RUARAIDH HORTON
URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING PORTFOLIO
Personal Statement An original thinker with a flair for creative solutions A MA graduate in Town & Regional Planning (2012) and a recent MSc graduate in Urban Design, I am looking to gain entry into urban design.
[RUARAIDH H
]
ORTON
Entry-level Urban Designer MA Planning, MSc Urban Design
Contact: A: 41 Athole Gardens Glasgow, G12 9BQ T: (0141) 339 1414 M: 077 3933 0247 E: r.horton@hotmail.co.uk
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Urban Design is about making connections between people and places, movement, nature and the built fabric. My studies, combined with my worldwide travelling experience, has given me a broader perspective making me more resourceful and enabling me to compare different cultures and cities.
Profile • Nationality
British
Hand Illustrations
• Profession
Planning + Urban Design Graduate
Photoshop
• Education MSc Urban Design University of Strathclyde MA Town & Regional Planning University of Dundee
AutoCAD
• Languages
InDesign
English (native) French (competent)
Illustrator SketchUP
Lumion
Employment History 03/05/16 – 27/05/16
Page / Park Architects Urban Design Work Experience
03/02/15 – 03/09/15
Blythswood Square Hotel Hospitality – Bar/Restaurant
01/11/14 – 01/10/15
Hays Recruitment Construction – Labourer, Scaffolder
Organisational Skills Work Experience - Page / Parks Architects - Client meetings, site visits + small tasks in masterplanning - Gained invaluable insight into day-to-day tasks of urban designers - Attention to detail + professional ethic Urban Design Studio - ‘a city within a city – living lanes’ - analysis of over 100 city centre lanes/alleyways in Glasgow - Formulate core design strategies within multi-disciplined groups - Communicating through sketches to convey responsible design solutions to peers/professionals/tutors Facilitator - Callander Charrette - Facilitated views from national park authorities, LA + wider public European Spatial Planning Module, Montpellier, France - Site analysis, observation + recording - Met with l’agglomération de Montpellier - Clear + Concise report on how the city functions as a popular living, entertainment and cultural space
What Defines Me? - passionate
- collaboration with peers
- thinking critically
- highly motivated
- intimate design (human scale)
- hardworking
- desire to explore and expand
- flair for innovative thinking
Accomplishments • RTPI West of Scotland Student Prize Winner 2016 for excellence in Urban Design • Awarded half-blue colours for representing Dundee University Rugby XV during 2 undefeated seasons
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Contents
Personal Details
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Background iv
01 Springfield Court
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2016 RTPI West of Scotland Student Chapter Winner
02 Glasgow Lanes 9 Analysis + Strategy
03 Development Process
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04 Dissertation Thesis
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05 Urban Design
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Representation
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Background I am passionate about the urban environment and believe my flair for innovative thinking works well in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments. I self-funded my travels for 2 years around Europe and Australia working in the tourism, hospitality and construction industries. These travels required me to be resourceful, use my own initiative whilst being able to compare different cultures and cities, allowing me to examine successful spaces and their common threads. As an original thinker with creative solutions, I want to apply my collaborative and explorative approach in a fast-paced and challenging environment. ‘Life, space, buildings - in that order’ - Jan Gehl
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01 SPRINGFIELD COURT Glasgow City Centre Glasgow is currently planning to transform its lanes into new public spaces has been revealed. The scheme would see the city centre lanes in a new light. During the course of this year’s studio project, it became apparent that there is a cluster of lanes nestled between the busy Buchanan Street and Queen Street in the centre of town. It was my vision to pierce through the block, creating a more legible route for pedestrians to access its ‘genius loci’ throughout the block without being interrupted.
Site location, transport accessability + transport density
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Transport Density Key: Train stations (800m)
Underground Stations (400m) Bus Stops (200m)
Road Hierarchy Motorway
Major Road
Local street
Pedestrian
Minor Road
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Existing
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01 SPRINGFIELD COURT Glasgow City Centre History + Evolution
The Royal Exchange building, now the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) was regarded as David Hamilton’s architectural masterpiece. Dated from 1778, the building became the house to tobacco Lord Willam Cunningham before being bought by the City Council
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Intersection of Buchanan Street with St Vincent Place, around 1900
Intersection of Buchanan Street with Argyle Street around 1912
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Historic timeline of Springfield Court
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01 SPRINGFIELD COURT Glasgow City Centre Proposal The lanes and courts offer something more intimate than streets. Users can exchange glances and smile at one another. Giving people the opportunity to sit and watch other people within a human scale environment is possibly the best form of urban experience that can be designed within this block. The proposed new passage seeks to connect the public into a variety of urban environments by creating: • • • • • • •
new overhead entrance into Princes Square new thoroughfare passageway new entrance into Argyll Arcade Jewellers greening (naturalised detention of water) waste management strategy family of entrances active edges
MAJOR PEDESTRIAN ROUTE MINOR PEDESTRIAN ROUTE VEHICLE ROUTE SERVICE ROUTE
BINS AND WASTAGES LOCATION SERVICE ROUTE BLOCKS / SHOPS
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01 SPRINGFIELD COURT Glasgow City Centre Studio Project 2016: Winner of the RTPI West of Scotland Student Chapter Awards.
