2portfolio

BA Architecture Stage III Portfolio 2 0 1 3 - 4 Newcastle University SEBASTIAN J

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DESIGN Year Design Report 03

Thin Spaces 04 Technology

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Learning Journal/Summary

Separate Document

Film

Separate Disc

Can Ricart 34

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Contents

Charette 58

New / Improved work

NON-DESIGN Modules

Architectural Technology (Can Ricart)

ARC3013

Separate Document

Professional Practice and Management

ARC3014

Separate Document

Principles and Theories of Architecture

ARC3015

Separate Document

Dissertation in Architectural Studies

ARC3060

2nd Year Portfolio

Separate Document

Separate Document

Year Design Report

Overall

Efficiency and productivity have been key focusses for me this year. The more efficient use of online resources (not repeating needless tasks), increasing computer program knowledge (shortcuts and effective methods), improvement of organization (mainly by use of the Learning Journal) and reduction of slow or ineffective practices (such as using too many representational methods) have been the most important.

Work/life balance has been critical. It is tied directly into efficiency, and vice versa. On the whole, I have embraced more extracurricular activities in order to broaden my interests and skills, which have aided my projects with fresh eyes given time taken off, as well as novel ideas given outside influences. I look forward to taking this principle into practice.

The relationship between building and site has been an important progression from second year’s (in hindsight) relatively shallow analysis. Understanding deep social issues within Thin Spaces; realizing the remnants of physicality within Newcastle which are not catered for by the existing urban fabric, in Can Ricart tying down and responding to local social and regional historic pressures whilst accommodating an ever shifting city.

I have learned to process site information, and from that foundation, compose a holistic multi-faceted project consisting of technological, social, historical, and conceptual elements at a much greater complexity than before. From here, I would like to simplify my projects further, whilst responding to a greater array of more complex elements, developing what I have achieved this year.

Thin Spaces The Thin Spaces project tasked us with studying density within the city. A rigorous schedule of film, notational drawings and conceptual development guided a response which considers and acts on the effects of pressure within an increasingly cramped city.

I feel that Thin Spaces taught me the most out of my (admittedly numerically limited) projects this year. By selecting a project which focussed on graphics and drawing, my main weaknesses in architecture, as well as conceptual and developmental rigour, I was able to greatly improve the relevant fields. It has allowed me to end the year with a stronger portfolio, and revealed new fields within architecture as well as general artistic interest. As learned in second year, taking risks and confronting weaknesses is crucial to progress, and though it is an overused phrase, there can be more taught by failure than success. For example, my initial notational drawings, interpretations of a produced film on density and a crucial stage of the project, were weak and two-dimensional, despite being conceptually ideal for development. Later, I found an additional element to flesh them out, allowing the project to take a path based on a stronger foundation. Having made more conventional drawings would have resulted in a project of lesser depth

and holistic merit. When to move between phases was important, leading to a wholesomely developed project.

On account of its focus, the project has greatly assisted the honing of a personal graphical and design style whilst giving me a more consistent approach to design, graphics and development. This was aided greatly by my consolidation of a Learning Journal – I treated it as a weekly ‘mini presentation’, to make myself produce high quality graphics and an infallible development ‘audit trail’. The graphics themselves aided the final presentation, as their framework can be used. Maximising output per input has been crucial this year, and I expect learning to achieve this will prove invaluable in practice.

One point I have always needed to improve is my development visibility and visual quality – excessive use of tracing paper, as I used within Can Ricart and to a lesser extent Thin Spaces, meant progress happened, though it was difficult to review, especially in context of the ‘big picture’, and little of what was used could be assimilated as part of a final presentation, again harming my efficiency and final product. Using the Learning Journal, forging a rigorous process from concept/ site analysis to form generation became simple, as I could constantly refer to well archived work. This was essential to such a development driven project. Even whilst in practice, I hope to still keep a strong record of my development: within weekly reviews, I found it invaluable for explanation of design decisions and progress. Design ‘dead ends’ are also easier to confront, as going back to an earlier phase simply requires looking back at the Journal.

Though I have improved greatly from Can Ricart, the final presentation could have been more consistent in style in the context of development, especially regarding line drawings, though it was consistent in itself. In the future, continuing the Journal wholly until the end will allow me to better view the final presentation in the context of all of my development.

