Lani Campbell - Journal 1 by The Glasgow School of Art

contents

site search 1.0 finding the site govan docks bellgrove building analysis natural features neighborhood context sensory climate human and cultural plans trusses concept search 2.0 initial ideas agritopia keywords a book the circular economy bio materials jiwei zhou pinatex

02 03 04 05 06 07 10 11 11 12 14 16 21 22 24 26 28 29 30 34 36

site search 1.0 02

finding the site My ideal site would have an open interior space with natural light surrounded by open green grounds or an atrium/courtyard in a semi-residential area. When looking for potential sites, I took to google maps in both 2D and 3D. On there I searched for buildings in various with a good community or the potential for one. These were places such as Hillhead, Kelvinside, Kelvindale, Kinningpark, Dennistoun, Garnethill... I was not searching for a decorative building often found in Glasgow but more of a modern, brutalist site or in ruin. I then came up with an initial list of potential sites: BBC Studios (recently renovated and partly demolished but lots of history), Glasgow Sherriff House (very large, poor location, interesting design), Glasgow Academy Kelvinbridge (poor contextual history), Notre Dame Highschool (too big), Dry Docks and the Pump House (massive, interesting location), SWG3 (oo close to the motorway and not the right area), Church Of Latter-Day Saints (too hard to find info on) and Bellgrove Meat Market (vast, lots of history) I shortlisted the dry docks, including the pump house in Govan and Bellgrove Cattle Market in the East End. To find my final choice, I decided to look at the history of the building as I want my site to relate contextually to my concept ideas.

“The three dry docks at Govan in Glasgow – Govan Graving Docks – have been described by Historic Scotland as “an outstanding graving dock complex without parallel in Scotland”. The graving docks were built in the late 19th century by the Clyde Navigation Trust and could accommodate the largest ships in the world at the time. They were in use to repair and maintain ships up until their closure in 1987. Since closing down the docks have remained derelict Govan Graving Docks are category A-listed and are on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. The dry docks are built from grey granite some of which is hand carved[...]. It is the only historic dock site left on the Upper Clyde that has not been filled in for modern redevelopments [...].” ( https://govandocks. wordpress.com/history/ ) “Three dry docks were built for the Clyde Navigation Trust between 1869 and 1898, the first dock opening in 1875, the second larger dock in 1886 and the third and largest in 1898. They were extensively used for winter overhauls and refits of Clyde steamers. The Graving Docks were closed in 1988 and await restoration as one of the most complete and evocative pieces of shipbuilding history on the Clyde. Next to them is a wet dock formerly used as a fitting out basin.”

( http://www.clydewaterfront.com/clyde-heritage/prince’s-dock /govan-graving-docks )

govan docks

bellgrove

The site on which Bellgrove Market was one of many plots of land being sold by James Graham. It site was originally purchased from James Graham by William Lawrie in 1816. Construction on the market only began in 1911, with the market opening in October of that year. John Carrick principally designed the building, while there were elements by other designers both before and after Carrick, such as AB MacDonald's work traced back to 1910. Upon the original opening, the site was already vast, encasing most of Graham Square, Moore Street, and Armour Street, with pens, lairages, and execution spaces as far as Duke Street. There were also tubs and a gymnasium, and the North British Railway line running directly beneath the buildings. Following the Glasgow Markets and Slaughterhouses Act of 1865, the City Architect erected a roof over the cattle market, which was built over ten years to cover the meat market, resulting in a cattle market, a meat market, an abattoir, and several other facilities in the large complex. The market was then closed in the late 1960s, and the property was utilised for auto auctions for a few years. Much of the site has been demolished since its closure in 2001, leaving only the listed structures standing.

There is just a shell left of the building, which leaves me with a lot of creative freedom. The tall open space also inspires me to create a connection between the inside and outside. I am also interested in exploring the original materials of the building and how I can form a connection with them in my designs along with its rich history. For these reasons I will being picking the Bellgrove Meat Market over the docks.

building analysis

Address: Duke Street to the north; Gallowgate to the south; Bellgrove Street to the east and Melbourne Street to the West Coordinates: 260722, 664975 . Known surrounding buildings: Tenant factory, Bellgrove Train Station, Lidl and Morrisions. Transport link: Bellgrove Train Station, Brandon Street bus stop, Reidvale Street bus stop, McIntosh Ct bus stop, Graham Square bus stop. Existing parking: Nonecast

