Dan Dodds DS10 Westminster 4th Year Portfolio by Dan Dodds

Graduate Diploma in Architecture Dan Dodds Westminster University Diploma Studio 10 Year 4

Brief 01 - LEARN Exploring the work of Buckminster Fuller and Frei Otto 1. Frei Otto - Minimal Surfaces 2. Minimal surface experiments Catenoids and paraboloids Parametric modelling of ruled surfaces and minimal surfaces 3. Buckminster Fuller - Geometry from close packing spheres 4. Regular tetrahedra 5. Adjustable tetrahedra Tetra-octet truss Regular and golden tetrahedra 6. Regular tetrahelix Tetrahelix inscribed within a cylinder 7. Ruled or minimal surfaces within tetrahelices Ruled surface variations within tetrahelices 8. Deformation of a tetrahedron and tetrahelix Tensegrity tetrahedron and tetrahelix 9. Non space-packing tetrahedra - secondary tetrahelices

Frei Otto | Minimal surfaces Frei Otto used physical modelling to assist in form finding for the cable net structure of the Munich Stadium, built for the Olympic Games in 1972. The lightweight roof was constructed from a teragonal cable net supporting a surface composed of thin acrylic panels. When water with detergent is allowed to form a thin film over a frame, the surface that is created is a minimal surface. This means that it has a mean curvature of zero. Surface tension is equal at all points on a minimal surface. The forms generated using soap film experiments are possible to create at a larger scale with prestressed cable nets. Cable nets allow tension within their surface to be evenly distributed in a similar way to soap film.

2 1-2. Cable net roof of Munich Stadium 3. Soap film minimal surface experiments | Frei Otto

Minimal surface experiments Soap film experiment Soap film forms the minimum surface area for any given set of boundaries. This series of experiments use detergent in water to create a liquid with a high surface tension. This is then allowed to form a film over differently shaped boundaries made from brass wire. The wire does not deform, creating a set of parameters within which the film can form a surface.

Nylon and lycra experiment The same wire frames were then used as to create minimal surfaces using a thin knitted fabric made from a blend of nylon and lycra. Because it is knitted rather than woven and is made from fibres that are elastic, the material is able to stretch in all directions. This means that no points on the surface can be at a greater level of tension than any others. This allows it to form a minimal surface.

1-3. Minimum surface spanning three arcs intersecting at 60° 4. Minimum surface spanning two circles intersecting at 60° 5. Soap film spanning two arcs intersecting a circle at 30° 6. Minimum surface spanning one circle and one parallel line 7. Cable net diagrams| Frei Otto

Catenoids and paraboloids Soap films and the cable net structures drawn and modelled by Frei Otto are examples of catenoids, which are minimal but not ruled surfaces. They cannot be created from a swept out straight line, but are formed naturally by tensioned cable nets. They are often confused for hyperbolic paraboloids, [hypar] which are doubly ruled surfaces, but not minimal. Frei Otto discusses the differences between ruled surfaces and non-ruled surfaces when talking about structures formed from pre-stressed cables. “Since a single pre-stressed cable is straight, only surfaces having straight lines as generators can be formed by families of cables [planes, helixes, hyperboloids, etc]. Such surfaces my be plane or have anticlastic curvature, i.e., they may be saddleshaped. Synclastic curvatures, i.e., vaults, are impossible, since their generators are not straight lines.”

“If initially parallel cables intersect with two transverse cables, a spatial cable system with four fixed nodes is formed, provided the attachments of the first cable pair do not lie in the same plane as those of the second par. More cables may be added in one direction or in both directions. A continuous cable net is the result. Prestressed cable nets always form saddle-shaped anticlastic surfaces. Synclastic curvatures are not possible. The shape of the cable net is determined by the surface stresses acting in every direction.” 4 Tensile structures, Frei Otto, 1967

catenary y = a cosh(x/a)

Hyperbolic paraboloids are doubly ruled surfaces that can be formed by drawing straight lines between opposite edges of a tetrahedron [1].

