Architecture of Well Being

Sectional Perspective

2009-05-15T16:46:00.003+01:00

Well, we're so nearly at the end. As we all frantically try to organise our final presentations, finish our models and delve into the dangers of printing I wish good luck to all.

As [probably] the penultimate post of the year, here is my sectional perspective drawing. As with the visuals, this is hand drawn and then Photoshopped. I've based this on the section submitted in my Tech Report, there are a few things I'd like to still tweak on this, but it's 95% there.

Visuals

2009-05-08T15:39:00.004+01:00

When thinking about how I represent this building in three dimensions I decided to try several different ways. I've used sketches and models throughout the design process, with little 3d computer modelling. I wanted to try and do something I've not done so much of in the past so rather than 3d renderings have opted for a large physical model and a series of sketches/drawings to explain the site and proposal.

The image below shows the crèche, which is adjacent to the main entrance of the school. Hand drawing is not my greatest strength, so I've gone for the clean line drawing with photoshopped textures, shadows etc. Although it doesn't instantly come across as being hand drawn, I'm happy with the outcome and intend to use this to produce a few more visuals as well as a sectional perspective.

The image at the bottom is a photo of my physical model, taken on my phone so apologies for the poor quality. I just have a few dozen trees to make and then it'll be done.

As always, I'm interested in any comments you may have.

Preparing the final presentation

2009-05-07T18:53:00.004+01:00

It's been a while since my last update and I've been very busy. I just wanted to update with some development images I'm preparing for the final presentation, hopefully to get some feedback. These will be the first three images of the presentation, showing the location plan and the concept behind the proposal, I won't explain them too much as hopefully they'll tell you what you need to know.

Any thoughts or comments gladly welcome.

12 Reasons to Refuse to Render?

2009-04-13T21:53:00.004+01:00

Interesting article on the Young Architect blog on why architect's should refuse to do CG renderings, head over there and check it out.

Do you think it's a good point about knowing more about 3D software than [the more useful?] CAD programmes? Personally, I feel I'm more in tune with CAD (albeit it Microstation) than I am with 3D rendering; I prefer to use it sparingly nowadays. I'll certainly be using it for my final presentation; I think it's a very strong tool for representing spaces, particularly if you feel (like me) that whilst your hand-drawing is good for sketching and developing ideas it does not have the sophistication to turn them into presentation images.

It's a good point about leaving these things to the professionals too, it is, after all, what they're there for. I agree with the response to the article that suggests we try and be 'jacks of all trades and masters of none.' We don't necessarily have to be good at rendering/3d modelling to be good architects.

The Independent's "50 Great Ideas for the 21st Century"

2009-03-24T11:31:00.003Z

I came across this whilst researching sheep's wool insulation (in at number 29) and there are some fantastic ideas on this list.

50 Great Ideas for the 21st Century.

Library Building - Developing the Architectural Language

2009-03-21T21:53:00.003Z

Myself and Ed had a meeting with Steve yesterday which proved very useful and an important step in the project. Steve had us pin up drawings at the scale we aim to present them and it soon became clear where there were gaps in the design, for example certain areas of the site plan were more define than others and the main school entrance seemed insignificant. Besides tweaking the floor plans and site plan, the elevations needed a bit of re-thinking, particularly the elibrary elevation facing the school.

This is what I pinned up and presented to Steve:

This was directly developed from the model that I have previously posted images of and the general consensus was that there was no unified architectural language, there are three or four different styles forming and it makes the elevation untidy. The vertical timber boarding had promise but the differing window heights, horizontal boarding and most of all the 'Swiss Lodge' overhanging eaves to the entrance just don't work.

So, I revisited this and have developed a more uniform language, one I'm still working on but am substantially more happy with.. I have taken the vertical boarding and laid them in 250mm wide elements, the windows are now all the same height and the widths are all a multiple of 250mm (thanks for that idea Ed!); they have also been recessed 100m and give extended openings above and below. The roof has been made completely flat, with parapets and green roofs throughout. The colours have been toned down to become softer, pastel shades.

The two options below show one with vertical timber boards (top) and the other with the timber painted in 10 different colours (plus white) to create a pattern.

Personally, I find the elevation with the timber boards to be the more successful; the coloured boards seems disjointed and perhaps too overwhelming considering that this will face the school.

I'd be interested to hear what people have to say regarding these, any preference?

Facade refurbishment

2009-03-12T18:27:00.003Z

Following my earlier post, here's an image which shows a first attempt at updating the school elevation which fronts the street and wall.

The majority of the building has been re-clad in vertically laid willow reeds, with the windows being made much smaller. The stair elements have been rendered white (the one shown connects to the new library building) and the new classrooms on the ground floor have been given a simple rendered finish, using the colour palette adopted elsewhere.

I'm not entirely convinced by this at the minute, I like the simplicity of it, I don't think it requires a complex resolution. It may just be that this drawing doesn't quite do it justice or perhaps I need to play with the proportions of the windows etc.

Existing building re-furbishment

2009-03-12T14:53:00.005Z

As part of my project I am proposing a refurbishment of the existing school; this will be on a strategic level (i.e. proposing change of use, re-decorating) but one element that I am looking at in more detail is the external fabric.

