Component 1 Part 1

Component 1

Grays Beach Park

Tymoteusz Rutkowski

Design Brief

Grays Riverside Park has been part of Grays since 1906. The park featured a refreshment building, a man-made lake and chairs available for hire which is now known for its Green space with a sand pit play area offering equipment for many abilities, an open field & a cafe. In recent years, the park has been neglected and run down with not many people taking care of the café or surrounding areas of the park. This year the sandpit got renovated with new equipment bringing people in however there is no main entrance , shop, or functioning café nearby as this is what the area lacks. With lots of homes and flat nearby in South Grays there are no shops so for people coming into the park they need walk around 20min to the nearest shop in the town centre. The front of the park can be redeveloped including a main entrance with a new shop for locals as well as clients walking into the park which can be accompanied by a café building making a multi-functional building. I would be working with my client of the Thurrock Council to redevelop this space and make it more accessible to the community and bring everyone together in a small that would be able to use by all ages. They are trying to bring many people out of their homes and reuse their communal areas and bring them back to life after lockdown where many people were stuck at home and forgot about these space which used to be full of joy and activities .

By taking the theme of Juxtaposition and Contrast as my main theme I would add interest into the area and make it not only functional but interesting building.

Specification

The building will act as a structure for people to see when walking into the park as main entrance and centre piece. The structure will be for the local community and those who live nearby but also for those who may travel to use the park which will be renewed and have a new interesting building as you walk in which may act as tourist attraction itself.

Things included would be:

• Accessibility for everyone

• Multi story

• Shop

• Café / Restaurant

• Toilets

• Greenery

• Trees

• Pathways

• Entry way – Arch

• Spots to take pictures

• Activities for all ages

Location

Grays is the largest town in the borough Thurrock in Essex, England.

The town is located on the north bank of the River Thames and is approximately 20 miles to the east of central London, and 2 miles east of the M25 motorway. Its economy is linked to Port of London industries, its own offices, retail and the Lakeside Shopping Centre which is nearby.

The population of Grays is 76,563 people with more and more people working in London living here commuting. Grays is in the middle of the c2c Services between Southend on Sea and Central London making it a prime place to live. In the south of Grays is where Grays Beach Park is located which is one of the green spaces left in the area as many plots are brought by investors to make homes for the increase of population.

Grays Beach Park is in the south of Grays and is the closest green space to the centre of Grays .

My location to redevelop is to the west of the park where west of it is the field of the park and north is housing and south is the industrial area of the port of London.

My location is mainly surrounded by housing with lots of flats and houses which don’t have much garden space which makes the park their own garden and green space that they can use. However, the park has been neglected for a couple years with no café meaning people have to walk for 15min to get to any shops and buy any food so it’s a priority to bring this closer to the park such as in my location which would be ideal.

I researched the local area by categorising the are to see visually who far away shops, housing, schools are to look at what would really benefit the area. So immediately I saw the lack of shops in the area.

Local Area

From looking at the local area as well as looking at the statistics we see the region that Grays covers, with the park being close to the town centre and train station. In the area there is a basically 50:50 Men to women ratio but in the area the majority being between 18-64 of age which are the people working in the area as well as commuting to and from London. The Population of Grays has had an increase year to year which will continue as Grays turns into a London borough in a couple years. After the working people there are a lot of 0–17-year-olds with lots of colleges and school in the area with the minority of people being aged 65+.

Statistics - Age & Gender

The Grays Beach has a big sandpit which has the main target audience of smaller children. But to utilise this park and bring it back to life it needs to be usable by everyone. The main entrance needs to be more appealing for people to come into the park as well as areas for most people in the area such as adults with some seating and café with a workspace to allow them work in the joys of the outside. There might also be a convivence store which will be something that all age groups can use. There could be a smaller play area at the entrance making the whole park more usable with activities of both sides. From the photos its seen that the entrance is neglected with no real entrance but just a gate. This space can be changed to bring the community and people living here outside and together.

Looking at the local area we can see a college, primary, secondary and nursery meaning there are people of all ages livening and being in the area making the park a useful place to socialise.