Using the same four vertices of a tetrahedron, a minimal surface called a catenoid can be created using a tensile membrane [2]. This is not a ruled surface; a curve on its surface connecting any two edges will not be straight.

parabola y = x2

A section through the surface at 45° to the ruled lines will show a parabola. It is a minimal surface, as it has the least surface area possible for the given connections and the given surface tension inherent in the material. A section through the surface at parallel to two opposing vertices will show a catenary. [4]

5 1. Folded paper construction based on hyperbolic paraboloid 2. Stretched fabric construction based on catenoid 3-4 Soap film experiments | Frei Otto 5. Parabola + catenary - 2D partners of paraboloid and catenoid

Parametric modelling of ruled surfaces and minimal surfaces Digital models of hyperboloid and catenoid The hyperboloid of one sheet [1] is a singly ruled surface that superficially resembles the catenoid minimal surface[2]. The hyperboloid of one sheet is created by linking two circles with straight lines, before rotating the circles with respect to their common axis. The visible edge is defined by a parabola, so the surface can be considered a parabola rotated about a central axis. The catenoid is created by an algorithmic tool that simulates surface tension. A surface is created spanning between two circles, and can be controlled in a limited manner by altering the number of division of the surface. The visible edge is defined by a catenary curve, so the surface can be considered a catenary rotated about a central axis. The only surface that is both minimal and a ruled surface is the Helicoid [3]. This is the surface created by a soap film formed over a helix.

Imports two circles

Creates minimal surface between the two curves

1. Catenoid between two circles 2. Hyperboloid of one sheet 3. Helicoid - the only possible surface that is both ruled and minimal 4. Grasshopper definition for catenoid [1] 5. Grasshopper definition for hyperboloid of revolution [2]

Imports two base curves

Draws series of points on imported curves

Draws vertical lines with height dependant on distance along base curve

Connects endpoints of vertical lines to create lines that lie on the ruled surface

Connects these lines to form a ruled surface

Buckminster Fuller | Geometry from close packing spheres Out of Buckminster Fullers interest and research into the geometry of close packing spheres, came a fascination with tetrahedra. A tetrahedron is the polyhedron with the smallest number of faces and edges - it has four faces and 6 edges. As every vertex is connected to every other vertex, it is very rigid, and therefore makes a very good base with which to start building space frames. This was a principle that Fuller used in his Octet Truss [3] and when constructing larger geodesic domes such as for Expo ‘67 [2]

3 1. Table showing the geometrical relationships between networks, triangular numbers, square numbers, and tetrahedral numbers - R. Fuller 2. Diagram showing the geometrical relationship between the cube, octahedron, and tetrahedron - R. Fuller 3. Diagram showing the relationship between close packing spheres and the tetra-octet truss [space-frame] - R. Fuller 4. Diagram showing the tetra-octet element [one tetrahedron with one octahedron] - R. Fuller

Regular tetrahedra When regular tetrahedra are attached together, they do not form a space filling matrix. The angle between two faces of a regular tetrahedron is cosh(1/3) - approx. 70.529° Because 360° is not divisible by this number tetrahedra cannot be made to pack together without the addition of another polyhedron. In order to fill space, pairs of tetrahedra and octahedra must be attached together. The 7.4° gap between the first and fifth tetrahedra was believed by Buckminster Fuller to be the key to unzipping DNA. It has now been proven that DNA has a double helix structure rather than a tetrahelix structure built from tetrahedra as he believed. The net of an octahedron is also the net of a‘boat’comprising of three adjacent tetrahedra, which does not have the same space filling property. The experiments that follow this demonstration will explore the possibilities of construction using tetrahedra only to construct tetrahelices.

1 Regular tetrahedron: 4 vertices 6 edges of equal length 4 equilateral triangle faces 60° angle between edges 70.529° angle between faces [dihedral angle]

Five tetrahedra make 352.64° This leaves a gap of 7.4°

4 1. Adding tetrahedra together shows that they do not fit together when rotated about a single axis 2. Data set for regular tetrahedra 3. Nets for the ‘boat’ [3 tetrahedra] is shared with the octahedron - only the connections between edges varies 4. Diagram showing the gap left due to the irrational dihedral angle of a regular tetrahedron

Adjustable tetrahedra The experiments shown here are modifications of a regular tetrahedron. Experiment 1 -

Changes the length of one edge of the tetrahedron.

