NAOMI HOWELL SIVOSH BA ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES STAGE 2 PORTFOLIO 2014/15
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CONTENTS
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crossover
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[3x3x3]x3
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prospect +refuge
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living on the edge
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placed // displaced
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c h a re tt e
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CROSSOVER
temporary busking shelter located in a Quayside Chare
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Working in groups of eight architecture students and two structural engineers to design a temporary busking shelter located in a Newcastle ‘chare’ [a narrow alleyway of stairs that date back from medieval times and link the Tyne River and Quayside to the town centre.] Each group could chose their chare from the dozen that line the Quayside. Working in plan was not allowed, everything had to be presented in section or model. The final output would be an exhibition, so work was expected to be engaging, delightful and to speak for itself. The structure was to be made from timber. The shelter would form part of a busking festival where acts would perform all over Newcastle therefore our design had to be well publicised to attract visitors.
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chosen chare Castle Stairs; routes of entry from the street, through the narrow chare round corners, under arches and finally to the site. The site is not visible from any of the three entry points and needs to be well signposted using something that draws people in. at the top of a site a grass slope and stone ruin wall dominate the space. Visitors instinctively want to touch them, to climb them, to interact with them. From the top of the slope and the wall, expansive views of the Tyne River open out to the South.
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sketch drawn to measure the chare and site in section.
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initial video made to analyse and communicate our interpretation of the atmosphere of our chosen chare. the video starts in black and white, showing the movement and buzz that surrounds this chare. The soundtrack of footsteps, traffic and talking crescendos as the clips’ speed increases. the sound stops and the arch at the top of the stairs comes into focus: the threshold. This marks a complete change in atmosphere in our chare. the film turns to colour and an upbeat jazz song begins to play. Many fast shots follow of people using and enjoying the site. interacting with the space is a tactile experience with a range of materials: cold rough rusty metal hand rail loud cold stone steps rough weathered stone in the wall feels both rough and smooth to the touch www.vimeo.com/125906418
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hand rails link the entire length of the chare, making them a good way to draw people in and through. how can we change the shape of the handrail temporarily to enhance people’s experience and entice people in? 1:1 model of waved timber encasings that cover part of the handrails leading to the performance area. They exaggerate the difference in feeling between metal and timber, cold and warm, rough and smooth. They also reflect the use of curved timber in other aspects of the project. A rail is also installed at a lower level for children. precedents: Benjamin Ball + Gaston Nogues, Rip Curl Canyon Michael Beitz, Picnic Table
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initial experimentation exploring how sound can be carried down the length of the chare to all routes of entry. to attract visitors to our stage we have installed brass sound pipes, reflective of our music genre, which carry the live sound of our buskers to all three entry routes. We hope to transport little snippets of jazz-happiness to every corner of our site. www.vimeo.com/127394327 precedents: Studio Weave, Lullaby Factory
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1:50 model of performance area and seating [opposite page] 1:100 model of performance area and seating
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short cross section of entry point at Quayside to chare North facing
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short cross section at dog-leg in chare North facing
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sound - shape diagrams exploring the acoustic qualities of lattice canopies in different positions 16
diagrams detailing suspension of the lattice canopies
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New Orleans, the birth place of Jazz [often referred to as Dixieland Jazz] has jazz in its soul. Every year the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival fills the streets with the buzz of music and we hope to reflect some of this party vibe in our own festival. We have chosen two main bands to headline our event: Hot 8 Brass Band and Hypnotic Jazz Ensemble [opposite page]. Both contemporary acts are so full of energy bringing life to the festival.
stickers, posters and leaflets were distributed around the city and university to publicise the event
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the second video shows the effect the temporary shelter would have on the area. the busy monochrome clips from the first film are frozen, encouraging people to stop their daily routines, to look for publicising of the event and to listen to the sound being carried down the sound tubes. They then follow the textured hand rails and arrive at the lattice canopies which create an atmospheric experience and space to enjoy the music. www.vimeo.com/127393846
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arrangement of exhibition showing long sections of the site; lattice canopies scaled 1:2 and 1:5 which cast shadows across the exhibition; research and development booklets; 1:2 model of a piece of the seating made from thin 60mm slats of accoya wood, which are steam bent and pinned together using steel cable. The seats are hung and balanced over the existing railings and form a range of shapes to accomodate varying degreesof viewing positions, from standing to sitting to lying down. They allow families or groups of friends to sit together whilst other visitors can enjoy the music alone; details of accoya wood, the sustainable timber used in the majority of the project; video projected on the outside of the exhibition. the entrance of the exhibition was set up like a dark arched tunnel to represent the journey through the threshold into the larger performance area. 1:1 sound pipes and textured handrails lead visitors through this dark tunnel into the main area of the exhibition.