As the above photo shows, it's currently a typically unpleasant 60's school building, enveloped by glass and blue concrete panels. From experience I know that classes on the South face (to the street and the new wall) are cold, due to the large expanses of glazing, and that the classrooms on the North side overheat drastically. The same treatment is used all the way around the building and I am planning to propose a solution to these problems. The way to do this is to propose alternative façade treatments for North and South facing elevations.

Looking for some options I found this school refurbishment in Schulzendorf:

Like a basket, the new façade is woven from willow reeds; this got me thinking. As part of my proposal I am removing two fairly large willow trees from the site, I could use these to create the new façade (or as much as it would cover, I guess around 50%). The South elevation could be very similar to the Schulzendorf school but with the inclusion of more colour, particularly where the re-furbished classrooms on the ground floor protrude. The South façade requires a little more thinking about, there needs to be solar shading incorporated. This could either be as canopies or woven (literally?!) into the cladding system. The diagrams below explore some of the options:

The North elevation facing Bricknell Avenue and the new wall:

Options for the South façade:

The image below shows an option using coloured panels rather than willow, which is an option for both elevations. The panels are curved in various forms to overhang the window openings to create the shading.

Considering the options, I think the willow panels may be the best option, for aesthetic and susainable reasons. I think the first skecth, showing a simple solution to the North elevation with a more playful element to the South elevation (with the curves to create shading) is the best way forward..

I've not been able to find much out about willow as a cladding material, so if anyone has any links or suggestions please let me know.

Celebrating 90 years of the Bauhaus

2009-03-08T00:50:00.003Z

Enjoy this 2 part article about the Bauhaus, which is 90 years old this year.

Celebrating 90 Years of Bauhaus

Book Review: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink

2009-03-05T22:24:00.004Z

Something new for the blog, a book review; I'm not particularly one for reviewing books, especially in writing but I enjoyed this one so much I thought I should recommend it.

I came across Daniel Pink's book whilst looking for some books regarding well-being particularly in relation to community and economy. I started it three nights ago and by lunch time today had finished it (excessive train travels helps!), having been completely engrossed by it. Without wanting to spend too much time reviewing the book I'll outline the ideas that run through it.

Pink starts by introducing a historical narrative of the progression of human society through 4 main 'ages':

Agricultural Age (farmers)
Industrial Age (factory workers)
Information Age (knowledge workers)
Conceptual Age (creators and empathisers)

Number 4, the conceptual age is a new idea and is the focus of the book. Pink argues that logical, 'left-sided' thinking has got us to the stage of society that we currently find ourselves at but that this is no longer sufficient for us to survive and develop. What is needed is for 'right-sided' creative thinking to become more prevalent, to support the still essential linear and processing skills of the left-sided thinkers. Obviously this struck a chord with me, what with being in a creative industry, but Pink aims his book at everybody, from lawyers to architects. He identifies three trends that offer challenges to the future of Western industry, the "3 A's": Asia, Abundance and Automation. That is:

Can someone overseas do it cheaper? Outsourcing of jobs to Asia, particularly India and China.
Is what I'm offering in demand in an age of abundance? Our society has never been wealthier and more in possession of material goods.
Can a computer do it faster?

The book offers solutions to these questions, as an example whilst software programming may be outsourced to India, where similarly trained workers can do the job cheaper. However, someone still needs to have the intuition and creativity to create that software, that cannot be outsourced as easily due to local requirements, meetings, etc.

Pink offers 6 'senses' through which to deal with these new challenges:

Design - Moving beyond function to engage the sense.
Story - Narrative added to products and services - not just argument. Best of the six senses.
Symphony - Adding invention and big picture thinking (not just detail focus).
Empathy - Going beyond logic and engaging emotion and intuition.
Play - Bringing humour and light-heartedness to business and products.
Meaning - Immaterial feelings and values of products.

As well as offering an explanation of these terms, the book provides a 'portfolio', or set of examples through which you can practice them and increase your creativity. One of these suggestions is to join a 'Laughing Club'; I'm currently on the lookout for my local one!

From a personal perspective, it seems obvious to me that these 6 'senses' identify exactly what we're trying to achieve in the Grad Dip course and especially in our thesis projects. It certainly helped to focus my thoughts.

Anyway, a late night review cannot do this book enough justice; whether a creative type or not I fully recommend getting yourself a copy of this book, it may not change your life but it might just help it.

Developing the Architectural Language

2009-03-05T21:04:00.005Z

Whilst tech. week has been happening I've been busy progressing the scheme in more detail. The plan below shows the latest revision of the site plan, I've labelled the different functions which are plugged into the wall and have also identified the external spaces (in shades of green), all of which are to have a different purpose (i.e. main entrance to the school, allotments, fruit trees, etc.); two key axis which need more reinforcement (in purple) and an example of a transition space (in yellow). This transition space could be a change in material, colour, smell, noise, level or anything, but this is a prime opportunity to amplify the difference between different spaces.

I have spent a considerable amount of time developing the library/cafe building; this forms the main building of the proposal and is also where I will be focusing my technical aspects. Alongside developing the floor plans, elevations and sections (not yet to be shared!) I continue to work in models and sketches. The photos below show the latest model.

I heeded Steve's advice to inject some colour into the models and also to look more closely at individual elements. Colour is used to accentuate particular areas of and routes through the building.

Along with the green roofs and timber elements, I feel like I'm developing an eco-De Stijl language! Not a bad thing in my view.

