AR12007 - ARCHITECTURE STUDIO 1.3 HOSPITALFIELD ARTISTS’ RESIDENCES - PROJECT DESIGN REPORT PATRICK DAVIES
BRIEF DEVELOPMENT
The module is structured in three related parts: Work / Rest + disPlay
M.Arch Level 1 : AR12007
Architecture Studio 1.3
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Project 1.2 builds on the previous experiences of studying an existing condition, analysing a given place and examining precedent, developing a given project brief, making propositions, critically appraising the propositions and refining the solution. This time the project investigates the nature of activities within a given place of rest, work or display and how to link these activities within the context of a landscape.
The aim of this project is to allow students to develop their design to deal with relationships of internal and external
spaces,
public
and
private
space,
contemplative solitary spaces and populated active spaces.
Work / Rest Students investigate the requirements of activities involved in work and rest and seek to create a space
Artists Retreat
The brief for this project was to design a set of artists residences and display space for six artists. The studio and living spaces fall under the WORK/REST area of the scheme. This space can be a single building, a set of two buildings or a set of individual units. The disPLAY space is a public element as well as a display space for the aritists work. As a public element, the design must include a set of services in order to cater to the needs of visitors to the facility.
with the appropriate atmosphere for artists to reside and work in. This also engages students with the challenge of how to creatively deal with natural light for different
Credit Rating
40 credits
Tutors
Cameron Wilson Jim Robertson Brian Adams
activities and engage with the material quality of the architecture proposed.
“Tension between Interior and Exterior; thresholds, the tiny door, the almost imperceptible transition between inside and the outside, an incredible sense of place, an unbelievable feeling of concentration
Ruth Lonsdale
when we suddenly become aware of being enclosed, of something enveloping us, keeping us together,
Richard White
holding us.”
Curriculum
Atmospheres, Peter Zumthor, Birkhauser, Basel
disPlay This project requires a solution which permits a means
“Architecture is bound to situation. Unlike, music painting, sculpture, film, and literature, a construction is
to display art works within a pavilion building and relates
intertwined with the experience of place. The site of a building is more than a mere ingredient in its
to the previous project of work/rest. This project
conception. It is its physical and metaphysical foundation….Architecture and site should have an
develops further the engagement with the immediate
experiential link, a poetic link.”
environment, explores further the qualities of natural light and requires the students to experiment with structural
Steven Holl, “Anchoring” Princeton Architectural Press (NewYork) 1989.
ideas.
This is first project in the architecture course which has a programme of a more complex nature, with repetitive individual modules and larger communal volume all related to a connecting external space.
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Following semester 1 projects where students are dealing with a building type with which they have a
This project finalises the nature of the materials proposed and the engagement of the landscape
degree of familiarity, in Semester 2 the building type is less familiar but readily researched. This project
between “work/rest” and “display” in order to create a unified whole.
in particular introduces the importance of a theoretical concept in an architectural solution and begins with an investigation of the qualities of the site which are tangible and intangible.
The project also allows students to develop further their skills with a range of media – expressive sketches, analytical diagrams, scale drawings and models and CAD drawings - in order to not only
The “Artists Retreat” considers the nature of connections between different spaces - large and small, interior and exterior, artificial and natural, light and dark. The nature of the project also engages students artists and with the fine arts as an influence on their architectural investigations. The summation of the project should demonstrate an exploration and solution of an integrated architectural design from abstract conception to technological conclusion.
describe their final solution, but also to clearly demonstrate their processes in arriving at their final solution.
BRIEF DEVELOPMENT
Hospitalfield House is an istitution for the arts, located in Arbraoth in Scotland, to the North of Dundee. The centre consiss of a large house and numerous grounds and gardens. The site for development is located to the South of the whole estate. It is a vast paddock which is bordered by brick walls Pine trees in the centre of the site. Through the Hospitalfield House remains still visible. Beyond
and trees with several trees, to the
North,
the site, agricultural fields lead to the edge of suburban blocks.
the south, however, the site provides vistas of the the thick canopy of the trees.
North Sea,
To
distorted by
This would be an ideal place to direct any views
as it offers both privacy and natural beauty.
The house itself has endured a long and turbulent history, having been owned by many different figures and serving many different uses. It has previously functioned as an artists residence, monastery and farm house. It falls into more than one style of building including Arts & Crafts and Gothic.
