130502_JUST-IN-TIME_Bradford

Page 1

JUST - IN - TIME BRADFORD



JUST - IN - TIME BRADFORD

Contents. 4

Thesis Proposal

38

Concept Design

50

Site Analysis

62

Layout & Environmental Parameters

82

Precedent

86

Scheme Design & Drawings

104

Masterplan Design & Context

136

Public Use

166 Structural Logic 174

Private Use

182

3D Development

186

BRACC

216

Appendix

11062308 Samuel Higgins [Re_Map] Manchester School of Architecture 3


Capital

Produces

Urban Form

Fig. 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Architecture and Capital Modern architecture has been, and continues to be, a product of capital forces, where “[...] urban form is taken [...] to be a reflection of economic [...] forces already in play throughout larger society” (Pope, 1996, p219). Capitalist [re]development in the urban and extra-urban context is driven by economic reward and capital gains with a view to “seek[ing] a more promising bottom line” (Pope, 1996, p153) from any given scheme. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Capital Reality: Westfield 2008+ / Cities in context. The current situation of failing commerce and a lack of investment in the development of post-industrial cities has produced a fragile urban realm. The fissures, pock-marks and vacuums have been produced by myriad forces - many as a result of the financial crash - but to begin to design with pragmatism, or even comprehend what is wrong in the current urban-economic context, we have to frame where we are in social, economic and spatial terms. Bratton states that “we don’t know what we are post, and what we are pre, but simply that we are, an historical interstitial, a gap. Is the gap, the empty space into which something falls, a void, a newly cleared space?” (2009) Development gone awry / The inertia of development. The way in which capital-led development currently operates is symptomatic of present economic ideologies, which have, in the near-short term proved to be unsustainable. Procurement strategies employed by developers reflect that of the home-equity loans of the early-2000s. In the same way that mortgages were leveraged to allow the home to become “a three dimensional credit card” able to secure “speculative withdrawals to fund goods,” (Richmond, 2009, p216) developments are regarded as temporal, speculative chunks of equity, which can be notionally or physically generated in order to secure other developments against. As this speculative process invariably pops, or fails to reach its prophesised potential, the urban fabric is torn apart at the seams by the fissures of abandonment, dereliction and brownfield. The inevitable residuum created by the low points in the ‘boom and bust’ cycle “appear within the matrices of a traditional urban community indicat[ing] a process of development gone awry, producing an astonishing, uncontrollable remainder” 4

(Pope, 1996, p195). This ultimately creates “an inertia of incredible scale, reinforcing division, exclusion and stagnation within the built environment” (Pope, 1995, p217). Metropolitan identity became capital based - consumerist desires. As an historical organism, the city existed to exchange goods from the hinterlands - in Bradford’s case the processing and redistribution of wool. In the post-industrial context of Bradford’s city centre a myriad of “[...]economic and social contradictions, which explode in an always more accelerated way within urban agglomerations” have halted “capitalist reorganisation” (Tafuri, 1976, p170). The city has been unable to readjust to the fluctuating variables of the knowledge economy, globally-led retail development or city centre commercial/ residential regeneration. Instead of regrouping and redefining the city as the modern hub it once was, non-committal capital development, a compromised planning process and consumerist behaviour have left the city with few meaningful buildings with which to create place. Whilst some public, municipal and civic infrastructures remain from Bradford’s past “they do so in a highly qualified state, remaining only as traces or displacements of a former hierarchy, operating on the edge of complete irrelevance” (Pope, 1996, p173). A rift in the urban fabric of Bradford. Perhaps the most evident of these irrelevant remainders is Bradford’s retail zone. With growing vacancy levels (22,537/ft2) and a relatively low rental yield (£14.39/ft2 avg.), the idealised precedent of localisedglobal franchises - spurring success by homogeneity - has not taken hold or substantially benefited Bradford’s retail prospects. It seems that someone forgot to point this out to the Westfield group, whose purchase of 400,000 ft2 of BD1 in 2003 has been nothing short of an egregious failure. Their proposed retail scheme utilised well-established high street chains as anchor stores, yet failed to encourage tenants from other retail areas - especially Bradford’s own retail stock, as it would have seen them paying 345% increased rates on their floor areas. The decade-long persistence of planners and developers created “[...] ineffectual myths, which [...] serve as illusions that permit the survival of anachronistic hopes in design” (Tafuri, 1976, p182) The myth of the all-saving, ubiquitous shopping centre in Bradford is one that cannot be realised because of relative value of space in the city; the economic model is simply not correct for this context. However speculatively outrageous the plans were, there remains a stark reality to the project: the £80,000,000 hole in the ground.


Reprogramming the urban form. Ruffolo states that “[p]rograming [...] becomes a procedure providing a means of comparing the costs of all the various proposed [...] undertakings, as well as comparing the total of such costs to the total foreseeable resources” (1969). A developmental mindset in a context as economically scarred by failed capital ideals as Bradford needs to take the above into account. The heavy handed ubiquitous development of retail space may no longer be appropriate, as much as a speculative developments in general should not be appropriate in recession. ”Systems of values can no longer be considered established for long periods” (Rittel, 1963, p29). The proposition of any typology in the city should see the underlying relative economic value of space and should be governed by sustainability in terms of affordability over time. It is true that “[...] the fate of capitalist society is not at all extraneous to architectural design” (Tafuri, 1976, p179). Radical typological transitions that provide for more than the capital elite will have to govern future urban development in order to reprogramme the self destructive tendencies of speculative cities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5


6


Entropy Conflict. The tension in the modern city between what is desirable (i.e. profitable) for developers, the economic reality of a place, and the historical urban form is palpable in all cities which have embraced regeneration in its present guise. However, in the same way that stubborn planner and developer views have endorsed asynchronous representations of city development, ”[...] the inherent conflict between its traditional and innovative qualities has thrown the contemporary city into a kind of interregnum - or inability to evolve - where traditional urban strategies cannot die and new urban strategies cannot emerge” (Pope, 1996, p151). Equilibriums. “The city of development does not accept ‘equilibriums’ within it” (Tafuri, 1976, p120). A stalemate between the historical city and new typologies cannot persist if redevelopment is to rationally address the issue of actual affordability in the city. Developers appear to take the opposite stance. They “prefer an ‘inside without an outside,’ or an outside so disorganised as to form no viable alternative to corporate enfranchisement” (Pope, 1996, p205). The inability to evolve, however - the ‘unequilibrium’ - in the city, created by the aspirations, achievements and failures of capital ventures, may be the catalyst which allows fundamental changes to occur. Entropy as residue: Awakening. “Entropy is the measure of disorganisation inherent in any closed system” (Pope, 1996, p202). The disequilibriums of urban space are the places of entropic aggregation. They are the vacuum, the residuum and the voids - the derelict, the defunct and the unused. These byproducts of capital led urban development can serve more functions than just representing the divisions between economic aspiration and reality - they can become “persuasive economical, political and social site[s]. As these sites become recognisable, the closed enclave will be increasingly confronted not with absence, but entropic counterforce” (Pope, 1996, p205). The emergent organisational potential of entropy in Bradford will form the vital economic and political sites which are needed to counter the failed claims to redevelopment and ownership of the authority in the enclave of capital. The mesh of space hollowing the core of the city needs to be activated with purposeful intervention of a type which realigns the failed promises of capital and satiates the consumerist desires inherent in modern society. Can this typology be redefined retail and distribution?

Fig. 2 Assumed Comsumer Desires

Developers’ Whim

Bradford Reality

£80,000,000 Hole in the Ground

Profitable Agenda

Fig. 3

Actual Development

Secured Speculative Development

Urban Failure

The city of no centre. If dereliction were to exponentially increase as a product of recession and further failed capital development, then the city would cease to exist functionally - becoming a monument to the historical success and ultimate failure of capitalist forces. This scenario, as Pope describes “ may be unimaginable, if not socially and politically intolerable” (1996, p174). An evacuation strategy for Bradford need not be considered quite yet, as new typological models of urban consumption may be developed which empower sustainable versions of retail and distribution to alter the rules in the stagnated situation created by late-capitalist reality. As Smithson declared “unlike Buckminster Fuller, I am interested in collaborating with entropy” (1996, p256). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7


Entropy: Vacancy and dereliction in Bradford. There is a total of 6,915,776 ft2 area in an intial UDP study area of Bradford. The combined areas of vacancy equate to 572,489 ft2 - [8.27% of area of entire city centre]. The combined areas of dereliction equate to 725,154 ft2 -[10.47% of area of entire city centre]. Derelict sites. There are 53 derelict sites in the initial study area of Bradford city centre and the immediate context, 23 of which fall directly within the city centre boundary.

Vacant sites. There are 11 vacant sites in the initial study area, 5 of which fall directly within the city centre boundary. 8


Entropic signage. The city is full of letting agents signs, a latent indicator that the performative qualites of the urban environment are extremely poor. There are a total of 143 ‘To Let’ signs in an intial study area of Bradford.

9


10


The Westfield Development From 2001 to the present, Bradford’s Forster Square has been a site of political, social and economic focus. In 2004, several buildings which formed a large part of BD1 - Bradford’s integral city centre - became subject to a planning application which would see a “predominantly retail building with associated offices, apartments, cafés, bars, restaurants, hotel and basement servicing” fill 405,340 ft2 of the city. Between 2004 and 2006 the existing buildings on the site were cleared, creating a huge area of brownfield land in the heart of the historic centre. Some preliminary site works were completed with a view to completion in 2009. However in the same year this failed to transpire, with Westfield, the developers, pronouncing the development “on hold” as a result of the recession. Presently the scheme has not progressed past the preliminary stages - hoardings demarcate enclaved failure in a large portion of the city and the surrounding urban context has been hit hard by the fissures created in the urban, economic and social fabric by the decade-long failure of a capital led speculative development.

Occupancy and Vacancy: Value In order to reveal the implications of an urban failure of this scale, early project research focused on the 91 buildings within the immediate vicinity of the brownfield site. The research methodology was to first analyse the typological build-up of the context. An architectural typology system was used to classify each building into the categories of either Commercial (office), Retail, Residential, Leisure and Civic/Religious spaces. These typologies were the essential parameters for grouping and understanding the latent effects the brownfield site had on the urban environment. To imbue the study with critical and empirical depth each building was extensively researched (by observation and enquiry with owners/occupiers/agents) in order to gauge the levels of occupancy and vacancy. Of the site buildings’ 2,616,797 ft2 of built floor space, 1,606,483 ft2 (61.39%) was occupied and 1,010,314 ft2 (38.61%) was vacant. As the data set was completed, we were able to spatially identify the three dimensional make-up of the (dis)use of the urban realm. We were also able to make preliminary observations of the effect that the derelict site had on the typological performance of the large area, noting the dramatic effect of vacancy upon the surrounding retail and commercial built space. Having spatialised the concept of entropic decay created by the capital led development failure, we sought to identify the financial implications this was creating, with regard to the performative qualities of the city. By interrogating the latent monetary landscape of the area we would be able to reveal the capital failures at their most dramatic. Again, the empirical primary research was multisourced, documented and thorough in order to present the least biased portrayal of the conditions of the study area possible. A “price per square foot per year” rental value of every part of the study area was calculated. These values were ascribed to each building to give an overall current profitable performance rating and create latent three dimensional landscapes of profitability and loss across the study area by typology. For full documented information see: Capital Reality_ BRADFORD

11


Westfield site statistics: Exploration of the micro-site boundary. The Westfield site became the primary area of investigation in Bradford. A sample area had to be chosen as a sample representation of the occupancy/vacancy in the city and as a peripheral zone around which the Westfield site could be analysed. The sample site area was calculated by using the Westfield site boundary and offsetting its footprint by 100m. Any building which lay inside, or had part of its footprint area in this zone, was included in the sample. There were a total of 91 buildings which were surveyed in the sample area. Data for the size, massing, typological breakdown and annual rental price per ft2 was collected for all the buildings in the site and was compiled to form the major data set.

Study area: Statistics. The site area is relatively sparse in terms of the amount of built ground area when its city centre location is considered. This is primarily due to the fact that the centre of the site is a vacuum - the 405,340 ft2 of brownfield area which constitutes the Westfield site. The building typologies in the area are mainly constituted of 19th Century warehousing buildings - remnants of Bradford’s dominant industrial woollen production. To the West of the site there are several 19th Century public and civic buildings which constitute some of the historic city centre shopping area. Other buildings include the civic court building, a Royal Mail distribution hub and several hotel buildings. The Cathedral and Gallery to the North East of the site are separated from the city centre by the brownfield site.

91

BUILDINGS Included inSite BoundaryStudy

1,875,477 ft2

StudyAreaSite Boundary

405,340 ft2

WestfieldAreaSite Boundary

611,030 ft2 Built FootprintArea

2,556,769 ft2 Total Building FloorplateAreas

12


13


If all the vacant space was moved into the Westfield site, it would look like the above.

If all the occupied space was moved into the Westfield site, it would look like the above.

2.09 Westfield’s fit into the vacant space surrounding the site (above).

Westfield area comparison study: Occupancy and vacancy on site. Levels of vacancy in the study area are extremely high. The endemic effects that the Westfield site evacuation has had upon the buildings in its local context is easily identifiable. Most buildings with occupancy issues fell into two categories completely vacant, and <1/3 vacant. This suggests that there is a tipping point at which a building becomes dysfunctional in terms of its occupancy performance, and once that threshold is crossed, it is almost certain to become fully vacant. The sites closest to the perimeter had the worst levels of occupancy, although many city centre buildings studied were vacant - it is assumed that this entropic spread is symptomatic of a city centre gone awry as a whole. 14


15


Building typology study: Vacant commercial. Within the Bradford_Capital Realism study, five typological categories were taken within the study area and analysed by their levels of vacancy and occupancy. Of particular interest in the study was the commercial sector. This typology constitutes 73.50% of the total study area.

Occupied commercial space.

Within the commercial floor areas, 972,716 ft2 was vacant built commercial space. The research is visualised (bottom right) by means of a curve of best fit through all the vacant nodal points in the study area, with a height relative to the floor area at each point. In order to articulate the actual geographical location of vacancy (and not a curve of best fit) the triangulated visualisations (immediate right) show the occupancy and vacancy of the area.

16

Vacant commercial space.


Vacant commercial space.

17


Building typology study: Vacant retail. Retail was taken forward in the research as a typology of interest as it constitutes 7.56% of the total built study area and because this thesis aims to comprehend the entropic retail conditions of the city and the Westfield site - which itself is built upon a failed notion of retail space.

Occupied retail space.

Within the retail floor areas of the study area, 22,537 ft2 was vacant built retail space. The research is visualised (bottom right) by means of a curve of best fit through all the vacant nodal points in the study area, with a height relative to the floor area at each point. In order to articulate the actual geographical location of vacancy (and not a curve of best fit) the triangulated visualisations (immediate right) show the occupancy and vacancy of the area. Although the overall amount of retail space in the study area is relatively low (when compared to that of commercial space) it is an important area to quantify. The study area incorporates a fringe of the city centre shopping area - where the visible waves describe the lesser extremes of conditions present in the heart of the city. It also provides informed discourse around the nature of the Westfield site, its proximity to the city centre and the relative contextual value of space.

18

Vacant retail space.


Vacant retail space.

19


£300,000,000

Total Build Cost

£275,000,000

Total Build Cost

405,339 ft2 Site Area

£4.93 ft2

Payback p/a 10 Year Plan

£20,000,000

Land Purchase Value

Site Purchase 2001

£14.39 ft2

Rental Price in Bradford’s average retail space.

+ 345%

Overvaluation of Retail Space by Westfield, Bradford.

£18.59 ft2

Rental Price in Westfield: Nottingham.

For the Bradford Wesfield development to be constructed so that the lettable retail space was equivalent to that of the rest of Bradford [£14.39], then the total build cost of the would have to have been:

£79,687,262.84 - a figure which has already been superseded by preliminary site works. 20


591,250 ft2

Lettable Retail Space

553,625 ft2

Lettable Retail Space

£50.74 ft2

Retail Rental p/a 10 Year Plan

Planning Application 2003

£49.67 ft2

Retail Rental p/a 10 Year Plan

Amended Planning Application 2011

Westfield and typologies: Relative value. By ascribing a rental value of £/ft2/year to all of the typologies within the study area, a comparative data set can be formulated in order to assume trends in average rental and spatial value. These analyses can be used for generic typological assumptions (see right) or for more indepth investigations into the spatial and philosophical notions of relative value and the built environment (see Bradford_Capital Realism). However, in the context of this thesis they are utilised to uncover the objective context within which the Westfield development failed and the entropic deterioration of city centre conditions began to multiply exponentially (see above and left).

Average floor space rental amount.

£8.56

Price per ft2 / year.

Average RETAIL floor space rental amount.

£11.75

Price per ft2 / year.

Average COMMERCIAL space rental amount.

£6.90

These findings give a unique economic and spatial grounding upon which to build the thesis proposal. The graph below indicates the revenue performance of the whole study area. Its overall activity levels mean that it is operating at just more than half of its potential. Any intervention which addresses these fissures in the fabric of Bradford’s performative city centre must itself be economically viable, even profitable for the city.

Price per ft2 / year.

Comparative analaysis:

Comparative analaysis:

Manchester commercial (M1) £17.50 Manchester retail (M1) £21 Price per ft2 / year.

Price per ft2 / year.

Comparative analaysis: London commercial (Canary Wharf)

Comparative analaysis:

£35

London retail (EC4) £100+

Price per ft2 / year.

Price per ft2 / year.

Total Possible Revenue of Built Space:

0

£20m

£16,836,5083.31

Achieved Rentals in Occupied Space:

£8,948,862.29

Potential Revenue Loss in Rental of Vacant Space:

£7,887,646.03

21


RETAIL

EVACUATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Local Data Company. Data specific to Bradford and wider than the initial data derive study area was sought to understand the performative qualities of city centre retail in a post-industrial, late capitalist context. The database of the Local Data Company was consulted to ascertain the most accurate, up-to-date description of these conditions.. 22

Bradford: Entropic evacuation. Visually Bradford’s centre is pockmarked by signs of retail vacancy and dereliction. These observations are supported by the data, highlighting the prevalence of the failure of typical retail models in this urban centre. With 22.3% of the total retail space in the city vacant, Bradford is 8% worse than that of the UK average.


% Shop Vacancy Rate.

40 30 20 10 0

June 2008

Dec 2008

June 2009

Dec 2009

June 2010

Dec 2010

Feb 2011

Aug 2011

Feb 2012

July 2012

UK avg. Bradford

Bradford: Retail vacancy network.