Along with the technology developments there are still design issues to tackle, following a discussion with Steve:

Thresholds - reduce the extremity between outside and inside spaces, as Pattern Language number 166-Gallery Surround which was previously identified.
Transition spaces, as mentioned above.
A response to the identified axis on the site plan.
Continue to develop the library spaces; make the study 'pods' more intimate; integrate shelving into the fabic of the building, design the children's section.
Some precedents to examine are: the work of Hugo Haring, a house in Devon which uses rammed earth, developed with the LEDA; Le Corbusier's proposals for the use of rammed earth in several buildings; the work, particularly drawings, of Peter Salter. (Further posts to update on these)

Tech Week Review

2009-03-05T21:01:00.001Z

This week has been a designated 'Tech Week' for the whole year; a chance to discuss the construction, details and mechanical & engineering aspects of my project. Below I have outlined some of the points I discussed with the 3 tutors (along with Martin and Yussef):

Glen McGowan, construction & overview:

As part of the concept of 'Well-Being' it is important that the technology and strategies employed in this building reflect that. This means using natural materials as much as possible; 80-90% of natural (or from natural) materials creates a more harmonious relationship between building, user and environment and should therefore be the ambition of my technical studies.
The [natural] materials of the building may well be dictated by their ability to allow for passive ventilation, solar heating etc. For example a certain timber cladding structure may encourage better natural ventilation than others.
Would green walls to the street help to break the monolithic nature of the wall? Possibly, but then it's North facing so may not actually be suitable for green walls.
Maybe used rammed earht for the wall.
I should consider using pre-fabricated systems (i.e. SIPS) as much as possible.
How are voids and variation in wall/ceiling thickness constructed?
If I intend to have green roofs throughout, I need to detail how the supporting timber frame is constructed.

Professor Alan Newall, M&E:

Generally, a straightforward scheme to develop. Single storey aspects require no mechanical extract or cooling. All needs to be heated.
The library, cafe and kitchen building will need local mechanical extracts.
Heating to be from a new district heating system (i.e. biomass boiler) that fulfills the energy requirement for not only my scheme but the existing school and 6th form perhaps?
Buildings to have radiators or under-floor heating?

Neil Hooton, structures:

Case of building up strategically from the foundations.
There has been no previous development on the site and along with the low building height, this means I can use a shallow [pad?] foundation.
If I use rammed earth I need to eradicate erosion/vandalism problems.
Glulam beams to be used for the 3-storey main building frame. The detail into the rammed earth wall would be necessary. Junctions in steel could be very elegant.
The cantilvered media suite needs columns to support it.

A lot to develop over the next few weeks, with the technology report in just before Easter.

Cafe / Library Model

2009-02-24T17:57:00.006Z

The joint cafe and library building poses one of the biggest challenges of my proposal. It is the main building in this building complex and is likely to be significantly higher than other aspects of the wall, possibly matching the existing school building in scale. So I need to spend a good amount of time developing it and today I feel I made significant progress in making a further model of the building. Below are the images with some annotation. I've dropped some people in to give a sense of the scale to the model.

Aerial photograph. Note the extensively planted green roofs, the large open areas to the South and the cores to both ends which provide stair access/escape and toilets. The main entrance is to the right of the photograph, with an external and internal stair leading up to the library on the second floors.

View from Bricknell Avenue, showing the building set back above the wall. Openings in the wall are deep to this elevation to provide intimate seating areas in the public cafe on the ground floor. There is a large green wall here, helping to break up the elevation.

South Elevation as seen from the existing school building.

This is the West Elevation, showing the kitchen on the ground floor (with green roof) and the reading/study area of the library on the third floor.

Finally, this is the East Elevation and the main entrance to the building. You can see the core to the left of the photograph and the double height entrance space adjacent. Within the entrance space there will be a stair directly up to the library, mirroring the external stair. The relationship between the two is a chance to play with levels, windows and light to create some interesting events.

Site Model

2009-02-24T12:39:00.004Z

Here are some quick photos of the site model I made last week. This shows the new wall sitting forward of the existing school building and the approximate scale of the new buildings.

Scale: 1:500

Proposed site plan and development

2009-02-19T12:53:00.004Z

So, this is my first revision of my proposed site plan, with the wall to the North East edge of the site.

There is also a 1:500 model of this, which I'll upload some photos of soon.

I presented these to Steve, Ed and Rick on Tuesday as part of our usual usual morning session and the feedback was positive, here are some points which came out of those discussions to allow me to develop this further:

The sections of the wall that curve around tree positions are exciting, can these incidental interventions be used elsewhere to express other parts of the wall?
How close to the tress can I actually build? I've based my workings on the spread of the canopy, but Ed's Landscape Architect friend offered a definitive solution - If there is a Tree Protection Order then there is no chance of building a wall. For other trees I need to measure the diameter of the trunk 1.5m up from the ground and multiply that by 10 for a single trunk or by 12 for a multi-stem tree. Thanks for that very useful piece of information. I need to add this information to my site plan and amend accordingly.
The individual sections of the wall (library, creche, etc.) and external spaces need to now be developed ahead of our Tech. Week (w/c 2nd March). The library and creche are, I feel, the most important elements of the proposal and what I will likely concentrate on for my Technology Report, therefore I need to quickly finalise the other areas to allow me to concentrate fully on these. I need to take a side-step and re-introduce the Pattern Language again.
The construction/materials of the wall are crucial to the success of the building. Steve suggested something colourful may be the answer and I am to look at solutions for this. Tuesday's post on the Ordino Complex is one example, Ed suggested glazed bricks which could be a colourful and low maintenance solution. There is of course, the work of Gaudi to look at, particularly the Park Guell.
The external spaces seem to split themselves up into 5 zones. In order from North to South they are: Car "Park", external Art/Performance space, new pedestrian entrance/transition zone, an as of yet undefined 'Something in the Middle' area and finally the garden allotments area. These need to be worked out to create 'Positive Outdoor Space'. I need to look at the 'kitchen gardens' of stately homes for an idea on how my garden area may work and also consider placing greenhouses throughout the site, possibly against the wall, to create a connection between the other areas and the, slightly disconnected, gardens and shop.
Do I need a lift in the creche, despite it only being two storeys high?
How does the school connect to the library, if it does at all? I think that maybe covered walkways directly from the school's existing staircases, at all levels, could be an exciting solution. I need to explore this further.
The entrance in to the library and creche courtyard and the main entrance is very important, it is the propylaea of the project and as such needs to be an exciting space.
There are school bus stops to Bricknell Avenue, can these be incorporated into the wall and made exciting places to wait?
I had a colour co-ordinated image showing the use of existing schools, Steve thinks I should explore this further to incorporate my proposal. He suggest I look at the drawings of Portuguese architect Tomas Taveira.
I need to have a proposal for the refurbishment of the existing school building, if only in diagrammatic form. The work of DRMM should give me some pointers. The refurbishment of the old school sports hall into a lecture hall, for example, is too extensive to undertake in this project but there need to be strategies in place.

So, lots to do ahead of our next meeting with Steve on Tuesday and also by the 2nd of March.

Ordino Complex / Arteks Arquitectura

2009-02-17T21:19:00.003Z

Courtesy of www.archdaily.com

I think this is a really interesting project and following some discussions tody athere are some elements that are useful as a precedent for my project.

Here's the blurb:

Architect: ARTEKS Arquitectura + Esther Pascal architect
Location: Ordino, Andorra, Spain
Architects in charge: Gerard Veciana Membrado & Elisabet Faura Pavia
Collaborators: Gemma Roca, Dalila Pregal, Alvaro Briceño, Malte Ruckert, Ruper Maurus, Carlos Cobreros, Cecilia Vázquez
Artistic Collaborator: Victor Pérez Porro
Technical Architect: Alex Miralles
Structure: GETCE BEAL_ Xavier Beal Vilaginés
Utilities: Bernabé Rodriguez
Acoustics: Higini Arau
General Contractor: COIMA S.A
Utilities: Bernabé Rodriguez
Constructed Area: 9,714 sqm
Photographs: Pedro Pegenaute & Eugeni Pons

The puiet complex is a building composed by four different programmatical activities. Because of its dimension, complexity, trying to obtain a better-scaled relationship with the urban context of the town of Ordino, and adapting itself to the different existent typologies, the volume of the building has been fragmented following its different activities. Differentiating roofs, materials and façade depths.

What I find particularly interesting and relevant is this internal wall which is supposed to create the sensation of exterior space inside.

The materials of the wall element of my project need to be very carefully chosen, they need to express a new architectural language whilst harmonising with the school building and the surrounding houses. Using coloured panels could be an interesting solution to creating the wall, different coloured panels could be used to express seperate elements of the wall and buildings.

Well Being Wall?

2009-02-16T22:26:00.004Z

Been a while since I've updated here so I'll try to condense two weeks into a fairly short paragraph.

As I began to look in more detail at what my Community 'Well-Being' Centre should be it came up in discussions that with 2 monolithic buildings on the site, was proposing a 3rd entirely appropriate? This also came up in developing the 'Pattern Language', which promotes the use of a 'Building Complex' rather than one large building. This lead to a few days of playing with ideas based on a building complex until eventually the following idea was hit upon
:

Could a building complex occupy the whole of the North East site boundary, creating a wall? Could the previously identified notions of 'Well Being' be inserted to create a 'Well Being Wall'?

Narrative

2009-01-30T13:27:00.003Z

Narrative is an important tool in developing the design. By imagining how a person, or group, may use the building I can begin to make decisions on the design, be that through the location of a particular activity or space or on smaller details such as the placement of windows to capture views.

Below are three narratives produced as part of my booklet:

Case Study - Sharp Centre for Design, Toronto by Alsop Architects, 2004

2009-01-30T12:01:00.013Z

I've previously looked at Peckham Library as a case study, Steve has suggested that I also look at this building by Alsops also. Although struggling to find something to back up what I recall Alsop saying about this building (during a lecture he gave which I attended a few years back) I recall that it is built on stilts, above the existing building, to preserve the views to the adjacent park. There may also be some issues regarding rights and space requirements which were unachievable at ground level.

Anyway, a very useful article from www.galinsky.com has this to say about the building:

The Sharp Centre for Design was built to accommodate an expansion of the Ontario College of Art & Design in downtown Toronto. The project was funded by the College, the Province of Ontario, and Rosalie and Isadore Sharp - the benefactors after whom the building is named. The building houses new art studios, lecture theaters, exhibit spaces, and faculty offices. It is the first building completed in North America by the English architect Will Alsop.

