Dominic Benzecry_Y5 | Unit 14 | Bartlett School of Architecture

All work produced by Unit 14

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www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture

Copyright 2021

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

@unit14_ucl

Cover design by Charlie Harris

dombenz@outlook.com

THE GREAT GARDEN

DESIGNING A NEW DISTILLERY TOWN FOR LISMORE, SCOTLAND

LISMORE, SCOTLAND

Through rigorous research of Scotland’s historic drystone architecture, this design project proposes a modernised form of a crofting township, centralised around a distillery. This required tackling the project at three different angles simultaneously: the street, the masterplan and the distillery.

The constructional system, developed on the scale of the street, sought to turn the defensive drystone architecture of Scotland’s past inside out, taking the timber structures typically found in the inside of thick masonry walls and placing them on the outside, creating a far more hospitable environment. After determining the form of the blocks used through digital testing, prioritizing structural efficacy, the system utilizes adjustable, saleable concrete block moulds, using limestone aggregate extracted on site as a key component of said concrete. These blocks then interface with radial cross laminated timber beams, creating the dwellings facing out towards the Scottish landscape. In turning defensive concrete architecture inside out, space was created within the streetscape to store whiskey.

The masterplan was developed using algorithmic design, using the abstraction as a method of landscape formalisation through turning the landscape into blocks of varying scales in response to programmatic requirements. The distillery then acted as a synthesis between the street, program, and site topology, using an expressive timber roof form to clearly visualise the response to these variables.

RESEARCH and RESPONSE

An exploration in the formal variation of iron age stonework construction.

Global Cyclonian Masonry

Erice, Italy

Northern Ireland

Inca Empire, South America Greece

Iron Age Broch

Scattered around the northern region of Scotland, many have argued about the purpose of the Broch - from defence to housing to farmland.

While the fundemental double skin structure of the broch remains consistent, the spatial arrangement within the thick walls vary dramatically from broch to broch.

The double layered skin of the Broch serves for both spatial arragement and structural performance. Slabs that travel between both walls provide ledges for the floor plates.

Dry Stone Distribution, Milling and Corbelling

The Broch is made purely from lightly milled dry stone, with varying slab size responding to programatic and structural needs.

Broch Plan Variation

Broch Layered Wall Section

Timber and Stone

Timber is an important part of Brochs - namely due to the fact that they make them habital. The timber flfloor plates and roof utilises the double skin of the Broch by pretruding both stone and wooden elements through both layers.

Landscape Intergration

The Broch is surrounded by subsidiary walls and drystone structures that are encorperated within the landscape.

The Tower House

The Tower House is considered an evolution of the Broch, trading a conical form for a rectangular one.

While the exterior form of the tower house is relitavely simple, the spaces within the thick masonry walls results in very expressive plans.

The Interstitial Tower House

Precast Precedents

Structural Precedents

Infra-Lightweight Concrete Precedents

Precedent studies of infra-lightweight concrete precedents, ranging from cantilever experiments to in situ cast doorways.

Bespoke Element

Modular Elements

Concept Fragment

A concept design creating a hierarchical system combining bespoke cast formwork with modular interlocking blockwork, resulting in an expressive language.

Concrete Experiments

Precast Modular Dolos

A dolos is a wave-dissipating concrete block used in great numbers as a form of coastal management. They are a perfect example of the formal possibilities of precast concrete.

Sea Defense #2

The concrete coast defenses, cast in steel moulds, have such varied modular geometry that can be clearly applied to more complex architectural design

Spatiality from Component Form

Using the formwork derived from the sea defences, this page speculates on combining them into a more spatial moments.

Modular L Block Experimentation

Creating a surface based language from repeating L blocks, which tries to avoid creating a regular, repeating pattern.

Modular Cross Block Experiment

Continuing from the expeirments of sea defences, this experiment takes a simple form and repeats and rotates it to create a large frame based modular system.-

Modular Distortion Through Infills

A diagramatic exploration which shows how through the introduction of infill blocks, a regular modular system can become distorted and made bespoke.

Customizing a Repeating Element

Following on from experimenting with repeated conrete components, these tests speculate that a simple module can be expressed in different ways through the introduction of smaller blocks/ bricks.

A concept based on the idea of a large cast concrete coloumn which is able to recieve smaller bricks to create a staircase.

