Reflection This is the portfolio showing my design work of stage 3 at Newcastle University. At the beginning of the academic year, I thought I had sufficient time as it was a yearlong project. However, I felt I need more time from time to time for researching, analysing, exploring and designing. Compared with previous years, the project of stage 3 had a stronger connection with other modules. The knowledge and techniques we learnt during the three years finally came to a comprehensive system, and then lead to the output of the project. Working in the Legacies of Modernism studio, I kept trying to figure out the nature of modernism along with other technical issues. My dissertation was about the early modernism in Shanghai. It gave me the opportunity of comparing the modernist architecture in Shanghai and Newcastle, as well as other masterpieces in the UK and around Europe. After comparison, an "International Style" claimed by architects such as Gropius and Hitchcock at the beginning of the modernist movement seemed to be superficial. The Unité d'habitation after the World War II had already got rid of the white box celebrated in the International Style booklet, while the modernist buildings in Newcastle during the 1960s and 1970s were utterly different from those white "Mediterranean dwellings". At the same time, architects in Shanghai, and China, kept managing to keep the balance between modernism and nationalism. The fall of the modernism in St. Louis and the criticism from Tom Wolfe also showed a ridiculous fact – the modernism was derived from the social movement for a better living standard with new technologies, while the modernist house in Wolfe's book seemed not suitable for living in. That may underline one truth – a so-called "International Style", a universal solution which the early modernist architects were eager for did not exist. Neither the modernist architect nor the modernist architecture could get rid of the influence of the local culture, history and living style of the local
community. Instead, they should pay more attention to the site and local to realise the initial idea of modernism of guiding people for a better life. In Newcastle the situation was more complex, the modernist legacies related to T. Dan Smiths was disgraced because of the corruption scandal. Moreover, the site was next to the Central Conservation Area. The project should respond to the history of Newcastle wisely. During the early stage of this year, my design was always criticised as had little connection with the surroundings, "floating" on the site, and neither the programme nor accommodation met the requirements of the users. Therefore, the development of the design became the progress of building a stronger connection with the surroundings and compromising with the users and then trying to guide them. As a result, the history and the tradition had to be introduced to the building, even the guidebook for the shopfront of Grainger Town became my reference. These historical references might make the building seems less "modernism", but I thought it backed to the initial concept of modernist architecture – built a building that could amuse most of the people with the new technology in the new era. The part coordinated with ARC3013 of the design project was also challenging. Although I had bear the idea of following the requirement and standard for years, I still had difficulties in compromising with those documents. However, the part was also of great help to me. On the one hand, I had a piece of more comprehensive knowledge about those documents after the work. On the other hand, the process of solving the conflict between my original design and the standard spurred my creativity. Besides, this part made me aware of the requirement of people with less mobility, which was important for a building for everyone. In our studio, all the developments and exploration should be on layers of tracing paper. It was a bit annoying at the beginning,
as I had familiar with designing by computer, I had to pay extra time to finish the work. However, when I look back now, the layers of tracing paper became a clear record of the design process. Moreover, I had been used to using trancing paper to find out the solution to problems during design. They were more convenient and freer. The pandemic of COVID-19 had changed our routine of study and design. Suddenly we had no longer access to the library and the workshop, where I used to develop my design. The face-to-face tutorial also became a remote on through the continent. Having back to China, I also
had no more opportunities to visit the site. However, I knew more about Newcastle and its modernism by rebuilding the site on the computer for the project. I noticed things and buildings I had never noticed in Newcastle. I had finally discovered the abundant architectural legacies when I was far away from it. However, the discovery was never too late. I have applied it to the final design. I also knew more about the city I had lived in for four years. Finally, I realised the importance of the ability to discover during the site analysis. Detailed research on those legacies in Newcastle would be easier on the site.
The Commercial Union House as a “black box” rather than “white box” near the site
Contents
0
Charrette 001
1
Primer 007
2
Staging 021
3
Realisation 055
4 +
Synthesis 077
Bibliography 117 New Works
Amended Works
0
Charrette
The theme of our team was about accessibility in the public realm. Based on the research and experience around central Newcastle, we were going to make people, as well as ourselves, aware of the significance of the accessibility for everyone in the public space. The study also helped to the inclusive design of my project this year - although there are many changes of levels in the building, I try to make the environment friendly for everyone by rumps, lifts and lifting platforms.
