Collier row library, Romford in England

Currently my chosen site is occupied by the local library I would like to remove the library and replace it with an electronics area which will contain computer, consoles, video games and the upand-coming electronic such as VR headsets and games for people of all gender. The ages typically teenagers upwards. For example, for our older audience we will try and procure games and devices that they would have used. There will also be an area with comfortable seating like bean bags and a place for your legs there will be laptops for people instead of gaming so relax and there will be a small comic book section for people who would like to read.

I will be using this place to its location being in collier row as it is an up and coming attraction with new stores opening quite frequently such as KFC which was recently added for the local society, 12 street burger a modern and improved food store with highly sophisticated modern advancements compared to the other stores surrounding it collier row is an up and coming establishment and I would like to take this opportunity to make an electronics establishment to further advance the modern advancements being made

I would like to replace this library due to it starting to not fit in with the new collier row it is part of the old, it doesn’t suit a purpose as people currently don’t go seeking for knowledge, we need to be able to keep up with the times and tailer outdoor activities to society. Currently the library is ONLY open 3 out of 7 days and only from 10am to 4pm. My store will be open form 10 am to 6pm, on weekend it will be open till 8pm, the reason for this is to make sure teenagers go home at a reasonable time. Although the collier row library has a 4-star review there are only 19 reviews, and the library was built somewhere in the 1946 from this, we can infer that not many people are interested although the reviews are good it is clearly not attracting customers.

This location is perfect due to it people quite close to schools, it will attract customer because of that. I would like to keep the mini car park behind the library intact.

From visiting the site, I have noticed that the landscape is slanted, this will be something I have to take account for when designing my project.

The site has a small carpark surrounding the back of the building, I would like to keep it as it seems essential. I would potentially increase the parking space

Collier Row library

The library was opened in 1964, at the time it looks quite modern and was a big achievement for the community, it in contrast to the other building around it looks more modern, however when visiting the site, it blends in with the surrounding area and you don’t even notice that all the buildings in the vicinity are all made of bricks apart from the library. It should stand out however it doesn’t, it could be that the building is only one story and every other buildings are at least 2 stories high, additionally near the entrance of the building there are trees that cover the entrance in real life the trees have grown more compared to the images online, Additionally due to the library being closed most day and when opened it is only from 10am to 4pm it doesn’t really reign in the local community. It looks very sparce and not many people go in due to this it looks not in service as the light are not really on it is always empty making it not very inviting.

There is a road behind the library which leads to the library's mini parking which is used by the local librarians to park their vehicle, there is also disabled parking which provides additional space for the vehicle to be parked, I quite like mini parking, so I would like to keep it as it will be useful for the employees that I employ and it will be useful for parents dropping their kids of or going in for themselves, this is very useful as parking is very sparce and difficult to come by.

In the existing structure the thing that are astatically pleasing is the fact all surrounding building are older and made by bricks however the library looks more modern nevertheless it doesn’t stand out due to it being one story and the entrance being covered by overgrown trees, I like the trees - as they give a warm welcoming and portray and calm soothing place to come in and would like to keep them, however I would either cut some off or make multiple stories as currently it Is blocking the site and making the place invisible.

Another thing I dislike is the seating of the benches outside as it is out of place and just doesn’t sit right, it is situated right outside the library it is on poor infrastructure and is slanted making it inconvenient also it is right next to traffic also due to the windows being open people in the library could be looking at you making you unconformable the cars are a nuisance. When you think of outside benches you think sitting in a park peace and quiet, but it is the opposite, it doesn’t fit well and is unnecessary .

175- Dagenham 365-Havering Park

247- Barkingside 375- Passing ford bridge

252- Hornchurch 651- Local Secondary school

294- Noak Hill bus from Bower Park Academy

These are only some of the schools in this area, there are many schools around just further and require multiple buses as you can see above the buses that travel around the vicinity of the area.