More consultation with tutors would be beneficial, as they see little of the final presentation before the day, though as I will be in practice soon the emphasis needs to be on self-guidance. When referring to the Journal, I also consider it interchangeable with and a cause of many organizational improvements and tightening of my workflow, for example I am able to start work when an idea arises because a framework exists for me to do so effectively within the context of earlier development.

Better technical resolution was a criticism during the final crit. The most ambiguous and unusual (moving) areas have been covered extensively and in a way which illustrates the scheme whilst providing additional information on the site as a nervous system. Despite this, still areas would juxtapose and enhance perception of the moving areas if they were better detailed. Again, this illustrated the importance of taking a step back and realizing the wider picture whilst finalizing details; in this case it was important to fully detail the project. I

have made amends to this for the portfolio, and in the future will remember to address macro and micro scales simultaneously; working between scales frequently and completing them at a similar rate.

One of the key umbrella benefits of this project for me was confidence. As I was able to run an intense and highly productive (in quality and quantity) project for all of the stated reasons, especially producing items of a much higher visual and conceptual quality than I have before, I was in turn confident to work in manners unusual to me. Thus, something of a snowball effect emerged. My boundaries are broader than expected, and this project has shown me the importance of continually pushing them, something I have been following since the end of second year, started by following techniques and designs which I truly enjoy. Working in practice, I will try to place myself in positions where I am stretched and give me new and stimulating experiences.

Can Ricart

Can Ricart was originally built in 1855 to house a textile factory. A number of extensions and demolitions, often unsympathetic to the original, were made over the years.

The structure is now a thick shell, awaiting occupancy.

The brief required us to create an intervention which would make use of the existing disused husk, importantly defining a design approach to the relationship between old and new, particularly regarding preservation, alteration and restoration. As a result of such a potentially variable approaches, I rooted my project in what was definite, most specifically the existing relationship between the site and the surroundings, especially the local people.

Due to the social value of the Can Ricart structure, the first rule I made was to ensure the construction caused as little disruption as possible to what existed. I drew up protective macro, miso and micro level guidelines; respectively to emulate Can Ricart, to emulate and defer, and then to juxtapose, in order to ensure its classical, heavy atmospheric dominance.

The value of self-imposed absolute rules, which create the basic parameters for the project, were thus crucial to this scheme. This approach proved successful in limiting my design to feasible, effective solutions from the beginning, promoting efficient and directed work. At the same time, this did lead to a level of stagnation in the middle of the project as the design began to hit dead ends, and therefore less complex but more rigorous initial guidelines would have yielded a greater quantity of high quality work and design decisions. Before admitting the dead end, I spent too long adjusting an ineffective design, which I have always been prone to do. As I was taught in second year, I changed medium and found a new solution – though in the future, I will endeavour to realize this faster. For this, it is as important to keep a good track of the project as a whole (perhaps reviewing it weekly) as it is to have humility in admitting failure.

considered as concept, were inviolable in the eyes of critics and tutors. This is largely valuable and important, contributing to the authenticity of a structure, though I feel what would be ultimate user experience can be sacrificed for the sake of a simpler or more pleasing representation, be it a plan, section or graphic. Thus, limitations and advantages of the ‘big image’ focussed architecture, which is gaining prominence under names like Bjarke Ingles’ BIG were shown. A complex scheme with many components, which I believe would positively contribute to user experience, is required by the constraints of presentation to be timely and minimal, which was not entirely in line with my final approach. I look forward to understanding more of the relationship between competition winning presentation material and user experience in my year out in practice.

Conversely, the efficacy of concise, clear and consistent graphical work (prominently within my feedback sheets) was shown, important for communicating concepts effectively and quickly. The importance of considering and building up presentation material from the beginning of the project became obvious, as well as effective condensation. In the next project, Thin Spaces, I remedied this by keeping a Learning Journal, as I had last year: a formatted and concise booklet containing all development. This allowed me to quickly draw from it, and create a clear development narrative, also allowing me to fill in any obvious gaps before forming a final presentation.

By using a multitude of programs (Autocad, render programs, Photoshop, Sketchup) as well as handwork to do essentially similar jobs, I learned how to cross between platforms quickly, whilst producing a presentation which reflected this inefficient workflow, as well as inconsistent style. Fortunately, the Christmas break meant that I could improve the project, whilst having learned from my previous actions, and the Thin Spaces project allowed me to prove my progress.

Charette

Charette has always been an excellent opportunity for me to speak to more experienced students. This year has been especially useful in meeting people for advice regarding placements and further architectural education, regarding deadlines, points to focus on, skills to improve (Revit), and getting feedback on practices they had been in.