001  |  002
During the personal research on the first day, I found the tactile blocks on the Northumberland street can hardly help the visually impaired people. Instead, they were more like a part of the decoration for the
high street. They cannot inform the direction, were not continuous, and often blocked by other public furniture. I also tried to solve this issue along with other group activities during the charrette week.
In the following days, my colleagues and I used a cart to experience the high street like one with pushchairs or people with limited mobility. The result cannot be considered
as satisfying, especially for the area for public transport and retailing. The lack of wayfinding systems for accessible entrance made the issue more severe.
003  |  004
The week ended up with a parade on the campus. It was going to make people aware of the importance of accessibility for everyone in the public realm. The research
and activities during the week also made us aware of the significance of inclusive design during our project, especially for public architectures.
At the end of the week, I also finished my redesign for the tactile blocks system on Northumberland Street. It will be a comprehensive system that connects with
other public furniture. It could inform the visually impaired people correctly and work as a wayfinding system for other people at the same time.
005  |  006
1
Primer
Starting with the drawing of Theo van Doesburg and the manifesto of Bauhaus, we were asked to explore the language of modernism with the grid, planar, and volume in a cube. With other readings on the history of modernist architecture, I was fascinated by the grid – visible or invisible; and it became dominant in my design of this step. The output cannot be recognised as satisfying as the grid limited the complexity of the final model. However, the ideas in the improvement plan had later led to my design of the project.
007  |  008
Fig.1 Contra-Construction by Theo van Doesburg
Instead of the symmetry of classic paintings or architecture, the drawing of Theo van Doesburg shows a Hitchcock-called “underlying regularity.” The volume and planar were shaped by orthogonal lines,
or in other words, grids. The grid is visible in Mondrian’s painting, but almost invisible in Doesburg’s. However, I was going to celebrate the underlying grid, making it the dominant elements of my model.
Planar
The first language I explored was planar. Planes were intersected with each other orthogonally, making up of a 3-dimensional structure. The size of the planes and the
arrangement of the connection are based on a one-by-one grid. However, due to the material used, it is fragile and can hardly be considered as a cube.
009  |  010
Volume
The second model explored the language of volume. Similar to the planar model, volumes were shaped and located based on the one-by-one grid. The introduction of an
underlying grid meant the volumes consist of smaller cubes and made the playing of additive and subtractive easier.
Grid + Volume
Due to the limited size and the material, the third model exploring the language of grids showed the disadvantage of simplicity. It cannot work as a prototype as a complex space for further design. However, after putting the volume model into it, they became a little more interesting.
The physical grid made the “underlying regularity” apparent. Moreover, the grid can function as a shelf for volumes suspending on it, or “floating” in the volume defined by the outer grid. The combination of the grid and volume became the theme of my final model.
011 | 012
Final Model
In the final model, the grid was the dominant element. It was like the structure elements spaced at equal distance in the skeleton
construction of modernist architecture, creating a regular rhythm.
Volumes were inserted into the shelf made by the grid, connected with each other. Under some position, all the volumes were suspending on the shelf, “floating” in the space; at this moment, the grid shared the same characteristic of Le Corbusier’s pilotis.
At the same time, part of the solid massing was replaced by some transparent “volume” consisted of plane and grid, adding to the diversity of space experience.The playing of “massing” and “volume,” also echoed with the theory of Henry-Russel Hitchcock.
013 | 014
Composite Drawing
015 | 016
The composite drawing was the rearrangement of elevations and sections of the cube. As a result, the grid was the most apparent element in the drawing as well. However, by scaling and layering these elevations and sections, space became more
complicated for its secondary and tertiary grids. The layers of sections also created a series of enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces, which became the prototype for my threshold models.
Exhibition
017 | 018
However, the emphasis of the grid limited the exploration of other languages. The final output was simplistic for the Staging design. Thus, improvement plans were considered and listed. These included introducing a secondary grid for the model and using coloured blocks connecting different layers of the composite drawing. Although the plan was not realised, the idea of the secondary grid and blocks connecting different areas become a part of my further design.
Manifesto
The modernist architecture is not a building full of ornament, nor a standardised whitewashed concrete box. It should not be considered as a morphological description which the Hitchcock or Kaufmann implied in their book during the first half of the 20th century. It should be the successor of Alberti’s three fundamental principles. The necessitas asks for a clear structure, the commoditas asks for a form follow the function, and the voluptas asked for the regularity of the volume, and finally, avoid any waste of materials, energy and human force. It can be adopted around the world based on the local economic, cultural and geological circumstance. It should illustrate nothing but the truth, the truth of structure, the truth of function, and the truth of context, and its sobriety should go through its life-cycle. Thus it could avoid any waste to become a morphological reproduction and towards the eco-friendly future.