• All these buses go Romford- the local town centre, where teenagers come back from school and socializes with classmates and potential make friends from other schools , this is great because there is a huge potential to reign in customers from different schools, instead of lingering around in groups they can have a place to go which is designed for socializing, as from Romford to collier row – the site- its only 30m bus ride, due to there being so much access to the site, due to the free public transport it makes it a great spot to go to because of its location.

• My site could potentially rent out to Schools around the area, e.g., Primary schools after finishing there sats, they could plan a day out to the site for a day full of activities, due to it being local they can reduce costs as they could use buses, instead of going to museums or zoo that would tire them out on the way and be a disappointment of a day.

Building is most visible form main road and the backroad which is used by staff for parking

Bower Park Academy – secondary school

Around the site of the library there are mostly small shops, fast food stores barbers' coffee shops and essential supermarkets e.g., co-op, Tesco and Aldi. There are also day-care or an area for little kids to go, it has the essential need for the local community that are situated here, there are also many residential homes surrounding the area. My site lies on the collier row rd- the road named after the area, collier row, the road that leads to the main roundabout which is quite aesthetically pleasing there are trees in the middle during holidays Christmas lights are displaced and looks quite nice. The building which I have picked out is currently 1 store and is hidden by the trees in front of the entrance, I dislike the architecture aspect of my building as I have stated that the road seems to be slanted and it only being 1 store it is hidden and outshined by other building surrounding it. I would like to make a building which is at least 2 stores high but make it feel welcoming by advertising and making websites displaying interior and holding special events as I feel like it will entice people to come and potentially become customers.

Tesco's bus stop – includes a range of buses that go to and from my site

Collier row roundabout – crossroad that leads 4 different direction

Collier row library

Collier row – local town centre

Large residential areas

Clockhouse primary school

Aldi's car park

Collier row gospel church

Collier row recreation ground – local park

Lawn's park

North Romford community centre

Across the road lies, north Romford community centre which was built over 50 years ago. Since it is a community centre it provides for people of all ages, it is a sports and recreation facility, meetings and events. The design of the building is very modern, compared to the surrounding building which are primarily brick buildings. Whilst this building is modern, it hasn’t been fully used with poorly designed websites and barely any media coverage I feel as this place has gone to waist. The use of straight lines and the rectangular building juxtapose against the common brick houses that are around the area, give it excellent contrast but blends well with the area. The lawn is always mowed giving it a pleasant welcoming.

The white board with blue letters makes it visible clear as where the community centre is. Compared to surrounding area this building is vibrant and fresh and gives a new sense of air as buildings around this are bricked houses. I believe that this could become a great community centre however with the lack of media coverage and the website being very poorly made it doesn’t give it the chance to be great.

Near collier row lies, the forest row centre it provides many activities for the community such as dance and Zumba classes as well as karate the main attraction being football due to the massive and multiple fields to play another interesting feature, they have is an Ofstead approved childcare for 2-5 yr olds. Due to the centre being behind houses it doesn’t get noticed much as it is hidden, although it has an entrance it feels like private property and minimal media coverage, just Facebook doesn’t expand there horizon to other platforms such as Instagram, twitter and even YouTube. Only some locals know of this reducing what it could be . The architecture should of thought about the entrance and made it easier to access it making the people entering comfortable.

Interestingly this building compromises of using 2 different brick. One of them being red brick and the other being brown brick however the size of the bricks differs as one is bigger than the other being next to each other it is a juxtaposition giving the building character.

Near the forest row centre lies multiple football fields of different sizes it draws hundreds of people there every week due to football. Its design is practically dominants, whilst it is not a building it is interesting how they have taken a worldwide sport and made room for it. The architecture has been considerate of where to place it, due to the location being hidden only the locals know it ensuring the community comes first and that there is availability encouraging friends and family to attend.

The ranges of pitches and availability is amazing for the locals. I like the simplicity of the pitches and the shapes formed. I like how football includes people together, however they neglect people with no ability I want to find a solution to this, my conclusion is by making a community centre primarily for gaming, for those who have no interest in sport, it is ageless and genderless, wheelchair friendly a great alternative. I'm going to use simple shapes inspired by football pitches as a starting point to achieve it.