CAD Mapper

Using CAD Mapper to represent the area. By using this and sketch up I could represent the main buildings that can be found in the area . At the Top of the Plan view there is the grey buildings which are the shopping centre where all the closest shops to the location are. So for people living nearby or go to the park there are no shops nearby. The Bright red building are the council buildings found in Grays which are in charge of Thurrock who want to redevelop the area.

The Bright Green buildings are part of the South Essex college where people 16+ can go for higher education . With these people in mind the location I want to change should be inclusive for them as well as the local community that lives nearby. You can also see the high rise buildings which hold hundreds of people that live in the area. There is housing everywhere in south Grays as that’s what the majority is with lots of homes and flats next to the river Thames which is just south of Grays.

In the close area of the location it is all just housing but only once u start to go further there are the shops and café that are lacking in that area. I believe that brining these necessities closer to that area would bring the community together and allow them to enjoy the park. The café may be facing the Parkside allowing people enjoying it look at the park while their children may be playing there making the area accessible for all ages. Through my research I have gotten a good idea of what's already in the area and what is lacking. With these thoughts I can design the perfect area for the community of Thurrock and Grays.

Council Houses

College

Pubs

High Rise Flats

Industrial Area Flats

Secondary School

Local Architecture

Hogg Lane - Flats

Block of flats with a Cylinder Entrance with a modern feel

South Essex College

Modern Building with geometric and linear shapes with a grey, yellow and green colour pallet

The Echoes - Flats

Newer Flats with geometric shapes with triangular balconies. Lots of harsh lines with a rigid and sharp shape. Very Linear.

Alma Court - Flats

Grey flats with many different layouts with stacked homes along streets and curved flats on the corner. Mix of organic curve with straight lines.

Brick flats built in the 2000s with a blue accent colour for top floors with blue balconies onto the river Thames

Anchor Court - Flats

Grays High Street

Home and Centre of Grays. Old brick buildings. Filled with Mish Mash.

The Old Court House

Traditional old building with contrasting white and red bricks. Converted old courthouse into offices. Grand and elegant feel.

Highrise flats

Massive tall Highrise flats with no character. Boring white act purely for purpose of homes with no design.

Brick Bottom floor with a metal container line top acting as place to rent and be used by the community.

The Community House

New Council Building

Modern light building with a lot of light and windows. Brightens up the area. Using linear shapes

Curzon Drive Homes

Most of south Grays consists of homes using the red brick and dark brown windows. Dull and dark architecture.

Potential Ideas

Type of Project Theme Ideas and Direction

Commercial Natural & Organic Art Gallery

Sport Industrial & Mechanical Sporting complexrange of sports

Commercial Juxtaposition & Contrast Vegan restaurant

Leisure & Entertainment

Natural & Organic Internet Video Studios

Infrastructure Freedom & Restrictions High Tech Design Centre

Domestic Linear Connecting place & CommunityBridge/Walkway

Infrastructure Structures & Environments

Factory & product promotion centre

Domestic Movement & Flow Recovery Hospital

Leisure & Entertainment

Industrial & Mechanical Automotive museum

Infrastructure Juxtaposition & Contrast Community Housing complex

Influence Words

Experience, Educational, Community

Outdoor, Professionalism, Technical

Calming, Health, Outdoor

Professionalism, Outdoor, Improvement

Sociable, Assembly, Passion

Health, Deconstruct, Devotion

Sociable, Assembly, Educational

Exploration, Professionalism, Shared

Curiosity, Outdoor, Devotion

Calming, Deconstruct, Outdoor

Themes and Ideas

Juxtaposition & Contrast

Natural & Organic

Juxtaposition and contrast may be shown by 2 complete opposite things next to each other like shapes or colours. It shows 2 different styles which create a cool effect next to each other.

Industrial & Mechanical

Natural and organic uses the shapes of nature and organic forms which may be accompanied by plants and lots of greenery. It usually has no harsh lines like the shapes and patterns found outdoors.