019 | 020
2
Staging
The work for the Staging part was twofold. In this section, I had to decide the programme and then consider massing based on the site analysis. At the same time, I kept playing with the model and composite drawing in the Primer part and managed to translate them into thresholds for the project. The field trip during this period also impacted my further design. Its space characteristics inspired me. However, as I focused on the threshold design, the experiment on massing was imperfect, and I completely redesign the massing during the Realisation section.
021  |  022
023 | 024
Site Analysis - Ignored Legacies When I wandered around the site in the city centre, I was fascinated by the complexity of its context. On the one hand, the site was on the boundary of the historical Grainger Town of Newcastle, on the other hand, it was a gap of a modernist elevation of the city. Site analysis had shown the effort of protecting those Georgian and Victorian architectures – most of the buildings in the Grainger Town was listed. On the contrary, the legacies of modernism were ignored. Only the Civic Centre and the MEA House were listed, and there are more than four modernist architectures were demolished with little objections in the recent 20 years, including the City Library and the Bank of England. However, the elevation of the east of Northumberland Street and Pilgrim Street still consist of a series of modernist architectures, from the No. 42 Northumberland Street to the All Saints Development. The project will fill the gap of this modernist city elevation. Thus, it should focus on two issues. The first should be recalling and restoring the legacies of North-east Modernism. Besides, it should respond to the historical building opposite to the site, while the 60s and 70s modernist architectures were always criticised for their ignorance of the history of Newcastle.
Listed Buildings Conservation Area Modernist Architecture Site 025  |  026
Listed
MEA House
Civic Centre
Converted
Bewick Court
Aiden House
Swan House
Bank of England
Bank House
Demolished
City Library
SITE
Westgate House
Little Changed
Pearl House
Commercial Union House
Bamburgh House
42 Northumberland St.
Princess Square
Hadrian House
Cuthbert House
Bede House
Manors Car Park
027  |  028
Site Analysis - Features and Elements
Suspended Massing
Metal Cladding Roof
Skylight
Exterior Platform/Gallery
Exterior Staircase
Corner Entrance
The modernist architecture in Newcastle shared some similar features and elements. Aside from the regular rhythm of the fenestration, some of the North-east Modernist buildings used conventional materials rather than concrete for its façade, including the Civic Centre and Hadrian House. This feature offered the possibility for the façade of the project, both refered
to the modernist and historical Newcastle. Other common features and elements should be the suspended massing, metal cladding roof, skylight, exterior platform and gallery, and exterior staircase. Moreover, the Bamburgh House close to the site provided the access strategy for buildings at the crossing.
029 | 030
Site Analysis - Grid on the Site
As mentioned before, an underlying grid would be the theme of my project, celebrating the regularity of modernist architecture. Meanwhile, the grid should be in a similar interval with surrounding buildings to create an initial connection with the site. Thus, the Pearl House and the Northern Goldsmiths building became my
reference. The interval between the columns of the Pearl House on the ground floor was 5.4 meters, while the width of windows of Northern Goldsmiths on the street level was about 2.7 meters. They can transform into the primary and secondary grid of my project.
Shadow analysis showed that half of the site was under the shade of the Commercial Union House. Besides, the traffic of Pilgrim Street and New Bridge Street also impact
the area. The site was then divided into four parts with the grid based on their spatial characteristics. 031  |  032
Case Study
Although I did not travel to France for those masterpieces such as Villa Savoye or UnitĂŠ d'habitation, the architecture trip for the National Theatre in London inspired me as well. The various platforms and terraces inside and outside the theatre provided
possibilities for more interactions and communications between different groups of people. Architect’s playing of open, semi-enclosed and enclosed space for the threshold was also fascinating.
The grid on the ceiling of National Theatre was similar to the rib of Gothic architecture. On the one hand, it acted as the structural element for the building; on the other hand, it added a rational rhythm to the architecture. Besides, the gridded beams
of the National Theatre also underlined its layout strategy – the arrangement of space was based on these grids. It echoed with my idea of structural grids. Thus, I tried to refer to the National Theatre in my following design.
033  |  034
Case Study - Programme General Programmes
Denys Lasdun designed the National Theatre as a space for the broad public. As a result, apart from three theatres, the architecture contains abundant public space on each level, from quiet and cosy multi-use area to bright atrium. The National Theatre then becomes an energetic structure encouraging much more activities than watching a play.
