Livia Soare | University of Nottingham | Design Portfolio 2020

ACA D E M IC PO RT FO L I O Bac he lor of Arc h i t e ctu re 2 0 1 7-202 0 |Soare Livia

R I BA Pa r t 1 2020

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Contents 2018 | 2019 | 2020

01

Hull Stellar Sleep Clinic / Studio Thesis Project | page 4

02

The True Blue School / Studio | page 18

04

05

Coventry’s Culture Club / Studio | page 40

The 1:1 Project Artefact / Integrated Design in Architecture | page 44

07 Photography | page 52

03

The Suspended Collective Garden / Studio | page 30

06 ‘HERE’ on High Street / Studio | page 48

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01

Hull Stellar Sleep Clinic | Studio Thesis Project Y3 | 2020

Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire

In modern times, sleep has started to be seen more and more as a ‘necessary’ sin for the productive and active man. In contrast, there is the insomnia, that affects constantly on third of people, partly because of the light pollution, poor sleep hygiene or ignored underlying mental issues. The proposal seeks to rehabilitate sleep image in modernity and to offer a help for those encountering difficulties sleeping, as well as bring visitors closer to astronomy, to the influence of the stars and Moon on our bodies and life.

The unconventional appears from the building as a sensorial stimulating journey (visual, olfactive and tactile) that seeks to regulate the circadian rhythm and create a bond between Hull’s people and the tides, considering the strong lunar influence on the port city. In this way, the design helps the Hull inhabitants to find the real silence that can be found only in the night.

The scheme is formed of 2 main elements, the sleep clinic and the astronomical observatory. The former has the phototherapy as its core.

The clinic will be ready to accommodate patients with chronic forms of insomnia for the required time intervals; or it will be used as a walk-in centre in the morning or evening for people trying to get over shortterm insomnia and jet lag, regulate their sleeping cycle or endure easier the night shifts. The set of rooms will act as light boxes that will produce full-spectrum fluorescent light at different lux intensities and with different colours and hues, depending of the time of the day. Besides this, aromatherapy will be used to patients, using oils and teas made from plants planted in the garden of the clinic by theaccommodated patients.

Noctcaelador - the fascination for the starry sky

Apart from the sleep clinic function, the centre relates again to the night and oneiric through an astronomical observatory that wishes to integrate Hull citizens into the domain of observing the sky and create an astronomical society. In Hull, a port city, the stellar influence is greater than on mainland, owing to the naval history, where the North star, Polaris, was the helpful guide. The observatory will also offer a chance to Astrophysics students at Hull University to practice on a telescope in their area, as well as it opens opportunities for researchers to come and study in Hull. Moreover, the sleep clinic will help the researchers or students that need to adjust their sleeping cycle depending on their night studies.

The scheme sits in the Humber estuary, connected to the port. Its heights play with the different levels of water depending on the function and relationship to tides and moon. The sleep related rooms are floating on water during the high tides, due to the lunar influence on both tides and occurrence of insomnia. The fluid organic forms try to mimic the waves of the Humber, as well as be a 3D representation of the brain waves activity during sleep. On top there is a stellar roof garden, that wishes to be a quiet and seclude retreat from the agitation of the city, where Hull people can stargaze and feel part of a community that shares the same interests.

Controlling the circadian rhythm

Reconnecting with tides and moon phases

|5 The Site The site is situated at the end of the River Hull, in the Humber Estuary.

It contains the Corporation Pier and the water surroundings of it.

In the past, Corporation Pier station was the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway’s booking office for their ferry service between Corporation Pier, Hull and New Holland Pier in Lincolnshire. It was not rail connected, but served as a ticket office and waiting room for the Humber Ferry.

After a visit by Queen Victoria in 1854 the station and pier were renamed Victoria Pier station in her honour. The name may have stuck to the pier, but it never did to the station. The building itself, and references to it on maps and tickets referred to “Corporation Pier” until closure 117 years later.

The station closed in 1985 with the end of the Humber ferry service.

The site benefits from its proximity to centre of Hull, especially to the High Street. The landscape is punctuated by the many bridges over the Hull River.

The surroundings offer an industrial feeling, yet at the same time they communicate a great sense of serenity. The site is very close to the centre, but at the same time is an “island” of calmness in the Humber Estuary.