(Connections between nodes in 100m radial area)

467 Shops

337,533 Shops

Great Britain: November 2012

Bradford Retail Core: July 2012

46,002Vacant Shops Great Britain: November 2012

100,000

14.3%

400,000

104 VacantShops Bradford Retail Core: July 2012

500

22.3%

100

23


Retail [e-commerce] The urban form of retail. Patterns of purchase and shopping behaviour have sculpted the way current retail models govern urban design, infrastructure and decentralisation of towns and cities worldwide. There are several models of retail expression: the high street (central), the out-of-town centre (peripheral), and an integrated amalgam of the two - the city centre retail development. Although flourishing in prosperous economic times, it is evident that the models of procurement and consumption which are endorsed by these capital-led developments will not be sustainable for long lengths of time. These forms have dictated the spacial layout of the centre and periphery, as the vectors of speed, time and proximity replace the architectural repertoire of space, light, form and materiality. The current interrelationship between retail and the city constitutes a “breed of formal expression [...] largely at odds with the traditional architectural language” of cities, defined by capital potential and “perhaps most evident in the rise and rise of the shopping mall and associated delineation, demarcation and definition of the periphery” (Brook & Dunn, 2009, p9). As described by Tafuri, it may be “useless to propose purely architectural alternatives” (1976, p181) to the pervasive control that retail/capital control has over the design of urban and sub-urban realms. System based alternatives to the power of dominant retail must be provided - ones which take hold of the entropic zones created by this dominance - in order to allow for new models of retail and distribution, and new forms of consumer-led, appropriately scaled programmes to flourish. e-commerce. The high street/shopping mall (spatial manifestation) of retail is not the right typology for 21st century consumer needs. E-commerce is where the proverbial money is at, and where the consumer is placing their demand. It is “to the Information Revolution what the railroad was to the Industrial Revolution. [...] In the new mental geography created by the railroad, humanity mastered distance. In the mental geography of e-commerce, distance has been eliminated. There is only one economy and only one market. The competition is not local anymore - in fact it knows no boundaries” (Drucker, 1999). The prevalent trend so far in e-retail distribution modelling has been to augment the flows of capital and products within the digital realm and allow goods to manifest themselves almost as if by magic to the consumer’s desired location. This process utilises the model of capitalist global distribution of goods, creating and overhauling infrastructural networks in an attempt to reduce overheads, cut out the physical middle-man and satisfy stringent consumer demand. New retail distribution modelling. E-commerce is currently a truly global power. It has the force to employ whole city populations (eg. 20,000 people in Louisville just for UPS distribution) and completely regenerate urban form and economic performance in the places where it touches down. It has the ability to change dying post-industrial cities “into the most important hubs of our era” (Lindsay & Kasarda, 2011, p64). The beneficial influence of the new model where it is physically manifested is undoubtable, but it remains a system based on global capital gains and unsustainable amounts of consumption and energy use. It ultimately leads to regressive urban form, “shifts in traffic patterns, the establishment of new warehousing facilities, and changing shopping habits” (Leach, 2009, p7). Consumer desires. Instead of producing a more rational, pragmatic consumer, the advent of e-commerce combined with a credit card culture has created “[...] a particularly voracious and narcissistic consumer whose ideal home is the city [...] itself, but whose influence radiates outward along truck routes and rail lines to the rest of the country” (Richmond, 2009, p210). The exponential increase in the availability and accessibility of products which has been permitted by just-in-time delivery and 24

e-commerce may have changed the face of retail and its interaction with the urban and sub-urban realms, but its negative impact architecturally, spatially and environmentally suggests that it cannot continue on this trajectory for too long - “[...] the era of ‘just-in-time’ shipping may be coming to an end in favour of a return to the age-old strategy of storing stuff nearby until it’s needed” (Richmond, 2009, p214). If the ethos and efficiencies of new distribution methods are scaled down, localised and contextually appropriate, they may be the system-based typological solution to the ravaging influences of capital, retail and consumerism that is needed. Condensation is needed in the procurement, delivery and distribution of goods to “enable small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to participate more directly in the requisition of labour and goods overseas at a smaller, more manageable scale,” redefining and realigning the mentally of “consumers gone wild” and augmenting of the reality of the digital purchase and its spatial implication (Richmond, 2011, p216). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fig. 4

vs.

Historic Urban Forms

New Urban Strategies

Stalemate

Fig. 5

Entropy: Emerges

: Multiplies

: Agglomerates


Contemporary Retail: In Numbers Office for National Statistics: Statistical Bulletin Retail Sales October 2012. Month by month, ONS compile the quantitative data of the retail industry. The data is collated as part of the Retail Sales Index (RSI) derived from a monthly survey of 5,000 businesses in Great Britain. The sample represents the whole retail sector and includes the 900 largest retailers and a representative panel of smaller businesses. Collectively all of these businesses cover approximately 90 per cent of the retail sector in terms of turnover. The monthly survey collects two figures from each sampled business: the total turnover for retail sales for the standard trading period, and a separate figure for sales made over the Internet. The total turnover will include Internet sales. The separation of the Internet sales figure allows an estimate relating to Internet sales to be calculated separately.

Compared with October 2011, the quantity of goods bought in October 2012 was estimated to have increased by 0.6%. Between the same periods, the amount spent was estimated to have increased by 1.6%. When viewed in the short-term - October 2012 compared with September 2012 - both the quantity of goods bought and the amount spent decreased following increases between August and September. The estimated prices of goods sold in the retail sector were estimated to have increased by 0.9% since October 2011. *It is noted that only registered businesses in retail are included in this analysis. It does not account for the vast amounts of privately listed inter-seller sales generated by eBay, Gumtree, etc. which undoubtedly contribute heavily to the volume of sales and revenue generated by online sales on the whole.

£ 6,800,000,000

Combined Retail spend per week: October 2012

+3% Increase on October 2011 +2% Increase on September 2012

£ 562,000,000

Online Retail spend per week: October 2012

+0.5% Increase on September 2012 +11% Increase on October 2011

5.3%

Non-store retailing

11.8%

Stores selling automotive fuel

41.3%

Predominantly non-food stores

Weekly retail figures. “The estimated average weekly spend across all retailing in October 2012 was £6.8 billion; compared with £6.6 billion in September 2012 and £6.7 billion in October 2011. The estimated proportion of Internet sales increased by 0.5 per cent between September 2012 and October 2012. Compared with a year ago, the estimated proportion of Internet sales increased by 0.8 per cent. In October 2012 the estimated average weekly spend online was £562 million.” (ONS, 2012)

Sector performance. ONS retail data is broken down into key areas: Stores selling automotive fuel, predominantly food stores, predominantly non-food stores (comprised of Textiles/Clothing/Footwear stores, Household goods stores, Non-specialised [department] stores and Other stores) and Non-store retailing (which, importantly covers online-only retailers).

[12.3%]

Textiles/Clothing/Footwear

[12.7%]

Other Stores

[8.8%]

Household Goods

[7.8%]

Non-specialised

41.6%

Predominantly food stores 25


Year-on-year performance. The year-on-year increase amount within the retail sector is a key assessment area when gauging the performance of the sector. It +1.3% Predominantly non-food stores presents a seasonally adjusted base to relatively compare the growth, or lack thereof, in the sector. [+8.2%]

+0.6%

All retailing

Non-specialised

[+0.2%]

Other Stores

[+2.0%]

Textiles/Clothing/Footwear

+12.1%

% Increase Year-on-year.

12

Non-store retailing

9 6 3

-3.4%

0

Stores selling automotive fuel [-4.0%]

-3

Household Goods

-0.7%

When comparing October 2012 with October 2011 there was an overall increase (+0.6%) in the quantity of goods bought in the retail sector. However, when this is broken down into the key retail areas, Stores selling automotive fuel and Household goods stores saw dramatic decreases, and predominantly food stores saw some decrease in sales volume. Other stores, Textiles/clothing/footwear stores and predominantly food stores had minor increases in overall sales quantity. It was Non-specialised stores and in particular non-store retailing which saw excessive rises during this period, without which the overall performance of retail over the year would have decreased. This supplements the argument that Non-store sales, in particular online sales in the retail market, are the key performance indicators and have the highest positive impact on the retail sector.

Predominantly food stores

Predominantly food stores sales: October 2012

£ 2,800,000,000

Non-specialised / dept store sales: October 2012

Textiles / Clothing / Footwear store sales: October 2012

Household goods store sales: October 2012

£ 500,000,000

£ 900,000,000

£ 800,000,000

3.2% Online:

7.5% Online:

10.2% Online:

5.5% Online:

£500,000,000

£40,000,000

£87,000,000

Non-store retail takeover. The volume of retail sales in one week in the UK is staggering. With £6.8bn revenue overall and £562m of that spent online, tapping into a very small margin of this figure would enable stimulation in the economy of Bradford, and could lead to the ultimate redevelopment of the city. In order to assess which sectors of the online retail market would be suitable for physical implementation into Bradford city centre, a proportionate breakdown of income from online sales has been collated from ONS data. It is clearly evident that the online areas within the non-store sales sector would be the most suited to intervention within physical space. This area does not currently have any physical interface for consumers, yet generates £256m per week in sales, suggesting a paradox in that there is both a need and an inability for these retailers to have ‘real’ spaces. The current operating costs of businesses in this area do not account for the major overheads associated with acquiring and maintaining premises for retail. They do however have to accommodate storage and distribution costs within their business model. It will be possible within Bradford for businesses to break the stalemate between desirablilty and affordability, as the overall cost of retail space with storage and distribution costs included will not exceed the retailers’ current spending. 26

£32,000,000

Other store sales: October 2012

Non-store sales: October 2012

£ 800,000,000

£ 400,000,000

6.8% Online:

62.2% Online:

£58,000,000

£256,000,000

The place, and economic justification for online retailers in Bradford’s city centre and in its distribution zones is clear, but by simply stating that ‘online meets physical is right’ is over simplifying a complex market. Online as a proportion of a sector. The highest income generating area within online retail spending is in the predominantly food stores sector. This will not be included within the Just-In-Time Bradford retail redesign as it is fundamentally opposed to the ideology of the scheme. The availability of cheap space within the city should be used to promote diversity, development and the reorganisation of skewed capital urbanism. Any inclusion of food store sales would invariably increase the homogeneity of the urban realm and increase the stranglehold that corporate giants have over space currently. It is proposed that the online retail included in the redevelopment of the city should be in the form of textiles/clothing/footwear sales, household goods sales and other store sales. These online areas have a very high cumulative value as constituent parts of existing physical retailers (£177m per week in the UK), and will therefore provide a tested precedent for the expansion of non-store / online retail into the physical realm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Digital and the Physical Physical survival. Even though an increasing amount of retail is now processed in digital form, the traditional retail forms have not completely died (the estimated average weekly spend online in the UK is £507.8 million (Sept. 2012)). Retail developments remain as testament to the fact that “the more immaterial our lives become, the greater our corresponding desire for a material world” (Leach, 2009, p7). If anything, ironically, the digitisation of consumer habits allows people to begin to appreciate the material, spacial and social aspect of retail in its traditional sense. This said, the typical retail which still persists today is of global scale - the brand names and outlets you would expect to be able to compete with such fundamental changes. This creates a skewed, genericised representation of availability in the public domain, and will ultimately lead to “the virtual militarization of the [retail,] domestic, commercial, industrial and administrative enclave[s]” (Pope, 1996, p183). Intermodal: typology. Physical retail may still exist (albeit in an extreme form), but the ancillary, back-of-house areas of the cycle - the storage, distribution and transit infrastructure - have grossly mutated. Their spacial qualities have been uprooted in favour of increased priorities in the dimensions of proximity, time and accessibility. Their acontextual, ubiquitous big-boxes may be “fixed in place yet exist as links in a fluid supply chain of ships, trains, trucks and containers to which they must respond and adapt” (Richmond, 2009, p214). They contribute to an urban form which has been outmoded by “the temporal vectors of transportation [...]. The speed of a vehicle on a freeway [...] has usurped the traditional domains established by form” (Pope, 1995, p9). The exponential increase in this type of built form is in the early stages of comprehension with regard to urban and extra-urban implications. We may not know for some time what impact the supply chain economics of e-commerce is having on our cities, and we will certainly not be vested with the power to influence it, as “[p]lanners have yet to develop the awareness, let alone the expertise or appropriate policy intervention mechanisms, that would enable them to influence the spatial development of a digital society” (Gillespie). Augmentation. What would happen if we could see the lines of convergence that allow us to purchase freely in the digital realm; the peripheral buildings that temporarily feed our desires? Would this make us understand the latent scales of transit and energy consumption? Would perceptions and behaviour alter? These questions will not come to bear, as the capital control of the mechanisms hides them in an attempt to “reduced contact with the greater urban world down to the frenetic but agreeable traffic of an electronic feed” (Pope, 1995, p183). Instead of highlighting the effects of the process, it should be condensed and interspersed into the physical realms in which we participate. Augmenting the experience of digital retail, distribution and consumption with the comprehensible space of the city by scaling, adjusting and realigning it to contextually appropriate sites and economic models will begin to amend the disjunction in modern retail from “bricks versus clicks” to “bricks and clicks” - and begin to “counter the homogenising shift towards the Generic City” (Leach, 2009, p7-8).

Interface

Goods Desire Physical System

Death of the Varied High St.

Consumer

Infrastructural Impact

Fig. 5

Generic Retail Condenses

Online Retail Multiplies and Extends Aspacially

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Bricks

&

Clicks

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27


Proximity Intermodal zones of accumulation. One reason why the spaces of intermodal infrastructure and goods distribution appear so hidden is their relationship with the peripheral. They are most commonly zoned in the areas of most available space in the places that provide best all round proximity - see Memphis’ Fed Ex expansion within the triangulated airport zone and LA’s I-5 and Alameda shipping freight corridor. These precedents are the epitome of the global scale at which retail and distribution operate today. More locally, the motorway corridors of the UK are lined with business parks, storage facilities and distribution hubs which highlight the ubiquity, integration and stealth of global forces within the infrastructure of all areas of the supply chain. Outreach and locality. The fundamental premise of all the above examples is their relationship with proximity. All distribution sites are centrally zoned so that they have the greatest possible outreach areas for their systems. Ironically, this notion of ‘sitting in the middle’ is at odds with the notion of proximity itself. These places are close to everywhere, but near to nowhere. Nearness. The current system puts space between every node which the process of efficient distribution aims to serve. What if the process of retail and distribution were to emulate the cutting-out of the middle man (the major hub), and return to the age old ideology of accumulating goods very near to where they are ultimately needed?

Prime Position Crick and the DIRFT. The UK motorway network, when aligned with critical travel distances of road freight carriers, suggests a triangulated region in Shropshire, close to Crick which since 1978 has been classed as a motorway orientated development point. Anywhere in the triangulated region allows connection to 98% of the UK population by truck drive - a vital time based element in the distribution sector’s abilities for contract fulfilment. The area sees the convergence of the M42, M1 and M6 motorways as well as the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). These factors give easy access routes to the UK and Europe, via rail, road, sea ports (Grimsby - where Toyota import 85% of their cars through) and airports (East Midlands Airport - the UK’s largest dedicated pure freight hub, with major international players such as DHL, TNT, Parcelforce and UPS based there). The region offers an attractive costs base - land costs up to 35% less than the national average North West Belt Bradford as the triangle. For a distribution outreach centre from coast-to-coast of the North of England, Bradford is undoubtedly well located. Vital sea ports, airports, road infrastructure and rail infrastructure can be directly or easily reached from the geographally adept position which the city holds. Similarly to Crick, the land value in Bradford suggests that it should be attractive for the low-cost prerogatives of the big-box typology of distribution.

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Harrogate: 40mins

Infrastructurally Associated Distribution

Urban Associated Distribution

Fig. 8 Leeds: 25mins

Burnley: 60mins

Blackburn: 70mins Halifax: 25mins

Wakefield: 30

Huddersfield: 30mins Rochdale: 40mins Bolton: 50mins

Bury: 45mins

Oldham: 40mins

Manchester: 55mins

Liverpool: 80mins

Warrington: 65mins

Altrincham: 60mins Sheffield: 60mins

Widnes: 70mins

28


York: 60mins

Scunthorpe: 80mins

0mins

Scunthorpe: 75mins Scunthorpe: 100mins

SheďŹƒeld: 60mins

29


25 MILES 20 MILES 15 MILES 10 MILES 5 MILES

LEEDS BRADFORD

WAKEFIEL

HUDDERSFIELD

30


3 MILES 2 MILES 1 MILE 0.5 MILES

BRADFORD

LD

Non-linear distribution. Measurement of distance is integral to the notion of proximity where road-based distribution is concerned. A radial distance estimation of a place’s potential distribution outreach would be incorrect. In the maps above and left, the actual - non-linear - road distance from the Westfield site to a set of distance parameters is shown. This allows the site to be understood by virtue of its true potential outreach: which areas can be served within typical set distances and times.

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32


[Dis]connecting Sprawl and the City: Typology The urban clash. It is apparent that the integration of peripheral typologies into urban cores (where their distribution proximity would be more rational) is a scenario which has not been well-received or accommodated in many areas. However, in order to reduce the mass inefficiencies of scale inherent in the current system of distribution and perform the necessary augmentation of digital retail models, this proposal begins to gain weight. “The absence of a strong metropolitan centre.” When the city is analysed as a performative entity, the prevalence of vacancy and economic under-performance of its vast majority is apparent (See: Capital Realism: Bradford, where 38.61% vacancy leads to area losses of £7,8m (2012, p106)). This failure of capital development - visually evident in empty ‘active street-frontage’ country wide - is symptomatic of the development process gone awry. Surely, new typologies which can economically perform in the urban core have to be discussed and accepted if the city is not to become one without a distinguishable centre, with “increasing degrees of exclusion, division, and polarization [...] that we fail to recognise [...] as a city at all” (Pope, 1995, p151 & p173). Rejecting old hierarchies. As Pope suggests, any city which remains “sub-urban or subsidiary to an archaic or metropolitan core prevents the new exurban nuclei from claiming the greater social, economic, and political status they might otherwise acquire. It can be argued that the old hierarchies continue to cast a large part of [...] the urban [...] world into a secondary position” (1995, p174). Bradford is guilty of this assertion in recent times, failing to acknowledge contextually appropriate urban forms in favour of asynchronous, overvalued development, which when combined with over-zealous protection of its historic urban core has rendered the current state of inertia and failure in the city tangible. To begin to redesignate the purpose of a city in such a state of disrepair, acceptance of pragmatism with regard to radical typological transformation may be the only course available. If the planners, developers, commerce, retail, education, housing and heritage cannot fill space in the city, something else must.

Extra-urban Typologies

Urban Context

Unacceptable

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

Cost of Speculative Development

Unrealisable Proposals / Dead Urban Space

Cost of Pragmatic Development

Economically Sound Typological Compound

Collaborating with entropy: “Seek[ing] a more promising bottom line.” The spaces for the integration of a contextually appropriate, typologically and economically sound, systematic intervention already exist. They are the entropic zones described in the sections above - the vast swathe of BD1 rendered unusable by Westfield and the frontages necessitated by the planners, but vacated by the retailers. These spaces are abundant, politically charged and economically down-trodden enough for them to naturally regroup into the new form of closed network retail-distribution which is suggested by trends in consumer behaviour, proximity problems in the distribution chains, and which is needed to regroup Bradford’s void-ridden city centre. The “delineation, demarcation and definition of the periphery” (Brook & Dunn, 2009, p9) from the centre can no longer exist - due to economic reasons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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34


Polemical Conclusions: In the Form of a Brief Downwards spiral. Bradford is on the brink of something. Post-capitalist urbanism creates a situation where “we don’t know what we are post, and what we are pre, but simply that we are, an historical interstitial, a gap. Is the gap, the empty space into which something falls, a void, a newly cleared space?” (Bratton, 2009) The price of space in Bradford has dominated its architectural landscape. Lack of investment/allegiance/affordability in the city centre has prohibited the development of the Westfield shopping centre. Prospective occupants simply cannot afford to commit to joining a development which would see them pay +345% of the going rate of retail space in the city. The failed development has resulted in a massive urban void. The way in which capital and economics dictate the architectural agenda has built Bradford in the past, yet has hindered it most in recent times. A model of retail speculation aligned with undesirable, wasted retail and commercial space is a situation which cannot be sustained in this context, particularly in a recession. A new typologically hybridised architecture which performs city centre urban functions whilst meeting the harsh economic parameters of post-metropolitan, post-capital development is required. Just-in-time: e-retail [condensed]. The way in which things are consumed has changed. We no longer expect to have to enter a designated physical space for our retail needs (although a large amount still do); we are able to enter notional space, view objects in virtual realms and watch their delivery progress as they travel through physical networks and appear in our lives. Although the models of Amazon, eBay and the like are dominating - with projections to infamy, the likes of which have never been seen before - they precisely articulate a disjunction between the physical and digital world and place huge strain on under-developed infrastructural networks. We can see representations of things, but there is a discontinuity between their image and their physical presence. A new method of retail has emerged. Consumers visit shops, then augment their experiences by cross-referencing the price with what is available online. How many people see a book in Waterstones, check the Amazon price and get it discounted, delivered to their homes the next day? As Bradford has a vast amount of entropic, unoccupied retail and commercial space (995,253/ft2), it stands to reason that the city - with political/economic backing - should become a hub of mixed augmented retail with manufacture, research, development and distribution. “Instead of simply reflecting a “moment” of development, the plan [of the city] now takes on the form of a new political[ly backed, economically sound] institution” (Tafuri, 1976, p120). Polycentric Filler: Entropy. The vacant Westfield site and the city’s developmental residuum is ripe for political and economic activation with pragmatic development. It is perfectly aligned with the train station and the post-office sorting depot to emerge as a localised and wider-reaching distribution hub for a new model of retail. The vacant retail sites of the city can be impregnated with snapshots of a seller’s content (a physical manifestation of an online shop), readily available and minimally stocked, so that consumers can see their wares, order, then have their products efficiently and succinctly wherever, however and whenever they require. Bradford city centre has the potential to be a spatial retail destination with the infrastructural prowess needed for a rationalised digital realm. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------35