natural features

columns: iron roof framing: iron and steel roof: 4 roof pitches slated and glazed “Gateway in to the above, terminating north end of Graham Square, is a columned enormous centre gateway, with flanking pedestrian openings; all cleaned ashlar,[...] on west side of Graham Square, the retained, painted ashlar facade of the Meat Market (c.1875). Classical, also with giant order two colossal frames to round-arched gateway, parapet conceals roof (now removed); another gateway of similar type and scale straddles Moore Street, to west; a smaller heavily- rusticated gateway is on the channelled ashlar boundary wall to Bellgrove Street. Fronting Melbourne Street (ie at west - originally Hill Street); at north end, a lengthy expanse of painted, ashlar channelled wall terminating in last surviving building, single-storey, in similar material with attic (attic may not be original). Gateway with two massive piers, wrought iron gates bearing city crest, much of this latter-mentioned work being designed by MacDonald.” (https://canmore.org.uk/site/260024/glasgow-bellgrove-street-cattle-market76-melbourne-street-and-wall)

neighborhood context

What condition is the building in? Abandoned and deteriorating. The parts left standing are the columns and then a wooden board wall on the southern facade of the building. Are there activities in the neighbourhood that may create strong vehicle or pedestrian traffic? There is the local train stop (Bellgrove) next door to the east, a Lidl to the north Are there exterior spaces and what are they used for? The are vast green spaces where the the old buildings used to cover. Movements: accessible via bellgrove trainstation, 2 bus stops (Reidvale, McIntosh, Graham Square...) and A89. Street lighting: lighting along surrounding roads (Bellgrove St, Melbourne St and Duke St) and around appartment blocks next door.

sensory

Views: North- fields/building yard. West- green field space. East: residential housing. Noise: Car hums and ocasionnal train crossing sound. Pollution: Air quality- 21 (Good).

climate

Weather: Summers in Glasgow are cool; winters are long, bitterly cold, wet, and windy; and it is cloudy most of the time. The temperature normally ranges from 1°C to 20°F throughout the year, with temperatures rarely falling below -5°C or rising over 25°C.

human and cultural

What are the general attitudes about the area? What is the cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological aspects of the surrounding area? What is the population, density, family size, ethnic patterns, employment, etc?

“bad, rundown, dirty, gritty, unsafe” - Woodlands resident.

East Glasgow has around 124,000 people (Calton and Bridgeton: 12,960 and Dennistoun: 10,816 (2008)), roughly 18% of whom are children, 66%.are young and middle-aged adults, and about 16 percent are seniors. The area is home to around 720 asylum

“Affordable, friendly, down to earth, evolving, opportunistic” - Dennistoun student resident

The East End is traditionally an industrial area that receives winds of industry and smog, creating a pollutant and poorer place - resulting in lower socioeconomic value, lower incomes, less education, cheaper housing, and the typical canvas for gentrification (as seen in Dennistoun). Leading to less interest in the council and a perforated system allowing for more ethnic minorities to settle.

“rough, cheap, friendly, slighty intimidating, unknown”Dennistoun resident speaking off the most eastern points.

“friendly, up and coming/regenerating, industrial”- resident of Calton

seekers. The proportion of the population belonging to a minority ethnic group (1.5%) is lower than the Scottish average. East Glasgow has almost 60,000 households, with over 23,900 (40 percent) single adult homes. Single-parent families, of which there are 6,500, account for 39% of all households with children. Over 1,960 individuals are hospitalized to hospitals each year for alcohol-related or traceable reasons, and 420 people have died due to alcohol over the previous five years. A total of 38,400 adults are expected to smoke: 37.5 percent, compared to 27 percent countrywide. Over the last ten years, there have been 264 drug-related fatalities in East Glasgow. More than 36,000 individuals, or 30% of the population, are considered income deprived, while approximately 20,000 adults, or 25% of the working-age population, are considered employment deprived. East Glasgow has about 3,200 workplaces, employing over 44,200 people.

plans

not to scale

trusses

sixty-two T1 trusses fifty-six T2 trusses forty-four T3 trusses four sets of T4 trusse in 36 parts

concept search 2.0 20

I would like to delve into sustainability, plants, and the circular economy for my final year concept. I thoroughly enjoyed working with plants last year for my Manifesto project, Taigh Lus, so I have decided to explore this topic further to find a subtopic to develop for my final year project. I want to create a multi-generational platform to stimulate the mind about our place within the natural world and how our lifestyles need to change. To kick off the brainstorming, I am making a spider diagram. First, I will start with one which shows my favorite areas of study, spaces I would enjoy being in, and designing, hopefully resulting in developing a concept.