Now being in 3rd year, I am a student of relative experience. Despite the fact that it has been only 2 years, speaking with the first years lends a fresh set of ideas and mindsets. For example, within the project, one of our freshest colleagues offered our main concept of photography, and recording each student, later pinning up all the collected faces for them to see together. In a similar vein, I hope to bring vitality in the placement year ahead to whichever firm I enrol with.

I found my earlier requirement of concrete ground rules (e.g. do not touch existing structure), which might be

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FIGHTING PRESSURE

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Thin

Spaces are especially prominent in Newcastle. Urban voids are formed by disuse and the city’s pronounced topography, as well as layers of conflict: use, history and ownership cultivate rich (often intense) spatial and emotional experiences for users.

The Thin Spaces brief prompted the exploration of density in the city: a result of land management, drive for profit and a shifting cityscape.

Expanse of distant, clear surroundings allows the user to project themselves outward, and to be comfortable with / transcend their locality.

Beginning the exploration of density with a firstperson film allowed the experience of the user to be conveyed.

A close, convoluted, tight area can force us to retreat inward to our baser instincts of fear, as we become the focal point of our own environment.

Disorientation, fear of being lost / watched.

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The produced film portrayed density through contrast between the Thin Spaces and open spaces, notably the opening view from The Baltic (Flour Mill).

The alleyways now act as a void in every sense: an invalid and uncanny (subconciously repellent) area of the city in people’s minds, as well as a repressed space, a spare area for services and undesirable products of living. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYIUkyhSP-c

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A model was built which embodied discovered concepts and collated ideas.

Burning: decaying layers of ownership/materials into a degraded whole, the Thin Space.

A central core was first cast with various elements, including wire, paper, pillar elements, plaster powder and water. This allowed the model to represent the various influences that the thin spaces of interest contain: in reality, the many building owners with many intents, forming a necessary but unplanned space.

Fire: instinctual experience for users.

Burnt out core suggests general negative attitude towards that.

The pure exterior, supported by the decayed core the situation of the Thin space and the facade.

Trapdoor: allows users to go ‘down the rabbithole’ - to see what is usually hidden. Within the viewing box reminiscent of the Baltic’s.

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In Ettiene Jules Maurey’s work, a fixed camera portrays the motion of a moving figure through photographs moments apart. Thus, a user-fixed camera allows layered images to convey emotion and atmosphere as the individual perceived it.

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Images of the burned model were abstracted, producing stark circular ‘wind roses’ which are overlaid to suggest the direction of peripheral perception, particularly fear of the unknown.

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Baltic - little peripheral infor- mation, clear local perception

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- Regular geometric space and contrasting dark surroundings

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- Darkness catches up, focus is incoherent to user

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The body and city compared: Each consists of similar spaces (Thin Space comparable to and invokative of primal and instinctual behaviour, i.e. a reflex action).

Repressed spaces are as much a part of the city as fear and pain are part of life - should the space really be ‘solved’? Despite this, instinctual behaviour largely has negative connotations in modern society.

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SOCIAL CONTEXT

PROGRAMME

Stifling service industry & high speed life replace working class. Remnants of physicality are repressed, but exist within Newcastle.

The structure must facilitate the confrontation of repressed instincts. Appropriately, this can happen within a repressed space.

Alcoholism and violence are traced to this as escapes and reactions. The novel & film Fight Club represented a response which allowed people to confront aggression.

It will facilitate a user’s journey into a progressively more chaotic atmosphere, as in the notational drawings, until the journey culminates in the ultimate confrontation, physically fighting with another individual.

After having fought, the journey will continue to allow the user to understand the fight, instinct or Thin Space, in its context of broader life, conscious and unconscious thought or the city; reflecting on their experience.

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In motion ACTIVITY

Hinge

Turning the site into a nervous system - fighter’s actions are carried from a platform connected to a system of tensile steel cables across the site.

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VIOLENCE/CRIME

HIGH SPEED LIFE

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The site selected contains a clash of elements: clear, rectilinear geometries merging into a degraded whole. A tall office block and a retaining wall form a dark Thin Space, one which is pinned in entirely by layers of transport and other aspects of a chaotic city life. Locally, drinking establishments fuel people’s escapes, and an abandoned brutalist high level walkway awaits use. The site was used for many of the film’s scenes.

