Architecture Portfolio 2022 by Sebastian Maher

Architecture Portfolio SebastianMher

2022

Contents

LSA

Part II / Masters

Abstract

1. Architecture + Emergency Design Thesis/Synthesis | 2022

Developing a life support system for existing buildings to instil urban resilience in the face of a radically changing climate.

2. St. Pancras Station Design Tectonics Model | 2022

A physical analysis of the architectural devices that enable buildings to survive future and present threats.

3. City of Access Design Think Tank | 2021

A radical proposal for the city that encourages active movement centred around the concept of the 15-minute city.

Professional 4. Billiter Street London, U.K | 2020-2021

Bringing a Victorian era building into the 21st century as part of the wider 40 Leadenhall development in the City of London.

5. Sandstone Precinct Sydney, Australia | 2016-2020

Adaptive re-use and upgrade of a century-old sandstone building into one of the world’s finest hotels in the centre of Sydney.

Private Commissions & Competitions 6. Magareza Hall Moshi, Tanzania | 2016

Design and construction of an compressed earth block hall on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.

7. Iceland Volcano Museum Iceland | 2019

Design entry for an international competition, taking local and traditional building methods to establish a world class museum.

8. Nundora House Sydney, Australia | 2020

A bushfire resilient private residence for a family living in country Australia.

Architecture + Emergency 2022 | Part II Design Thesis/Synthesis

LSA

Architects Journal Student Prize 2022 | Nomination Location

Shoreditch, Hackney, London

Output

Operating Kit for Existing Buildings

Themes

Climate Change, Urban Resilience, Existing Buildings

Duration

1 Year

How can we create a truly resilient city that is prepared for the uncertain effects of climate change? Architecture + Emergency is an original approach to city building in response to the major climate threats facing London now and in the future and aims to instil resilience into the fabric of the city. It imagines London as a vulnerable patient in an emergency department, with each urban block as an interconnected limb in need of urgent treatment against heatwaves and flooding. Following diagnosis of the city, it found that London has always bounced back stronger after a major moment of crisis. After the Cholera outbreak in the 19th century, designers sought to solve the problem through holistic, infrastructural scale thinking. The Embankment, which cleaned up the River Thames from an open sewer, radically improved the lives of Londoners by introducing modern sanitation, and allowed them to enjoy the civic benefits too.

OPEN IN

Now, in 2022, record temperatures have been broken, leading to the fire service experiencing their busiest day since WWII. With extreme heat and dramatic weather events projected to become more common, London must mitigate and adapt as a matter of priority.

Sebastian Maher | Design Thesis / Synthesis | The London School of Architecture | 2022

THE MEDICAL JOURNAL OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

+ ITECTURE LONDON + E THE ARCH Y SERVIC EMERGENC MOMENTS OF CRISIS

How has the city reacted to crises in the past?

CLIMATE

Y EMERGENC

G KIT OPERATIN ILDINGS TING BU FOR EXIS

Part 2/3

01. A+E operating kit for a typical urban block 02. A Victorian warehouse awaits treatment in the Architecture + Emergency Department while the life support system looks on.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Emergent Layer: Air source heating + cooling and solar energy generation Canopy Layer: Expansive blue + green roof Under Canopy Layer: Resource distribution from above layers to existing City Floor: Facilitates a textile market where people come together to eat, drink, shop Root System: Rain garden to collect rainwater and act as flood mitigation in a major event Trunk: Core facilitating movement of energy, people and goods between these layers Existing Buildings: Plugged in to the Attachment on life support

04 1

4 5

03. The life support system feeding into the adjacent existing buildings 04. The natural limestone cores are designed simply to enable future resilience

8 Emergent Layer

The Attachment

Canopy Layer

Under Canopy Layer

Trunks

Existing Buildings

Root System

City Floor

05. Components come together to form a resilient urban block 06. Timber gantries 07. Services are made visible as they travel into each building 08. Each roof is designed with its neighbours in mind

Level 4

+28.800 m

REV

Date

Reason For Issue

Chk

DRAWING STATUS

32 Cleveland Street, London, W1T 4JY tel +44 (0) 20 7636 5151 info@makearchitects.com www.makearchitects.com Client

Client

ALL_Basement

+12.818 m

Keyplan

+12.818 m

Project

Project Name Drawing Title

Stone Core Details

Scale at A0

1 : 10

Revision Date. Rev No.

Project No. Scale 1 : 100 0m

XXX

m 2

Drawing No.