Spiral Stair Concept

Initial stair fragment explorations modular infra-lightweight concrete unit being prefabricated.

Modular Stair

explorations that looks at the concept of concrete blocks, whith the entire stair prefabricated.

Fragment #1

A secondary stair fragment which focuses on smalled modular ‘L’s’ which hang off of a structural handrail. Each modular size in this fragment is smaller than in the previous.

Modular Stair Fragment #2

Taking the form of the modular fragment and expanding it to two different conditions - a curve and a more spatial exploration.

Modular Stair Fragment #2 Experiment

An experiment trying to grapple with the idea of going from a simple blockwork to bespoke formed concrete segments - in this case, that concrere forms a sort of entrance.

Big To Small Test

Landscape Interaction Test

An early test using geometry derived from the first staricase experiments seeing how the concrete could potentially interact with landscape.

A first attempt at a programmatic fragment, introducing a repeating modular frame alongside a brick infill, creating a column based language.

Distillery Fragment

Building off of the first distillery fragment, this iteration seeks to redefine the infill language into something more bespoke.

Distillery Fragment Ver. 2

Fragment experimenting with the modularisation of the infra-lightweight concrete wall, utilising bricks of varying size, complexity and joinery.

Modular Distillery Fragment

A diagramatic exploration of the various blocks used in the structural component of the infralightweight concrete structure, alongside varying iterations.

Exploded Structural Column Fragment

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Timber Plinth Interaction

An attempt at a fragment which combines modular cross laminated timber with the infra lightweight concrete blocks.

An exploded fragment showing the beveled conection details between the concrete itself and the CLT.

Concrete-Timber Exploded

PROGRAM, and SITE

Fractal Urbanism and Broch Logic

The actual spatial formation of the Broch follows similiar medival developments of housing placed either side a main road, the main difference, however, being the fact that they surround a central structure.

Glasgow

Yarwell

Wharram Percy

Skara Brae

‘Utopian’ Edinburgh

APROX. 500 BROCHS

APROX. 30 BROCH VILLAGES

APROX. 140 DISTILLERIES

£4.5 BILLION

WHISKY EXPORTS

SIX WHISKY REGIONS IN SCOTLAND

Scottish whisky production is split into 6 main regions of production: the Highlands, the Islands, Speyside, Islay, the Lowlands and Cambeltown

77% of Scottish Distilleries have been incorperated since 2010

ISLANDS

ISLAND SINGLE MALT

Smokier Flavours

Peaky Undertones

20+ DISTILLERIES Oak, Heather, Dried Fruit, Fruitcake, and Smoke

9 DISTILLERIES

ISLAY

ISLAY SINGLE MALT

Pungent peaty, smoky and oily flavours, with just a hint of salty sea air and seaweed

3 DISTILLERIES

CAMPBELTOWN

CAMPBELTOWN SINGLE MALT

Salt, Smoke, Fruit, Vanilla and Toffee

47 DISTILLERIES

HIGHLANDS

50+ DISTILLERIES

SPEYSIDE

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT

Apple, Pear, Honey, Vanilla and Spice

HIGHLANDS SINGLE MALT

6 DISTILLERIES

LOWLANDS

LOWLAND SINGLE MALT

Grass, Honeysuckle, Cream, Ginger, Toffee, Toast and Cinnamon

INGREDIENTS

MALTED BARELY FRESH WATER YEAST

% OF WHISKIES

10%

SINGLE MALT

ONE DISTILLERY MULTIPLE DISTILLERIES

SINGLE GRAIN BLENDED

INGREDIENTS

MAIN DISTILLERIES

Glenlivet Glenfiddich Macallan Ailsa Bay

SPEYSIDE

WHEAT CORN RYE

% OF WHISKIES

Primarily Used in Blending

MAIN DISTILLERIES

Cameronbridge North British Girvan Invergordon

Largest Region

SINGLE MALT

% OF WHISKIES

Largest Region 90%

LOWLANDS

SINGLE GRAIN

MAIN DISTILLERIES

Blended whisky takes from multiple distilleries, with blending facilities typically being paired with a distillery

