ARCHITECTURE Portfolio
Sophie Lok Schoonderloostraat 155E, 3024TT ROTTERDAM +31 6 46 25 56 66 sophie.lok@hotmail.com
04. GRADUATION Heritage and Architecture
CONTEXT Manutencao Militar Lisbon Manutencao Military Complex is an industrial site, located outside the city centre of Lisbon in the neighbourhood of Beato. It was an institute founded by the Portuguese government in the second half of the nineteenth century for the support of the army, mainly concerned with the production of goods such as food and clothing. The MMC formed the key to Beato’s prospherous times, since the foundation provided jobs for the majority of the neighbourhood and offered social support to the families of soldiers that had gone to war.
AMBITION The Design Assignment Since the MMC factories closed its doors, the complex has been left to decay. This resulted in a large inaccessible area that is disrupting the structure of the neighbourhood both spacially and socially. What had once formed the heart of the community of Beato, has now become a social barrier in the neighbourhood. As such, the ambition for the project was to restore the social structure by making MMC the social heart of Beato once again. In order to do so, it was chosen to open-up the fenced-in complex and make use of its most iconic landmarks to house public functions make the MMC attractive again to the people of Beato and beyond.
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PROGRAMME The Spiritual Centre Historical analysis showed that the founding of Beato was through a series of monasteries, functioning as the social centre of the neighbourhood. Because the aim for the project was to re-establish this social structure, the programme intended is a modern interpretation of a monastery. In order to unite different usergroups, it was important to provide for any form of religion, to provide room for individuality and to provide for the somatic experience as well as the mental experience. As such, it was decided to split the programme in two parts, placed into two adjacent buildings: the House of the Body, containing a retreat, bathhouse and community centre, and the House of the Mind, containing a religious centre, an educational centre and the visitors centre.
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SPIRITUAL CENTRE 1:500 a. house of the mind b. ritual square c. house of the body 1. bath house 2. retreat 3. community center
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BAY STRUCTURE
PRODUCTION PROCESS
PRAGMATISM
SPATIAL ORGANISATION
BASE VS INFILL
UNIFYING INFILL
LAYERING
HEAVY VS LIGHT
CULTURAL VALUE Essential Qualities The design process was started with an extensive research into the historical value of the existing building, taking into account both the tangible and intangible aspects. As a result of this analysis, eight essential qualities were selected, that were ought to be expressed in the new design. As such, these qualities were used as starting points for the design. Hereby, the concept of the base versus the infill was chosen as general design concept, leaving room for the expression of the other qualities in the new design.
DESIGN House of the Body Based on the main concept, the spatial organisation of the existing building and the value of its former use was decided to place four free standing volumes within the four spaces of the old base, leaving the base structure perceivable and using the old production line as primary circulation route. Next, the programme was placed according to the intimacy of the volumes, creating a range in privacy from the entrance to the back of the building. Also, the shape of the volumes were differentiated, generating a more introvert character for the private functions and a more extrovert character for the public functions.
Placement of the volumes according to the spatial experience of the existing.
Organisation of the programme according to the range in privacy in existing spaces.
Differentiation of the volumes according to the level of intimacy of the programme.
Sequence of spaces according to the range in privacy of the functions.
Orientation of spaces according to generate the desired level of intimacy.
The privacy range, the sequence of spaces and the different levels of intimacy form the most important aspects of the design, which are further emphasised in the design of the sections. By raising the infill, a clear difference is made between the volumes and the surrounding meditation route. Furthermore, the volumes are designed as eachothers inverse. The more private volumes are orientated towards the inner courtyard and have a more introvert character while the pulbic volume has its focus towards the outside and opens up to a public plaza. Within the volumes, the range in privacy is continued by the sequence of spaces with different levels of intimacy, ranging from the communal garden, via the common rooms, to the private retrear rooms. In order to maximise the privacy in these rooms, their orientation is differentiated so opposite neighbours or residents and passing meditants are never in eachothers sight.
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HOUSE OF THE BODY 1:300 a. bath house 1. exercise 2. treatment 3. ablution b. retreat 4. cubicles 5. commonrooms c. community centre 6. restaurant 7. event space d. meditation route
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The character of the building is shaped by three elements: the existing base, the new infill and the different courtyards. `The new infill was designed as a uniform infill that was supposed to form a clear contrast with the existing base. Hence was chosen to use a softer and warmer material for the infill: wood. The internal courtyards reflect the different functions of the volumes. In the retreat part they are designed as gardens, while in the bath house part the consist of a series of pools and in the community centre part it returns in the form of a public plaza. Making optimal use of the sightlines between these three different elements, the essential qualities of the existing are emphasised, the desired level of intimacy is safeguarded and the different atmosheres of the courtyards help shape the overall spiritual experience of the house of the body.
Differentiation in shape and orientation to emphasize the difference in level of intimacy between the pulbic and private functions.
Differentiation in the orientation of spaces to maximise the potential for sightlines while maintaining the desired level of privacy.
HOUSE OF THE BODY 1:300 a. bath house 1. ablution 3. exercise b. retreat 4. cubicles c. community centre 6 restaurant 7. event space d. meditation route
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SOPHIE LOK Schoonderloostraat 155E, 3024TT ROTTERDAM +31 6 46 25 56 66 sophie.lok@hotmail.com