORE PROFESSIONAL THAN MY PREVIOUS ONES AND NOW I KNOW HOW TO USE THEM I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DEVELOP MY SKILLS,WORKING ON IT OVER SUMMER TO BE FULLY PREPARED FOR NEXT YEAR. I RECEIVED A B+ FOR THIS PROJECT, IT WAS WHAT I HAD EXPECTED TO GET AS THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I WANTED TO DO BUT DIDN’T HAVE THE TIME TO FINISH, THUS I THINK IT WAS A FAIR AN APPROPRIATE GRADE. I GOT PRAISED FOR MY ORAL PRESENTATION AND SECTIONAL MODEL. THERE WERE ONLY A FEW IMPROVEMENTS, SUCH AS SHOWING LIGHT QUALITIES IN THE SECTION AND MORE RESEARCH INTO THE SPECIFIC MATERIALS I WOULD USE. I THINK THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT WAS MY MODELS GETTING CHOSEN FOR THE RIBA EXHIBITION IN THE SCHOOL OVER THE EASTER BREAK.
CROSSOVER:
THE LAST DESIGN PROJECT OF THE YEAR WAS A GROUP PROJECT BASED IN SHEFFIELD, WHEN I FIRST HEARD THAT WE WERE WORKING WITH ENGINEERS, I THOUGHT IT WAS A BRILLIANT IDEA, AS WE WILL HAVE TO DO THIS QUITE OFTEN WHEN WE QUALIFY. I ALSO THOUGHT THE BRIEF WAS VERY EXCITING AS IT WAS A TIMBER BIKE ‘SUPER HUB’ AND SMALLER ‘SATELLITE HUBS’ DESIGN WHICH WE COULD SUBMIT FOR THE TRADA COMPETITION. HOWEVER WHEN WE READ THE BRIEF MORE IN DEPTH AND BEGAN EXPLORING IDEAS WE REALISED THAT NOT BEING ABLE TO VISIT THE SITE POSED MANY DIFFICULTIES AND I HAD GOT INTO THE HABIT OF DESIGNING ACCORDING TO THE SITE, WHICH I DON’T WANT TO CHANGE BUT IT MADE THIS PROJECT QUITE DIFFICULT. IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW DIFFERENTLY AN ENGINEER APPROACHES A DESIGN CHALLENGE IN CONTRAST TO AN ARCHITECT, AT TIMES IT WAS CHALLENGING WORKING AS A GROUP BECAUSE WE WORKED IN SUCH DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT THE OUTCOME WAS PROBABLY MORE INTERESTING AS IT HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT APPROACHES. I FOUND THAT I TOOK THE LEAD MOST OF THE TIME IN THE GROUP, DELEGATING JOBS ACCORDING TO WHAT PEOPLE WERE BEST AT AND I THINK THIS WORKED QUITE WELL. HOWEVER IN HINDSIGHT BECAUSE THE EASTER BREAK WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PROJECT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE WORK BEFORE EVERYONE LEFT INSTEAD OF LEAVING IT UNTIL WE RETURNED. HONESTLY, I FEEL THAT THIS PROJECT IS THE WEAKEST WORK IN MY PORTFOLIO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT TO ALL THE DIFFERENT DESIGN MODULES AND BRINGS A MORE STRUCTURAL ELEMENT TO MY WORK, I THINK I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS BUT PREFER INDIVIDUAL DESIGN WORK.
NON DESIGN WORK
Home is a phenomenon that cannot be viewed objectively; it is not just a place, but an emotional state subjective to each individual and their personal experience of home. On account of this, home cannot be defined in concrete terms: there are however loose concepts of home that can help one to understand its meaning. We will begin by analysing these concepts and moreover their relevance in non-domestic spaces, exploring what and where a home can be and whether ‘home’ can exist beyond the domestic sphere
St Anthony’s Girls’ School Sunderland, photos taken by myself.
For many, home means order, home is a place that we start from and return to. A safe, secure, fixed place with which we are familiar and can order the rest of our lives from. William Goyen writes ‘out of a nameless and unknown place they could grow and move around in it until its name they knew and called with love, and call it HOME’¹. Goyen suggests that we learn home is the centre of our world, but this means we could learn to make somewhere else the centre of our world. If home is order, I most definitely felt a greater sense of order at St Anthony’s Girls’ School Sunderland than I ever did at ‘home’. The strict rules, uniforms, routines and distinct authority figures constantly reinforced order and despite the rigid structure, it felt like another home. Some of the buildings, though non-domestic spaces had ornate staircases and soft carpets giving it the essence of home. Furthermore, Mary Douglas argues that ‘Home certainly cannot be defined by any of its functions’ because everything a home is supposed to do, can be done elsewhere, in non-domestic places. ‘To say that it provides for the education of the …raises the same question about whether specialized school or orphanages would not do it better’² Mary also states that for those who say the home does something ‘deepening or enriching for the personality, there are as many who will claim that it cripples and stifles.’ ³ Many people are unhappy at home and would be happier elsewhere, doing what they enjoy with people they love. Heidegger argues that ‘The truck driver is at home on the highway, but he does not have his shelter there; the working woman is at home in the spinning mill, but does not have her dwelling place there; the chief engineer is at home in the power station, but he does not dwell there.’⁴ Heidegger implies that home is a separate entity to one’s dwelling, if we only dwell in our ‘homes’ then surely the true feeling of ‘home’ is elsewhere. However Richard Lindley; a chief engineer living and working on a bunker barge for 6 months of the year says ‘Overall, although warm, dry and fairly clean the living spaces have the feel that people are just passing through, which in effect they are, and there is no sense of permanence as at any moment people can be and are asked to pack their bags to join other ships … Maybe a bit like an airport hotel.’ Perhaps it is a sense of permanence that creates a feeling of home and the fact people do not tend to spend as much time in non-domestic spaces means they can never truly be home. Home can also be seen as a relationship that develops over time, ‘Home is where we know- and are knownthrough accumulated experience.’ ⁵It is in the home we first learn how to speak and behave; due to this the home becomes a part of our identity. We use our homes to create and reflect who we are both to ourselves and others. ‘Our domicile becomes integrated with our self-identity; it becomes part of our own body and being’.⁶ However sometimes people use their homes to express who they want to be ‘Architecture reflects, materialises and eternalises ideas and images of ideal life.’ ⁷As a result of this ‘We have lost our sense of intimate life, and have been forced to live public lives, essentially away from home’.⁸ People become more concerned with what it means to have a house as opposed to living in one. Tercy Thomas, an immigrant from India described how her Father ‘put his heart and soul into’ the house they recently built in India however she described ‘In terms of living in the house in India, we have probably lived in there for like 2 weeks so far… we live in there for 2-3 weeks in a year’ yet they rent the permanent house in England showing perhaps the status of having a house in India is more important than living in a home.
