Xavier Smales | Thameside West Masterplan | Thesis | London School of Architecture

Design Thesis & Synthesis

Thameside West

sustainable neighbourhood masterplan

Xavier Smales The London School of Architecture 09.06.2020

Part 1 Introduction

Executive Summary

This document contains all of my final design project at the London School of Architecture. This portfolio aims to explore three overarching themes: - What change I want to see in the world - How my architecture contributes to that change - Who I want to be as a designer

Objective My higher goal is a built environment that not only regenerates the natural world but evolves the social, cultural and psychological health of the city.

Motivation The city is a body suffering from the condition of paralysis. Whilst enablers of the built environment appear to champion sustainability, most major developments undermine any prospect of mitigating the environmental crisis. We live within a system of unsustainable growth that allows the free market to preside over common sense, at the expense of people and the planet.

Strategy If we are truly to take to sustainability seriously, the neighbourhood provides a grounding as all human life starts here. I have developed specific criteria that define the deeper purpose of a place in the precise context. I will use these criteria to explore a masterplan for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thameside Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Newham. I have developed an alternative design for the site, followed by a more detailed study of the neighbourhoods within the plan.

Impact Recognising the need for dense development in London, I aim to create a model for humane density with minimal environmental impact. I aim to use my matrix as a way of assessing the holistic sustainability of future masterplans, and communicate this to wider profession. In the long term I aim for an evolved version of this matrix to influence planning policy.

Part 2 Design Thesis

Xavier Smales Architectural Design Speculation LSA 2019

NEIGHBOURHOOD AS THE EXPANSION OF THE HOME Peter Buchanan An urban design masterplan may be completed by buildings, but it primarily shapes the open spaces of the public realm and is future-oriented, providing a framework within which buildings will come and go. The neighbourhood, though, if considered in any meaningful sense, must include the buildings as utterly intrinsic to it, as well as the past of those buildings and of the spaces between them, both of which would be pregnant with the memories and meanings that have attached to them over time.

The modern City of Doing, with its fragmented fabric and dispersed mono-functional destinations, promised convenience at the expense of such things as a community, sense of place and belonging – all things the modern mindset tended to see as constraining of freedom, which is valued above all. Despite the freedoms and unprecedented wealth enjoyed by many within the City of Doing, surveys suggest its lifestyle has not brought the happiness that comes with the deep satisfaction of a meaningful life with connections to community and place. This is because it prioritises the standard of living over the quality of life. Life encapsulated and cocooned in the isolated home (whether in a tower block or suburb) and the private car is now seen by sociologists or psychologists as not the best setting for raising children, nor for adults to flower into full maturity. Besides, it has a brittle fragility, dependent on supply chains and services that are easily disrupted, and offers neither the comforts nor resiliency of neighbourhood networks. It is a lifestyle unsupportive of both physical and mental health, nor of the self-knowledge that leads to emotional maturity and deep happiness

Vibrant neighbourhood?

any real neighbourhood is an extension of, even an intrinsic part of, the home; it is not somewhere you merely pass through going to and from home but is the environment and community within which adults meet and slowly bond, and where children play, grow up and are socialised. Hence the neighbourhood is a place where we not only reside but also to which we belong: it is part of our identity and intrinsic to who we are, so providing essential psychological and existential grounding

Many complain that the computer is increasing the atomisation of society and the erosion of immediate community, with adults and children spending more time online and even preferring to meet others only in cyberspace. But although there is truth in this, it is also a one-sided view. Such online communities are certainly not real communities in which a diverse range of people are brought into prolonged and unavoidable contact so that each has a largely unedited view of the other.

Sedentary work and dependency on time-wasting commuting, Definition: pulsating with life, vigour, activity whetheror by private or public transport, has led to an epidemic of obesity and such associated health problems as diabetes, hypertension and heart trouble. It is now also recognised that a common causal factor in many of today’s chronic diseases – such as hypertension and heart disease, cancer and others – is inflammation. And several studies suggest that, amongst other factors, a major cause of inflammation is living alone (or without other adults), and especially the stresses that go with having no one with whom to divulge problems and share worries.

So often we hear of new residential developments described as vibrant. From Nine Elms to Greenwich, former industrial alongthatthe River Thames There issites also evidence online communities increase are the transformed to make new desire for face to face contact and even for real community, communities “vibrant riverside area in the heart of the beyond such phenomena as flash mobs. Certainly, a longing for community seems part of the contemporary zeitgeist. city” or “vibrant urban quarter”. The reality is fragmented far fromwaythe But the of life and atomised society that have led to solitude and a sense of exclusion are almost intrinsic to the Besides, the computer and the Internet have developments led to ever more truth and worse, these are causing the social, design of modern buildings and cities. These bring other social people working from home, at least part of the time. So it is too in that some of the lonely and those who feel not only children and house parents who are home during environmental and cultural degradation ofproblems our cities. started excluded, and who Ihave not developed the emotional intelligence the day but also those who once enjoyed the social life and conversational skills that aid social inclusion, develop various associated withan work. So besides local shops reopening to with observation of uninspiring and unsustainable new forms of predatory behaviour. These justify further capsularisation serve these people, so too are coffee shops and other places to as gated communities, neighbourhoods London and began-- such unpicking this driving children to school and so on meet and hang out – the so-calledaround ‘Starbucks effect’. fuelling further atomisation and erosion of the neighbourhood values and virtues that we now realise are vital to physical, major problem. A complementary development is that people are realising how unsustainable is suburban life, particularly with time and energy wasted in long commutes and the house parent wasting yet more time and fuel chauffeuring children to distant schools, shopping malls and sports facilities. They also miss the vitality, choice and community of the old neighbourhoods.

This revitalisation of vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhoods and the creation of their contemporary equivalents marries well with other topical agendas. Such neighbourhoods, particularly those dense enough for efficient public transport and with pleasant and lively streets that encourage walking, are intrinsic to the mixed-use neighbourhoods of the Compact City, advocated for being less unsustainable than dispersed cities of monofunctional urban areas. They are also consistent with the Slow City movement, which seeks to enhance the conviviality of cities, as well as of the Transition Town movement, which extends such concerns to a wide range of strategies to increase the resilience of towns and urban areas so as to better face forthcoming challenges.

mental and social health. The resulting problems are particularly acute for children who cannot indulge the spirit of adventure (associated with the Red Meme phase of Spiral Dynamics, so manifesting later in such pathological forms as gang culture) by freely roaming the city or immersing themselves in nature, especially meadows, wild woods, streams and so on, resulting in what is now referred to as ‘nature deficit disorder’. Everything discussed so far reinforces the premise that the design of the neighbourhood, whether a new one or the regeneration of an old one, is an obviously apt place to initiate the broad range of changes necessary to progress to sustainability. The manageable scale and phased implementation permits experiment, with the later stages refined or revised according to feedback in response to the earlier stages. Much of human life takes place here, and the scale is sufficient to shape an environment in which people may enjoy richly varied lives. The challenge is to ensure these do not overly tax the planet’s resources and regenerative capacities, while also being deeply satisfying because enmeshed in multiple webs of meaningful, life-enhancing connection – a fundamental key to sustainability.

Neighbourhood as the expansion of the home Essay by Peter Buchanan

An urban design masterplan may be completed by buildings, but it primarily shapes the open spaces of the public realm and is future-oriented, providing a framework within which buildings will come and go.

This seminal text has perhaps inspired my thesis more than any other. Peter argues that the manageable scale of neighbourhood (old or new) is an appropriate place to initiate the broad changed needed to progress towards sustainability. His teaching on holistic sustainability has had a profound impact on the way I frame design.

The neighbourhood, though, if considered in any meaningful sense, must include the buildings as utterly intrinsic to it, as well as the past of those buildings and of the spaces between them, both of which would be pregnant with the memories and meanings that have attached to them over time. Any real neighbourhood is an extension of, even an intrinsic part of, the home; it is not somewhere you merely pass through going to and from home but is the environment and community within which adults meet and slowly bond, and where children play, grow up and are socialised. Hence the neighbourhood is a place where we not only reside but also to which we belong: it is part of our identity and intrinsic to who we are, so providing essential psychological and existential grounding. Many complain that the computer is increasing the atomisation of society and the erosion of immediate community, with adults and children spending more time online and even preferring to meet others only in cyberspace. But although there is truth in this, it is also a one-sided view. Such online communities are certainly not real communities in which a diverse range of people are brought into prolonged and unavoidable contact so that each has a largely unedited view of the other. There is also evidence that online communities increase the desire for face to face contact and even for real community, beyond such phenomena as flash mobs. Certainly, a longing for community seems part of the contemporary zeitgeist. Besides, the computer and the Internet have led to ever more people working from home, at least part of the time. So it is not only children and house parents who are home during the day but also those who once enjoyed the social life associated with work. So besides local shops reopening to serve these people, so too are coffee shops and other places to meet and hang out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Starbucks effectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. A complementary development is that people are realising how unsustainable is suburban life, particularly with time and energy wasted in long commutes and the house parent wasting yet more time and fuel chauffeuring children to distant schools, shopping malls and sports facilities. They also miss the vitality, choice and community of the old neighbourhoods. This revitalisation of vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhoods and the creation of their contemporary equivalents marries well with other topical agendas. Such neighbourhoods, particularly those dense enough for efficient public transport and with pleasant and lively streets that encourage walking, are intrinsic to the mixed-use neighbourhoods of the Compact City,

advocated for being less unsustainable than dispersed cities of monofunctional urban areas. They are also consistent with the Slow City movement, which seeks to enhance the conviviality of cities, as well as of the Transition Town movement, which extends such concerns to a wide range of strategies to increase the resilience of towns and urban areas The modern City of Doing, with its fragmented fabric and dispersed mono-functional destinations, promised convenience at the expense of such things as a community, sense of place and belonging – all things the modern mindset tended to see as constraining of freedom, which is valued above all. Despite the freedoms and unprecedented wealth enjoyed by many within the City of Doing, surveys suggest its lifestyle has not brought the happiness that comes with the deep satisfaction of a meaningful life with connections to community and place. This is because it prioritises the standard of living over the quality of life. Life encapsulated and cocooned in the isolated home (whether in a tower block or suburb) and the private car is now seen by sociologists or psychologists as not the best setting for raising children, nor for adults to flower into full maturity. Besides, it has a brittle fragility, dependent on supply chains and services that are easily disrupted, and offers neither the comforts nor resiliency of neighbourhood networks. It is a lifestyle unsupportive of both physical and mental health, nor of the self-knowledge that leads to emotional maturity and deep happiness

or immersing themselves in nature, especially meadows, wild woods, streams and so on, resulting in what is now referred to as ‘nature deficit disorder’. Everything discussed so far reinforces the premise that the design of the neighbourhood, whether a new one or the regeneration of an old one, is an obviously apt place to initiate the broad range of changes necessary to progress to sustainability. The manageable scale and phased implementation permits experiment, with the later stages refined or revised according to feedback in response to the earlier stages. Much of human life takes place here, and the scale is sufficient to shape an environment in which people may enjoy richly varied lives. The challenge is to ensure these do not overly tax the planet’s resources and regenerative capacities, while also being deeply satisfying because enmeshed in multiple webs of meaningful, life-enhancing connection – a fundamental key to sustainability.