I explored a few topics while also thinking about what kind of space I want to design. I settled with the public with potentially a residential side to it. I also looked at the energy my building could use and could relate it to my concept. The day ended with me deciding that I definitely want to create a sensory experience in my space while also touching a relevant area with sustainability. At this stage, I am also still unsure about which site I am going to use. To help develop my ideas, I brainstorm by creating spider diagrams with different main topics. In my first diagram, I have decided to pull out any ideas or favored parts of a project I did last year (alternative uses of plants learning center). I determined that I want to create a space that impacts climate change and sustainability concerning plants, well-being, and urban ..............greenery.

initial ideas

I then took to another diagram to determine spaces you could create within my areas of interest and how the powering of aid places could be related to my concept. In the public half, I touched upon the circular economy, virgin materials, urban farming, and sensory experiences and how these could be translated into spaces such as libraries and gardens. I then looked at who could frequent these spaces and determined the general public with particular areas for certain ages but that there would be something for everyone. On the residential side, I looked at who would occupy the space first. Residential gardeners? Students? Young families? Through this, I found Agritopia.

Agritopia

“Agritopia is a 166-acre mixed use planned community in Gilbert, Arizona designed to encourage agrarianism combined with a sense of community amongst the socioeconomic ranges. It is an agrihood with housing plots, a certified organic farm, and commercial spaces. Homes ranging from 1300 square feet to 7,000 square feet reside next to each other, some with full basements (extremely rare in Arizona). Narrow streets and front porches, with low back fences, encourage neighborly socialization, and is reminiscent of the mid-west in the 1950s. The “farm” feel is evident throughout Agritopia.” (En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Agritopia - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agritopia>.)

Agritopia can be viewed as a model society and anexperiment by some. The term “Agritopia” is a combination of the words agriculture and utopia. Entering Agritopia feels like entering another country, as the atmosphere is more akin to California than Arizona. I find this example interesting as most other concepts of this genre lack appreciation and connection to the modern-day world, while Agritopia is admired and seen as an example for its modern thinking and community connection.

keywords

Keywords extracted from previous diagrams surrounding the topic of sustainabilty and plants and the MaDe book.

I then further developed my ideas on surrounding plants and their non ‘traditionnal uses’.

a book

Whilst flicking rhough Material Designer Boosting Talents Towards The Circular Economy by MaDE, I felt inspired, and it instigated me to write out all the words that come to mind when thinking of my still not found concept. The book contains lots of information, including material recipes and research articles written by circular material designers. I would love to experiment with creating material out of waste. I need to add this to my program. Towards the end of this book, in the MaDe finalists section, there are descriptions done by students about their design projects surrounding sustainability and circularity.

context vs concept

I then took another angle on the search for my concept and looked at my site, the Bellgrove Meat Market. This lead me to think about waste, trading, and the old vs new practice in relation to packaging and waste.

the circular economy waste, materials and designers (extracted from essay)

The circular economy is a living model that opposes traditional linear living through regenerative design, resulting in minimal waste. It involves giving materials, products and energy sources the most extended lease of life possible through actions such as recycling, reusing, and composting. By creating a constant new lease of life at the end of other products life, the materials and products keep flowing through the economy. Most of the world still fits within the linear economy that follows the steps ‘make, use and dispose’. This linear way is often enabled by inexpensive materials and energy sources harmful to the planet in more ways than one. The linear economy creates materials and products with planned obsolescence: when a product is designed with an intentional lifespan to force the user to repurchase often. An example of this is tech products from companies like Apple whose products stop functioning after a certain amount of time due to inaccessibility to updates or the need for uneconomical new parts. The European Parliament is currently taking action with the new Circular Economy Action Plan presented in February 2020 which I will look at later. According to The Material Flow Analysis Portal, 84.4 gt of virgin materials such as minerals,

biomass or fossil fuels were pulled from the earth in 2015. Whereas only 8.4 Gt of recycled materials re-entered the economic system. This is an area I am exploring and would like to develop my research in1. The risk of ecological consequence starts at point zero when choosing materials for a project. When creating a material, the source itself should be considered as well as how the source is extracted/created. When going through the manufacturing process we need to consider whether it is creating air pollutants or using a source of energy with a negative ecological impact. We must consider that packaging isn’t just what is visible surrounding the product, but includes the materials used in transport, marketing, and distribution. Where is the tipping point at which ecological impact should out-weigh design desires?4. The circular economy works against climate change in reducing greenhouse emissions and has the potential to create economic growth and stimulate innovation. As well as creating 700 000 jobs within Europe alone by 20305. The goal of circular designers is to create designs that do not have a linear life cycle with a beginning, middle, and definitive end and many linear companies are slowly evolving to become more circular. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which promotes the circular economy, change can be accomplished by creating products that follow these three principles; eliminate waste, keep materials in use and regenerate natural systems6.