Experiment 2 - Applies a tensile net between the four vertices to create a sprung irregular tetrahedron. Pulling the two opposite edges apart causes them to rotate through 180°. When at 90° to each other, a regular tetrahedron is formed.

3 1. Rotating connected parallel lines to create a hyperbolic paraboloid within an irregular tetrahedron - modelled in Generative Components 2. Lengthening and un-clipping one side of a tetrahedron. 3. Pulling apart the opposite edges of a tetrahedron; the tensile fabric creates a catenoid surface between the vertices.

Tetra-octet truss Although tetrahedra are cannot fill space on their own, when combined with octahedra, then can fill space completely. A matrix of these elements is called an ‘octet truss’. The truss modelled here is a partial octet truss. It is formed from tetrahedra and square based pyramids [half an octahedron]. The tetrahedra and square based pyramids are distorted In order to create a truss and a space-frame that map over a given curve or surface.

Parameter modified: Height of tetrahedra

Parameter modified: Curvature of lower chord

Parameter modified: Division of lower chord

Sets truss parameters 2 1. Parametrically modelled tetraoctet truss 2. Grasshopper definition used to create parametric truss 3. Diagram showing effects of modifying different parameters

Creates base line and curve

Creates two offset divided surfaces

Creates truss web

Creates upper and lower chords 3

Regular and golden tetrahedra Although a regular tetrahedron does not fill space, and produces a tetrahelix that has irrational angles, the geometry of some irregular tetrahedra is different. A special case is the tetrahedra based on the ‘golden section’ This ratio, which is found in many natural growth patterns is defined as 1:Φ where Φ [Phi] =(1+√2)/5. A decimal approximation of the golden ratio is 1:1.62 The isosceles triangle of lengths 2: Φ: Φ is used as the base for a ‘golden’ tetrahedron. This ‘golden’ tetrahedron can form a tetrahelix by following the same rules as the regular tetrahelix. The vertices of this ‘golden’ tetrahelix sit within the surface of a cylinder, and the outer edges sit within a cuboid. Four adjacent golden tetrahedra can form a ‘prolate golden rhombohedron’, which is a space filling polyhedron.

Φa

2a 2 1. Comparison of regular and golden tetrahedra - built from softwood dowel and brass 2. Regular tetrahedron and its net 3. Golden tetrahedron and its net 4. Golden tetrahelix - built from softwood dowel and brass

2a 3

Regular tetrahelix “The tetrahelix is a helical array of triple-bonded tetrahedra. We have a column of tetrahedra with straight edges, but when face-bonded to one another, and the tetrahedra’s edges are interconnected, they altogether form a hyperbolic-parabolic, helical column. The column spirals around to make the helix, and it takes just ten tetrahedra to complete one cycle of the helix.” Synergetics, Buckminster Fulller The tetrahelix pictured is constructed from regular tetrahedra as described by Buckminster Fuller [1]. The same form is rotated about its main axis to describe a series of interconnected hyperbolic volumes [2]. 1

3 1. Tetrahelix composed from 26 regular tetrahedra attached to each other by three edges. 2. Tetrahelix rotating in space sweeps out a series of hyperboloid shaped volumes. 3. Side view of tetrahelix with internal hyperbolic paraboloids built in Generative Components 4. Top view of tetrahelix with internal hyperbolic paraboloids built in Generative Components

Tetrahelix inscribed within a cylinder The tetrahelix can be described by points on three helices. As a helix is a curve on the surface of a cylinder, it follows that a tetrahelix can be described by points on a cylinder. A Grasshopper definition that takes a point on a circle and translates it by moving it along the axis of a cylinder and rotating about that axis can describe the vertices of a tetrahelix. The diagrams here show both a regular tetrahelix, and variations determined by changing the parameter controlling the angle of rotation between adjacent vertices. The effect of changing this angle is to increase or decrease the wavelength of the helices in the tetrahelix. The side effect of this is to make the tetrahedra within it irregular.