Sedentary work and dependency on time-wasting commuting, whether by private or public transport, has led to an epidemic of obesity and such associated health problems as diabetes, hypertension and heart trouble. It is now also recognised that a common causal factor in many of today’s chronic diseases such as hypertension and heart disease, cancer and others is inflammation. And several studies suggest that, amongst other factors, a major cause of inflammation is living alone (or without other adults), and especially the stresses that go with having no one with whom to divulge problems and share worries. But the fragmented way of life and atomised society that have led to solitude and a sense of exclusion are almost intrinsic to the design of modern buildings and cities. These bring other social problems too in that some of the lonely and those who feel excluded, and who have not developed the emotional intelligence and conversational skills that aid social inclusion, develop various forms of predatory behaviour. These justify further capsularisation such as gated communities, driving children to school and so on fuelling further atomisation and erosion of the neighbourhood values and virtues that we now realise are vital to physical, mental and social health. The resulting problems are particularly acute for children who cannot indulge the spirit of adventure (associated with the Red Meme phase of Spiral Dynamics, so manifesting later in such pathological forms as gang culture) by freely roaming the city 8

Neighbourhood and Society Looking to Scandanavia for a philosophy of spirit, creativity and sustainability. Copenhagen is arguably the greenest city in the world

Gruntvig was a Danish pastor, author, pet philosopher, historian teacher and politician. His philosophy is seen as being very influential in the formulation of Danish and Scandinavian national consciousness, and is the ideological father of the folk school. Danish Children visit summer camps to learn about life and nature. The common denominator of all Grundtvigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pedagogical efforts was to promote a spirit of freedom, poetry and disciplined creativity, within all branches of educational life. He promoted values such as wisdom, compassion, identification and equality. I believe if British society is to progress, we should develop a sustainable philoshophy. Neighbourhoods are a great place to start as lifestyle is deeply rooted in the physical environment.

Kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; City Christianshavn, Cobe, Denmark. This project is a realisation of a beautiful idea of creating a mini city of Copenhagen for children ages 0-15. Kids learn about society through playing in different mini neighbourhoods, houses, public spaces, squares and parks. It even has a city hall, fire station, restaurant, stadium, library, museum and a factory. This project celebrates diversity of a city and shows a great deal of care for the future residents of Copenhagen.

Healing the City

A practical manifesto to help heal the city of sustainability paralysis

Sustainability Paralysis A practical manifesto to help heal the city

Midwife architecture is the art and science of accomodation

me ecol

CITY

Nutritionist architects must design nourishing environments

Xavier Smales Word Count: 3285

Link to my manifesto: https://issuu.com/xav7/docs/xavier_smales_cp_t_maniifesto_issuu

In my manifesto, I used the metaphor of a paralysed body to describe the state of the city (London). The manifesto unpicks how the traditional role of the architect is changing, and suggests how the architect can assume new roles on the peripheries of the profession to help deliver sustainable architecture. The roles were midwife, therapist, nutritionist and the undertaker.

New roles an architect can assume on the peripheries of the profession to help heal the city (paralysed body).

mus circ ensu

Therapist ental health and logical health are interlinked

Undertaker st engage with the cular economy to ure buildings don’t die in landfill

High density, high embodied energy construction is destroying the planet. Half of UK carbon emissions are from the construction, maintainance and demolition of buildings. Architects have a real responsibility but to engage with sustainability.

“We must find a better way of measuring human welfare than perpetual growth” - George Monbiot

“Mental health and ecological health are interlinked... Humans are traumatized having severed their connection with nonhuman beings, connections that exist deep inside our bodies” - Tim Morton

“You can’t be a bit sustainable” - Greta Thunberg

New Sustainable Living Model

A publication drawing inspiration from London’s boat-dwelling community

Floating Exchange Rates

N KNOWLEDGE L W D

DGE

DGE K

DGE

Our Design Think Tank proposed ‘Floating Exchange Rates’, drawing on the positive aspects of London’s boat-dwelling community to develop an affordable, sustainable co-living model for the capital’s waterside sites The project used the UN Sustainable Development Goals to provide a planetary framework for change, explore where architecture and design can intervene.

LEDGE

KNOWLEDGE

DGE

KNOWLEDGE

DGE

EDGE

The London School of Architecture

Link to our Design Think Tank Publication: https://issuu.com/xav7/docs/dtt_new_knowledge_publication_-comp

“Sustainability is a series of great opportunities disguised as insoluable problems” - John Gardner

“How can we live more like oysters” - New Knowledge DTT

Design Think Tank three guiding principles that informed our co-living model.

Authors own, created for DTT Publication. This image looks at a homes with the bare minimum material possessions, instead proposing a neighbourhood which people rely on â&#x20AC;&#x153;When people usually imagine sharing. The small homes were arranged to create small where the life of a community is piazzas to encourage social interaction between residents.

to be found, they usually look for it in the center of a community; to strengthen community life, planners try to intensify life at the center, which means neglecting the edge.â&#x20AC;?

FORMAL / DENSE RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOGIES Exploration of Architectural Form FORMAL RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOGIES INDIVIDUAL HOUSE

ATTACHED HOUSES

ATTACHED HOUSES AROUND A COURTYARD

ROW HOUSES

ATTACHED HOUSES AROUND A COURTYARD

ROW HOUSES

Formal residential of typologies an exploration form HOUSES

ROW HOUSES WITH COURTYARD

FOLDED ROW HOUSES

STEPPED ROW HOUSES

ROW HOUSES WITH COURTYARD

FOLDED ROW HOUSES

STEPPED ROW HOUSES

FORMAL / DENSE RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOGIES BLOCKS FORMAL / DENSE RESIDENTIAL TYPOLOGIES

INDIVIDUA HOUSE

BLOC

HOUSES

INDIVIDUAL HOUSES HOUSE

ATTACHED HOUSES

LINEAR BLOCK

BLOCKS

INDIVIDUAL HOUSE INDIVIDUAL HOUSE

PARRALEL BLOCKS

ATTACHED HOUSES

L-SHAPED BLOCKS ATTACHED HOUSES AROUND A COURTYARD ATTACHED HOUSES AROUND A COURTYARD

ATTACHED HOUSES

BLOCKS

LINEAR PARRALEL L-SHAPED BLOCK BLOCKS BLOCK IN FISHBONE BLOCKS PERFORATED PARALLEL BLOCKS ARRANGEMENT

BLOCKS

T-SHAPED BLOCKS ROW HOUSES

U-SHAPED BLOCKS ROW HOUSES WITH COURTYARD ROW HOUSES WITH COURTYARD

ROW HOUSES

LIINEAR BLOCKS WITH COURTYARD FOLDED ROW HOUSES FOLDED ROW HOUSES

LINEAR BLOCK

SUPERPOSED BLOCKS STEPPED ROW HOUSES STEPPED ROW HOUSES

T-SHAPED U-SHAPED LIINEAR SUPERPOSED BLOCKSBLOCK BLOCKS BLOCKS WITH GROUPED BLOCKS L-SHAPED PARALLEL BLOCKS COURTYARD AGAINST PARTY WALL AGAINST PARTY WALL BLOCKS

PERFOR PARALLE

CITY B LINEAR BLOCKS PARRALEL CITY BLOCK

BLOCKS

LINEAR BLOCK

PARRALEL BLOCKS

PERFORATED PARALLEL BLOCKS

L-SHAPED BLOCKS L-SHAPED BLOCKS

BLOCK IN FISHBONE ARRANGEMENT

T-SHAPED BLOCKS

U-SHAPED BLOCKS

LIINEAR SUPERPOSED BLOCKS WITH BLOCKS COURTYARD T-SHAPED U-SHAPED LIINEAR SUPERPOSED BLOCKS BLOCKS BLOCKS WITH BLOCKS COURTYARD L-SHAPED BLOCK PARALLEL BLOCKS GROUPED AGAINST PARTY WALL AGAINST PARTY WALL BLOCKS

U-SHAP CITY BL

CITY BLOCKSHALF U-SHAPED PERFORATED CITY BLOCK PARALLEL BLOCKS

CLOSED FOLDED PERFORATED L-SHAPED BLOCK CITY BLOCK BLOCK IN FISHBONE CITY BLOCK CITY BLOCK PARALLEL CITYBLOCKS BLOCK ARRANGEMENT AGAINST PARTY WALL AGAINST PARTY WALL

PERFORATED PARALLEL BLOCKS

BLOCK IN FISHBONE ARRANGEMENT

L-SHAPED BLOCK AGAINST PARTY WALL

PARALLEL BLOCKS AGAINST PARTY WALL

SEMI-OPEN GROUPED CITY BLOCK BLOCKS GROUPED BLOCKS

CITY BLOCKS CITY BLOCKS U-SHAPED CITY BLOCK OPEN CITY BLOCK

HALF CITY BLOCK STEPPED CITY BLOCK

HIGH RISE BUILDINGS U-SHAPED HALF CITY BLOCK

U-SHAPED CITY BLOCK

CITY BLOCK

HALF CITY BLOCK

OPEN CITY BLOCK

CLOSED CITY BLOCK

FOLDED CITY BLOCK

PERFORATED CITY BLOCK

SEMI-OPEN CITY BLOCK

OPEN CITY BL

HIGH CLOSED CITY BLOCK CLOSED CITY BLOCK

FOLDED CITY BLOCK FOLDED CITY BLOCK

PERFORATED CITY BLOCK PERFORATED CITY BLOCK

SEMI-OPEN CITY BLOCK SEMI-OPEN CITY BLOCK

STEPPED CITY BLOCK

HIGH RISE BUILDINGS OPEN CITY BLOCK ISOLATED OPEN BLOCK CITY BLOCK

STEPPED CITY BLOCK GROUPED STEPPED BLOCKS CITY BLOCK

HIGH RISE BUILDINGS HIGH RISE BUILDINGS Xavier Smales Architectural Design Speculation LSA 2019

ISOLAT BLOCK ELONGATED BLOCK

PERFORATED BLOCK

STACKED UNIT BLOCK

ATTACHED HOUSES

ATTACHED HOUSES AROUND A COURTYARD

ROW HOUSES

ROW HOUSES WITH COURTYARD

FOLDED ROW HOUSES

STEPPED ROW HOUSES

CKS

Diversity of form PARRALEL BLOCKS

RATED EL BLOCKS

L-SHAPED BLOCKS

BLOCK IN FISHBONE ARRANGEMENT

T-SHAPED BLOCKS

U-SHAPED BLOCKS

L-SHAPED BLOCK AGAINST PARTY WALL

LIINEAR

SUPERPOSED

This is a BLOCKS playful study which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take into account WITHof formBLOCKS the relationship to the public realm. However it is interesting to COURTYARD compare the qualities of each of these forms in terms of light, open space, ground floor coverage, density, units and object beauty.

