Architectural Portfolio

Rositsa Krasteva Architecture Portfolio

Arthur’s Hill Dementia Center

In my 3rd year in Newcastle University I had to design a center for people suffering from dementia. In the next few pages I will be presenting the approaches I took for my design and the final outcome.

Site Analysis

The site is located in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, in area called Arthur’s Hill. The neighborhood is residential, famous for its wide diversity of ethnicities and cultures. Right next to it is Westgate Road one of the main roads in Newcastle connecting it to the city center.

Even though the area is densely build up, there are no highrise constructions to cause obstruction to the sunlight or to create a strong wind flow around the site.

Dementia village is located south from the Dementia Centre and it is for people in the very fist stages of the dementia syndrome.

The building is divided into tree areas: private only for the patients and the nurses(yellow), private only for the staff (green) and public for family members and visitors (blue).

First Floor

Groundfloor

Intergenerational Space

In the intergenerational space the visitors can come and engage in activities together with the patients, improving the well-being and communicative abilities of the elderly. My intergenerational space is a planting area made from timber and polycarbonate sheets.

The polycarbonate sheets are fixed to the timber beams with fixing buttons and aluminium -glazed bars.

Initial 3D sketch of the Intergenerational space

Technical approaches and design considerations

Water harvesting system was one of the environmentally-friendly approaches I took, to lower the water and energy consumption costs.

I used the VELUX software to monitor the daily and yearly levels of sunlight and based on that I figured out the optimum height and positioning for the window openings for the parient rooms.

Solar panels are a great investment, improving the energyefficiency of a building. For my project I chose to use solar panel tiles that can seamlessly blend with the rooftop slope, avoiding the chunkier look of the usual solar panel installations.

Orientating the patient pods to the south, I ensured a maximum use of the natural daylight, that has proven beneficial effects on the mood of the dementia patients.

Buildings

Envelope consists of:

-softwood cladding, -breathaable membrane,

-plywood board, -insulation vapour control layer, -plasterboard

Dementia Pods

Design response to the dementia syndrome

• Maximizing natural light

• Direct visibility from the bed to the: entrance door, bathroom door, TV, and window

• Wheelchair access

• Contrasting colour on the bathroom door

Main building aims, responding to the dementia needs

• Feature facilities to enable household activities.

• A continuous wandering path all around the building with benches and rest areas.

Garden

• Domestic, home-like environment.

• Provide a safe outdoor space.

Wandering Path

Living room

East Elevation

South Elevation

Weast Elevation

Extension Renovation

Redesigning the fence, converting the old storehouse and adding a smaller house construction on the side is what I was asked to do. I am currently working on this project trying out different layouts and space configurations. Here is what I have done so far.

North view First Floor

My initial approach after speaking to the client was to create a sheltered area (blue) for the barbecue. In the middle I wanted to preserve the little side house dwelling, turning it into a small guest house(pink). Instead of plant fence, I was asked to make a new thicker one from stone masonry with concrete foundations and clay tiles on top (as a protection from the rainwater).

West

East section (AA1) showing the parking area incline

Finally I decided to make the design a little bit more ambitious and extend the construction further away (fig.3). I opened the view towards the nearby mountains (fig1) and additionally designed an enclosed garden (fig2) as part of the house, so that the people can have a direct view to it from the bedroom and the living room. The view, when looking towards the mountains at both ends of the house.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Solar Panels

For my design I got inspired by a company called “SunRoof”, that makes solar panels. One of the houses, they have worked on, also has an enclosed, glazed garden similar to mine. Even thought my solar panels are not directly facing south they still get enough sunlight for the solar panels to produce energy.

South Elevation

North Elevation

The air inside the garden can get very moist from the plants and the humidity levels must be kept under control. By opening the lower panel windows and the upper ones we are insuring a constant airflow, that will keep the environment inside well-ventilated.

Bedroom First Floor

*For my final year dissertation project I chose to do a research on the relationship between architecture and furniture design. While preparing my argumentation I realized how influential Bauhaus movement is. I got really inspired by the modern furniture pieces and my affinity towards interior design has emerged.

Kitchen Renovation Project

Testing different materials, colour palettes, textures and furniture styles I came up with two very different kitchen design proposals. The first one was inspired mostly by my client view and the second one (still guided by the main aspirations of my client) was more my own personal interpretation of the space.

First Proposal

Marble bar top with 2 seating bar chairs, high-rise oven, silver cabinet units and fridge, integrated into the furniture were the main requirements, I had to stick to, when visualizing the space. In the first proposal the space feels more private and isolated from the living room.

Second Proposal

In the second attempt I wanted to play a bit more with colours and experiment with positioning the cabinet units. I opened up the layout by pulling the cabinets right next to the walls, ensuring I have preserved the storage space. The green wall perfectly complimented the oak wood boards and brought more homely feeling.

Model Making

First Stage:Climbing Wall

Model Making

Second Stage:Massing Proposals

Drawings

Drawings

Colour Study Compositions