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LEARNING ANALYSIS after thoughts
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This project was extremely challenging, being the first project where we would work as a team. Being such a large team meant that delegation and motivation were also equally important as academic merit. We worked well as a team, with almost everyone producing work of an equal if not exceptional standard. The production of the exhibition was also a positive experience, encouraging us to create work of a high, finished standard and making us consider the viewing experience and how to create an atmosphere that reflects the ideas we are trying to communicate. I also enjoyed working at 1:1 scale when modelling and creating models which functioned that viewers could interact with. Additionally, I enjoyed creating videos to show certain atmospheres, sounds, music or movements. These ways of delighting viewers proved a much more sucessful way of communicating our ideas than standard graphical pin ups and is something I want to continue doing in future projects.
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[3x3x3]x3
preliminary project to Prospect and Refuge client based personal retreat
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To select a client, a person that you know in real life, and design three 3x3x3m cubes for them. The first is a dwelling cube where the client can eat and sleep. The second is a doing cube. This must be designed to accomodate the client’s chosen hobby or job. The third is a weather cube and must enhance an element of the weather or climate in the chosen location, in a positive, poetic way. The three cubes must be sited in a familiar rural location with few inhabited buildings near by. The cubes must be in conversation with their context but also with one another, with each one being in site on another.
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I made all my own clothes between the age of 17 and when I started full time work and I used to make lots of things out of fabric, lots of aplique cushions and lots of sculptural things out of fabric. ...and my mother didn’t really want me to go either, if anyone was going to go off to art school it should’ve been her she felt and ... my parents started to get a divorce, my mother wrote me lots of letters about how awful her life was, my father was being difficult about paying for my maintenance at art school; I was worried about everything and so I left. Not just in the physical world but in the internal world you need space, cleared space, cleared space for that bit of yourself and it’s not easy to defend. [I’ve] always, always wanted a space where I could lay out my creativity and come back to it. extracts from the interview with my mother about her aspirations and realities growing up.
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video showing an interview with my mum finding out what space she would most want, why and how it would be function. www.vimeo.com/120728888
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NAOMI HOWELL SIVOSH (3x3x3)x3 all the things she should’ve done
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MUM, age 21
extracts from supporting video + interview
inspiration taken from the work of Lousie Bourgeois
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Her dream was to be an artist but she didn’t believe in herself enough and never fulfilled these ambitions. I wanted to create a space that was soley for her and chose sewing as it’s something she has always done and been gifted at. It’s a space she can have all to herself. The building has two levels meaning that at the working bench she it half submerged underground. I wanted her to feel safe, grounded and hidden but still be able to see out. It also creates two separate areas, one for storage, dying and drying fabric and one for cutting and sewing. As you enter the building at standing height there is a very narrow window at her exact eye level to give views out across the lake. As the Sun rises it shines through the translucent front door, this draws a path from the dwelling cube to the doing cube inviting one in. In the evening the sun sets in front of the cube illuminating her workbench as she sews.
SUN
Positioned with the entrance to the South and with panoramic views over the lakes to the North this cube captures sunlight throughout the whole day in every season. The section to the right shows the cube on 1st May at 7.49am. Each half of the roof moves a certain number of degrees per minute depending on the season, tracking the sun across the sky. This means that the sun hits the mirrored roof at exactly 45 degrees throughout the day, reflecting the sunlight into the cube. The curves within the cube and the highly reflective gold finish then bounce the light around the space. The exterior of the cube is painted black to absorb a maximum solar heat creating a safe, warm, glowing space within.
diagram showing how roof moves with sun path
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PROSPECT AND REFUGE
university outreach building in a post-industrial, deprived coastal town
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Set in Amble, a town on the Northumberland coast that has become a relic of its once thriving port, we had to build a Newcastle University Marine Outreach Centre, to provide both educational facilities for students and a new epicentre for local residents to help regenerate the surrounding community which suffers from high levels of unemployment. The area also has a rich history, with Warkwarth castle overlooking the town and a tradition of coal mining and transporting. The area is also a hotspot for wildlife, Coquet island is home to a number of rare species of bird. The structure faced strict constraints: it had to be a 15.6x15.6m cube built with a sustainable timber frame. We were asked to consider both tectonic and sustainability design in detail.