PARALLEL BLOCKS AGAINST PARTY WALL

GROUPED BLOCKS

BLOCKS

PED LOCK

LOCK

HALF CITY BLOCK

CLOSED CITY BLOCK

FOLDED CITY BLOCK

PERFORATED CITY BLOCK

SEMI-OPEN CITY BLOCK

STEPPED CITY BLOCK

RISE BUILDINGS

TED K

GROUPED BLOCKS

ELONGATED BLOCK

PERFORATED BLOCK

STACKED UNIT BLOCK

Exploration of Architectural Form

The traditional north European city block has inherent sustainable qualities that have stood the test of time, both engaging the residents and creating a lively public realm

Fig 11. City block with a central â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hofjesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Century - This historic neighbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities

BRIEF NARRATIVE

WHAT WILL THE DESIGNblocks, BRIEF CONSIST OF? 18th century city Jordaan, Amsterdam observation on the much higher quality of urbanism in mainland europe.

What an enclosed block can do

why in a city famed for its historic capacity to make urban places are we no longer capable of designing them?

An 18th-century Dutch city block is a fine example of a private / public space communal housing typology which we can take inspiration analyse and common space & identity systematically from. Tall townhouses are compacted together and divided into compare a london masterplan with a continental masterplan a mix of tenures from one bedroom apartments to grand family - social / economic / better microclimate houses, enriching the social mix. Micro-community spaces environmental for infant play, communal kitchens, workshops, laundry, bike secure zone parking, composting and recycling not only reduce the amount a resident possesses but encourage social interactions. Each high density / low rise block has a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hofjesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;(courtyard) which is shared amongst the develop an alternative framework plan followed by a more detailed residents, containing a space for growing vegetables and a study of theprotected modern urban block acoustic space landscaped garden, sheltered from the wind. It is considered safe for children to play alone in the Hofjes, and adults cleaner air space - particularly elderly - relax and socialise inthis tranquil, green environment. This contrasts with the lively public frontage of walk in access the street, with ground floors inhabited by businesses and nurseries. The block is a direct extension of its neighbourhood, what form should the urban block vehicle Free engaging in its surroundingstake whilst protecting fostering the to deliver spaces for and modern / future living? community within. Each building has a unique personality multi fractal system with varying roof levels, windows size and depth, materiality and decorative features. Such variety creates a rich experience simpler construction & from the street, full of life and interest. Varying house styles foundations within the order of the block could be interpreted as a metaphor for the harmonious community of the residents living within What is the new the houses - unique in character but collectively London urban block? inhabiting the world.

SUSTAINABLE URBANISM

how urban form can promote sustainability, equality and safety

Exploration of Architectural Form

Deformed grid, Copenhagen Learning from the Scandanavians

Contemporary interpretations of dense communal housing, responding well to climate and orientation and activating the roof but perhaps not engaging the street as well as traditional blocks.

Colville Estate,

Karakusevic Carson Deformed grid, Copenhagen

79 & Park housing, Jordaan Blocks, Amsterdam Bjarke Ingels Group

The Whale, Frits Van Dongen

Ternes Housing SLA

Fig 11. City block with a central ‘Hofjes’, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Century - This historic neighbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities

URBANISM

ote sustainability, equality and safety

anavians Traditional enclosed courtyard block Jordaan Blocks, with car parkAmsterdam at ground

Analysis Of 500

Stockholm, BIG, 79 & Park

Modular construction orientated to south

Traditional courtyard

Fine block grained,with walkable streets raised ends as defined by mixed use, courtyard entrances the urbanism Fig 11. Cityblocks block with athat centralenrich ‘Hofjes’, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Century - This historic neighbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities with clasically proportioned, colourful plots with well defined entrances.

Lendager, ‘the courtyard of the future’

Stockholm, BIG, 79 & Park

Well divided courtyard with clear private division

Lively courtyard with public through routes

200m long mixed use blocks with irregular plots, active ground floors on the street and shared gardens (hofjes) internally.

Shared Deck access with external staircases connecting

Broken form creating interesting inbetween spaces that may be overshadowed

Silvertown

Landscaped building with green planted vertical facades

Fig 11. City block with a central ‘Hofjes’, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Centur - This historic neighbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities

Canary Wharf Fig 11. City block with a central ‘Hofjes’, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Century - This historic neighbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities

Kjellander Sjoberg, ‘urban hybrid block’

Lendager, ‘the courtyard of the future’

Hill shaped block to gain sunlight and views. Each dwelling has access to a private terrace and shared courtyard garden.

Canning Town

Double height entrances address the street well

Dropped elevation for light and views of park

Fig 11. City block with a central ‘Hofjes’, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Century - This historic neighbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities

Arsiderne Arkiteketer, ‘UN 17 Village’ 18

Xavier Smales Architectural Design Speculation LSA 2019

Strange form doesn’t sit

Courtyard only theor create well isinnot context residents wild green common nice public realm area, but a solution to Copenhagen’s future challenges with flooding, turning challenges into resources.

Kjellander Sjoberg, ‘urban hybrid block’

Fig 11. City block w - This historic neig

Sits on a ring road, becoming its own neighbourhood

Beckton

Dense block structure with various residential typologies and mixed forms of tenure. Sharing resources, time and knowledge is a thread throughout the neighbourhood.

Royal Victoria

defined by mixed use, courtyard blocks that enrich the urbanism with clasically proportioned, colourful plots with well defined entrances.

London Fie Silvertown Analysis Of 500x500m London Neighbourhoods

200m long mixed use blocks

Fine grained, walkable streets with irregular plots, active defined by mixed use, courtyard ground floors on the street and blocks that enrich the urbanism shared gardens (hofjes) internally. with clasically proportioned, colourful plots with well defined entrances.

Plus Energy Housing Dinell Johansson

Canary Wharf

Peckham Road Peter Barber

Silvertown

Aulo Modula Studio Belem

UN17 Village London Fields Arsiderne Arkiteketer

Stoke Newin

Hill shaped block to gain

200m long mixed use blocks sunlight and views. Each with irregular plots, activedwelling has access to a private ground floors on the street and and shared courtyard terrace shared gardens (hofjes) garden. internally.

0x500m London Neighbourhoods

29m

Rectory Roa

Canning Town

Passive environmental with a central ‘Hofjes’, Jordaan, Amsterdam, 18th Century Tenement housing with Adaptable walls on a ghbourhood has many inherently sustainable qualities Canary Wharf design features and energy quirky rooms and terraces. standard grid make this Courtyard is not only the creation are expressed in facing single building flexible residents wildSome green north common area, but a solution building form aspecttounits though

29m

Clever arrangement of 3 Stoke Newington blocks creates beautiful public spaces in between

Copenhagen’s future challenges

Hill shaped block to gain with flooding, turning challenges sunlight and views. Each into resources. dwelling has access to a private London Fields terrace and shared courtyard garden. 18

Dense block structure with various residential typologies Heavily landscaped Beautiful balconies and mixed forms of tenure. Sharing resources, time communal gardens suitable the courtyard Courtyard is not only the and knowledge is a thread for children residents wild green common throughout the neighbourhood. 29m

29m

Rectory Road

Canning Town

engage

Flexible frame is expressed externally as circulation

Stoke Newington area, but a solution to Copenhagen’s future challenges with flooding, turning challenges into resources.

Raised walkways sit above a wetland landscape

Hackney Wi

Royal Victoria

A 35,000-square-metre ecovillage is going to be built in Copenhagen using recycled concrete, wood and glass, aiming to tackle all the UN Rectory Road SDG’s.

Dense block structure Terraces close to the with various residential typologies elements to create warm and mixed forms of tenure. spaces in winter time Sharing resources, and knowledge is a thread throughout the neighbourhood.

Soho

Beckton

Articulated form of protuding and recessed elements create roof terraces

Beckton

choice / m / diverse neighbou variety of space / p

mono-function / zoned / seperated / isolating / Soho spacious / reliance on car / cul de sacs / lack of green space/ no high street / dead ground floors / poor materials / homes are containers

Fronts Public Plaza and Upcycled timber structure / buildings as objects / uniform architectural has active ground floor style/ rigid

variety of / active g

street / c er

Riv

Royal Victoria

Soho

mono-function / zoned / seperated / isolating /

Hackney Wick

Riv

A 35,000-square-metre ecovillage is going to be built in Copenhagen using recycled concrete, wood and glass, aiming to tackle all the UN SDG’s.

spacious / reliance on car / cul de sacs / lack of green space/ no high street / dead ground floors / poor materials / homes are containers / buildings as objects / uniform architectural style/ rigid

Hackney Wick

choice / mixed-use / diverse / walkable

neighbourhood / co variety of public spa space / 14 public trans

variety of architectu

Exploration of Urban Form

Experiential analysis of 500mx500m London neighbourhoods, mapping similarities from unsuccessful and thriving neighbourhoods

Empty neighbourhood centre mono-function / zoned / seperated / isolating /spacious / reliance on car / cul de sacs / lack of green space / no high street / dead ground floors / poor materials / homes are containers / buildings as objects / uniform architectural style / rigid / lack Silvertown

of community facilities / lack of visible workspace / lack of signage / lack of wayfinding / lack of urban identity

29m

Canary Wharf

Canning Town

Beckton

er Riv

Royal Victoria

London Fields

29m

Stoke Newington

Rectory Road

Thriving neighbourhood choice / mixed-use / compact / fine grained / diverse / walkable / homes extension of neighbourhood / connection

Soho

to the street / variety of public spaces / proximity to green space / public transport / pedestrian friendly / variety of architectural styles / local amenities / active ground floor frontage / safe / high streets / creative / local / visible working / variety of architectural programme / low to mid er

Riv

rise / coherent urban character / inhabited corners / architectural quirks

Hackney Wick 15

Exploration of Urban Form

Creating cluster neighbourhoods within a larger neinghbourhood

loc

al a

rea blo

at bit

Abstract neighbourhood ecosyst

FĂŚlledby, Denmark by Henning Larsen. The proposal is an all timber neighbourhood accommodating 7000 residents in 3 individual neighbourhoods with a smaller sense of community. 40% land is devoted to landscape, to encourage plants and wildlife to inhabit the site

Concept sketch exploring creati surrrounded by greenery and co

wide r ar ea clu ste r

neighbo urs dw

ing ell

tem Concept sketches of the 2 key public spaces making up a cluster neighbourhood, the shared courtyard and the square

ing 3 cluster neighbourhood onnected with spine streets 16

Exploration of Urban Form Shaping buildings to create beautiful public space that encourages activity in the public realm

25m

45m 35m

Analysis of Piazza Zanardelli Giuseppe, redesigned by Michele Cassibba

Concept sketch exploring a cent of streets and piazzas leading fro importance of corners to this typ places of gathering and invite yo

tral square with a number om it. The sketch shows the pe of urbanism, as they are ou to the next street.