The center is a two-story, black and white rectangular volume set atop brightly colored, 26 meter tall columns, straddling existing buildings of the College. In addition to this most visible part of the building, an unbuilt space between existing buildings was filled, creating space for new functions while providing the elevator and stair core that services the upper levels. Located on a quiet side street between two main commercial streets, its immediate neighbors include midrise housing, a food court, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art (temporary location), and Grange Park, a treed community park immediately south of the Art Gallery of Ontario. From Grange Park the black and white volume creates a delightful edge as it hovers on its stilts.

With the addition of the Sharp Centre for Design at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Will Alsop cleverly addresses the complicated notion of expansion in a dense urban setting with his soaring black and white box. The building stitches a connection between existing buildings while providing new space in the rectangular volume that proudly soars above. Organizing the rectangular block above the site allows the street level to become what promises to be a new and valuable civic space that can become an extension of the activities of the college. Still the building may be criticized for being somewhat exclusive, failing to offer a serious connection to the street. However regardless of this consideration one cannot help but believe that there is room in Toronto for this type of assertive expression.

Provocative, unconventional, hopeful, whimsical, and perhaps irreverent, the building is remarkable in the context of Toronto. As a winner of a 2004 RIBA Worldwide Award, the building was described as "courageous, bold and just a little insane." Alsop's project seems perfectly fitting for a college of art and design in a city criticized for competent, but ordinary, architecture. Interestingly, what we see is far less wild than the scheme originally envisaged by Alsop - early representations show the rectangular volume dressed in a dizzying array of day-glow colors. In this light, the simple pre-finished metal cladding seems somehow consequential, and perhaps a hint to difficulties involved in achieving such an unconventional building. Above all, the building may be considered optimistic, and hopefully sets a course for the students who will occupy it.

I also found these images of the models, which I think are really interesting. They are not immaculately made but have a real quality about them which explains the thinking behind the design as well as giving an impression of the impact it may have.

Click here to see a 3D model of the building.

Reviews

2009-01-30T11:20:00.004Z

On Tuesday myself, Ed and Rick had an interim review with Bob following our usual meeting with Steve in the morning. There were some interesting points to come out of these discussions and Steve's feedback on my document so far:

My booklet contained information and the initial development of 'A Pattern Language', as developed by Christopher Alexander, but discussions with Bob brought up some potential problems. This methodology has been around for a couple of decades (in fact Bob knows it very well as he studied it as a student!) and has never really taken off as a major method of design. I have to question whether it's entirely relevant, although my thoughts are that it is extremely interesting and is something I'd like to give a modern interpretation. There is a risk that it becomes a formulaic pattern for the components of the design; it would be down to my own creative intuition to prevent that.

'Well Being' has many strands of meaning, therefore it is necessary to examine what it might mean in relation to spirituality, noise and light for example.

Bernard Tschumi, in Architecture & Disjunction, says about "... the actions and events that take place within the social and political realm of architecture." and that in "...contemporary urban society, any cause-and-effect relationship between form, use and function, and socio-economic structure has become both impossible and obsolete." He argues that architecture has become a means to stabilise and institutionalise society, meaning architecture has become "the artful building of spaces" rather than responding to events or program. I'm still getting to grips with his writings but I think he's suggesting that architecture should be about the program of events and activities. This may not necessarily mean that one building is sufficient for many activities and that it requires each to be considered and developed in the most relevant manner. Here's the trusted Wikipedia comments on Tschumi:
[His] approach unfolded along two lines in his architectural practice: first, by exposing the conventionally defined connections between architectural sequences and the spaces, programs, and movement which produce and reiterate these sequences; and second, by inventing new associations between space and the events that 'take place' within it through processes of defamiliarization, de-structuring, superimposition, and cross programming.
If anyone has read Tschumi or has any thoughts, I'd be delighted if you would leave some comments.

Does the school site need something tall, a beacon? Could this be a clock tower or similar?

Is it really relevant to develop the grassed area and hard sports surface as I am currently intending to? Would it make more sense to develop on the school forecourt, maybe over the existing area even? I should examine dual use of the existing school building. Are there facilities there that are capable of taking some of the activities of my proposal? The land to the South-East of the site may be better utilised for growing food, etc.

So, a lot to do then. We've set ourselves a target of having the feasibility stage finished by the 10th of February, so time to crack on once I've tidied up a few bits in the booklet.

Project Update

2009-01-08T16:47:00.002Z

I'm currently working up a (roughly) 5000 word document investigating the context and underlining thought processes of my proposal. This will include an understanding of the social environment in which the site exists and theory which supports the decision to create a community building in this location as well as case studies and initial design development.

I've been supporting my writing through numerous books and writings, including Christopher Day's Places of the Soul, C. Richard Hatch's The Scope of Social Architecture and Jack Rostron's Sick Building Syndrome.

I'm sure I'll update the blog as the document and project evolve but there's currently too much to post without boring people to tears, so I'll offer the following which defines what 'Community Well Being' might be and at the bottom a quote which I find interesting from C. Richard Hatch's book.

well-being: n. the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy

community: n. (pl. communities) 1. a group of people living together in one place 2. (the community) society 3. a group of people with a common religion, race of profession: the scientific community 4. the holding of attitudes or interests in common 5. a group of animals or plants living or growing in the same place. Origin: Old French comunete

community care: n. long-term care for mentally-ill, elderly and disabled people within the community rather than in hospitals or institutions.

community centre: n. a place providing educational or recretational activities for a neighbourhood.

community service: n. socially useful work that an offender is required to do instead of going to prison.