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A visual interpretation of isomnia | The drawing established the first curved shapes, as the design must have pieces that are an architectural version of sleep

|7 Design Evolution

| Room Schedule

DOCTORS’ OFFICES ( 8 x 4 sqm each)

After plotting the rhytms, tides and brain waves, the next step was organising the rooms in a room schedule in relation to their light needs.

On the bottom left, there is a calibrated drawing that traces the possible movements thorugh the building, people stopping, children running, the main focal points and views.

ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY ( 40 sqm)

SLEEP RESEARCH LAB ( 20 sqm) TEA AROMATHERAPY GARDEN/ GREENHOUSE

( 50 sqm )

THERMAL BUFFER ROOM ( 35 sqm)

DORM ROOMS (10 x 12 sqm each)

RESEARCH LAB ( 15 sqm) TEA HOUSE (20 sqm each)

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Karl Blossfeldt botanical Referring to the greenhouse, photography for its organic volume a great

source of inspiration was the botanical photography of Karl Blossfeldt, as I could borrow the volumes from nature, the way the volmues sit together (the seeds), the way the leaves fold, wither and fall.

LIGHT THERAPY ROOMS (4 x 20sqm each)

Glowing deep sea animals

The folds of the dep sea animals helped reconnecting the design with the site, the sea, the deep water, in an organic way.

| Motion calibrated drawing

While designing the curves of the walls, I felt they needed more rigurosity.

In order to improve the drawing experiments, I started following Jørn Utzon’s way of designing the curves of Bagsværd Church.

In this way I refined the bumps in the curves, making them more elegant and geometric by each circle joining the next smoothly and at a tangent point. At the smae time, the circles reinforce the idea of cosmic rhytms, tides and cycles.

After analysing Zaha Hadid’s design with its folds, I started exploring through clay the movements of the material. The experiments aided me to have a clear vision of the ondulatioins of the roof, enriching the section.

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The Astronomical Observatory

Positioned simbolically by the pier - so closely connected yet so separate by the Humber

A roof capturing in concrete the ondulations of Humber, as well as referencing the “sleep waves”

The Public Access Ramp The Astronomical Laboratory and Library acting also as a thermal chamber regulating the temperature for the observatory.

East Elevation

South Elevation

The Tea Greenhouse - taken care of by the clinic’s patients.

There are tea plants and aromatherapy plants, all used in treating the patients, as well as being used in the tea house.

The Stellar Garden - a park during the day and an open observatory for stargazing at night

The Light Therapy Rooms - different colours at different levels, facing South.

The Sleep Research Laboratory - next to the patient in the sleeping pods.

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| Axonometric

The Moon Observatory

The access ramp for the clinic patients

The Sleeping Pods - with glazing facing the sky, reconnecting patients at night with the stars, the moon and the tides.

During high tides, they almost float on the Humber.

West Elevation

10| - 400

Columns organization

+0

+200

+900

-800

Ground Floor Plan

01 General access entrance 02 Astronomical laboratory/library 03 The Tea House 04 The Tea Greenhouse 05 The Light Passage 06 The Gaze to Humber 07 Doctors’ Offices 08 Small conference room

09 The Phototherapy Cycle A The Red Room

B The Orange Room

C The Yellow Room

D The Green Room

E The Blue Room

F The White Room

10 Reception - patients only access 11 Sleeping Pods 12 The Sleep Research Laboratory 13 Roof access ramp - patients 14 Roof access ramp - public

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Roof Plan 01 Astronomical Observatory 02 Moon Observatory 03 Seating spots

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Plan in context

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Section

+4800 +4500

+1200 +900 -100

Highest Tide recorded

-2600

Average height

-5500

Lowest Tide recorded

-700

| Axonometric From the top-down Intensive substrate - grass 200 mm Polypropylene filter fleece Gravel vegetation drainage barrier - 670 mm width/150 mm depth PE foil separation layer Bauder waterproofing - modified bitumen membrane Roof precast concrete slab 250 mm Separating layer 5 mm Thermal insulation 200 mm Gypsum board 20 mm

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| Exterior Perspectives

The Stellar Roof

The Land of the Moon and Sleep

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The Astronomical Observatory

| Interior Perspectives

The tea greenhouse

| Axonometric The Sleeping Pods

The White Therapy Room

The Tea House A light passage connecting the stellar with the oneiric

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Bay Study Section | Light Therapy Room

From the top-down Intensive substrate - grass 200 mm Polypropylene filter fleece Gravel vegetation drainage barrier - 670 mm width/150 mm depth PE foil separation layer Bauder waterproofing - modified bitumen membrane Roof precast concrete slab 250 mm Separating layer 5 mm Thermal insulation 200 mm Gypsum board 20 mm

1. Reinforced precast concrete pillar 550 mm diameter 2. Reinforced concrete slab 450 mm 3. Thermal insulation 250 mm 4. Acoustic insulation 45 mm 5. Separating layer 5 mm 6. Screed 80 mm 7. Triple glazed facade with steel cross bracing

Environmental Study |

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4.

