Di SCOVER EXPLOr E EVOkE PORTFOLIO 3.1 SUMMATIVE SUBMISSION
/Kilian Soudy
revised or additional pages
CON TEN TS
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Getting under the skin of Irk /Site exploration /Mapping the site
Position /Frame a matter of concern /Independant study tour
Proposition /Introducing a method /Strategic Framework /Precedents
Proposed scheme /Footpath /Iterations /Proposed masterplan /Initial building proposal
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GETTING UNDER THE SKIN OF IRK
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SITE EXPLORATION
Link to photomontage video https://vimeo.com/386359104
/observation through interviews
parking space
A LIVELY AREA
relaxing place DIRTY Not too empty
The first approach was to undertake a series of interviews to collect a variety of stories from the on-site communities. The visitors, the workers or families living on site, all are part of the story of Irk. Nevertheless, each experience is individual and opinions differs, making Irk fragmented.
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a drive through UNPLEASANT AREA
important history
LACK OF COMMUNITY
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HOSTILE THERE IS POTENTIAL HERE FROM GENERATION LOCAL PEOPLE
GOOD AS IT IS
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ONCE A BEAUTIFUL AREA
DANGEROUS no culture
UNSAFE
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MAPPING THE SITE /people’s stories Young lady at the PopUp Bike Cafe
Woman in her 50’s United Property Management
Man in his 50’s HMG Paint Showroom
Workers in their 40’s HMG lunch area
Less than half of the area is currently in used. The southern end has been converted in car park for the commuters to the city centre, as a temporary solution before regeneration. The Paper and Paint factories are the only remaining from Little Green Dye Works era during the industrial revolution. Residential units are located uphill on the east border. Two primary school remains adjacent to sandhills park. Employee and Manager in their 40’s Paper Factory
Manager in his 50’s and employee in 20’s Garage
Mum, son and dog SandHills Park entrance
Receptionist in 60’s and employees in 40’s HMG Paint Factory Reception
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parking - temporary program education residential industry
MAPPING THE SITE /circulation and natural areas
Primary circulation axes Secondary roads Metrolink Railway Maintained green areas Unmanaged vegetation Brownfield lands/ unmanaged urbanised areas Land-form slope Key buildings Surrounding buildings
The Irk Valley is located at the North end of Manchester city center and extends from Victoria train station towards Queens Park. It is the only remaining area attached to the city center that has not yet been developed and therefore left abandoned. The negligence of this site is revealed by the important amount of unmanaged natural areas and brownfield lands. With a lack of interest to this part of the city, it is mainly used today as a drive through in and out the city. It appears as a “negative� space within the urban fabric of Manchester.
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MAPPING THE SITE /pollution and flooding
Air and noise pollution
Flood risks and soil contamination As a result of the disregard towards Irk and the reduced activity, the area of study is one of the remaining zones where the air is not polluted. Paradoxically, irk valley was the heart of the industrial revolution resulting in a high river pollution, and the creation of landfill with contaminated soil. These landfills have now been reclaimed by nature, as a sign to move forward.
polluted air area
flood zone 2
Noise pollution by main circulation axis
flood zone 3 landfill land contamination
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POSITION
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FRAME A MATTER OF CONCERN /active/void.fragmentation
Can fragmentation be a social condenser? “a lively area” “dirty”, “deprived” “a dead area...”. These are the stories shaping the site. It reveals disparities between different parts of the irk valley, the site is fragmented. Some active areas are clearly defined as spaces where stories happen. People work and inhabit, but do people fully experience the irk valley? These voids generated through history require activators to be stimulated. It is striking to observe how the physical environment influences us and our conception of a place, how the rejected site led to an almost non-existent state of the community and no sense of belonging. The idea emerging from the site is not the absolute need to reinstate a community. It is already here but dormant. The project is a new story that gives back the forgotten values of the site, its natural topography and natural assets, strong history and connection with Manchester.
active areas “void”
kids-schools workers-factories
families-housing homeless-tents visitors-carpark
Using the voids, the project elaborates a network of interventions, to convert this place from desolation to a place of interest. The Irk valley then becomes a large user defined space with a series of interfaces, that is completely open for interpretation, exploration, movement and interaction.
