Tom Bird_Y5 | Unit 14 | Bartlett School of Architecture

All work produced by Unit 14

Cover design by Charlie Harris

www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture

Copyright 2021

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL All rights reserved.

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THE NORTHERN SPINE

POST-INDUSTRIAL URBAN REPAIR

Manchester, England, UK

The project proposes an element of connective urban tissue into the fragmented post-industrial morphologies of England's Northern cities.

Working along side the implementation of a new Northern high speed rail network, the urban intervention considers the potential of transport infrastructure to tie together the fractured sites of the inner city with a 'Spine of infrastructure' from which new urban neighbourhoods can grow.

By combining social, civic, & transport infrastructure with desirable urban amenities such as raised public park the project intends to draw the neighbouring national park into the city and define a new model of contemporary urban lifestyle in the North.

CONTENTS

001-018 DESIGN EXPLORATION:

- 001 COMPOSITE SYSTEMS

- 002 COMPOSITE SYSTEMS

- 003 SKELETAL LATTICE

- 004 SKELETAL LATTICE

- 005 FUNCTIONAL URBAN SURFACE

- 006 CONTINUOUS SURFACE LANDSCAPES

- 007 CONTINUOUS SURFACE FORMATIONS

- 008 CONTINUOUS SURFACE FORMATIONS

- 009 CONTINUOUS SURFACE ERGONOMICS

- 010 CONTINUOUS SURFACE ENCLOSURES

- 011 MULTI -LEVEL STREET ARRANGEMENTS

- 012 SECTION STUDY 1 - THE CONTINUOUS URBAN SURFACE

- 013 CASE STUDY 1

- 014 CASE STUDY 2

- 015 TYPOLOGY RATIOS

- 016 OPTIMISING RESIDENTIAL DENSITY

- 017 MULTI-LEVEL MOBILITY

- 018 SECTION STUDY 2 - CONTINUITY BETWEEN TYPOLOGIES

019-031 BRIEF AND SITE:

- 019 NORTHERN INDUSTRY

- 020 THE DEINDUSTRIALISED NORTH

- 021 MANCHESTER - SCARS OF INDUSTRIAL MORPHOLOGY

- 022 THE FAILED MODERNIST RECOVERY

- 023 MANCHESTER - RESULTING URBAN FRAGMENTATION

- 024 FUTURE NORTHERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

- 025 FUTURE NORTHERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

- 026 NORTHERN POWER RAIL

- 027 A HOME FOR NEW REGIONAL GOVERNANCE

- 028 SITE

- 029 SITE

- 030 MANCHESTER RED BRICK

- 031 MATERIAL STRATEGY

032-041 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT:

- 032 MASTERPLAN STUDY 1

- 033 MASTERPLAN STUDY 2

- 034 PROGRAMMING

- 035 FRAGMENT STUDY 2 - INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE

- 036 STREET FRAGMENT STUDY

- 037 MODULE SYSTEM STUDY

- 038 SECTION STUDY 3 - THE URBAN PODIUM

- 039 URBAN LAYERING

- 040 STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

- 041 SECTION STUDY 4 - THE SPINE

042-053 FINAL DRAWINGS:

- 042 SPINE COMPONENTS

- 043 TYPICAL SPINE COMPONENT

- 044 PARK ENTRANCE POINT

- 045 CIVIC CENTREPOINT - TYPICAL FUNCTION

- 046 CIVIC CENTREPOINT - EVENING FUNCTION

- 047 SPINE END CONDITION

- 048 SPINE AERIAL VIEW

- 049 CIVIC CENTREPOINT SSECTION

- 050 MULTI-FUNCTIONAL HALL SECTION

- 051 UNDERCROFT PERSPECTIVE VIEW

- 052 NEIGHBOURHOOD MASTER PLAN

- 053 CITY VIEW

CHAPTER -1

RESEARCH: DESIGN EXPLORATION

COMPOUNDING CONTEXTUAL & PROGRAMMATIC SYSTEMS:

Combining a system of contextual response (timber) and programmatic response (tensile fabric) in a manner where each can be addressed with equal intensity.

Providing discrete responses to the requirements of one response do not call for compromise in the other. Both responses remain intense.