SUMMER NOON
SUMMER PM
SITE ANALYSIS: LANDSCAPE
LONG SECTION THROUGH THE SITE
LONG SECTION THROUGH THE SITE
VIEWS OF THE SITE FROM AROUND THE EDGE
The Landscape is mainly flat, but very enclosed. Trees and walls surround all sides of the site. Beyond these are vast fields which gradually descend into the sea in the South.
The
use of these fields may be agricultural and so this should be taken into
account when designing on the site.
To
East and West, houses make up residential areas on the other side of Hospitalfield house dominates the landscape and sits close to the the North.
the
the fields. site in
PANORAMA NE>SW
SITE ANALYSIS: VIEWS
3 - VIEW TO THE NORTH
MAP SHOWING VIEWS
1 - THE HOUSE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
4 - VIEW TO EAST
5 - THE BEACH TO THE SOUTH
SITE ANALYSIS: ACCESS
MAP HIGHLIGHTING ROUTES
SERIAL VIEW TO SITE
SITE ANALYSIS: LIGHT & ORIENTATION
SITE ANALYSIS: LIGHT & ORIENTATION
In Winter, the shadows cast are less intense but longer. This is because the Sun is lower, but the leaves have fallen off the trees allowing more light to penetrate.
WINTER AM
SUMMER AM
WINTER NOON
SUMMER NOON
WINTER PM
SUMMER PM
In summer, shadows are shorter but darker and more intense because the leaves provide more surface to shade the earth from the Sun’s light. The pine tree in
the centre of the site retains its foliage and therefore casts
a stronger shadow all year round.
Due
to the thermal mass of each of the stone walls surrounding the site and
gardens, walled gardens are a common feature.
These
gardens have an effect
on what type of plants will thrive and for how long within the walls.
This This
is caused by the storage and gradual realease of heat from the walls.
rose is an example of one such plant affected. It is flowering within a
walled garden thanks to the heat given off through the thermal mass of the wall.
SITE ANALYSIS: HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The house and setting could be described as Gothic and even Romantic and has provided inspiration for dozens of writers, artists and musicians. The plays of light and shadow create senses of drama which intensify this feeling. This is evident most notably from Sir Walter Scott’s novel, “The Antiquary”, whose “Monksbarns” was based on Hospitalfield. Around the site are dotted statues, smaller than those of the “Gentle Shepherd”. These add to the shadows created to the low hanging winter sun. They also show a certain amount of neglect and ruin – some are unrecognisable. They have organic growth which makes them appear green and blend into the landscape.
Statues
Alan Ramsey Sr
HOUSE SKETCH FROM GARDEN
tale of a farm hand romancing the farmer’s daugh-
TOWER SKETCH
TIMELINE
STUDIO SKETCH
from
“Gentle Shepherd”
by
Close to the site within the garden wall exists an old disused fernery. Whilst this building is in ruin, several other out buildings have been renovated for use by artists. The centre is currently used for promotion and education of the visual arts. Just as it has been for several hundred years. It is not a charity, nor does it receive funding from the government for its work. It relies on the income produced from providing artists with a residence. The house caters for the living needs, such as accommodation and a place for food. The studios available are located outside of the main house in converted out buildings. These spaces are very well suited to the artist. The windows run long up the wall and then into the roof, flooding the space with valuable light.
The
ter through playing.
SITE ANALYSIS: ARTISTIC RESPONSE TO SITE
Walking around the site, I noticed a considerable amount of felled trees and logs. It is clear, just by age alone that these come to symbolise the great age and history of a place. Upon
closer examination,
It
was evident that these trees had undergone
CHARCOAL SKETCHES OF TREES ON SITE
transformations on the site since they had fallen/been placed there.
I started to think about the forces which could have brought about these changes. The first tree I encountered was in the morning. Whilst its outside was there, it was hollow. The shape and colour attracted me to it. I found it oddly inviting. The colours and the light from these pictures are also quite cold and emphasise the time at which the picture was taken. The
second encounter
I
had was on the afternoon, this time the light was
much warmer, also reflected in the photographs.
Thirdly, I
found a tree stump in a similar state to the previous log as
leaving the site. and insects.
These
I
was
trees were acting as found shelter for small animals
They had either rotted that way or had been constructed that The site is already inhabited quietly and subtly . I think this is reflected its welcoming yet highly mysterious state.
way. in
I
chose to express these ideas through interpretative paintings of two of the
trees in the photographs.
