Afan Valley Confluence Unit 9: The New Rural
Md Nazheef Basha B Ab Razak C1876799 BSc 3 Architecture
Primer project The primer project was an introduction to the unit and site. From a memory drawing and a reference image, we designed a space to replicate the atmosphere in our memory. We then had to destroy our model and reconstruct something new out of it.
memory drawing recreate catastrophe
Memory drawing In my memory I was in my first highland in Malaysia where it was cool and misty. I remember the uphill cobble stoned path. I was munching on a corn on a cob that was charcoal grilled from the night market nearby. I ended that journey back in my accommodation. Warm and cozy, I sipped on some iconic strawberry tea. Both sweet and sour. I tried experimenting these experience in multiple attempts. Finally I came to this one. One that showed clearly the path in my memory that was barely lit in the dark night.
Memory Watercolour Painting on black paper, A3
recreating the space With the chosen image, we were to design adjacent spaces based on the memory.
The Chosen Image
Watercolour on black paper,A3
Watercolour Painting, A2
Atmospheric Model
Catastrophe Destruction of model With no control of how the model gets destroyed, create something new out of it. This space was meant for the project site Cymmer. It was used as an introduction to designing on site as we design in consideration of its context.
First Iterations
Post-washer
Shredding
Post-dryer rubble
Washer
“Rubble” pieces of varying sizes in concrete mix
Entrance to Cafe/Teahouse atmospheric
Teahouse sketch atmospheric
Greyboard mould for concrete wall
Concrete casted walkway with “rubble”
The afan valley confluence
The context This next set of pages will introduce you into one of many the valleys of south wales, the Afan valley. What it was and what it is now.
history climate site topography
History The “Eisteddfod ” The Eisteddfod is a Welsh festival that displays performing arts of poets, musicians, and others through competitions. This plaque is proof that there was a strong element of expression through the arts and this may influence the design as the site currently lacks the vibrancy as imagined back when they hosted the eisteddfods.
A plaque in the north of in Cymmer
GER Y FAN HON
NEAR THIS REGION
YN HEN WESTY Y CYMER Y CYNHALIWYD EISTEDDFOD GWYL DDEWI 1735. YN BRESENNOL, LEWYS HOPCYN, WIL HOPCYN, DAFYDD NICLAS AC EREILL O FEIRDD EARLS LAND. BU YR ADEILAD, WEDI HYNNY, YN GAPEL YMNEILLTUOL AC YSGOLDY CYHOEDDUS GOSODWYD Y MAEN HWN CAN GYMRODORION BLAENAU AFAN, 1917
IN THE OLD COMMUNITY HOTEL HELD EISTEDDFOD DELEGATION FESTIVAL 1735. PRESENT, LEWYS HOPCYN, WIL HOPCYN, DAFYDD NICLAS AND EVERY EARLS LAND POETS. THE BUILDING HAS BEEN, A CHAPEL EXCELLENT AND PUBLIC SCHOOLHOUSE THIS STONE WAS INSTALLED BY FRIENDS OF BLAENAU AFAN, 1917
Standing on the riverside, facing the location of the former community hotel
Empty space connected to the winding roads
SIte amenties site Important community centres The “Confluence” The site is called the “Confluence” as it sits where two rivers from the north and east meet and flows through the site, under The White Bridge, one of britain’s longest ferro-concrete span bridge. It is a strategic location as it acts as an entrance to Cymmer for cyclists, visitors and residents. It also sits on a datum line of notable community centres.
“The White Bridge”, Britain’s longest ferro-concrete span bridge
building typology Site understanding through notes and elevation sketches
SIte section 10m
30m
50m
The research This is the main driver of the upcoming design. This next few pages inform me about the status of the site and its residents. Here we investigate what is it that Cymmer actually needs to assist the community, or if they do even require assistance.
social environmental political key moments
Social Situation School Closure With the closure of the Cymmer Comprehensive School, students are made to travel hours on commute to the next nearest school and this worries many parents as they would prefer to stay in Cymmer and bring their children up there as to moving closer to basic amenities but out of their hometown.