Structures & Environments

Industrial includes the use of raw materials such as weathered wood, building systems, exposed brick, industrial lighting fixtures and concrete. Mechanical is inspired using machinery. Usually have a darker warehouse feel and is made for its purposed.

Movement & Flow

Movement and flow create a space or structure that goes through a space and brings the client across with it making them wanting to walk through and see more.

Structures and environments is the idea of blending the environment such as a park with a structure whether its pavilion or building . The 2 can work together to make a large cohesive space.

Linear

Linear theme uses straight lines and geometric shapes with lots of harsh lines. They create an idea of everything being levelled. Most found vertically and horizontally which may also intersect to make interesting shapes.

My triangular plot faces half towards the local street and houses and the other towards the Grays beach park

Site Visit

As you enter the park you are greeted by an unpleasant metal gate which does not advertise the park or bring people in. It has an unwelcoming feel.

The driveway is also neglected and overgrown and seems like a waste of space

During my site visit at Grays beach, I walked around the rest of the park as well as looking my own plot of which I am planning to renovate and make into a social area that can be used by the community.

I studied the space through during elevations of the walls surrounding the area as well as perspective of what you are welcomed by while walking into the park, which is quite uninviting. I believe as the site needs to be used to its full potential of inviting people towards the park.

The part I am going to redevelop is now a waste land where there are plenty of rubbish and containers that are needs to removed. The area is blocked of by big grey walls which some are decorated with graffiti art.

Surrounding Area

From walking down from the plot , you first see the massive field which is used for many events in the area as well as space for people to play sports and people to meet from all age groups. It is important to keep this area , but it can be made more lively with a building down the end and new paths with extra seating along the field making it a larger cohesive space, rather then just a building at the end of the field.

There are many things that are thrown at Grays beach such as funfair rides which look out of place and ruin the quiet parts of the park which is important to keep. The park has another entrance which is equally uninviting with its black metal gates, opposite to what you want for a kids area.

Existing Cafe

I studied the café through its elevations as well as its location, as there is 1 café on one side of the park and believe there needs to be another food source with more of a sit down feel, not only for the park uses but the local community.

Near the sandpit which is the main attraction of the park, there is an existing café , however it is known to be closed the majority of the time and does not look inviting with its white shutters being down. The café does have much style and just looks generic and takes away from the fun of the park which is meant to be bright and colourful for the kids.

Splash Zone

One of the existing attractions at Grays Beach is the splash area , which is used by the younger children during the summer months. It is important to have attractions for all ages in the park as after studying the area as well as the community there is a diverse group of ethnic backgrounds as well as age group. The splash zone is bright and colourful as it would be needed to attract guests and especially younger kids. This colour is lacking in other parts of the park such as its seating or food area such as the café.

Apart from the splash zone the main attraction and what Grays beach is most commonly known for is its large sandpit with many playground equipment in the centre.

Sand Play Area

Whilst studying the area I created a plan view of the main part of the park which includes the central sandpit which is surrounded by trees, café, splash zone and seating. The sandpit has many playground equipment which is heavily oriented around kids with slides , ships , climbing frames, all with a aquatic and pirate theme.

This theming of the park is significant due to the old lighthouse boat which used to be outside Grays beach on the river Thames

Camden -

Contemporary Style

I looked at Camden as I was looking at shop exteriors and how they can use themselves and its own exterior to advertise what it is selling. I visited Camden to take photos of the shop fronts and drew elevations and perspectives of them. I realised how Camden is a traditional London street with normal high street homes yet from the use of colour, paint and adding all these sculptures and shapes it transform the front elevation and you begin to lose its original shape and the windows , bricks , chimney no longer become the features of the shop. By looking at each of the shop front and not even looking what's inside you are able to tell from a distance what they selling. This can be used as advertisement and in my own building at Grays beach I might use similar techniques to show what I might sell in my own shop.

Camden is a traditional high street like many others in England that has been transformed with its exteriors. You can notice that beneath all the layers of paint and colour there is a simple looking brick build.

Next to the brick build it shows how the façade can be transformed where the traditional features like windows shape is lost. Through the street there is plenty of juxtaposition and contrast of shade and colour making it truly one of a kind and a landmark in itself.