AESTHETIC AND CONSTRUCTION LOGIC EVOLUTION

PRE-INDUSTRIAL

INDUSTRIAL

FORDISM & MASS PRODUCTION

Design shifts focus to the assembly & manufacturing processes of the assembly sequence. Assemblies of standard components for the masses.

Introduction & implementation of mass production & standardisation techniques into the arts, product design, & architecture.

FLEXIBLE SYSTEMS

POST-INDUSTRIAL

STRUCTURAL HONESTY

Driven by the modernists, legibility of structure & assembly is championed. The image of the system becomes dominate over its function.

Designing for obsolescence, replacement, component upgrades. Archigram considers a city scale mega-structure “The Plug-in City” which can evolve with time and the needs of its context through the replacement of its many modules.

TUDOR : LAVENHAM GUILDHALL

Price’s flexible frameworks consider a large scale space that can be configured for a large number of programmes through the movement of components & partitions. The Fun Palace is completely transportable to whichever context requires its function.

COMPONENTRY AESTHETIC

Efficient construction systems, components & assemblies become stylised beyond just functionality.

The Smithson’s rationalisation (then) contemporary construction systems provide legible honesty to the systems used. Additionally, they show potential for expansion beyond the scale of the buildings they are used in. They are open-ended.

The Tudor half-framing system serves as the earliest example of a composite, structural envelope in the Britain.

UNIT REPETITION- SCALABILITY, MANIPULATION, & GROWTH

TANGE FRIEDMAN

Considering the potential of the mega-structure & the expression that may be derives from the organic inspired “growth & repetition” found throughout metabolism.

URBAN “GROWTH” THROUGH FRAME UNIT REPETITION

Considering the potential of skeletal frameworks to create a flexible and scalable urban system. Working with the repetition & manipulation of 3D units to create skeletal lattice frameworks which may be occupied in various ways.

SINGLE UNIT STACKING

A single, symmetrical frame that can stack & connect in 3 dimensions into any form.

SINGLE UNIT STACK & SCALE

Scaling the repeating units to create points of focus and spatial variation within the framework.

STACKED CLUSTERS

Forming clusters with a defined core which may be stacked into a tower structure of any height.

DEFINED CORES

Defining cores with a unit optimised for vertical stacking, around which standard units may stack around or suspend from.

BRIDGING THE GAP

Suspending units from mass cores & forming bridging structures between them.

FORMED BY CONTEXT

Bridging between mass cores in a manner that mimics the topography of the landscape.

LATTICE FORMATION- OBLIQUE SURFACE

FUNCTION OF THE OBLIQUE - CLAUD PARENT

Considering the potential of the plane & continuous surface. Taking note of Claude Parents use of oblique surfaces to increase functionality.

Forming a self supporting lattice from layers of oblique & horizontal planes.

SEATING & INTERACTION

Considering the functional moments offered by Parents use of oblique surfaces.

Constructing a lattice out of gyroid minimal surfaces.

ENCLOSURE

Considering the spatial moments offered by Parents use of oblique surfaces.

MINIMAL SURFACE LATTICE

PLATE LATTICE

SPLIT SURFACE- CONTINUOUSLY OCCUPIED SURFACE

Considering the potential of the continuous surface to form an urban landscape of occupied slopes and enclosures through surface splits. Aiming to maximise the total area of available public space alongside the provision of enclosure.

Splitting and raising the surface to expand the ground plane and public interface & forming multilevel enclosures.

STUDY 1: HORIZONTAL SPLIT SURFACE

STUDY 2: VERTICAL SPLIT SURFACE

SURFACE FORMATIONS - CONCENTRIC LATTICE

CONCENTRIC LATTICE- GEOMETRY EXPLORATION

LIVING

CULTURAL

EXPANDED PUBLIC INTERFACE

Experimentation in the occupation of both the surface face and edge.

THE MASS SURFACE

MODULAR COMPOSITION

HUMAN INTERFACE STUDY-

A study of the potential to assign formal architectural functions to the continuous surface at the human scale by forming stairs and integrated seating. The study shows the potential of the continuous surface to meditate level changes in the urban landscape in an interactive manner. Additionally, breaking the surface down into a modular logic to relate to the human scale.

