Break the Barrier of the City ——The Shadowed Space under the Overpass
Yixuan Yang (Eason) 19012475
LOCATION The Space under Mancunian Way, Manchester, United Kingdom
Student Accommodation
Office
Commercial
Student Accommodation
office
Oxford Road
Office MMU Campus Mancunian Way MMU Campus
Commercial Office Office
Commercial Student Accommodation Mancunian Way Roundabout
Roundabout
MMU Campus
Student Accommodation
Oxford Road
Mancunian Way Mancunian Way
Residential Residential
Campus
Residential
MMU Campus Residential Residential Student Accommodation
Campus
Residential
Campus
Student Accommodations
Underpass in the Roundabout (Since the site is under construction, the second underpass photo is used to show the general situation)
Residential
Empty
Office
Underpass in the Roundabout
Road
Commercial
Car Park
Roundabout
Car Park
SITE MODEL
Type D
Type E
Type B
Type C
Type A
Library Residentail Road Student Accommodation
Road
Education Centre
Student Accommodation Campus
Car Ramp
Car Ramp
Student Accommodation
Type D Empty
Campus
Student Accommodation
Type B
Type A
Car Park
Car Park
Residential
Residential
Office
Office
Campus
Campus
Student Accommodation
Student Accommodation
Type C Underpass in the Roundabout
Type E
Underpass in the Roundabout
Research topic: Based on personal experience, in most cases, the shadow space under the overpass is a kind of space that is not actively used, vacant, and has
QUESTIONNAIRE
great potential for improvement. Moreover, in the cases that have been transformed, many designs are too functionalist, without considering the tearing of the viaduct itself to the urban space, and the importance of street continuity. Such a space has a large stock in the city and great development potential. The purpose of this design is to study how to improve the vitality of shadowed space under viaducts.
Issues: 1. Oxford Road 1.1 The elevated road break the continuity of the street 1.2 Disharmony caused by huge volume of viaducts 1.3 Feeling stressful 2. Roundabout 2.1 Seldom used 2.2 Feeling insecure 2.3 Muddy path 2.4 Garbage accumulation
Research Question: 1. How to weak the barrier sense caused by viaducts and increase the connection between both sides of elevated road. 2. How to improve the shadowed space under the viaducts?
Methodology: 1. Questionnaire 2. Case of study 3. Observation and recording
Hi, we are postgraduate students of Architecture and Urbanism from the University of Manchester. Now we are doing a survey about this junction. It is a part of our coursework and we really hope you could help us to finish this questionnaire. The questionnaire is anonymous and all data are used for analysis only. Thanks for your help !
Hi, w Manc really all da
1. Which of the following group seems more like you?
1. Wh
Student
Worker
Resident
Other:
2. How often do you pass this junction? Everyday
Every week
2. Ho Seldomly
3. What is the biggest problem in this junction? Garbage accumulation Other:
Muddy path
3. Wh Feeling insecure
4. If here will be transformed, you hope it can become: (You can choose more than one option) Skatepark Pop-up market Shared work space
4. If h
(Yo
Graffitiville Open-air theatre Other:
5. Do you like the graffiti in this junction? Yes No It would be perfect if you could tell us the reason:
Have a nice day! (This is a questionnaire survey that I cooperated with Yiyin Liu, because our sites are similar. Questions 1-4 are our sharing questions, and the fifth question is Yiyin Liu's dissertation question)
5. Do
It w
RESULTS OF QUESTIONNAIRE Sample Size: 100 Topic Type: Multiple Choice
student
54
worker
26
resident
seldomly
49
everyweek
22
everyday
29
18
others
5 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
Which of the following group seems more like you?
Garbage accumulation
24
Muddy path
10
20
30
40
50
60
How often do you pass this junction?
Skatepark
34
Pop-up market
39
Open-air theatre
17
Shared work space
16
28
Feeling insecure
53
Other:
4 0
others
10
20
30
40
50
60
9 0
What is the biggest problem in this junction?