36


Contextual Approach Data Derive / Capital Realism: Bradford. The group research undertaken in Semester 1 laid the groundwork for this thesis proposal. As an abstract site analysis of the conditions of Bradford city centre, it formulated an understanding of the latent conditions of value/price, vacancy/occupation and typological distributions. The rigorous data collection throughout the 91 buildings surveyed produced a comprehensive understanding of these latent conditions, and provided a stringent set of brief-determining parameters within which this proposition is set. Parameters: O/A cost. The value data collected for rental figures surrounding the Westfield site gives rise to economically suitable intervention. The total cost of the project build must be contextually sound for Bradford - to avoid an intervention which is grossly overvalued and disproportionate for the resources of the city from being proposed again. Scale model. When considered, the big-box models are the only typologies which can be systematically integrated, feasibly constructed within a stringent budget and occupy a footprint which is appropriate to address the void of the Westfield site. Typological combination. Within the surveyed typologies of the data-derive, retail and commercial space were found be most abundant in the city centre, whilst also being the most economically unjustifiable. This thesis proposition aims to integrate the vast swathes of unused typological shells and assimilate them into a more rationalised, economically sound system for Bradford city centre. Policy. The frameworks which govern the distribution of typologies within the city centre were addressed in the data-derive and used as a framework to highlight the vacancy, mis-use and inefficiency of space in Bradford. The propositions contained within the LDF and UDP with regard to extra-urban typologies, retail, commercial space, heritage and value will all be considered throughout the thesis in order to rigorously frame the proposition and challenge the current underdeveloped strategic policy implementation in Bradford. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The following project outline aims to build on the strong quantitative data collected within the data-derive in order to present a scheme which addresses: entropy, value, price and scale in the context of systemsbased city masterplanning, digital and physical interrelationships, and the economic future-proofing of a post-capitalist city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bibliography. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bratton, B. H. (2009) Undesigning the Emergency [Internet]. http://bratton.info/projects/talks/undesigning-the-emergency/ [Accessed 01 November 2012]. Brook, R. & Dunn, N. (2009) Isolative Urbanism: an Ecology of Control. Drucker,P. (1999) In: Atlantic Monthly Magazine October, 1999. Boston, Atlantic Media Company. Fisher, M. (2009) Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? Zero Books. Harvey, D. (2010) The Enigma of Capital and the Crises of Capitalism. London, Profile. Higgins, S. et. al. (2012) Capital Realism: Bradford. [Re_Map]. Manchester, Manchester School of Architecture. Kasarda, J. D. & Lindsay,G. (2011) Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Koolhaas, R. (2002) Junkspace. October, Vol. 100, Obsolescence. (Spring, 2002), pp. 175-190. Koolhaas, R. (1995) S,M,L,XL. Rotterdam, 010 Publishers. Leach, N. (2009) ed. Architectural Design: Digital Cities, 79 (4) June. Marx, K. (1867) Capital: Critique of Political Economy. Verlag von Otto Meisne. Office for National Statistics. (2012) Statistical bulletin: Retail Sales, September 2012. [Internet]. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rsi/retail-sales/september-2012/stb-rsiseptember-2012.html [Accessed 02 November 2012]. Pope, A. (1996) Ladders. New York, Princeton Architectural Press. Richmond, D. (2009) Distribution: Consumers Gone Wild. In: Varnelis, K. ed. The Infrastructural City: Networked Ecologies In Los Angeles pp... Barcelona, Actar. Rittel,H. (1963) Ueberlegungen zur wissenschaftlichen und politischen Bedeutung der Entscheidungstheorien. Karlsruhe, Gesellschaft fßr Kernforschung, 1963. Tafuri, M. (1979) Architecture and Utopia: Design and Capitalist Development. Massachusetts, MIT Press. Venturi, R. et. al. (1977) Learning from Las Vegas. The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form. Massachusetts, MIT Press. WYG - White Young Green. (2008) Bradford District Council: Final Retail and Leisure Study June 2008. [Internet]. http://www.bradford.gov.uk/bmdc/the_environment/planning_service/local_ development_framework/evidence_base_retail_study [Accessed 04 November 2012].

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OUTLINE

PROGRAMME ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Distribution Centre Cost, Value & Proximity. The distribution centre is the catalyst for a systematic change in city centre retail, production, service and building procurement sectors. The value of land and rental yields in Bradford only permit city developments of scale in big-box typologies. Connectivity. The development would see shrinkage of the supply and distribution chains, putting products near to their actual destinations. Road and rail infrastructure will be utilised and redeveloped in order to allow the efficient localised long-tail model to function. Retail Provision Entropy. In the vast swathes of empty floor space in the city centre, the new model of augmented physical/digital retail will emerge. The price of floor space will initially be centrally subsidised in order to catalyse the system. Store Design/Temporality. Retailers will occupy the hollow core of the city in shops comprised of smart components and built consistently with rationalised, adjustable and reusable elements sourced from the abundant materials currently wasted in the built fabric of Bradford. The internal unit sizes will vary to meet the temporal, fluctuating demand generated by the online markets. This temporal, constantly adapting flow will see the city articulated as vibrant and varied as the system develops. Goods. The produce and stock in the centre will be different from every other urban retail core. A long-tail model will see the products of high demand in stock through a just-in-time model as required, but will also have an abundance of niche choice externally sourced, combined with that produced locally, whilst at the same time remaining highly economically justifiable.

Ex-commercial Research & Design. Economically and spatially appropriate entropic commercial space will be used as a research facility for the progression of the local system. Policy, product, manufacture, infrastructure, distribution and retail research and development will be conducted in order to continually progress the suitability of the city centre and the performance of the system’s constituent parts. The success of this radical cottage industry will directly benefit the area, ultimately working towards a closedloop. Manufacture. The produce of design, research and development will be directly tangible in the stock of the retail stores and in the materiality and efficiency of the architecture which houses it. Consumers Access: Physical & Digital. The city and its performative resources will become a model of augmented shopping culture which has yet to be manifested in an urban context. Value. The consumer will see Bradford emerge as a prototypical model for future consumption requirements. The models of retail, distribution and research/development employed will create a highly competitive marketplace which will enable the city to perform as efficiently as the online marketplace. Destination. The resulting impact of the system will enable the residents of Bradford and wider areas to reactivate the city and region, changing the city with no discernible centre into a definitive retail destination. Ancillary Services. Emergence. As a direct result of the influx of activity in all modes in the area, the city will see a rise in its service sector performance, generating jobs, income and activity in the stagnated wider Bradford economy. This infrastructure of support will respond to the fluctuating demand, and once established will allow the city to expand in other ways which are not currently suitable due to economic underperformance in the area. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fig. 1. Integrative system map. FEED OUT

SERVICE SECTOR

FEED IN

ROAD

RAIL

CONSUMERS

38

ENTROPIC RETAIL SPACE: AFFORDABLE, AUGMENTED RETAIL USE

WESTFIELD: DISTRIBUTION HUB

ENTROPIC COMMERCIAL SPACE: (RDM) RESEARCH, DESIGN, MANUFACTURE


MECHANISM: FEEDBACK LOOP

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------A number of feedback loops are inherently built into the system Feedback loop 1: The initial facilitator in the system is the symbiotic relationship between the entropically engaged retail stores and the distribution centre. This is the fundamental link in the chain, through which all other ancillary functions of the system are formed. The constant interplay between supply/demand, occupancy/vacancy, and value/price will see fluctuating conditions in both these elements of the system. They are therefore mutually designed and adaptive so that they are able to grow and retrench efficiently in tandem. Feedback loop 2: The relationship between the emerging ex-commercial zone and the distribution centre will utilise a series of feedback loops. The performance, scheduling and efficiency of the system will be monitored in a hub in this area, feeding back analytical evolutionary developments. The manufacture and collation of stock/product will be carried out and managed in the RDM space - this will be mutually aligned with the distribution centre in order to constantly develop the interperformance of the two. Feedback loop 3: Consumer demand and city centre retail availability are inter-

Fig. 2. Essential feedback connections map.

dependent. The flows of goods, demand and people will be perpetually adjusting, therefore a managed and enhanced feedback loop will enable the city centre provision, density, layout and design to respond to the emerging conditions. Feedback loop 4: Management of the proposed elements of the system will be determined by a feedback loop between the retail, distribution and RDM areas. The interplay between theses parts will ultimately determine the success of the system and will have to be constantly malleable in order for a closed-loop city centre system to emerge. In this loop, the research, manufacture and development of products, building technologies, smart components, distribution strategies, just-in-time mechanisms and policy level analyses will have to be accounted for to imbue the complex interrelationship inherent in the system with relevance, efficiency and contextual adaptation. All of the outlined feedback mechanisms have to be incorporated into the holistic feedback approach of the system for the fluctuating conditions to be appropriately considered and managed. The resulting urban and latent conditions of the system will be one of constant flux, continually manifesting itself in myriad temporal combinations. A city centre always refreshed, diverse and contextually sound. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SERVICE SECTOR FEEDBACK LOOP 1

FEEDBACK LOOP 2 RDM SERVICES

FEEDBACK LOOP 3

FEEDBACK LOOP 4

ANCILLARY SERVICES

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bradford as a retrenching functional organism currently has very little provision for expansion, particularly in the ancillary services sectors. The multi-tiered system of retail, distribution, RDM, and management proposed for the void-ridden city centre would tend towards the development and influx of typologies, densities, uses and footfall which are currently absent in the city. These emergent functions of the city will require the back-end support of ancillary provisions. For each sector in the system they would be diverse - emerging from the feedback processes of requirement and provision in each situation.

The consumer, retail, distribution and RDM service sectors will emerge as the system develops, and as an interrelated, intrinsically linked part of the system, these ancillary sectors will provide the city with additional economic input through job creation and longevity through skills development. The constantly changing occupation, supply, demand and economic performance of the area will enable the service sectors to readjust with the necessary conditions - creating a variable city centre skills base and contextually appropriate back-bone for the further development of the city centre. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SERVICE SECTOR

Fig. 3. Ancilliary services feedback connections map. CONSUMER SERVICES

RETAIL SERVICES

DISTRIBUTION SERVICES

RDM SERVICES

39


CONTEXTUAL PROGRAMME

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FEED OUT

FEED FROM EMERGEN

FEED IN

ROYAL MAIL: DISTRIBUTION CONNECTION

OCCUPATION GROWTH: CITY CENTRE RETAIL BACK FILL

CONSUMER

ENTROPIC RETAIL SPACE: REPROGRAMMED FOR AFFORDABLE, AUGMENTED RETAIL USE

Voids: Filling and expansion. The fluctuation of parameters in the system will enable the proposal to be an evolutionary, developmental and ultimately emergent proposition for the utilisation of city centre space in Bradford. The initial voids which will be appropriated for re-engagement as augmented retail spaces and RDM zones will be allocated based on their entropic potential and relative accessibility by cost. A series of scenarios will then be played out by adapting the parameters of the

40

WESTFIELD: DISTRIBUTION HUB

RAIL: DISTRIBUTION C

system to begin to understand how the variability with which the city could be imbued as a result of the complex, adaptable system such as that proposed. It is the ultimate aim of the proposal, that instead of continuing the downward trajectory which has permitted the near evacuation of the city centre, the system will be able to enable entropic activation of the residuum, with a view to development, advancement and expansion of productivity and profitability in the city centre.


NT SERVICE SECTOR

WORKFORCE: PRODUCTION / FEEDBACK OPERATORS

ENTROPIC COMMERCIAL SPACE RESEARCH, DESIGN, MANUFACTURE: PRODUCTS PROGRAMME + DE_PROGRAMME MATERIALITY POLICY

CONNECTION

Existing infrastructure. The distribution strategy is intended to not create any new fissures in the urban fabric through infrastructure creation. The Royal Mail sorting office to the North of the distribution hub is very well situated to allow road vehicular access to the surrounding infrastructural networks. The city centre road design currently permits the integration of distribution operations traffic that is required, as Royal Mail operate at a comparable scale. The rail network in Bradford is large relative to

its transient population. It is proposed that a line from the Bradford Interchange rail terminus is extended towards the distribution hub to allow for larger area distribution connectivity for the site.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

41


DISTRIBUTION THE LONG TAIL

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Distribution The long tail model. SHORT TERM STOCK MID TERM STOCK MID TERM RETAIL/BUILDING DEVELOPMENT STOCK

VOLUME OF SALES

LONG TERM STOCK

PRODUCT DIVERSITY

Inventory diversity. Inventory storage and distribution are the determining factors which enable a long tail sales distribution model. When storage and distribution costs are high it is not economically viable to have an inventory of niche, or relatively unpopular, products. However, in Bradford, the cost per ft2 of rental values in the city centre is low enough to permit the use of this sales distribution model. Space for deep, diverse and unconventional inventory stockage is readily available in the entropic city centre voids and is of sufficiently low value to presume that the overheads associated with storage and distribution will be mostly insignificant. Strategic inventory: Bradford. When stock is centrally housed in controlled, processed warehousing units, the cost of both ‘common’ and ‘uncommon’ product storage are far lower than in traditional models. Therefore, storage and distribution costs at both ends of the popularity spectrum tend towards being the same, where it is financially viable to stock high volume and very low volume items. The long tail distribution model graph highlights the requisite elements essential for proliferation of a successful inventory in the context of both the city and the notional space of e-commerce. There is a very small variety of products which are stocked, have a very shortterm shelf storage time and are moved in very large units consistently. This front-end guaranteed stock model is similar to what exists in the city currently. Currently, the items in stores where they are needed are of little variety, but will almost certainly be in stock. When applied to Bradford’s proposed inventory distribution agenda, this side of the warehousing facility will ensure that consumers visiting the centre with a generic, widely available and commonly sought after product in mind will be able to quickly and easily procure this item. The sales of these ‘common products’ will at first be the economic catalyst for 42

the rest of the system. They provide the financial backbone for the city’s diversity - as guaranteed volumetric movers they will underpin investment in more niche lines and products and will ultimately enable more choice for the consumer. The financial expansion of the system permitted by regular, high volume sales will immediately allow the distribution and stockage of secondary and tertiary product lines. These, which increase in diversity, will commonly see very low sales figures, but it is their aggregate impact which significantly affects the performance of the model. The high volume products with their profitability in terms of storage, distribution and sales allow the more niche products to have a much longer shelf-time. Over time, as the variety and availbility of the tail grows through the business model expansion, the volumes of sales and profitability of the ‘uncommon products’ begin to outweigh that of the ‘common products’. The length of the tail is at first proportionate to the viability of volume of sales, but eventually extends so far that it is the main economic driver for the system. In terms of Bradford, the city centre will need some (very few) intial high volume, low diversity retailers utilising the the retail and distribution space in the city in order to provide the capital for diversification. Once these (e-)retailers are established they will enable the exponential growth of the tail, creating the financial viabilty for the distribution space of low volume products. In time, the centre will become almost independent of these more generic retailers, as the profitability and variety which is provided by the ever-growing niche markets will become significantly more important than that of the higher volume seller. In the same way that the Westfield scheme came to rely on key ‘anchor stores’, the Just-In-Time Bradford model will intially require some anchor elements. Unlike Westfield, the city’s dependence on these stores will decrease over time; allowing a truly diverse, everevolving city which is a self-sufficient core with retailers who can be centralised, at all levels of development, and secure in a model which supports their innovation, diversity and development.


DISTRIBUTION WORKFLOW

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Distribution Centre Optimised processes flow diagram.

RECEIPT CHECK INVENTORY COLLATION

INPUT

INVENTORY

PUT AWAY

EXTERNAL GOODS

ONSITE PRODUCT MANUFACTURE

ONSITE BUILDING MATERIALS/ TECH MANUFACTURE

STORAGE

SHORT TERM STORE

MID TERM STORE

LONG TERM STORE

PICKING

GOODS - TO - MAN

GOODS - TO - MAN MAN - TO - GOODS

MAN - TO - GOODS

CONSOLIDATION

OPERATOR CHECKS

SIHPPING

RAIL

LABELLING

INSTANT/PHYSICAL

BATCH COLLATION

ROAD

Short term stock processing

Mid term stock processing

Long term stock processing

_Requires delivery access on a regular basis. _Quick processing on arrival. _Easy, mechanised storage process. _Generic shelving space / system. _Computer organised inventory. _Robotically organised / optimised shelf space. _Extremely quick shelf to customer turnaround. _High volume / low variety stock. _Automated stock picking before dispatch. _Manned stock checking facility prior to dispatch. _Shortest distance / time between point of storage and point of shipping.

_Requires external delivery access and local delivery access from Little Germany RDM. _Less integrated arrival inventory required. _More bespoke - more developed managed external inventory. _Cater for a wide range of sizes / shapes / values of products. _Computer organised inventory. _Robotically and manually organised shelf space. _Varied total turnaround time - can be shelved for minutes or weeks. _Manned stock checking facility prior to dispatch. _Direct connection to point of shipping and also to physical space of entropic retail space. _Requires both input and output of materials from entropic retail space. _Automated and manual stock picking before dispatch. _Final dispatch time has to be efficient between point of storage and point of shipping.

_Infrequent / obscure delivery schedule from external sources. _Requires access from Little Germany RDM. _Arrival inventory can be mainly managed from external systems - only minor processing checks before shelving. _Cater for an extremely wide range of sizes / shapes / values of products. _Space needs to be able to fluctuate consistently to accommodate variety. _Manual stock collation - storage carried out by operators with handheld devices and database integration. _Often has very long turnaround times storage conditions (heating, cooling and air quality) to be adaptable. _Manual stock picking before dispatch. _Direct connection to point of shipping. _Final dispatch time has to be efficient between point of storage and point of shipping.

> GOODS - TO - MAN system.

> MAN - TO - GOODS system.

> GOODS - TO - MAN system. > MAN - TO - GOODS system. 43


PRECEDENT

HILTON MEATS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hilton Meats has a short term storage distribution model. Location: Zaandam, The Netherlands. The facility is a compact distribution solution with high storage density. It utilises an automated tote picking concept. Stacks of single SKU totes coming from production are stored in a six aisle miniload system (storage capacity 200,000 totes). Order information is processed through a bespoke warehouse management system (WMS). Stacks are retrieved from the miniload and and totes are automatically loaded in the right sequence on dollies (output of 300 dollies per hour). The facility ensures an efficient order picking process, making better use of available space, lowering operational costs and improving stock management and control. The system was installed during the busiest production time of Hilton Meats, with minimum impact on ongoing operations. The solution is scalable and prepared to accommodate future business growth as well an upgrade to store / shelf ready order picking.

PRECEDENT

TESCO DCOS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tesco DotComOnlyService (DCOS) has a short term storage distribution model. Location: Aylesford, England. Orders coming in from the website were previously processed in Tesco Superstores in the area. Stock in the dedicated warehouse “store” is laid out exactly like a supermarket, except that the “customers” are replaced by order picking staff. After picking, completed order totes are sent to a consolidation buffer consisting of a 3-aisle shuttle system. The totes are released to be sorted and loaded in reverse drop sequence to vans. In addition to controlling storage and release of the customer orders, the WMS also controls the vehicle dispatch management process. It is proving to have a quick payback time in freeing up expensive retail sales space in existing superstores and enabling faster growth of Dotcom sales. Other benefits include improved accuracy, traceability and a reduction in product damage.

44


PRECEDENT ARGOS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Argos utilises a mid / long term storage distribution model. Location: Barton, England. Argos centralised the distribution of small items and started a central warehouse for imported goods in order to gain more control over the supply of direct imports The automated warehouse includes: A goods receiving system with a sorting and palletising system (150 pallets per hour), a 15 aisle automatic pallet high bay storage with 90,000 locations, a goods-to-man order picking system with a storage capacity of 70,000 totes to distribute product totes to 56 order picking workstations (throughput of 20,000 order lines per hour supported by pick-to-light displays). The whole process is controlled by the integrated Argos WMS. The warehouse system enables cost reductions by freeing up resources at the busy regional distribution centres. It brings significant reductions in operational costs (productivity of 350 lines per manhour) and savings because it manages direct imports in bulk. The bespoke order picking system requires 40% less space than a standard zone picking system with similar throughput.