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initial concept diagrams looking at how water meets land, moving meets stationary, liquid meets solid. development showing progression
models structural
[opposite page] site plan showing how the site can vary so much. At times it is quiet and calm, at others the full force of the sea is apparent making it noisey and violent. Relics of the industrial port are still littered along the promenade.
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taking inspiration from industrial port machinery these kinetic models look at different ways parts can move. Twist, turn, slide, rotate, horizontally and vertically. precedents: Javier Corvalan, Caja Oscura Heatherwick Studios, Rolling Brudge Carlo Scarpa, Brion Cemetary
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material studies of cladding, looking at burning and tarring wood. Burning the wood protects the it from rot and insect attack whilst tarring it waterproofs it. It also turns matte from prolonged UV light which shows when it needs repainting. Tar has been used in the boat industry for centuries. drawing and modelling how the facade could move with the changing tide. www.vimeo.com/120956653
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external photomontage showing the cladding open [opposite page] 1:200 site model showing external landscaping
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1:100 stackable model [opposite page] 1:200 showing external facades
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final plans
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internal photomontages
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diagrams detailing how the building reacts to sea and rain water
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LEARNING ANALYSIS after thoughts
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In this project I felt I tried to be more ambitious and experimental than usual which is something I have aimed to do since first year. In this sense I was happy with my outcome as I think it dealt with the brief in a fun and inventive way. I also researched into ‘playful’ architecture and design for the first time. I found it really inspiring and something that I hope becomes an influence in future projects. In chosing an ambitious concept I did however neglect other aspects of my project in order to make in complete. My main criticisms were that I didn’t show enough habitation, I have therefore added a new internal perspective [see pg.55], moreover my external photomontage was weak and all my drawings failed to show the building as moving, fluid and at times open, which was a major part of my concept. To rectify this I have replaced the physical model used in the photomontage, which appeared very static, with a digital representation showing the cladding open leaving the building transparent [see pg.49]. The internal photomontage also shows the cladding half open and the effect that would have on the internal space via a light study.
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LIVING ON THE EDGE
social housing project to nurture and rehabilitate disadvantaged young people
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To build a foyer: an integrated learning and accomodation centre for young homeless people aged 16-25. The project had to provide safe and secure housing for 8 individuals, whilst providing the means to teach residents a hands-on trade. The complex had to also include a public exhibition area to sell pieces made in the workshop. I aimed to explore the notions of community and privacy. The primary focus of the project was about the creation of effective thresholds that allow us to have some choice and control of our personal environment. The design had to accommodate both individual and collective spaces, as well as private and public spaces, both internally and externally.
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initial study models seeing how it sits on site. The accomodation is situated in the tower giving the residents a feeling of security, each with a private outlook space to allow degrees of ‘openess’. The jouney into the building is important, following a window into the workshop from street level. [opposite page] After deciding to teach the trade of glassblowing I researched into the process by watching this video. The buzzing industrial feel constrasts greatly to ‘arts and crafts’ perception of modern glass blowing. I want to instill this feeling of purpose that goes with the process. The material itself and the workshop carry conotations of a living, warm, molten core. In contrast glass itself is clear and brittle. precedents: dRMM, Sliding House Druol, Lacaton + Vassal, Tour Bois le Pretre Antonini Darmon Architects, Oiseau des Iles Allied Works, Clifford Still Museum
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initial diagrams and plans of individual bedroom floors looking at different levels of public and private and of the whole building.
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experimental models to investigate how different layers can create varying degrees of ‘openess’ and how different perforations create varying qualities of light. 1:200 model showing materiality and circulation: a solid base with a light crystalline structure on top. The orange glow shows the busy circulation core.