Sets starting point, direction, and overall length 1

1-3. Variations on tetrahelices drawn by inscribing within a cylinder - built using Grasshopper 4. Grasshopper definition for the inscribed tetrahelices

Creates a cylinder from stacked circles

Creates vertices of the tetrahelix on the cylinder 3

Creates the edges of the tetrahelix from the vertices

Galapagos can find the most regular tetrahelix

Ruled or minimal surfaces within tetrahelices A tetrahelix contains a series of connected volumes defined by tetrahedra. The four vertices of a tetrahedra an be used to create either a hyperbolic paraboloid [using straight lines] or a catenoid using a tensile membrane. Because the tetrahedra in a tetrahelix are connected, a continuous ribbon or tensile membrane can be connected within the volume defined by the tetrahelix. The tensile membrane adds additional strength to the tetrahelix by compressing all of the struts along their length.

1. Tensioned folded paper forming near hyperbolic surfaces making a tetrahelix 2. Catenoid surface within a rigid tetrahelix 3. Ruled surfaces wrapping inside and outside a tetrahelix modelled in grasshopper

Ruled surface variations within tetrahelices When building more complex forms from tetrahedra, it is interesting to not the effect rotation can have. The forms depicted on this page combine the same tetrahedral module, but alter the rotation about the centre of the base plane of the next module.

3 1-3 Variations on forms built from hyperbolic paraboloids within tetrahedra - modelled in Generative Components

Deformation of a tetrahedron and tetrahelix A tetrahelix with elastic joints can be deformed to create intersecting tetrahelices and localised spaces filling tetra-octet elements. Moving two parallel edges of one of the tetrahedra together causes it to transform into a square. This square can become the centre of an octahedron that then links two tetrahelices.

Flattened tetrahedron

Tetrahedron

Edges are connected by elastic joints so that the top and bottom edges are able to elongate to a ratio of 1:41

The elastic joints allow the tetrahedron to spring back into its three dimensional form.

The other four edges are under compression and form a square. All edges lie approximately in the same plane.

It now forms a regular tetrahedron, with four triangular faces, and six edges of equal length. All vertices are equidistant.

4 1. Flattened tetrahedron -built from GRP and elastic cord 2. Tetrahedron - built from GRP and elastic cord 3-5. Flexible tetrahelix - built from GRP and elastic cord

Tensegrity tetrahedron and tetrahelix Buckminster Fuller explored tensegrity [tensile integrity as a way of creating lighter structures. Materials that are working only in tension need usually use less mass than those working in compression. In the case of the tetrahelix, a saving of 10% in the length of strut used can be made by making a tensegrity structure. The additional cable used however, just about negates this saving. The module used is called a ‘v-expander’ and is a type of tensegrity strut called a ‘nucleated strut’. The tensegrity tetrahelix is comprised of two sets of nucleated struts that are interlinked but never touch. Tightening the tension member between the two nucleated struts’ closest points stiffens the whole structure.

1-3. Tensegrity tetrahelix - built from softwood dowel and brass

Non space packing tetrahedra Every tetrahedron in a tetrahelix has another two possible tetrahelices that could pass through its centre. This experimental model links every other tetrahedron in the primary tetrahelix with one of its secondary tetrahelices. Because of the gap five regular tetrahedra do not make 360°, rather leaving a gap of 7.4°, the axes of the secondary tetrahelices diverge from each other by 7.4°.

primary axis secondary axis

This divergence means that it is not possible to connect the secondary tetrahelices to each other using more regular tetrahedra. The angle of the axes of the secondary tetrahelices is determined by the angle between the faces of the primary tetrahedra. This is cosh(1/3) which is an irrational number, meaning that the secondary axes are also irrational angles. This means that there are an infinite number of different secondary axes as the primary tetrahelix progresses

secondary axis

approx 7.4°

secondary axis secondary axis

1 1. Tetrahelix with secondary tetrahelices - showing primary and secondary axes 2. Tetrahelix with secondary tetrahelices - showing divergence of secondary tetrahelices

Brief 02 - BURN Propose a temporary installation for Burning Man 2012 10. Physical context Inhabiting a masterplan Exploring Black Rock City 11. Social context 12. Radical self reliance and radical self expression 13. Distant observation Vertical separation from the Playa 14. Emergent systems and structures Self assembling tetrahedra Finite varieties of tetrahelix 15. Complex tetrahelical crystal growth Divergent structures 16. Crystal defects and interstitial space Concept - Inhabited interstitial space 17. Concept - Modular growth Concept - Inhabited structure Concept - Black Rock City at night 18. Connection systems 19. Magnetic tetrahedra - Face connection 20. Magnetic tetrahedra - Growth over time 21. Structural analysis 22. Modular construction and modification 23. Visualisation - Day 24. Visualisation - Night 25. Visualisation - Extended