45


PRECEDENT

AMAZON . DE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazon.de utilises a mid / long term storage distribution model. Location: Bad Hersfeld, Germany. Amazon has implemented a a highly flexible batch picking and order consolidation system handling up to 300,000 orders per day. Order picking is conducted manually from shelving systems. Orders containing more than one order line go through a two-phased order picking process: product specific order picking (in batches), followed by subsequent order consolidation in a consolidation buffer. The order picking operation is supported by a tote conveyor system, which reduces the amount of time spent by staff moving between locations. At 35 rebin stations, barcode scanners are used to allocate products manually to individual orders via 54 sorting compartments, after which they are sent for packing. Packing stations have automatic shipping label lines that read, weigh and label parcels and conduct a quality check. The parcels are then forwarded to shipping sortation. An electronic sorter filters the cartons by shipment type and destination.

46

The 42,500 m2 centre offers the flexibility to handle the yearly growth rates of 20-30% characteristic of the e-commerce industry. The system also makes it easy for Amazon to incorporate new products into their operation. Since the first implementation the system has already been successfully extended four times.


DISTRIBUTION MECHANISM CONVEYORS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DotM Conveyor Range VanDerLande Industries. The .M range of conveyors combines 3 technologies that allow transportation of any type of product in any type of application: • BELT .M: closed belt conveyors are the smoothest technology, suitable for inclines and declines. Accept almost every type of product. • ROLLER .M: roller conveyors are the most versatile technology, suitable for accumulation, diverting, merging. • MULTIBELT .M: multi-belt conveyors are the most compact technology for high capacity sorting and accumulation. All 3 technologies fit within a universal track of channels and supports so that they can be joined seamlessly into the most optimal system. The modular functional units are constructed as interchangeable modules: • Transport modules • Drive modules • Divert and transfer modules • Merge modules • Accumulation modules They can be bolted to the track system at flexible positions, which allow for adjustment in the system to meet changing business requirements and allowing a malleable, flexible warehouse space over time. ROLLER .M > Transport/Accumulation/Divert 45°/Divert 90°/Curve. Speed: 7 - 24 m/min Conveyor width: 420 - 1020 mm Roller pitch: 75 mm Max product weight: 50 kg Divert capacity: 1600 /hr BELT .M > Transport/Incline/Decline/Divert 45°. Speed: 19 - 148 m/min Conveyor width: 420 - 1020 mm Max product weight: 50 kg MULTIBELT .M > Transport/Accumulation/Divert 45°/Divert 90°. Speed: 59 - 128 m/min Conveyor width: 420 - 1020 mm Max Product weight: 50 kg

47


DISTRIBUTION MECHANISM STACKING

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Miniload & HDS VanDerLande Industries. Storage solutions have to be suitable for their applications. The phases of the distribution process are broken down as: • Bulk storage: The need to minimise handling and make better use of available floor space in the distribution centre is leading to a rise in the use of miniload systems for bulk storage. This application is especially suitable for retailers. • Order picking: Storage systems can be seamlessly integrated into goods-to-man and man-to-goods order picking solutions. It is essential to enable a sustainable high operator performance - up to 900 picks per operator per hour. These solutions are ideal for medium and slow-moving products in retail and wholesale distribution centres. • Consolidation: Optimising the number of shipments, improving accuracy and store-friendly delivery, and reducing manual handling are essential. Material flows from different (picking) areas come together in a miniload system. Within a short time period, flows are sorted and grouped per order, delivery unit or shipment, and then dispatched in the exact sequence required. The system has to be designed for easy, efficient maintenance, with fast operator accessibility of key components.

48

Telescopic shuttle • Used for double deep tote storage. • Standard combination with twin-belt on shuttle for fast transfer at pick-up and delivery station. Belt shuttle • Used for single deep storage of totes and cartons. • Very short shuttle cycle times to achieve the highest system throughput. Vacuum telescopic shuttle • ‘Single-load’ type used for single deep storage of cartons and totes. • ‘Multiple-load’ type can handle four loads for double deep storage of cartons and totes. Aisle lift • Transports totes between the conveyor system pick-up/deposit buffers and the HDS tote transfers. • Two lift load handling devices facilitate simultaneous transfer of retrieved totes and totes to store at the pick-up/deposit buffers and the tote transfers (double-cycle mode of operation). • Both sets of load handling devices rise and descend independently, maximising lift capacity. Tote transfer • Transfers and buffers totes between the shuttle and lift. • Two tote transfer devices per shuttle; one handling retrieved totes and one handling totes to be stored. • Effectively decouples shuttle and lift operation. Storage capacity can be increased significantly by applying double deep storage.


DISTRIBUTION MECHANISM SORTING STATIONS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Compact Picking & Automated Case Picking VanDerLande Industries. Automated Case Picking: • Storage and transport of picking stock on large trays instead of individual cases on small trays reduces the amount of equipment and investment required for automated case picking. • The cases can be picked immediately from a tray at any location in the pick face. Trays do not have to be moved back and forth to the pick face. • Suitable for most retail packaging types, including cardboard trays and shrink-wrapped products. • Gentle handling prevents damage to products. • Stock of each product is constantly available in the pick face, which allows a short order processing time. The system can respond immediately to new orders. • Few process steps are required to pick and palletise a case which enhances the reliability of the process and reduces energy consumption. • Optical product recognition allows intelligent identification and checking of products without the need for barcoding. • The total integrated system is controlled by a software suite, including all required functions; order planning, stock-control, supervision, statistics, etc. • Advanced order planning processes allow synchronisation with manual order picking and item picking processes.

Compact Picking: Order planning & Workload balancing • Stock allocation on product tote level: by host system or CPS WCS. • Order release to picking workstations: by host system or CPS WCS. • Workload balancing of picking workstations and AS/RS by CPS WCS. Storage & Retrieval • Single deep/double deep product tote storage. • Multiple product tote types in one system. • Compartmentalised product totes. • Single/multiple load handling devices per crane/lift/shuttle. Picking • Workstation: up to 900 order lines per hour. • Single/multiple active orders per workstation. • Picking process supported by scanning and/or ‘pick-to light’ displays. • Pick/pack operation: picking directly into delivery carton. • Family grouping. Supervision • Performance reporting and analysis. • Stock levels and stock accuracy. • Order status and priority setting. • Workload levels and workload balancing. • System access control. Non-picking functionalities • Goods receiving. • Sorting/consolidation. • Preparation (e.g. dimension and weight check, adding shipping documents) and shipping.

49


OPTIMISING

DISTRIBUTION PROCESS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INPUT

External road deliveries are processed below ground. The external rail deliveries arrive at the high level input zone. The onsite manufactured products, building materials and technology also enter through the high level zone. All input is processed through the inventory collation area, wherein the computerised system manages the goods’ progress.

STORAGE

All items are allocated a designated storage position, algorithmically calculated for efficiency based on the frequency of sale and availability. The storage area is divided into three distinct areas: Long term, Mid term and Short term zones. These areas originate below ground, but puncture the surface in order to achieve the required storage volumes.

OPERATOR CHECKS

PUT AWAY

The processing area sees the inventoried goods placed on their relevant conveyor systems. These routes permeate all storage areas in order to deliver products quickly and efficiently. When in the vacinity of their desitination, their put away delivery is either completed mechanically or by operators.

PICKING

Stacking machines, which are also responsible for arranging the goods, utilise a mechanical framework around the storage areas in order to be able to instantly pick the relevant items and initiate the dispatch. Where the mechanised system is not appropriate, operator accessible platforms allow a man-to-goods collection process.

CONSOLIDATION

LABELLING

Mechanical and operator sorting stations allow the controlled checking process prior to an item’s dispatch. The system has the full order details of each item’s proportions, weight and destination stored so that initial packaging and labelling can be carried out.

50

To optimise the distribution process, once labelled, items are sent to one of two areas for batch consolidation. Here, mulitple orders are collated and packaged together for efficiency. The high level and ground level areas sort road and rail distribution respectively. Each item then enters a large consolidated batch for spacial efficiencies.


A

B

C

D

E

SIHPPING

F

G

H

I

Several intermediate areas hold items prior to final dispatch. The road hub, the physical output area, the materials hub and the rail hub have distinct areas designated so that the items which utilise each of these distribution processes have the most efficient route as possible off the site and to the consumer.

J

K

L

M

BELOW GROUND

The existing basement onsite (taken to near completion by the Westfield scheme) is utilised to encompass the majority of the distribution process and the required plant. This ensures that this typology does not dominate the whole of the site above ground.

N

O

P

A. External goods > IN. B. Onsite manufactured goods/ products > IN. C. Onsite building materials / technological manufacture > IN. D. Inventory collation area. E. Put away processing area. F. Short term storage area. G. Mid term storage area. H. Long term storage area. I. Man-to-goods picking area. J. Operator checking area. K. Labelling area. L. Batch consolidation > distribution. M. Batch consolidation > pick-up.

ABOVE GROUND

N. Rail distribution > OUT. O. Road distribution > OUT. P. Physical collection / shops > OUT. Where necessary the distribution accomodation punctures the surface. The layout will promote the aims of logical above ground circulation, designed and defined public realms and direct public interaction with the infrastructure which supports their consumerist shopping habits.

The building will be a 24hr facility, enabling the maximum throughput / output for a distribution centre of this scale. Although operational at all times, the staff needed to to run the facility will be minimal. 51


SITE DEVELOPMENT

SITE DEVELOPMENT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woollen Centre.

Mid-Nineteenth Century.

The Forster Square site is densely populated with a majority of woollen warehousing buildings amongst other city centre functions.

The heavy rail links and warehouse provision are still strong during this era, with many of the warehousing buildings remaining unchanged for the hundred year period.

1852

There are two defined public spaces; Peel Place to the South and the large Forster Square to the North, which has an Oastler Statue and a Forster Statue. The Bradford Tramway encircles most of the site and cuts through the Northern part. The rail links to this heavily goods-orientated centre are extremely strong with Exchange Station to the South (managing most of the goods flow) and Midland Station to the North (managing passenger flow). A number of streets define the urban fabric of this relatively dense area of the city; with Brown Street, Colliergate, Bentley Street, Booth Street and Charles Street running East-West and Watkins Alley, Ship Alley, Market Street, Brook Street, Swaine Street and Hallings running North-South. 52

1943

The public spaces still exist, but have been changed somewhat. Forster Square has an amended layout, whilst it is marked that Peel Place functions as a carpark. The only street based change in the area is the widening of Broadway, which it is assumed, reflects Bradford’s maturing economy and the slow shift from production to consumption. The cultural development of the city is manifested in the demolition of two key warehousing buildings in order to make way for the Ritz Cinema and Buildings.


SITE DEVELOPMENT

SITE DEVELOPMENT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Late-Twentieth Century.

2000+.

Woollen production slows after the mid-century mark and the central warehousing becomes redundant. This is replaced by a large scale shopping centre with associated offices in a central tower. The shopping centre is of a scale which addresses only some of the whole site. The essential fabric of the site is completely erased as the development scales up and redesigns the city

In 160 years the site layout and use has changed beyond recognition. The 1960s shopping centre has been cleared to leave a brownfield vacuum which constitutes the majority of the area.

1989

To the Eastern perimeter of the site Bolton Road and Hallings are integrated in a new traffic layout which sees two new major roundabouts in the city centre. Both train stations have undergone fundamental shifts in their scale and use. Forster Square Station now provides the remaining rail goods links to the city whilst it has been heavily scaled down. Exchange Station becomes the main city passenger hub bacuse of its proximity to the newly created bus interchange on the adjacent site. The goods area which formerly comprised Exchange Station is marked as a large surface carpark area.

2012

Forster Square station has retrenched further, standing solely to serve passengers to the wider Yorkshire region. An office building occupies the station’s previous site. The only other major development is that a court building now replaces the car park which stood on the Exchange Station site. Any future proposal needs to imbue the site with the complex qualities of urban fabric and programme which once made this an integral performative zone within a highly developed city centre.

53


HISTORIC RATIONALISED CIRCULATION ROUTES

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brown Street / Colliergate. Booth Street. Brook Street. Charles Street. Waine Street. Bentley Street. Hallings.

Street pattern / Urban fabric. In order to divide up a mass that would otherwise be extremely ill suited to the context sensitive site location, the previous street layouts which, pre-1960, constituted the dense and well developed urban grain of Bradford have been re-integrated into the site layout. The general spacing and orientation of the previous streets have been rationalised so that they can provide a pragmatic, informed parameter for the circulation on site. 54


PUBLIC REALM RE-ACTIVATION

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Historic Forster Square. Northern Public Realm.

Cathedral Quarter Dedicated Access.

Historic Peel Square. Southern Public Realm.

Centenary Square Connectivity.

Pedestrian / Public Transport Access.

Bradford Interchange.

Regaining public realms and circulation. The main arterial routes from South West to North East are key to the re-integration of Little Germany and the Cathedral Quarter with the city centre. They are taken as a stringent parameter for further division of the scheme on site. The site’s historic public realm features are re-activated and designated to provide a performative role to the vast site area. The historic Peel Square will be a mixture of market and public realm whilst the historic Forster Square will become a temporary retail destination with additional public realm. Strong links to the city centre’s existing infrastructure are paramount. Centenary Square is connected as the High Street extends thoroughly into the North West of the site. Bradford Exchange bus and train stations are linked by Broadway and Halling’s extension into the heart of the site. 55


RETAIL REFURBISHMENT JUST-IN-TIME MATERIALITY

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Building Material Break-down/Build-up Area.

Extg. Bldg Stock To Be Developed.

Road External Deliveries. Materials Processing Bldg.

Rail External Collation Intermediate Point.

Cross Site Flows.

Rail External Collation Point Flows In / Out.

Contextual recycling. The re-use and adaptation of the material rich vacancy within Bradford’s retail core is capitalised upon in the scheme. Surplus materials from defunct buildings are brought into the West of the site, where they are disassembled and collated. They are sent across the site via a dedicated high level conveyor to the materials processing building where they are repurposed for future use. Once processed the material is sent back to the West of the site, ready for use in the interior fitting of the quick turnaround physical/digital shops which drive the distribution centre’s viability. 56


PRODUCT DELIVERY, STORAGE & DISTRIBUTION

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extg. Royal Mail Distribution Hub

Vehicular Delivery Entrance

Distribution / Out Sorting & Collation Hub (Final). Distribution / Out Sorting & Collation Hub (Initial). Main Entrance Bldg.

Basement Distribution Zone Short Term Stock Store Mid Term Stock Store Long Term Stock Store

Secondary Product Manufacture/ Process Bldgs. Primary Product Manufacture/ Process Bldgs. Rail Sorting Area In/Out.

Cross Site Flows.

Rail External Collation Point Flows In / Out.

Distribution. The conceptual distribution process diagrams are roughly spatialised based on the above parameters to create a sub-divided, urban big-box typology. The cross site conveyor mechanism of the just-in-time materiality element is shared in order to permit the flows of goods throughout all the necessary site buildings. Dedicated high level conveyor links to the existing Royal Mail distribution hub and Bradford Exchange station are created in order to distribute goods both regionally and nationally. 57


COMPOSITE

CONTEXT STRATEGY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Layering. All of the individual components of the multi-layered programme are merged together to ensure compatibility and produce an overall site and contextual strategy which will conceptualise all further project decisions. 58


LINKAGE

CONCEPTUAL 3D SITE STRATEGY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Push and pull. One of the main aims of the project is to re-link the Cathedral Quarter to the city. The building masses have to permit this, therefore a series of early form decisions have been made to accommodate this requirement.

Starting point. Ideally the main distribution elements of the scheme would be solely placed in the existing basement allowing direct connections to the Cathedral and an uninterrupted visual relationship with Little Germany.

Extrusion. In order to gain the required volume for distribution space, the scheme has to project from the basement. The arrangement, by proxy, would marginally cut off the links to the Cathedral Quarter, and fully visually block Little Germany from the city.

Valley. The building forms are amended so that the central avenue reveals the whole Cathedral Quarter. The heights of the masses at either end of the scheme are pulled up, whilst the central elements are pushed down creating a valley to draw attention to the Cathedral and reveal as much of Little Germany’s historic fabric as possible. 59


60

26m dia. Vehicle Turning Area

Extg. Ramp Access to Basement

Processing Building for Recycled/Processed Components

Road Distribution Processing & Consolidation Area

Staff Facilities Building Systems Management Zone

Long Term Distribution Building

Mid Term Distribution Building

Short Term Distribution Building

External Processing Area for Building Components

Road Distribution Sorting Hub

Extg. Royal Mail Sorting Hub

+3m Integrated Street Public Realms

Long Run-up Ramp to High Level Roofs

Low Level Public Realm Landform Roof

Long Term Distribution Building

Mid Term Distribution Building

Short Term Distribution Building

Additional Rack Storage at Highest Level

High Level Conveyor to Train Station

Cross Site Integrated Products/Distribution/ Components Flow

High Level Rail In and Out

Product Manufacture Area

Building Component Manufacture Area

Rear Elevation External Circulation to High Level Public realm

Basement Distribution Zone

High Roof Level Public Realm Building

FORM FINDING

SPATIALISING THE PROGRAMME

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


After being conceptualised relevant to site logic, the inital programmatic requirements are spatialised in the exploded axonometric drawing above.

61

Plant & Sub Station

Goods In - Sorting, Inventory & Processing Zone

Vehicle Docking Area

Composite Contextual Sketch

Long Term Distribution Basement Zone

Mid Term Distribution Basement Zone

Short Term Distribution Basement Zone


LAYOUT PARAMETERS PUTAWAY & TOTES

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Picking. The Quickstore 3.2 (Vanderlande) was selected as the main method of automated stock put away and picking. The optimum height for efficiency is 14m, however the model is parametrically designed so that 10m and 6m high versions may be utilised in the building working model to correspond to relevant shelving. The picker’s width and length determine the aisle dimensions needed in the scheme.

14000

550

Item storage. There are a wide range of tote sizes available within the distribution industry. The generic size of 400x750x550mm was taken as the maximum sized tote required in the scheme. Totes of a smaller size will easily fit into the same shelf size, and items larger than these parameters are stored in the conveyor/pallet access area of the basement.

750

0

40

Main Structure Access Ladders

Structural Supports 0 80

Carrier Container [800x600] Symmetrical Picking Arms - Dual Sided Collection [800x600]

40

00

Mounted Distribution Computer Rolling System Rails

62


LAYOUT PARAMETERS SHELVING

14000

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Optimum efficiency. The shelving system was a parametrically modelled element which could be rolled out project-wide and amended efficiently and effectively with the scheme development. The most effective scenario in terms of manufacture, installation and servicing is the 14x6m shelving type. It is not possible to utilise this scale throughout the project, so the module is decreased in order to allow types; 14x3m, 10x6m, 10x3m, 6x6m, 6x3m. Structure. It is proposed that the scale and density of the shelving units should be capitalised upon. Where possible their structure is integrated with that of the building, amalgamating structural requirements and providing a more efficient system.

00

00

60

10000

10000

14000

30

00

6000

00

60

6000

6000

30

00

30

6000

1200

3000

1200

Modularity. The shelving system, combined with the picking device, allows each side of an aisle to be ‘double deep’ - increasing the amount of product location density possible in any aisle. The module for the shelving is governed by the parameters of the totes themselves, with the depth 1.2m being 2x tote depth, and the width is a rationalised module of the tote’s 0.4m widths.

63


STRUCTURAL LOGIC

BASEMENT PLAN REGION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grid line parallel to existing retaining wall structure - new structural fixings TBC

Existing structural retaining wall to all of basement perimeter to be made good where necessary.