LAPHROAIG Distillery

Distillery Garage

Distillation Building 1

Visitors Centre

Malting House

Guardhouse

Peat Store

Outbuilding

Distillation Building 2

Fermentation Building

Malt kilns

Warehouse

Bottling/ Warehouse

A breakdown of the building requirements of a distillery using the Laphroaig distillery as a case study

distillery equipment

Documenting the process of making whiskey, highlight the spatial requierments and equipment needed.

showing the long thin farmland plots attached to the street in Eoropie

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Glensanda Quarry

Achanduin Castle

Castle Coeffin

Tirefour Broch

Lime Kilns

Site

An Dun Broch

Lismore Parish Church

Sailaen

In order to make the defensive Scottish architecture more hospitible, this project proposes turning the drystone structures inside out, with the timber elements on the outside, and masonry on the inside.

This project proposes a productive form of crofting township, centralised around a distillery, built on the principles of cooperative ownership and community.

Centralised Crofting Township

Masonry

Masonry Timber

Timber

Timber

Turning Drystone Architecture Inside Out

3 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

An initial experiment into creating a join timber/ concrete language that seeks to create a balance between the solid and the transparent.

Timber/ Concrete Larger Scale 1

Further development of this system with commercial program in mind, with the timber elements becoming embedded within the concrete.z

Timber/ Concrete Larger Scale 2

Further experiments of the concrete - timber system, playing around with the relative heigh of both elements, and how it creates different spaces.

Timber/ Concrete Larger Scale 3

Streetscape Language

A further iteration of the streetscape - timber relationship, introducing the idea that the whiskey barrels could be stored within the street. Furthermore, it introduces varying forms of landscape interaction, including bringing vegetation and crops into the street itself.

Streetscape

A larger scale fragment of the streetscape, that whiskey barrels are

Streetscape Language

streetscape, continuing the idea stored within the street.

Orthogonal Global Arrangement

More orthogonal explorations into masterplanning, following on from my previous ideas of the central distillery, strong heirarchy, and landscape formalisation.

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Global Arragement Radial Experiments

An initial radial exploration of the masterplan, with the residential buildings surrounding the central distillery.

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Farmland Residential Circulation

Farmland Residential

Farmland

Residential

Distillery

Gridding Experiment

Further exploration into landscape formalisation, playing on the idea that farmland would follow a strict grid, whereas the residential areas could be far more free form.

Developing the Language 1

The above images act as concept models for the formalisation of landscape into extreme linear streetscapes.

Developing the

Developing the more extreme directionality, and variation in speculation on how the landscape

the Language 2

extreme language further, with more the size of each building, with landscape might respond to that.

The first iteration of the abstraction allowed me to put the mesh of the Lismore site into a grid of points, with the points inside said mesh spawning a block.

Abstration Iteration 1

9 STEPS 10 BY 10

10 STEPS 8 BY 8

15 STEPS 5 BY 5

20 STEPS 3 BY 3

30 STEPS 2 BY 2

50 STEPS 1 BY 1

100 STEPS 0.5 BY 0.5

The larger the blocks, the more detail is lost in translation. This means that the smaller blocks will more clearly show the idiosyncracies of landscape.

Abstraction Iteration 1

Alleys and Walkways Residential

20M BY 20M

Abstraction Iteration 2

This iteration changed the way in which the block locations were calculated, projecting the center points of the blocks onto the surface of the landscape rather than creating a grid,

10M BY 10M

5M BY 5M

Commercial/ Agricultural

Abstraction Iteration 2

This new iteration was also to scale, meaning that the size of the block could be used to accurately reflect the spatial requirements of program.

100M BY 100M

50M BY 50M

30M BY 30M

Public Realm

Central Distillery

Voxelising the Landscape, clearing unnecessary blocks, cutting the linear street.

Orthogonal Global Arrangement

20M BY 10M

Step 2

Step 3

Step 1

Commercial/ Agricultural

Global Arragement Radial Experiments

The masterplan is rationalised through combining multiple scales of blocks - and therefore multiple programs - to create an asymetrical language and form that responds directly to topography.

50M BY 50M

100M BY 100M

30M BY 20M

20M BY 10M

5M BY 5M Public Realm

Residential Alleys and Walkways

Distillery

Residential Commercial Agricultural Distillery

Baseline Abstracted Masterplan

The abstractred masterplan as a result of the algorithmic process, with residential facing the sea, farming facing the landscape, and the commercial sitting on an extra perpendicular to the main street.