Burning of forests It was through an interview with a nearby Silvicultural Surveyor that the forest were burned by youths, bushes in the area are highly flammable and the fires spread across the hills and left a bunch of charred logs on site. This was then an inspiration for using the charred logs as thebuilding facade material.
Vandalism With the lack of amenities, youth have to keep occupied and may result to much mischief. But vandalism is always a sign of a voice wanting to be heard and a yearning of wanting to be seen. In a way, vandalism is a form of expression.
School Closure
Burning of Forests
Vandalism
Social Situation Mental health Miss Hayley Jones uses the library that is at risk of closing down. She frequents the community art events as a way of improving her mental health. This acts as another evdence for the hunger for the arts and expression and how it helps individuals improve their state of being.
Poster design of Miss Hayley Jones, active user of the community library
Ongoing proposal £200m Afan Valley Adventure Park The Adventure Park Resort is a part of the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council’s plans for the Afan Valley to be a strategic tourist destination. With 600 holiday lodges; and a 100 bed hotel, already approved, the other areas such as the Central Plaza, Forest Village (Treetop restaurant, Zip wire, Paintballing, climbing wall and many more) and a X-Sports Zone (White water rafting and Canyoning) are still waiting to be approved. This have probably sparked worries with Cymmer being in such close proximity to a massive tourist site.
Pros
Cons
566 more employment opportunities for Cymmer
£200m or part of it could help fund Cymmer, instead of building a resort
“generate construction- and operationalrelated employment opportunities in an area which suffers from higher than average unemployment, generate significant additional expenditure in the region, while significantly adding to the tourist industry in NPT without any demonstrably adverse impact upon the pre-existing tourism industry.” (Planning Applications Recommended For Approval, 2018)
Increase in traffic may change the atmosphere/life of Cymmer
Tourist attraction will generate revenue in a long run and will be abe to be used for funding for Cymmer’s infrastructure More employed means more can afford housing
Gentrification Value of property may increase due to the close proximity to a resort adventure park that may potentially drive people out of their homes
Render of Proposed Afan Valley Adveture Park (Bevan, 2021)
Cymmer Adventure Park
keymoments Cymmer Viaduct This viaduct became a key inspiration to the design. The history of this viaduct was that the builders ran out of masonry to building the typical railway arches so they used steel trusses instead due to the lack of resources. Cymmer Being a town that lack funding in many areas, this is an inspiration to be resourceful in term of using locally sourced timber, though not as strong can work when assembled as trusses. Productive Spaces It was during the lockdown when we came across a man who came out for a cigarette and puffed a cloud in to the valleys behind him. This was an inspiration as it showed me that knowledge and skill that could be passed over to the youth, as a form of expression through arts.
Sketch of Cymmer Viaduct
Sketch of two men in a garage woodshop
The idea In response to the research, we start to develop solutions and how to best execute them with minimal environmental impact and maximum social and economical impact, in a good way.
design brief precedents spatial planning programme
The afan valley confluence A market for crafts (expression) and trade (food/farming) A central location for the Afan Valley community for exchange and trade of produce, skills and knowledge.
design brief
Old Market Place, Swansea (DELAMOTTE, G.O., 1938)
How it works A circular economy Just as Mrs Gennet Morgan in the image below received her garments made by her father in a factory in Cymmer, the goal is the community to make, sell and use within the Afan Valley.
Cymmer to be a self-sustaining community, like it was before the industrial revolution.
Local Material
Workspace close to home
Workshop
Mentorship
Older generation (Mentor)
Younger generation (Mentee)
Support local economy Marketplace
Make food & grocreries easily accessible
Local Farms
Precedents These are some examples of workshops and co-working spaces that has been successful.
Makerversity, London “Build and run awesome spaces for professional makers, which combine co-working space with clean and messy workshop space, machines and tools.”
Wood Workshop Digital Workshop Textile Workshop Engineering Workshop Podcast Studio Assembly Space
The Sustainable Studio, Cardiff “We are a collective of makers, emerging artists and creative startups working together to promote the creative industries in Wales.”
