Project Studies // Glasgow Subway Design

PLACE MAKING Glasgow Subway (SPT) - public transport experience design

Studies

Rachel TzeKan, Wong Year 4, BA (Hons) Interior Design Glasgow School of Art

Content Introduction

p.1

Material Case Studies 1

p.3 - 6

Architectural Form Case Studies 1

p.8- 10

Case Studies 2

p.11- 14

Experience Case Studies 1

p.16- 18

Case Studies 2

p.19- 24

Introduction This book focuses on studying designs from the past and the present, seeking to understand how context can significantly impact the way that space is both made, portrayed, and understood.

Research has been divided into three chapters: ‘Material’, ‘Architectural Form’ and ‘Experience’, looking at case studies from various architectural and design practices. These subjects are closely related to the conceptual development of my project. Each study specifically references to a particular finding which I later explored, in an effort to extend and enrich the context of my design.

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Material

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Material Case Studies 1 Art on the Underground

by ASSEMBLE x Matthew Raw

The beauty of old craft production Status: Permanent Completion date: 2017

In 2015, architecture collective Assemble collaborated with artist Matthew Raw on the refurbishment of a derelict entrance of London’s Seven Sisters Underground Station.

The project breathed new life into the site, which used to be identified as blemish on the area, turning it into a place for creative art, design and architectural work, as well as bringing commercial opportunity for businesses and locals.

Reference from: https://assemblestudio.co.uk/projects/art-on-the-underground 3

Material Case Studies 1

The project looked into the rich heritage of ceramics in the London Underground, and intended to reinterpret the beauty of ceramics through contemporary production. Thousands of handmade tiles with marbled effects and vivid colours were used, and the entrance was clad with them, creating a fresh and fun experience for the daily commute - whilst using old crafts skills. Assemble and Raw developed the technique of colouring blocks of plain white clay with body stain and mixing together different combinations before they were sized, rolled, moulded, cut, dried, fired and glazed. Such an intricate process resulted in that each tile which came from this process would be unique, iterating the aim of celebrating the traditional craft of London Underground ceramics.

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Material Case Studies 1

The project responds to the local historical context by recreating extraordinary ceramic craft with modern finishes. It has transformed what used to be an unpleasant entrance and experience into the start of an enjoyable journey. As one of the head the architects from Assemble stated: ‘The project was about making something that doesn’t look like it takes itself too seriously…’ Their work at Seven Sisters has now become not only a functional threshold from one place to another, but also a small infrastructure that has been planted overground, triggering passerby’s curiosity and reminding them of the beauty of tiles created using historical knowledge and ‘savoir-faire’, but made in a very modern context. This inspired me to play with the materiality throughout my stations, for instance integrating Smile Plastics, a recyclable material which creates the same finishes just like marble.

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Architectural Form

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Architectural Form Case Studies 1

Catedral de Cรณrdoba // Mezquita de Cรณrdoba A multi-cultural and religious celebration Status: Permanent

Situated in Cordoba, southern Spain, this Mosque is a fascinating building.

As a melting pot of unique and fascinating architectural styles which span over 1000 years, it attracts millions of visitors every year, to appreciate its beauty. It is also a symbol and monument to the many religious changes that Cordoba has undergone, over the centuries. Furthermore, its structure is considered to be one of the most important and remarkable monuments to succeed in combining Moorish and Western architecture - a very uncommon combination.

Reference from: 1. https://mezquita-catedraldecordoba.es/en/ 2. http://rahyafteha.ir/en/1989/history-african-muslims-civilized-spain/ 8

Architectural Form Case Studies 1 The building now serves as the mosque-cathedral of Cordoba. However this is not its intended purpose. It was started as a church in around the year 600 AD, and then became a mosque after the arrival of the Moors. The building was then split to serve both Christians and Muslims. Nowadays, as possibly the only one of its kind, it has retained Islamic interiors and art, preserving these as a mark of respect to its mixed cultural background, and the bonds which this harmony created in the local community.

As the years have passed it has been added to gradually, today stretching across 24,000 square meters. It features an impressive 856 aesthetic columns, made of marble, granite, jasper, and other fine materials. The building witnesses and exemplifies the splendid legacy of community, culture and art in Cรณrdoba. By wandering through the endless vista of columns, visitors will encounter spectacular designs of octagonal mihrab, but also meet beautifully crafted altar or statues of saints, while walking towards the heart of the building. The mix of architectural styles and religions create a harmonic and serene interior, unlike any found elsewhere: a truly unique place.