Green Roof

Ventila

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Concrete footing pillar - underwater Pillar foundation footing

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7.

6.

3.

2.

Possibility of rainwater collection in order to water the greenhouse products

1.

Green Roof

ation

Ventilation Ventilation

Green Roof

02

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Initial Ideas

The True Blue School | The Guild - School + Museum Y2 | 2019

Coventry | West Midlands

The school will use textiles not only in the Medieval dyeing clases, but also in its very own architecture. The fabric will form moveable walls, so the entire open space could be adjusted by the children.

The Second World War left many wounds into Coventry’s ‘fabric’, but one of the deepest was the separation from its cultural past. It seemed that along with the disappearance of the old cathedral and other medieval buildings, the whole magic essence of the city vanished. In fact, it just remained hidden under the ruins, waiting to be brought back to Coventry’s inhabitants.

One way of reconnecting the people of Coventry to the city’s Medieval essence is through the re-learning of the old practices like the textiles dyeing. And what place could be better than a school, when the past is “embroidered” into the present by teaching the future?

White timber cladding will be used at the exterior. The interior will also use timber, but with a more natural aspect. All of the furniture will be from timber, having some of the elements in bright colours.

The school wishes to include into the children curriculum textiles dyeing classes, bringing them closer to the roots of Coventry. The textiles dyeing space will be available after school hours to the inhabitants of the city so as everybody could learn the craftmanship. The dyed pieces of materials will be at the beginning use to decorate the school itself, following to be donated to animal shelters or to be assembled by older children and sold as small handmade items at specific fairs.

The dyeing process matches with the educational method I wanted to approach, Célestin Freinet educational system. With this educational method I propose the freedom of children to design and explore the school’s architecture. Moreover, children will have the option to choose what subject will focus on during the day. There will be classic classrooms for a quieter environment. The common activities will be held in open spaces.

There will be only some coloured elements in the entire design, Those will follow Le Corbusier’s colour theory, meaning that they will have strong but pleasant contrasts. In this way the atmosphere will be dynamic and playful, yet still calm and elegant.

The school will try to ‘melt’ into the landscape, physically and visually.

It seeks to be a place to grow for children, and a small intimate retreat for the citizens of Coventry. Additionally, it will also be a space for small exhibitions, as the school focuses more on arts in the people’s life at different ages.

The textiles dyeing space

The ruins will be directly integrated into the design. They will be exposed into the main grand hall, so both the students and the visitors could see them and find out more about the Covetry roots.

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| Axonometric

| Site Location The site is situated in the heart of Coventry, right next to the Coventry Cathedral, the Holy Trinity Church, on the ruins of the old Church.

Its most important features are the ruins, the historical web that surrounds it, and the sunken level that gives a very intimate and protected feeling.

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Experimental Plaster Models | Thinking about how concrete would look in reality, poured in the shape of a barrel vault, I chose to do a fourth experimental model with plaster. The plaster illustrates how possible future barrel vaults and arched windows will fit into the design.

The sketches present the initial measurements for the model, as well as the possible dimensions and proportions of the arched holes.

With the experiment no.2 in mind, I wish to test how a stretching material would behave with plaster. The result was a long inverted barrel vault, just like a dome.

This was the major inspiration when designing the shape for the textiles dyeing spaces.

Below there are the initial skteches for the wooden base of the model and how the pouring process should take place.

The first attempt of combining textiles and plaster was simply to pour plaster on the stretching piece of cloth, waiting to dry.

This was not necessarily the interaction that I sought between the 2 materials, being to simple and not enough to “graft� them.

The next strategy was to soak a tougher and more rigid piece of textile in plaster. Observing it more in depth, I thought of turning it upside down and pour the plaster inside the

inverted barrel vault.

The solidified wrinkles and folds inspired me in choosing the shape of the green roof, replacing the plaster in the model with concrete in the real design.

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| Design Evolution

Grouping the subjects | designing through section

Knowing how much light each of the spaces needs, I started designing through section, giving the highest levels to the parts that required it.