Tercy Thomas’ home in India, photos taken by Tercy Thomas.
Cottage in Norfolk and a room in Beamish (right), photos taken by myself.
¹Bachelard, G (1958). The poetics of space. 2nd ed. France: Presses Universitaires de France. 58. ²Lane, B M (2007). Housing and Dwelling: Perspectives on Modern Domestic Architecture. Oxon: Routledge. p61. ³Lane, B M (2007). Housing and Dwelling: Perspectives on Modern Domestic Architecture. Oxon: Routledge. p66. ⁴Heidegger,M (1975). Poetry, Language, Thought.. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. p143-144. ⁵Lane, B M (2007). Housing and Dwelling: Perspectives on Modern Domestic Architecture. Oxon: Routledge. P424. ⁶Pallasmaa, J (2012). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. 3rd ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p76. ⁷Pallasmaa, J (2012). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. 3rd ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p76. ⁸Pallasmaa, J (2012). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. 3rd ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p51. ⁹Pallasmaa, J (2012). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. 3rd ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p35. ¹⁰Pallasmaa, J (2012). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. 3rd ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p34. ¹¹Pallasmaa, J (2012). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. 3rd ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p54.
On the contrary, the essence of the notion of home can be found outside of the house. Reyner Banham suggests that it is not a house we need at all, it is simply the functions it performs and if we could have all of these appliances and utilities outside of the ‘home’ there would be no need for one at all. He suggests that if instead of ‘hiding’ from the elements, we ‘interfere’ with them and control the environment as we control our homes people would have no need for architecture or buildings at all. An example of the outdoors feeling like a home is St Gabriel’s girls’ camp ran once a year for ten days. It is set within a field in Hexham, as Banham describes, the elements have been interfered with by sheltering under canvas tents and getting warmth from fires but ultimately when at camp we have no need for buildings. It feels like home because of the people, the familiarity and order to the days, everyone is valued there and can be themselves without worrying; it becomes our temporary home. Many have nostalgic views of what home should be like: ‘Architecture domesticates limitless space and enables us to inhabit it, but it should likewise domesticate endless time and enable us to inhabit the continuum of time’.⁹ People tend to prefer traditional architecture which makes them feel ‘homely’, features that we often see on nostalgic films in old cottages but which are unnecessary in today’s day and age. ‘Buildings of this technological era usually deliberately aim at ageless perfection, and they do not incorporate the dimension of time or the unavoidable and mentally significant process of aging.’¹⁰ Pallasmaa suggests the materiality and architectural language of a building determine how we view it, and the machine-made elements often used in non-domestic spaces feel alien to us. This language plays a role inside the building; Pallasmaa recalls ‘the acoustic harshness of an uninhabited and unfurnished house as compared with the affability of a lived-in home.’¹¹ showing how furnishings create an atmosphere in a home and affect almost all the senses. Tercy describes how important furnishings were when designing the new house in India ‘... The furnishings are mainly wood (teak) work. The windows, door, cupboards, bed frames etc were kinda designed by my dad and they were built in our own house so he could monitor the carpenters' work’ It is in this personalisation and engagement with a space that we can feel at home.
The Whitchallenger Bunker Barge, photos taken by Richard Lindley.
St Gabriel’s Girls’ Camp, photos taken by myself.
To conclude, I agree to a certain extent that all really inhabited space bears the essence of the notion of home. For me, a home is not just a house, it is an experience. Home means love, security, safety and comfort. It is a place where you can truly be yourself and not have to worry about anything else, a retreat from the hectic world outside. When these things are found in non-domestic places, I agree with Bachelard in that they have the essence of the notion of home. It will not become an official, permanent home but will create the experience. I think people tend to feel more at home in a domestic space because it echoes of familiarity and comfort whereas non-domestic spaces can often come across as cold, unfamiliar and almost soulless spaces but I believe that one can create a home wherever they want.
Joanna Lindley/ 120054822/ ARC2023