Dark, Experiencing the arches

studio 4 - henrik rothe Pedro Alban 77147917 experience in the arches leeds, united kingdom

Connections, rethinking the dark arches To experience the Arches is to experience train station as well. To draft, as it is proposed, a new public institution in the Dark Arches will always be inherently linked to the unusual characteristics provided by these section relationships. Contrast of uses, acoustic qualities, light and history are constantly perceived but not contemplated by current designs. If issues of connection became key, spaces could start a shared perception, formulating new conceptions of arrival in the city of Leeds.

Security, but mainly the restrains of circulation which are implied by it, is a driver of the project. As regular flows of people between levels are complicated - people at the station must have a ticket - the whole idea of connectivity is pushed toward different conceptions. Visuals and sounds replace movement, voyeur replaces experience. Density of uses becomes perceived - variety on the underground seduces peasants on the upper floor - project is pushed in that sense.

A building that seems to advertise itself to the public, the new Arches draft possibilities for different public institutions. Its reach, possible uses and position toward preservation raise questions that, despite being present in general architecture, are also strongly linked to the conception of gate in modern cities.

The periscope

The cave

The connection

The gallery

Use the arches

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Acoustics, toward a complexity of sounds Acoustics are a keen feature in the perception of the site. Constant overlap between permanent sound of the river and intermittent vibrations of the trains represent in sound the perceptions of section. The form of the arches enables acoustic possibilities as well, connected tunnels allow noises to be segregated and mixed in different levels.

In order to embed the rather repetitive configuration of the arches with interesting experiences, movement must be linked with a constant change in acoustics. If circulation, on both levels, is attached to a sequence of noises, growth in complexity would transform a walk in the park in an extremely gripping experiment. To experience, in a dark atmosphere, this juxtaposition of sounds pushes the ideals of general spaces of contemplation in the urban enviroment by inverting the normal hierarchy of senses.

Tubes, microphones and materials could then bring this density to the station itself. People talking through the levels, hearing music or even being intrigued by the sounds under them. The open space above would be contaminated by the various experiences below. Shelters of the station would acquire specific acoustic qualities, adding surprise to regular expectations of a train trip.

Movement and perception

River under the arches

Trains above

Cinema Instruments shop

Skatepark

Night club

Acoustic tunnel

Circulation paths

Anthony Caro Acoustic sculpture at Canary Wharf

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The dark side of architecture Contact with unplanned bits of architecture generates difference between the overall uniform characteristics of the site: randomly placed pillars of the new station structure, tiles blocking the leakings, exposed wiring, condensers and differently aged bricks set reference points of perception. The condition of being left out makes for an unusual environment in the arches.

This sensual experience - divided in “junkspace” and “decay” - must be kept.

Junkspace - The collision of mainstream architecture and its technical counterpart is crucial to the discipline as a whole. If the arches are redesigned in a way that keeps those functional landmarks visible, disruptions would arise at a “park” in which sculptures are not only pieces of art but the parts of architecture that are not made to be usually seen.

Decay - if “junkspace” replaces sculpture, decay replaces the regular space of exhibition. The aging developed in some points by the lack of attention already suggests an interesting future for the arches. Similarities presented with a cave typology - humidity darkness mainly - could be grown simply by the action of implementing, in parts of it, a different conception of preservation: that of doing nothing. As with time the condition of “preserved areas” only grows its difference from the rest, the space would be constantly raising its disruptions.

The park is conceived as a contact with what might be called the dark side of rational architecture. Constant impact of opposite conditions constitutes a different kind of space. As “preserved areas” become increasingly insecure, the experience is leaded not only on movement but on all sorts of perception. Water from the river sets new circulation restrains and links further with the issues of acoustics.

Bernard Tschumi Advertisements for Architecture 1975

Ruined parts of the arches prevented from circulation

Ducts and wiring

Ventilation systems

Walkable area

Giovanni Battista Piranesi Remains of the Temple of the God Canopus in Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli.

Water and ground floor

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Periscopes ‑ connecting spaces The periscope - in different perspectives and qualities - makes all experiments below available to users of the station. Through this connections, a series of voyeur relationships invades the arrival to the city. Furthermore, it brings to the arches the constant awareness of the trains and population above them.

Exploded axonometric of the site

1/50 Section of periscope

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Periscopes - experiencing with light Beyond mere visual and acoustic connection, periscopes could bring light in the most diverse manners. The play between mirrors and the unpredictable ways in which water reflects allows the object to create thrilling atmospheres. In dark spaces, the light from station acquires a sculptural character in its own right. Light may also be used to expose other artists work in the decayed environment, a strange gallery space.

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Intervention A new topography is established in the Arches. Closer to the ceiling when under the rail tracks and leaving the water spaces on lower levels, it aims to maximize both sound and visual experiences. Moreover, it allows uses beneath it to be acoustically isolated, leading a complexity of sounds in the middle ground (park). Interactions between regular tunnels and varied floor enable a constant change in perception. Holes in the slab isolate parts of tunnels to preservation and guide movement.

Elevator to foyer

Rail tracks

Emergency exit

Entrance

Covered beach

Water

Diagram, Drivers of the topography: up, down and level

Acoustic shelter

Acoustic bathroom

Station structures

Periscopes

Elevator to station’s foyer

Pedestrian bridge

Sculptures

Emergency exit

Main access road

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Spaces

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Spaces

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Spaces

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