One of my initial ideas was to express outside what subject is taking place inside through architecture. As it is observable, this resulted in many differet volumes all put together.

Therefore, I had to group some of the subjects and reduce the spaces to 3-4.

01 English, Foreign Language, Drama, Music 02 History, Mathematics, Textiles 03 Geography, Sciences, Museum 04 Cooking In time, the section became more homogenuous, as can be seen on the one on the bottom right corner.

The volume obtained through the plaster explorations started to be repeated in different shapes and rhytms.

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| Final Model The final model was made of watercolour paper and a piece of txtile used also in the first experimental models.

The piece of material was trying to immitate the folds of the textiles from which the roof was inspired, as well as offering an internal perspecyive due to its high transparency.

|23 The trees will be planted in the folds of the concrete roof. Children will take care of them and the rest of the greenery, developing their responsibility.

Moreover, the roof will be accessible after the school hours to anyone, becoming a realxed place for social gatherings in the heart of Coventry.

People and students could look down into the school spaces through the small circular widows strategically positioned.

The ramp surrounding the building is not only useful for people with disabilities, but it also offers a great journey for the visitors coming along it. While passing by the barrel vault classrooms, they could look down at the students inside.

The shape of the roof lights was inspired by the nursery school in Berriozar. The light is diffused and the white timber cladding in the interior accentuates the calm atmosphere.

The way how the concrete green roof is poured is directly inspired by the way how a piece of fabric folds. The curves created will enhance the adventurous character of the playground, encouraging the students to spend time outside

|Axonometric view linking the design with the precedents

Hakemyia nursery influenced the decision of using white timber cladding into the design.

The loadbearing structure is made of concrete, so the horizontal cladding willl have only a decorative use.

The circular windows into the green roof were inspired by RĂĽĂĽ Day Care Center by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter.

Similarly, the design for the Coventry school followed also the rule of using as many windows as possible, positioned in the right spots, thinking about how important is a luminous space for studying.

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| Ground Floor Plan 01 Main entrance | Reception 02 Administrative office 03 Classic classrooms 04 Activities internal area 05 06 07 Textiles Dyeing process rooms 08 Small exhibition room 09 Small conference room 10 Kitchen 11 Exterior playground 12 Acess ramp 13 Ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral

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| Roof Plan The Playground

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| Long 3D Section The playground is on top of the school, the ups and downs replicating the folds of the fabrics from the textiles experiments.

The changes of levels help children have a more adventurous time while playing outside.

On top of that, they learn how to take care of the plants and trees while being at school, reinforcing the school’s educational ethos - learning from their own experiences.

The design offers a clue to what activity takes place in that room by the different heights of the structures. As seen in the section, the more light and air needed for the dyeing process, the taller is the ceiling.

The glazing circle offers a direct view to the historical ruins, inviting children to learn history there, connecting more to Coventry’s past.

Above there are the existent texture in the design. There are 3 types of concrete: white, orange and blue.

Aditionally, there is the white timber cladding in the exterior and interior, as well as the grass, the main protective material for the roof.

The textiles are used in the design to separate the small spaces that children could create as they want. They are used as in the photos above, creating a fairy tale atmosphere for the students.

Junction wall-curved roof | the classic classrooms (inside to outside) interior timber horizontal cladding 1000x30x15 mm in-situ coloured concrete 150 mm waterproofing bitumen paint 2 mm thermal insulation 150 mm air cavity + vertical battens 40 mm exterior white timber horizontal cladding 1000x30x24 mm

The ‘adventure room’ encourages children to play while they learn at their own pace. They could use the sloped stairs as as a slide or just sit on the different levels while reading or listening to the teacher.

Junction wall-foundation (inside to outside) coloured linoleum 2 mm screed with underfloor heating 80 mm separating layer (fleece) 2 mm thermal + soundproof insulation 220 mm reinforced concrete slab 300 mm levelling gravel 300 mm

Junction wall- roof| (inside to outside) soil for planting 300 mm - varies bitumen roofing felt, 2 layers, EP3, EP4 (root-resistant) 5 mm thermal insulation 150 mm vapour barrier thermal + soundproof insulation 220 mm reinforced concrete slab 300 mm - varies plaster 5 mm

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| The Visual Journey Perspective of one of the parts of the textile dyeing area. The view illustrates the green roof, the colour, and the textures of the design.

Moreover, it presents how children can observe the process from th emultiple windows in the roof and in the exterior walls.

