Concepts Concept Drivers
Zoning Based on our conceptual and site analysis, and in order to address the almost overwhelming length of the turbine hall : We decided to divide the building into three distinct sections (2.).
Economic
Social Inclusivity
We also had a look at the permeability of facades (3.), as we wanted to really open up the building to people on the streets, while respecting the historic, yet still pristine, facade.
Environmental
We looked at natural circulation based on surrounding traffic routes (4.)
We questioned the fundamentals of what it is to be sustainable in the 21st century, and decided that it was more than just developing an environmental awareness, but also including positive social and economic strategies into the design.
The resulting partii diagram aims to represent the intent of our scheme (5.)
Design Concepts
Growing an urban farm
Meeting and Sheltering
Optimised Design Strategy
1. Economically, by setting up a food production cycle from cradle-to-grave, creating new jobs involving innovative crop-growing methods. 2. Socially, a fight against New York’s gentrification and class stratification by targeting low income communities and creating a safe space for the locals to shelter and gather around their common past. 3. Environmentally, an airtight design strategy tailored to the conditions on site, making the most of solar gains, ventilation, rainwater collection, plant growing, heating, but also providing real environmental innovation, by directly learning from the greenwashing permeating the designs of the contemporary developments around the old powerhouse.
Growing
Meeting
Learning 10
We had a first idea of volumes as we examined inverting the typical New York skyline pattern (drastic volumes pointing toward the sky) play with a low gradient parabola curving toward the site to physically illustrate our fight against modernist architectural design.