I decided the medium should be oils as it possesses an
organic quality more so than acrylics.
OIL PAINTING 1
OIL PAINTING 2
SCHEME DEVELOPMENT
LOUIS KAHN - KIMBELL GALLERY TEXAS, 1972
TOWER SKETCH
1 - THE HOUSE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
LOUIS KAHN - YALE CENTRE FOR BRITISH ART CONNECTICUT, 1977
TOWER SKETCH
1 - THE HOUSE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
2 - WEST TREE LINE
STEPHEN ATKINSON, WILLIAMS CABIN - COLARADO, 2005
DAVID CHIPPERFIELD, THE HEPWORTH WAKEFIELD - 2011
CHIPPERFIELD/GORMLEY, KIVIK ART CENTRE - 2008
LE CORBUSIER, ST. MARIE DE LA TOURETTE - EVEAUX, 1960
HERZOG DE MEURON, STUDIO ZAUG - MULHOUSE, 1996
JOHN PAWSON, NOVY DVUR MONASTERY - 2004
PROCESS: DEVELOPMENT OF WORK/REST UNITS
The WORK/REST spaces were conceived as individual blocks within the landscape. These units were designed an developed through experimentation using the medium of physical models. The zones within the units were spread over three floors. Work spaces are located on the ground floor, living spaces are more private and are therefore pushed to the top of the unit. Positioned in between these floors is an intermediate space overlooking the double height
work space with a bathroom accessible from it. it acts as a transitional zone between
Behind
This space is very important as WORK/REST.
the plain facade, the minimalist boxes contain a more complex internal
sequence of spaces.
The staircase is shown to ascend up to the bedroom along
the south side of the building, reavealing the vistas of the sea to the south
from a raised position.
On
the ground floor, a generous double height
area acts as a devoted studio space.
This
space also benefits from full height
openings which flood the studio with bright, even, northern light.
The
studios also make use of the space beneath the staircase by encorporating shelving into this space for important storage.
PROCESS: DEVELOPMENT OF disPLAY GALLERY
DEVELOPMENT MODEL INTERIOR SHOTS
The disPLAY
element of the scheme is intented to be a space in which the
aritsts can gather, display and critique.
Therefore,
it is important that the
space represents democracy and embodies a sense of centrality.
Despite
this, another important issue to address is how this building will
accommodate the needs of the visiting public.
For
this reason, the building is
FINAL MODEL IMAGES
designed to act as a gateway to site and continues the series of long
West The The
lines as dictated by the existing walls of the site and gardens.
East/
circulation also follows these lines and acts as a spine to the building. area is defined by the long light funnel which serves to reflect daylight
into the gallery spaces beneath.
The
gallery spaces are divided by the circulation route. those to the south
are darker spaces with light diffused using the light funnel.
North
Those
to the
are brighter, top-lit spaces which are more suited to sculpture and
installation work.
PROCESS: DEVELOPMENT OF _link SCHEME
The _link is the part of the scheme which marries the WORK/REST spaces with the disPLAY spaces, creating a complete working design for an Artists’ Residence Complex. One
important factor for this design is the existing site constraints.
The
existing walls and trees are all preserved and utilised in the design to ground the scheme on site.
The WORK/REST
units, even from early stages are arranged within the
perimeter implied by the trees, with the pine trees as a central focal point on the site.
The disPLAY
element acts as a public gateway to site and is accessed by
following the exixsting walls around the garden.
This
is exaggerated by the
series of overhead concrete crossing fins which overhang the existing walls and enclose the entrance.
STAGE 1 OF SCHEME DEVELOPMENT
STAGE 2 OF SCHEME DEVELOPMENT
STAGE 3 OF SCHEME DEVELOPMENT
FINAL PRESENTATION
SITE PLAN
LONG SECTION N>S
Here
Site Plan and Long Section win Hospitalfield House. The final plan illustrates how each interacts with the others. The disPLAY pavilion serves as
is shown the final completed scheme in
context of the main building and space
an entrance to the site and the scheme using its extended spine of circulation and galleries as a filter.
Beyond
this public element, each
WORK/REST unit is carefully arranged with realtion to the existing trees. In section even the building heights seem to sit at canopy height so as to diffuse direct daylight.
As an additional element of design and integration each of the six WORK/ REST units are paired together and granted a shared external external space which can be used as a sculpture work area or simply a social space.
LONG SECTION W>E
WORK/REST
disPLAY