Primary Research

For example, the traditional Chinese dragon is used to show the Chinese diner found in Camden. Souvenir shop with big ben and traditional London attractions being displayed. And even the massive shoe going into the building with a 3D effect as if the shoe is going inside of the build, being used to show people walking down Camden market : that is where you buy shoes. Through Camden's colours and designs it will be appropriate to use at Grays beach where it could bring people along to see the shop as an attraction but also would be creative , which kids visiting the park would enjoy.

Local Architecture

One of the newer buildings in Grays is South Essex College which has a modern look to it with all its lines being sharp and angular as the build has no curves. There is a large entrance with a massive glass wall where the logo can be seen. Away from the pain section there are 2 symmetrical parts at an angle spreading out, which make the entrance feel enclosed and private. To study the space ,I took photos to which I drew elevations and plan views of the college. After walking around London, I looked at the local area of Grays where the park is based and see what builds and styles can be seen throughout. The college Is less then 5min away from Grays beach meaning there are hundreds of students in the area as well as adults studying in the area . There is not much space around the college so many may want to use Grays beach as a social space away from college for their frees or after college. This adds value into a social area such as an café or hangout spot for many age ranges. The building has a grid like feel with everything having vertical and horizontal lines through the windows and the metal panels which make up the exterior of the college.

South Essex College

There is only brick found on the foundation of the building. These contrast to the rest of the building through the dark grey colour and the different texture they produce. I enjoy the use of colour within the building with the frames of the windows being green and yellow which break up the muted, grey colour scheme of the build.

Local Architecture

- The Council -

One of the newest additions to Grays Architecture is the new Council building built in preparation for Thurrock becoming a London borough. With this fact many Londoners already live in the area and use the train station to commute and when they come they would like a green space like Grays beach to relax. Through the redevelopment of Grays Beach Park it will allow more people to enjoy the space. The building has a modern look to it with large windows looking into the build which may suggest the council is open as well as see through as they are not hiding anything, in this way the architecture is used to portray this message.

The building itself is made of brick, in a light brown , beige colour which has a lot of warmth to it. This also juxtaposes to the angles and modern look of the building , similar to the college where they continue with the modern materials like metal sheets, here natural brick is used which warms up the space and has more of a homely and welcoming vibe. To research this space I drew its plan view as well as elevations and perspectives which shows its structure and shape. The building is elevated with offices at the top as the higher up you go there more importance there is .

Local Architecture

In the local area I looked Public space and how they are used . For example in between the flats and the council an outdoor space has been created for home owners of the flats are able to go outside and socialise and have their own bit of green grass which might not be available for everyone with their balconies. The space is made of multiple panels of grass in a geometric shape which is laid across the space and is split up with angular pathways throughout.

This makes for an interesting outdoor space with 4 sheds that can be used for storage for the community from the flat. I studied this space by looking at the plan view in regards to the flat as well as in perspective to showcase the sheds and how the space is laid out.

This area acts as a social area for the neighbouring flat. The area fulfils the need for outdoor space with some additional storage with a large flat green space this is able to be used for a variety of activities.

Public Spaces

Outside the South Essex College there is a smaller outdoor space which has been turned into a stage and auditorium where students or members of the public can enjoy shows ore performances.

The space is laid out in such a way that the stairs act as seating where people can sit together and socialise and not only when there is a show to watch. By looking at this space through plans and perspectives I saw how it is an entertainment spot with lots of seating that could hold a lot people that could bring the community such as the college together.

Entrance Pavilion at

I studied the entrance pavilion ta La Garrenne Zoo , in order to study park entrances. Due to my location of the plot , whatever the building will hold it will also act as a entrance building to Grays Beach Park

It is important for the building to be visually interesting so it can attract further people into the park. The following building stretches along the front of the park , acting as a viewing platform.

La Garrenne Zoo Research -

The building holds a kitchen/ café area , toilets and a range of seating inside and outside. You are able to completely walk around the building giving 360 views of the zoo.