XXX-MAK-A2494 Stone Core Details

The A + E service was established to instil climate resilience into the city, through a two part operation. Firstly, existing buildings are upgraded to maximise their design lives and to improve their energy efficiency, while the second part provides a life support system to them. Inspired by the ecology of a rainforest, The Attachment generates its own energy and absorbs naturally available water from a large, publicly accessible green roof. Robust cores, constructed of natural limestone, facilitate the movement of people, goods and energy, while the timber gantries then distribute these into the loop of existing buildings. This decentralised infrastructure will improve the lives of citizens while providing a framework which can be replicated across the city to enable a resilient city to be built.

09. Section through the stone core showing the timber gantry connection 10. Section through the life support system 11. Rusticated stone demarcates between public and private 12. Publicly accessible green roof 13. Apertures in the roof bring natural light and rain to the ground floor

1101

St. Pancras Station 2021 | Part II Design Tectonics | Model Making Study

LSA

Location

Euston Road, Camden, London

Output

1:100 Card Model

Duration

2 Months

Originally designed for the Midland Railway Company in 1868 by George Gilbert Scott and Henry Barlowe, St Pancras Station proudly sits on Euston Road as one of London’s greatest landmarks. The structural strategy, which intelligently utilises a tie beam underneath the train platforms, allowed the designers to create the largest single span roof in the world of the time. This fundamental principle was altered however in the most recent updates to the station when it welcomed the Eurostar. This study is focused on understanding how the principle worked and how it was amended to allow the building to survive into the 21st century. The key point of interest in the station is the interface between the old and new. Structurally, the roof is being tied together by a series of beams under the platform level. When the station was upgrade to receive the Eurostar, new platforms and openings were built which meant breaking the tie beam. This intervention meant the original structural strategy had to be addressed through a combination of new beams and slabs acting as a diaphragm to stop the roof buckling outwards.

Sketch Studies 01. Springing steel arch meeting the brick buttress 02. Junction of the new and old roofs 03. 1:100 card model of the north west corner

The City of Access

LSA

2020 | Part II Design Think Tank | Urban Research Location

Kingsland Road, Hackney, London

Output

Research Whitepaper

Sectors

Master Planning, Urban Design, Active Cities

Duration

5 Months

Team

6 students, 2 tutors

Roles Field Research Urban Design Master Planning Carried out over 5 months in a team with 5 other students, we sought to realise the walking and cycling city in London. The design think tank was an exercise in urban design research and propositional design thinking on a city wide scale. A description of the project is as follows: Cities around the world have experienced a radical transformation over the last century, as a result of prioritising the needs of cars over people. Urban sprawl has led to our lives becoming increasingly fragmented, with essential services dispersed over vast distances. This means that citizens still rely on private modes of transport to navigate the city which harms our health, wellbeing, and environment. We propose to turn this approach on its head by concentrating instead on the needs of people. This could be achieved by recalibrating the current hierarchy of movement, transforming major transport arteries and using the principles of the 15-minute city to enable a shift in how people live and move around the city. We propose an alternative city model, one based on access, not mobility, and one based on people, not cars. This will seek to reverse the damage caused to our cities over the last century and propose an exciting vision of the future.

01. City of Access cover 02. Future projections across the city 03. Pedestrianised Kingsland Road *04. Intensifying use along Kingsland Road *05. Variety of uses creates a vibrant street 06. Developing key principles

*Did not produce image

01. The main entrance from Farrer Place 02. The proposed extensions appears to rise up from within the existing structure

Billiter Street 2020 - 2021 | Professional RIBA Stages 3 & 4 Location

City of London, United Kingdom

Development

40 Leadenhall Street

Status

On Site - Due to complete in 2023

Sectors

Adaptive Re-use, Workplace, Heritage

Duration

1.5 years

Roles Heritage Restoration Services Coordination Bespoke New Elements 19-21 Billiter Street is a grade II listed heritage building that sits on one of the largest sites to gain planning in the City of London. Formed as part of the wider 40 Leadenhall street development, the scheme is a unique example in preserving valuable historical buildings while allowing the city to grow. Situated between the two new towers to the north and south of the building, the Victorian facade provides a natural break in the street and marks the entrance to the restaurant at ground floor. The upper floors contain gym, leisure and spa facilities for the occupants of the towers. As with any existing building the challenge was to upgrade the fabric without losing the character of the original. My role was focused on designing new elements to sit within the existing fabric such as secondary glazing, ceilings, floors and stairs while also examining and developing strategies for the retention and upgrading of existing elements.