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
If here will be transformed, what do you hope it can become? Other:
Filled in with green space / A public space used for events / More facility for people / Open / Don't bypass the road / Sponge city / Traffic light
OBSERVATION AND RECORDING 1. The Roundabout Besides MMU Business School (Type C) STR
T EE
AM
TH
R ST
HA
GE
RC
WE
LO
RID MB CA
EE
Chy
T
EE
TR
RS
T
TE
ES
CH
8
60
Cyc
32.6m
5
Dalton's Statue
53
Meml
Cam
H
56
ay
le W
T
EE
TR
ES
ULM
Shelter
TCB
brid
John Dalton Building
ge
Car Park
Mill
50
5 PH L Twr
16 Travelling Crane
NIAN
WAY
CU
MAN
NO.2
ET
RE
ES
43
OT
CH
to
ST
(ELE
)
AD
RO
40 33
try
Gan
L Twr
try
Gan
32
27
M WIL
R TE
TED
VA
John Dalton West
TS
ESS
TR EE T
NE
30
NO.1
TLE
AS
WC ET
RE
ST
Subway
Sandra Burslem Building 50
20
Subway
3
1
Sir Kenneth Green Library
15
Parkway Gate
NO.4
2
Subway
NO.3
MANCUNIAN WAY
Grosvenor Square
Bellhouse Building
7
10
Business School Subway
LO RO
WE EE T
12
21
2 13
31
14
41
23
32
24
42
0
34
43
ET
mb
Ca
12
No rth
Wa
2 to
m
21 2h
ge
rid
tha
Cavendish Building
ll
to
Ha
lk
41
Entrance Number (12 means the amount of people who walk pass this site from entrance No.1 to entrance No.2)
Ormond Building
RE
11
TR
ST
1 to
DS
ON
AM
Ma
E
AR
39
39
QU
to
ES
ER
29
to
RM
Church
2
TH
NM
ET
CO
RE 2a
0
2
7
HA
Conmere Square
se
RC
k
Wal
V
ST
18
Loxford Court
St Augustine's
Hou
WE
ie aler
2
21
23
LO
11
60 to 70
TLE
FB
to
row
13
he
23
45 55
AS
12
8
11 13
27
WC
10
15
to
13
1 to
25
Clit
to
NE
1
9
to
37
47
RE
ST
21
ON
ND
RE
CLA
15
ET
14
dish
t
ee
Str
51
New
10
brid
1 to
4 2
4
Cam
84 10 12
23 to 13
2
alk
t
ee
Str
Walk
42
Cavendish Hall
ge
brid th
Sou l
Hal
ET
ET
RE
ST
RE
ST
TLE
TT
AS
MO
WC
WIL
NE
Entrance number
Cam
man
Dales
28
to 28
16
dW
woo
71
10 12
dish
en
Cav 1 to 10
26
18
11
ET
1 to
How do people use this roundabout?
RE
PH
om
Bro
38
4
LE IND ET BR TRE S
ST
to 69
to
35.5m
Righton Building
GE
EV
CH
El Sub Sta
RID
53
16
School Bungalow
CLO
MB
RIL
le da Elm k Wal
CE
SE
T
EE
TR
DS
OR
XF
LO
12
LA
54 41
2 to
SP
to to
LE
40 27
25
CA
OW
alk 1 to
ge
Hou
to 14
14 to 24
ld W
KN
bo
se
24
en Cav
Observation Site: The Roundabout next to MMU Business School
13
14 11
12
Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m
8 6
Observation Content: Mark the four entrances and exits of the roundabout with serial numbers. The observation time is 10 hours in
4 2
4
6
5
4 2
10
9
9
10
13
9
9
13
13
13 10
10
9
8
6 4
4
6
4
3
2
3
3
0
total, and every 20 minutes is a unit time period. In the first 10 minutes, the flow of people at each entrance and exit is recorded, and in the last 10 minutes, a questionnaire (which is mentioned above) is conducted for
Peak Hours
people passing through the site.