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Architectural Form Case Studies 1

The Mosque shows the possibilities of how a building can adapt its contextual changes over times, and generate its own architectural finishes, which celebrate both the past, current, and future. The site itself becomes a living historical book that records the tangible legacy of great Islamic and Christian influences on their present culture, and their capability to cohabit peacefully, leaving future generations with a beautiful architectural heritage. This encouraged me to look further into the legacy of Glasgow’s architecture, and combine the beauty of our local Victorian buildings with the modernity which is quickly making its mark in the city - as can be seen in the design of Buchanan Street, for instance, with the combination of traditional arches and mirrored panels and recycled Smile Plastic.

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Architectural Form Case Studies 2

National Museum of Modern Art

by Rafael Moneo

Complexity in simplicity Status: Permanent Completion date: 1985

In 1979, Rafael Moneo Vallés was commissioned to design the National Museum of Roman Art in Mérida, Spain. Up till now, the building is regarded as one of his best works, and remains a place of pride in the country.

The project’s intention was to build a museum for the locals of Mérida, which would recover the lost presence of the Roman town, over which the new city had been built. At the end of the Roman Empire, Mérida was the most important city in Spain.

Therefore it is also the site of many important ancient ruins, such as a Roman Theatre and an Arena. The site of the museum was chosen to be in close proximity with these important Roman monuments, which led to conditioning factors of the design: the connection between the museum and its surrounding historical area.

Reference from: https://amallective.com/portfolio/national-museum-of-roman-art-rafael-moneo/ 11

Architectural Form Case Studies 2

Moneo adopted the architectural language from the past in terms of techniques and meanings skilfully, without being restricted by traditional Roman architecture, and successfully creating a contemporary design that responds to the content of both the past and the present. As praised by designer David Netto: ‘Moneo has approached commissions with the goal of making architecture that is simultaneously an ornament to the Old World and a beacon of the new. His buildings are extremely site-specific, usually physically elegant and charged with experiential surprise, often in the plan or through internal manipulations of natural light. Always born of some well-considered relation to context, Moneo’s buildings are not objects meant to promote themselves, nor do they condescend…’

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Architectural Form Case Studies 2

Moneo adopted the Roman construction system and created massive masonry-bearing walls filled with concrete, which form the structural support of the building. A series of parallel walls that have been opened with towering arches are designed in the main exhibition hall. They form a perspective view that emphasises the scale of the building and the continuity of the spatial experience - this sentiment is echoed in the architecture of the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba as well, with its endless vista of arches.

He took the materiality of Roman brick wall and applied it throughout the entire building. With the natural light filtering down through skylights above, the constant change in lighting creates a dynamic movement between the pieces of art, and the walls themselves - perhaps even pushing one to wonder if the art is the building, or the exhibits within it.

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Architectural Form Case Studies 2

The museum shows the everyday life of ancient Roman not only through exhibits of mosaics, sculptures and documents, but also by creating an environment reflects materials and systems from the past, through careful selection of architectural form and materiality. Moneo demonstrates how modern architecture can elevate the past spirit by simple interior bases such as natural illumination and consistent materiality, but using a complex consideration and narrative.

This is further explored in my projects with the motifs and materials of a station such as Buchanan street remaining similar throughout the space, but with a larger consideration as to the origins of these motifs and the context of Glasgow’s architectural timeline.

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Experience

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Experience Case Studies 1 The Watchmaker Exhibition Space

by FOLK Architects

Temporary VS Permanent Status: Temporary Completion date: March 2017

The Watchmaker Exhibition space is a collaboration between FOLK Architects and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Their project transformed a former pawn shop, jewellery and watchmaker store into an exhibition space for the Melbourne Design Week in March 2017.

The design of the space reflected the Design Week’s theme of ‘Design Values’, by considering how a space is valued considering its historical background and shifting of function, throughout the change of time.

