Curriculum Vitae
Experience - collaboration is essential as a fundament of perspective and knowledge
Craft, Film, Photography, Sketching - using diverse investigatory tools aids the designer to explore potential experiential/emotional qualities that space can attain
A Flexible Design Process - allowing for structure when designing; disipline that is offset by dynamic mediums of investigation and liberal concepts
Stage Three, Renovation of Art Gallery - to create conditions where the inhabitant can feel the experiential essence of the artwork; its intimate or exposed emotional nature.
Stage Six, Flexible Art Foundation - a relationship: between intimacy and exposure; between security and fragility; between inside and outside; between production and presentation
Stage Two, Coastal Community Centre - using space and materiality to create a sense of community; to convey the experience of being cleansed by the sea, submersed in its milky waves.
Stage Three, Architectural School of Innovation - to form a place where people are drawn, where simplicity and creativity find a balance to allow for moments of insight.
Construction: Practical Minimalism - less is more
Theory: a condition of immersion - to immerse is to contain the inhabitant within space, so as to heighten their awareness of the space and its function
Critical Writing - the trading of ideas through the medium of the written word presents a substantial foundation to evolve architecture
Contents
Green Lion - Sri Lanka Between January - April 2014, I worked as a volunteer for a multi-discipline volunteering company based in Kandy, Sri Lanka. As well as working on site at a Buddhist temple repairing structural damage I also spent a month in a rural jungle community designing simple houses constructed from mainly brick and timber. These houses where designed with the input of local residents and were constructed on site using vernacular means of construction. Interestingly, no local villagers spoke English so the only means of communicating ideas was through sketching and architectural drawings. Northern Collective - Aberdeen Between September 2012 - June 2013, I was part of a collective that worked on a live build project in Scott Sutherland School of Architecture. The project was an outdoor lecture area/stair. The idea of the project was to improve circulation throughout the school as well as utilising the school’s derelict courtyard space. As part of the process, I worked on preparing the building warrant application to submit to the planners. Ensuring that all of the necessary information was compiled and structured in a professional and legible manner.
live build, sri lanka
Experience: Design Teams - collaboration is essential as a fundament of perspective and knowledge
live build, aberdeen
light investigation via skull
Experimental media are essential tools in the production and development of my architectural ideas. By using different mediums I am able to reinterpret my environment in new and interesting ways by exploring ‘atmospheres’ and testing conditions that make a certain visualisation desirable or undesirable. Working with diverse media such as film or watercolours enables me to explore ideas in a different context. This often aids to resolve specific design issues by re-imaging how a scheme can be realised or indeed perceived.
Craft, Film, Photography, Sketching - using diverse investigatory tools aids the designer to explore potential experiential/emotional qualities that space can attain
immersion investigation via model/film
immersion investigation via model/film
atmosphere investigation via graveyard
beauty of light and shadows
exposure, mystery, denial/reward
conceptual sketching
sketch initial ideas; photographing/filming site to record experiential context; refining concept theoretically. utilise revit/models/film to imaginatively vary design iterations from sketched ideas. in unison use sketches/CAD to integrate potential construction details.
as design develops further use ‘virtual reality’ and photoshop to better refine spaces and investigate their experiential qualities.
A Flexible Design Process - allowing for structure when designing; disipline that is offset by dynamic mediums of investigation and liberal concepts
atmospheric investigation via photography/film
atmospheric investigation via model/film
experiential refinement
technical refinement
The theme of this project was ‘adaptive re-use’. Re-imagining the pavilion with another typology, aimed at creating a new art gallery that held both temporary and permanent exhibitions. My concept was to use light, texture and colour to denote circulation as well as to induce habitants with feelings of intimacy or exposure. Light from the circular lift/staircase guides the habitant from the entrance lobby into the main double height exhibition hall which is finished in white/grey materials. This condition is then contrasted as habitants descend down a ramp into a more intimate gallery which displayed personal letters from Sir Walter Scott. The other gallery from the main exhibition hall housed illuminated glass plates on rough, raw black concrete. The walls were close together to represent the narrow streets that pervaded through the glass plate images. On the first floor there is an open plan gallery exhibiting pieces relating to the ‘acts of union’, the walls have been removed to reveal the buildings original steel skeleton and emphasise the sense of openness and exposure. This condition contrasts with the secluded, exiled raw black concrete room housing the Jacobite rebellion exhibition. During the period around ‘the acts of union’ the Jacobite’s attempted to overthrow the established monarchy citing a claim to the throne. During this period of turmoil individuals were exiled to outer Europe until a resolution was found. This inspires the architectural resolution.
