wɛːhaʊs

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN - INTEGRATION

wɛːhaʊs ARCHITECTURAL FISSURE

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

CONTENTS Scenario........................................ 1 Brief analysis................................. 2 SITE ANALYSIS Lynch analysis............................... 5 Site history..................................... 6 PRECEDENT ANALYSIS Perforated volumes....................... 8 Re-contextualising......................... 9 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Bar axis........................................ 10 Perforation composition............... 12 Housing arrangement.................. 14 Plate perforation.......................... 16 Floating bar.................................. 18 STRUCTURE Structural Synopsis...................... 20 Detail A........................................ 21 Detail B........................................ 22 Detail C........................................ 23 

SCENARIO: wɛːhaʊs

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

Architectural Fissure One consideration architects should make for future housing developments is the idea of relating future developments to their current and past context beyond the means of traditional site analysis. The UK needs more housing and this is mainly delivered by large developers with almost identical results. As we look to the future what damage has already been done to our towns and cities?

People complain about their town losing its sense of character and the values that made it unique. In the future this problem could become more extreme where each place in the UK is almost identical in terms of style of housing and living so we are all forced to live in a similar environment where we know no different because we are told this is the ideal way to live. Humanity thrives not only on efficiency and experience of the senses but also on emotions and memory.

Each settlement has traces of memory even if the original historical artefacts have been lost and redeveloped. Humans are similar in this sense as our minds also contain traces of memory even if the context in which they were formed has been lost. Perhaps it is traces of memory that should guide future developments so there is always some sense of continuity with what came before even if it has been re-imagined in a different way. Giving memory a consideration in architectural design allows us to retain and re-contextualise the character of a context as human society develops so the built environment maintains an affinity with its past but also its present.

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BRIEF ANALYSIS: RESPONSE

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

L I F E T I M E

H O M E S

For new dwellings to promote the idea that they could become a lifetime home they should aim to accommodate community, convenience and capability.

Community To live harmoniously humans need some level of social stimulation to keep the mind happy and exercised so new developments should incorporate opportunities for social interaction and engagement with activities.

Convenience Due to the variety of ways in which humanity lives our requirements to dwell in comfort differ from one another. New developments should seek to provide a good level of self-contained living. Not only will this allow a more comfortable level of living but it will also reduce the negative impact of vehicular transport associated with commuting and deliveries. Moreover it will bring people to engage with the community in which they live so to an extent will be reliant on the services and amenities surrounding them.

Capability Humanity fluctuates in physical capacity, financial stability and emotional well-being so new developments should aim to accommodate these different strains which occur over a lifetime.

Primarily this should enable the places in which people live to be enjoyed freely.

R E S I D E N T I A L

P R O F I L E

This project aims to provide a minimum of 30 dwellings that will accommodate a diverse group of professional residents with a focus on young growing families. The lack of 2 and 3 bedroom dwellings was highlighted by the local authority in their SHMA as the main challenge that future developments need to address.

Community

"Newly - Arising Need 7.45 To estimate newly arising (projected future) need we have looked at two key groups of households based on the CLGs SHMA Guidance. These are: • Newly forming households; and • Existing households falling into need."

(Update of Objectively Assessed Housing Need, August 2014, Isle of Wight Council, Prepared

by GL Hearn Limited, Page 101) This issue is most prominent in Newport which has the largest rate of newly formed households on the island. It is projected that 47.8% of newly formed households will be unable to afford suitable housing for their requirements (Hearn, 2014, p. 102). There is a need for affordable and social housing in Newport to promote the town as a viable place for newly formed households.

The local authority is keen to encourage its image as a place for newly formed households to settle. The trend of younger people leaving the island following higher education has formed a void in the island economy where there are not enough highly trained workers or newly formed businesses. With an ageing population this void is predicted to increase which may damage the island economy in the future. 

Convenience

Capability

BRIEF ANALYSIS: RESPONSE

F I N A N C I A L

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

V I A B I L I T Y

New developments in Newport need to reduce the financial risk for first time buyers. It has been made apparent from the national trends referenced in the SHMA for the Isle of Wight that a large number of newly formed households do not have the finances to put down a deposit on a property.

Rent-to-own A rent-to-own scheme reduces the risk for first time buyers where they can pay rent each month with the knowledge that they have the opportunity to buy the property outright when appropriate for them.