Reference from: http://www.folkarchitects.com/project/ngv-design-week-watchmaker-exhibition/ 16

Experience Case Studies 1

The team intended to show the rawness of the existing site, the transformation that it has undergone and the marks left by its former occupants. For example, existing glass and mirrored vestibules are preserved alongside with an original neon ‘watchmaker’ sign. These features show the contrast between the ‘grittiness’ of the street and the intimacy that the interior offers. The team was inspired by this transformative effect and decided to create a transitional space through a freestanding installation with mirrored surfaces, which reflects its surrounding fabric with new interventions and exhibits.

The mix between new installation and existing elements celebrates the history of the site in a tactile approach. It distorts the visitors’ concept of time and space, as well as acting as a way-finding tool throughout the space.

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Experience Case Studies 1

The project turns the concept of time into an experience through the creation of transitional space, strategically using mirrored material. It dissolves the physical boundaries, and reminds one of the history of the building- as well as the role of craftsmanship and repair practice that are no longer relevant to the present.

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Experience Case Studies 2

Article: LOBBY- MEET OMMX Architects

by Matthew Turner// Portrait by Aurelie Garnier

The following extract is taken from an online magazine article published on the LOBBY on 15-03-2017.

OMMX Architects, the London-based practice set up by AA alumni Jon Lopez and Hikaru Nissanke, operates under what one could call a pluralist approach. It looks out into a world beyond architecture that, much like literature, encompasses all of life with its different types of personal narratives, tensions, character traits and daily rituals. In these often superďŹ cial times, OMMX are part of a faction pursuing a greater depth and resolution in, both, their thinking and design, which uctuates from the scale of the city to the microscopic structure of materials.

(Images above: Canonbury Grove)

Reference from: http://bartlettlobby.com/articles/ommx 19

Experience Case Studies 2

(Images Grove)

above:

Canonbury

Apart from practicing, you teach at Cambridge and at the Bartlett. Are there moments of disconnections between students’ outlook on architecture versus your own?

HN: Students seem to think you study architecture, not live it.

Your training as an architect is realising that you live and breathe architecture all the time, and it’s a way of looking at the world and understanding it. When you’re studying you’re always looking for ‘high architecture’, like the great modernists for example. But when you leave you start looking at the every-day and it produces another type of architecture.

Does this interest in the everyday and the more subtle aspects of architecture influence your teaching?

JL: Not consciously but it’s more a sense that looking at something is also designing, or rather that the process of design starts at observation.

HN: One thing we do talk about a lot is restraint. When you understand that something is interesting or that something has an intrinsic quality it’s about amplifying and fine tuning that instead of over-designing. I think if you don’t look closely enough things become overwrought and they don’t need to be like that. Architecture is very layered and plural, and it can be interesting in different ways apart from form and ornament. These things are still important but they are not everything. In our teaching, it’s really crucial to understand restraint and to realise when something has gone too far.

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Experience Case Studies 2

(Images above: Thames Quay)

JL: We don’t say it as much now but while teaching we used to say, “What is the least that we can do?” That idea of scarcity is quite a useful check on these things.

HN: Scarcity and suggestion I think are important. There’s a skewing in education to want the student to explicitly state everything to the point where those implicit judgments are somehow devalued.

This intense observation of not just architecture but of the life surrounding it is quite a literary way of seeing the world. When a writer writes he is creating a new architecture through observing reality, manipulating it and as you say ‘amplifying’ what’s of interest. The writer does this immaterially but you seem to do this physically in your architecture. Does literature influence your work?

HN: People often talk about the poetics of space, but really we should be investigating poetry as a discipline. Poems are very edited and concise pieces of work, and at their best they are incredibly powerful; they resonate with you for a long time. The poetics of space should be understood as a way of working, not just about how we experience space. It’s also interesting to understand certain conventions of writing such as syntax and the way writers use these conventions to then subvert and play with them in a very controlled, precise way.

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Experience Case Studies 2 Are there any specific books that influence your work or is it more about literary conventions?

HN: The last thing I read and fell in love with was Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics but now I’m reading On Art and Life by John Ruskin. My reading is quite diverse, and I think Jon’s is the same.

One thing we do say about architecture is that it’s part of a cultural discourse; it’s not a self-contained discipline and should therefore be embedded within the discourse of art and literature in order for it to remain relevant. It may absorb things directly and explicitly like in the crossover between film and architecture, but I don’t think those direct crossovers like ‘architecture and film’ are really for us. Literature allows us to understand that architecture has some sort of intrinsic quality in and of itself.

