KTH Admission Portfolio

PORTFOLIO APPLICATION FOR: MSC ARCHITECTURE AT KTH

APPLICATION NR: 13765079 SELECTED WORKS 2016-2019- UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH

Somers Town Community for Women TYPE INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC PROJECT YEAR 2019-3RD YEAR OF BA,TERM 2 LOCATION KINGS CROSS, SOMERS TOWN, LONDON

The Site -Chalton Street

Programe-Life Long home

Somers Town Community For Women is an architectural exploration of the statement: ‘Women, undoubtely the strongest pillars of our comunity’ (Meera Satpathy, Founder and Chairperson of Sukarya). It seeks to elevate female independence while coexisting in today’s world. It provides life-long private homes for elderly women, creating a Community that keeps the residents engaged with all aspects of society. Ateliers and Private Residences blend into one to provide a dynamic environment to practice and teach a craft.

The chosen site, Chalton Street, Somers Town is part of the Euston - King’s Cross corridor, a dynamic, vibrant and well-connected location. The area houses The Ossulston Estate, a council housing project from 1931 including the Levita House, and the chosen location is on the strip between Levita House and the street itself. The 5,5 width of the street’s typical London houses - is used to create a grid for the proposed estate, so the design can be fully integrated into the site.

The columns are extruded from the grid, manifesting the proposal spatially.

A successful retirement requires purpose and sense of belonging. The proposal provides this by establishing a close relationship between the private house, the atelier, the women’s community and the public. Several Crafts are proposed as part of the program (music, sculpture woodwork).

The women are encouragend to do everyday activities as a community rather than as an individual.

Music Atelier

Concept-Column

Woodwork Atelier

Sculpture Atelier

Cooking Atelier

1.

The column is the central motif. However it is not a true column but a composite wall that takes the shape of one. The method of constructing the building, is by using pre-cast concrete elements and pre-cut laminated wood panels.

1

2 Sequence of assembling the ‘column’

3

4

1

2

1. Living Area 2. Flexible Space Moving Platform- Used as Workspace

B

4

5

3

A

3. Library - Can Become Guest/Caretaker Bedroom 4. Extension of Library/Workspace 5. Platform Shaft

6

A. Sunken Sculpture Yard B. Sculpture Atelier

Home - Atelier The Home and the Atelier have a close relationship, the atelier being an extension of the active space of the household.

The flexible teaching space that can be used for sculpture is seen as a secondary (shared) living area for Private House 4 & 5. A flexible library on the first level can be used as a guest/caretaker bedroom. The Houses are wheelchair accesible, having an incorporated platform/lift, that is part of the active space of the households.

6. Master Bedroom 7. Kitchen - Used when the Occupant feels the need for privacy

View of Atelier 2-Commune Kitchen

The existing bi-weekly market that takes place on Chalton Street will be extended into the community’s grounds to build a rapport between the Women’s Community and locals. The women are encouraged to sell home cooked food, so the market is placed underneath the cooking atelier.

Elevation of Somers Town Community for Women

Main Entrance of the Community-Bi-Weekly Market

Privacy is necessary even in a co-living, open and embracing environment. A sunken mew (accessed from the market entrance and a secondary gateway under the sculpture workshop) provides a private pathway for the Women’s community.

Deep thresholds and short ‘column’ elements are used for an added sense of intimacy.

View of Mew-Private Street of the Community

Second Floor Plan of the Community

House A

House B

House A

House A

House A House B

Progressive Sequence of the Meeting Points between Houses

House B

The Somers Town Community for Women speaks to the wider context and, while an imposing presence, on closer inspection, it’s gateways provide entry into the creative environment of the atelier.

The Chalton street Women’s Community is not a elderly house but a lifelong home for women who have retired from their professional fields and seek to pursue a harmonious community centred life with likeminded individuals.

Transformation: Extension of the Waterstones on Mallet Street TYPE INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC PROJECT YEAR 2019-3RD YEAR OF BA,TERM 1 LOCATION KINGS CROSS, MALET STREET,LONDON

The Site -Malet Street The given site is the Waterstones on Malet Street. The book shop is situated in a central area of London and has three facade on three, busy roads, however due to it’s statistic nature one of the façades of the building is percieved by passers-by as an exit point rather than an encitinc entrance.

Chosen area for extension

Static facade- Malet Street

The Concept-Perforated Wall The meeting point between the two spaces (quartet rehearsal space and reading area) is a perforated wall that resembles a tight colonnade. This allows for glimpses of both activities from the other space, and permits music to be heard in the entire extension

Reusing London’s public building stock, layers are added to a given existing building in order to create new spaces. The Waterstones on Mallet Street in King’s Cross gains an extentions that has the purpose of not only bringing the focus back to an otherwise neglected facade, but also to harmoniously combine a reading space and a string quartet reharsal space.

String Quartet Reharsal

Reading Space

Diagramatic arangement of the programme on site

View of Reharsal Space -Handmade Model

Short Elevation of the Extention

View of Reharsal Space -Handmade Model

Handmade Model used to design the space

1

A

Long Section of the Extention

2 B 1

A

C

C Long Elevation of the Extention

Plan of the Extention

A. String quartet reharsah area B. Reading Nook C. Existing Waterstones Connection 1. Perforated Wall/ Colonade 2. Window seating

A

Collaged view of the 2 Spaces added and their link to the Existing architecture

B

Institute of Documentaries and Voyeurs TYPE INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC PROJECT YEAR 2018-2ND YEAR OF BA,TERM 2 LOCATION EMBANKMENT, LONDON

The Site

Charing Cross

School School

Substation Interviews

Social/eating

The Given site is the area next to the substation of Charing Cross, north of the Thames in Victoria Embankment Gardens. A junction of the most walked paths is the chosen location for the 3 building School of Documentaries and Voyeurs

Handmade Model created using the concept of surveilence

Sound Insulation Sound Insulated POD Roof

Insulated Clandestine Observation Structure Insulated Entrance to Clandestine Observation Structure

Oxygen tank One-way Window

Voyeur

Sound Insulation The Institute of Documentaries and Voyeurs is a Experimental learning experience for documentary makers. The busy and dynamic area of Embankment provides perfect opportunity to observe the behaviour of people from all strata of society. The students are encouraged to observe passer-bys and each other. Students become Voyeurs as they use the Clandestine Observing Structure to gather data on their peers

Work Area InsulaSchool Building 1st Floore

Individual Study POD

Padded floor Clandestine Observation Structure

Interviews Documentary Maker

Voyeur

Documentary Maker

Voyeur

Social/eating School

InsulaInstitute Ground Floor

School

Social/eating