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The topography of the valley emphasizes this contrast between “active” and “void” spaces. We can highlight a pattern of alternation between void, active, void and active through the site cross section. Simultaneously, the desertion of certain spaces dramatize even more the relief by making them perceived as inaccessible. Accessibility could then a key of activation.
VOID
ACTIVE
VOID
ACTIVE 13
HISTORY
/with Ian Miller, archaeologist
Past
Present
1890 Climax of the industrial revolution, massive housing and commodities
1960 Post industrial boom Decline of employment and community
2019 Left behind Handed to big developers Lack of community driven project
Irk Valley, 1890’s. Historically, the valley was one of the heart of the industrial revolution. From gas, iron and dye works the site hosted a huge amount of industries that for most of them have disappeared. Colonies of workers were accommodated in rudimentary housing (slums) next to the factories for more efficiency. Only few traces of the past remain. As if the evidence of a miserable period were being erased. Contrasting past and present pictures, it is striking to observe how some spaces have been extinct completely from their frantic life.
religion leisure education industry
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STUDY TOUR
/luchtsingel bridge, rotterdam economic crisis
value urban integration identity
economic crisis
value urban integration identity
de-industrialisation
value urban integration identity
de-industrialisation
value urban integration identity
The Luchtsingel Bridge, designated as the world’s first crowd-funded public infrastructure project. Reconnecting the neglected and detached area of Hofplein to the centre of Rotterdam, this wooden structure acts as a catalyst for redevelopment and economic growth. The first stage of the project, the bridge, allowed people to travel between areas that were previously inaccessible by foot. It triggered the activation of its surroundings. On one end, an abandoned building block has become an incubator for small businesses and is now an example of sustainable reuse. On the other end, an old railway infrastructure was converted into a public park, with shops and cafés incorporated within existing arches.
1250€
Above: concept of Permanent Temporality for the case study of Luchtsingel Bridge; application of that same concept within Irk Valley. As opposed to instant urbanism, the idea of permanent temporality offers a new approach on the regeneration of neglected urban landscapes.
125€
Following the process of de-industrialisation, Irk valley has lost its urban integration and identity. But for foreign developers, the area has value, a potential for economic growth. Then start the cycle: demolish - build - abandon - demolish ... 25€
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The new approach promotes a slower process of reuse and regeneration bringing back an identity to the site that will last over time.
STUDY TOUR
/katendrecht, rotterdam
A LANDMARK FOR IRK?
Erasmus Bridge over the Irk valley - montage
Following the study of Katendrecht we could interrogate the following question: Do we need a landmark for IRK? What is Irk had an Erasmus Bridge? If the activation in Rotterdam appears successful, it is also important to raise the economic objective of Katendrecht. In the Manchester site, the main target is not economy but the community. In that sense, Irk itself is a landmark for the city. It is the only remaining vegetated area attached to the city centre. But its potential is asleep. This project, with the help of small interventions can have a major impact on the site’s identity by stimulating it.
Katendrecht, or the anti-social peninsula. Formerly part of the heavy industrialised port of Rotterdam, the area with the arrival of a chinese migrants and prostitutes became a no-go area. In less than 10 years, Katendrecht has been transformed into one of the biggest hot-spots of the city. It is today connected to the city centre by the Erasmus Bridge, one of the main landmark of Rotterdam. Also, the recently converted SS boat has been moved to Katendrecht, becoming a place of attraction. The implementation of landmarks activated the area that slowly evolved with the creation of cultural spaces, bars, restaurants and attracting a new population to the district.
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NIGHT EXPLORATION /photography
Visiting a post-industrial area at night in Rotterdam gave us a completely different perspective on the social impact of this kind of regeneration. Back in Manchester, Irk was calling us. At night this time. Empty streets, dark corners. Is Irk a place at night? There is a huge contrast between the tranquillity of Katendrecht and the anxiety of Irk.