The dictionary definition of ‘Well Being’ as a state of comfort, health and happiness suitably sums up the ambitions of this project, albeit expanded so as to integrate a whole community rather than being individually focused. ‘Well Being’ can refer to the activities taking place in the building as well as the building itself, well designed, considerate architecture is essential in this process.

“Society has been fragmented into “interests” that are the unavoidable effect of a competitive market in labor. Community is almost unknown; society is reduced to an aggregation of fearful and mutually suspicious individuals.”

Project Narrative

2008-12-15T22:40:00.003Z

Super Slow Motion

2008-12-12T14:09:00.003Z

Somebody at work showed me these the other day and I thought they were really interesting; they're videos captured in super slow motion. At undergraduate level the studio I was in was very interested in using film to capture a motion, activity, etc which could be used to generate an architectural language. There is certainly the potential to do this with super slow motion.

This is an advert for Scweppes:

Pushing on...

2008-12-07T21:25:00.003Z

Well, the completion of the Briggate project last week means that my time is now solely focused on producing my Final Design Project. There hasn't been much in the way of progress other than contemplating earlier thoughts about what is meant by "Community Well Being"; I also made a visit to Kelvin Hall School last week to investigate the site and take photos but also I spent the morning with a couple of classes and was given the opportunity to dicuss some ideas with the pupils and teachers as well as offer them some insight into what it is architect's do. I spent the second school period od the day in a Year 8 Geography class were I was given free reign by the teacher to discuss my ideas, then I spent the third period with an art class; both classes were wonderfully receptive and encouraging and gave me some excellent input.

Just to jot down some thoughts that came out of my session there:

The school no longer has a library, pupils would like to see one reinstated.
Pupils are very aware of the current trend for healthy eating, organic foods, etc. and were very enthusiastic about being given the opportunity to learn how to cook, shop and grow food as well as being provided with more options for their school lunches; maybe even preparing their own? Food could be the main aspect of this project?
A new sports centre on site is beginning to engage the community with the school as well as providing excellent facilities for the staff and pupils to use.
Safety and security are big issues with the children; particularly with regards to older children stealing their ball, smoking behind buildings and other every day problems of secondary school. However, most see it as a learning curve and accept that segregation is not the answer as was suggested by one in the class.
More children would like to cycle to school but the bike stores are inadequate (approximately 10 racks for 1000 pupils) and they feel unsafe and unmonitored due to their current location.
Most pupils live locally (within 15 minutes walk) and walk to school, only a handful travel by bus or car.
The environment and sustainability are subjects that the school now teaches and the Year 9 classes are asked to design a building as part of their studies. This is done as a purely geographical/environmental study and whilst very encouraging I put the question to the pupils and teachers as to whether they believe architecture can be seen as a form of art and if there is a way to combine the subjects? (More on this later)
More than half take part in extra-curricular activities such as football teams or music lessons, mostly after school with few taking part away from school. Of those not taking part in any activities, some suggested that local opportunities are limited or unsuited to their needs.

The day was just a brief and initial study but certainly gave me a different perspective and it seems so long ago that I used to walk those halls! The work that is done in Year 9 with regards to buildings interests me greatly and I took this discussion further with the Geography and Art teachers; we discussed the opportunity of me going back to the school int he new year to take a small class on architecture, which would link to Art and Geogrpahy classes. Exciting, but scary! There may also be other opportunities that arise from this which could inform my project, such as the making of a documentary, with a friend of mine, and the possible involvement in a whole school project with sustainability at the heart of it. I look forward to these developments!

One final point, this is an interesting interview with David Chipperfield with regards to current architectural trends; very poignant for us I think!

Kingston Upon Hull

2008-11-12T21:12:00.006Z

Case Study Visit 02- Idea Store, Whitechapel

2008-10-30T22:00:00.002Z

David Adjaye’s Idea Store on Whitechapel Road in Whitechapel London, it was completed in 2005 and nominated for the Sterling Prize in 2006; it is a building which despite extensive praise has also faced strong criticisms.

Arriving on Whitechapel Road on the tube you are offered a glimpse of the building as you cross from the platform to the station, on the street itself the building stands out boldly against it’s surroundings and the hectic street market in front. As you approach the building the entrance is not instantly obvious, the external escalators up to the first and second floors do not help to clarify this. Entering the building, users are guided around the building by a series of colour coded signs which refer to rooms such as ‘Learning Labs’ in place of study rooms and ‘Surfing Room’ rather than computer suite. Despite this the building feels awkward to navigate through, the central lifts work fine but staircases are merely escape stairs and are tucked away at the ends of the building.

The building is busy, there are a wide range of activities offered here from children’s ICT clubs and bookclubs to Yoga and Martial Arts. Adjacent to the main library spaces are a series of ‘Learning Labs’ which are relatively generic rooms in which many of these activities occur, furniture can be moved, put away and re-arranged and the blinds can be closed as appropriate. The 5th floor cafe seems to be quiet, although a group of gentlemen having their weekly social meeting there are kind enough to chat to me briefly about the building. They say that the locals enjoy the facilities on offer and it has made a significant impact in terms of increasing the number of library users; but they agree that it’s not without fault. They agree with Roger Stephenson (Stephenson, 2005) that the interior of the building is not as elegant as the outside suggests, they remark that it looks ‘unfinished’ and they agree with the common complaint that the building is difficult to navigate.