*01. Billiter Street - Site *02. Historical west facade *03. Spa facilities on level 3 *04. Gym facilities on level 2 *Did not produce image

0302

01. The main entrance from Billiter Street 02. The new facade faces out to the internal courtyard shaped by the two large towers

05. Collection of design studies *06. New east facade of Billiter street *07. Courtyard bar *08. Billiter restaurant at ground floor

*Did not produce image

0701

Education Building 2016 - present | Professional DA through construction Location

City of Sydney, Australia

Development

Sandstone Precinct

Status

On Site - Due to complete in 2023

Sectors

Adaptive reuse, Hotels, Heritage

Duration

3.5 years

Role Design & documentation of the new facades Heritage restoration Services coordination The Education and Lands Department buildings, two of Sydney’s iconic Sandstone structures, are set to become “one of the world’s finest grand hotels”. Since housing numerous government departments since the early half of the 20th century, the public will for the first time, be able to experience the meeting of the old and the new as it opens its doors once again. The locally crafted sandstone facade will remain the centre of attention, while the new three-storey extension will be set back to allow the heritage to be celebrated. The grandly proportioned guestrooms, high-end restaurants and generous public spaces will offer a unique experience for the city. The new facades have been my focus since 2017. Designing and coordinating the new facades that adorn the century old Georgian sandstone facade below must be approached sensitively especially with the state significance that is attached to it. I have been responsible for the design and ensuring it remains in keeping with the buildings aesthetic, While producing a full tender set of facade drawings and coordinating the design to a high level.

Sydney, Australia

05 N

01. Sydney Opera House 02. The Rocks 03. Circular Quay 04. Royal Botanic Gardens 05. The Education Building

01. The main entrance from Farrer Place 02. The proposed extensions appears to rise up from within the existing structure

22 Lift Core Cladding

Courtyard Facade

Courtyard Roof

East and West Towers

Fluted Fin Facade

Suspended Pool Structure Proposed Structure

Heritage Lanterns

Existing Structure

Sandstone Bays

Juliette Balconies

Clockwise from top left 01. Governor Phillip Tower looks over the site 02. Temporary steel supports the existing facade 03. Heritage lanterns suspended 50m in the air 04. Trusses cut through the proposed pool area

05 Clockwise from top left 01. Isometric cutaway study of the roof gutter interface. The gutters are treated as large shadow gaps to break up the roof massing 02. Tender level documentation of the fluted fin facade. The capping marks the major set-back on the souther elevation to bring light into the public realm 03. Tender level documentation of the slab edge detail to the fluted fin facade 04. Exploded axonometric of the courtyard facade 05. Tender level documentation of the courtyard roof beams and drainage

Clockwise from top left

01. View of the east tower from GPT 02. Fluted fin facade with curved glass corner 03. Looking up through the courtyard facade

Magareza Hall 2014 - 2016 | Built Competition through construction Location

Moshi, Tanzania

Status

Built

Sectors

Sustainable design, Community collaboration

Duration

1. 5 years (4 months building)

Roles Lead designer Project manager Filming and documentation As a result of being short-listed in NKA Foundation’s international design competition in 2014 to reinvigorate the perception of earth architecture, I led a team, including three university colleagues and successfully designed and built a sustainable, innovative and site specific mixed-use hall for Magareza Primary School and community in Moshi, Tanzania. Our three driving objectives were to: 1. Promote earth architecture as an attractive, affordable and accessible building method, through community involvement. 2. Construct a site-specific and seismically secure building using local materials. 3. Share knowledge and engage the local community to ensure it provides a useful precedent for the area. We engaged with the students, teachers and community by hosting design sessions where students were encouraged to show off their modelling skills and explain what they would like to see in the final building. We used these important sessions as the basis for our design to ensure the end users would find it useful and enjoyable.

02 03

01. Accessible entrance 02. Dining hall 03. Kitchen 04. Store 05. Football bench/ informal seating

Clockwise from top left 01. A builder checks one of the trusses 02. Mount Kilimanjaro looks over the building 03

Roofing

Large eaves

Steel scissor trusses

Compressed earth blocks

Timber doors

Concrete ring beam

Bamboo reinforcing

Foundations

Over the course of four months, we led community design consultations, worked closely with local and international engineers to resolve complex seismic structural details, tested relevant building methods and shared knowledge with the local stakeholders. After testing the soil to determine the best building method, we also carried out test samples for the blocks with varying percentages of earth, sand, cement and water. Right throughout the construction, we took a random sample of blocks to be strength tested in a lab to ensure they were structurally sound. The bamboo was fixed to conduits buried in the foundation beam and then tied together on both sides of the wall at every second course. It was then fixed at the top beam to form a strong yet flexible reinforcement.