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CRITIQUE OF THE CURRENT DEVELOPMENT /Far East Consortium Masterplan
The Far East Consortium (FEC) is currently developping a brand new masterplan for the regeneration of the area. Answering the need for 15.000 new homes in the city, this framework focuses on the creation of high quality residential units, combining both high and low rise. Although there is an effort to utilise the existing infrastructures and natural river, the masterplan seems to denature the Irk Valley, by capitalising on the land, flattening the landscape and creating new pockets of neighbourhoods within the already fragile community bounds.
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PROPOSITION
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OBSERVE
ACTIVATE
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT /methodology
STIMULATE
DUPLICATE
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GENERATE
PRECEDENT
/hanover masque, Hejduk https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/articles/issues/26/what-about-the-provinces/59105/the-lancasterhanover-masque
traveling community 03 The celebrates traditional Bins and broken AM festivities. appliances are burning. The traveling community celebrates traditional 07 festivities. Bins and broken appliances are burning. AM homeless have left to 09 The find a refuge. The tent is AM flooded
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The tram passes over the viaducts. The bridge vibrates. 3
Lancaster/ Hanover Masque - John Hejduk,a theoretical exhibition work published in 1992. The project sets in a rural community and appears as a collection of intervention, the masques, that transforms the site from its original form. It constitutes of a series of objects to which correspond a subject. Each object and subject are part of a global scenario but work independently. Put together they form the choreography of the site. Each object is stimulated by the community and have the purpose to evoke a sense, reinventing the concept of dwelling that is not represented by the architecture anymore, but produces by the users. It creates a space of poetic thoughts.
The story of Irk
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10 AM
receptionist receives 11 The the mail. Foreign developers AM construction bought the facilities. The workers try to find a shelter to eat. The bell of the factory rings for lunch.
1. The burlap bags bulge with seed/ The Sower grasps his fallen seed
12 AM
Kids are taking a nap.
03 The teacher looks out the window to the empty PM park.
2. The scare-crow’s hat is adjusted/ The Keeper of Scare Crows ties the straw The Store House is full/ The Preserver checks the lists
An unemployed man walks his dog out. The park is empty.
The barometer remains steady at 29.05/ The Weatherman begins to perspire 3. The Hotel awnings are lowered/ The Transient sits on the edge of the bed
04 PM
sun sets on 07 The Manchester skyline. A crow fly off with a piece of PM beer can. The garbage trucks unload soil. The landfill continues to be contaminated.
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08 PM
The robber breaks the car window. The car is left empty of any belongings.
PRECEDENT
/parc de la vilette, Tschumi https://www.archdaily.com/92321/ad-classics-parc-de-la-villette-bernard-tschumi
Parc de la Villette - Bernard Tschumi, the redevelopment of an abandoned land of the French national meat market and slaughterhouse. The park is designed as a place of culture where natural meets artificial. Organised through a grid, the park is composed of 35 installations, called follies. Each folly is unique and does not have a specific program. Instead they are spaces of activity and interaction that evoke a sense of freedom. As Tschumi says: “I would like people in general, and not only architects, to understand that architecture is not only what it looks like, but also what happens in it�. It is then a provocation to call these structures follies, as a folly in architecture is only an ornamental building with no purpose.
1. The follies, red deconstructivist structures
Follies in Irk? There is a considerable risk of having installations that do not have a specific purpose. In a large scale project like in La Villette, there are such a huge number of pavilions that not all of them have to be of a single program. However, to address a state of change in the Irk Valley it is probably necessary to define a program or several programs in order to fully stimulate the site. The use of colors and movement in Tschumi’s work is an important inspiration for this project, as an additional layer of understanding of the project.
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STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK /Evoke Irk
“Architecture is essentially an extension of nature into the man-made realm, providing the grounds for perception and the horizon of experiencing and understanding the world.”