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SEEKING ESCAPE

FALSE OPPORTUNITY

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DANTE’s DIVINE COMEDY A B C D E F

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Dante, lost in the woods (life) Found by his companion, Virgil Begins descent into Hell. Progressively more chaotic, inward focus Central Hell, confrontation (not repression) of fear Purgatory - progress is only made in the light of God. Reflection on past sins Heaven - going beyond the physical form, soul’s ascent to God/enlightenment

Fight Club’s structure does present a number of programmatic solutions and a framework given my current discoveries, but it does not offer a balance.

Thus far, as is in Tadao Ando’s work there is no dark without light, I have observed that there is no Thin Space without a tall surrounding structure, similar to the body’s concomitant anger and happiness.

Opposites define one another, and thus Dante’s Divine Comedy offers a more wholesome structure: a journey of self discovery, from facing fear to enlightenment.

FORM GENERATION

H E AV E N

P U R G AT O R Y

H E L L

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DEVELOPMENT MODELS

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DECONTEXTUALIZED STRAIGHTENED SECTION

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OUTWARD RESTING AREA 1m 5m

Exit is to a secluded forested area, usually with no inhabitants nearby.

DESCENT

The journey in context: Note the tower, pushing out of the triangle of negative influences. The tower itself is a warped thin space, in which the (hydraulic) lift operates, out of which the users step to arrive at the contemplative area - Heaven.

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Vibrating wire nervous system takes motion of fight chamber and catches attention of user at edge of site - user can chose to follow sound and vibration down the rabbithole

ENTRY From being lost in the woods, following the vibrations of the wire nervous system from the fight chamber, visitors will encounter a metal system of the same kind, a handrail surrounding an initial area (red). A plate will make contact with the concrete, tapping incessantly, beckoning them onward.

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Visitors may change here. The path begins a slow descent, but increases in pitch and chaotic form.

Beneath the metal plate, bracing beams are welded. These are in turn attached to tensile steel cable, which is attached to the walkway above.

Past the changing area, a last look back before entering Hell

The fight chamber from afar at day

FACING INSTINCT The atmosphere becomes more chaotic, dischordant and peripheral as the user descends further. Having turned a corner, they can see the fight chamber.

Plates are now suspended on wires, hung off steel beams jammed between the walls, and clash with one another noisily. Within the chamber, the user realizes they are surrounded by mirrored plates, matte plates, and white plates, each positioned to

increase the chaotic nature and highlight the fight.

When the user joins the fight, they are put upon a platform by comrades, rather than being put into a sunken, spectator-style pit. This requires participation.

Finally, the fight is over. As the fight ends, the atmosphere stills, and the exit above to ‘purgatory’ becomes apparent.

Structure, below, at night

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Ascent to Purgatory - climbing the gap

REFLECTION The visitor reaches purgatory. Seperated physically by a cantilever, the tip is mobile and shaky, though it becomes more steady as they progress. Individual seating areas exist, though these are replaced by group areas where people can help oneanother with bandages and first aid. At this point, the structure is kept steady by a system of pins (into the rear wall of the bridge) and hanging wires, lending better stability.

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As in Dante’s Divine Comedy, progress is only made in the light of God in purgatory - therefore, here progress can only be made by cooperation.

Opening out into the group dynamic after a period of self reflection allows an appropriate shift of emotion and mood, in preparation for attendance to ‘Heaven’, or the contemplation area.

The first room of Heaven - preparing to face the broad city

Exit - back into the woods of life, but with understanding

ASCENDANCE The visitor reaches the lift to higher consciousness.

Stepping inside, it is a smooth hydraulic lift which can only be taken to the top. The structure has become solid and rectilinear.

Leaving the lift, they are confronted by the first room. This helps them to prepare to face the broad city and the deconstruction of the room around them. The crisp shadows and light suggest the

symbiotic and inevitable thin space and tall city, the instinctual and the spiritual, the physical and ephemeral.

When they are ready to leave, the lift will take them to the exit. Resembling a boat landing plank, it releases them from their journey into an uninhabited section of Newcastle, a wooded area, in an unremarkable fashion back to their lives.

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Plans illustrate the lower density at the Heaven level, and the higher pressure & density at the Hell level.

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Entry, Changing & Descent 30

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TECHNOLOGY

Fighting on the chamber platform sends vibra-

FIGHT AREA: HELL

tions across the site, also used in the initial contact with users of the structure, through a system of cables. CHSs are fixed to each wall, allowing fixation or limited wire movement, in order that the fighters are given an appropriate (neither excessive nor insignificant) level of structural movement.