The aerial view puts the viewer in the role of the children that will experience this view through the round windows, while playing. The area in focus is the last room where the fabric is left to dry after dyeing. Therefore, the views are related one to each other, presenting the interior and the exterior of the same activity space.

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| The Visual Journey

The photo offers a glimpse into the main hall, having in focus the timber furniture wich offers both intimacy and opportunities to play and socialise for the students. One could also observe the circle glazed part of the floor, where the ruins could be viewd underneath.

Above there is the main roof light, from where children could look down into the school.

Above there is a perspective of the adventure space, illustrating how children are either learning or playing, using the slides. They are mixed, not respecting the age diffrences, as one of the points from the educational approach was mixed learning and interactions.

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| Axonometric From the top-down Intensive substrate - grass 200 mm Polypropylene filter fleece Gravel vegetation drainage barrier - 670 mm width/150 mm depth PE foil separation layer Bauder waterproofing - modified bitumen membrane Roof precast concrete slab 250 mm Separating layer 5 mm Thermal insulation 200 mm Gypsum board 20 mm

Above there is the main entrance to the school.

On the right there is the Holy Trinity Church, conquering the sky. The perspective seeks to present the first feelng of seeing the modern school next to the Medieval church.

A child perspective on the playground roof.

The roof will be a place to play for the students, as well as a relaxation space for the visitors after they learnt the dyeing process in the afternoon.

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The Suspended Collective Garden | Room with a Grafted View Y2 | 2018

Coventry | West Midlands

The decision of choosing this site outside the Ring Road was mainly influenced by the presence of the River Sherbourne and by the abundant vegetation in the calm surroundings that consist only of housing units.

The view of the river surrounded by the trees and plants led to a vision of an enclosed version of this, a greenhouse. Therefore, a greenhouse over the main road would be the nucleus of the community.

1.

ELDERLY COUPLE smallest type of apartments

The site is present in a quiet area, yet very close to the city centre, which resulted in 3 typologies of elderly people passioned by gardening.

The first type is a couple of elderly. The second typology is consisting of a single elder which is taken care of by a nurse. The last group is represented by a couple of elderly that also have children and grandchildren coming over often, requiring additional space. The last 2 typologies will be directly connected, so as the single elders could also interact easily with the young people. This will help to keep away the characteristic feeling of loneliness and disconnection to the modern times, that is often encountered at that age.

River Sherbourne will be part of the design by the way its water is collected by a mill and used to water the plants, the building also representing the point where the river disappears now under the city.

The social space of the greenhouse will be on the first floor, with ramps at all the other levels so as people could admire the plants from the above. At the ground floor, there will be a shop to sell a part of the tropical plants and trees.

The greenhouse will be suspended over the main road of the neighbourhood, as well as all the 3 blocks of apartments, in order to give the sensation of floating over Sherbourne. Furthermore, by this, the building will have a similar height to the surrounding structures and it will blend it in a distinctive way.

The greenhouse will offer also a place to socialise, either by sitting at the tables inside or by taking care of the plants. The event that will gather the inhabitants will be the weekly evaluation of the plants, in order to sell, them.

2.

ELDER WITH A NURSE

3.

medium sized apartments additional bathroom and storage

3.

ELDERLY COUPLE + CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN COMING OVER

2.

1.

biggest type of apartments 2 additional bedrooms & bathrooms

The diagram above presents the arrangement for the 3 types of apartments, each with its specific type of clients.

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| The Site

SITE LOCATION MAIN CIRCULATION ROUTE BUS STATIONS

SECONDARY ROUTES [MAINLY PEDESTRIAN]

NON-RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

GREEN PUBLIC SPACES

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RIVER SHERBOURNE

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| Design Initial Ideas Y3 | 2020

Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire

ROOM WITH A GRAFTED VIEW

On the row above there are the axonometrics that I draw from Walmer Yard. By choosing 4 shapes that I thought they might suite my design, I started arranging them in different ways. Next I obtained the layout of my plans, making it much more regulate, as it followed some rules.

THE SUSPENDED GREENHOUSE

The conceptual model on right explains my initial idea of having 2 separated modules, connected by a suspended structure. The joining structure should be light and delicate, yet regular and structured. Also, both of the 3 units should be somehow floating above the ground, and permit movement under them.