STUDY 1: DERIVING SURFACE FUNCTION

Deriving function at the human scale from a continuous surface through the manipulation of geometry to create opposing stairs linked with an oblique infill.

STUDY 2: HUMAN INTERFACE

Refining the continuous surface to form an ergonomic interface in the form of informal seating.

STUDY 1

HUMAN INTERFACE STUDY- MODULAR COMPOSITION

Further developed studies which consider the modular continuous surface at the enclosure scale. These studies focus on mediating level changes and creating enclosure with a occupiable, continuous urban surface.

INITIAL STUDY:

This study test the bridging of level changes with minimal surface geometry and creating varying conditions of urban enclosure on its underside.

PAVILION FRAGMENT 1:

This fragments creates two distinct movement routes through intersecting axis with opposing elevations. The axis overlap to create a central enclosure.

Minimal surface logic creates an infill between movement axis. The gradual transition from vertical to horizontal create both a formal enclosure and semi-sheltered under-croft.

Module and assembly logic emphasises the human scale of the structure and hints at the suitability of contemporary prefabricated or pre-cast complementary.

URBAN SYSTEMS: MULTI-LEVEL STREET ARRANGEMENT

LAYERING ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT- THE STREET

Initial studies into urban street compositions. These studies aim to increase the intensity of activity of the urban street and provide public realm at multiple levels. These studies show the potential to create increased levels of public realm in higher density street conditions through the use of continuous surface.

STUDY 1: PEDESTRIANISATION & PERMEABILITY

Ensuring interior activity is visible to the street and using soft boundaries to subdivide the street into lanes of various pedestrian traffic speeds.

STUDY 2: MULTIPLE VISIBLE LEVELS OF ACTIVITY

Stacking interior activity at the streets boarder enabling multiple levels of interior activity to be visible from the street.

STUDY 3: MULTIPLE LEVELS OF PUBLIC REALM

Utilising ramped surfaces to extend the public realm to the upper stories and rooves of structures boarding the street.

LAYERING URBAN ACTIVITY - INTEGR ATING URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

STUDY 1 - THE COMPREHENSIVE STREET

PAUL RUDOLPH- LOWER MANHATTAN EXPRESS WAY

This case study considers the potential of the high intensity street. Rudolph’s Lower Manhattan express-way posed a solution to the lack of available land in urban environments and finds an untapped land resource in the road network which fragmented the city It stacks the lanes of the express-way vertically to create multilevel traffic, topped with a public plaza and surrounded by a frame of suspended dwellings, incorporating a new urban neighbourhood into transport infrastructure development

STUDY 2 - STREETS IN THE SKY

SOUTHGATE ESTATE- JAMES STIRLING

Stirling’s Southgate estate speculated on the higher density modular neighbourhood and pedestrian vehicle segregation. It situated a network of 5 story blocks next to a new shopping centre connected by a series of pedestrian streets in the sky in a ‘comprehensive neighbourhood’ model. Though innovative, the estate ultimately failed due to the isolation of the pedestrian having unintended undesirable effects such as increased opportunity for crime and the lack of freedom of movement. Its failure highlights the importance of the integrated and comprehensive street for desirable urban living.

Runcorn Shopping City

Southgate Housing Estate

URBAN

BASED TYPOLOGY RATIOS

PROGRAMMING THE URBAN STREET FOR CONTEMPORARY LIFE

This study responds to the failures of the mono-functional and mono-demographic modernist developments by strategically tailoring the programming ratios of the high density urban street. These studies consider providing varying ratios of social and cultural infrastructure and outdoor spaces based upon their intended occupants lifestyle needs, within a high density framework.

- CIVIC -

- PARK - RESI - RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE - CULTURAL - COMMERCIAL - STREET

1A: FAMILY BIAS - STREETS

2A: LEISURE BIAS - STREETS

3A: PROFESSIONAL BIAS - STREETS

1B FAMILY BIAS - BLOCK & STREET

2B LEISURE BIAS - BLOCK & STREET

3B PROFESSIONAL BIAS - BLOCK & STREET

RAISED OUTDOOR SPACE- PREVENTING OVERSHADOW

This series of studies develops a mixed-use block and high density residential strategy based upon contemporary desires for urban living such as the provision of private outdoor space. Additionally, optimising the blocks geometry to prevent overshadowing.