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02 GLASGOW LANES Glasgow City Centre During this year’s intensive studio project - ‘Living Lanes’, students at Strathclyde University were originally part of the council’s efforts to revitalize the lanes within Glasgow’s city centre. The structure of the studio involved two steps, first analysing the lanes and their meaning.
issues realised
ill perceived
The second step was formulating strategies collaboratively to revitalise the lanes. This is my urban design story.
Photo Survey
but places of promise...
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Neglected partthe of the city centre Lanes sq/m within city centre George Square area: 10 704,5 m2 Lanes area in the city centre: 42 809,6 m2
• The combined space of all the lanes (in m2) space withinof the city(in m2) - The combined all lanes within the centre4istimes almost the 4 times centre is city almost area the area of George Square of George Square - This means the enhancement of the
give Glaswegians an additional •lanes Thiswill means the enhancement 40,000sqm of quality public space of the lanes will give Glaswegians an additional 40, 000 sqm means of strategic location of lanes - The quality space and they add they are public more accessible more variety rather tvhan just having one location
• The strategic location of lanes means they are more accessible and they add more variety rathe than than just having one location
Overall the lanes nearly hold the same amount of public space as George Square
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All lanes were given a number, an identity, a voice Their current function: - Residential - Office - Leisure
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02 GLASGOW LANES Glasgow City Centre The Strategy was informed by two documents comprising: Glasgow City Centre Strategy and Action Plan 2014-19 + Glasgow City Centre Transport Strategy 2014-2024.
Enhance road safety + Personal Security for all city centre users
Reduce harmful traffic emissions and noise
Improve the health of Glasgow’s
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Enhance the quality of main pedestrian spaces
Support the growth in economic vibrancy of the city centre
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Framework Strategy The documents were translated into a framework containing their type and the actions to take them forward plus phasing and funding opportunities. The framework then percolates into the design of each lane along with instructions on how to carry out the process.
Walkway
Spill out cafe
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Active Frontage
Walkway
Queen St.
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03 DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ASSIGNMENT Glasgow City Centre University of Glasgow module mock assignment Type: Consultant Client: SLA (Scottish Land Agency) Size: 10, 758m2 (undeveloped), 2,762m2 (existing) Location: Washington Street, Glasgow Status: Proposal The site sits conveniently along the river clyde within the IFSD (International Financial Services District) close to Glasgow’s city centre. It is presently subject to mixed use development. Due to existing buildings on site, it has created an exciting opportunity to mix the old with the new within a riverfront setting.
OFFICES
MIXED-USE
COMMUNITY
RESIDENTIAL
RIVER CLYDE
13, 520m2
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Site location
Buildings to be demolished
Community/Events space
Converted Gymnasium
Offices
Residential Units
Mixed-use retail
Car park
West Section with functions Figure ground study New site within context
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LANE LANE COMPONENTS COMPONENTS
04 DISSERTATION THESIS ‘Urban Lanes: A Comprehensive Urban Design Guide’
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It identifies through analysis, international case studies and interviews the core components of what makes successful lanes and creates a guide on how to design them. The design guide is based on three densities - L1, L2 and L3.
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The document is to be widely considered in the planning/design process as a material consideration such as ‘Designing Places’ and ‘Designing Streets’ - Policy Statements for Scotland.
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8 5
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1. Perception 1 Perception 2. Infrastructure 2 Infrastructure 3. Greening Techniques 3 Greening Techniques 4. Lane Furniture 4 Lane Furniture 5. Connectivity 5 Connectivity 6. Users 6 Users 7. Lane Uses 7 Lane Uses 8. Event Installations 8 Event Installations
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L1
Urban Core
Communal waste disposal areas for businesses and residents means lanes will see less display of rubbish
Services such as waste management should still be able to access the laneways Art installations such as wall murals are a great initiative to invite users into lanes. Melbourne and Toronto have mastered this technique Lane gradient is important so that runoff reaches drains responsibly and therefore avoids flooding or dead water R.H. | UD PORTFOLIO
Owners of businesses should be encouraged to face out onto the lane and create active frontage providing a service to users
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L2
General Urban Area
Balconies provide an important function - ‘eyes on the lanes’, natural surveillance to ground floor activities
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Lighting is very important to perception, if the lane is not properly lit at night then it will feel unsafe and attract unwated attention
Permeable pavers can be used instead of asphalt concrete for parking areas within the lane
‘Greening the lanes’ with techniques such as green walls (live walls) can greatly improve air quality within the micro-climate whilst adding character to the lanes
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L3
Green roofs can be employed to help air quality, biodiversity and thermal performance of buildings
Low Density Area
Planting is an important characteristic within lanes providing residents water and take care of them
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Waste refuse area for residents means the lane will have more space for planting and for kids to play
Bioswales can be used as naturalised detention of water to help stormwater management in the area
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05 URBAN DESIGN REPRESENTATION University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
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Analytical Map skills: Figure ground studies, land use maps and being able to manipulate map data to show attributes of spatial entitites.
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I am a creative team player with an appetite for solving complex design issues. I have a strong desire to improve the quality of life for people within the local context. My passions encompass urban meaning and the exploratory phase of a project to find the true urban form. Ultimately I am keen to gain entry into the design and planning industry, developing my skill-set in a potentially promising career in urban design.
Thank you
for your time in considering me for a position to work with you
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