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photomontages showing the building in site [opposite page] experimenting with different rendering techniques
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1:100 model of a residential floor showing exterior cladding which forms a double skin facade and materiality [opposite page] diagram showing levels of public to private and how the double skin facade works
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final 1:200 model [opposite page] site plan entrance sequence
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internal perspective studies using a range of mediums [opposite page] final sections
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final plans
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LEARNING ANALYSIS after thoughts
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I really enjoyed this project and think that this comes across in the work that I have produced. The research part of the project was really interesting and I was fascinated by not only the process behind it but also in the performance and theatre of it. Additionly I think that I have successfully resolved the problem of public/private, open/closed. I created a personal space that could be completely opened onto private external spaces via different layers of varying opacity. I also placed every bedroom in pairs, with a joint semi-public reading and contemplating space to encourage a buddying system to develop. I was also proud of my first use of multimedia models to communicate an idea which I think worked well. Moreover my digital media skills progressed greatly, and I feel I have adopted a style that represents my work sucessfully. My biggest downfall in this project was my final crit and verbal presentation. Where I usually speak clearly and confidently, I rushed the presentation and failed to articulate my concepts and ideas. To improve this I should consider the order of topics in my presentation to avoid overwhelming my reviewers.
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PLACED // DISPLACED
terraced housing internal reconfiguring
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Given strict constraints on the shape and size of the building, we had to design a threestorey terraced house to be one of 10 new self-built terraced houses in the post-industrial deprived area of North Shields. We were given specific clients, a couple with a young child. The project focussed on spatial and volumetric planning and understanding the principles of ergonomics set within a limited context. I aimed to explore the varying degrees of privacy required in a home and to investigate the limitations of natural light in a terraced property.
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initial site visit: focus on the meeting of texture and colour; the persistence of plants against adversity, through the pavement and overgrowing throughout the back of the site; a ‘curtain twitching’ community with limited privacy. In contrast the site is one of the only examples of terraced houses that are not overlooked at the back by another row of houses. This space opens out to views across towards the harbour.
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initial plans were drawn considering sun paths and which rooms required different light levels. The darkest part of the site, the Northern basement level which is surrounded by earth would house the bathroom which could be lit artificially.
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analysing my own terraced house to influence the project: my own terraced house in London shows how by simply increasing the ceiling height with a pitched roof the quality of light and spatial richness is greatly improved. Beneficial space is not just extra cubic metres of floor. Creating other spaces can be of equal or higher value.
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study models testing how light enters the building. As it is terraced this is very important: no light can enter from the East and West facades.
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using study models to explore how voids can link floors together and bring light through the building; how moving partitions can create public and private spaces and bring light into the back of the building; and whether the circulation works successfully if kept to one area. [opposite page] using SketchUp to realise the entire building and see how spaces inter-relate with one another. Populating it with furniture to envisage it as a fully functioning home and using the shadows setting to see how the light in the building changes throughout the day. precedents: Rachel Whiteread, House Casal Balaguer Cultural Centre, Flores + Prats Bruno Vanbesien, Wooden House CM
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final plans
[opposite page] collage showing material elevations hand drawn internal perspectives, light studies
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final section, showing the greenhouse in the roof and balcony which utilise the open South end of the site which is not overlooked by other buildings. [opposite page] North and South elevations
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LEARNING ANALYSIS after thoughts
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This project was a huge step up from first year and the first stages daunted me greatly. However, I felt like I dealt with the problems well, making countless mistakes with initial designs in the first week which I then learnt from and didn’t repeat. I also learnt a lot about successful drawing methods, using graph paper behind trace to continuously create new accurate, communicative iterations of improved designs. In addition to this I began to understand something which can still confuse me: stairs. Circulation, both vertical and horizontal, is an integral part of any building and during this project I improved my grasp on this. I also tried to understand and solve problems that could be created by the client, drawing on personal experiences to find solutions. For example, though the child is now young, she will grow up. Her bedroom should therefore be a space that can now be easily accessible to her parents but, in the future, could be contained and very private. To solve this problem I positioned it next to a ‘snug’ living room, separated with a sound insulative moveable barrier. Now she can be near her parents in the evening and in the future the whole space could become hers. My weaknesses here were showing the building in context, which I could rectify by producing an external photomontage.
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CHARETTE
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Charette Week is an intense one week project where visiting architects and designers hold a series of projects across the Architecture School. Everyone is split into groups with each group partaking in a different activity for the week. The groups are made up of stage 1 right to stage 6. Our brief was to use found, scavenged and recycled materials to create an intervention in a space around the University. We aimed to completely change the function and atmosphere of the space whilst leaving minimal impact on the environment.
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project logo and final installation precedents: James Turrell, Skyspace
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