PROVIDING OUTDOOR SPACE AT HIGH DENSITY

The study develops a block comprising of duel aspect residential units each with individual private outdoor space. Additionally, establishing a defined podium at street level to house mixeduse amenities and infrastructure.

URBAN SYSTEMS: MULTI-LEVEL MOBILITY

LAYERING ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT- THE STREET

Rethinking pedestrian-vehicle segregation observed in the ‘streets in the sky’ model to incorporate increased levels of public realm, intensified activity and new opportunity for public green space. Additionally, mitigating the potential for heavy transport networks to fragment the continuity of the urban condition.

STUDY 1: INTEGRATED HEAVY TRANSPORT

Placing rail transit below street level with periodic access points from the street as not to fragment the urban grain. Instead creating continuity of an urban condition along new a new rail line.

STUDY 2: INTENSIFIED GREENERY

Utilising reclaimed space afforded by the sunken rail line to increase the amount of public green space in the new street condition.

3: MULTI-LEVEL TRANSIT

Intensifying the system to accommodate multiple levels of subterranean rail transit and dispelling the notion of rail infrastructure being detrimental to the urban condition. Instead seeing it as an opportunity to develop new, intense urban neighbourhoods around.

STUDY

SECTION STUDY 2- SPATIAL CONTINUITY BETWEEN TYPOLOGIES

THE INTEGRATED URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD

Integrating multi-level movement strategies and considering the integration of infrastructure. Utilising surface geometry to create a continuous public real which mediates across multiple levels and defines an urban condition through spatial continuity between typologies.

Utilising continuous surface geometry to transition between typologies allows the level to which civic and social infrastructure are integrated into the street to be controlled. This section has the aim of providing maximum continuity between these urban functions to create a more intense condition of ‘mixed-use’.

CHAPTER -2

BRIEF: SITE AND PROGRAMME

SPORADIC GROWTH - LASTING MORPHOLOGY

INDUSTRY CITIES:

England’s northern cities have a rich industrial heritage. They housed the birth and early growth stages of industrial revolution. Their urban fabric saw rapid and sporadic growth as mills, factories, dock, workers housing, and associated industrial transport infrastructure, spread to capitalise on a booming production based economy. For many Northern cities such as Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, and Leeds this industrial growth defined the cities morphology and is still visible today.

STEEL PRODUCTION - SHEFFIELD

PORT - LIVERPOOL

TEXTILES - MANCHESTER & LEEDS

RATE OF NORTHERN DEINDUSTRIALISATION

Throughout the industrial revolution northern economies were almost exclusively based in primary and secondary sector production. Therefore, they experienced a disproportional impact resulting from national de-industrialisation.

SINGULAR NATIONAL ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

Today, the England’s economy has shifted to a tertiary, knowledge-service based model. Knowledge services can be seen to make up the majority of regional economies and a singular national economic landscape is forming. However, the rapid early industrial growth of northern cities profoundly shaped their urban growth, meaning today they are undergoing the process of adapting their fragmented industrial morphologies for a contemporary economy. One based in professional employment and residential markets. This requires more liveable cities and is not inherently suited to the fragmented and monofunctiojal landscapes which remain in northern cities as a lasting scar of early industrial growth.

MANCHESTER - SCARS OF INDUSTRIAL MORPHOLOGY

EARLY INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AND DECLINE 1820 - 1990

The industrial growth seen in Manchester was rapid and sporadic. Factory works and workers housing encased the historic triadic centre. This produced a distinct urban morphology that was seen throughout the north where the historic centres became isolated from the surrounding suburbs. The surrounding areas that would latter become the contemporary inner cities were fractured by the large plots of heavy industry and its rail networks and unplanned growth of mono-class workers terraced housing.

THE INDUSTRIAL URBAN LANDSCAPE OF MANCHESTER

The intensity of the urban and social patterns and fractures that resulted from industrial growth would go on to leave lasting scars in the cities morphology that still impact contemporary development today.