Performance, exhibitions, photo & video shoots, 20+ affordable studios, a community swap shop, refill station and communal space
Yardhouse, Stratford “Yardhouse was an affordable workspace building in Sugarhouse Yard in Stratford, funded by the London Legacy Development Corporation as a pilot for the provision of new creative workspace in the Olympic Park.”
Co-Working Space and Studios
proposed programme Marketplace/ Multi Purpose Hall Workshop/Co-Working Place
Makerspace
Workshop/ Co-Working space
Multi-purpose space 2
Food Market
Early spatial planning Collaged Plans It was important that the workshop space and marketplace had vehicular access. Iteration 1 had the marketplace/open area down by the river but it only made sense that a market place should be more visible, accessible and transparent. So interation 2 the market place was closer to the public spaces on the higher ground and the workshop space on the lower ground had immediate road access for heavy loading and unloading.
Spatial diagram
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
early sketches
Site section massing strategy
Footing and design with existing landscape
Bridge-side workshop spaces
The goal The next set of pages will start to tell a story about how the space will manifest itself according to the information and inspiratoins gathered from the site.
material concept structural concept atmosphere
Material concept Reusing the charred logs as facede material
Forest fires
Burnt logs in piles
Potential facade material
Burnt logs in piles on the hills of Cymmer
Early sketch of charred logs facade
structural concept The use of trusses to maximise C16 timber spans Inspired by the Cymmer viaduct and its use of trusses, C16 timber was chosen as the material of choice as local timber in Wales is majority softwoods that may not span to far. Trusses as a collective of short spans are able to achieve much longer spans. As for the substructure, Welsh oak will be used as it is a hardwood that can withstand higher compressive strength.
Sketch of Cymmer Viaduct
C16 Timber Trusses (Superstructure)
C24 Timber Trusses (Substructure)
Atmosphere A text, imagine using the space Cyclist and walkers doing their routinely exercise park themselves by the refreshment rooms and head over to the market place across the road to get some citrusy lemon juice over at the pop up booths in the Afan Marketplace. The sun shines on the galvanised corrugated iron roofs that reminds me of the traditional homes or the derilect buildings we see lying around, just not so rusty. Bustling with people, indistinct chatter, the smell of basil and thyme from the pasta shop and the sound of blenders from the fruit stall, there is a sweet order in the chaos. Not local to cymmer but I already feel a part of this bustling community, it feels like home. I walked over to the double height space a popped my head over the railings, just a calm chatter like the sound of the river. I took the stairs down, welsh oak handrails, warm and soft. Lacquered, the vivid wood grain graze against my finger tips as I thread down the stairs to find a seat bit closer to the riverside. I sat there soaking in the morning sun with my journal open, sipping on some coffee, with the sounds of the river flowing, I am connected. I am at peace. Pull out my muji pen and start writing down the agenda of the day before heading in to the studio downstairs, to work on some prototypes I need to present to the team in the evening today. I head to the workshop studio, walked over to the timber floored terrace and head down the stairs as my footsteps click on the softwood floor to a massive 4m steel door, the loading entrance to the workshop. I already notice the workshop facilitator unloading a bunch of recycled timber from his truck and he greeted me “Good morning” with a beaming smile.
the proposal All things taken into account, this is the design that was a result of all of the research and development.
context plan section elevation perspectives
a
b
a'
b'
gf plan
a
b
a'
b'
-1f plan
a
b
a'
b'
-2f plan
heavy workshop
-3f plan
section aa
section BB
Front plaza Outdoor seating, front entrance
Front Elevation Not to Scale
multi-purpose space Outdoor seating, front entrance
Day, Food/Arts Market
Night, Exhibition Gallery
Crafts/ceramics studio Where they sell upstairs, the makers are seen at work downstairs
North elevation Riverside outdoor terrace
detail
South Elevation
Section Detail of Balcony
Section Section Detail of Insulation