Shelving structures at 6m centres to allow structural integration at 12m intervals

Structural elements support monolithic shelving structures allow for expansion joints at intersections for structural movement

Rail based picking towers require no structural support - free standing elements

Structural logic. The shelving units, conveyors and pickers determine the rationale of the whole scheme. Their module of 1200mm divides micro scale internal spaces and the unit module of 6m determines the 6x12m grids across the site. No portal. Typically industrial scale units utilise the portal frame structural concept with deep trusses / beams in order to span the greatest distance and provide the most malleable, adaptable internal volumes. However, most distribution centres treat the internal shelving as independent structural units. It is proposed that the structure of the shelving units constitutes that of the whole macro building structure. The columns which support the roof are shared by the shelving structure. The centres of the building’s grid are the same as those of the shelving layout. This is advantageous 64

in terms of the density of the grid which can be designed. Close spanning beams can be specified as much smaller than those in a typical industrial building, efficiencies in scale are enabled where columns can be identical sizing spacing and beams can have a low weight and small span. The above ground buildings can be adjusted much more loosely with a denser grid to permit changes in width, layout and direction of external, above ground walls. Expansion. Movements from cooling and heating within the structural elements have to be offset by movement joints at 48m centres across the building. The junctions between shelving and structure have to have movement sensitive joints so that the accuracy of the picking process is not compromised by structural inaccuracies.


STRUCTURAL LOGIC BASEMENT PLAN

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Grid lines to extend at all points to edge of site boundary to define above ground public realm landscaping. Existing structural retaining wall to all of basement perimeter to be made good where necessary.

Long trussed span to allow for HGV entry, turning and docking

12m Grid North / South span

Detail plan region (left) Primary Structural column

Non linear grid elements to allow for structural layout above ground

6m Grid East / West span

65


66


BDACC

TECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Typical conceptual scheme design. In general, the design process for any scheme will be broken down into distinct phases. Within the early stages of development some outline objectives for environmental design may be considered - such as a BREEAM aspirational target. Site analysis tends to be a distinct element from the overall building design, constituting a series of decisions at a set juncture, whose input is fixed in time. By operating in this time-design linear way, the process is too fragmented for later changes to be implemented. BIM. It is proposed that the typical way of conceptual building development has become outmoded in favour of a fully integrated process. Every juncture and decision should become linked into a consistently evolving early design period of the project, whose decisions even after progressions to RIBA stages C and D need not be fixed.

Holism. This project will aim to implement a series of connected feedback loops to inform its attudes towards site, structure, environment and energy. In principle any design decision which is made in the interation process will be analysed for its benefits (or lack of) within the holistic view of the scheme. Each design layout will have its variables parametrically flexed in linked simulation, modelling and analysis environments. These feedback loops allow for the development of the project to be managed and controlled in constant relation to the outline parameters of the BDACC brief, in order to evolve a more environmentally, structurally and programmatically optimised solution.

PARAMETRIC DESIGN STRATEGY

VASARI/ECOTECT: WIND TUNNEL ANALYSIS

R REVIT INTEGRATION

VASARI/ECOTECT: VASARI: SOLAR HEATING ANALYSIS SOLAR SHADING ANALYSIS

VASARI: BUILDING ENERGY SIMULATION

AUTODESK CLOUD: STRUCTURAL SIMULATION

ANALYSIS: DATA / DESKTOP

PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS SITE STRATEGY CONCEPT DESIGN DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALITY STRUCTURAL PRINCIPLES STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

67


ORIGINAL MASS

SOLAR SHADING / SOLAR GAINS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavy shading. Central public realm cores of the scheme’s streets are heavily overshadowed when analysed.

The long central street arrangement generates almost completely overshadowed passages as the average sun path is calculated and analysed.

Poor solar gain. One elevation of the main long streets within the scheme is competely shaded by the mass all year long. The opposite elevations typically see 40% shading.

The central street access is narrow and predominantly shaded. One elevation recieves no solar gains, whilst the opposite loses 20% of its naturally heated potential.

Solar analysis. Although in terms of its internal functions, the massed volumes perform very well, they are poorly shaped for solar gain and controlled solar shading opportunities. Designed solar shading is key to the scheme in order to make the spaces between large volumes attractively, naturally well lit. There is opportunity to maximise the natural daylight which will create desirable central points within the street pattern. The volumes of the building are extremely large, so effective, efficient internal temperature control is essential. Heading loads are the most intense factor in the building’s energy use, so optimisation of the form to allow for greater solar gains will offset this operational building cost. 68


1

0

Cumulative analysis of the total of all values calculated for the study period: summer solstice 7am -9pm. 69


70

Northerly wind analysis: 9m/s max.

Easterly wind analysis: 17m/s max.

Southerly wind analysis: 26m/s max.

Westerly wind analysis: 30m/s max.


WIND TUNNEL ANALYSIS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wind tunnel simulation. The general massed buildings were placed into an Ecotect/Vasari wind tunnel analysis simulator. The tests were conducted with prevailing wind directions of North, East, South and West. The highest potential wind speeds (obtained from wind rose analysis) were simulated with the values as follows: North: 9m/s. East: 17m/s. South: 26m/s. West: 30m/s. Tests at these wind speeds were carried out at the following heights above ground level on the z-axis, which relate to the mass’ varying heights: +0m, +5m, +7.5m, +10m, +12.5m, +15m. Tests through the building at x-axis and y-axis positions aimed to investigate key areas in the project. Below is an amalgamated overlay of all the results obtained across all z-axis tests. It graphically represents the overall wind simulation for this massing option. Areas of darker colour highlight those zones which cumulatively receive lowest wind speeds, and lighter colours denote higher wind speeds. Although this representation does not accurately represent the actual cumulative wind speeds for the mass, it does enable early conceptual analysis of zones of interest or concern.

30+ m/s

26-30 m/s

21-26 m/s

17-21 m/s

13-17 m/s

9-13 m/s

Central public realm street zones experience minimal wind speeds. They may be enhanced in line with results.

4-9 m/s

Alley effect: channelling wind speeds through the building forms; some intervention to break this will be necessary.

Wind rose Key

0-4 m/s

.

ORIGINAL MASS

71


MASS ANALYSIS

DEFINING A FORM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Methodology The mass buildings underwent solar gain, solar shading and wind tunnel analysis. Each iteration was modelled in these simulations in real time to arrive at an optimum form. Initial form. It was initially evident that the height of the masses, combined with the narrow street layout which dissected them was an underdevelopment of the opportunities which are enabled by putting a “big-box� typology in an unban context.

Iteration 1. Each of the masses has parallel and perpendicular amounts shaved off its edges in order to open up the dissecting street plan. The concept utilised an 11m opening - that of a pavement (2.25m) + road (6.5m) + pavement (2.25m) - in order to replicate that of a typical street and imbue the project with a sense of considered throughfares. This option performed marginally better than the initial form in multiple solar studies, but created less positive wind conditions and created no focal point in terms of the street’s central areas.

72


Iteration 2. The widened road widths are maintained in this option. Corners of each of the five main masses are chamfered off in order to create an opening at the intersection of streets, providing lighting and open public space. Several interations of this form were modelled and the optimum form was found by real time analysis of solar analysis. The chamfers provide the least amount of shading to the central spaces and allow for more solar gain to the large mass volumes.

Iteration 3. WIth the street width optimised and the shading and gain to the central areas analysed, wind as a parameter was used to determine the final form of the masses. In order to minimise the wind speed which is generated by long, perpendicular streets, the mass forms are further chamfered in places about their volume. This also varies the spaces in between the previous ‘canyon’ scenarios, allowing subtle widening and narrowing in areas to make safe, stimulating, destination-like areas between the building forms. A full analysis of the shading, solar gain and wind tunnel analysis of this option follows over.

Iterative variety. Many iterative stages factor into the scheme development. Only 4 key stages are illustrated, and only 2 focused upon in detail in this report - as it would be a repetitive documentation if all design steps were written up in full. All four iterations featured on this page underwent the full solar gain, solar shading, wind analysis and conceptual energy analysis. 73


OPTIMSED MASS

SOLAR SHADING / SOLAR GAINS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Decreasing shading. There are large areas of the central public space which see no overshadowing at any time of the day with the optimised arrangement. There is less overshadowing of the street areas. Where shading is still unavoidably prevalent the spaces are widened and made into spatially stimulating forms.

Optimised solar gain. Half of the main elevations remain unchanged in solar gain terms, however the remaining amended elevations increase the potential solar gain by +80%.

The central street access is significantly widened to allow public space functionality. It permits a natural street corner destination and maximises the potential solar gains of the elevations in this area.

Solar analysis. This optimised form balances the programmatic requirements of internal, rational space with optimised solar gains for heating the large volumes, and decreased solar shading to streets and designated central public areas. The spaces between large volumes are now more attractively and naturally well lit. There are now desirable central points with very little shading within the street pattern which punctuate the previously linear routes By increasing the solar gain opportunities on some of the major elevations, the potential of natural heat gain within the extremely large volumes is maximised. 74


75


OPTIMSED MASS

WIND TUNNEL ANALYSIS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alley effect decreased by marginally increasing the distance between the two relevant buildings.

Easily identifiable areas for public realm development around the site emerge from the analysis as those with the best wind conditions.

As the streets between the building forms gain width, the simulation checks that they maintain their low levels of wind.

The public realm street nodes see the forms chamfered in places about their volume; this breaks the wind entering the central spaces and stops it from accelerating.

76

N


Northerly wind analysis: 9m/s max.

77

Easterly wind analysis: 17m/s max.

Southerly wind analysis: 26m/s max.

Westerly wind analysis: 30m/s max.


FORM & MATERIALITY BUILDING ENERGY USE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Original Mass

2000

2000

1500

1500

1000

1000

500 0 -500

0 -500 -1000

-1500

-1500 1,017 tonnes/yr

Electricity Consumption

671 tonnes/yr

Fuel Consumption

630 tonnes/yr

Fuel Consumption

180 tonnes/yr

Roof PV Potential

-927 tonnes/yr

Roof PV Potential

-929 tonnes/yr

Net CO2

Net CO2

Annual Energy Use

Annual Energy Use

Electricity 51% Fuel 49%

Energy Use: Fuel

78

500

-1000

Electricity Consumption

Optimised Mass

CO2

metric tonnes / yr

metric tonnes / yr

CO2

Electricity 71% Electricity: 3,685,058 kWh Fuel:

1E+007 MJ

HVAC:

1E+007 MJ

Water:

707,506 MJ

Fuel 29%

Energy Use: Fuel

Electricity: 32,431,346 kWh Fuel:

3,619,076 MJ

HVAC:

3,306,079 MJ

Water:

312,995 MJ

HVAC 94%

HVAC 91%

Domestic Hot Water 6%

Domestic Hot Water 9%


Original Mass

Energy Use: Electricity

1,337,321 kWh

HVAC 37%

Misc Equipment 24%

Dec

Oct

Nov

Sep

Jul

Aug

Jun

Apr

Dec

Oct

Nov

Sep

Jul

Aug

Jun

Apr

May

-800000

May

-400000 -600000

Mar

727,942 kWh

Misc Equipment Lighting Fixtures Occupants Window Solar Window Conductive Infiltration Underground Surroundings INT Surroundings Roofs Walls

Mar

0 -200000

100000 0 -100000 -200000 -300000 -400000 -500000 -600000 -700000

Jan

200000

MJ 300000 200000

Feb

Misc Equipment Lighting Fixtures Occupants Window Solar Window Conductive Infiltration Underground Surroundings INT Surroundings Roofs Walls

400000

Jan

Misc Equipment 23%

Monthly Heating Load

MJ 600000

Feb

1,125,883 kWh

Lighting 47%

852,099 kWh

Monthly Heating Load

Monthly Cooling Load

Monthly Cooling Load MJ 1400000 1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000

Misc Equipment Lighting Fixtures Occupants Window Solar Window Conductive Infiltration Underground Surroundings INT Surroundings Roofs Walls

MJ 1200000

Misc Equipment Lighting Fixtures Occupants Window Solar Window Conductive Infiltration Underground Surroundings INT Surroundings Roofs Walls

200000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug

Jul

Jun

May

Apr

Mar

Jan

-400000

Feb

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug

Jul

Jun

May

Apr

Mar

Jan

-200000 Feb

200000 0 -200000 -400000 -600000

558,556 kWh

HVAC 23%

1,458,414 kWh

Lighting 39%

-1000000

Optimised Mass

Energy Use: Electricity

Conceptual constructions: Original mass.

Conceptual constructions: Optimised mass.

Exterior Wall: Lightweight Construction – Typical Mild Climate Insulation Interior Wall: Lightweight Construction – No Insulation Underground Retainer: High Mass Construction – Typical Mild Climate Insulation Roof: Typical Insulation - Cool Roof Floor: Lightweight Construction – No Insulation Slab: High Mass Construction – No Insulation Glazing: Double Pane Clear – No Coating Skylight: Double Pane Clear – No Coating

Exterior Wall: High Mass Construction – Typical Cold Climate Insulation Interior Wall: High Mass Construction – No Insulation Underground Retainer: High Mass Construction – Typical Cold Climate Insulation Roof: High Insulation - Dark Roof Floor: Lightweight Construction – High Insulation Slab: High Mass Construction – Frigid Climate Slab Insulation Glazing:Double Pane Clear - LowE Hot or Cold Climate Skylight: Double Pane Clear - LowE Hot or Cold Climate

79


80


Original Mass Monthly Fuel Consumption

Optimised Mass Monthly Fuel Consumption

MJ 1600000 1400000

MJ 800000

1200000

600000

Monthly Electricity Consumption

Monthly Electricity Consumption

kWh 450000 400000 350000

kWh 300000

300000

200000

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug

Jul

Jun

Jan

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug

Jul

Jun

0

May

100000

0 Apr

200000 Mar

200000

Feb

300000

400000

Jan

600000

May

400000

Apr

500000

800000

Mar

1000000

Feb

700000

250000

250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0

150000 100000 50000 Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jul Jul

Sep

Jun Jun

Aug

May May

Aug

Apr Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug

Jul

Jun

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

0

Monthly Peak Demand

Monthly Peak Demand

800 750

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

Aug

Jul

Jun

May

Apr

Mar

Feb

Jan

700

Material considerations: Construction technology. The life-cycle performance of the building is key to its overall design. In order to develop an environmentally effective building it is essential to integrate energy analysis into the concept stages of the project. The mass form (shape, size, orientation) and the conceptual construction (materiality) are the main parameters which have been experimented with in this analysis. The four options of mass layout have all undergone the energy analysis stages above at each of their iterations in the massing design process.

Mar

850

Feb

900

Jan

kW 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0

kW 950

industrial scale buildings. Types analysed were firstly: lightly insulated metal sheeting on a 120omm block/ins/block plinth. Secondly: structurally insulated panel systems and finally highly insulated: brick/100mm ins/blockwork construction. Accurate detailing and specification of material / construction build ups will continue to develop via detailed energy simulation throughout the project. The overall amendments to the building performance from benchmark initial result to optimised layout and materiality are as follows:

Electricity Use Efficiency

The initial generic building mass is used as the benchmark for the iterations - in all cases, if there is a negative environmental repercussion to the formal layout of the masses, this step is discounted, and the model evolves in an iterative process.

+34.03%

Minimising the volume has had the most direct effect on the performance of the building, as the energy use in heating, ventillating and air conditioning the warehouse space is proportionate to its volume.

Fuel Use Efficiency

As the form of the building grows towards its optimum energy performance layout, the building materiality and construction techniques are amended to achieve a positive environmental effect. The original mass has the conceptual construction (materiality) which would comply with the minimum Building Regulations requirements. The progressive stages analyse suitable construction techniques for

LifeCycle 30Years

+71.36%

LifeCycle 30Years

Energy Expenditure

-42.50%

LifeCycle 30Years 81


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PRECEDENT

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Piraeus: Hans Kollhoff with Christian Rapp. 1989 — 1994 KNSM island, Amsterdam. A nostalgic reference to the warehouses that used to line the river, also part of a modern rebuilding of the city. The building’s appearance refers to its underlying structural system. Civic / industrial grandeur as key developmental aid in regeneration.

Almere Masterplan: OMA. 1998 - 2007 Almere, Netherlands. Multi-level, hybrid programme central core to the masterplan. Occupied public roofscapes. Raised central platform deck areas.

Leicester Engineering Building: James Stirling. 1963 Leicester, UK. Large scale industrial brick and tile clad forms. Limited material palette articulated by volumetric expressions.

Zollverein Masterplan: OMA. 2002-2010 Essen, Germany. 1km2 former industrial site - UNESCO World Heritage site. Integrating public domain into a complex, highly bespoke existing industrial context.

83


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1,2. Generic distribution centres, UK. 3,4. FOA - Yokohama Port Terminal, Japan. 5. Studio on Site - Yokohama Portside Park, Japan. 6. Studio on Site - Osawano Kenko Fureai Park, Toyama, Japan. 7. Peter Walker - Children’s Pond and Park, San Diego, US. 8. Kathryn Gustafson - Esso Headquarters, France. 10. Dani Karavan - Nursery for Peace, Italy. 11. MVRDV - Brick Book Mountain, Holland. 12. Alfred Waterhouse - Prudential Building, Bradford, UK.

84

The opposing private and public domains are articulated as separate design methodologies, yet overlap and share principles, mixing together by controlled views, interactions of functions and a common layout logic. The internal layout of the large industrial warehouse volumes are traditional in their materiality, ensuring the scheme is affordable and suitably surfaced for its programme, imbuing the spaces with a clean mechanised aesthetic with hard, generic surfaces. Strategically placed glazing with contextual patterning and detailing allows for visual commections between the public and the private realm.


PRECEDENT

MATERIALITY DEVELOPMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7.

9.

11.

8.

10.

12. The external public realm is varied in its approach to the large site, utilising timber, hard stone surfacing, landscaped / landform grass, concrete, sculpted street furniture and planting to break up the vast expanses, following the historic street patterns and using subdivisions based upom the logic of grid layout in the distribution centre below. The built forms have brick cladding and glazing to all elevations. This, over the sale of the scheme and across the mutliple independant built forms, creates a contextual solidarity of its own, varying from that commonly found in Bradford. However, by using brick, glass and aluminium glazed details as a malleable material platform for expression, the common context of Bradford’s woollen heritage

can be replicated within the scheme in the skin of the building. CNC milled facing brickwork allows for the fine details of the city and Little Germany to be manifest on the elevations, breaking up the sheer industrial volumes and elevations, whilst the glazing and framing take up the more intricate detailing found on the Cathedral, Town Hall and Prudential Assurance Building. This layering on top of solid industrial materiality is further embellished by the use of adaptable lighting and projections which constantly transform the public realm augmented shopping zones and the scale and formal implications of such a large development.

85


DESIGN INTENT SKETCHING

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public realm program

Public realm access

Minimal retail area Market area

Public realm grid logic

Raised landform public realm

Site

86


STRUCTURAL DESIGN CONCEPT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the massing study is developed to integrate public realm and form a constituent, performative part of the city with strong environmental parameters, the structural development of the earlier conceptual principles can be developed in 3D. The 6x12m grid is rolled out across the site, enabling the structure to extend to the required heights of the massed buildings. At the highest, long span elements of the form, to the South of the site, the beams become 2m deep warren trusses comprised of similar UB families, able to span c. 40m

Re-using the existing structure onsite, the structural logic follows the edge of the retaining basement wall and fixes to it.

87


A

North South Section

B

North South Section

88


BUILDING DESIGN

SECTIONAL DEVELOPMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B A D C

89


C

East West Section

D

East West Section

90


B A D C

91


A

East Elevation

B

North Elevation

92


BUILDING DESIGN

ELEVATION DEVELOPMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C

A D

B

93


C

South Elevation

D

West Elevation

94


C

A D

B

95


96


+

Basement Plan

BUILDING DESIGN

PLAN DEVELOPMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------97


98


+

Ground Floor Plan

99


100


+

Site Plan

101


102


103


104


MASTERPLAN MODELLING CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a series of exploratory physical models and extensive digital 3D modelling, a 1:500 masterplanning model was constructed from timber, card and balsa to understand the side-wide relationships between the performative elements of window shopping and collection zones, and the extensive, multi-level public realm across the scheme.

Materiality was developed with a minimal pallette to convey the conceptual masterplanning decisions. Site levels, elevation treatment and lighting effects of the volumes were assessed from this investigation.

105


106


107


MASTERPLAN MODELLING CITY CONTEXT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A 1:1250 site model was produced, consisting of the 104 buildings surveyed in the initial stages of the project. The CNC milled base with 3D printed ABS volumes uses a simple material palette to articulate the topography, existing buildings and proposed scheme. A series of iterative volumes were printed and assessed in context with regards to their shape, scale, orientation and position, to gauge the city wide integration and implications of the masterplan proposal.