Dancing Building - Secondary Research

The Dancing House, or Fred and Ginger, is the nickname given to the NationaleNederlanden building on the Rašínovo nábřeží in Prague, Czech Republic. It is an interesting building with its architecture making it an attraction found in Prague.

The building is made of 3 main parts with the glass, squashed cylinders, the cylinder window section with the metal on top as well as the side facade being tens of windows that are not placed in completely straight manner.

To study this space I drew the plan view as well as the elevations of the 2 sides the building is visible since it is a corner lot. On the corner we can see the cylinder with the long and short windows being warped around it with curves following the building. The higher up you go the wider the cylinder gets. To the right the glass section seems as if its naturally squeezed down the middle as its gets thinner and has a wider top and base. This part breaks up the windows as all the blue glass breaks up the large about of smaller windows. The rest of the building is designed in a similar way and it heavily contrasts the neighbouring traditional builds and stands out.

Paseo De Gracia - Secondary Research -

Passeig de Gràcia is one of the major avenues in Barcelona and one of its most important shopping and business areas, containing several of the city's most celebrated pieces of architecture. Down its street there are 3 buildings where the facades heavily contrast each other. Starting on the left there is the traditional Victorian style build with balconies and gran big windows.

I enjoy the middle building the most as you can see the original cascade from underneath which looks similar to the glass building on the right. But by adding this extra layer it adds interest and makes it unique from all the rest.

All three of these buildings functions as luxury brand retailers all brining customers to see them due to their unique architecture which adds o the store and its value. It gives people a reason to go to this particular store even though they might have been to one already.

The right most building seems like a large glass block with not much detail to it as its formed of a grid like pattern. Though its modern it differs to the building in the middle which has more of a futuristic and organic feel and doesn’t feel as bland and cold as most modern builds feel. By looking into all 3 they all contrast each other and make each of them easily distinguished.

The middle being modern and futuristic with its wave cut outs that allow the windows in the building to be used and let natural light. This part of the building is similar to time kind of shutter which breaks the light yet still allows light to go through in an organic manner. The waves though create a modern look, individually they all have a natural wave like shape.

Basque Health Department Headquarters

- Secondary Research -

The new headquarters of the Basque Health Department in Bilbao is a brilliant block of glass and steel designed by architect Juan Coll- Barreu. The most important feature is its polyhedral glass facade that allows light into the interior, making it a transparent, luminous space. This building is another corner lot in Spain and it contrasts to all the other traditional buildings surrounding the building which all look the same.

The Basque Health Department breaks up all these identical buildings with its sharp and geometric shape that it has as it sticks out from around the corner. Too study this building and its shape I created elevations of the sides of the buildings where you can tell it’s a lot of geometric shapes that are pulled from one another to make this unique shell for a building.

The exterior of this building acts in a similar way to the retail store on the paseo de Garcia where this geometric glass façade is laced onto this corner lot of many Spanish residential homes.

The façade creates a interesting and unique and makes it stand out from the surrounding area. This is key due to the buildings role as an Health department so they are seen and ready to help and people don’t get lost within hundreds of he same buildings. Through this juxtaposition it creates an interesting building made up multiple geometric sections.

By researching this building I gathered images from which I drew the plan of the building where you can see how the building follow the natural shape of the street yet totally juxtaposes to the rest with its sharp and geometric forms. In a way it’s a spike like building made of buildings that allows plenty of light through. This shows how even from one material such as glass you can make an interesting shape.

Facades

- Secondary Research -

I looked at a range of facades which are able to add interest to what could have been an boring buildings. The façade adds an layer of interest as it adds depth and texture . The shape and style of the façade can create different type of feel ,with sharp geometric ones making an futuristic , and out of this world look.

While simpler elects such as the rings on the round building give it a smooth and delicate look . It’s interesting how façade can be added to older buildings to give them a second life and different look, restoring and redeveloping the build.

I experimented with my own ways of create façades which can be placed onto my design to add another layer and interests or be used to hide something that doesn’t look nice , weather its something in the background or a part of a building which doesn’t look interesting enough.

To play with the juxtapositions I made one circular design and one sharp and geometric design.