Observation purpose: To study the route distribution when people use the site, and find out when the peak use of the site is.
9.40-10.10
11.20-11.30
8
12.20-13.10
13.40-15.50
Number of people using roundabout in different time periods
16.40-16.50
OBSERVATION AND RECORDING 2. The Space under the Mancunian Way in MMU campus (Type A, Type B)
0
John Dalton Building
230
3
28
46
54
34
6
12
26
24
MMU Library
210
Business School
Entrance of Buildings or Site
Circulation
Car Route
Observation Site: The Space under the Mancunian Way in MMU campus Observation Time: 2.00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m
Circulation
Buildings or Tunnels ObservationEntrance Content: of Record the starting point and destination of all people passing through the space under overpass in one hour Observation purpose: To figure out the route distribution when people use the site.
Car Route
OBSERVATION AND RECORDING 3. Noise under viaduct (Type A, B, C, D)
dB
91
89
91
dB
88
808479
85
82
75
72
84
7776 74 77 Type D
Observation Site: The Whole Space under the Mancunian Way
Type C
Type B
Type A
Observation purpose: The purpose of measuring the noise index is to check whether the space under the bridge is suitable for long-term stay
Observation Content: According to the previous classification, the average noise index was measured in the spaces of types A, B, C, D. In each type, 10 minutes are taken as a unit. The noise index is measured in the first five minutes, and have a rest in the last five minutes. The process is repeated three times, and the average value is taken as the result.
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Comparing the frequency of roundabout usage with the crossing path on the campus, we can find that 223 people pass through the roundabout in five hours of statistical time of ten hours. Correspondingly, 661 people passed by in an hour on campus.Therefore, the roundabout site
4. The site is large in scale, but there is no space and activity for pedestrians to stay and gather. So few people pass by and no one stays here, which also leads to people's insecurity feeling.
has a large size and good greening conditions, but its utilization rate is very low.
About the Noise From the above observation and questionnaire survey, students are the most people who pass this roundabout. The biggest problem of the venue is that they feel unsafe.
Type A, B, C space is suitable for staying, but type D space can not stay for more than 30 minutes, otherwise permanent hearing loss will be caused. And we have to do something to prevent noise
So people think the site is unsafe, which leads to the extremely low utilization rate of the site. About the "Barrier" Why do people think roundabout is not safe? Many overpasses cross the conventional road vertically. For pedestrians, there are obvious psychological changes before, during and after crossing the space under overpasses. Before and after crossing the overpass, the streets are occupied by shops, restaurants, cinemas, schools, etc. However, when entering the grey space under the overpass, it is a completely different space atmosphere, grey and cold structure, dim light, and almost no functional space. The existence of such a space breaks the continuity of the street .
1. Garbage Accumulation
2. Muddy Path
Before
During
The overpass on Oxford Road Car Route
3. Because there is a height difference of 3 meters between the site and the ground, people in the site can not see any the pedestrians outside.
Car Route
After
THE CONCEPT OF THIS DESIGN
The implication of this illustration is that the overpass can be more integrated with the surrounding environment through design, and the continuity on both sides of the bridge can be strengthened, so that it can be a ribbon that can freely shuttle through the city, rather than a barrier.
U: University S: Student Accommodation R: Residential O: Office
GENERAL STRATEGY
Divide the space under overpass into to layers
Organise the space with some boxes and bridge
In this way, the space under the bridge can be divided into four spaces with different characteristics to adapt to different kinds of functions.
For example, No.1 space, with high space and large area, is suitable for sports activities. Due to the occupation of the box, space No. 2 has reduced the general floor height and is limited by the box columns, which is suitable for staying activities, such as rest. Space 3 is on the top of the box, which is as suitable for staying as space 2. The environment is private and the vision is more open. No. 4 space is the space under the bridge, which has the guidance and does not have the staying property, which promotes people to move quickly.