It is difficult to decided whether this building is a success or not. With regards to the architecture, possibly not as successful as it seems; whilst a visually striking and interesting building the interior spaces do not reflect the quality of the exterior language. However, as a public building, as a means of increasing library user numbers and a means of encouraging people to learn and interact with their community then it can be regarded as a success and there are lessons to be learnt here with regards to my proposal.

Case Study Visit 01- Peckham Library

2008-10-29T21:32:00.010Z

Peckham is a large area in South London composed of many communities including Bangladeshi, Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, Turkish and Indian amongst others. Arriving at Peckham Rye Station at around 10:30am I proceeded to take a brief walk down Rye Lane towards Will Alsop's Peckham Library which was awareded the Stirling Prize in 2000. The mix of cultures is instantly obvious from the people on the streets and the local shops. Peckham has a bad reputation, due to some high profile crimes including the murder, in November 2000, of Damilola Taylor. Despite this I never felt at risk here, it seems a friendly area and I wonder if it's reputation is undeserved?

Peckham Library is 5 minutes walk from Peckham Rye and is the stand out modern building in the area, it's upside down 'L' shape creating a pleasant public space on the ground floor and a busy meeting and resting place for the community.

The top floor holds the, relatively modest sized, public library and reading rooms thus elevating the quiet rooms away from the noise of the street. The ground floor houses a neighbourhood 'One Stop Shop' and security office; the first floor has staff facilities and media facilities; the second floor is home to the local history library; the third floor provides access to the main library and children's library and finally the 4th floor access to the study pods which sit in the main library space (as shown in the photo below).

There are three of these study pods, one is for general study and the other two are available as spaces for private and public use. Whilst there I attempted to talk to a few people to garner their views on the area and the library; unfortunately nobody was particularly enthusiastic about talking to me although I did manage to spend 5 minutes with the Premises Manager. She told me that although user numbers have dropped by approximately 50 000 since the opening couple of years the library is still very busy and the community still very much love the building. She told me that many people feel that the architect has provided a building which really enhances the community, she said it feels like 'somebody cared'.

The building, from my brief time there, seems to be successful; it's busy and the facilities it provides are of great benefit to the community of Peckham and there are lessons to be learnt here for my project. The simple task of placing the library space on the top floor away from the busy street works well and the study pods add an element of excitement and exploration. The inclusion of the 'One Stop Shop' and it's continued success shows that it is possible to mix neighbourhood essentials with desires, bringing people to one place to perform tasks and enjoy activities is an important technique to incorporate.

Case Studies

2008-10-18T23:03:00.000+01:00

Grassroots, West Ham, London

Grassroots in Memorial Park, by Eger Architects, is Newham’s second community resource centre. Like the first, The Hub, which opened in March 2005, the building is part of a wider strategic programme to provide access to improve the quality of life in a historically deprived area of East London. Both centres were developed on the basis that a well designed, sustainable, energy efficient building would contribute positively both to the people who use them as well as the wider neighbourhood.

Project Photos

Greenwich Millenium Health Centre, Greenwich Peninsular, London

In a pioneering facility, healthcare and education are linked on one site, to provide fully integrated services for the newly resident population of the area, which is ethnically mixed and primarily made up of young city workers.

The health centre has been designed to cater for the full range of primary care, in line with current Government NHS policy to devolve services from hospitals to primary care facilities. It houses a two-GP practice with a patient list size of 4,000, as well as accommodation for Greenwich and Bexley Primary Care Trust staff, for out-patient services and for medical educational facilities.

Project Photos

City Learning, Bristol

The City Learning Centre, Brislington and The I, Filton, are externally identical buildings that are already achieving their clients’ aspirations to raise expectations for a new generation of educational buildings in Bristol.

The buildings create high quality, well designed and stimulating environments for specialist ICT training and are part of the Government's Excellence in Cities Initiative. Each of the centres is designed for up to 150 pupils at a time and serves secondary and primary schools in its area. The centres are also open in the evenings and weekends and are intended for wider use by the local community and furthermore to act as a 'beacon' of investment within their respective locations.

The buildings were completed to programme and cost in a very short construction period of 23 weeks. Alec French Partnership has recently been commissioned to design a third CLC for Bristol City Council.

Project Photos

Site Location

2008-10-18T10:39:00.000+01:00

Kelvin Hall School, Hull, is a secondary school of approximately 1200 pupils from the ages of 11 to 16. It is flanked by Bricknell Avenue to the north east, the point of the pedestrian and vehicle access to the school. Also on the site, to the west hand side, is Wyke Sixth Form College, which although not tied directly to the school has a large percentage of A-Level students from Kelvin Hall.

The very north corner of the site, where Bricknell Avenue and Grammar School Road intersect, is likely to form the position of the new building. There is the potential here to connect the two education campuses with the new 'well being' centre and also provide links through to the existing sports and art facilities without interfering with the operation of the school.

View Larger Map

Creativity + Education + Health = Well Being?

2008-10-14T21:15:00.000+01:00

Ken Robinson's "Do Schools Kill Creativity" talk (posted yesterday) has had me thinking a lot about the notion of well being and the role creativeness plays in that. My thoughts for my final project have been lingering around the loose term of 'community well being' but it needs to have a very clear focus and programme which approaches the subject from a different perspective.