Stage Three, Renovation of Art Gallery - to create conditions where the inhabitant can feel the experiential essence of the artwork; its intimate or exposed emotional nature.
site plan
light/dark; intimate/exposed
light/dark; intimate/exposed
Liberty is what makes art unique; there are no boundaries. Elite Art cannot be expected to behave in a certain way or cater for anything other than the production of great work. Elite art must not be compromised by external intrusion. A prevenient contradiction in Scottish society; sportsmen/woman are given elite performance centres in which to improve their abilities with the full support of society and yet artists have nothing of the sort. Creative Scotland etc. have an ethos of art for all, and art is centred on getting everyone involved and not performance. The International Art Foundation, Miltimber promotes the process and proponents behind great art. It does so by immersion and during production allows the public only glimpses into its environment. The institute works by creating a culture of excellence and collaboration: Internationally recognised artists are invited to use the institute’s facilities as well as exhibit their work, conduct a lecture on their work and publish a related - mainly pictorial - book. The residence collaborator program offers artists/professors/graphic designers/writers etc. to apply to aid the premier resident artists and live on site in close proximity to the artist. The idea is that the helpers will gain experience and insight whilst the artist can more efficiently produce and experiment with projects. The scheme exhibits architecture in a simple and direct manner drawing on visceral conditions associated with the pastoral and the periphery: intimacy + exposure. The program includes: housing, light and heavy workspaces, galleries, photography labs, computer labs, offices, intimate performance space, recording studio, bar, library + archive
Stage Six, Flexible Art Foundation - a relationship: between intimacy and exposure; between security and fragility; between inside and outside; between production and presentation
virid,vivid + intimate
exposure
f i r s tf l oor
gr oundf l oor
ex pl odedax onomet r i c
env i r onment al s ect i on
The proposed site for this project was on the shorefront of a north-east ‘fishing’ village Stonehaven. The project brief asked for a community centre that included: a lecture theatre, a recording studio, meeting rooms and a cafe.
first floor plan ground floor plan
My scheme proposed an exhibition hall that acted as an internal public street linking the shorefront to the elevated street to the buildings west. This exhibition hall accessed the cafe on the shorefront and the multi-purpose lecture theatre at the heart of the building. From the hall there extended an elevated promenade that continued the gallery and provided wheelchair access from each level. The proposed structure was that of a white photocatalytic concrete that’s texture resembled that of crushed sea-shells and that’s colour coupled with the buildings ‘milky’ diffused windows evoked imagery of being inside sea swell.
Stage Two, Coastal Community Centre - using space and materiality to create a sense of community; to convey the experience of being cleansed by the sea, submersed in its milky waves.
internal street; inside sea swell
The seminal proponent in creating an architecture school lies in its pedagogy. The schools ethos determines everything from structural choices to details. This project was situated adjacent to Aberdeen University Library in Old Aberdeen. The concept behind its form was in creating routes across campus to entice external students and public to engage with the architecture. Routes run through the building from the public areas that function to showcase the process of architectural education. This encourages the curiosity of visitors and promotes architectural discourse in the wider student body. The idea behind this was to integrate external thoughts into the architectural sensibilities of architecture students. The concept of the buildings aesthetic and functional resolution was based on creativity, simplicity and a hard shell soft inner core strategy. The simple post and beam structure was used so as not to be overbearing and distract the architecture students from deep thought. The idea was to allow students minds to wander by creating dynamic spaces in plan but with simple detailing. This meant every space was different but not distractingly so. The hard shell - soft inner core, created a contrast between defensive elevations looking onto the surrounding residential area and transparent elevations looking into the main campus enticing people to stay on campus and to engage.