108


109


Valley Road (South)

110


MASTERPLAN IN CONTEXT CITY SCALE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

111


Law Courts (North)

112


113


Hallings (East) 114


115


Vicar Lane (West) 116


117


Hallings (North West) 118


119


Long Section (North-South) 120


BUILDING SECTION CITY SCALE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

121


Short Section (East-West) 122


123


Masterplan layout. The masterplan layout assimilates the numerous site strategies of programme, contextual relevance, city wide connectivity and public realm into a large scale proposal for the vacant void of Bradford’s Forster Square site. The design development integrates a complex private programme of a distribution facility with a functional, programmatic, fully publicly accessible augmented window shopping realm with a soft and hard landscaped series of multi-level public spaces.

124


MASTERPLAN LAYOUT PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

125


Hard surfacing. In order to occupy the site size with appropriately scaled, meaningful, performative public realm spaces, the scheme strategy employs a wide range of hard surface treatments of varying forms and sizes. Historic site movements are imbued back into Forster Square by creating delineated routes accross the site at ground level, rising and falling to permeate the distribution space and connect the city’s current disperate functions of Little Germany and the city centre.

126


HARD SURFACING PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

127


Soft surfacing. The vast ground plane of the site is further broken up into key zones of soft surfaced public realm. The logic follows that of the distribution centre below ground and replicates its module of 6m grid lines with 1200mm centre components in order to draw a programmatic parallel. Concrete site-cast seating and street furniture divides the areas of grass to mimic the conveyor routes directly below and provide seating. Several spaces with sloped grass allow for integrated landform landscaping to mitigate the scheme’s level changes and create flowing formal links between public realm and built form.

128


SOFT SURFACING PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

129


Central public realm. The central axis of the building above and below ground is an off-grid dissection of the whiole scheme. The built forms are pulled back from this central public realm to create the optimum habitable conditions for shopping and general public use. All lower level ramped routes converge at this main public node and a large amount of augmented retail space is situated here, along with a glazed structural floor strip allowing direct views between programmes of public and private. First floor public realm. Ramps between the Northerly shopping zones rise up to +2m FFL to break out into small, intimate decked seating areas of public space with grass to the remaining falls and direct glazed views into the distribution spaces which form the boundaries of these spaces.

130


CENTRAL PUBLIC REALM & FIRST FLOOR ROOF ACCESS PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

131


Second floor public realm. A ramp to the North East of the site angles up to the +8m FFL decked, landscaped and hard surfaced public realms on top of 3 medium sized distribution volumes. These areas overlook the central public shopping realm and associated public space. Top level public realm. The North East ramp continues up between the two largest distribution volumes and towards the rear elevation to access the top level public realm, constituted of seating, landscaping, planting and hard surfacing. The +16m zone is also accessed by the dedicated public lift and stair core at the Hallings side of the site and a series of sheltered ramps situated on the South elevation. At this height, there are views towards all areas of the city and across the sprawling reach of the scheme towards the the Royal Mail distribution hub and Exchange Station.

132


SECOND FLOOR & TOP ROOF PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

133


Augmented retail. The residual spaces in the built volumes, created by the distribution layout parameters, are occupied by a new model of retail. Consumer practices are reduced to that of augmented window shopping, where displays of minimal product ranges, digital display areas and interactive product information and ordering systems occupy the retail interiors, spilling out physically and digitally onto the streets to create a realm of integrated shopping that reflects the practices of the online purchasing mentality. Intermediate market. A traditional market area is located to the South East of the masterplan. Ramps fall up and down alternately forming a sheltered zone for market stalls. Here, in direct contrast to the processes of consumer led distribution, goods and second hand wares are sold by truly independent retailers. The space is adaptable in that the stalls can be stored when not in use to create a sheltered public area. Day and night time markets add a performative element to this part of the city; allowing old goods or goods outside of the distribution process to be sold and resold within the community. Active / performative facade. In order to activate the scheme’s streets with meaningful public realm use, sectioned zones of the built form’s elevations are dedicated to activities use. From climbing walls, to advertisements, to film screenings, to public art installations; the traditionally blank facades of the big box typology are reappropriated by meaningful public engagement, enabling the typology to assimilate itself as a publicly functional part of the urban fabric.

134


ACTIVITIES ZONING PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Market area Just-in-Time retail area Performative facade

135


Ground Level +0m FFL Hard surfacing. Market entry route DDA compliant ramp From +0m to -2m FFL at 1:20 with landings. High level entry route. DDA compliant ramp From +0m to +2m FFL at 1:20 with landings.

136


MARKET AREA PUBLIC USE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Market end area integrates with landscaped sloping grass areas to upper levels.

High level circulation route above storage areas.

Secure storage area with roller shutter door in concrete wall.

Clear height of 3800mm to all covered market areas.

Retailer stall area.

Sloped concrete edge to market for weather and acoustic protection.

Roller shutter door to secure equipment storage. Overhead deck for market covered roof. Retailer stall area. Area to be laid out to stall occupier’s requirements.

- DOWN

DDA compliant ramped area. + UP

137

N


138


MARKET AREA PUBLIC USE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A series of 40m long, 1 in 20, DDA compliant ramps alternate between falling 2m and rising 2m to create a large market stall area to the South West of the site with 4m clear roof covering. The space is malleable and adaptable as both a sheltered market area suitable for use during both day and night time, and as a unique piece of public realm, sheltered and punctuated by a multitude of columns. There is adequate storage within the Eastern wall as rollershutter doors reveal traders’ storage space concealed beneath a public realm ramp.

139


Unit A

Unit B

Unit C

Unit A.

Window shopping / Small boutique / Niche retailers. Subdivisible on 6m grid.

Unit D

Unit B.

Window shopping / Small boutique / Niche retailers. Subdivisible on 6m grid. Changing and designated collection area.

Units C,D,E.

Window shopping / Augmented purchasing stations. Product collection areas.

Units F,G.

Product collection areas.

Units H,I,J.

Future retail expansion areas - on 6x6m structural grid. For additional augmented purchasing, changing and product collection. Rear roller shutter storage for temporary market use. Potential unit entry point. Active retail / glazed advertising street frontage. Human scale standing area. Human scale max. turning path.

Unit E


WINDOW SHOPPING ZONES Unit F

PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unit H

Unit I

The nature of the consumer environment means that an extreme window shopping experience and a new form of retail typology is able to occupy niches within residual areas of the masterplan. Often projecting into the public realm, the kiosks, boutiques, augmented show rooms and changing rooms question the typical function and spatial design of retail architecture. All retail and collection zones on the site are indicative. Each subletting agent or occupier will determine the most suitable layout for specific functions.

I

J

H B A F

C

G

E

D

Unit G

Unit J

141


142


HIGHLEVEL PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dedicated public realm stair. The south elevation central building has a dedicated stair core to allow access to the highest level public realm areas of the scheme at +16m FFL. The centre of the access core has a DDA compliant lift with associated turning area for wheelchair user access. The circulation is semi-enclosed at three sides by perforated metal mesh walls to protect users from environmental effects. The stair is suitable in use in case of fire as the 60 minute fire rated wall stops fire spread from the inside of the building to the stair. 143


144


HIGHLEVEL PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dedicated public realm ramp. On two of three forms on the south elevation there are a series of 1 in 20 DDA compliant ramps to allow access to the highest level public realm. The circulation is semi-enclosed on the South by a perforated metal mesh wall to protect users from environmental effects and to act as a brise-soleil and mitigate solar gain in the internal volumes. The large glazed facade allows a direct visual relationship between ramp users and the internal distribution mechanisms.

145


146


SOUTH ELEVATION PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

147


148

Ramp from Ground level to public high street realms +2m FFL at 1in20.

Cut part of South elevation external elevated walkway ramps at 1in20 to roof level public realms.

Bridge links to connect public realm roof spaces +8m FFL.

Bridge link to connect public realm roof spaces +8m FFL.

Public realm at Second level. Surface finish to correspond to grid alignment.+8m FFL.

Central public high street realms +2m FFL. Surface finish to correspond to grid alignment.

Wndow shop retail units situated within envelope of warehousing volumes.

Bridge links to connect public realm roof spaces +16m FFL.

Top level public realm to all three masses +16m FFL. Surface finish to correspond to grid alignment.

Bridge links to connect public realm roof spaces +16m FFL.

Elevated walkway link from Second level to top roof spaces at 1in20 +16m FFL.


Full sectional axonometric

Landform manipulation to public realm creating intimacy, level and building form integration.

Active frontage at low levels Views

Ramped route to Hallings from public high street realm to Ground level +0m FFL at 1in20.

Ramped route to Hallings from public high street realm to Ground level +0m FFL at 1in20.

BUILDING DESIGN

PUBLIC REALM DEVELOPMENT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

149


150


PUBLIC REALM & HYDRONICS BRACC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Passive night time illumination. LED, motion activated lightwells are situated at 3m intervals in the public realm areas to allow for a lighting strategy which responds to the 24hr distribution processing below.

Surface water runoff / SUDS. In order to deal with the large amounts of rainfall expected on site, surface water runoff is managed by key planted areas around the scheme. Precast recessed tree planters hang down into the basement to break up the hard public realm and allow the water onsite to drain into the soil basins. A 1 in 60 fall under all areas of hard public realm surfaces towards these key multifunctional landscape elements ensures that water flow is managed and does not lead to flooding or extra pressure on the surrounding passive urban drainage. Large areas of the ground level public realm landscape layout employ a similar tactic, with planted surfaces either naturally planted on the site levels, or in extensive green roof style floor build ups where the landscaping is over the basement area.

151


Public realm integration. As the masterplan employs a landform programme to allow public users to flow up, over, under and between areas of private realm, views and relationships between the connected areas and levels are key. Each high level public realm has handrails directly behind the form’s parapet to maximise roof extents and encourage multi-level activities and vistas. Materiality across all levels is simple yet consistent, allowing a sense of contextuality with the large extents of the scheme and providing key zones of use. The planting, grass and surfacing follow the rigid grid layout of the distribution centre below. Seating in zones is clearly defined, but there are also more free-form geometric elements which can interpreted as public programme dictates.

152


WESTFIELD PUBLIC REALM PUBLIC USE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

153


Central public realms. Where internal streets converge within the public realm, central zones are promoted as multi-purpose public facilities. As daytime window shopping hours cease, the stores’ wares are back projected onto the glazed frontages along with advertisements to allow users to continue their retail interactions in certain areas. Other frontages are given over to public art projects, film screenings and live feeds of the mechanised distribution process behind. LED uplighters run in strips through the spaces, delineating the conveyor runs below and illuminating to depict the latent movement of 24 hour distribution.

154


155


South East public realm. Alternating concrete platforms and areas of grass represent the layout logic of the distribution centre basement below. Column locations from below ground are repeated above ground in the public realm to act as lighting devices and security cameras where required. Seeming almost arbitrary, they divide up the vast hard surfacing into the latent deconstructed structural grid. Planting and trees also follow the layout logic and are laid to break up both hard and soft surfaces, creating dense areas close to the site perimeter to form a sense of enclaved park within the urban grain. The high level goods conveyor runs across this area of public realm with a clear head height of +4m, allowing visitors to view the process of distribution and pass under its mechanisms. 156


157


Office building, shopping and landscaping. The office building is a standalone built form in the scheme, with its shape varying from the other forms on site, but its materiality consistent with all other buildings. Landform areas of grass mediate the site’s level changes and integrate the volumes of the site, street furniture and above ground features into the flows of the public realm. The linear ‘streets’ within the scheme are defined by their consistent use of hard surfacing. Augmented retail units spill out onto this space mixing the definition of public and private space.

158


159


Precedent: Edouard François, Hotel Fouquet, Paris. In the complex and restrictive context of the Haussmann plan area of Paris, the hotel uses a form of computerised camouflage to form a contextual interpretation in a new build development. The intricate detailing of a neighbouring building is duplicated at 1 to 1 scale onto the facade of the hotel.

Context: Bradford’s warehouses. In order to understand the notion of a warehouse (big-box) typology in the context of a detailed historic fabric, studies were made into the existing stock, detailing and material expressions.

Empty site. The contextual relevance of the site has been totally stripped by both the development’s proposals and its failure.

160

The scheme utilises cast and milled concrete panels in order to merge with its context, even though the internal programme of the building is not congruent with this typology.

Little Germany - which once functioned as Bradford’s main woollen warehouing district - was the primary site of investigation to inform the contextual response of the distribution warehouse proposed in this scheme.

Big box. Industrial buildings warrant conditions where long, blank facades are produced to maximise efficiency and cost. This is too banal for such a complex and historic context.

Layering. The requirement for long facades is necessary with this typology, but the subtle duplication and homage to the surrounding context, which is CNC milled from facing brickwork, allows for a direct contextual relationship.


CONTEXTUAL RELATIONSHIPS LOCAL DUPLICATION

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Network. Research identified the key woollen warehouse and civic building feature details in the existing historic surrounding buildings. The duplication of facade detailing corresponds the orientation and proximity of the proposed development’s elevations to that of the existing features. 161


162


3D MODELLING

TAXONOMY OF OPENINGS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detailed components. Modelling all of the proposed period building features which will influence the building’s facade treatment is well beyond the feasible timescale of this project. The 10 most recurrent thematic features from the Little Germany area were modelled in detail, with their proportions adapted to conform to a rigid grid which underlies the whole scheme proposal. These elements are modelled as wall mounted family components, so that they can be rolled out across the whole project quickly and efficiently to give suggestion as to what the actual contextual ideology could represent.

The recesses are developed so that they can be CNC milled as panels in the research, development and manufacture zones of the masterplan, where machinery and skills are utilised in parallel with the development of the project. Each of the detailed panels will be recessed to a maximum of <40mm in order to ensure that standing water on cills does not compromise the lifespan of the construction. The panels will be affixed to brickwork and back to the structural concrete / blockwork structures where acceptable, or installed as a brick slip facade cladding system where appropriate. 163


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3D MODELLING

CONTEXTUAL FACADE DESIGN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The facades of the scheme were analysed to assess the most prescient areas for contextual facade integration. The placement of elements ensures that at key views in and around the site, the visual consistency of Little Germany and the city centre are maintained and/or improved. Wall based detailing, when combined with consistent brick sweeps, subtly breaks up the buildings’ mass in key areas to articulate a Victorian modularity which is present on the vast majority of buildings in the surrounding area. The window framing and the fritting (manifestations) of the glazing around the scheme are consistent with Bradford’s Cathedral and Town Hall.

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SECTIONAL MODELLING BUILDING LAYERING

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In order to explore the complex relationship between the public realm and the private industrial realm below, a 1:100 sectional model was created in timber. The hierarchy of layering in the high level, hard, smooth surfaced public realm is contrasted against the busy, dense forest of conveyors and shelving in the distribution zone. The model explores the key viewing and performative relationships between the two areas, allowing for exploration of materiality in context and it enabled further development of the scheme to imbue more intrinsically linked feedback of processes and performance.

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167


168


169


Arrow indicates structural loading from floor to primary structure

Top Level public access roof - 100mm insulated corus comm floor deck supported on beams at 6m centres. Concerete infill with variable surface finish Public realm raised surfacing - as above

Internal warehouse access deck industrial steel decking with mesh finish, supported on beam structure at +3m FFL.

Internal conveyor systems independant of main structural system

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3D MODELLING

STRUCTURAL CONCEPT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shelving structures at 6m centres to allow structural integration at 12m intervals

305x165x40 UB beams at 6m centres Structural elements support monolithic shelving structures allow for expansion joints at intersections for structural movement 254x254x73 UC columns at 6m centres

Direction of corus comm floor deck integrated structural spans

Existing structural retaining wall to all of basement perimeter to be made good where necessary. Pad foundations (layout TBC) for concrete raft surface structure

Ground condition improvement (vibro-compaction) to allow for thinner concrete raft to public realm (CO2 reduction) External walls pinned back to structure not integral to structure. Freedom of form and design.

Pad foundations (layout TBC) for concrete raft surface structure

171


Layout of large volume structural bays

Structural logic. The typical structural approach to big-box typologies is to utilise an efficient portal frame design for maximum clear span, adaptability and flexibility for internal use and material cost / use efficiencies. Distribution centres typically have the primary structural steel independent from the internal shelving. In the context of this scheme, the programme heavily determines the structural principles and the structural system is designed in parallel with the internal shelving. The shelving as a standalone component represents a well braced freestanding structure. It is proposed that the central junctions between the 6m shelving modules have the building’s primary structure integrated into them, therefore tying the whole structure together into a dense, interdependent network of primary structural elements where the shelving provides the majority of the building’s required bracing. The use of this strategy allows for greatly reduced column size but with much greater frequency. In the three areas where a portal frame style technique is used - for long spanning sloped roof for internal North lighting into the distribution space - deep warren trusses are supported on large columns with triangulated flanges and integrated bracing.

Use of a portal frame would create heavily sloped roof spaces to all areas. As a key feature of the development of the scheme is that the public realm is integrated on top of the built forms, this structural solution is not acceptable. A flat roof is created by short spanning beams between the regularly occurring column placements to allow for public access on top of all of the above ground volumes.

The dense structural framework also allows for the concrete / blockwork brick cavity wall construction to be non-loadbearing, producing highly insulated materiality hung and pinned back to the primary structure.

A strict 6x12m grid which is created by the structural logic has helped to inform many of the scheme’s developmental decisions - from simple brick dimensioning, to landscaping allocation, to elevated walkways for high level access.

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3D MODELLING

STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT BRACC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Typical portal frame diagrammatic logic in context

Diagrammatic logic of structural solution

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Existing ramp into basement area maintained.

Secure automatic gate facility for vehicles.

26m dia. turning area for HGV deliveries.

Safe personell / staff routes Loading / Unloading docking area Goods sorting area Plant

The basement delivery area allows for up to 5 simultaneous HGV deliveries to the facility. The loading bays are raised 1200mm from the service yard FFL to allow dock loading efficiency, safety and ease. The 26m dia. turning circle in this area allows the largest vehicles to turn safely. The area is secured with 1200mm high Armaco barriers to protect staff and the building structure from large vehicle movements. The fire and rescue service can access the basement storage facility via this area. The clear room height of 6.8m is sufficient for this operation. There will be a secured roller shutter access door to the facility for safety and crime prevention. A fire strategy plan assures that the fire authority has dedicated 24hr access to the building with their designated access key. Refuse, prior to collection, is stored to the Eastern side of the service yard to allow for easy collection.

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1 to


VEHICULAR ENTRY PRIVATE USE

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1200mm Armaco. barrier o perimeter of delivery zone.

5x docking locations.

Rear of service yard +1200mm FFL to allow delivery level access.

Warehouse staff facilities and storage.

DDA compliant ramp and stair to lower level service yard.

Staff entry from Ground floor above.

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Distribution data centre area.

Storage area, staff shower facilites, boiler room and cleaners’ cupboard

Staff room, kitchen, facilites and shared toilet area.

Waiting Area

Reception area

Stair and lift circulation core

Assistive passive ventilation to 2x elevations

Main building entry

Stair and lift circulation core Office floor: 35 locations

Meeting room

Assistive passive ventilation to 2x elevations

First Floor Plan. +4m FFL

N

Ground Floor Plan. +0m FFL

Glazed sloped roofing for natural daylight and water pipe heating. Ceiling lighting and electricity distribution concealed in solid roof areas.

Office and meeting area Data centre and facilities

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RDM / STAFF FACILITES PRIVATE USE

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Glazed sloped roofing for natural daylight and water pipe heating.

Ceiling lighting and electricity distribution concealed in solid roof areas.

Office, management and data centre. The triangular form to the North West of the masterplan houses the majority of the staffed functions of the scheme. Secured swipe card access is from the internal side of the ground level public realm area. A lobby and stair core provide access to all elements of this building. Warehouse staff working in the basement enter and go downwards to their facilities and work areas. The ground floor is a semi-naturally ventilated data centre room where servers manage the system’s computerised ordering and distribution mechanisms. A store area and additional accessible WC are situated in close proximity to the main entrance. Staff on the first floor occupy the office and meeting areas from where the whole distribution mechanism is managed and have adjoined kitchen, WC and waiting facilities. The staff oversee ordering, supply control, distribution, delivery, onsite and city wide premises and the research, design and manufacturing associated with the development. The roof features alternating sloped construction - one half is a glare controlled triple glazed roof light structure, whilst the solid areas provide recessed photo-voltaic panels on top of a warm roof construction, with concealed servicing to the lowered ceiling area.