Energy Costs To further reduce the financial risk for first time buyers new developments should incorporate systems to harness renewable energy sources. This will reduce the additional costs associated with living.

Efficient spatial design The value of property is determined by location and floor area. To attract newly formed households there should be an efficient use of floor space to marginally reduce the cost of each unit.

C O - H O U S I N G Elderly The Isle of Wight has a large number of elderly residents who according to the SHMA reside within inappropriate dwellings. The elderly are recognised as a more vulnerable group of society where there is an issue with loneliness. Encouraging the elderly to integrate into more appropriate dwellings alongside younger neighbours will free up larger homes for growing families with the potential to improve their quality of life.

Shared Spaces Implementing shared spaces both inside and out encourages different forms of interaction reversing the current trend where people are bound by the walls, fences, gates and doors that separate them from the rest of the world. Future developments need to put an emphasis on public space as well as private to improve social well-being through interaction.

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y The Home Quality Mark (UK) delivered by the Building Research Establishment is a recognised body that provides a sustainable model for future developments.

"HQM provides impartial information from independent experts on a new home's quality. It clearly indicates to home buyers and renters the overall expected costs, health and well being benefits, and environmental footprint associated with living in the home. In short, HQM helps everyone to fully understand the quality, performance and attributes of a new-build home.

HQM has two elements, a five-star rating system that gives the overall picture of a home's quality, and a set of indicators on individual aspects of its performance, such as build quality, running costs and health benefits." (Technical Standards for Homes, Home Quality Mark) Abiding by this model will substantiate future developments as an affordable option first time buyers. In addition it has the potential to prompt improvements to existing buildings on the island if it is recognised by residents as a successful scheme. 

BRIEF ANALYSIS: RESPONSE

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

A D D I T I O N A L

F U N C T I O N

A local independent business owner shared the view of others that there is a void in industrial spaces on the island. When a business is ready to grow beyond a home office or a garage there are few spaces in between the home and the large industrial units found along the River Medina.

This project endeavours to address this issue and bridge the gap so independent businesses can grow on the island uninhibited by the cost and constraints of space. In addition this project will create the opportunity for a number of smaller businesses to interact and perhaps encourage businesses on the island to collaborate.

A C C O M M O D A T I O N In response to the assessed housing need the scheme will accommodate affordable homes focusing on 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. The ratio of each unit type will correlate to the projected percentage of additional households required before 2036.

Size 2011 2036 Additional Percentage households of additional 2011-2036 households 1 bedroom

4,458

2 bedrooms

17,780 21,637 3,857

45.3%

3 bedrooms

22,403 25,724 3,321

39%

4+ bedrooms 9,585 Total

5,193

735

10,188 603

54,226 62,742 8,516

8.6%

7.1% 100%

(Update of Objectively Assessed Housing Need, August 2014, Isle of Wight Council, Prepared by GL Hearn Limited) M E D I N A V A L L E Y Plan of Newport locating the specific site for the project alongside significant historical buildings highlighted in red

In the Core Strategy for the island and the Medina Valley Area Action Plan areas up and down the Medina are expected to provide homes for the projected residential growth. Most significantly the local authority want the Medina Valley to strengthen its role as a focal point for employment on the Island. Currently it is known for the cluster of knowledgedriven and high tech industries including, marine, renewable and composite technologies.

While the Medina Valley is a focus area for development, it is also a site of environmental interest which must be conserved and enhanced where possible. This also prompts the discussion of how transport and waste treatment can be adapted to enhance the Medina.

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SITE ANALYSIS: LYNCH ANALYSIS

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

Edge Vehicular/ Pedestrian Traffic Pedestrian traffic only Dual carriageway traffic Landmarks Nodes

The site is on the edge of the dual carriageway that encloses the town centre so it feels quite isolated and is very noisy. Due to the dual carriageway it is an inwards facing site towards the rear of the court and council offices which s not a desirable outlook. If elevated above the dual carriageway there is potential for views over the Medina to the north of the site. The road that splits my site provides access to the council office, court and public car park so it is not busy. The busiest road apart from the dual carriageway is the high street directly south of the council office building that directs traffic through the centre of town. Quay Street and Sea Street are generally quiet because they only provide access to the buildings along them so this gives them potential as pedestrian routes that lead to my site.