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| Ground Floor

N

| First Floor

N

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| Second Floor

N

| Third Floor

N

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| Section

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| South Elevation

| East Elevation

3 mm Special mortar coating (lime+cement)preventing water entering cracks in concrete

3 mm Combiflex waterproofing

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4

3340 mm

3

3200 mm

7

| Sectional Study

5

3200 mm

6

1.First floor construction ( U-value = 0.15 W/m2K) 300x1210x15 mm Oak Flooring 60 mm Air Cavity 50x50x1000 Battens Vapour Barrier Polyethylene Plastic Sheet 50 mm Acoustic Insulation 200 mm Thermal Insulation 300 mm Reinforced In-Situ Concrete 400 mm diameter pillars

1 400

5100 mm

2

3.Intermediate floors construction ( U-value = 0.57 W/m2K) 300x1210x15 mm Oak Flooring 60 mm Air Cavity 50x50x1000 Battens 50 mm Impact Sound Insulation 200 mm In-situ Concrete slab 10 mm Plaster to soffit

2.Exterior balcony construction 1000mm x 1000mm x 30mm paving Waterproof membrane Concrete slab 580x400 Clear glass panels Aluminium handrail (60 mm diameter) and frame Pile foundations

5.Exterior wall construction (cold structure) ( U-value = 0.21 W/m2K) 250 mm Timber Board formed Concrete 150 mm Cellular Glass Insulation, vapourproof 60 mm Insulated Plasterboard + paint finish 60 mm Cellular glass insulation fitted into recess in soffit

4.Roof construction (warm deck) ( U-value = 0.16 W/m2K) 74 mm Substrate for planting 12 mm Bitumen roofing felt, 2 layers, root-resistant 170 mm Thermal Insulation Shear studs 8 mm Vapour barrier 240 mm In-Situ Concrete slab 10 mm Plaster

6.Openable doulbe-glazed hexagonal window ( U-value = 1.8 W/m2K) Aluminium frame 3 mm Glazing 20 mm Air cavity 3 mm Glazing 305 mm Aluminium Cill 60 UPVC Interior Cill 7.Exterior sliding door( U-value = 2.1 W/m2K) Aluminium Frame 3 mm glazing 20 mm Air cavity 3 mm glazing 210 mm Interior Aluminium Cill

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PERSPECTIVE AT THE SECOND FLOOR IN THE SUSPENDED GREENHOUSE

VIEW FROM A DINNING SPACE AT THE THIRD FLOOR TOWARDS THE GREENHOUSE

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| The Visual Journey

04

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Coventry Youth Centre | The Culture Club | Group Project Y2 | 2019

Coventry | West Midlands

A lot of kids have issues at home, school or in their neighbourhood which could lead them to act out in the wrong way. This youth centre will serve as a place where they can come and solve these issues and feel better. It will act as a safe zone where they can be themselves and get along with other kids who are similar to them. During the time that they will spend here, they will be able to let out any suppressed anger, feel at peace and feel like they belong. There will is thought new ways to control their emotions and express them in the right way. Taking part in different physical activities such as various kinds of martial arts from around the world and getting to experience different cultures will help them understand each other cultures and hence respect their values more. This could further lead to a reduction in racism issues.

crimes spots (December 2018 )

THE PROGRAM The area is marked by many crimes, committed especially by young people. This is a direct consequence of the under passageways that are many, as well as for the dark corners and other shady areas.

Our centre wants to be the final point for a trip on the River Sherbourne, including the touristic function. But above all, our building wishes to act as a spot for unleashing teenagers’ energy in a constructive way.

Moreover, the building must give the sensation of openness and new, as well as privacy, when talking about the sexual clinic. By its presence and role, it should reduce the criminality and involve the teenagers from the community through sports, as well as the older people as spectators.

possible dangerous spots

| The Site

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| Main Ideas The pedestrianised Ring Road Exterior events space

clearly defined spaces

river level room

The cafe

Passage way over the road

The cultural exhibition space

connection with the river

greenery + passageway

The main foyer

Individual therapy rooms Small waiting lobby

The clinic

| Axonometric The martial arts space The walk-through green covered seating space with additional seating upstairs

| Section

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Perspective from the pedestrianised Ring Road towards the martial arts part and the green tunnel

Perspective showing the winter covered garden and the cafe spaces, along with the accessible river Sherbourne

| The Visual Journey

Above there is a perspective from the cafe on the Ring Road looking towards the Youth Centre.

View of the side of the building oriented towards the neighbourhood showing the aluminium wall with its mosaic, the pitched roof and how the 2 parts of the building connect to the Ring Road

View from the centre’s cafe going to the sports building through the suspended tunnel.