PLAN A
Table Tennis room Table Game room Informal Basketball Court
Type D
Stage Type C
Learning Room Meeting Room Exhibition Hall
Type B
Learning Room Meeting Room
Food Hall Coffee
Type A
Lounge Common Room
PLAN B
Table Tennis room Table Game room Informal Basketball Court
Type D
Skateboard Park Type C
Learning Room Meeting Room Exhibition Hall
Type B
Learning Room Meeting Room
Food Hall Coffee
Type A
Lounge Common Room
Open-air Cinema
Pop-up Market
Type C
Type C
Roundabout Plan C
Roundabout Plan D
SPECIFIC DESIGN —— ROUNDABOUT (TYPE C)
Why choose this roundabout? Oxford Road Train Station
University
This roundabout is a very important node in the space under the whole
Office
Student Accommodation Office
Mancunian way. It connects various functional areas in four directions:
Student Accommodation
university student apar tment, University University residential area
University
office area, student apartment student apartment. At the same time, it is also
Site
the site with the best site conditions but poor actual use experience.
Residential
University
Residential
Student Accommodation
University Residential
So choose this roundabout to do a detailed design
DETAILED SITE PLAN OF THE ROUNDABOUT
Th
e
Sh e
d
John Dalton Building
The Shed
Cambridge Street Car Park
Unite Students ± 0.000
ite
ud St
Un
MMU Business School
Ca
mb
rid
Cambridge Street
Residential
Plan of the Roundabout
The Way People Walk through the Site
Current Situation of the Site
U
M
M
ge
St
re et
s Bu
c sS
es
in
ts
en
- 3.900
Residential
ol
ho
Car Park
CONCEPT
Based on the previous research, we plan to introduce four functions into the roundabout: pop up market, skateboard park, open air theatre, leisure park. I hope that the passers-by can find some interesting things, such as they can build their own structure with some devices and unit components, so as to achieve a certain degree of flexibility.
Icon
Function
Core Elements
Combination
Common Elements
A Unit Component
Level Ground
Pop-up Market
or
Interior Space
Stage
Green Space
Interior Space
Skateboard Park
Interior Space
Steps
Path
Smooth Slope
Through a construction method
Steps
Open-air Theatre
and
Smooth Slope
Steps
Street Furniture
Stage
Leisure Park
Installation
Installation
Level Ground
Sound Insulation Facility
A Unit Component
This is a method to design a unit component. This construction can create a structure that adapts to different functions through different combinations to realise the flexibility.
Roundabout
SOME RELATED CASE STUDY Pop-up Market 1. British Pop-up Market British pop up market sells a variety of goods in various forms. But in most small and medium-sized markets, people buy food, and there is no place to sit down and enjoy their food. Of course, large markets, such as the Christmas market, will have concentrated rest places.
Makers Market in Manchester
So what I want is to combine the dining area with the shops, which can attract people to sit down for a long time and form a kind of social place. If this strategy is applied to roundabout, it will increase people's stay time, thereby reducing the insecurity feeling of passing people.
Makers Market in Instagram
Site: Square, the space under some building structure, street.
Form: Carriage, sales desk, temporary simple structure.
Product: Handiwork, Handmade food, fresh fruits, plants, vegetables,.
2. Japanese Pop-up Market
Japanese Street Food Vendor
Advantages:
Application
Japan has strict management and rules for vendors:
In this roundabout, vendors can
1. The area shall not exceed 3m*
own vending carts and selling
5m, and the actual booth area shall not exceed 2.5m *3m, half of the
spaces with dining areas.
area is reserved as open space, as a buffer space for the pedestrians. 2. The business hours shall not exceed the range from 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. 3. Do not leave any garbage or pollute the ground. 4. It can gather people to stay there and form a social occasion.
use unit components to build their
SOME RELATED CASE STUDY
Theatre Strategy
Theatre
1
Separated from the busiest single-lane road in Europe by a curtain, it allowed for both c o l l e c t i ve e s c a p i s m and created a public spectacle on the street for passers-by. At the end of the film the curtain rose, pushing the audience from the imaginative world of the film to the everyday theatre of the street.