Concept sketch exploring pulling back building frontage to create nooks and niches in the streets. These spaces - if well designed with street furniture and landscape - encourage activity in the public realm.

Site Location London borough of Newham

Westminst

C Lo

Nine Elms

Canary Wharf

ter City Airport

City of ondon

Greenwich Peninsula

Lea Valley

Thameside West

Royal Docks

Greenwich Peninsula

Thameside West

Royal Victoria Dock

City Island

Leamouth Peninsula

Brunel Street Works

The Royals Docks A unique area of London that is rapidly changing Past

The Victoria Dock used to have a land cutting for a West entrance from the River Thames

Dock Workers transporting goods using cranes!

Today

The cranes are full of character, yet the land around the docks is fragmented and has been developed in pockets without a cohesive identity

The Crystal exhibition centre and Hoola towers are object buildings in open space and the public realm suffers from a lack of cohesion 21

The Royals Docks The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plan for the Royal Docks,1983

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Water, water everywhere but not of it for usâ&#x20AC;? The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan is a detailed proposal for the Royal Docks and was written solely by the community. The plan was written prior to the opening of London City Airport and details alternative opportunities of income for the area. It also discusses the need for affordable housing, childcare and water activities within the docks. Many of the ideas still resonate today, and are important to understand before designing any community.

Character study Adjacent developments Greenwich Peninsula, Allies & Morrison masterplan

curtain wall meets ground

GF restaurant doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t engage the stree t

City Island, Glen Howells masterplan

scale and proximity of towers creates overshadowing

Pedestrianised square well articulated by buildings

Character study Adjacent developments Leamouth Peninsula, Allies & Morrison masterplan

contextual new build

variety of scale, old and new creative workspace is heart of area

Royal Victoria Dock + Brunel Street Works, various architects

views of Royal Dock and River sell apartments

object building seperated from any neighbourhood

ground floor deactivated by road

Site Today regenerating a 16 hectare site in East London on the edge of the River Thames

r Lea Lowe

Silv

erto

Lea

outh Leam la u s Peni

Rive

r Th

River Thames edge condition at low tide, showing the seperation from the river

730m

River

ing

Cross

ame

Existing DLR line and light industrial sheds

o lD

nW ay

This large site sits at a prominent position in between two major rivers and the Royal Docks. The adjacency to water is rare and is an opportunity, although there are some large constraints currently in the way. The site is severed from the rivers with a 5m tidal defence and the Docks with a large road (Silvertown Way). The Lower Lea Crossing also cuts through the land to the North West, so this site feels isolated and remote. Any masterplan must consider connections to the local and area and wider city. The Site has uninterrupted of the river and is south facing.

290m

River Thames edge & cable car pylon.

View of site from under Silvertown Way.

Existing Site Proposals The key stakeholders of 2 controversial developments on the site. Are these 2 projects the best use of this piece of land? Thameside West - £3 billion The rejected scheme is a gross overdevelopment of the site with no existing transport infrastructure. 5000 homes packed into huge concrete framed towers, some with single aspect north facing facades. The repetitive urban form is banal and devoid of life, and would create poor microclimates in the shaded public realm. The developer is aiming to make £600 million profit.

Landowner

Developer

Fosters & Partners masterplan

Masterplan Architect

Article, Architect’s Journal

“The height, scale and massing of the proposalchas resulted in an excessive density for this location, given its relatively poor access to public transport and amenities, which goes far beyond optimising the use of the site. The number of tall buildings and their scale detrimentally affects the legibility of the plan and the hierarchy of streets and spaces and there will be considerable impacts on the microclimate. The amount of sunlight reaching the streets, open spaces and lower level homes and private external amenity spaces is likely to be a significant issue causedby the overall density of the scheme and the height and number of tall buildings and their proximity to one another” Newham Planning Officer

Phase 1 Architect

Silvertown Tunnel - £1.2 billion The controversial twin bore tunnel underneath the Thames will massively increase air pollution in Newham, the UK’s most polluted area, home to 16,000 school children. At a £1.2 billion price tag, surely there is a more cost effective and sustainable way of bridging the Thames and reducing London’s congestion.

Landowner

Developer

Atkins, Silvertown tunnel

Lead Designer

Article, New Civil Engineer

“In east London there’s a big problem with public transport connections across the river…The new tunnel can be no solution to this” Stop the tunnel coalition

Architect

“Stop making dirty investments” West Ham MP

Alternative Procurement A new route to proccuring and funding a sustainable neighbourhood

Landowner

New sustainability driven developer appointed

Joint Venture with other stakeholders

New sustainability driven masterplan architect

design team

consultants

contractors

submit new planning application for Thameside West

The client and procurement route The model to the left proposes a way to deliver this a thriving sustainable neighbourhood and destination at Thameside West. The client body is composed of a number of stakeholders, all of which will need to be accountable for signing-off portions of funding for specific phases of the works. It is likely that they will favour a procurement route that offers price certainty, a single point of responsibility and delivers the buildings fast (design & build ticks all these boxes where the main contractor will be held to a fixed price and will be the only party with a direct contractual link with the client). Some form of JCT DB contract could be used but at this scale it is likely the client will draft their own contracts. One advantage of the DB route is the contractor has the ability to manage delivery quickly by organising packages in this way. The right contractor is crucial.

Properly engage stakeholders and the community a the Silver Building on site, which is demolished as part of the Fosters masterplan proposal

Funding A new developer is brought in who is less driven by astronomical profit but more concerned with environmental and social drivers. This project aims to regenerate this site whilst creating a place of economic value to Newham and London. Additional investment could come from: • Part of the proposed scrapped £1.2 billion Silvertown Tunnel fund could support sustainable transport initiatives and green infrastructure projects on the site • Investment from Newham council to create social housing on the site • TFL transport infrastructure investment into new DLR and river Ferry • UK power network tidal and solar energy investment • Thames Water investment into river edge clean up and sustainable flood mitigation

The role of masterplan architect The masterplan architect will retain a role on the client side to ensure each scheme will meet the project aspirations. Prior to each phase being offered to a specific framework team, this architect will likely take responsibility for writing the design briefs for each of the sites.This will cover all the work defined in RIBA Stage 0, When each site is being developed by a framework team, this architect could act as an ‘employers agent’ to check the progress of the works and advise on key design matters. They will actively take a role in defining the employer’s requirements.

Masterplan Framework Possible team structure and contract types

Masterplan Framework up to stage 4

client side involvment at stage 4

Client

Masterplan Architect Team

External Consultants

- ecology - flood - drainage - waste - energy - sustainability - air / noise - transport - excavation - daylight - planning officer - affordable housing

Contractor

Swap at stage 4

Design Team

Engineers - structural - civil - MEP - lighting

Landscape Architects

Project Manager

experience in delivering low carbon schemes

sub - contractors

Cost consultants

Masterplan Packages & Building Plots Invitation to tender

Appointment of Design Team / Contractor

The Framework Teams The framework could look for ‘contractor led’ teams. To get onto the framework the contractor would need to meet certain criteria, and have a proven track record in devilvering sustainable projects. To be a viable team, the contractor would need to partner with a suitable architect, engineer etc. The framework might be divided into ‘lots’ by scale and the teams might be viable for specific lots only (eg: projects under £10m, up to £30 and above £30m). The client will need to ensure that there are enough projects in each lot to attract the right amount of interest (e.g. will there be 8 projects in each lot, with a limit to 3 teams per lot - so the odds of getting something are worth the effort).

Winning Teams

Design Stages 3 & 4

If a team wins one of the projects then it is likely their winning ‘concept design’ would have covered many of the tasks expected of RIBA Stage 2 and there will be build rates agreed by the contractor in accordance with the Employer’s Requirements. The team will go straight into Stage 3. It will be fast and include pre-app meetings will planners, strategic coordination with engineers, design reviews. It will culminate in a planning application and a coordinated design.

Two stage tender option Tender, fixed price negoatiated

Project Delivery

The framework may require a ‘two stage’ tender process so having won the job on their initial rates, the contractor may now need to agree the specifics of the price now the building can be fully measured. During Stage 4 it will be clear that the contractor is now very engaged in the process of driving costs down. There may be alternative specifications / products for the design team to review (provided they meet the Employers Requirements). The works will likely be executed by many other parties other than the main contractor - i.e. they will sub-contract most of the work to specialists (ground workers, cladding, roof, dry lining).

Brief Summary

A design matrix of criteria to define the deeper purpose of the masterplan

environment

ecology

re-installing timber construction at the centre of the neighbourhood

restoration of natural habitats and improved biodiversity on site

circular architecture that incorporates upcycled materials and design for deconstruction

restore psychological connection between humans and nature

net carbon buildings (embodied and operational) that can produce energy

interconnected ecosystem of the built environment and nature

people

density

sharing community that promotes interaction, exchange and shared possessions

lively, vibrant townscape with great streets and public space

social cohesion vitality, diversity & equality

compact urbanism with appropriate level of density based on proximity to public / green space and accessibility to public transport

building resilient communities by encouraging play and ritual

sustainable transport and movement

Sustainability Principles

Indivual

The four sustainable design perspectives informing the masterplan

• • •

Subjective

Objective

Perspective of Experiences

Perspective of Behaviours

Shape form to engender experience

Shape form to maximise perfomance

Environmental phenomenolgy Green design aesthetics Experience of natural forces

• • • • •

ITS

Perspective of Cultures

Collective

Shape form to manifest meaning • • • • • •

Relationship to nature Green design ethics Green building cultures Shared resources Myth and rituals Events and celebration

Author’s interpretation of diagram by Mark DeKay. Integral sustainable design is a holistic view on sustainability. Whilst vital for tackling climate change, BREEAM is only focused on the upper right quadrant, maximising building performace. The other 3 quadrants frame the other perspectives that help people live within their means.