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SITE ANALYSIS: SITE HISTORY

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

The site on Sea Street car park is an example of a profound cultural loss. It has an elaborate history which has been wiped away with a layer of tarmac. Sometime before 1860 a row of irregular warehouses sat along the edge of the Medina just after the quay. These warehouses and the collection of warehouses on the opposite side of the quay made up the core of Newport’s industrial sector. Initially some were used as bonded warehouses which would have made this site the main port where all the imported goods would enter the island. Opposite the warehouses used to be the railway viaduct that ran from Newport station to Coppins Bridge just south of the site. During the 1970s the railway viaduct and warehouses further down the river were gradually demolished to make way for the current dual carriageway. Eventually the warehouses on this site were demolished to make way for a small council office block that sat in the middle of the site which existed for a very short period of time before the entire site was made into a public car park.

The river in front of the warehouses was once navigable by boat and was accessed by a swing bridge which is no longer in use. The industrial activity on Sea Street has all but expired with only the Quay Arts centre providing a visual reminder of the atmosphere the warehouses once created. Although the area was largely formed of brick buildings the Medina bridge and warehouses featured steel in their structure so the Medina quay had a visually industrial aesthetic unique to any other area of Newport. Bricks used on the island were largely made on the island and I intend to use the yellow 19th century brick in my scheme. 

SITE ANALYSIS: SITE HISTORY

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS: PERFORATED VOLUMES

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

Agadir Convention Center and Villette Competition Entry by OMA

Public Housing in Ceuta by SV60 Cordon & Lian Arquitectos

Plaza at Santa Monica by OMA

Public Housing in Ceuta by SV60 Cordon & Lian Arquitectos

The former warehouses on the site were essentially large bars along the river front with individual window arrangements that made each one unique. To retain this quality I looked first to the un built Agadir Convention Centre that had an inverted topography for a floor and ceiling plane referencing its surroundings. It also has a series of perforations that give it the quality of a sunken cube that has been subtracted from by various shapes.

The arrangement of the bars at OMA’s Santa Monica proposal were interesting because a series of regular objects were not arranged in a regular parallel fashion. Instead they are stacked and rotated at unique angles contrasting with their regular composition.

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PRECEDENT ANALYSIS: RE-CONTEXTUALISING

Cannaregio Peter Eisenman's un built housing project focused on the idea of four cultural absences. The loss of centre, subject, hero and history. By applying these four losses Eisenman uses his understanding of each loss in this context to re-contextualise what the site at Venice means in the contemporary, historical and wider sense but also at the level of his own involvement as the 'hero'.

Depth of contextual understanding in Newport is key to mediating the insertion of new with the old because it creates a sense of continuity.

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

Parc de la Villette Bernard Tschumi transferred the ideas of the French philosopher Jacques Derrida to Architecture. Derrida was interested in the re-contextualising of language. Tschumi recontextualises the site of an old abattoir with a discourse independent of architecture. Similar to the ideas of English townscape the scheme imposes itself upon the dweller at the level of perspective views or scenes associated with the ideas of film.

The focus on perspective views is important to how the new insertions in my scheme will mediate with the existing urban fabric of Newport. 

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: BAR AXIS

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UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: BAR AXIS

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

Initially the bars were arranged in a traditional parallel fashion but this looked out of place because it did not fit the context. Newport is not composed on a parallel set of grid lines but instead a warped orthogonal plan where street fronts meander. In order to contextualise the initial bar layout I looked to the old railway viaduct as an informer of the block composition. The two work live blocks in red and blue were arranged based on angles of the railway viaduct while the communal block was orientated using a stretch of run off track because it will be a destination rather than somewhere to pass through thus it is positioned at a vastly contrasting angle to the other two blocks.

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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: PERFORATION COMPOSITION

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UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: PERFORATION COMPOSITION

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

An example of architectural re-contextualising can be found by studying Jacques Derrida, Peter Eisenman and Bernard Tschumi. During the proposal for Derrida and Eisenman’s joint garden at the Parc de la Villette they think of Corbusier’ grid as an architectural tool that has been re-contextualised to mean something different over time. It was used initially to plan classical buildings then it took on new meaning when Corbusier’ used it to plan his pilotis system. Eisenman used the grid from Corbusier’ Venice hospital to compose his Cannaregio housing scheme. Tschumi used it as an urban planning tool for his Joyce’s Garden project at the AA and then again at the parc de la villette. There is evidence from this that even something as rigid and constant as a grid inherits different qualities in different contexts.