Open-air Theatre
Cl a s s i c e l e m e n t s we re re created for the roadside setting using cheap industrial, reclaimed or donated materials. Flip-up seats were made from scaffolding boards, the foyer was furnished with formica-clad school chairs and tables, and the auditorium was enclosed by a curtain, created by handsewing about three kilometres of seam in roofing membrane.
Stage
Auditorium
Curtain
The backstage needs to be placed between the stage and the road, on the one hand to serve the stage and serve as the background of the stage, and on the other hand to isolate the road noise.
2
Underground Theater
Because of the strong wind in Manchester, curtains need to be able to resist the wind. Therefore, curtains need to be supported by hard wood structure or bamboo structure, and the design of these structures should take into account the flexibility while ensuring the strength. Small holes is arranged on the ground to fix the curtain structure and reduce the influence of wind on the curtain stability. Underground Theater
Leisure Area
The seats are concealable, so they can be used as a gentle slope for skateboards during theater breaks.
Although curtains can resist noise to some extent. But the theater is designed for activities that are not sensitive to noise, such as band performance, dance performance and celebration .
This underground theater is designed for activities that are more sensitive to noise, such as lectures, movies, classical music performances, etc.
GENERAL DESIGN STRATEGY Operating System
Provide Unit Component
Workshop
Combine Unit Components
Roundabout
Roundabout with Various Functions SITE
Workshop
Workshop
This project is divided into three stages, labeled 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The first stage and the second stage must be completed, and the third stage can be decided whether to continue according to the needs and time.
Service
The car park next to roundabout and the space under the sideway will also be included in the site as workshop and warehouse to form a service and served space. Red one is the service space,and black one is the served space.
The workshop is combined with one of the entrance of the site to make the landmark building of the main entrance of the site.
Part of the original parking lot is used as the entrance of vehicles and goods.
Workshop and Skateboard Area
In terms of architectural form, buildings on both sides of roundabout road form a similar falling trend. Flat floor is laid on the roof of buildings in roundabout, which is used as the slope of skateboard.
Skateboard Area and Underground Theatre
Under the skateboard area, an underground theater will be built to hold some activities sensitive to noise, such as classical music, lectures, graduation ceremony, etc.
Meeting Room and Underground Theatre
Meeting room is a sound sensitive function, so it is placed underground. At the same time, acoustic panel is made in the upper part to resist noise to a certain extent. In addition, acoustic panel also contributes to the space light.
COMBINATION MODE
UNIT COMPONENT
500
250 A 500 250
B 250 500
Type B
Type A
Wood Panel
Glass Panel
Connection between the Steel Structures
Soft Material
Connection between Structures and Panels
Fixing Piece A
Fixing Piece B
Fixing Piece C
All fixings are connected by magnetic force, which is easy to install and does not need tools, so it is suitable for citizens to install independently. All connections are strong magnets and may need to be removed with the aid of tools. Therefore, there needs to be a special person to operate in this roundabout.
UNIT APPLICATION
UNIT APPLICATION
500mm Unit + Soft Martial
500mm Unit + 250mm Unit + Wood Panel
Chair
Table 500mm Unit + Wood Panel
Skateboard ramp
Light
500mm Unit + 250mm Unit + Wood Panel + Soft Martial + Light
Vendor
500mm Unit + Wood Panel
Slide
UPPER GROUND FLOOR PLAN
Flexible area means that site users can build pop-up market or leisure
C Car park
park with unit components by themselves.