THE FAILED MODERNIST RECOVERY

SOCIAL HOUSING

REDEVELOPMENT-

During the process of deindustrialisation northern cities orchestrated large programmes of slum clearance. This involved the comprehensive clearance of the majority of the crumbling workers housing terraces with the aim of improving living conditions for the cities predominantly working class populations. This redevelopment was undertaken under development guides routed in the prevailing modernist design Zeitgeist. They employed system build mass housing megastrucutres to achieve new higher density urban neighbourhoods. Additionally, incorporating ‘streets in the sky’ to create pedestrian-vehicle segregation with the intention of better integrating increasing vehicle traffic into cities.

MANCHESTER - RESULTING URBAN FRAGMENTATION

EARLY INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AND DECLINE 1820 - 1990

THE COMPREHENSIBLY REDEVELOPED ‘RING’

The failure of the majority of modernist rehousing programmes lead to second wave of redevelopment in the inner city in spanning 1980-90. By this point the frequent, comprehensive, and large scale redevelopment had caused significant fragmentation of the inner city, with no relationship to the city centre. The result was the furthered isolation of the centre. Shown below is the ring of comprehensive redevelopment over the last 75 years that has isolated the centre and failed to implement any lasting urban infrastructure from which new urban neighbourhoods to grow. As a result Manchester’s City Centre has been unable to grow under a continuous urban condition.

COMPREHENSIVELY CLEARED AREAS (FACTORY AND HOUSING COMBINED)

POOR CENTRAL SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Another impact of the frequent redevelopment was the lack of quality social infrastructure that has developed in the centre and inner city. Today this impacts the livability of the city and its ability to support the verity of lifestyles and demographics needed to contribute to a contemporary knowledge based service economy.

MANCHESTER

FUTURE NORTHERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

FUTURE GROWTH AND BROWNFIELD POTENTIAL

Future development in northern cities will be based around supporting and growing their contemporary knowledge service and residential economies. The cities still contain large sites of brownfield land which will house the majority of future growth. These areas currently lack any existing urban infrastructure and are heavily fragmented by traces of earlier industrial growth. The intergeneration of social and cultural infrastructure is key for these areas to become desirable urban neighbourhoods and the fragmentation cause by heavy road and rail networks must be mediated to allow them to establish a continuous urban condition with the existing centres.

MANCHESTER - BROWNFIELD LAND

Manchester city centre houses the largest continuous sites of industrial brownfield land in the country and it is likely more will become available as the national economy further shifts to the tertiary sector and production based industry shrinks.

SHEFFIELD - BROWNFIELD LAND CITY CENTRE: POPULATION: 100,000 AREA: 6KM2

Sheffield adapted many of its industrial sites from primary production to advanced manufacturing industries, however increased demand for housing will likely take advantage of this underutilised land to grow the residential population of its city centre.

CITY CENTRE POPULATION: 24000 AREA: 2.2KM2

FUTURE NORTHERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

GROWTH STRATEGY OR BROKEN PROMISE?

Future growth in the north in the past two decades has been dependant on government intervention. This has fallen under the Northern Power House Agenda. The agenda proposes the agglomeration of northern economies into a single regional economy which may take advantage of the exponential growth effects of increased scale. It proposed to achieve this through improved rail connection between the regions cities, creating strategic links between businesses, and enabling devolved northern governance models where local authorises will have increased power transferred to them from central government.

However, little implementation of this strategy has been achieved and the Northsouth divide seen in UK is widening due to the governments southern bias, where investigating in already thriving economies such as London yields the greatest return on national investment.

The failure of the Northern Powerhouse Agenda calls for grassroots approach to growth in the north and facilitating its own tertiary sector growth by converting its cities into thriving liveable, knowledge service hubs.

TRANSPORT OBJECTIVES STRUGGLE

The initiative hinged a large proportion of its strategy around transport infrastructure upgrades in the north. However, the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail element was deemed inefficient by the government . Proposing instead that it should be integrated into the national high speed rail project HS2.

This stalled the progress of the initiative and the axing of NPR called for spending enquires into poor allocation of funds. Northern Powerhouse objectives were forced to tackle “achievable & visible” work, which ultimately undermined the pioneering spirit of he original proposal.