The National Theatre is more than space putting on a play. Instead, it is a complex for creating, producing and presenting. Thus, Denys Lasdun divided the building into two parts based on its programmes. A terraced, multi-layered structure is set next to the bank of River Thames. The open platform and the glazing facade create a space welcoming everyone, realising its proposal as a theatre for all the citizens. A solid, enclosed and boxing massing is behind the eye-catching structure, served as a factory containing all the workshops for the scenerymaking.
The Fordism Workshop
Fig.3 Backstage 1 Fig.4 Backstage 2
Fig.2 Plan of National Theatre 1
The workshops can produce and provide all the items for the scenery, ranging from paintings, carpentry works, metal works and lighting. The workshops are connected to each other and the three theatres with a
grand corridor. Thus, a fluent workflow from the making of little structures to the set up of the stage was created, just like a Fordism factory with an assembly line.
035 | 036
The Dressing Room
Fig.5 Light Well and Dressing Room 1 Fig.6 Light Well and Dressing Room 2 Fig.7 Plan of National Theatre 2
The dressing room and the costume studio are set around a light well in the centre of the National theatre. This structure not only introduces natural light into the room and workshop but also provide a fantastic opportunity for the heroes and heroines
before the performance - they could rehearse the play with each other seeing them through the light well. Moreover, the structure offers a space with excellent acoustic properties, as the voice of the performers can be heard on the river.
The Drum Revolve
Fig.9 Drum Revolve 1 Fig.10 Drum Revolve 2 Fig.11 Drum Revolve 3
Fig.8 Plan of National Theatre 3
The drum revolve under the stage of the Olivier Theatre is a five-storey, computeroperated mechanism with two lift, and each of them can rise 25 tons of scenery and other items. The design of separated lifts enables the theatre to prepare and change the scene
without the consciousness of audiences. The structure, on the other hand, allow the operators to create a more dynamic and multi-level stage that will be of great help to better performance.
037 | 038
Case Study - Threshold The Changes of Main Entrance Fig.15 Entrance 1 Fig.16 Entrance 2
When the theatre was built, the idea of travelling by private cars still dominated the practices of modernist architecture. Thus, a road went through in front of the entrance, making it more backward than now.
Fig.12 Plan of National Theatre 4
Fig.17 Entrance 3 Fig.18 Entrance 4
The path along the bankside became a pedestrian zone after the refurbishment in 1997. Similarly, the main entrance extended and replaced the former road area under the shelter of the above platform.
Fig.13 Plan of National Theatre 5
The refurbishment in 2015 removed previous equipment of the entrance area and attached a vestibule to it. On the other hand, the new entrance provides more access into the building with more openings. However, compared with the previous ones, its size is between the original one and the 1997 refurbishment. Fig.14 Plan of National Theatre 6
The main staircases connecting all the levels are enclosed in concrete shafts as the sequence of the lifts. The design also creates an opposite atmosphere when going through different levels - the enclosed staircase and the spacious platform, adding on interest to the architecture experience.
Fig.19 Plan of National Theatre 7
The staircase connecting the ground floor and the entrance Lyttelton theatre was relatively open. However, they go through small voids of the platform, then, an experience of enclosed was emphasised by the depth of the concrete floor slab and the height of handrails.
Fig.20 Plan of National Theatre 8
The staircases in the central atrium are open as a part of it. They provide similar opportunities for interaction and communication; likewise, those terraced platforms.
Fig.21 Plan of National Theatre 9
039 | 040
Precedent Study Tianjin Library
Fig.22   Tianjin Library
Function Architects
Library Riken Yamamoto
Year 2011 Location Tianjin, China
The Tianjin Library designed by Riken Yamamoto creates a space which is simple and complex at the same time. It provides a series of terraces, atriums and cantilevers. However, all these elements are modified under a sovereign logic. That is the grids applied to each floor plan. Compared with the Royal National Theatre designed by Denys Lasdun, its grids are lager and more clearly expressed. The dimensions of the cantilever and terrace are based on these primary units.
innovation makes it a much more fantastic space. The architect stretched these grids into covered steel-truss planes with the height of an entire level. Thus, the distinct difference between walls and beams disappears. Instead, these planes work as supporting structures as well as partitions. They also introduce spaces with different qualities, from open to semi-enclosed, and then enclosed. Those enclosed ones, therefore, become the volumes insert into the architecture.