Stage Three, Architectural School of Innovation - to form a place where people are drawn, where simplicity and creativity find a balance to allow for moments of insight.
first floor plan
section through building link
'creative simplicity'
With ‘sitka spruce’ brettstapel having an ‘equilibrium moisture content’ between 7.615% rot is unable to compromise the structures integrity, meaning the construction is safely breathable. This negates the need for an internal vapour barrier and its associated embodied energy. The hygroscopic, transfusive and rigid nature of wood fibre allows the insulation to breathe, whilst no battens are needed to hold it into place, instead both layers are fixed to the brettstapel by beech dowels. The use of a lime render atop a breather membrane completes the breathable build up with the breather membrane cancelling any moisture from coming in the other way. The finished product is a wall detail that has no condensation/mould issues that uses as cheap/ common materials as possible whilst adequately performing thermally: as the machine this is economical and practical whilst also being environmentally efficient.
Construction: Practical Minimalism - less is more
1. 10mm lime based render 2. 1mm breather membrane 3. (2 x 110mm) wood-fibre insulation rigid boards 4. 9mm beech dowels 5. 100mm x 45mm sitka spruce ‘brettstapel’ 6. 2mm white breathable paint
brettstapel
brettstapel detail
Both the subject and the object determine the nature of thought and cognition. Thought (nurture) in regards to the cultivated understanding we have of ‘things/objects’ by the established relationships/associations we perceive when sensing them. This relates to every way in which we intend a ‘moment’ by intuition, memory etc. as well as immediate stimuli. Cognition (nature) is how our minds are wired inherently to process information such as that by genetics; we are programmed to desire/appreciate specific forms and compositions. Thought example: we cultivate an understanding that guns are dangerous, we are not born with this understanding. Cognition example: we inherently link voluptuous curves to female sexuality as we are programmed to reproduce. To form space that harnesses a condition of immersion we can consider all sensory aspects (noise, aesthetics, aroma, tactility etc.) removing overbearingly subjective proponents (textures, colours, forms etc.) so as to distil the space. In essence, if we remove the potential of highly subjective elements from the object (when sensing entire space) then we can create a highly objective space. A space where the inhabitant (subject) is unable to transfer overwhelming amounts of imagery, ideas to the space (object) they inhabit. This can be achieved using an eidetic reduction. Architectural ‘Eidetic Reduction’ – identify condition/s required for space; design space iteratively peeling back any elements that are overtly subjective: making the space as objective as possible. *This differs from a pure phenenological eidetic reduction where you would attempt to look at an object (space) and by bracketing all understanding (intelligence) of the space distil its essence: the ‘phenomena’ of first viewing the space. Practically speaking this is unattainable without ‘chemical enhancement or deep meditation therefore a reduction aware of the connotations of form, colour, texture etc. is more practical. Specific theory of immersive space: to achieve a space that immerses the inhabitant its composition (arrangement of elements, of textures, volume, of light, of form) can be unique, this uniqueness adds intrigue which is vital when considering how the inhabitant forms an initial relationship with space. Associated of this uniqueness, the space should also exhibit this ‘reduced quality’; a quality that pertains to the distillation of potential imagery associated with the spaces composition so as the space has a unique presence. Specific theory of Immersive inhabitation proposes that the space has this ‘reduced quality’ but also that the space has a subdued presence of architectural elements so that the remaining stimulus is offered by the inhabitation alone, so that no external factor affects the perception of the spaces function or indeed (in the case of an art gallery) its exhibits. Furthermore, it is critical that the architecture of the space responds to the nature of the inhabitation. For exampe, space developed to house art that conveys a strong relationship with specific qualities (form, texture, colour etc.) can require stimulus that enables a reaction to particular context. Psychological empathy: architectural elements that ground the inhabitant can be key in immersive space and immersive inhabitation in that the inhabitant can feel uncomfortable in a space that has no relation to the outside world, it can appear to the inhabitant as a sort of limbo where they are trapped, removed from life therefore their experience is unreal and uncomfortable. Paradoxically it is preciously this detachment that can heighten awareness of the inhabitation of the space. Conceptually, there exists a direct relationship between psychological neutrality and the proportion of sensory stimuli: the more stimulus, the more the inhabitant is psychologically at ease until it reaches a point where the stimulus is overbearing in associations out-with the space. at this point in the design process a balance can be sought and subsequently identified. Factors of immersion: condensed imagery, general simplicity, reduced visual stimulus, condensed colour pallete, condensed voume, equal proportions (horizon/vertical), enclosure, balance, symmetry, heightening of other four senses in relation to object of focus, uniqueness (space), one point (focused) perspective, excluding peripheral stimulus (noise, visual, texture etc), reduced links to external environment. (not exhaustive).
