.THE CHINESE ARCHIVE

By virtue of its warehouse typology, size, and how it cuts into the hill it is situated on, Hondo provides ample opportunity to accommodate certain aspects of our scheme. Namely a new fit for purpose community centre to the North, and certain elements of our archive ecosystem to the East. As is typical of warehouses, the interior largely consists of wide unobstructed expanses. Therefore, our concept for this site would be to remove the roof and repurpose the interior structure of the warehouse, carving new interior and exterior spaces within.

.CONCEPT Every year, we dump 2.12 billion tonnes of waste. This islargely due to 99% of the things we waste being thrownaway within 6 months of use. This project looks at the theory of reclaimed through three key themes. Firstly,how spaces can be reclaimed, giving the House of Fates Jewish War Memorial Museum back to the local community, and extending on this significant educational tool a divided society needs. Secondly, considering how discarded objects like plastic bottles, clothes andbuilding waste can be repurposed as construction and landscaping elements, reducing embodied carbon emissions whilst creating interesting spaces. And finally, how nature can coexist with human structures, increasing local biodiversity through landscaping and habitat creation. Reclaimed space focuses on extending the House of Fates, creating a new community led museum in the heart of district 8 to create a platform for local artists, communities, organisations and residents - hosting workshops, talks, events and clubs. The concept is to connect the House of Fates to a disused neighbouring building, where the local community can inhabit and co-create.

.THE CONNECTION

This structure can be divided into two main systems. The first being the basement connection, where an insulated concrete formwork (ICF) retaining wall creates a linear gallery and circulation space that connects the House of Fates and the community museum together. A timber glue-lam sandwich column structure then sits within the retaining walls, creating a lightweight, low embodied carbon structure that supports the above roof lights and garden.

The second strategy is the extension above the existing, with the same gluelaminated timber structure sitting above the load bearing masonry brick walls, creating a lightweight extension above the existing, facilitating double height gallery spaces with northern facing roof lights. The two structural systems create a double skin facade which gives good thermal mass to the building.

. LAYERS OF LIVING

.POST-COVID TOWNHOUSE

Covid-19 has unfortunately exemplified housing inequality within the UK. Over a third of working-class students don’t have a dedicated space to study at home, and places like Bootle have just half as much open green space when compared to the rest of the UK. Factors like these haven’t just made lockdown life difficult, but significantly impact working-class communities across the country. Affordable housing should offer equal opportunities to residents, providing residents with impactful tools and resources for mental and physical engagement, mitigating social disparities across our cities.

Layers of Living challenges minimum space standards, uses sustainable construction methods and takes a humanist approach to design to offer families with bright, spacious and sensitive habitats; which focus on a balance between introverted and extroverted spaces.