Napapijri, an Italian casual wear clothing brand, is an example of this concept having recently released its circular series. For this series, the pieces were 100% recyclable and made with regenerated nylon, Cradle To Cradle Certified Gold, and Nylon (which is sadly a synthetic fiber but still recyclable). To develop this series further, they have created a return programme, instigating customers to return their circular series garments after a minimum of two years of use to be recycled in return for 100 euros. The retired clothing will then be processed into new fabric and new clothing, creating a complete loop. As we wait for a global shift in expectations (sustainable culture is often slower and more expensive to achieve) we need to accept the possibility of spending more, buying less and getting our pleasure from the knowledge that we have positively impacted the economy. COVID 19 allowed time for reflection and a chance for many people to re-consider the world around them. Awareness and accountability will help designers of the future ‘sell’ the circular model along with government intervention and laws controlling the design practice. Sustainable initiatives are exciting and necessary for our futures and I do not see any way to avoid considering them when designing.

bio materials

Sustainable material alternatives have become more prevalent in recent years, with construction materials such as Hempcrete, mycelium, and sheep wool insulation. At the same time, at a slower rate, these eco-friendly mediums have been translated into product packaging.9 A material I am interested in for my studio research are bioplastics made from byproducts. Byproducts are the unintentional waste products left over after the production and use of other goods.They can be from food, such as coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit skin, or packaging waste such as cardboard and paper, for example. Biomaterials have become a popular subject in study and research, both independently on a small scale and commercially. They help to delineate the consumption process and form a future link in the circular economy.

jiwei zhou

Jiwei Zhou, currently a master’s student of Tu Delft, developed a tea clay with tea waste for her bachelor thesis project in China. Tea leaf is a common waste product in Zhou’s hometown Sichuan due to the scale of the farms and harvesting seasons. As the leaves are considered to taste better during the Winter and Spring seasons, around six million tonnes of leaves were left to rot on the soil as there is such low demand. Zhou decided to develop a pliable, clay-like material using starch as an adhesive.

She then utilised the clay in two product designs, an aroma light which uses the tea scent combined with the heat of the lightbulb and disposable cups. Both are entirely eco-friendly and sustainable tea clay can biodegrade in just 3 to 4 weeks. Zhou’s use of a waste material which was being heavily produced and cancelling out the need for new material production and all it’s subsequent ecological fallout makes this project unique and truly circular. Nerlich (seen in contract) and Zhou are only two examples of many biomaterial designers and researchers are propelling us into a more sustainable bioplastic future where waste becomes the key ingredient. These smallscale research concepts create more potential to develop sustainable circular companies in our futures resulting in a lower carbon footprint.

Pinatex

An example of a thriving company considering all these factors is Ananas Anam. Ananas Anam is a company that produces a material called Pinatex. Pinatex is a leather alternative non-woven textile made from waste pineapple leaf fibers. It is branded as sustainable material applicable for use in situations where leather was traditionally used, such as accessories and the automotive industry. Although it is visually similar to leather, 80% of the textile is made of pineapple leaf fibre while 20% is PLA. Inspired by the Cradle To Cradle approach Ananas Anam values the impact we have on the planet. Items made from genuine and polyurethane, so called ‘vegan’ leather, are difficult to replace in our societies. Using the off cuts and by-products is a start to reducing their impact but nowhere near as impactful as Pinatex whose Cradle to Cradle Certified® credentials are considered “the global standard for products that are safe, circular and responsibly made”

Ananas Anam generates social impact by creating yearround employment in rural pineapple farming communities of the Philippines and work transparently with farming cooperatives. Pinatex is made using the by-product leaves of the pineapple plant, which alternatively would be disregarded as waste and burnt. Following pineapple harvest, suitable plant leaves are collected in bundles, and therefore the long fibers are removed using semi-automatic machinery. The fibers are washed and dried naturally by the sun or in drying ovens during the rainy seasons between May and October. The dry fibers are purified to get rid of any contaminants, leading to a flufflike material. This fluff-like pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) is combined with a corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) and mechanically processed to get Piafelt, a non-woven mesh that is the foundation for all Piatex lines. For the last step of making the process, the material is shipped by boat to Spain or Italy. Depending on the collection, the pieces are finished differently. For example, for the Pinatex Performance collection, the bio-leather is coated with a high solid PU transfer coating to ensure extra strength and durability. The waste left over, known as biomass, is then used as natural fertilizer or bio-fuel, closing the loop fully forming an almost perfect circular process example.

Pinatex is the perfect eco-friendly example of a leather alternative unlike synthetic alternatives such as PVC which involves many chemical processes to be created. It has in recent years become more prominent with more than a 1000 brands from all over the world using it, ranging from Hugo Boss, H&M and the Hilton Hotels. With the intervention of further global government backing coupled with laws controlling production, biomaterials can propel into the future.

My research into the circular economy and biomaterials has enabled me to develop my concept and learn about areas that I had only briefly touched upon before. This then enabled me to develop my ideas and come up with my concept.

To discover my concept, please see my brief in the contract booklet. 39