Timber Language Development

Buidling from my previous fragments, I sought to change the language of the timber into something more planar based that is more evocative of the landscape.

Glensanda Limestone Quarry

This page shows the tests used in my thesis to explore optimal block form using digital testing. The test for wind was achieved by applying a constant force to one face of the wall, whereas the seismic test moved the block at the bottom of the wall back and forth.

The digital tests allowed for easy iteration of the blocks, while trying to abide as closely to real life conditions as possible. In the end, the design of block chosen was a compromise between performance and maintaining joint simplicity

Adjustable Moulds

After finding the ideal block shape for mass production, I decided to utilise adjustable steel moulds, allowing for a high number of block variables to be created - this is extremely useful at the scale of a town.

blocks used in the typical residential entrances on the street. It shows how the majority of the blocks are created using the adjustable moulds, with some bespoke blocks needed for walkways and composite beams.

The

Typical Residential Entrance

The blocks used in a typical wall detail, with larger blocks at the bottom connecting with the scale change blocks to smaller. perforated bricks at the top.

Typical Wall

Intergrating Vegetation

The adjustable block system allows for the introduction of channels of varying depths to be filled with soil. This means that a gradient of vegetation type and size can be created within the fabric of the street.

Figure 118 - Image by Author

Circulation Core

Taking heavy inspiration from drystone buildings, these cores are connected to the fabric of the street, acting as the interstitial between the public and the private. The modularity of it allows for customisation across the township.

Timber

The main structural elements of the dwelling consists of radial glulam timber beams, petruding from the circulation core previously explored.

Integration

A cross section showing the blocks tial streetscape.

Residential

blocks used in a typical residenstreetscape.

Residential Street

The first undercroft minimises the use of concrete through using the earth previously excavated in the construction of the project. The half arches of the underground whiskey storage connect to retaining walls holding the soil.

Undercroft 1

The second undercrof shows how, when the street is thinner, full arches can be used for a single, more spatious undercroft, for vehicular access.

Undercroft 2

The linear nature of the masterplan lends itself to the automation of whiskey storage.

Robotic Storage

RS-02-01

RP-02-01

An illustration of the blocks used in the construction of the retaining wall and arch whiskey storage system.

Undercroft Blocks

A perspective shot showing how split up into crofts, consisting of linear street with whiskey

The Croft

how the fabric of the masterplan is a dwelling facing the sea, the whiskey storage, and the farm.

Croft

CROFTA-1

CROFTA-2

The street varies greatly, with opportunities for interesting interactions between the timber and the concrete creating transparent openings.

Typical Farm Wall

The timber is also able to go past the datum of the concrete wall, creating larger commercial buildings with storefronts.

Typical Commercial Wall

Glulam timber can be used for the creation of larger spaces in the undercroft of the town. In this case, for creating a large opening where the whiskey barrels can be exported via ship

Timber Export Access

Radiating Distilleries 1

An early iteration of the central distillery space, speculating on the use of multiple distilleries creating a central space.

Further development on the idea of multiple distilleries, moving away from a circular shape in order to create a more interesting space.

Radiating Distilleries 2

Development

Following on from the development of the general timber language, I wanted to extend it to the roof of the distillerty itself, splitting it up into various sections.

of Radial Distillery

Iterations of the distillery roof trying to extend the language developed in the street into a radial form.

Central Costal Distillery Concepts

Roof Iterations 1

Roof iterations playing with the central distillery space, testing more forms than a simple circle. It is important that is situated firmly in the landscape

Further iterations of the roof.. The roof pitches three times to accomodate the distillery equipment and programmatic requirements.

Roof Iterations 2

Final Roof Iterations

These iterations seek to respond to both the program and the street, with a circular shape being manipulated in multiple directions creating spaces and routes underneath.

Roof Structure

Exploded axonometric of the roof, showing its primary glulam beams, secondary structure, and limestone slate cover.

A cut through the distillery space, showing the use of Glulam timber in the primary structure, and how it connected to the concrete blocks developed previously.

Distillery Fragment

Plan of the distillery, showing it’s as well as connection

Distillery Plan with

A rendered section showing the and connection to

Distillery

the distillery, including its access to the streetscape.

Section

Masterplan

of the masterplan, showing moopens up to access the sea.