Proposition statement Resulting from the site exploration, the project focuses on 5 main abandoned areas (or voids): Red bank, St Catherine’s wood, Improbable hill, Sandhills and Smedley. The project is defined as a continuous development throughout time. It is structured in sequential stages, a strategy that falls within Zones Urbaines Sensibles’ (ZUS) concept of permanent temporality. The first stage is the construction of an elevated pathway. This floating promenade, as the Luchtsingel bridge in Rotterdam, links void areas, while passing through the active ones. It reconnects the places that were difficult to access for the users, therefore left abandoned. The bridge slowly stimulates the site and activates the zones it serves. Then comes the second phase. On each site are located architectural artefacts. The manifest program of these objects is derived from their location in the valley. But each of these objects/artefact is here to release a concealed sensation. As Hejduk’s masques or Tschumi’s follies, these interventions are part of a global narrative where it is the interaction of the user with the object that provokes the story. From movement to remembrance, walking through awareness, the on-site community as well a the broader public are brought together on the paths of sensations.
COLOR
OBSERVE
FORM
ACTIVATE
MOVEMENT
STIMULATE
PROGRAM
GENERATE
SENSATION
PROVOKE
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SITES
/community, features and history
Smedley
Collyhurst
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1. Former Iron Works 2. Existing viaduct wall 3. Abandoned rail viaduct 4. Former gas-holder (demolished) 5. Topsoil landfill 6. Existing warehouse 7. Catherine’s Church (demolished) 8. Former railway 9. Impossible Bridge 10 . Abandoned council estate 11. Formerly Pleasure Garden 12. Paper & paint factories 13. Skate-park under viaduct 14. Water infrastructures 15. 1953 Train crash 16. Historic St Malachy’s school
Sandhills 14
memorial
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remember
discovery park enlightment
Improbable Hill
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observatory sense of belonging
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St Catherine’s Wood
breakbox synergy
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Ancoats
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Red bank performance stage
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energy
Green Quarter
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NOMA
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PROPOSED SCHEME
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FOOTPATH
Low footpath High footpath
/types
Collyhurst trail Red Bank Trail Moss Brook Trail
Smedley
St Catherine’s Trail
Sandhills
Improbable Hill Boardwalk
St Catherine’s wood
Elevated footpath
Red bank
The first stage of the development: the footpath. The aim is to connect the “void” spaces to currently active areas. Different types of footpath are used providing the user a dynamic journey through the site. Boardwalks and signed path are a good compromise as their cost of installation is relatively cheap. 26
Signed path
ST CATHERINE’S /breakbox
First straight forward iteration of the breakbox, boxes where local community (workers, residents) and visitors can rest and take a break from the city life. Lack of interaction in this design
Second iteration, the boxes are replaced my seating area underneath a steel frame canopy, as an aerial projection of the former rail lines. The footpath is elevated in this area and navigates in between the steel frame.
St Catherine’s Wood, is located on the west bank of the river. It is a flat brownfield land surrounded by growing vegetation. Former location of the redbank carriage siding, it comprises the land formerly used for sidings & railway line (now removed) and the impossible bridge (pedestrian viaduct). The site is directly connected to Manchester Victoria Station by the abandoned train viaduct, offering the opportunity to reconnect the land to the city centre
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ST CATHERINE’S /plan and section 1:100 @A0
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SMEDLEY VIADUCT /memorial
First iteration, a wide elevated bridges crosses the existing viaduct. Seating podiums and platforms are built to host a memorial. A screen is fixed onto the viaduct for cultural night events. This iteration is too large for being a part of a broader masterplan.
The second iteration proposes a more intimate memorial. the elevated footpath is reduced and allows access to the ground creating a promenade area. The memorial is based on a painting of the crash onto the viaduct.
Smedley viaduct, is located on the North end of the site. It marks the junction between the Manchester to Oldham and Manchester to Bury lines. In 1953, on the 15th of August two trains collided at the junction, destroying a part of the viaduct and causing the death of 10 people. As one the current “void� on site, the objective here is to commemorate this accident, as a tool to remember.
Finally the memorial element is replaced by a steel frame on which are attached 10 panels of wood, representing the 10 people who died during the crash. It appears to be a more subtle way than to show a tragic image of the accident.