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| The Threshold Study FROM LEFT TO RIGHT concrete wall 200 mm thermal insulation 200 mm steel hangers and bolts precast concrete panels 2500 x 1500 x 150 mm vertical butt join between panels

From inside to outside reinforced concrete slab 200 mm vapour barrier thermal insulation 200 mm (wall) with 250 mm (roof) waterproof membrane aluminium facing 15 mm steel C perlins 80 mm aluminium standing seam roof 25 mm

From outside to inside soil hard core (gravel) 200 mm sand layer 50 mm reinforced concrete slab 250 mm thermal insulation 200 mm vabour barrier (PVC sheeting) impact sound insulation 12 mm polished screed 60 mm

FROM RIGHT TO LEFT - interlocking metal rainscreen with angled joints concrete wall 200 mm thermal insulation 200 mm supporting steel frame - angled supporting steel bracket aluminium rainscreen panel - diamond shape 600 x 600 mm double glazed window with dark painted aluminium frame 60 mm thick, recessed 250 mm into the facade

FROM HIGHER TO LOWER polished screed 50 mm impact sound insulation 40 mm concrete slab 200 mm

05

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The 1:1 Project Artefact / Integrated Design in Architecture

On my first visit to Hull, I have observed that a great visual point of the landscape is the Humber River. But for me, not the water was the attraction, but what it leaves behind when the lowest tide is reached. The mud seemed that it had its own life and personality. It has its movements and patterns.

These aspects were a part of what determined me to choose a site on the edge of Humber. Besides the need of my building’s typology to be at the edge of the pier area( it is also an astronomical observatory, therefore it had to be away from light pollution, facing the estuary), I also wanted to be close to water, tides, and mud to borrow aspects from the landscape in the structure.

More exactly, into the interior of the sleep therapy clinic, as I wanted it to stimulate all the senses of the patients, so also the tactile sensations.

There was a certain softness about all the landscape along the Humber.

All the mud forming shapes in ordered chaos inspired me to try capturing their fluidity in a heavy mass. As my building will be facing the power of tides and storms, and it will have rooms that “float”, the dominant material will be concrete (following to investigate during my studio project if there are more environmentally friendly alternatives). Regarding the way that I will integrate the fluidity of the mud into the rooms, I felt that the most suitable way will be through tiles.

Y3 | 2020

Aims To produce a final concrete tile that will capture the fluidity and the marks of water left in the mud. In this way, the building will be integrated into the surroundings through shapes and forms, as well as the tiles will play a role in the stimulation of the patients.

The endless process - the circle of production

Shattered into many pieces, back to its original state ...ready to be used in new projects Cement, brought from all the places

Refining

Preliminary Conceptual Drawings The experimental conceptual drawings had as a starting point the production of concrete. I translated the stages and the movements into lines, arcs, circle. The influence of water/ river Humber was symbolised through the blue stains. The significance of them could be read in the drawing.

GENERAL PRIORITIES Folds “embedded” concrete

Sand and stones, unseparable

...an unknown project, but already felt with all the senses

The first attempts

into

Link the exterior landscape to the interior of the sleep clinic White/Grey neutral finish, that leaves the lights sources, part of the phototherapy, play with the forms and shapes Easy to reproduce Transportable Each tile to be unique

More sets, more experimentation

Water, the link between particles

The unavoidable presence of River Humber

Stirring the mixture, stopping and observing the changes Grids and lines- during construction and assembly

Putting it into a perspecctive

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| Structural Logic

Interior Exterior

Figure 6

Interior

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SOFTEST Casting

against

the fabrics

Reaching the most important stage, I revised and collected fabrics from the softest to the stiffest. This choice was based on the fact that I wanted to explore which fabric offers more depth to the pleats into concrete. I was looking forward to seeing their woven texture embedded into concrete.

Soft Corduroy

Workmanship

In case of the vinyl fabric and faux leather, due to their matte texture, I could cover them with releasing agent. For the others, I had to use transparent food wrap in order to allow removing the concrete from the formwork and from the fabric.

The process can be observed on the left.

Faux Leather Even with the previous tiles cracked, I was able to analyse them and observe that the vinyl fabric left the strongest mark in concrete, owing to its stiffness.

The final piece is 300 mm x 300 mm, with a 45 mm thickness on average (as it varies due to the folds) The dimensions are not substantially different from what I anticipated.

The hardest stage was setting the fabric into the formwork frame.