Roof Level Plan.

Stair and lift circulation core

Main building entry

Assistive passive ventilation to 2x elevations

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1. Designated human access routes - Basement.

2. Goods IN - Rail.

3. Basement Goods AWAY - All.

4. Basement Goods OUT - All.

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GOODS ROUTES PRIVATE USE

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Complexity and layout. The structural rationale and parameters for shelving layout determine the routes which are taken by all access elements in the central distribution area. There is a central corridor of flows in the building through which every element in motion must pass in the process of distribution. All delivery, inventory and primary inbound collation occurs at the North end of the basement off the vehicular docking area. The rail inbound goods flow enters from the South of the site at high level then progresses to the North on the highest level conveyor. Low level main tributary feeding conveyor routes send the goods to be automatically picked for their shelving locations. Once ordered, goods are mechanically picked and placed on a mid level conveyor and enter the central flow core. They are sent up the vertical shaft into the cross site conveyor to be either distributed by road to the North or by rail to the South of the site. The human access route in the central flow core is at a high level to allow for goods flow underneath and to permit adequate headroom for users. Position of an item - its possible route from rail in to storage to final road distribution.

5. Above Ground Goods AWAY - All.

Sectional layering of basement conveyor and walkway routes. Spaced to allow maximum spatial condensation and optimised flow.

6. Above Ground Goods OUT - All.

3D Hierarchial layering of basement conveyor and walkway routes. Spaced to allow maximum spatial condensation and optimised flow. 179


Warehousing space. The distribution volumes of scheme are vast to incorporate the sheer amount of stock required for viability. Natural daylighting of the North facing volumes (right) enables energy savings from reduced use of electric lighting. The South elevations of the scheme are fully glazed to their extends in order to allow for direct public interaction with the mechanisms of the distribution centre. Floor surfaces in these areas continue from exterior to interior to further the integration of the two realms.

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Structural Simulation Model

Energy Analysis Model

Structural Model

Concept Massing Walls

Context Model

MAIN MODEL 230,084kb

Worksets

Generic Models Floors Misc Components

Topographical Model

Visualisation Model

BIM Workflow. To develop a large complex project, a structured BIM workflow to manage interlinked files is required. Managing links and updating area or content specific files which represent parts of the larger project allows for efficiency and managability.

In order to control and consistently adapt the c.20,000 components which are embedded into the main project file, competent organisation is needed for ease of navigation and for operability.

WALLS 32,168 m2 Total Surface Area 5,568,284 m Length 234 Modelled Walls 13x Family Construction Types

STRUCTURE 51.53 m3 Structural Steel 5,928,367 m Column & Beam Length 709 Modelled Elements

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3D MODELLING

COMPONENTS LIBRARY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FLOORS 211,302 m2 Total Floor Area 2,1133,028 m Perimeter Length 120 Modelled Floors 8x Family Construction Types

CURTAIN COMPONENTS 13,537 m2 Total Surface Area 4,931 Modelled Glazed Wall Panels, Roof Panels & Doors 10x Family Construction Types

SHELVING 487 Structural Automated Shelving Racks 48,310 Individual Locations (800 x 600 x 600mm) 13,913 m3 Total Automated Shelving Volume

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Traditional Spaceframe Geometry

Triangulated Deep Spaceframe Geometry

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3D MODELLING

ADAPTIVE SPACE FRAME DESIGN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adaptive glazed solutions. The form of the building creates geometries where non-standard, scheduled conponents comprising roof light glazing elements are required. In order to test the suitability of any solution, a series of tests were undertaken to assess the performance of the system. Several adaptive components were developed, with controlled parametric inputs and outputs, and successful elements were able to follow the surface deformations required in the tests. The chosen solution is one which incorporates solar shading, glazing and structural logic. The space frame is constituted from a kit of parts - all of which can be directly scheduled from the family for shop drawings - and structurally spans the required spaces in the optimum way with thin aluminium components. The top triple glazed panes have a sandwiched layer of copper in a perforated mesh to control the amounts of direct sunlight entering a given space (determined by programmatic use). Although the triangulated solution has a refined aesthetic, it was felt that for later integration of services and lighting, the space frame structure would provide an ideal platform for fixture.

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CONSTRUCTION / ENVIRONMENT BRACC POSITION

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Site reuse. The Westfield development failure has created a mass of built, but unused, construction output on the site. The substructure, basement, and site access for the development are integral to the design - their reuse and integration created the parameters for the proposed scheme in order to generate development which would reuse, rather than demolish, and rebuild the existing infrastructure present on the site. The building form was initially driven by this concern, and the output reflects a strict adherence to this sustainable n0tion. Activation of dead city space. Bradford city centre’s built environment is majorly underused, therefore the scale of its infrastructure and its provision of space is not in line with the requirements of the city. The proposal aims to reactivate the voids, in order to make use of the redundant built areas of the city in a pragmatic and sustainably conscious way - instead of redevelopment by demolition and replacement construction. Infrastructural efficiencies of the local distribution centre. The programme of the scheme fundamentally addresses the notion of embodied energy inherent in a consumer based culture. By proposing a network of locally orientated distribution centres (of which this scheme would be one) instead of centrally located motorway nodes, the energy consumption of the manufacture, supply and distribution chain in modern retail consumption culture is greatly reduced. Position. The opportunities for environmental design features could possibly have been explored in greater depth. The presented scheme aims to engage with fundamental design factors of orientation, lighting, shading, ventilation, heating and waste through efficiencies of more traditional practices in order to propose a scheme that is both pragmatic and deliverable. It is believed that the fundamentals of environmental design are more important influences in design development than myriad niche sustainable add-ons, and will have a greater effect upon the building’s energy use and sustainability over time. Designing a building that is correct for its use in context and which has been developed by influencial sustainable design ideologies from the concept stage is key. Issues regarding construction, sustainability, environment and energy are addressed where relevant under their particular BRACC headings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Policies considered for the design. The National, Regional and Local Planning Policies were regarded in addition to current practice guidance. The scheme’s contextual basis is informed by the Replacement Unitary Development Plan for the Bradford District (2005). Bradford City Council’s Development Plan Documents were utilised in conjunction with the city’s Sustainable Design Guide SPD (2006). The design was also developed in accordance with the Secured By Design guidelines, Planning for Crime Prevention SPD (2007) and A Shop Keeper’s Guide to Securing their Premises SPD (2012). Conservation area and heritage asset. The development site is adjacent to the the Little Germany conservation area, where many buildings of outstanding cultural and industrial heritage in Bradford are located, therefore liaison with Little Germany Action Ltd, and an appreciation of the Little Germany Conservation Area Appraisal (2012) is necessary. The scheme is also in close proximity to Grade I, II and II* listed buildings, therefore during the design process, liaisons with English Heritage and the 186

employment of a conservation consultant / architect are paramount to the delivery of a suitable proposal. Approved Documents. Parts of the Approved Documents building regulations are used as a framework to discuss any legislation that had a bearing on the design. Approved Document B – Fire Safety Building Regulations Approved Document Part B: Fire, and BS9999:2008 have been consulted extensively in the design of the building and in this report (see relevant section). Approved Document E – Resistance to Sound Sustainable Design Guide SPD regarding noise states that noise levels must be appropriate for the proposed use. Internal noise levels are required to meet the DPD noise levels and fulfill the criteria for industrial development. The building forms have high dB rated external wall construction types to ensure that industrial noise from the development does not interfere with the public realms or neighbouring city developments. A Noise Impact Assessment will be undertaken which considers the development’s impact on the amenity of adjacent occupiers. Approved Document G and J – Sanitation, Hot Water Safety and Water Efficiency and Heat Producing Appliances Adequate water and sewage infrastructure is required in order to meet future needs without compromising the quality and supply of services for existing users. The new building is serviced by new connections from the local utilities networks. Gas and water is provided to the new development via new metered connections to the existing network. A number of energy and water saving initiatives are also proposed in order to ensure that the demand placed on utilities is significantly reduced compared with the energy and water consumption of the shopping centre previously on the site and the proposed Westfield development. Approved Document L – Conservation of Fuel and Power PPS1 is set out to deliver sustainable development through the planning system. The building is designed to comply with BREEAM ‘Oustanding’ rating, with a view to achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating. It makes maximum use of available energy in order to produce acceptable levels of comfort. Rainwater harvesting and low flush toilets are installed to recycle water on site and minimise surface run off. Passive ventilation is employed to prevent the office and data centre from overheating. A Sustainability Report will be prepared which incorporates a BREEAM pre-assessment, utilities and plant strategies. Approved Document M – Access to and Use of Buildings Core Stategy Policy regarding mitigation of development impacts states that development will not be permitted unless the transport infrastructure necessary to serve it is available. In addition, the Sustainable Design Guide SPD states that new access development must be installed before the building development takes place. The Westfield development, prior to failure, constructed the site access route to the North of the site. This will be made good to enable vehicular access to the site during construction and prior to use. The DDA compliant public access strategy will be implemented and completed before any of the retail units within the masterplan are occupied. A Travel Plan will also be prepared to encourage use of sustainable modes of transport. Security. Natural surveillance is encouraged as the public realm surfaces of


the masterplan are located across multiple levels, with direct view relationships to one another. This allows a public surveillance feedback loop within public spaces. The landscaping strategy incorporates surveillance cameras where necessary in the public realm areas. Private domains are protected by a number of security measures. A centrally managed CCTV system is linked to the city’s police and surveillance support structure. Key card access to the office and distribution centre development ensures that no unauthorised access is alowed. Staff training ensures that awareness of issues integral to the development’s security (such as tail-gating) is paramount. Vehicular access is centrally controlled by a mechanical secured gate system combined with tanoy and CCTV facilities. Communication. Internal tanoy systems in case of alert and emergency are installed across the site in both public and private spaces. Signage for escape, route finding and assistive measures for disabled persons and the hearing and visually impaired are clearly displayed in regard to relevant legislation. Furniture. The health and wellbeing of all users of the development is paramount. Furniture systems for warehouse, office and retail staff and external public realm seating is ergonomically designed in regard to the relevant British Standards. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Transport.

This category ensures that the site encourages sustainable transport methods for the staff. - Cycle storage facilities will be provided for the building users. - The site is located within 200m of public transport. - A travel plan will be developed to ensure that means of transportation with a low environmental impact are encouraged. - No car parking is included in the scheme as the city centre location does not warrant this.

5. Water.

This category makes sure that water use is minimised on site. - Low water consumption devices will be fitted to WCs, showers, taps and urinals. - A water meter with a pulsed output will be installed to allow connection to a Building Management System. - A leak detection system will be installed to alert building managers of major leaks. - A low use irrigation system will be installed to supplement the rainwater collection landscaped areas. - Existing sewers and water mains are connected to, to reduce infrastructural works.

6. Materials.

This category makes sure that material procurement, design and energy use is paramount. - As many major building elements as possible are designed to have a low environmental impact according to the Green Guide Specification. - All timber will be locally sourced and FSC certified. - Protection is provided to vulnerable areas of the building subject to high levels of pedestrian or vehicular traffic to ensure the building’s durability.

7. Waste.

This category ensures that waste from the site is managed in a sustainable manner. - The contractor will develop a Site Waste Management Plan in line with best practice and BREEAM requirements to ensure that the majority of non-hazardous materials from site are diverted from landfill. - Recycled or secondary aggregate will be specified throughout. - The building user guide will feature stringent requirements for waste during the building’s operation.

In accordance with the Bradford County Council’s Core Strategy DPD, the distribution centre is to be BREEAM certified to analyse the building’s performance over nine different categories of environmental sustainability. The aim of the design is to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for the development, which is a score >70%. The following BREEAM categories describe how the design tackles the issue of climate change and resource depletion:

8. Land use and ecology.

1. Management.

9. Pollution.

2. Health and Wellbeing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Legislation Throughout the following document the building is analysed with regard to the legislative framework within which it operates. The relevant Building Regulations Approved Document series, British Standards compliance and other supplementary frameworks are commented on to provide a holistic analysis of the building’s design aspirations and achievements.

This category makes sure that the building is constructed and managed in an environmentally sustainable manner. - A building user guide will be provided – covering operation and the environmental features of the building - so that the end user operates the building efficiently. - Construction site impact will be monitored and minimised where possible. The development will be carried out with adherance to the Considerate Contractors Scheme. - The design process featured detailed site analysis to determine site conditions, ensuring a thorough assessment of the impact of the design. - Various data sets regarding the environmental performance of the building will be assessed and published by a framework of consultants. - Building services are designed to allow for ease of access for maintenance work.

This category makes sure that the health and safety of the public and staff is a priority. - All internal floor area is adequately lit, with motion activated lighting to reduce energy use. - All relevant building areas will have views out. - All internal and external lighting levels will be in accordance with CIBSE illuminance levels. - User control and central management of lighting, heating and ventilation is available. - The building achieves appropriate indoor and outdoor ambient noise levels in accordance with The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. - Internal ambient temperatures are consistent throughout the building’s occupancy.

This category ensures that the proposal’s impact on biodiversity is minimised, enhancing the ecology of the land. - The site re-uses a brownfield city centre location for the development. - Any ecologically valuable features of the site will be protected during site preparation and construction. - The ecology of the surrounding area will be taken into consideration through all stages of design - from the local wildflower species specified in the planting areas to the improved natural landscaping and local tree species.

This category ensures that pollution from the site is minimised. - A flood risk assessment will carried out. - SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) and oil separators will be specified for areas that could be a source for watercourse pollution. - All external lighting is in accordance with the Institute of Lighting Engineers on the reduction of obtrusive light (2005). - The dB rating of external walls will ensure that industrial noise does not pollute public areas in the city.

3. Energy.

This category ensures that energy use on site is minimised. - All external lighting will be energy efficient with daylight sensors installed. - All internal lighting will be energy efficient LED design with motion sensors installed. - Photovoltaic cells will collect energy for use by the building’s night time lighting requirements. -The scheme will reduce nationwide distribution infrastructural energy consumption by creating less embodied energy in the design, manufacture and distribution of goods.

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1. Structural steel curtain wall transom - 100x100mm RHS at 4m centres. Mullions 50x50mm at 1m centres. 2. Triple glazed panel 3900x950mm Low-Emissivity. 3. 40x40mm RHS steel support structure for brise soleil. 4. 1100mm Galvanised painted steel handrail - to comply with Building Regs. 5. Structural walkway ramp. 1 in 20 Gradient - DDA compliant. Pretensioned, precast concrete deck with steel flashing to sides and bottom. Concealed lighting under concrete. Non-slip timber decked floor. 6. 38x100mm Treated timber decking on 38x38mm battens. Bituminous waterproof sealant. 100mm Insulation DPM under. 100mm Precast concrete deck supported on secondary beam system below. 7. Thermal bridge boxing. 4mm Aluminium boxing with DPM and compacted insulation to run around structural steel member, boxed in and sealed at all sides. 8. Perforated steel meshing to extents of South elevation to act as brise soleil and weather protection to walkways. 9. Aluminium roof panel with 50mm compacted insulation. All junctions sealed with rubbarised sealant. 10. Triple glazed low-emissivity roof panel with perforated copper sandwich layer to avoid excessive solar gains. 11. External brickwork wall. Blockwork inner w. DPM to inside of cavity. 50mm compact insulation with 50mm cavity with tray. Ties at 1m centres facing brickwork. CNC brick details fixed to block and hung from 100x100mm RHS. 12. 200mm Precast concrete structural deck supported on secondary beam systems. Finish varies. 13. Stone finished external floor. 80mm Insulation. 100mm site cast concrete deck on compacted stone bedding. DPM runs under. Ground remediation and compacting to form base. 14. Existing basement retaining wall. 600mm site cast concrete with 200mm sandwiched insulation. Steel reinforcement to rear. DPM to external edge. 15. Existing thermal pile foundations 450mm dia concrete. 16. 100mm site cast concrete structural deck with 80mm insulation under and screed finish. Sat on compacted stone bedding. DPM runs under. Ground remediation and compacting to form base. 17. Concrete strip foundations at Southern elevation edge to support overhanging structure.

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CONSTRUCTION / SUSTAINABILITY BRACC

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Call out: Detail above

189


ENVIRONMENT / ENERGY BRACC

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Daylighting and Electric Lighting.

Air Heating and Circulation.

Warehouse lighting . The typology of a warehousing building usually dictates that any penetrations to facades should be avoided as cost efficiency measures, especially those which enable natural lighting as it is not required and may be detrimental to the shelf life of stock. However, the scheme aims to create an urban-grained typological response to mass distribution processes where human interaction and involvement is a celebrated part. Therefore at key junctures, the building’s skin is pierced to allow public views in and light to spill out during the night time. The building’s lighting is minimised to serve only the required processing corridors so that ancillary light is not wasted on shelving. A human detection lighting system is utilised on the axial centres and main human routes around the building, ensuring that energy for lighting is only used when necessary. Electrical lighting in the building is provided by high output LED strips, providing a good working colour temperature of 6500k with upto 90,000hrs lifespan. The energy consumption of this lighting strategy is between 78-90% more efficient than a flourescent alternative (when daylight suppliments the overall strategy). Warehouse HVAC. The full extent of the South elevation is a hanging glazed structure to enable the maximum relationship between passing traffic, pedestrians and the building’s automated contents. This glazed elevation will ensure that the required internal ambient air temperature of 120C is 190

supplemented by year round solar gains. The forms of the above ground buildings have been maximised for their potential for solar gains. The available surface areas of high solar contact have been maximised and combined with highly insulated external wall construction to ensure that any solar heat gain to the building contributes effectively to maintaining the required internal temperature. Whilst assisting daylighting, the extensive North lights to the 3 Southerly buildings will assist in heating the air in the largest volumes of the scheme and will encourage more passive air circulation. A mixture of fresh and recycled air will be passed through the building’s air handling units to utilise the heat energy in the air. This air is distributed throughout the building to achieve 2ACH in the warehousing areas and 7ACH in the vehicle delivery area. High induction diffusers encourage the circulation of hot, fresh air throughout the spaces. The night time and daytime performance of the system throughout the summer and winter varies little. There will be an increased energy demand for winter time to achieve required internal temperatures, but as this is a relatively low requirement (120C) the effects will be minimal. Night time diffuse heating will be assisted by the high mass construction releasing its embodied heat.


LIGHTING & HVAC STRATEGY BRACC

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Natural daylight.

Cool Air

Heated Air

It is acknowledged that environmental engagement with passive heat gain, energy use and lighting could have influenced the scheme design more. However, when the scale of the building, its volume, its 24hr operation and its contextual climate are considered there are few if any additional sustainable resources which could make the building perform more effectively. Highly sustainable efficiency is maintained through the building’s material considerations, its air tightness and its efficient heat and air distribution system. Legislation. The air flow rate for the warehouse complies with CIBSE Guide B:2005, Sections 2.3.11 and 2.3.18 by allowing for 2 air changes per hour by the HVAC system. Building Regulation Approved Document F states that a mechanically ventilated car park must achieve 6 ACH, the vehicular entry area will achieve 7ACH. The target carbon dioxide emissions rate (TER) from the building is monitored and achieved in compliance with Building Regulation Approved Document L2A. The building fabric (U-values) and air tightness also comply with the above document.

191


Daylighting and Electric Lighting.

Air Heating and Circulation. 192


LIGHTING & HVAC STRATEGY BRACC

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Office lighting. The surface area of the roof is comprised of 50% glazed area. The spaceframe’s glazing is South facing and expansive, therefore to reduce solar gains and internal glare, a layer of copper mesh is inserted into the central piece of the triple glazed system. The North elevation of the building has extensive glazing to provide consistent good quality natural lighting into all spaces. Electrical lighting is LED based with a focus on task-orientated lamp lighting systems which are low energy, desk based and user controlled. The ceiling hung lighting is placed where necessary to ensure that the corridor and escape route have a maintained lighting standard. The data centre below requires only minimal motion activated LED strip lighting to allow working light when necessary. Office HVAC. Ducting from the central plant area runs up and into the data centre. The cool 120C recycled air from the warehouse is passed through high induction diffusers to circulate the air throughout the space. Natural ventilation of this area is encouraged by the 700mm high louvred openings which run along the extents of the North and South elevations. When coupled with the assisted ventilation, this system ensures that the hot air produced by the data centre is pressurised by the prevailing wind and elevational air pressure to flow swiftly and consistently from the South to the North of the space. Two systems ensure that the desirable internal occupational temperature of the office space (210C) is achieved. Radiators line the Southern wall of the office; these are centrally controlled by the basement boiler room and supplemented by water piping which runs in the structure of the spaceframe roof and is heated by the sun at its optimum azimuth. The main air control and heating system is located on the Northern side of the space in the form of an integrated cabinet below the glazed facade. A heat exchange unit runs the length of the space controlling air distribution and heating. A Building Regulation guidance air change rate of 4ACH is provided by fresh incoming air from this system.