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Ball bearings surrounding an inner fixed CHS allow an outer CHS to move smoothly, responding to the wire’s movement. A spring is also attached to the outer CHS and the wall fitting, to limit the movement of the wire and hence the fighters’ platform.

CABLE NERVOUS SYSTEM

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BARCELONA

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an Ricart approach & site model. The clock tower is the first point of contact, and the site is surrounding by growth and towering development: increasing density.

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chemical industries).

Its transformation during the last150 years mirrors the history of the area, once the biggest industrial concentration of Spain

Materiality & features

Can Ricart was built in the 1850s as a textile factory, during the frst stage of intensive industrialization in the NE of the city The building was repeatedly expanded throughout its history, up until the 1980s, as it progressively turned into a small industrial complex hosting a heterogeneous and changing collection of workshops (including metal, cultural, glass and chemical industries).

Its transformation during the last150 years mirrors the history of the area, once the biggest industrial concentration of Spain

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an Ricart was originally built in 1855 to house a textile factory. A number of extensions and demolitions, often unsympathetic to the original, were made over the years. It is offset from the traditional Barcelonan Cerda grid, characteristic of its historical and spatial significance within the local area. The structure is now a thick shell, awaiting occupancy.

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Materiality & features

The brief required us to create an intervention which would turn it into a workshop and exhibition/parade route for La Machine, a French theatre collective focussed on the creation of giant mobile devices and puppets. Importantly, the structure should define a design approach to the relationship between old and new, particularly regarding preservation, alteration and restoration. La Machine images from: http://www. lesmachines-nantes.fr/en/machines-de-l-ile/the-company-la-machine/

Local pressures, flows and interests - potential connections 1:1250

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Dynamism of Clock Tower 1:300 Section - Existing atmosphere and light qualities: potential workshop/exhibition block. Dynamic/focal point of site: Clock tower The identity of Can Ricart is fragile. Locals frequently protest against its development whilst masterplans propose increased density and height locally.

In a city as adaptive and fluid as Barcelona, the site needed to be useful in the context of a developing

PRE-CERDA GRID: VIEWPOINT (Can Ricart visible from everywhere)

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area where space will become scarce. It needed to justify its existence. Therefore, a structure had to be conceived that respected the existing whilst not compromising the requirements of the brief; that is to create a functioning base for La Machine’s exhibitions and fabrication, whilst integrating the changing relationship between the site and city, and

CONTEXT ALTERED: No longer dominant. +DENSITY. Needs clearing.

preserving the character and physical nature of the structures. As a result of potential developments within 20 meters of the site, preserving identity was especially crucial.

Wavering identity (local development)

Solution: BUILD DOWN

DEMOLITION / NEW CIRCULATION

(FOR REORIENTATION)

DYNAMISM OF CLOCK TOWER REORIENTATION OF REDUNDANT FACADE PROPOSED MASTERPLAN DEVELOP. The Clock tower acts as a pin within the mechanism of Can Ricart. It is rooted in the proposed new focal area of the site. As a beacon for Can Ricart, the clock tower is a point people follow and aim to reach the base of, so the new focal area (green) made sense on many levels - the old facade (pink) is now redundant, especially considering potential development areas (grey).

Can Ricart has fallen behind its expanding context, and bringing it back was important to the protection of this treasured site. Its identity can be preserved better by an intervention which adds use and relevance, but does not detract from the existing by presenting a visually and spatially competitive design solution.

Demolitions are required to create a connection across the site, making it more accessible and clearer to navigate: a better public space.

Clock tower only entity seen from many viewpoints - most dynamic object to the individual.

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CRANE INTEGRATION Dramatic entrance of La Machine products Enhances dynamic clock tower Prevents requirement for demolition of walls to permit movement Sense of reversibility / reconstructability of the project for locals & assistance during actual construction Heavy lifting and general work within workshop much easier Acts as a ‘flag’ of first contact to suggest the elements produced by La Machine, something to follow to the base of the tower.

Studio: Thought Small Workshop: Scaled Making Large Workshop: Making Deployment and Return area: Ceremony start Exhibition area: Public review The whole process runs around the pin of the machine, that is to say the dynamic clock tower.