A relationship can be formed between the former warehouses on the Medina quay and Le Corbusier’ un built Venice hospital. The grid of Corbusier’ hospital is composed of three forms in the colours red, yellow and blue. The warehouses similarly had three types of openings of a similar aspect ratio so the grid of Corbusier’ unbuilt hospital was superimposed onto the river and street front facades of this scheme. Perforations are made in the Corbusier grid according to the placement of openings on the old warehouses. The grid is yet again re-contextualised as this scheme for Newport is added to the Corbusier, Eisenman, Tschumi grid equation.

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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: HOUSING ARRANGEMENT

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UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: HOUSING ARRANGEMENT

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

Borneo Sporenburg Masterplan by West 8 (2000)

The old warehouses at Newport have an affinity with the traditional Dutch canal houses. Both have been designed for waterfront access and they are similar in their proportions and variety. Their linear arrangement as a series of strips along the waterfront is a very efficient use of space. The variety of each unit gives a sense of personality which is important because they are ultimately places that people will live in and call their own. Newport has lost a sense of continuity with its heritage due to the loss of significant areas such as the warehouses which are unique in identifying with Newport.

The narrow plan of the canal houses and their stacked composition gives them less exposure to natural light. In my scheme skylights were adopted from an early stage allowing light to the centre of the plan. 

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: PLATE PERFORATION

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UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: PLATE PERFORATION

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

The plate I had created for residents to access their homes above street level was stark and uninviting as there was no sense of intrigue or ambiguity to the path beneath. I was inspired by the 1946 film “A matter of life and death” where the dead look down on the earth from heaven through circular perforations.

Through studying old ordnance survey maps and eventually old aerial photos of the site I confirmed there was a gas station on the opposite side of the railway viaduct to my site with large silos partially sunk into the ground. These would have been visible from my apartment bars which made them a suitable cultural loss to reference in the scheme.

By re-contextualising the image from “A matter of life and death” I found a new meaning for it in my scheme. People could look down at the industrial activity beneath them just as you would have in that position one hundred years ago when the old warehouses were on the site so there is a further relationship with lost memories and the idea of continuity in architecture.

The impression of the old warehouses was reinterpreted further by inverting the pitch of the old warehouse roof on the ceiling of the plate and also the roof of two apartment bars. I wished to achieve the same impression as the free form inverted ceiling and floor plan from OMA’s Agadir convention centre. In order to do this I used Grasshopper to reference the estimated roof heights using a loft surface to create a curved surface then applying a grid surface to the loft to create a more linear form for the apartment bar roofs.

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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: FLOATING BAR

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UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT: FLOATING BAR

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

The old warehouses featured steel as did the railway viaduct so the industrial aesthetic had been a prominent feature of the area.

As the viaduct and warehouses have gradually been removed this aesthetic is now localised to the Quay Arts centre only.

Eisenman argues about the loss of centre and I have responded to his proposition by re-contextualising the ‘centre’ in the aesthetic quality of the insertions. The last ‘centre’ that governed the progress of human life was technology according to Eisenman In this sense ‘centre’ means an idea that the masses adhere to like religion or monarchism . After the industrial boom Eisenman claims there is now no ‘centre’ governing human life. I believe that technology is still the ‘centre’ that human life adheres to but it has shifted from a technology of machinery and engines to a technology of digital platforms and the virtual world. The floating bar therefore has perforated façades based on digital algorithms and the truss network adheres to parameters that reference the structure used at Coppins bridge south of the site. It also references the Russian structuralist style as a means of conveying industrial structures as poetic forms.

Tschumi proposes red as the most ambiguous colour in his scheme at Villette which references the functional indeterminacy of his folies. In a similar sense the floating bar has a free plan so is designed to be functionally indeterminate. The red communal bar also signifies the ambiguity of the scheme in terms of the design choices. Historical references are made but not historical re-enactments. It attempts to mediate between restoration architecture and uncontextual architecture to create some sort of continuous relationship between both.

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STRUCTURE: STRUCTURAL SYNOPSIS The most challenging consideration when detailing the project in context was the junction between the building block that meets the River Medina. It was designed to sit on the waters edge like the canal houses of Amsterdam or Venice. Traditionally the houses of Amsterdam and Venice were built on wooden pile foundations and the bricks that are submerged in the water accumulate substantial maintenance costs because of the damaging freeze thaw process during winter. Contemporary structures in these two cities use concrete piles that are coated with hydraulic cement that is substantially less porous than concrete reducing damage to the foundations caused by the freeze thaw process. The bricks should be coated with an epoxy sealer that forms a non-porous barrier. This reduces the amount of maintenance required to the exterior brick cladding system. The trays and brackets of the cladding system would be powder coated and galvanised to reduce exposure to oxygen and moisture that cause rust.