Energy, water, materials efficiency Low embodied carbon & operational carbon Low energy & emissions buildings BREAM rating system High performance buildings

Perspective of Systems Shape form to guide flow

• • • •

Fitness to site & context Eco-effective functionalism Buildings as ecosystems Living buildings

The diagram looks at the layering of life in natural forest, an interconnected ecosystem of relationships which are diverse in scale and function. This is contrasted with a man made plantation below, a mono-functional environment which makes it difficult for life to thrive.

Part 3 Design Synthesis

Life > Space > Buildings

Lower Le

a Crossin

River Lea

ine

River Thames

ve Sil wn

rto

y Wa Royal Docks

4 3

Existing Site Plan 1:3000 @ A3 0

100

1. River edge habitats 2. Brick warehouse 3. Metal sheds 4. Disused dock 5. The ‘Silver Building’ 6. The ‘Crystal Building’ 7. Cable Car 8. Leamouth Peninsula 9. Millenium Dome 37

Site Constraints

These 8 constraints present challenges to the design and construction of the masterplan

1. Flood Defence and Site Levels

2. The DLR

•

• • •

• •

Requirements to meet Environmental Agency policy EA2100 All riverside developments set at 6.20m AOD New river wall to be built to meet flood defence requirements, requiring additional spoil

DLR track viaduct dissecting length of the site 5m setback from the DLR track New DLR station to be located on straight piece of track

5. City Airport

6. The Cable Car

•

• •

(OLS ) Obstacle limitation surface restrictions apply across entire site Height restrictions range from 85.14m AOD (southeastern tip) up to 113.60m AOD (northeastern tip) (PSZ) Public safety zone build restrictions to be observed in northeast of site

•

Emirates Cable Car has high users rates, and has an allocated protection zone 18m either side of cable track to be designated un-buildable area to ensure public safety

3. Road Network & Silvertown Flyover

4. SINC Site

• • •

•

DLR track viaduct dissecting length of the site 5m setback from the DLR track New DLR station to be located on straight piece of track

• •

Safeguarded area as defined by SINC4 in LBN’s Local Plan for Biodiversity and green space north of site is to be preserved for nature conservation Ecological habitat to be retained and enhanced The SINC area is 1.57 ha

7. Jubilee Line

8. Cleaning up the Ground

•

Jubilee Line tunel running through the site, presenting structural complexities for construction

• • •

Current brown field industrial site with a range of ground conditions Existing dry dock remains in situ below ground Old dock and river walls create structural complexities within the ground Minimum site excavation to avoid spoil disposal and efficient construction

Circular Construction - Demolition Reuse strategy Commitment to salavaging and reusing materials from all of the existing buildings on the site

Reuse Strategy not to scale Buildings deconstructed with elements recovered and materials sorted on site Restoration and creative adaptation of existing buildings

1 2

The Silver Building The Silver Building will be retained as part of the masterplan strategy, as it is deemed as a building of cultural significance to the local community and London. The building will be sensitively restored and use will not change. The adjacent brick warehouse will be creatively adapted as part of a new design district around this part of the site.

Kloeckner Metals Buildings The decision to demolish these structures was taken as they take up a large riverside area and have a poor quality structural frame. However the red bricks will be cut and upcycled into exterior wall panels or crushed to form aggregate for non-structural concrete. The windows and doors will also be cleaned up and reused.

Euromix Concrete Buildings The site will temporarily become the waste recyling plant for the site during the demolition of the other buildings. During the long construction the masterplan, the light sheds will be repurposed as a modular timber production line.

Circular Construction - Upcycling Copenhagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lendager Group have provided an environmental, economic and practical case for upcycling architectural materials using these processes.

Upcycled brick facade

Upcycled cement with crushed red brick

Upcycled timber facade cladding

Cutting 1x1 modules from brick wall

Concrete foundations removed from ground

Torched with fire to protect from moisture

Brick

Concrete

Timber

Individual bricks cannot be salvaged easily as the mortar binding them is too strong and can break the brick when separating. Brick elements can instead be cut from buildings that would otherwise be ready for demolition. 1 x 1m modules can be binded with mortar and remounted on to a frame made of concrete, steel, aluminium or wood to create an upcycled wall element.

Crushed concrete is sorted into different fractions. This aggregate can be used as part of a cast-in-situ concrete mix, mainly for foundations and infrastructure in the proposed masterplan. Crushed brick from buildings on the site can also be added for its aesthetic qualities.

Waste wood can be salvaged from many locations to prevent incinerations, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The waste timber needs to be treated. One technique comes from Japan is called Yakisugi, which involves charring the surface with fire making it resistant to fire, insects and fungus without using chemicals.

Upcycled glass arranged in creative frame

Upcycled steel facade cladding

Upcycled PET acoustic panels

Glass removed from frame

Scrap metal recovered from building

Plastic bottles

Glass

Metal

Plastic

Glass salvaged on site can be tested for its u-value. Lower u-values glass should be detached from old frames and layered together to create double-glazed window frames for exterior application. Glass with higher u-values can still be used for interior glass or outdoor glass.

Aluminium and steel plates can be restored and upcycled if the quality is good enough. Past this metal can be melted down and recycled into new plates. Aluminium cladding is a good application for upcycled metal.

PET felt made from old plastic bottles can be used as acoustic panels in offices. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled today. A lot of research is going into creating structural members from recycled plastic in the future.

Landscape - activating the river edge Early landscape decisions drive the urban form

A big early decision was to activate the river edge with a new flood defence and a series of tidal and fixed level pools Hydroelectric turbines are created at the closed pool, harnessing the tidal energy of the Thames. Two new large parks are created adjacent to the river, at either end of the site, which are connected with ecological green corridors along the river edge, DLR and to the north of the site

Landscape - ecological connections Early landscape decisions drive the urban form

This is a masterplan for all life on the site, from bees to birds to humans. Ecological green corridors along the river edge, DLR and to the north of the site help protect, enhance and promote local wildlife and encourage habitats across the whole site. These green spaces are also a beautiful to contrast from the urbanity of the city.

3 4

5 7

Proposed Landscape Plan 1:3000 @ A3

100

1. Enhanced River edge habitats 2. Footbridge to Leamouth Peninsula 3. Thames River walk 4. Pleasure dock 5. Closed Tidal Pool 6. Open Tidal Pool 7. Hydro Electric Turbines 43

DLR & Cable Car

Existing public transport infrastructures running through the site

Restricting car access The only permanent parking is at the edge of the site, with residents encouraged to sign up to an electric car share scheme. Drop offs, taxis, small delivery vans and emergency vehicles are allowed down the principal routes of the site only.

Principal routes

These streets are the busiest in the site with engaging ground floor programmes. These routes are legible and have clear destinations, like a station, park, river edge, bridge.

Secondary routes

These paths are less direct and connect the principal routes. They are smaller and often wind through urban blocks; under, over or in between buildings. These routes are often an interesting or suprising experience for the pedestrian.

Green routes

These green routes pass through the wilder parts of the site. Every resident can walk to a green space within 5 minutes.

Key public spaces

At the intersection between the different routes are open public spaces. The size is dependent on the amount of people passing through, with the biggest space found at the DLR station, where all principal routes lead.

Lower Le

a Crossin

River Lea

Lea Ecology Park Timber Wharf

2 8

Sorkin Quarter

Thameside Central

Pleasure Dock

Little Silvertown

River Thames

The Point

rto

Sil

The Landings

y Wa

Royal Docks

Dock Park

7 Silver Creative District

Proposed Site Plan 1:3000 @ A3

6 Oyster Wharf

100

1. Enhanced River edge habitats 2. Footbridge to Leamouth Peninsula 3. Thames River walk 4. Pleasure dock 5. Closed Tidal Pool 6. Open Tidal Pool 7. Enhanced Silver Building 8. Thameside Primary School 9. Silvertown Way Crossing 10. Kindergarten 11. Energy Centre & car share 51

Lower Le

a Crossin

River Lea

Lea Ecology Park Timber Wharf

2 8

Sorkin Quarter

Thameside Central

Indicative numeric study

Pleasure Dock

Total site area: 160000 m2 (16 hectares)

Little Silvertown

Building Coverage: 0.3 Number of dwellings: 3500 Dwellings per hectare: 218.75 Number of trees: 1000 Energy Central energy centre Hydro electric tidal power Ground source heat pumps Photovoltaic cells on every roof

River Thames

The Point

rto

Sil

The Landings

y Wa

Royal Docks

Dock Park

7 Silver Creative District

Proposed Site Plan 1:3000 @ A3

6 Oyster Wharf

100

Programme - culture, care + creativity River Lea Lea Ecology Park Timber Wharf

Sorkin Quarter

Thameside Central

Pleasure Dock

Little Silvertown

River Thames

The Point

rto

Sil

The Landings

y Wa

Royal Docks

Dock Park Silver Creative District

Programmatic Plan 1:3000 @ A3

Oyster Wharf

100

Mixed Use Residential Blocks Resi High Rise (12-16 storeys) Single Use Office / Retail Education Light Industry Energy Centre / Car share Civic (markethall + townhall) DLR Station note: programme is not fixed, can adapt and grow over time 53

Existing Site

Working with the constraints and opportunities of the site existing habitats, the Silver Building, orientation and road entrances.

River Edge & Wetland Pools

3 flood defences - a 3m river wall, 5m river walk and 6m flood defence line. A series of tidal pools and fixed level wetland pools to engage the site with the natural asset of water. Enhanced river edge planting and improvement of existing habitats.

Building Footprint

30% building plot footprint and 4 different landscape zones with distinct planting and landscape identity.

Building Footprint

30% building plot footprint and 4 different landscape zones with distinct planting and landscape identity.

Principal Streets

These are durable main routes with hard landscaping - natural cobblestone and paving stone are the preference

Secondary / Green Routes

These smaller winding routes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all require hard landscaping. Permeable pavers such as grass block pavers are the preference.

Tree Planting

Approximately 1000 trees will be planted on site, amounting to a small forest that will clean the air and sequestered carbon. Local species will be chosen such as London plane and Oak. Larger trees will be chosen for wind barriers to the SW prevailing wind. A fruit Orchard will be planted to the north of the site

Buildings

The max height is 16 storeys at strategic locations that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cause overshadowing. The average height is 5-7 storeys, a dense yet human scale height where people can see the street from the top floor. Building typologies differ depending on the immediate context and the character of the area. Diversity of form and varying roofscape helps create a dynamic area and some buildings are traditional and others experimental.

Public Realm - Microclimatic Design

the urban form has been carefully designed to enhance the microclimate of the site

Microclimate

Orientation

Enclosure

The layout of the blocks have been arranged to orientated carefully to optimise the natural conditions of this exposed riverside location. The shaken grid has been used to protect from the elements and capture the sun.