Due to its thickness and because it produced folds, it was hard to fix Raffiathe Fabric the formwork and keep in place textile.

Human Scale

Vinyl Fabric

STIFFEST

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| The Final 1:1 Artefact

Human scale

06

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HERE’ on High Street | Studio Group Project Y3 | 2019

Inspired by Philip Larkin’s poem ‘Here’, my team had to reinterpret Hull into poetry, drawing and model making, following the stanza structure of the mentioned poem.

Kingston upon Hull | Yorkshire

Stanza 1

Rust, swallows iron skeletons Graffiti cloaks decaying walls...

Muddy water invades Stepped graves of a lost industry Silence…

Traffic rushes, right to left, left to right...

Stanza 2

Masonry walls divide public and private A muffled rumble of tyres on cobbles Pushes pedestrians to the side, Windows puncture providing glimpses within...

Stanza 3

A forgotten glove on a windowsill A hurried woman.

Lamps light conversations in windows Gossip leaks through opening doors A gaggle of school children, noisy, carefree Meandering routes over uneven surfaces, Heading towards the docks...

Stanza 4

Signs shout assembly point, danger – deep water, keep clear A ball lost in the mud speaks of an unforgiving landscape Abstract objects rise from the horizon, disconnected, confused...

| The Physical Poems Stanza 1

The maquette adresses the first part of the High Street, with its river intertwining at a distance the city.

The river is suggested through the black wire, while the wax, plaster and the brick represent the mixture between old and new buildings.

Stanza 2

The wax casted into the brick makes a reference to the inner courtyards encountered in Stanza 2. The wire going up tries to immitate the way how the river is now hidden from the eyes of the pedestrians, yet it makes his present observed through other senses, such as sounds, and the specific air.

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The arch formed between the old brick and the plaster piece remembers the arches, the small hidden passages to courtyards, the feeling of crowded and enclosed of the third stanza. Now the wire represents the flow of people from all the eras leaving the mark on the city, on its narrow streets.

Stanza 4

The last stanza is marked by a feeling of solitude in a large empty space. This is expressed through big blocks of plaster gathered on a piece of old brick, ressembling the way the few buildings in the 4th stanza are like centralised around a focus point. The empty space on the wood board is linked to the opening to the sea, to a new world.

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| Drawing iterations

| The Final Drawing The final drawing incorporates certain elements from the previous versions, such as the marks expressing the sounds, the map like white forms suggesting the arrangements of the buildings, the bridges across the river, the veils of the ships.

Stanza 1 offers a calm atmosphere with not many sounds or places for people to interact

The red strokes - bridges above the river, defining the stanzas from each other, such as this one delimitating Stanza 1 from 2.

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The brick-like coloured forms are a reference to the naval historical past of Hull, as the ships in the past used to have veils coloured like this.

Stanza 2 is becoming livelier and fuller of life, both as the movement of people and the sounds present on the High Street.

The white patches are trying to convey the grain and the density of the buildings across the Hight Street.

The black fine and delicate marks are a synthesis of the most important sounds from the sounds map. in this example, there are the screams of the seagulls.

Stanza 3 is the easisest one to observe, with its general feeling of narowness and inner courtyards with hidden passages.

There the density of the buildings is visible increased.

The red colourful circles are a symbol for the squares where peope in the past used to gather and discuss and interact with each other.

The black lines are suggesting their routes and are linking the

Stanza 4 is expressing the solitude and emptiness felt in that area, with the river and the sea dominating everything.

| Axonometric From the top-down Intensive substrate - grass 200 mm Polypropylene filter fleece Gravel vegetation drainage barrier - 670 mm width/150 mm depth PE foil separation layer Bauder waterproofing - modified bitumen membrane Roof precast concrete slab 250 mm Separating layer 5 mm Thermal insulation 200 mm Gypsum board 20 mm

07

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Cotroceni | Bucharest | 2018

Eiffel Tower | Paris | 2017

Photography

2017-2020

Institut du Monde Arabe | Paris | 2017

Tate Modern | London | 2019

Fitzwilliam Museum | Cambridge | 2018

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Coventry | 2018

Athens | 2019

Berlin | 2020

Kindl Museum | Berlin | 2020

National Museum of Art of Romania | Bucharest | 2018

Hull docks | Hull | 2019

Tate Museum | London | 2019

The Communism Museum | Prague | 2019

LIVIA SOARE livia.soare@yahoo.com | +40746090041