Legislation. Building Regulations Approved Document F states that an office building requires a fresh air supply rate of 10 l/s per person - this is easily achieved by the 4 air changes per hour permitted by the HVAC system. The target carbon dioxide emissions rate (TER) from the building is monitored and achieved in compliance with Building Regulation Approved Document L2A. The building fabric (U-values) and air tightness also comply with the above document.

Heat Exchange Unit

Exhaust Air

Exhaust Air

Supply Air

Supply Air

Cabinet concealed HVAC supply and exhaust.

Summer cooling. The office space in the summer will achieve much of its required internal temperature from the solar gains and direct sunlighting into the space. Good ventilation will allow the volume to achieve the required ambient 210C. Cool external air will by sucked in through hidden stainless steel ventilation ducts mortared into the facing brickwork by the air handling unit. This will be cooled if necessary by the integrated plant and supplied into the space by the low level supply-air slit. Hot exhaust air is induced into the exhaust-air slit of the cabinet and passed outside through the facing brickwork. During the night time, the high mass construction of the walls and floor will store and re-radiate the day’s gained energy to maintain a comfortable internal temperature when the air circulation system is not operational. Winter heating. Bradford’s climate is relatively cold in the winter time. In order to heat the space to an ambient temperature, the heat exchange unit cabinet will draw in the fresh external air, heat it and circulate it throughout the volume. Once the space is heated the heat exchanger draws the exhaust air and transfers its heat energy to the incoming fresh air, ensuring that the initial heat energy is recycled throughout the system use. Key to the sustainable HVAC energy performance is a stringently enforced air-tightness plan and construction standard, ensuring no heat or energy is lost through inadvertent leakage. 193


BASEMENT PLANT AREAS PLAN 194


SERVICES INTEGRATION BRACC

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N 195


Building Fire Strategy. Fire alarms and detection. There is an electronic alarm system in accordance with BS5839-1:2002 – with manual call points (BS5839-2:1983/BS/EN 54-11:2001) sited adjacent to exit doors and sufficient sounders to be clearly audible throughout the building. Visual warnings for hearing impaired staff in the facilities building are installed in accordance with BS5839-1:2002. Horizontal escapetravel distances: Building Regulations Part 2B Fire. Office Building – One direction 18m. More than one direction 45m. Industrial (Warehousing) Building - One direction 25m. More than one direction 45m. Minimum number of escape routes from; office of <60 staff is 1, warehouse of 60-600 staff is 2. Widths of all escape routes and exits are >1050mm. This allows for safe egress of more than 220 people in all instances. BS9999:2008. Warehousing building constitutes risk profile A2 – where occupants are awake and familiar with the building and storage contents constitute medium fire growth rate. Therefore, maximum travel distances are - One direction 22m. More than one direction 55m. The effect of ceiling heights (Table 16). Maximum permissible increase in travel distance with a ceiling height of 7.5m (>7 but <8m) in warehousing building is +21%. Therefore maximum allowable escape distances are: One direction 26.62m, More than one direction 65.55m.

WATER SUPPLY PLAN - SPRINKLER SYSTEM 196

Office Building constitutes risk profile A1 – where occupants are awake and familiar with the building. Therefore, maximum travel distances are: One direction 26m, More than one direction 65m. The fire strategy plans show in dashed blue the designated escape routes from the human access areas of the building. There may be a rare chance that an operator / mechanic is in the automated zone . The yellow dashed circles show the catchment area of each of the designated protected escape stairs where 2 escape routes are available. The dashed orange circles show the catchment areas of the escape stairs where 1 route is available. It can be clearly seen that all of the building is covered by overlapping yellow catchment circles, therefore at any point in the building it is possible to escape to 2 escape stairs within the maximum allowable travel distance of 65.55m.


FIRE STRATEGY / WATER BRACC

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N 197


Sprinkler plant strategy. To allow the building to have a dedicated, extensive sprinkler system to all areas, there must be provision for large volumes of water storage on the site. It is proposed that the existing Victorian infrastructure - Bradford Beck underground waterway - has a section of its length designated as a water storage and filtration area. This water, once filtered, will be pumped into the sprinkler system through the illustrated pump plant. In case of power failure, the system must remain functional, therefore two diesel powered backup power generators for the pump system and emergency lighting are situated in the plant area for use in emergency. They have a dedicated flue extract for operation.

WATER SUPPLY PLAN - SPRINKLER PLANT 198


FIRE STRATEGY / WATER BRACC

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N 199


Vertical escape. All internal vertical escape routes provide refuge space (>1400x900mm) for wheelchair users outside of the area occupied by escape flow. The escape stairs’ width are a minimum of 1100mm in order to serve a maximum capacity of 220 people. Escape stairs are enclosed by 60 minute fire rated walls in order to provide a fire resistant enclosure. The protected stairways are free of potential sources of fire and fire fighting equipment is situated at these key junctures around the building. There is no requirement for a phased evacuation strategy as all escape stairs serve singular programme areas over one storey. General provisions. All doors situated within fire rated walls and areas of compartmentation are 60 minute fire doors. All fire escape door fastenings have clearly visible signage as to their operation in case of an emergency; these elements are not to be key operated. Escape doors open away from the potential direction of fire risk. The fire resisting glazed elements to the building’s South elevations meet the relevant integrity and performance standards set out by the Building Regulations. The floor finishes to all designated escape routes have materiality which allow maximum grip in wet conditions. Escape route lighting is powered, where applicable, by two alternate power sources in case of failure and are specified and installed in accordance with BS 5255-1:2005. Escape routes are distinctively and conspicuously marked by emergency signs in accordance with the Health and safety Regulations 1996. Protected circuitry for key functions such as escape lighting and sprinkler systems are installed where necessary. No lifts are intended for use in the primary escape strategies and they are contained within protected stairways, provide sufficient smoke wells, approached by protected lobby and have their machinery situated over the lift well. All store rooms are protected in case of fire by automatic fire detection and the building’s sprinkler system.

200

Linings. Construction of building walls, ceilings and floors provide adequate fire resistance where applicable. Typical dry-lining construction of 2x12.5mm fire resistant plasterboard layers provide 1hr fire resistance to all fire rated walls. Materiality of windows, doors and skylights ensure that fire spread is minimised throughout the building. Structure. All load bearing structural elements are protected from fire damage and degradation. The existing concrete retaining wall to the basement has a water-resistant, fire retardant intumescent covering. The structural steel elements are covered with an expanding intumescent paint finish to provide a 2hr fire resistance from degradation and deterioration.


FIRE STRATEGY / BASEMENT BRACC

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N 201


Compartmentation. The building requires no compartmentation from building adjacency, as it has no common walls shared with two or more buildings. Floors dividing the basement and the office programmes, and the basement warehouse and upper public realms, form adequate compartmentation to assure that no fire may spread between areas of distinct use. No compartmentation of direct escape routes in the basement storage area is necessary because of the extent and capacity of the automatic detection system and sprinkler system, and the definite two directional escape routes for all areas. Cavity protection of all external walls is assured by cavity barriers which provide at least 30 minutes fire resistance. Openings / penetrations. All ducting, electrical wiring and RWP/SVP penetrations are provided with a proprietary sealing system, maintaining the fire resistance of any wall, floor or cavity barrier. Fire dampeners are used in conjunction with ductwork to resist additional fire spread. External walls. There are no adjacent buildings within 1000mm of the site boundary, therefore fire resistance of external walls to protect adjacent buildings is not necessary. The buildings in the central public realm areas are more than 1000mm apart and therefore present no direct fire risk to one another. All wall cavities have cavity closures to ensure that external or internal fires have minimised risk of spread. Roof coverings. All roof glazing is >4mm thick and therefore in Building Regulation compliance as an AA (National class) designation. No plastic roof coverings are utilised anywhere in the scheme.

202

Fire mains and hydrants. Fire mains and associated fire fighting shafts are situated at all designated escape stairs from the basement area in order to meet the hose length criteria required by Building Regulations. The rollershutter doors for fire vehicle access to the basement can be operated by the fire service. Basements. Smoke outlets from the basement are concealed at high areas around the perimeter of the area; they ensure that the build-up of smoke and heat does not inhibit the fire and rescue service’s operations. Fire resistance periods. Wall, floor and ceiling constructions all ensure that the building meets the minimum Building Regulations requirements of: 60 minutes resistance for a sprinkler assisted office of not more than 18m height and not more than 10m basement depth / 60 minutes resistance for a sprinkler assisted non-residential (warehousing) building of not more than 18m height and not more than 10m basement depth / 30 minutes resistance for a sprinkler assisted shop of not more than 5m height and not more than 10m basement depth.


FIRE STRATEGY / GROUND+ BRACC

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N 203


Recommended Air Changes per Hour (ACH) for warehousing is 2ACH. Recommended ACH for underground vehicular areas is 6ACH (assume 7ACH for HGVs). The Gross External Built (GEB) volume of the scheme equals: 202, 892m3. To calculate the size of ducting required for the system, the following calculations must be applied:

AIR SUPPLY PLAN - DUCTING, DIFFUSERS AND PLANT 204

High induction diffusers circulate the hot air throughout the building. On the 12m separated runs, they are spaced at 6m centres to allow total air circulation in the building’s large volumes. Two air handling units, combined with ducting runs and intake / extract fans are situated in the HVAC plant area. Dedicated exhaust air (out) and fresh air (in) ducted openings provide ingress and egress for air within the system.


HVAC

BRACC --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N 205


AIR SUPPLY PLAN - HVAC PLANT 206


HVAC

BRACC --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N 207


Fresh water supply. A water storage tank, associated pumps and boilers are located in the Northern plant area of the basement. It is situated at the shortest distance from existing Yorkshire Water main water infrastructure. The supply water conforms to the Building Regulations Approved Document G’s definition of supply as reliable, with sufficient pressure

and flow rate for use and the supplied water is wholesome. The consumption rate, efficiency and boiler performance are monitored from the boiler room’s control station and amended to seek optimum performance.

N 208


HYDRONICS BRACC

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Waste water removal. Foul water pumps connect to the existing Westerm Trunk Sewer infrastructure at the shortest possible distance. Foul is directed down the office service riser and pumped out of the building. All areas are adequately serviced and ventilated in accordance with Building Regulations Approved Document G.

N 209


In order to convey the detailing of a large scheme, 5 key areas of the building have been chosen for investigation. The warehouse to public realm conditions of structure, wall and floor are explored in details A-D. The office building detail E deals with external wall, structure, internal finish and service integration in the context of a brick-based commercial development.

Sectional cut: Distribution centre / central public realm.

Construction sustainability. All timber is FSC certified and sourced locally, with miminal embodied energy. The manufacturing zone associated facility will be responsible for production of site specific elements such as handrails, flashings and bespoke brickwork detailing, reducing the energy inherent in the manufacture and transportation of all such components. Steel and concrete will be supplied by the contractor, by industry as close to site as possible, to ensure that the elements with highest industrial energy use and environmental imapct do not contribute more CO2. 210

Although high in energy, the use of primary steel structure and concrete floors is the most materially efficient structural solution for the building. Steelwork, bricks, insulation and other recyclable materials will, after the building’s lifespan, be re-used within construction projects in and around Yorkshire. High U-Value construction techniques utilising cavity walls and high quality insulation ensure that energy generated for the building is not lost. An air tightness plan is associated with the scheme to ensure that it achieves the best possible energy efficiency over its lifespan.


3D DETAILED FACADE STUDY BRACC

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All materials, in terms of their durability and finish, are specified appropriately to the building’s lifespan, therefore reducing maintenance and energy used in replacement. Modularity and componentalisation are key to the design to ensure that assembly and disassembly are as efficient as possible, and the vast majority of embodied material which forms the scheme can be reused.

211


Detail A: Cavity wall construction / parapet / timber deck roof.

22mm Cedar decking, treated. 25 x 120mm Treated battens at 450mm centres. 38 x 38mm Treated counterbattens at 200mm centres to falls. 100mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation to falls. 100mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation.

Galvanised steel welded handrail. Galvanised steel fixing plate through decking with M10 bolts to battens at 200mm centres. Painted galvanised steel parapet finish wrap 6mm. Facing brickwork fastened to concrete/blockwork at 450mm centres.

Fire-resistant sealant. 2mm Bituminous sealant layer and DPM. 120mm Corus Comm floor structural concrete deck up to parapet. Intumescent coated (2hr protection) structural steelwork.

80mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation. Galvanised steel welded handrail. Galvanised steel fixing plate through decking with M10 bolts to battens at 200mm centres. Painted galvanised steel parapet finish wrap 6mm.

Detail B: Timber deck roof / parapet / glazed unit head.

Facing brickwork fastened to concrete/blockwork at 450mm centres.

80mm Extruded Polystyrene. 50mm cavity with DPM lining and concealed 30mm dia. RWPs. Facing brick reveals fixed with L section coated steel sections.

100mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation to falls. 100mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation. Fire-resistant sealant. 2mm Bituminous sealant layer and DPM. 22mm Cedar decking, treated. 25 x 120mm Treated battens at 450mm centres. 38 x 38mm Treated counterbattens at 200mm centres to falls.

120mm Corus Comm floor structural concrete deck up to parapet. Electrical casing and ductwork fixed to structural deck. 2 x 12.5mm painted and sealed plasterboard celing finish with recessed lighting Intumescent coated (2hr protection) structural steelwork. Triple glazed window units to provide 0.1kW U-Value 50mm cavity with DPM lining and concealed 30mm dia. RWPs and cavity weep tray. Window recess - galvanized steel lining 2mm with compact inulation and DPM.

212


100mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation.

Stone floor external finish tiles 450 x 200mm non-slip etched with water sealant joints.

Galvanised steel support legs for flooring finish at 225mm centres.

Triple glazed window units to provide 0.1kW U-Value

External window cill: 6mm treated aluminium to match frames. Fire-resistant sealant. Softwood timber packing.

Detail C: Glazed unit base / public realm stone floor / internal floor.

20mm machined hardwood cill. 30mm Screed: Internal finish TBC.

30mm Precast concrete fixing floor plate. 2mm Bituminous sealant layer and DPM. 38 x 38mm Treated battens at 150mm centres 120mm Corus Comm floor structural concrete deck. 220mm Corus Comm floor structural concrete deck. 50mm cavity with DPM lining and concealed 30mm dia. RWPs and cavity weep tray.

100mm Extruded Polystyrene insulation. Fire-resistant sealant. 2mm Bituminous sealant layer and DPM.

Facing brickwork fastened to concrete/blockwork at 450mm centres. 220mm Corus Comm floor structural concrete deck. 50mm cavity with DPM lining and concealed 30mm dia. RWPs and cavity weep tray.

Steel U-section to support window cill finish. 2 x 12.5mm painted and sealed plasterboard wall finish to conceal electrics.

Structural blockwork unfinished to inside of warehouse. Galvanised steel support legs for flooring finish at 225mm centres.

Detail D: Cavity wall / public realm stone floor.

30mm Precast concrete fixing floor plate.

Stone floor external finish tiles 450 x 200mm non-slip etched with water sealant joints.

213


E

Sectional cut: RDM office / data centre.

1. Warm sloped roof construction: 30mm PV tiles. 2mm Bituminious layer with DPM. 120mm Extruded polystyrene insulation. 100mm Corus comm floor structural concrete deck roof sat on rimary steel structural elements. Rain water runoff to concealed gutter and RWP on South of roof. 1A. Space frame glazed roof: Triple glazed unit with perforated copper layer for minimised solar gains. 7075 Aluminium structure bolted to steel Z sections fixed to primary steel structural elements. 2. Ceiling void: Concealed structure, electrical routing and ancillary ducting. Lighting fixtures recessed into 2x layers 12.5mm drylining, sealed and coated with intumescent fire resitant paint to provide 1hr resistance. 3. Cavity wall construction: Facing stretcher bond brickwork with weathered joint for rain water runoff. 50mm Cavity with 50mm Compact insulation. Double triangle wall ties with plastic clip retainers for insulation. Internal blockwork finished with 2x layers 12.5mm drylining, sealed with movement joints and paint finish. 4. Glazing units: Triple glazed low-E panels at 1m centres. Lintel construction: Cavity tray DPM with insulation wrap to bottom of brickwork. Weep holes in brick for cavity runoff. Concrete spanning lintel for structure, pinned to primary structure at 6m centres. 5. Concealed heat recover and ventilation wall: Facing brickwork with 50/35mm stainless steel ventilation duct with welded ties mortared 214

in masonry joints. Ventilation plenum on cavity tray DPM, insulation wrapped under. Cavity and reinforced concrete wall with 700 x 280mm recesses for ventilation air flow. Ventilator cabinet with 18mm medium density fireboard and 33mm acoustic insulation on square section steel supporting structure. Heat recovery and ventilation equipment to provide heat recovery in winter and ventilation in summer. 6. Structural concrete floor: 200mm Corus comm floor deck with 30mm screed finish and raised flooring for electrical servicing to desks on 50mm steel supports bolted to concrete base. Intumescent fire protection paint to underside of slab to provide 1hr resistance. 7. Data centre louvred ventilation: 7075 Aluminium louvred openings to 2x elevations to allow naturally assisted ventilation of area. Details of lintel and base as per 4. 8. Insulated floor slab: 100mm Hardcore with 25mm sand blinding under 200mm concrete slab floor. 700mm Deep raft foundation to line of primary structure. 100mm Extruded polystyrene insulation. DPM under insulation to be wrapped under overhanging DPC. 30mm Screed floor finish painted with durable finish. Masonry wall above has cavity tray and DPC at +150mm for cavity water egress and external flooding protection.


3D DETAILED FACADE STUDY BRACC

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Detail E: Office building cut.

1 2

1A 3

4

5 6 7 3

8

215


DAILY HOURS WORKED

20

15

12

9

6

3

0

27 28 29 30 31

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

OCTOBER NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

DAILY TASK HOURS DISTRIBUTION

Daily Total Hrs Worked

Scoot Nation

Strides

Lectures

MakeLab

TA IT Sessions

Meetings

Reviews

Tutorials

Modelling

DAILY HOURS WORKED

20

15

12

9

6

3

0

27 28 29 30 31

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

OCTOBER NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

DAILY WORKING HOURS DISTRIBUTION

400

350

300

PROJECT HOURS

250

200

150

100

50

0

216

PROJECT TASK

PROJECT TASK / PROJECT TIME DISTRIBUTION


6TH YEAR PROJECT TIME DISTRIBUTION APPENDIX

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24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

FEBRUARY

g

Scheme Drawings

MARCH

Sketch Design

Site Analysis

Thesis Doc Writing

APRIL

Note Writing

Reading

Research

Project Launch

Travel Award

Prof Prac

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Potential Hrs: 4488

Total Hrs Worked: 1321.5

APRIL

As an exercise in data collection, a project timesheet was completed for each day of study throughout the duration of the 6th year. Project specific tasks, reviews, development categories and extra curricular work - magazine design, Travel Award, IT Skills workshops and practice work - were collated in terms of hours worked. During study time, the data was analysed to assess where time had been, or had not been, spent proportionately. These organisational practices enabled consistent time management and planning for deadlines. The graphs above show the ebb and flow of working priorities of a 6th year student, with heavily front loaded research leading towards intense drawing, document and model production. In total, 1321.5 hours were worked across the total 187 possible days of the academic year. 17 Full days were not worked, equating to a mean average work time of 7.07 hours per day.

WORKING HOURS

Days O: 17

Total Days: 187

DOWN TIME

217


218


6TH YEAR PROJECT TIMESHEET APPENDIX

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219


220


221


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