OSBORNE INITIATES NORTHERN POWERHOUSE

The Northern Powerhouse proposed a unified agenda for the economic growth, upgraded infrastructure, & development of Britain’s northern cities.

The core of the initiative promised better wealth distribution in the UK through the synthesis of northern economies into a “unified global force”, enabled through transport and tertiary sector infrastructure upgrades.

THE NORTH LOOSES OUT TO SOUTHERN GROWTH PRIORITIES

Under government supervision as opposed to local authority, the northern phase of HS2 & HS3 became a decreasing priority. In order to facilitate the South to Midlands phase, the northern phase was gradually reduced until they were indefinably axed in 2023.

REKINDLING THE VISION

The Northern Powerhouse agenda was significantly weakened due to failures to coordinate infrastructure projects on a national scale. However, the initial economic and growth potential identified in the original proposal still stand. The north may tailor its impending development to facilitate this vision independently of national schemes. The recent alternative proposal of The Northern Power Rail offers a chance for the north to capitalise on the potential of a combined economy, without relying on funding from central government and independently of the south.

NORTHERN POWER RAIL

A UNITED NORTH- REPAIRING URBAN FRAGMENTATION

A NEW RAIL LINE ENTERING MANCHESTER

The Northern Power Rial is a new independent regional transport initiative that intents to offer high-speed rail connections between northern cities. It is also intended to be used to facilitate the regeneration of northern the inner cities at its points of entry. Furthermore the new rail line will be strategically designed to patch-up urban fragmentation at its arrival to the centre as opposed to furthering it. It is proposed that the arrival points of the NPR will become pieces of connective urban tissue between the centres and inner cities.

A HOME FOR NEW REGIONAL GOVERNANCE

REGIONAL COMBINED AUTHORITY- DEVOLUTION

GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY

Alongside facilitating the entry of the new rail line into Manchester City Centre and its functionality as piece of connective urban tissue, this project will also house a new civic complex. This civic complex will house the new model of combined local authority governance resulting from northern devolution. Its design shall echo the principles of this governance in being more open to the public, and a more integrated part of daily urban life.

GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY

TRAFFORD

BOLTON

STOCKPORT

BURY

WIGAN

MANCHESTER

ROCHDALE

TAMESIDE

OLDHAM

SALFORD

MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE

CONNECTING TO THE WIDER NORTH

The Peak District

The Meadlock Valley Site Manchester City Centre

SITE

MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE

SITE

MANCHESTER RED BRICK

This study documents the material legacy of the cities industrial past and its contrast to contemporary development taking place in Manchester today.

DEFINING A MANCUNIAN URBAN VERNACULAR

A significant material distinction is seen consistently throughout Manchester between its redbrick warehouses and workers terraced housing and the bright limestone of its civic buildings. This distinction has historically been seen as representation of the disconnect between the cities working people and its governance.

INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

CIVIC DISTINCTION

Manchester’s civic building almost exclusively utilise Spinkwell limestone sourced from the neighbouring Peak District.

Contemporary reference ‘Poured Earth’ Clay - Concrete

Contemporary reference Limestone Aggregated Concrete

Red Clay Brick

Spinkwell Limestone

CHAPTER -3

DESIGN: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

DESIGN:

CONNECTIVE URBAN TISSUE

STUDY - THE SPINE

This masterplan study introduces the concept of a central spine of urban infrastructure which spans the site and encases the new rail line. The spine is intended to form a piece of connective urban tissue which mediates the fragmentation of the inner city caused by heavy transport network of rail lines and bypasses, which evolved from its historic industrial infrastructure network. The new infrastructure provides is intended to serve the new surrounding neighbourhood and wider city.

DRAWING THE PEAK DISTRICT INTO THE CITY

The spine bridges the eastern ring road, utilising a raised park to draw the Peak District deeper into the city from the east by connecting into the bordering

utilising the new rail infrastructure to provide new public amenities as opposed to allowing it to further fragment the urban grain.

A NEW CIVIC VERNACULAR

Meadlock Valley,

THE CIVIC CENTRE POINT

STUDY - CENTRE POINT AND AXIS

The second masterplan iteration places a central civic complex on the spine, intended to house the new governance model, whilst also becoming a new civic landmark, that is integrated into the public realm and daily urban life, in a new - open Town Hall model, in line with the aspirations of the new model.