The urban form is designed to create enclosed spaces which are less windy and retain heat more effectively. These spaces are both in the public realm and in private coutryards. The architecture acts as a barrier to the elements.

Sunlight

Wind

Every block is designed around a courtyard, which allows for south facing facades therefore sunlight can penetrate every home in the masterplan. The massing is kept between 5 - 7 storeys to prevent overshadowing in the public realm.

Being an exposed site, there are strong SW prevailing winds. The first wind break is the river edge, heavily planted with trees. Then the first line of buildings act as a wind break for the rest of the site. The plan is arranged to prevent long wind tunnels by breaking up and compacting the streets.

Courtyards act as sheltered microclimates which are less windy and retain heat. These make fantastic gardens for growing vegetables and enjoyable places for people to relax outside

Bo01 Masterplan, Klas Tham

Where possible, terraces are south facing and generously proportioned so people can feel the benefits of the sun.

Microclimatic urban form in Bo01, Malmo has greatly reduced prevailing wind and increased temperatures within the centre of the neighbourhood 61

Public Realm - Streets & Urban Form setting out the principles for the type of urbanism in the plan

< street 10 meters

shared courtyard

street

Compact asymmetrical urbanism

In the past, planning guidance for privacy has been con with achieving visual separation between dwellings by minimum distance of 18-21m between facing homes. H the London Housing Design Guide (5.1.1) states that a too rigorously to this can limit the variety of urban spa housing types. The problem with overlooking is dealt w situating all the main living spaces on the courtyard fa elevation of the house, where there is more distance be homes. Bedrooms are situated on the street elevation a windows have a shutter screen on the outer face to allo in without people seeing in.

The masterplan streets are mostly car free so feel more generous to the pedestrian despite being as narrow as 1 Real intensity and vibrancy comes from the amount of people and active ground floors. Generous open green and regular piazzas at the corners of buildings give the breathing space. Too many modern developments have windy roads between tall buildings. This plan has more compact urbanism and low to medium rise buildings, s achieving a high density of 200 dwellings / hectare. Building corners create small piazzas

< street

Tight urban form full of variety, Bologna shared courtyard

Active facades, Amsterdam

ncerned y setting a However adhering aces and with by acing etween and ow light

Cycling friendy streets, Copenhagen

e 10m. f space e plan e open e still

Discouraging cars, Rome

Case study : historic European urban form

Asymmetrical urban blocks create more interesting urban space without losing logic of plan

Copenhagen, Bologna, Amsterdam and Rome are just a few examples of historic cities with a tight urban grid based on the mixed use city block and courtyard block typologies. Cars are discouraged as is difficult to drive in narrow, winding streets. Streets have generous pedestrian surfaces and designated cycle lanes. Streets are busy and full of life and show that good urbanism encourages people to live more sustainable lives. Compact urbanism promotes interaction, productivity and sharing.

Car free, compact streets with shared surfaces

Public Realm - Massing Medium rise, compact and high density neighbourhood can be realised entirely using mass timber construction.

> 5 floor buildings to break up density, improve daylight and add character to the masterplan

5 - 7 floor blocks provide density but are human scale and accessible by stairs. Overlooking is still possible from the 7th floor

12 - 16 floor towers in strategic locations that do not overshadow the public realm. Great river views and to add density

12 floors

3 7 floors 5 floors

Public Realm - Mobility & Social Sustainability Movement is key to a healthy, vibrant neighbourhood

MOBILITY MOBILITY Getting to the site getting to the site

getting to the site

within the site Within the site within the site

CARGO CARGO

E - CARGO E - CARGO

AUTONOMOUS E - PALETTE

Fig 23. Authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own

Walkable neighbourhood This is a mixed use neighbourhood where residents live, work and play, but is also connected to the wider city via DLR, river boat, bike or road. Everything you need is within 500m walking distance, and the streets are safe and car free. No-one owns a car, instead residents are part of a electric car sharing scheme where you can use available cars. Within the site, people are encouraged to walk, cycle or use cargo bike. Deliveries are made using e-cargo and smaller electric vans. The principal routes can fit cars for taxis deliveries and emergency vehicles but no car parking is allowed. A fleet of autonomous e-palettes can take people around the site - this may be helpful for old people or families with young children.

Street Heirachy Key public spaces Principal routes Secondary routes Green routes DLR Line Car Access Cable Car 65

Ecological Design Regenerative landscape masterplan to protect, enhance and promote ecology

Lea Ecology Park (SINC) The strategy seeks to enhance the SINC set out in the Newham Biodiversity action plan. River environment and promote species such as invertebrates and black red starts. Larger species of trees, tall grasses and wildflower meadows will ensure this is a rich habitat for a variety of species.

Abundant urban green The landscape masterplan creates large courtyards and green roofs, planted and landscaped to promote biodiversity. By utilizing green/brown roofs, bird/bat boxes and the proposed green network, habitats have been indicatively designed with a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;landscape visionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; encouraging the contribution of London Biodiversity Action Plans for the benefits of both people and wildlife.

Wetland pool habitats Fixed level natural pools have been designed for the enjoyment of people and wildlife. SUDS provide ecological corridors for fauna movement through the site and into the pools. Pools will be densely planted with reeds and trees to promote new habitat environments.

Intertidal river habitat A new river edge will protect, enhance and promote ecology in the intertidal zone currently characterised by mud flats. New ecologically friendly tidal walk and terraces will regrade the river banks, densely planted with trees, grasses reeds to promote new habitat environments.

Dock Park The largest open green space in the masterplan is also the main leisure space for people to enjoy the outdoors. It is a green corridor connecting the Royal Docks with the River Thames. The edge of the park fronts the tidal pools, an urban beach with a unique landscape. Dock park will feature tall trees, grasses, flowers and will be home to a variety of species.

London Street Tree Map, GLA

Intertidal Planting

Reed Planting

Wetland Pools

Swales

Tree Planting

Wild heavily planted courtyards, Lendager Group

The map on the left shows no existing street trees on the site. The landscape strategy includes planting hundreds of appropriate local tree species. Benefits include wind protection, water drainage, biodiversity, shading, cleaner air and a more beautiful green landscape.

Ecology Park

Abel RodrĂ?guez, Terraza Alta II, 2018

Tidal Pools, BIG

Productive Roofs, Germany 66

Ecological Design Energy, flooding & water management Flood Defence

Sustainable Drainage Systems

A flood and river wall strategy has been developed as part of the wider strategy in the London plan and Part H, which aims to protect all riverside developments against future flooding whilst enhancing the ecological value of the riverfront. The strategy consists of 3 interventions along the river:

The design aligns modern drainage systems with natural processes and sees water as an ecological and aesthetic advantaqge for the site. Water is directed via typical falls to 3 main drainage channels - the river Thames, SUDS channel adjacent to the DLR line and a SUDS chanel in Dock Park to the north of the site.

Wall 1 - new river wall at 3m with intertidal planting Wall 2 - river walk at 5m, protecting the site from most floods apart from a breach of the Thames Estuary 2100 flood. Wall 3 - 6m wall to prevent freak flood in event of Thames Estuary breach.

River Thames Drainage

1. New River Wall + 3m AOD

2. Riverside Walk + 5m AOD

Wetland Pool

River Thames

Wetland Pool Drainage

drainage principles limit the flow of water into the drainage network, achieved in three main ways. Roofs, courtyards and landscaping capture rainwater for growing vegetation. All public and private green spaces are permeable.

Hidden SUDS chanel

Visible SUDS feature

Tidal pools harness tidal power of the river and assist the sustainable drainage strategy

3. Site max level + 6m AOD

Productive roofs harness the suns energy with PV cells and capture rainwater in the vegetation 67

The masterplan includes 2 Major new parks created for the local area. Dock park connects the Royal Docks with the River Thames and engages the river with a 2 Tidal Pools. They were inspired by Bjarke Ingels Group Brooklyn proposed waterfront masterplan and Effekt’ s stormwater plan. The River Thames water will become much cleaner after the ‘super sewer’ project is completed in 2022. Therefore, projects that enage people with the river edge can include swimming and boating in ways that have not been seen in London for years. The closed tidal pool will also have a hydroelectric turbine to harness the power of the tide.

Neighbourhood a more detailed study of environments and communities within which adults meet and slowly bond, and where children play, grow up and are socialised, providing essential psychological and existential grounding

Tectonic Principle - Mass Timber Neighbourhood The metric benefits of building a neighbourhood from engineered timber

Image to help visualise the 15 acres of Austrian PEFC Spruce forest 2000 CLT homes would use. The standard is to replant 2 trees for every 1 cut down. The World’s CLT industry is 15 x Dalston Works predicted to double in 2020.

= 1800 homes 34,500 Spruce Trees average age of harvested tree is 80 years old 14 Hectares of PEFC SpruceDECIDUOUS forest CONIFEROUS Thameside West site is 16 Hectares

Spruce

height: 30-55m mature age: 80-100 years

Fir

height: 30-40m mature age: 90-130 years

interpretation of diagram from ‘100 UK CLT projects’ comparing the fast growing softwoods used in CLT manufacture with typical hardwoods.

Beech

height: 30-35m mature age: 100-140 years

Oak

height: 20-30m mature age: 120-200 years

DALSTON WORKS, Waugh Thistleton “world’s largest CLT building” 10 storeys high mixed use block with 121 apartments concrete basement and ground floor, brick clad 4500m3 Austrian cross-laminated timber 2300 trees / 9200m2 forest 3 trees per person 111 deliveries compared with 800 concrete 30% of weight of concete / steel framed structure 3576 tonnes of sequestered carbon locked in timber

Case Study - Dalston Works, Waugh Thisleton, UK’s largest CLT building • • • • • • • • • •

3576 tonnes of sequested carbon locked in timber 10 storeys tall, 33.8m mixed use block with 121 apartments brick cladding, concrete basement and ground floor 4500m2 cross-laminated timber 2300 spruce trees / 9200m2 PEFC sustainable Austrian forest 3 trees per person 111 deliveries to site compared with 800 for a concrete building of same size 30% weight of concrete / steel framed structure reduction in size of raft roundations

Dalston Works is clad in a regular brick, hiding the CLT structure

Waugh Thisleton’s Isometric diagram showing the extent of CLT structure used in the building

Capacity study • • • • • • •

17 Dalston Works loosely fit onto site which would add up to 2000 homes (my masterplan has a more dense configuration) 39,100 spruce trees, grown in Austria or Germany 15 hectares of PEFC forest, almost the size of Thameside West (top left) average age of harvested tree is 80 years old reduce the number of deliveries to site by 80% construction is quicker, cleaner and more efficient further carbon emissions could be made on my Thameside West architecture by using a more sustainable cladding material and less concrete than Dalston Works

Waugh Thisleton’s exploded detail showing simple connections between Glulam columns / beams / CLT floor slab

Tectonic Principle - Mass Timber Neighbourhood Carbon Sequestration buildings can become an important global carbon sink in the fight against climate change

Mineral based construction materials Masonry

Concrete

Steel

Atmospheric Carbon Terrestial Carbon

Carbon pool formation

Carbon pool depletion

Composite

Bio based construction materials Glulam

Bamboo

CLT

billion acres of certified sustainable forest in the world

million m3 of cross laminated timber made in 2019

million m3 cross laminated timber projected in 2020

seconds to grow enough timber to produce a 30m2 dwelling

Carbon pool replenishment

manufacturers of CLT in Austria / Germany, the world leaders in engineered timber

Tectonic Principle - Mass Timber Neighbourhood Off-site mass timber construction can accelerate project timelines by 35 percent, reduce costs, and greatly improve overall predictability

3000 mm

6000 mm

Cross laminated timber wall & floor panels

Glulam / LVL primary frame to allow wide spans on ground floor

Concrete with upcycled aggregrate used for foundations, ground floor slab and upstands

Tectonic Principle - Mass Timber Neighbourhood a modular kit of parts used for all building structures in the masterplan, yet interpreted differently by the individual architects 1

Exterior wall systems Exterior wall systems form the outside structure of a building. These walls can be made out of any number of materials, such as non-structural CLT panels or glass curtain walls. The factory would produce or assemble facade panels that meet Part L sustainability standards, creating an airtight building seal that reduces the need for heating and cooling.