However, its structure
041  |  042
School in Wörgl
Fig.23 School in Wörgl
Function Architects
School Viktor Hufnagl
Year 1973 Location Wörgl, Austria
Viktor Hufnagl’s school in Wörgl is a showcase for a new school typology promoted by the architect. Compared with the conventional corridor school, a generous three-storey multifunctional atrium occupies the heart of the plan. This central hall, just like the central square of a town, provides opportunities for activities from lunch to music festival. Then, classrooms and other facilities extend like tentacles from the hall. However, they are composited under a modular construction as well.
The basic structure with its cantilevered waffle slab ceilings and only a few supports gives the architecture essential transparency. They are all prefabricated concrete elements. Therefore, most of the interior walls become non-loadbearing partition, making the layout of the school flexible. Moreover, the structure light the atrium from the above, provide extra natural light for the building with a depth of 100 meters and creating a fantastic atmosphere.
043 | 044
Programme
The creativity of Newcastle during the Industry Revolution was fascinating. It was famous for its shipbuilding, machine manufacturing and other innovations, which can be considered as the craftsmanship in an industrialised society. However, they all gong these decades and the city and its
community experienced depression during this period. A jewellery school opposite to the Northern Goldsmiths was going to scale those large, complex machines into small, fragile jewellery, celebrating the city history and gathering the local community.
dge of Materi e l w als o Kn
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Wood w o rk
Co lou s C d N t C n e &O r lem ho t p h p er s Su
ry Histo Art
T r a d i ti
Glass w ork
Jewellery Design
are ftw SoSkills
Mod e r n M e t
Knowledge o f
Tech Drawnica ing l
k wor tal Me
s
hing c t e Sk
At the early stage, the project was designed as a conventional educational institute. Only the foyer, gallery and store were open to the public. Thus, the programme was simple. Based on the function of the space, they were separated into three clusters. One was more energetic for practice, while the other is quieter for theoretical education. Then,
they were connected through a public space. However, the design separated the staff and students of the school and the local community, reducing the possibilities of interactions and communications between different groups. It can hardly fulfil the intention of the project mentioned before.
045  |  046
G
F
1
F2 Therefore, I tried to insert the visitor’s circulation into the education process through the primary theoretical study to the advanced practice. A gallery on the top floor connected the quiet and energetic part like a bridge, showing works of the artists and students. The school became a showcase of modern goldsmiths. Meanwhile, separating of levels for different groups and glazing ensured that the activities of the staff and students would not be disturb.
047  |  048
Thresholds
The first threshold model explored the space of the bridge galley. It was characterised for its skylight, deep beams and long horizontal windows transforming from the gird and the semi-enclosed area in the composite
drawing. The beams worked as the wall of the gallery as well. Thus, the grid became intersected planes, the planes shaped the volume, creating a connection between the three languages.
049 | 050
The second model was about the artist studio and the staircase. The cantilevered structure was a translation of the composite drawing as well. Materials other than concrete were
applied to it, adding the rhythm of the building. The staircase was enclosed in a concrete core, set along the walls.
051 | 052
The last model experiment the form of the entrance, I try to create a transitional space between the interior and exterior by
columns and walls, so the spatial experience of entering the building will be more enjoyable.
053 | 054
3
Realisation
The massing finished in the Staging had little connection with the site and the tradition of goldsmiths. Therefore, the types of new massing were explored during the Realisation period. It became more like a jewellery school by referencing to the conventional jewellery workshop. It became more fit the site by the additive and subtractive of the form within the spatial grid. Besides, it created more possibility of communication and interaction by pushing the idea of intersected space for different people in the Staging model. Moreover, materials other than concrete and steel were applied to the building for its function and location.
055  |  056
Thinking Through Making
During the thinking through making week, I experimented the combination of different materials on a handrail. The utilisation of copper and timber along with the concrete was going to emphasis the project’s nature as a jewellery school. Moreover, the opposite
of rough and smooth, cold and warm, and simple and fragile will created more amusing moment. Though the handrail was not introduced to the final design, the idea of using different materials went through my work.
057  |  058
Reference to the Tradition Fig.24  Former Manton and Mole Works
Function Architects
Offices and workshops Frederick Proud
Year 1882 Location Birmingham, England
As a jewellery school, it was reasonable to introduce a conventional prototype of jewellery firms as the historical reference to celebrate its craftsmanship. Thus, the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham provided various forms and layouts of traditional British jewellery factories. The selected one was the former Manton and Mole
Works built in the late 19th century. Built on the street corner, it was a combination of a corner block containing offices and an adjoining workshop. The workshop ranges were longer than the width of the front block. A carriage entranceway led to its rear courtyard. The principal entrance was set within the corner tower, facing the traffic.