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SMEDLEY VIADUCT /plan and section 1:100 @A2
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SAND HILLS
/water filtration circuit
First iteration, design of a closed pavilion to learn about water (water cycle, filtration, how rivers are formed). A bridge was also elevated to connect sandhills to its adjacent plots. However again, the intervention appeared too gigantic for this stage. The second iteration focuses on the water filtration circuit from river to drinkable water tank. Using transparent pipes, the installation can showcase the water being slowly filtrated. The bridge above the site was unnecessary. The site already possesses a long cobalt stone path that can be used if a footpath connects it to the overall masterplan.
Sandhills, is located on the North East of the site. Formerly a stone quarry, Sandhills has now been transformed into a public park. There is also no evidence of the previous houses that were sitting along the middle lane. Sandhills is used underground as part of the water network for United Utilities, and his adjacent to the moss brook river. One historic building sits on top of the hill, the St Malachy’s school. The proximity with kids and the existing infrastructures make it the perfect spot for an educational intervention, provoking enlightenment.
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SAND HILLS
/plan and section 1:100 @A2
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IMPROBABLE HILL /observatory
First iteration, to blend in the vegetation, the observatory is designed as a tree in which branches acts as platforms. It takes inspiration from the former pleasure garden that was once elevated on a platform around a tree.
The first iteration is really expensive as it requires a lot of technology to be designed and built. Keeping the same idea, a second version of the tower is produced. The trunk is replaced by a central core and platforms act as branches.
Improbable Hill, is located on the east bank of the river Irk facing the HMG paint factory on the other side. Despite its natural aspect, the hill is in fact a man-made landfill. Used as a pleasure garden between the 17C and 19C, the land was then carved out as a quarry. Later, the waste from the industries in the valley were dumped on this area, creating the hill. Improbable hill offers a major view on Manchester’s skyline. An observatory tower is built to expand the view even more and make the most of the high topography. It introduces a sense of belonging to the city.
Final iteration. steel columns are added for more structural accuracy and bracing is used within the steel frame core to achieve lateral stability from wind loads. The stairs reach platforms on different levels, offering a multitude of perspective on Irk and its surroundings.
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IMPROBABLE HILL /plan and section 1:100 @A2
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RED BANK
/performing stage
The initial idea was to create an temporary cultural and artistic space on the edge of Manchester. Using old containers and other unused materials, the site would have been fully dismantle and recyclable.
To anchor the design within the site context, the design has evolved to become a performing stage within a gas holder steel structure. The gas holder will be recycled from an other location and assemble on site. The gas holder will then be the symbol of the forgotten energy of the valley.
Red Bank is the nearest area of the valley to Manchester city centre. The site is bordered on the south by railway viaducts, one being left abandoned. Formerly Iron and gas works, the project wants to bring back the energy that was once characteristic of the place. A close location to town gives the opportunity for a performance stage to be installed, attracting people from the city but also the local community of Cheetham and Collyhurst.
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RED BANK
/plan and section 1:100 @A1
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The external walls made of two sheets of corrugated fiber-reinforced plastics and the inner walls made of a nylon fabric are both mounted on wooden stud frames and sit in parallel. In between are attached clear plastic bags, carefully stuffed with strings of foamed polyethylene for insulation purpose. This transparent wall construction will let light diffuse through
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Detail of the envelope - plan view 1. Gas holder primary structure 2. timber joist 3. nylon membrane 4. wood stud
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5. metal braces 6. double vynil-bubble sheeting 7. foamed polyethylene sealed in plastic bags 8. corrugated fiber-reinforced plastic
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MASTERPLAN /1:2500 @A0
The proposed masterplan is composed of a footpath connecting the different “voids” to be activated to the currently active spaces of the valley. These voids are activated and stimulated by the wooden footpath and small scale interventions are generated.
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Evoke Irk Masterplan FIRST PHASE 4
1.Performing Stage to bring back ENERGY 2.Breakbox to incite a SYNERGY 3.Observatory to give a SENSE OF BELONGING 4.Water filtration circuit to arouse ENLIGHTENMENT 5.Memorial to always REMEMBER. 3
SECOND PHASE INTO 3.2. Focusing on St Catherine’s area, the second phase of the project is going to respond to the important need from the communities to have a place of gathering and collectivity.
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The temporary Breakbox installation is going to be dismantled, it would have served as the premises of this new collective project.