Structural Elements structural components from mass timber that include CLT building floor plates, CLT structural wall panels, and glulam beams and posts, as well as the standardised fittings required for their assembly.

Interior wall systems. Interior wall systems include non-structural walls and the electrical and water systems that typically come with them. A new system of flexible interior walls could be easily clipped into place for faster renovation, while being every bit as strong as interior walls commonly used today. These walls would feature mist-based fire systems and low-voltage power systems.

Exterior facades and windows The success of manufactured buildings will rely in large part on the ability of architects to design structures that do not look like they just rolled off a factory line. The proposed building library would incorporate a customizable facade system that includes windows of all shapes, shades, and sizes, and outer cladding (or coating) of different materials to help create unique exteriors. Triple paned glazing panels will be incorporated site wide.

Productive roof several types of building roofs, including photovoltaic roofs designed to harvest solar energy, green roofs to integrate nature or garden space into the building structure, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;blue roofsâ&#x20AC;? to help manage stormwater. Blue roofs would have a predesigned flow rate to significantly slow down the volume of water leaving the roof, helping to avoid downstream or localised flooding.

3 Neighbourhood Case Studies

Thamesid Central

Little Silvertown

The andings

Neighbourhood character - The Landings The most constrained part of the site, this area is a quieter, lower density area with 2 high streets. Green mews streets end with a small orchard at the north end of the site. Piazzas have different landscape features, and streets are populated with street furniture, play equipment and trees

7 10 5

1 2

1. Orchard as buffer to busy road 2. Bbq area 3. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playground 4. Piazza with landscape detail 5. Food growing 6. Wetland Pool 7. Maisonettes with front gardens 8. Corner blocks with different height 9. Boulevard leading to station 10. Green corridor alongside DLR 75

Neighbourhood character - The Landings

Enclosed shared courtyards with soft and warm materials, contrasting the urban exterior and blocking out the noise and stress of the city.

The street facades of blocks in the Landings are varied to create streets with a lively appearance. Like Amsterdam, The ground floors vary in height, material and programme.

Neighbourhood character - The Landings

The architectural identity of the Landings comes from articulation of the roofscape and balconies

Neighbourhood character - The Landings

Royal Seaport, Stockholm combines beautiful courtyard gardens with intergrated surface and storm water drainage and diverse urban furniture.

Maeirhof housing estate, Austria features beautiful cobbled paths through clusters of residential housing blocks

Urbana Villor, Malmo designing integtated flo filled bed and a flexible

Faellerby, Denmark neighbourhood intergates n through the generous courtyards that open up to environments.

Key Precedents More traditional North European courtyard blocks with small public routes running through courtyards. Some blocks contain townhouses and maisonettes with front gardens to animate the street. Diverse facade types and fine grained streets ground floors create visual interest. The street facing faรงades have more articulated roofs types which help characterise this area. Green facades and active sustainable design features become part of the architecture, not just a add on.

maximises vegetation by oor planters with a deep soil e slab cover

nature o larger wild 78

Neighbourhood Character - Thameside Central

Busy node of the masterplan, centred by a large square with the DLR station overhead. Multiple principal streets meet at Thameside West from all directions creating a liveliness and vibrancy from the various activity. A major civic building, with a markethall on ground floor fronts the square. Either side of the building are views of the river Thames, drawing people from towards the river edge.

1. Civic Building with m 2. DLR station entranc 3. Piazza paving and w 4. Central boulevard 5. Route to river 6. Smaller piazza

2 5

3 1

markethall ces water fountain

Neighbourhood Character - Thameside Central

The DLR runs overhead at a height of 6m, with large platform openings allowing daylight to reach the square beneath. 4 grand staircases activate the square from all sides. Taller buildings enclose the piazza at the north. A major civic building, with a markethall on ground floor fronts the square. People gather on the podium in front. This high street is where many offices are situated and Thameside Central is a hub for business.

Neighbourhood Character - Thameside Central

A classically proportioned civic building acts as way-finding tool around the masterplan, as the stepped form appears the same on all sides. A grand entrance invites you into the market hall, and porticos provide shelter from all sides. A stone plinth gives this building presence on the square and at the end of the boulevard.

Communal courtyards feel both public and private, allowing non residents to pass through. The buildings are orienteated to guide you through these open spaces. The density of dwellings means the courtyards are overlooked, ensuring a safe environment for children to play.

Neighbourhood Character - Thameside Central Key Precedents This is the most urban area of the plan with busy streets, infrastructure and DLR overhead. These precedents are about creating a more comfortable and natural urban experience. Porticos for shelter, activating the underside of infrastructure, natural materials and urban greening are the moves to achieve this language.

Roskilde station, Effekt architect platform with reflective panels, c openings and well considered la

Bosco Verticale, Boeri studio. Th Thameside Central Square will b and 14 storeys. They will be buil frame structure.

ts animates the space under the chamfered edges, large stair andscaping

he towers enclosing be vertical forests at 12 lt using a Hybrid timber

Office concept, Nord, express the engineered timber structure with full height glazing panes. The single use offices in TW will have this same open language.

Porticos, Bologna. The square will be surrounded by porticos to provide sheltered external space - the grandest are in the civic building

Landscape under the platforms will feature a playful pattern as seen on Copacabana beach in Rio De Janeiro

Neighbourhood Character - Little Silvertown

4 2

1. Market Hall 2. Bike Shop 3. Atelier 4. Creche 5. Restaurant 6. Fixed level pool 7. Jetty 8. Tidal Walk 83

Neighbourhood Character - Little Silvertown

The Tidal Walk, Pleasure Dock and jettys engage this neighbourhood with water - the powerful, murky Thames River and the clean, still fixed level pools. This is a robust flood defence for the site, protecting the site with up to 6m floods and a breach of the Thames Barrier. However this is a social infrastructure, and creates a beautiful natural setting to enjoy the water. Swimming, running, boating, fishing are just some of the potential activities. The buildings have open and fluid ground floors, as this is a destination for people visiting the River. The buildings directly engage with the river edge, utilising the natural assets of the masterplan

Neighbourhood Character - Little Silvertown

The plan starts to reveal glimpses of the river, opening out as you approach the edge of the site. It is the twin phenomena of enclosed to open which makes the river edge even more special.

Routes through to the courtyards are combined with circulation to increase chances of interaction with other residents This area is characterised by open fluid ground floors, as this is a destination for people visiting the neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood Character - Little Silvertown

Key Precedents This unique opportunity to create a flood defence also allows us to engage with water. My proposed river edge is a social infrastructure, and creates a beautiful natural setting to enjoy the water. The precedents showcase creative ways to enjoy water edges, from nature trails to sheltered pools to landscape features. This area will become a destination, so the ground floors of the architecture must also be open and diverse.

River street park, BIG + Field O development on the river edge, i walkways out into the river. Man habitats for ecology to thrive.

Western Harbourside, Malmo h sea in many ways, from jettyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to is protected by large gabions an encourages people to sit overloo

Operations, is a proposed mixed use including building a series of raised n made beaches and nature trails provide

Common Ground, Milan by Carlo Ratti is a proposed masterplan where all the ground floors are open to the public, whether public or private. This type of fluid ground floor is what makes the blocks on the river edge feel open and accessible to people visiting this destination.

has a long continuous promenade that engages the o diving boards to dancing platforms. The sea edge nd behind the defence is stepped timber decking that oking the sea.

C.F. Moller, Ornso proposed masterplan floods part of the site with water and the buildings are orientated around the sheltered pool. The water gives the public space a beautiful focal point and encourages people to interact with the immediate nature.

Housing - Born to Retirement Block A detailed study of a mixed use apartment block on the river edge. Although this block is site specific many of the themes explored are applicable across the whole masterplan

Housing - Low Tech, High Tectonics well insulated, airtight homes that utilise natural systems for thermal comfort

Dual Aspect Homes Every house within the masterplan will be dual aspect. Benefits include solar gain, natural daylight, natural ventilation, choice of views and greater flexibility in the use of rooms

Urban / Natural Facade Most houses will have 2 different frontages. The public facing facade will be more closed and discreet. The garden facing facade will be more open and soft.

Views Where possible, houses will have a view of the river or green area depending on the immediate context.

Integrated MEP The minimal ductwork and piping is hidden within the CLT floors and walls and served by CHP that serve the whole block

Windows Triple glazed windows help insulate the homes to meet Part L energy efficiency requirements to reduce fuel and power consumption. Whilst construction is air tight, all windows are openable as this is a valid cooling device

Shading South facing facades will have overhangs, balconies or shutters to prevent direct sun. Larger buildings will require brise soleil to achieve thermal comfort in heavily glazed systems.

Housing - Private + Public concepts for all housing in the masterplan

All units have a generous private outdoor space extending the living rooms of the house. Full height double or sliding doors fully open to allow the elements into and through the house.

Although not the main circulation, a shared deck connects the private terraces on each level to extend the space for children to run, and to promote interaction amongst neighbours.

Housing - Active Ground + Productive Roof concepts for all housing in the masterplan

All blocks have a mixed programme at ground floor as well as ammenity facilities for residents on the upper levels. Cafes, crecheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, gyms, workshops and studios help the residents engage with the wider neigbourhood.