059  |  060
The "Box" and the "Shelf"
Practice Box
Learning Box
At the same time, the idea of boxes on the grid shelf derived from the Primer model was emphasised during the exploration of the massing. All areas do not open to the public were enclosed in boxes, and then inserted to the volume defined by the envelope. The rest of the space became a public area naturally. Then, three types of boxes were determined based on their function. Studios and workshops were set together as a giant “practice box� to
Office Box
ensure a fluent workflow. Other rooms for students such as the computer cluster and classroom were connected to the public area, creating the possibility of interaction and communication. It also kept the idea of a showcase in the Staging model, showing the activities and works of the students and artists to the public. Finally, space with higher security requirement such as the offices were distanced from the public.
061 | 062
Thus, the vertical grid was redesigned to enhance the idea of boxes and shelves. Compared with the grid with 4 meters height, a secondary gird was also introduced at this stage. It created different space characteristics for the public and private area – the open public space was higher while
the enclosed private space had a lower level height. It also coordinated with the floor line of the adjoining building. Therefore, a loadbearing skeleton based on the grids finally became a shelf inserted with different units, similar to the structure strategy of the UnitÊ d’habitation of Le Corbusier.
Fig.25 Inserted Units of Le Corbusier
063 | 064
Massing Exploration
1. Put the traditional prototype on the site, set the workshop wing to New Bridge Street
2. Extend the communal wing to the Commercial Union House
3. Add more levels to accommodate the jewellery school and coordinate with the Commercial Union House
4. Break the levels of the communal wing
5. Insert boxes into the large volume
6. Elevate part of the building to underline the division of different programme
7. Add service core, vertical circulation core and corridors to connect all the boxes
8. Make the height of the building at the crossing similar to the Northern Goldensmiths by subtractive. Prepare for the second phase for the project
065  |  066
A detailed massing study was based on the physical model. At first, windows of the studio on the workshop wing and the central vertical traffic core were set diagonally to
add another rhythm to the grid. The Pilgrim Street elevation had a setback compared with the footprint of surrounding buildings.
In the second model, the studios were more like boxes without diagonal lines. It will improve the spatial efficiency of the studios and keep the building as a monolithic entity at the same time. A group of deep grided
beams with skylight was introduced to the design, echoed with the modernist legacies of Newcastle as well as other precedents I researched.
067  |  068
In the final model, the central vertical circulation core was enlarged to accommodate two se was combined with the exterior gallery, also refer to the features of Newcastle’s modernism
eparated stairs for the public and the students and staffs. Besides, a group of exterior stairs m.
069  |  070
Accommodation Arrangement
Basement
G
F
1
F2
F3 The concept of boxes in the building impacted the accommodation as well. As these boxes defined the private and communal space, the public and the students and staff could enjoy separated levels without disturbing each other. Meanwhile, levels for the two groups were layered alternately. Except for the workshop wing or the “practice box”, the ground floor, second floor and fourth floor were communal areas, while the first floor and third floor were for educational purpose. Thus, interactions and communications of the two groups could happen between different levels through space like atrium as well. 071 | 072
Separated Circulation
Students
Artists
Local Community
Tourists
The idea of different spaces separated and intersected at the same time required for related circulation arrangement. Thus, two groups of stairs were twisted in the central circulation core, connecting different levels for the different groups. Moreover, other circulations provide multiple routes for different groups of
people. The students and artists could reach all educational area through the main staircase. At the same time, visitors could get to the top floor through the atrium by escalators, watching the scene of activities of the students and artists, and then get down to the ground floor by lifts or stairs.
073  |  074
New Threshold
The new threshold model explored the application of different materials for a “learning box”. The façade and exterior gallery were covered with sintered stone, as a response to the historical area opposite the project and the listed modernist Civic Centre. The interior walls of the box were
covered with delicate timber cladding, while the exterior of the box was concrete. The idea of using timer and metal against concrete derived from the Thinking through Making week model, which intend to celebrate the craftsmanship of the building.
075 | 076
4
Synthesis
The routine of study and design had entirely changed by the pandemic of COVID-19 during the synthesis part. I had no longer access to the library nor workshop, where I used to develop my design. Besides, the face-to-face tutorial became a remote one through the continent. However, I still managed to push my design. The focus was the target set at the very beginning – building the connection of different users and the project and the site. Most of the effort was devoted to the optimising of the circulation in the central staircase and the building’s façade. Also, I also designed some furniture to coordinate with the rhythm of the grid.