When I think about well being I immediately split this into two categories, mental and physical; my building should aim to address both. Physical well being can easily be defined as good physical health; participation in sport and healthy eating are a big part of this and are, currently, very popular topics. So the obvious conclusion here is to provide a place which deals with these issues; however it is not enough to include mearly a kitchen and a sports hall and this isn't just about children.

Like many [or most?] students, I left home at 18 with few skills in the way of household tasks, my terrible cooking being a source of fun for my housemates (although I promised I'm much better now), as I all I was ever taught to cook at school was cakes and pizzas. This building could provide a place for people, children and adults alike, to learn not only basic cooking skills but also how to shop for food; if the knowledge was there could people prepare their food fresh and save money? What about not only teaching them that not all food comes from a supermarket? Providing local food stalls would be a great addition but even better would be a vegetable garden, an orchard, a chicken run or a field of cows!

Sport is somewhat of a disappearing activity in the life of many people; video games and TV dominate leisure time. As a child growing up in the area around Kelvin Hall School in north west Hull, which is likely to be the site of this community intervention, we played football and games constantly, that's not to say we didn't play video games and watch TV as we certainly did. However, it was limited. The fields were open and our parents were not scared to let us play on them. Yes, the odd time we got in trouble with the school caretaker but he would let us play there as long as we liked so long as we caused no trouble, my initial thoughts are that this is becoming less common. Providing a safe, monitored and exciting facility for sport is important, the school has the capacity, unleashing that onto the community is the challenge.

So, coming on to mental well being, this again can be broken into many more topics than I could ever cover or understand so I'll focus on those I can.

Education is the most important aspect of this whole proposal, a building that plugs into a school has to provide an environment for learning, what this learning is is what is open to debate. Firstly, relating back to the previous idea about teaching people about food, I feel it important to educate people with what I want to call 'survival skills', that is the skills necessary to form a enjoyable existence. By teaching people basic economics you can provide a platform for them to survive an economic crisis, such as that we currently see, but also teach them how they could take responsibility for their situation rather than pointing the finger.

Ken Robinson suggests that there is a hierarchy of subjects (Maths & Literature, then Humanities and finally the Arts) which is detrimental to the education and creativity of children. I wholeheartedly agree that creativity is something that should be encouraged and if this means channelling a child's education through art rather than maths (as a crude example) than why is that of any less merit? I don't believe it is and this is something I wish to address.

Education is what draws this whole proposal together, be that educating children or adults, in art, maths or cooking, all is important. If I can begin to knit some of these thoughts into a coherent brief/strategy then maybe I can create an Architecture of Well Being.

Music as social reflection.

2008-10-14T20:41:00.000+01:00

Music has always been a tool for reflecting on social circumstances, whether it be to defend civil rights, protest against wars or mearly to point how fickle and futile fashions and trends can be.

In my work I'm trying to find an architecture that benefits a community, a society, as well as individuals, there are an unlimited number of sources of information, music provides a different, emotive response.

Lyrics mean different things to different people, people will argue over their meanings, here I'll offer little comment on their meaning, instead I hope to gauge the opinion of others. My first offering is Rage Against The Machine's Sleep Now In The Fire:

(Watch the video, click here)

The world is my expense
The cost of my desire
Jesus blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
So raise your fists
And march around
Just dont take what you need
Ill jail and bury those committed
And smother the rest in greed
Crawl with me into tomorrow
Or Ill drag you to your grave
Im deep inside your children
Theyll betray you in my name

Sleep now in the fire

The lie is my expense
The scope of my desire
The party blessed me with its future
And I protect it with fire
I am the Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
The fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Sleep now in the fire

For its the end of history
Its caged and frozen still
There is no other pill to take
So swallow the one
That made you ill
The Nina The Pinta The Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist
The fields overseer
The agents of orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire
Sleep now in the fire

Does this suggest that corporate greed will consume us, that money always has and always will make the world go round?

Do schools kill creativity?

2008-10-13T22:37:00.000+01:00

Sir Ken Robinson's talk at TED in 2006.

Final Design Project

2008-10-12T21:37:00.000+01:00

The original intention was to design an extended school, that being a campus covering the entire range of education from birth to 18 and beyond. The main focus behind extended schools is the community aspect; involving children and adults in education to provide them with a better understanding of the world around them, besides conventional qualifications.

After discussions with [tutor] Dr Bob Felix , it is felt that a school of this scale may be too large a project and would involve unnecessary masterplanning work. Therefore, I am looking into the opportunity of focusing purely on the community aspect of the extended school initiative and providing an innovative facility for an area of Hull which caters for the well being of the local community.

"Architecture of Well Being"

_define - A1 Presentation

2008-10-12T21:04:00.002+01:00

_define - Powerpoint Presentation

2008-10-12T20:57:00.000+01:00

In week 2, we split into smaller groups within our years. Myself, Richard Maudsley and Ed Kepczyk will be working on a project for Briggate with the intention to "Define, Redefine and Propose".

Here is the electronic presentation we gave.

karl/rick/ed

Week 1 - Disecting Briggate

2008-10-12T20:47:00.001+01:00

The first week saw the first and second years of the course coming together to produce an analysis of Briggate. What we're exploring here is the architectural language hidden and forgotten by a series of generic shop fronts.

edward/abby/ollie/karl/seyed/sunil/sunny/yassar