The roof is a key part of the building with productive space for Photovoltaics, wild gardens, food growing, sports and co-working spaces. It is a large ammenity space for residents of the block.

Proposed Ground Floor Plan 1:200 @ A3 0

100

KITCHEN BIKES / RECYCLING

RESI ENTRANCE 1

RESTAURANT STAFF ROOM

GARDENERS ROOM

RESI COMMON AREA

CAFE KITCHEN

BIKES / RECYCLING

RESI ENTRANCE 4

LOBBY COFFEE SHOP

CRECHE RECYCLING RESI ENTRANCE 2 BIKES

FLEXIBLE RETAIL

RETAIL OFFICE / STORAGE

RECYCLING RESI ENTRANCE 3

FLEXIBLE OFFICE

FLEXIBLE ATELIER

Proposed Ground Floor Accomodation Plan PRIVATE PUBLIC

Proposed First Floor Plan 1:200 @ A3 0

100

2 BED

2 BED TOOL SHED

EXTERNAL STAIRS

COMMON AREA

EXTERNAL STAIRS

2 BED

TOOL SHED 2 BED

2 BED

3 BED

1 BED

3 BED

2 BED

3 BED

1 BED

Proposed First Floor Accomodation Plan 0

100

Housing - Circulation + Form The rationale behind this residential plan

Although not the main circulation, the shared deck connects the private terraces on each level to extend the space for children to run, and to promote interaction amongst neighbours

U- shaped plan orientated south for solar gain, views of natural courtyard / river

cross ventilation made possible with openable partition walls and full height stutters All apartments are dual aspect and open to allow natural ventilation from one side to the other. The habitable rooms are shaded by overhangs and shutters and have views of a natural setting. This U-shaped plan is orientated towards the south for solar gain.

Housing - Courtyard A natural courtyard that promotes a happy, sustainable + communal lifestyle. A environment that addresses the four sustainable design perspectives informing the masterplan

Housing - Courtyard

The language of the courtyard elevation is open, natural and warm. Each unit has a generous semi-private terrace with an integrated planter, encouraging residents to tend to a small tree or shrub. Terraces are connected with a shared deck for children to run round and for neighbours to interact. The decks are connected with an external stair leading to a productive roof garden. 97

Housing - Urban Facade Exterior facade has a varied ground floor elevation with a number of different uses and thresholds. The ground plane is inviting and animated and above the elevation is more closed, using timber shutters to create a sense of control and privacy for the residents.

Housing - Residents' Entrance The first impressions upon arrival are important, so careful consideration has gone into designing the entrance to feel inviting, secure, generous and social.

Timber Cladding extended to top of parapet, with integrated planter behind

Roof Habitable roof canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be seen easily from the street, but people or vegetation may animate the parapet edge

Charcoal steel balustrade with round timber hand rail

Upcycled horizontal timber cladding to dimensions of floor build up

Main Facade Controlled, understated, rhythm comes from shutters that are open or closed Upcycled vertical timber cladding, thermally treated for protection

Folding aluminium shutters with timber cladding

Chamfered plinth protruding over entrance Recessed timber framed full height window

Upcyled precast concrete panels with crushed red brick

Plinth Durable, animated, inviting, social. An entrance residents can feel proud of

Integrated seating sheltered by the entrance overhang. Flush with concrete panels

Housing - Language Key Precedents The language of this housing block celebrates natural materials and abundant greenery but also embraces weathering and reclaimed material. Robust concrete and masonry clad base protects the main timber facade from moisture and wear. The building can be deconstructed and the parts can be replaced, for example the CLT walls can replaced if exposed to rot after say 60 years. We must not be afraid of the imperfect but embrace age and repair. The building facade is dynamic and lively, symbolising residents who speak to their neighbourhood.

Baobab, Paris, MGA is a propos neighbourhood at the base. The shutters, exposed structure and s sustainable material in new way

Kings Crescent Estate, Karakuse beautifully designed double heig that lead from the front to the ba building. They are light, airy an designed details such as lighting

sal for a 35 storey tower in Paris with a mid rise language of timber is simple yet bold, with louvres, surrounding trees. It celebrates this familiar and ys

evic Carson, has ght entrances ack of the nd have carefully g and post boxes

Resource Rows, Copenhagen, Lendager Group has a realised upcycled masonry facade, that also happens to be beautiful. The company have provided the environmental, social and economic case for constructing upcycled architecture

Claudio Coello, Arenas Basabe Palacios features beautiful full height shuttered windows that open the room up to the elements

Apartments along a parti wall, Herzog & De Meuron, features a beautiful weathered timber shared deck with chamfered timber columns

100

ITT - Facade Component Prefabricated facades panels with integrated curtain wall systems, railings and folding shutter.

The contractor will fabricate facade components off site, including 1600mm wide floor to floor glazed double doors and a steel railing. These will include timber shutters that fold on steel profiles, moving on a sliding track top and bottom. The visualisation sets out the design intent for the appearance of these facade components. A mock up will be made and tested prior to installation.

SHUTTER DIMENSION IS HALF SIZE AT SPLIT

25 x 50mm THERMOWOOD CLADDING SQUARED EDGE 25 X 25MM HORIZONTAL BATTEN

Solid oak double doors

HF 100 solid timber triple glazed doors

EXTERIO

RNER CLADDING UARED OFF

Vertical thermowood rainscre cladding

FOLD ON SPLIT LINE

2525 50

90.00Â° 25 25 25

25 25 x 125mm vertical thermowood cladding, half lap 25 x 40mm battens sealing layer

180mm mineral wool insulation

convection barrier

1600

Variable 120mm CLT wall

1600

2 x 15mm plasterboard

X 125 MM Typical opening dimensions ERMOWOOD CLADDING RTICAL HALF LAP

X 40MM BATTENS ITT

ALING LAYER

INTERIOR

3.2

CHARCOAL STEEL BALUSTRADE WITH 50X50MM SQUARE HAND RAIL

ALIGNED TO FOOT OF BALUSTERS

een

90.00°

180.00°

Juliette balcony with charcoal coloured steel railing within reveal 25 25

Thermowood clad folding louvred shutters, attached to external wall on either sider of Variable opening and a sliding rail track below

EQ 1600

TRIPLE GLAZING Indicative visualisation of typical open, half open IN TIMBER FRAME and closed shutter system

MULLION CENTRED ON STUTTER

Xavier Smales

SHUTTER DIMENSION IS HALF SIZE AT SPLIT

25 x 50mm THERMOWOOD CLADDING SQUARED EDGE 25 X 25MM HORIZONTAL BATTEN

EXTE

CORNER CLADDING SQUARED OFF

2525 50

40 30 120180 225 20

420

FOLD ON SPLIT LINE

90.00Â° 25 25 25

1600

Variable

25 X 125 MM THERMOWOOD CLADDING VERTICAL HALF LAP 25 X 40MM BATTENS

INTER

SEALING LAYER 180MM MINERAL WOOL INSULATION CONVECTION BARRIER 120MM CLT WALL 2 X 15MM PLASTERBOARD

PROJECT

CLIENT

Thameside West - Plot H

GLA

DRAWN BY XS

TITLE

DRAWING NUMBER

Typical Shutter Window Detail - Open, half open and closed

001-A-T-502

ITT

CHECKED BY XS

CHARCOAL STEEL BALUSTRADE WITH 50X50MM SQUARE HAND RAIL

ALIGNED TO FOOT OF BALUSTERS

ERIOR

180.00°

90.00° 25 25

600

Variable

EQ 1600

TRIPLE GLAZING IN TIMBER FRAME MULLION CENTRED ON STUTTER

RIOR

DATE

REV

15.06.20

T01

SCALE @ A3

PROJECT NUMBER

1 : 25

001

NOTES 1. THE COPYRIGHT OF THIS DRAWING IS VESTED IN AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR PART FOR THE MANUFACTIRE OF ANY ARTICLE WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSON OF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER. 2. WORK TO FIGURED DIMENSIONS ONLY 3.THIS DRAWING IS TO BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALL RELEVANT ENGINEERS DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS

Xavier Smales

PLYWOOD UPDSTAND CAP MINERAL WOOL INSULATION RIGID METAL AIR + VAPOUR BARRIER

1200

160MM CLT SLAB

VERTICAL 25 X 125 MM THERMOWOOD CLADDING HALF LAP HORIZONTAL BATTENS

WIND PROTECTION LAYER

600

VERTICAL BATTENS

HORIZONTAL 25 X 125 MM THERMOWOOD CLADDING HALF LAP

WIND PROTECTION LAYER

EXTERIOR

PROJECT

CLIENT

Thameside West - Plot H

GLA

DRAWN BY XS

TITLE

DRAWING NUMBER

Parapet Detail

001-A-T-505

ITT

295

420

100

CHECKED BY XS

26 74

100

GRAVEL

40X 200MM STONE ROOF PAVIERS ROOF MEMBRANE + DRAINAGE LAYER 100 RIGID FOAM INSULATION 75MM ACOUSTIC INSULATION VAPOUR BARRIER

200

90MM CONCRETE SCREED 200MM CLT SLAB WITH EXPOSED CEILING DECK

INTERIOR

DATE

REV

15.06.20

T01

SCALE @ A3

PROJECT NUMBER

1 : 10

001

Xavier Smales

CHARCOAL STEEL BALUSTRADE WITH 50X50MM SQUARE HAND RAIL ALIGNED VERTICALLY TO BATTEN ON THE SHUTTER

FLUSH TO EDGE OF FACADE

EXTERIOR

WINDOW SHUTTER SLIDING RAIL TRACK PROFILE ALIGNED FOOT OF BALUSTER

BREATHER MEMBRANE

HORIZONTAL 25 X 125 MM THERMOWOOD CLADDING HALF LAP 25 x 40mm VERTICAL BATTENS WIND PROTECTION LAYER

295

420 PROJECT

CLIENT

Thameside West - Plot H

GLA

DRAWN BY XS

TITLE

DRAWING NUMBER

Typical Opening Section Details

001-A-T-506

ITT

CHECKED BY XS

INTERIOR

TRIPLE GLAZING IN TIMBER DOOR FRAME

3MM FOAM

25 22 20 21

14MM OAK PARQUET FLOORING, GLUED

400

22MM FIBREBOARD, FLOATING 20MM IMPACT INSULATION

200

20MM FIBREBOARD 95MM FLOOR JOISTS 95MM INSULATION 200MM CLT SLAB WITH EXPOSED CEILING DECK

DATE

REV

15.06.20

T01

SCALE @ A3

PROJECT NUMBER

1 : 10

001

Xavier Smales

101

102

103

104

Xavier Smales | Thameside West Masterplan | Thesis | London School of Architecture | 2020