DRAWINGS

5 APPENDIX

Parametric Landcaping 2

Fragment experimenting with the modularisation of the infra-lightweight concrete wall, utilising bricks of varying size, complexity and joinery.

Residential Commercial

Parametric exploration of landscape formalisation using the street concept - where each node is larger and taller neared the street, and smaller and shorter further away from it.

Parametric Landcaping 3

Formalisation Experiment

Early test of how differing materiality can be used with landscape formalisation to create a clear heirachical language.

Early Landscape Formalisation Tests

Early fragments trying to create a blend between the different levels of formalisation in the landscape.

Shifting Landscape Fragment

The split between roof and landscape is key to the architectural expression of my system - while the compressive facade details are rudementary, this fragment focuses more on overall form.

History of Aircraft Structure

The structures of aircraft have steadily progressed from simple framed structures to monocoque.

de Havilland Mosquito

P-38 Lightning

Wooden Monocoque

Sopwith Camel

Timber Box Frame

Composite Monocoque

Stressed Fabric Skin

LFG Roland C.II

P-38 Lightning

This twin fusalage aluminium skinned 1941 aircraft is a perfect example of the performance and aesthetic potential of monocoque construction.

Skin, Structure, and Scale

This twin fusalage aluminium skinned 1941 aircraft is a perfect example of the performance and aesthetic potential of monocoque construction.

Tail Wing Fuselage

Inherent Spatiality

As the skin becomes the main structural component, the plane’s form gains a spatiality within, with much of the fusalage and boom space being used for storage.

This twin fusalage aluminium skinned 1941 aircraft is a perfect example of the performance and aesthetic potential of monocoque construction.

This twin fusalage aluminium skinned 1941 aircraft is a perfect example of the performance and aesthetic potential of monocoque construction.

Parametric Landcaping

Fragment experimenting with the modularisation of the infra-lightweight concrete wall, utilising bricks of varying size, complexity and joinery.

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Residential Commercial

All work produced by Unit 14

Unit book design by Charlie Harriswww.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture

Copyright 2021

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmited in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retreival system without permission in writing from the publisher.

CONSTRUCTED FUTURES 2023

At the center of Unit 14’s academic exploration lies Buckminster Fuller’s ideal of the ‘The Comprehensive Designer’, a master-builder that follows Renaissance principles and a holistic approach. Fuller referred to this ideal of the designer as somebody who is capable of comprehending the ‘integrateable significance’ of specialised findings and is able to realise and coordinate the commonwealth potentials of these discoveries while not disappearing into a career of expertise. Like Fuller, we are opportunists in search of new ideas and their benefits via architectural synthesis.

As such Unit 14 is a test bed for exploration and innovation, examining the role of the architect in an environment of continuous change. We are in search of the new, leveraging technologies, workflows and modes of production seen in disciplines outside our own. We test ideas systematically by means of digital as well as physical drawings, models and prototypes. Our work evolves around technological speculation with a research-driven core, generating momentum through astute synthesis. Our propositions are ultimately made through the design of buildings and through the in-depth consideration of structural formation and tectonic. This, coupled with a strong research ethos, will generate new and unprecedented, one day viable and spectacular proposals. They will be beautiful because of their intelligence - extraordinary findings and the artful integration of those into architecture.

The focus of this year’s work evolves around the concept of ‘Constructed Futures’. The term aims to describe architecture and as such fundamentally human future as the result of the architect’s highest degree of synthesis of underlying principles. Constructional logic, spatial innovation, typological organisation, environmental and structural performance are all negotiated in a highly iterative process driven by intense architectural investigation. Inspiration for inherent principles of organisational intelligence can be observed in both biotic and abiotic systems, in all spatial arrangements where it is critical for the overall performance of the developed order. Through the deep understanding of constructional principles, we will generate highly developed architectural systems of unencountered intensity where spatial organisation arises as a result of sets of mutual interactions. Observation as well as re-examination of civilisatory developments will enable us to project near future scenarios and position ourselves as avant-garde in the process of designing a comprehensive vision for the forthcoming. The projects will take shape as research based imaginative tales, architectural visions driven by speculation.

Thanks to: ALA, DaeWha Kang Design, Foster + Partners, Heatherwick Studio, Populous, RSH+P, Seth Stein Architects, ZHA, Expedition Engineering