077 | 078
F2
F1
F2
F3
F4
More Friendly Circulation
G
F1 In the central staircase core, the two groups of stairs for different users twisted with each other. It showed the potential of more interaction and communications could happen face to face rather than from a distance or between different levels. Thus, the staircase core was enlarged again so that it can accommodate two platforms. One would be the shop, while another one would be a meeting point between artists and customers or artists and visitors. Therefore, the circulation core became a reactor between the artist and the public, while other private parts would not be disturb.
Besides, a lift was added next the staircase to provide another option of vertical circulation. The lift is also an amendment based on inclusive design
to provide a more friendly environment for people with less mobility. They can easily reach different floors of the two wings.
079  |  080
Respond to the Grainger Town
The guide for the shopfront of the Granger Town highlighted the gilded window frames as a characteristic feature of the historic area. Thus, copper-like coloured aluminium lines would run through the faรงade, responding
to the old Newcastle, emphasising the theme of the grid, and celebrating the craftsmanship of the building. Meanwhile, the building would keep as a monolithic entity in the distance.
Apart from the metal lines across the structure echoing with the gilded window frames of historical Newcastle, customised coloured aluminium corrugated panels will be fixed on the top of the façade. It both
referred to the pitched roofs of the Grainger town and the metal roofs of those modernist architectures in the city. Also, it celebrated the craftsmanship within the building with delicate details.
081  |  082
Boxes and its Cladding
Due to their long spans, the boxes were supported by steel trusses. Therefore, they required cladding. Aside from the conventional concrete panels for modernist architecture, other materials and techniques were considered to emphasising the progress of craftsmanship in the new era.
For instance, 3D printing and laser cutting could produce panels with relatively more complex patterns than conventional methods, with materials ranging from timber to metal. Thus, I take an experiment with different techniques and materials within the ARC3013 course work.
Furnitures
I also designed some furniture to coordinate with the rhythm of grids within the building, including the jeweller’s bench, instead of the massive traditional timer desk. I try to introduce other materials such as metal as
the supporting. The utilisation of metal also echoed with other parts of the building with various materials for cladding and decoration.
083  |  084
Final Accommodatio
on and Atmosphere
085 | 086
Section
n 1:200
087 | 088
Workshop
Basement
N
1 3
2
4
5
6
7
1:200
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Male Toilet Accessible Toilet Workshop Storage Switchroom Car Park Unisex Toilet 089 | 090
Workshop
There are three primary materials for the interior space – concrete, timber and copper or copperlike coloured metals. The selection of the three materials was derived from the Thinking through Making model and went through the entire design. Except for the façade wall,
most of the walls were exposed concrete, while timber cladding would be applied to limited areas as decoration. Metals are used for structure for furniture, handrail and lighting. The floor was covered with terrazzo to add on a more energetic rhythm.
091 | 092
Library
Student Studio
Ground Floor
N
1 3
2
4
5
6
7
1:200
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Female Toilet Accessible Toilet Student Studio Foyer & Reception Lecture Theatre Library - Shelves Unisex Toilet 093 | 094
Student Studio
Library
095 | 096
Computer Cluster
Artist Studio
First Floor
N
1 3
2
4
5
6
1:200
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Male Toilet Accessible Toilet Artist Studio Computer Cluster Office Unisex Toilet 097 | 098
Artist Studio
Computer Cluster
099 | 100
Material Library
Shop
Second Floor
N
1 3
4
2
5
6
7
1:200
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Female Toilet Accessible Toilet Artist Studio Shop Library - Reading Area Office Unisex Toilet 101 | 102
Shop
Reading Area & Material Library
103 | 104
Third Floor
N
1
2
3
4
1:200
1. 2. 3. 4.