CIVIC CENTRE POINT

Placing civic function at the heart of the new development to ensure the accessibility of local governance to the public and integrate the typology with more typical social and cultural urban infrastructure.

ENCASING THE RAIL LINE.

STUDY 2 - INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE

This study considers how new transport infrastructure may be integrated into the urban street in a manner which prevents further fragmentation of the urban grain. Sever fragmentation was identified in Manchester as a direct result of the rapid and sporadic growth of its early industrial infrastructure. This views the rail line as an opportunity to implement new public amenities and create new distinct street conditions.

MEDIATING THE RAIL LINE

A stepped and occupiable facade is used to draw public realm over the rail line and creates the opportunity to house public facilities in the resulting enclosure.

THE MIXED USE STREET

DEFINING A TYPOLOGY GRADIENT WITH MODULE SCALE

A gradient of module unit size defines the transition of the street from residential and commercial function through to civic and infrastructure functions.

RESIDENTIAL CIVIC MODULE SCALE GRADIENT

SECTION STUDY 3 - THE URBAN PODIUM

INTEGRATED TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

This study develops a neighbourhood around the podium model. Integrating transport links and public amenities into a podium which occupies the two lower levels of the street and is encased by a continuously occupiable surface.

TYPOLOGY DISTINCTION

The podium contains all urban infrastructure needed to support a desirable contemporary urban life. At its edges, residential timber units rise from the podium. At its centre a new civic complex is formed, housing local authority activity with offices and debate chambers. A continuity between typologies is intended to allow government activity to become more open and a more integrated part of urban life.

Terracing

PODIUM, SKIN, AND FRAME INTERFACE

This study considers the transition between the podium and facade system to carve out enclosure at the ground level and allow movement between the changing levels of the ground plane.

CONTINUOUS SKIN

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

SPATIAL CONTINUITY

A mass timber frame is applied to the podium to support the oblique surfaces of the facade system.

SPLIT ROOF

PODIUM AND FRAME

Hardened steel plate bolted between two timber beams. Improved strength & ductility.

Steel re-bar drilled into glulam beam. Improved strength & ductility.

Hardened steel plate bolted between two timber beams. Improved Strength & ductility.

Hardened steel plate bolted between two timber beams. Intergrated connection.

Steel channel profile inserted between glulam profiles. Improved rigidity.

Hardened steel plate bolted between two timber beams. Improved Strength & ductility.

Hardened steel plate laminated between timber. Improved strength & ductility.

Steel plates replacing laminated layers. Adhesive bonded. Various amounts of reinforcement may be applied.

Hardened steel plate bolted between two timber beams. Improved Strength & ductility.

Hardened steel plate replacing layers of laminated lumber within

beams make up. Adhesively bonded and protruding beyond the depth of the beam to form a sheet connection which bonds

beam to the horizontal plane.

CHANNEL RC GLULAM SLAB

Concrete

ENCASING THE RIAL LINE WITH URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

This section explores the concept of a central spine of infrastructure which encases the new rail line and serves the wider neighbourhood. It places a new linear urban park on top of the rail line which is addressed by raised structures intended to house new government activity. The spine steps down to street level with a series of terraces which house public amenities.

The spine system defines several street conditions simultaneously. Government facilities addressing the new park provide suitable levels of activity whilst parallel commercial amenities ensure the pedestrian streets remain busy.

CHAPTER -4

DESIGN: FINAL DRAWINGS

TYPICAL SPINE COMPONENT

CIVIC CENTRE POINT

PARK ENTRANCE POINT

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.

CRAFTED HORIZONS 2024

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 notion of ‘Crafted Horizons’. The term aims to highlight the architect’s fundamental agency and core competency of the profession to anticipate the future as the result of the highest degree of synthesis of the observed 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. 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 past and contemporary 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 architectural visions driven by speculation.

Thanks to: ALA, Boele Architects, Daab Design, DaeWha Kang Design DKFS, Heatherwick, Knippershelbig, NK3, RSHP, Seth Stein Architects, ZHA, Expedition Engineering.