Exhibition Area A
Workshop
±0.000
-3.800
Skateboard Area
B
-1.500
Flexible Area Open-air Stage
Flexible Area Auditorium ±0.000
Flexible Area Flexible Area
±0.000
Food Hall
B
Flexible Area
Flexible Area
C
A
0M
10M
C
LOWER GROUND FLOOR PLAN
Toilet Workshop
A
Multi-functional Space
Storage
B
Component Storage Flexible Area
Foundation of Bridge
Flexible Area Foundation of Bridge
Flexible Area Foundation of Bridge
Flexible Area
B Flexible Area
A
C
0M
10M
C A
BASEMENT PLAN
Underground Theatre
B Toilet Toilet Backstage
Meeting Room Meeting Room Meeting Room
B
Meeting Room
Toilet Toilet
Meeting Room Landscape
C
0M
10M A
Storage
SECTION A
Multi-functional Space
0M
10M
Underground Theatre
Skateboard Backstage Roof
Slide Composed of Unit Components
Meeting Room
U n d e rg ro u n d Landscape
SECTION B
0M
10M
Underground Tunnel
Food Hall and Rest Area
Children's Ramp
Spectator Spectator Seats Seats Composed of Unit Components
Stage of Stage Open-air Structure Theatre Composed of Unit Components
SECTION C
Outdoor Exhibition Area
Workshop
Multi-functional Skateboard Space Roof
Underground Theatre
Backstage
Food Hall and Rest Area
Underground Tunnel
AXONOMETRIC DRAWING
PERSPECTIVE VIEW Main Entrance of the Site This is the main entrance of the site, and also a workshop to provide unit components for the site. With a guiding shape, as a sign of the site, to attract pedestrians.
Look at the Main Entrance from the Car on the Overpass This workshop gives the site identity, so the traffic can see it as a kind of advertisement.
PERSPECTIVE VIEW
Skateboard Area and Leisure Park This skateboard area is located on the roof of the multi-function hall, which can not only save space, but a l s o g i ve s k a t e b o a rd e r s g re a t e r slope and length to increase the p l ay a b i l i t y. A n d u s e r s c a n b u i l d enter tainment facilities with unit components to increase the interest.
Open-air Theatre with car lights This open-air theatre serves a variety of activities that are less sensitive to noise. It can be trivial. For example, people passing by with friends after work feel that the pressure of the day needs to be vented. They can go to the stage to sing, dance and even scream. It can be very grand. There will be independent rock bands to perform. Most of the themes of these rock music are about the hardship and pressure of living in the city. Because of the special position of this stage, the background is a modern city with a lot of traffic. There are car lights to provide lighting for the performance. So this scene is like a singer standing in the center of the city telling the story of the city.
PERSPECTIVE VIEW
Pop-up Market and Leisure Area in Flexible Area Vendors and site users can use unit components to build their own facilities.
Entrance of Meeting Room Meeting room is a sound sensitive function, so it is placed underground. At the same time, acoustic panel is made in the upper part to resist noise to a certain extent.
PERSPECTIVE VIEW Meeting Room The meeting room is divided into two parts: indoor and outdoor. It provides students in the surrounding universities and student apartments some space for study and group discussion, or some small tutorial can be held.
LIMITATIONS AND PROSPECTS Limitations: 1. There are some limitations in using the results of questionnaire survey as the guidance of design function, because it is a multiple choice question rather than a subjective one. However, the reason for this form is that I tried to do the subjective and objective questionnaire before, but the interviewees could not give clear suggestions. For example, if the venue can be transformed, what function do you want it to be. Most people just said that they want it to be cleaner, greenery better, add streetlights, repair the handrails, and make it more heated and noisy. So in the second questionnaire, based on the previous feedback and some of my own case analysis, I summed up five functions for them to choose, so this is a little limited. 2. Due to cultural differences, I may have a slightly different understanding of the use of some functions and the way of crowd gathering, including how to make people stay so as to make the environment feel safer.
Prospects: In the developed modern cities, there is a large amount of space under the viaduct. Although some space has been actively used, there are still a large number of space has not been rationally used and developed. Therefore, this design is only a simple exploration of the space transformation under the viaduct. In the future city, this kind of urban fragmentary space will be paid more and more attention.