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A SENSE OF COMMUNITY /client and programme
http://edwardthesecond.co.uk/the-angel-in-the-not-so-heavenly-angel-meadows/
Breakout
OfďŹ ces
Community spaces
kids residents workers
Workshop
the forgotten community of Irk
the photograph was taken during the industrial period where the sense of community was the only thing keeping them alive, Smedley Rd
Ancillary
Junior managerial Skilled manual workers Semi skilled, unskilled Higher and intermediate managerial
the Forum
Smedley Road today
The community disappeared
Library
Shoplifting
Sport facility
Violence/sexual Bicycle theft Crim. damage/arson Drugs Other theft Possesion of weapons Public order Other crime
demographics
a programme for Irk
A huge proportion of the people living within the site boundaries are semi-skilled or unskilled. And we can also observe an important level of infraction in the Irk Valley. A link can be made between unemployment, criminal behaviour and the lack of an attachment to the community.
the programme of the project responds to the direct needs of the neighbouring communities. The notion of collectivity and gathering is at the core of the project
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THE PLACE
usin
ess
es
RST
al b
CO LLY HU
CHEETHAM HILL
loc
from factories
from
RD
/site conditions and initial concept
BUILDABLE ZONE
m
fro s re
the concept
nt ide
The building acts as a framework for the community. Units are built within a structural frame. Each unit responds to a need of the community. The size of the unit 6mx9m is dictated by the opening within the Impossible bridge, allowing them to be transported and brought to the site easily.
ial as are
m
fro
the
y cit
tre
n ce
COLLYHURST
The site
links and connection with the site The project is for every community from the Irk valley and around.
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THE DESIGN
/Ground floor Plan - 1:200@A0
se
cti
on
AA
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initial spatial layout
The structure is arranged around three courtyards spaces acting as pocket of nature. The circulation flow is free within the proposal, different trajectories can be created depending on the agency of the individual modules.
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the community center 1- Core with ancillary spaces (fire staircase, toilets, lift and storage) 2- The forum 3- Inner courtyards 4- Building management office 5- Community office 6- Library pod 7- Workshop pod
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THE DESIGN
/First floor Plan - 1:200@A0
1 5
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1 5 4 1
4
6 3
5
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the community center 1- Core with ancillary spaces (fire staircase, toilets, lift and storage) 2- Gymnasium 3- Canteen space 4- Kitchen 5- Breakout pods 6- Community office
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THE DESIGN
/Second floor Plan - 1:200@A0
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3 1
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5 5
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4 1
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the community center 1- Core with ancillary spaces (fire staircase, toilets, lift and storage) 2- Gymnasium 3- Gallery 4- Breakout pod 5- Workshop pod
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THE DESIGN
/Section A-A - 1:200@A0
the community center 1- Core with ancillary spaces (fire staircase, toilets, lift and storage) 2- The forum 3- Gymnasium 4- Access stairs to gymnasium 5- Community office 6- Breakout pod 7- Gallery 8- Impossible bridge
a dynamic section
The structure provides a dynamic experience, with level changes, spaces of different sizes and volumes. The building reaches the height of the existing viaduct - a connection with the bridge will have to be studied.
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FIVE POINT PLAN Here are the five main objectives for the second stage of the project:
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New phase of observation
Before pursuing further into the project, it is necessary to go back on site and start a new series of observations in order to get a fresh perspective and discover elements that could lead to a design strategy.
A method as a program
The next step of the project will study how the methodology instated in 3.1 (observe, activate, stimulate, duplicate, generate) can be applied to a building design and serve as a foundation for a more refined program.
Build for change
Given that methodology, it appears clear that a building should not be static. The design needs to be in constant flux to respond to the evolving needs of the site and its community. Build for change involves a study of the technology of recyclable materials and modular systems
Spatial organisation
Different spatial layout will be tested. The building may benefit from a bigger footprint, or several separate buildings can be created to create some pockets of nature within the project.
An interface
The objective of the 3.2 project, in continuity with the strategic framework developed this semester, is to produce spaces that serves as interfaces between the building the site and the users. 49
ALL SCHOOL PROJECT
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