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down g n i g E: dig D A C A ED F T N E I REOR e h t o t onds p s e r better d n a FARE H G U THRO s e d i v o ich pr h w n io irculat c w e n ating r e n e G

Visitor centre, exhibition space, amphitheatre, amenities and plant room accommodated under the Can Ricart structure.

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MACRO STRUCTURE & LANDSCAPE GRID 42

A basic grid taken directly from Can Ricart was overlaid with a circular one, in order to consolidate and transform the earlier thoughts of dynamism and the clock tower’s importance into a design motive.

The grid acts as a buffer, as well as a kind of calling card, to the increasingly prominent surroundings.

MESO/MICRO STRUCTURE GRID Closer to the centre, it was important to give each function a directional geometry appropriate to its use, as well as to clearly define the original Can Ricart structure through juxtaposition (as the structure is now apparent, being physically present and visible to users).

As everything is underground, it offers a clear difference between old and new, whereas the wider surroundings dilute its identity, hence the macro strategy of replication. Therefore, for example, the amphitheatre centres around the La Machine parade deployment area (below).

The grid offers a protective circle of greenery, though this needs to defer to the central clock tower and Can Ricart structure.

Therefore, trees which become progressively shorter toward the tower offer a boundary and counter to the outside, pushing a ‘buffer grid’ which replicates

Can Ricart’s, whilst beckoning people inward with the suggestion of something central.

As the sectional model illustrates, this is carried to the underground structure as a lighting method, and one to join it to the outside to aid user orientation and comprehension of the site.

The Cafe area directly takes users to the tower (view area) in its circulation:

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GROUND FLOOR 44

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1. Bar 2. Kitchen & canteen 3. Workshop small projects area 4. Workshop large projects area 5. Stage - performance area 6. Toilets 7. Display area 8. Plant room 9. Exhibition space 10. Information centre 11. Box office 12. Cloakroom 13. Screening area 14. Amphitheatre 15. Machine/crane dropoff space 16. Cafe indoor seating

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17. Outdoor cafe area 18. Stairs to observation area 19. Design studio & management office

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FIRST 46

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Section D-D Rear ramps, tunnel, amphitheatre, information centre & box office, left to right.

0m 10m

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Section C-C Entrance, exhibition centre and performance stage, left to right.

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Throughfare view

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Entrances highlighted - the only rise from the ground level

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View of workshop from design area

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View of amphitheatre and main entrance from cafe

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Shading & old meets new

MATERIALITY A relatively high proportion of primary structure; concrete and steel, reflects the heavy and honest nature of the structure within this project, designed to make intervention obvious. New materials which juxtapose and are obviously in contrast with the existing are used to emphasize and protect the identity of Can Ricart.

Below the ground level (black), much of the construction exists. Concrete would prove to be a key material as it is relatively simple to support exist-

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ing structures upon (strong under compression), and appropriate for taking the pressure of the surrounding earth.

Furthermore, Spanish construction companies are highly competent in concrete’s construction as a result of common usage, which also reflects its appropriateness for the climate - exposure to bright sunlight makes a dimmer, grey material acceptable, in stark contrast to the reputation of brutalism in the UK.

The material also has high thermal mass and durability. Going underground also has the advantage of reducing the surface area of walls exposed to the air, which in Barcelona is commonly of high temperature. The ground maintains a much more constant, and lower, temperature, allowing structures within it to remain cooler. Underground spaces offer ample opportunity for shading and protection from Barcelona’s conditions.

PRIMARY - Existing structure

TERTIARY - Overhead glass (without seal) TERTIARY - Spider joints TERTIARY - Glass wall PRIMARY - In Situ concrete slab (w/ insulation - detail later

SECONDARY - Aluminium frame PRIMARY - Steel reinforcement

TERTIARY - Lockers and seating

SECONDARY - Aluminium info centre facade frames TERTIARY - Fitted glass PRIMARY - I-Beam columns: Steel I-beams are used throughout the site to lend support to existing structures which have been dug under. These form the contact point between the existing and new.

As if on a podium, the support emphasises the importance of preservation.

PRIMARY - 400mm in situ concrete walls PRIMARY - in situ concrete floor PRIMARY - 700mm in situ concrete wall (supports existing same width)

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CONDENSER

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In Charrette week, we as a group were charged with collecting and recording the essence of over 300 students working together in groups of 60 to create. As a group of 6, we represented the intense activity and involvement of students by creating a vast pictorial pillar, filled with the faces of the week (many still covered in whatever they had been making), artificially pressurized into one area.

Similar techniques were applied to a website for

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