To reduce prolonged exposure to moisture to the concrete piles the foundations should be in filled with compacted hardcore to encourage drainage. Due to the close proximity of the River a survey should be conducted to ascertain how deep the pile foundations would need to be driven to penetrate suitable soil.

Bricks were chosen as the facade material to the work/live bars to make reference to the old warehouses that sat on the site until the 1970s. The initial concept of the three bars that compose the project dictated that they remain pure in form with holes punched out of them. To retain the pure aesthetic form the brick cladding system was also enlisted on the roof so there would be no apparent change in exterior material from any angle.

The structure of the building detailed in the section above is a reinforced concrete pilotis system with reinforced concrete floor slabs. This system developed by Le Corbusier allows freer use of the plan to better accommodate the industrial units at ground level. The industrial units also feature a suspended ceiling to accommodate the more substantial services like dust extractors and air conditioning piping that are associated with the industrial use.

The bar in red is a communal building that makes reference to contemporary industrial warehouses through the architectural language of the Russian structuralists. It is suspended on steel pilotis and the main structure for the interior space is a traditional steel framework clad with steel and insulated by SIP panels. The environmental concept to this project takes place in the contemporary styled red bar structure that uses passive strategies to harness energy from its environmental context to serve both itself but also the two live/work bars. This idea can be likened to the philosophical ambition of the project to re-contextualise an existing or historical context to create a relationship or continuity between old and new. In this sense the red bar that speaks of a more contemporary context now has an environmental function to the two bars that speak of a historical context so it is interacting with the surrounding context rather than functioning independently.

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UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

STRUCTURE: DETAIL A - ROOF/INTERNAL GUTTER SCALE 1:5

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

1. Roof comprising bricks slips (30mm). Supported by reinforced concrete slab (150mm).

Elastomeric layer. Steel tray (30mm). Steel plate. Air cavity with cushion support (150mm).

Waterproofing membrane. Mineral wool insulation (100mm). Steel plate (30x400mm) and Steel bracket (90x90mm). Rigid polystyrene insulation (30mm). Vapour barrier. Reinforced concrete slab (250 mm).

2. Gutter lining 3. Inner lining and gutter support 4. Gutter bracket

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STRUCTURE: DETAIL B - GLAZING/EXTERNAL WALL SCALE 1:5

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

1. Timber blocking for flanged-window mounting

2. Galvanised steel sloped flashing (90x50mm)

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(450x90mm)

3. Double glazing unit (900x900mm) 4. Pre cast stone sill 5. Facade comprising bricks (75mm). Steel L-profile (80x50 mm). Steel box profile [parallel to plane of section]

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(30mm). Air cavity (100mm). Waterproofing membrane.

Rigid insulation (150mm). Vapour barrier. Timber stud 

frame (60mm). Plasterboard (20mm)

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6. Planed timber sill (900x110x25mm) 7. Timber batten (100x50mm)

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9. Thermal break connector (70x50mm)

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8. Rigid polystyrene insulation (20mm) 

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STRUCTURE: DETAIL C - TERRACE RAILING/FLOOR SCALE 1:5

UNIT 302 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN : INTEGRATION UP778131

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1. Powder coated galvanised iron railing (20mm) 2. Sealed lead sheeting 3. Brick paver (30mm). Screed (50mm).

OSB Board (20mm). Tarpaulin.

Breathable roof underlay felt (10mm).

Geo-textile membrane (10mm).

Waterproof membrane. Mineral wool insulation (80mm). Vapour barrier.

Concrete slab (160mm). Timber stud frame (60mm). Plasterboard (20mm) 4. Facade comprising bricks (75mm).

Steel L-profile (80x50 mm). Steel box profile [parallel to plane of section] (30mm). Air cavity (100mm).

Waterproofing membrane. Rigid insulation (150mm). Vapour barrier. Timber stud frame (60mm).

Plasterboard (20mm) 5. Timber blocking for flanged-window mounting (450x90mm) 6. Galvanised steel sloped flashing (90x50mm) 7. Double glazing unit (900x900mm)

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