A Collection of Scents and their corresponding molecular formulas
MANIFESTATION
INTRODUCTION
Building and Location
“
The Centre for Sensory Impaired People
Right now, we have lots of ideas to develop the Centre. We’re looking to increase our opening hours and have a programme of events and workshops that appeal to a more diverse range, so we hope to reach people we currently do not. - Spokesperson for the Centre for Sensory Impaired People
Partick Marine Prison is a B-listed building, designed by the architect Charlies Wilson and built in 1853, it long served as a prison and Police headquarters until 1993. It has since been partly refurbished as the Centre for Sensory Impaired People, although the old prison cells remain abandoned.
The Former Partick Marine Prison 47 Anderson Street/17 Gullane Street,Glasgow
Site Location Exhibitions/collections in close proximity (Riverside Museum, The Science Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallergy and Museum)
”
A Collection of Scents
INTRODUCTION
Many scents can be attributed to just a single molecule.
Some molecules from the same family of compounds exhibit similar scents...
...whilst other molecules from the same family of compounds can have strikingly different scents.
For example, a difference in position of the –CHO group in aldehyde compounds can be the difference between a cinnamon scent and an almond scent.
For example, a difference in position of the –COO group in ester compounds can be the difference between an orange scent and a rum scent.
O
O
C
C H
O
Cinnamaldehyde
Octyl Ethanoate
O
O
C
C H
O Ethyl Methanoate Benzaldehyde My proposal is for a collection of scents to be housed in the former Partick Marine Prison. The purpose of the collection will be to provide a fun and engaging experience whilst educating and encouraging an interest in the science of scents. By creating an experience that focuses on our sense of smell - a factor often overlooked in design - this collection offers a complimentary addition to the services available for users of the Centre for Sensory Impaired People, as well as the general public.
INTERIOR LAYOUT
Ground floor plan
Entrance from street
A
Memory Library
Information display Access to Centre for Sensory Impaired People, cafe and toilets
Void above
Up
Up
Ground floor Scale 1:100
Each prison cells exhibits an individual scent Lift
A
INTERIOR LAYOUT
Section
Individual cells exhibit individual scents. Visitors can glimpse through apertures in the interior wall that resemble molecular structures.
Section AA Scale 1:50
CENTRAL CIRCULATION SPACE
Entering the building
My Impressions of the building I consider Partick Marine Prison to be a beautiful interior in its own right. Sunlight pours in through the glazed, gable roof, passes down into the void and illuminates the central circulation space. The interior has a cold, hard materiality of concrete floors, white-tiled walls and imposing iron bars.
Lower Level
The experience within the cells is entirely different to the open and light central space, where upon opening a heavy duty door you enter a cold, dark room where the only source of light is a tiny barred window above head-height. With this in mind, I have retained many of the original features in my design proposal, and any changes I have made, particularly within the cells, are intended to emulate the current atmosphere.
CENTRAL CIRCULATION SPACE
Exploring the building
Elevation of cell doors Scale 1:20 First glimpes of the collection of scents can be seen from behind cell doors through original spy holes and sliding slots.
Upper level Original numbering plate to label each cell
Spy hole
Sliding slots
Etched information in text and braille, located in the same place that Police advice sheets for prisoners were displayed.
INDIVIDUAL PRISON CELLS
Exhibition of individual scents
Exhibition of Scents The individual prison cells lend themselves well to house individual scents. They are a compact size that create a dark, enveloping atmosphere that focuses the user’s sense of smell and heightens their experience of the exhibition.
A wall of thermo bimetal tiles envelope the interior of the cell.
Each scent is encapsulated within the cavity between the cell wall and the thermo bimetal wall.
Scent is released when the thermo bimetal Tiles uncurl in response to movement.
Thermo bimetal closed Scale 1:10
Thermo bimetal open Cell interior
INDIVIDUAL PRISON CELL
Thermo bimetal wall
Exploded Isometric of Thermo Bimetal Wall Scale 1:10
250 x 100mm thermo bimetal tiles, with a horizontal overlap of 10mm, are arranged in a staggered pattern to echo the current white tiles within the cell.
Cell plan view Scale 1:50
Thermo bimetal
A timber frame with 105 x 100mm apertures every 240mm allows for heat from the incandescent bulbs to warm the thermo bimetal tiles. An extraction fan on the ceiling would remove stale scents. Existing wall
Timber frame
Thermo bimetal wall
Thermo bimetal is a composite of at least two different layers of metal alloy that have different coefficients of thermal expansion.
135mm 100mm
When exposed to the warmth given from an incandescent light bulb, the thermo bimetal uncurls. Section view of electronics Scale 1:10 Concealed circuits are fixed onto the back of the timber frame. Each motion sensor is connected to four lights, creating localised responses to movement. Studio Roosegaarde, Lotus.
CONTROL UNIT
Motion sensor No motion detected Motion detected
105mm
INDIVIDUAL PRISON CELL
Stop motion
Stop Motion I created a stop motion to show the soft way in which the thermo bimetal would unfold when triggered by movement, and the atmospheric lighting this would create.
https://vimeo.com/97064644
INDIVIDUAL PRISON CELL
Suspended LED molecular structures
Detail of suspended molecule Scale 1:1
G9 SMD-LED 5W bulb Screw Timber plate
Flooring above 50 x 150mm joist
9.5mm plasterboard Skim coat
Acrylic structures depicting the molecular structure of each scent are suspended from the ceiling.
5mm clear acrylic rod Ă˜30mm etched acrylic sphere 5mm etched acrylic rod Scale 1:2
Light travelling down the clear acrylic rod is disperced around the etched acrylic struture. Only the etched acrylic will emit light.
LED light does not emit heat and therefore will not effect the thermo bimetal wall. Pole by Paul Cocksedge
RECREATION SPACE
Memory library
Ge os
min - A rainy day in Spring
yl Ethanoate - Holiday to Spain Oct
Lin al
oo l
-
My
Gr a
ndma ’s Hou se
Rolling ladder
n Be
al
z
Backlit numbers indicate which columns of test tubes relate to the corresponding cells.
de
h yd
e My
16 th
b
ir
th
da y
cak e
Section BB Scale 1:50 B
B
Memory Library When first entering the building, visitors can glimpse into the memory library through apertures in the wall that resemble atoms in a molecule.
After visitors have walked around the exhibiition, they are encouraged to record their thoughts, memories or feelings of their experience and deposit them in the memory library.
The results are displayed in rows of test tubes, which are in keeping with the scientific theme of this exhibition. Backlit Test Tubes Scale 1:5
RECREATION SPACE
Memory library
Detail of rolling ladder
White tile
Scale 1:2
12.5mm plasterboard
Timber ladder
Timber plate
Straight caster Nogging Extended shelf Test tube 35 x 15mm timber test tube rack
100 x 20mm timber shelving
5mm opaque acyrilic Strip LED lighting
Detail of Backlit test tube shelving Scale 1:5 Memory Library