Clockwise from top left 01. Students model their ideas in a workshop 02. A block is lifted from the press 03. Steel ties bind the bamboo together 04. Trusses are welded to cast in plates 05. Blue conduits will house the bamboo posts 06. A builder lays compressed earth block

Iceland Volcano Museum 2019 | Shortlisted Bee Breeders Architecture Competitions Ever since the arrival of Iceland’s first settlers, the natural wonders of this island have been used to the advantage of its people. The rift of volcanic energy that geographically separates the country, unites those who live and work here by providing renewable source of power for generations. This volcano museum reflects Iceland’s unique approach to sustainability by drawing on traditional building techniques and using locally sourced materials from nearby volcanic planes. To celebrate this incredible source of infinite energy, the Iceland Ash Museum centres around a vernacular ash-brick chimney which draws inspiration from the form of industrial power plants. Sinking the rest of the building underground keeps the landscape clear and available for all, while also acknowledging the traditional turf houses with their undulating grass roofs and herringbone pattern walls. In creating a fully sustainable building, that fits in with the vernacular architecture, all materials are sourced locally from the island. Volcanic ash, a previously unusable material which settles on the ground after an eruption, will be sourced from nearby volcanic planes A and compressed into blocks on site. After excavating three storeys underground B ,a circular brick kiln is built at the centre of the site C where each ash brick is fired and glazed. As the bricks leave the kiln, each course is laid in a herringbone pattern in a reference to traditional turf architecture. The chimney rises up on top of the kiln D until it reaches its final height three storeys above ground, creating a simple landmark in the landscape .

A 01. Front entrance to the museum 02. Looking up through the ash chimney 03. Approaching the museum

0501

A series of sculptural elements made of locally formed cast glass blocks, rest on the ground plane around the chimney and form a collection of beautiful objects in the landscape. Their position reflects the spatial program below and brings natural daylight into the floor plate all year round by refracting sunlight at all angles. Finally, a simple form made from recycled mineral wool tiles, resembling obsidian, rises up from the landscape to allow visitors a direct view of the nearby Hverfjall Volcano where the ash for the chimney is sourced. This viewing platform enhances the connection back to the land from which this building has been created. 04. Lower Ground Floor Plan 05. Primary Section through the chimney 06. Exploded axonometric

Two large staircases bookend the public (green) and private (blue) entrance into the museum, which double as outdoor public space during the summer months. Both the public (red) and staff (brown) arriving in cars are channelled through an opening in the landscape which curves to an underground car park. Those arriving by bus are dropped off and encouraged to wander over the roof and down through the grand scaled stair case where the ash-brick chimney marks the entrance. Once inside, visitors are welcomed at the shared reception at the centre of the building and guided to the main exhibition hall. From there, visitors travel down to a darkened tunnel with a small opening into the ash-brick chimney framing the open sky above.

Nundora 2020 | Built Private Commission Location

Kangaroo Valley, NSW, Australia

Status

Built

Sectors

Residential, Bush-fire resilient

Duration Role

1 year

Architectural Design

Following a devastating bushfire that destroyed the original house in January 2020, an opportunity arose to create a home that is better suited to the site, the family and the environment. Located in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, the site enjoys views out over the valley, but these views also lead it become vulnerable during the fires. The objective was to design a weekender/holiday house for a family which would later be used as their primary residence in the future. Integral to the design were four key principles: 1. Resilience to future climate events 2. Public & Private separation 3. Harnessing the environment 4. Framing the views Developed through these principles the house emerged as a simple structure that sits lightly on the site.

01. Roof plane is opened up to bring winter light in and expel warm summer air 02. The plan is divided into private (left) and public (right) 03. The house sits all on one level

Bystander Pavillion

What does one week of the world’s plastic waste look like? Every week, the average person will throw out 1.4 kg of plastic, and every week it will disappear in the back of a rubbish truck, never to be seen again. To the individual, this may seem insignificant, and a part of everyday life. But what happens when your waste is multiplied by the world’s population? How can you visualise your own impact in a world of infinite plastic waste? Of the 380 million tonnes of plastic produced in 2015, 8 million metric tons ended up in our oceans. When confronted with such shocking images of floating plastic islands and suffering wildlife, it is difficult to associate the waste with our own contribution. While we are becoming increasingly aware of the harmful impact of our plastic addiction, we are resistant to changing our habits because it is has always been someone else’s problem. We are all bystanders before plastic, until we are called to act. During the light of day, the Bystander Pavilion blends in to its surroundings, echoing the past by reflecting the incredible sites around the world in which it will be placed. The construction of a simple one-way mirrored box takes advantage of the light environment outside to reflect those who walk by – viewing their individuality within a beautiful context. The day time condition represents our disposable attitude towards plastic and the way in which it seemingly disappears from sight without consequence. It is a symbol of how oblivious we are to our own plastic waste production and pollution. We see and experience ourselves as individuals within the world, and rarely think about our actions being multiplied in the actions of 7 Billion others.

01. Plan and section of the pavillion 02. During the day the box mirrors the outside 03. In the night, the box allows viewers to see in