Meeting Area Office Classroom Unisex Toilet 105 | 106
Gallery
Fourth Floor
N
1
2
1:200
1. Gallery 2. Unisex Toilet 107 | 108
Gallery
Skylight
Exterior Staircase
Metal Cladding Roof
Exterior Gallery Conventional Materials
Corner Entrance
109 | 110
111 | 112
113 | 114
115 | 116
Bibliography
ArchDaily, (2015). National Theatre / Haworth Tompkins [online]. Available at: https:// www.archdaily.com/633112/national-theatre-haworth-tompkins [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Caplan, Nina, (2013). National Theatre’s 50th: Inside the Olivier’s Drum Revolve. [online]. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/10405269/ National-Theatres-50th-Inside-the-Oliviers-drum-revolve.html [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Cattell, John, and Bob Hawkins, The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter: An Introduction and Guide (London: English Heritage, 2000) Dillon, Patrick, Concrete Reality: Denys Lasdun and the National Theatre (London: National Theatre Publishing, 2015) Halliday, Rob, (2016). Backstage: How the National reinvented theatre. [online] Available at: https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/2016/backstage-how-thenational-reinvented-theatre/ [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Historic England, (n.d.). Aquinas House [online]. Available at: < https://historicengland. org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1392830> [Accessed 15 August 2020] Hitchcock, Henry-Russell, Modern Architecture: Romanticism and Reintegration, 1st Da Capo Press edn (New York: Payson & Clark, 1929; repr. New York: Da Capo Press, 1993) Mull, Olivia, (2014). Brutalist Buildings: National Theatre, London by Denys Lasdun. [online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/06/brutalist-buildingsnational-theatre-london-denys-lasdun/ [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Neufert, Ernst, and others, Neufert Architects’ Data, 4th edn, trans. by David Sturge (London: Crosby Lockwood Staples, 1970; repr. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) Newcastle City Council, (1997). Grainger Town Shopfront Design Guide [online]. Available at: <https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/sites/default/files/planning/ Grainger%20Town%20Shopfront%20Design%20Guide.pdf> [Accessed 15th August 2020]. Newcastle City Council, (2009). Central [online]. Available at: <https://www.newcastle. gov.uk/sites/default/files/2018-12/Central.pdf> [Accessed 15th Aaugust 2020]. Lewton-Brian, Charles, (1998). Jewellery Workshop Safety Report [online]. Available at: <https://www.ganoksin.com/article/jewelry-workshop-safety-report/> [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Tompkins, Hawarth, (2008). Conservation Management Plan for the National Theatre. [online] Available at: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/sites/default/files/nt_ conservation_plans_dec_08.pdf [Accessed 15 August 2020]. Wolfe, Tom, From Bauhaus to Our House (New York: Harper’s, 1981; repr. London: Jonathan Cape, 1982)
Illustrations
Fig.1 Theo van Doesburg (1923), Contra-Construction. From: https://i.pinimg. com/originals/6c/5b/3d/6c5b3d9f394f6491d692dd265d9f057c.jpg. Fig.2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 Haworth Tompkins (2015), Plans of National Theatre. From: https://www.archdaily.com/633112/national-theatre-haworthtompkins Fig.3 & 4 National Theatre (n.d.), Backstage of the National Theatre. From: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/backstage-tours. Fig.5 National Theatre (2015), Dressing Roome of the National Theatre. From: https://twitter.com/nationaltheatre/status/666935720007847936. Fig.6 Rebecca Ridout (2013), Dressing Roome of the National Theatre. From: https://whenindoubtridout.com/page/2/. Fig.9 The Stage (n.d.), Drum Revolve of the National Theatre. From: https:// www.thestage.co.uk/features/backstage-how-the-national-reinvented-theatre. Fig.10 National Theatre (n.d.), Drum Revolve of the National Theatre. From: http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/16064817. Fig.11 National Theatre (n.d.), Drum Revolve of the National Theatre. From: https://twitter.com/nationaltheatre/status/743443220256915456. Fig.15 & 16 Mike Lidgley (1980), Entrance of the National Theatre. From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/50256734@N05/. Fig.17 & 18 Sofia Gk (2011), Entrance of the National Theatre. From: https:// www.flickr.com/photos/sofiagk. Fig.22 [Anon.] (n.d.), Tianjin Library. From: https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ Attraction_Review-g311293-d2088703-Reviews-Tianjin_Library-Tianjin.html. Fig.22 [Anon.] (n.d.), School in Wörgl. From: http://www.hb2.tuwien.ac.at/de/ galerie/exkursion/exkursion-tirol-c173.html. Fig.23 English Heritage (n.d.), Former Manton and Mole Works. From: John Cattell and Bob Hawkins, The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter: An Introduction and Guide (London: English Heritage), p. 17 Fig.24 Le Corbusier (1952), Inserted Units . From: Alban Janson and Carsten Krohn, Le Corbusier: Unité d’habitation, Marseille (London: Axel Menges, 2007), p. 8.
117 | 118