However, that’s not to say it can’t be informed by other ways of thinking and seeing the world. There are lots of things in the life around architecture that aren’t necessarily to do with the traditionally valued things which are taught in architecture school. This can be something as simple as knowing a room can be lit by the glow of a street lamp at night.

It’s quite a writerly way of designing then. Is your approach to architecture ever misunderstood?

HN: We’ve been accused of being minimalist on a few occasions and we don’t see our work as minimalism at all. For us, it’s like describing a short story as minimalist.

I agree, I think minimalism implies that you’ve eroded the presence of the human and the story of their life in the architecture, but your work doesn’t seem to do that at all.

HN: Narrative drives our work a lot, but it’s understated; it’s a device we use, a bit like collage to thread all the strands together.

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Experience Case Studies 2 How does that narrative then translate to media?

HN: We had a problem with this recently while commissioning a photographer for a project we’ve finished. We were talking about the impossibility of photographing the project because it has never been designed around static images but instead around a journey going up through a building or a set of spaces.

In this particular project, there’s a totem embedded in the house, and you’ll only ever experience glimpses of it, not its full form. It’s a real challenge to document this in a way that’s easily digestible, so that we can continue to get work, while also not compromising everything we’ve built up so far.

Your way of drawing is also unique in comparison to what other architecture offices produce. They have this surreal and kafkaesque quality to them by giving equal weight to furniture, floor finishes and personal items such as shoes and books. Are the drawings also part of a project’s narrative?

HN: We think drawings are a vehicle to explore what’s interesting to us. It helps us understand a project’s various relationships.

They enable us to examine all the scales that you’ve mention at once—for example, a construction detail within the context of the whole project.

JL: They’re vehicles in the sense that they become ideas of the project instead of a representation of the project.

HN: And they help us establish a set of principles that we can anchor a design off of, and then everything can be appraised against those principles.

I think the idea that drawings are a tool to design and sculpt a narrative of ideas goes against the purely aesthetic CGIs that practices usually produce.

HN: We often get asked about how we make our images as an aesthetic, but for us the aesthetic is not as important as the concept of the project—what we’re looking at or talking about.

So it comes back again to this conversation about language; we adopt a certain language, and we use that language to speak about something other than the thing itself, in this case, drawing.

Literature brings someone’s inner thoughts or inner life out into the open. Spatially, it creates a kind of blurring between public and private, and this has now bled into our reality as our private lives are published everywhere online. How did you address the idea of public and private space in your ‘Live/Work’ project?

JL: We actually expanded that into a teaching brief this year in Cambridge. We found that ‘Live/Work’ is a historical and ancient thing; its only in the last 10 or 15 years—with the emergence of different patterns of working—that its becoming a fairly urgent question about how we might live and work.

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Experience Case Studies 2

HN: One thing we did realise through that project is that there’s this obsession with the categorical division of programme or function, such as Live/Work, and that there are problems inherent in this separation. Does putting life and work adjacent to each other go far enough to allow a different kind of living? It’s now quite well documented that, for example, people work from home and live in a cafÊ, so the distinction is much more fluid. So rather than fit into these models and categorical divisions we wanted to unravel it and just talk about what it is to live.

This article by Matthew Turner, interviewing Jon Lopez and Hikaru Nissank from OMMX architects was very influential throughout my Personal Project. It highlighted several essential points helping me to consider how I should deliver my design and concepts. One of these was the importance of thinking similarly to a poet. For instance, rather than the aesthetic of a visual being important, it is more about the message it can deliver to the audience, the story it can tell, the atmosphere it can transmit to someone looking at it. In this way, I tried to imitate the attitude of a poet to turn visuals into a medium of conversation and dialogue. They also mentioned the lack of intimacy between art, literature and architecture nowadays, whereas once the three disciplines constantly influenced each other. I agree with this, and in my own work seek to show that through research I try and maintain a connection between art and architecture remain closely interlinked; in this way, visuals almost become a piece of art, and are thought of similarly in terms of composition. They become much more than something which merely shows and angle or a material finish. They tell the story of that space with emotional attachment, creating an atmosphere or a setting which one can relate their own daily life with. I sought to show this even more intricately by thinking of the portfolio as a set of Cinematographic images, with captions beneath to enhance the story-telling process.

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