Theory: a condition of immersion - to immerse is to contain the inhabitant within space, so as to heighten their awareness of the space and its function
exploring immersion through abstract media
Robert Irwins ‘Untitled’ conveys a fascinating way of creating an image with a potent sense of immersion. Irwin coins immersion as ‘seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees’, his approach maintains that by composing art that has as little imagery as possible, we are left with a piece that has a presence of its own. In order to achieve this, Irwin looks to challenge artistic conventions. For this particular piece Irwin presented an image that was conceived as being boundless, the frame is a tool that by its connotations causes viewers to look on what it encapsulates as mere image; once the frame is removed, the piece is more natural in its ability to be experienced (the level of detachment caused when perceiving an image is evaporated). Irwin used a series of closely positioned dots to occupy the area around the main circular ‘disc’, this blurred the lines between where the artwork started and where it ended; thus dismantling our perceived boundaries of where art exists.
Critical Writing - the trading of ideas through the medium of the written word presents a substantial foundation to better understand architecture
The white cube has come to symbolise associations contradicting its apparent neutrality; it has come to symbolise a closed system of values. Its environment has taken on a sense of law, an air that is similar to the formality of the courtroom aesthetic, the sterile condition of the laboratory and the sanctity of nonsecular buildings. It has evolved into a space that is intrinsically linked with the rigid values associated with how artistic society expects the visitor to perform when in the space: The white cube and its neutrality dictates that the visitor should remain silent, wary of even the most delicate of decibels that may escape via yawn or itch. The visitor must intend the art in a specific way, true abstraction lies in the precise presence of the art, imagery and connotations are not to be discussed for fear of imaginary cackles exclaiming ‘philistine!’ from the gluttonous smarmalade and smarmite stained mouths of the artistic bourgeoisie…
Heavily associated with sensory architecture, Peter Zumthor (b.1943) is an advocate of phenomenology’s integration into architecture and extensively cites Heidegger. “I believe in the words “place” and “purpose”. (Zumthor 1998). “Living amongst things is a basic principle of human existence” (Heidegger 1977). Zumthor explains that Heidegger means we are never in an abstract world but always in a world of things, even when we think. This is a prime example of a contemporary architect using Heidegger’s phenomenology to falsely validate the reality and objectivity of his subjective thoughts. Significantly, Zumthor started using Heidegger’s phenomenology to validate his architecture at a time of unease over the global environmental crisis. In this context there was a cry for a more socially based rationale. Efficiency for exclusively commercial reasons has come under fire which has led to a wider acceptance of more romantic, subjective accounts of experience specifically in the design world. Science, economics and their objectivity have lost credibility and this has made Zumthor’s more subjective approach more endearing.
Operative - diachronic - criticism represents the meeting point of history and planning. It plans past by projecting towards a future. Its verifiability does not require abstractions of principle, it measures itself, each time against the results obtained, whilst its theoretical horizon is the pragmatist and instrumental tradition. (Tafuri 1980). Operative criticism makes history practical and primed for abstraction into contemporary architecture. Operative criticism looks to affect the evolution of architecture not merely explain it. Tafuri challenged the need and ethics of relating all architectural history to our present, pertaining to manufacturing a logical evolution in architecture. According to Tafuri, architectural history had degenerated into a hegemony of sensibilities and his critical take illustrated clearly why and how we had little objectivity in history.