Physical context The Black Rock Playa, elevation 1191m, is the second largest flat region in the Northern Hemisphere. Shaped like a “Y”, the Black Rock can be divided into 3 parts: the playa, west arm, and east arm. The longest stretch of playa is 27 miles along the west arm. South of the intersecting arms, the widest spot is 12 miles. The playa has a “bulge” in the middle that is widely reported to be the visible curvature of the earth; this is actually the result of water pressure and the expanding clays that make up the playa fill. The Black Rock Playa is the location for Black Rock City, the annual temporary home of Burning Man. The temporary city of 50,000 people is set up over a period of 3 weeks, inhabited for 10 days, and dismantled and removed at the end.

Black Rock City

Burning Man’s extreme location underpins the need the ‘radical self-reliance’ set out in the guiding principles for Burning Man. The temperature in September, when the festival happens, is around 30°C in the day and 6°C at night. The air is generally very dry, and dust storms with winds of up to 50mph are very common. The dust is also quite alkaline, and can irritate eyes and skin. A very immediate relationship with the environment that comes from camping under such harsh conditions. This relationship has been used to guide Rod Garrett’s city plan as it has evolved over the last 15 years.

USA

Nevada

Black Rock Desert “Large artworks were placed in a zone outside the precincts of our city. This was meant to lure participants away from our settlement and into the great silence and open space. Similarly, the open side to the circular scheme of the city takes on spiritual and psychological importance. Instead of completely circling the wagons, we invite the natural world to intrude. We will never further close that arc, as it is humbling to have the vast desert and sky intrude into our self-styled small world. Our hope is that by glimpsing the minute place we occupy in the infinite, we will also sense our unity with it.”

Rod Gerrett [Black Rock City master-planner]

1 Burning Man 2011, Aerial view

Participants caught out in a dust storm on the Black Rock Playa

Participants caught out in a dust storm on the Black Rock Playa [Detail]

Inhabiting a masterplan The masterplan for Black Rock City was designed by Rod Gerrett. It consists of theme camps and other camping areas set out divided by concentric and radial streets, with the Burning Man at it’s centre. The masterplan can be compared to the Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, with the Burning Man at its centre able to see everything and be seen from everywhere in the city. The Burning Man principles of ‘participation’, ‘communal effort’, and ‘leave no trace’ combine to mean that despite the principle of ‘radical inclusion’, there is no let up in the requirement to participate fully. Individualism is embraced, but solitariness is not. This effect, combined with the masterplan layout that emphasises one community under the watch of the Burning man, causes the festival to be a place of extreme social exposure.

“The Panopticon... ...is the diagram of a mechanism of power reduced to its ideal form.

Plan of Panopticon Prison, Jeremy Bentham

Whenever one is dealing with a multiplicity of individuals on whom a task or a particular form of behaviour must be imposed, the panoptic schema may be used.”

New York, figure ground plan

Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, 1977

If the principles of radical inclusion and radical self expression, were taken at a masterplan level, it would be possible to expect an emergent plan similar to a refugee camp, where individuals have set up camp without an overall plan. Instead, Black rock City is similar to a modern city such as New York, where individuals have made small mutations to the block system within allowed limits. Although the masterplan for Burning Man is very geometrical and rigid, the figure ground plan shows that tents and structures change the masterplan. The masterplan is inhabited by 50,000 individuals, and is distorted to their personal needs.

Black Rock City 2011, satellite view with the omnipresent Burning Man at the centre

Dagahale Refugee Camp, Kenya, figure ground plan Black Rock City 2011, figure ground plan

Exploring Black Rock City The site analysis depicted in these two diagrams is derived three sources: - The Black Rock City 2011 masterplan - Satellite imagery of Black Rock City 2011 - Personal GPS Tracking from Marc Merlins 2011 Marc Merlins used GPS to track his movements around Black Rock City over the whole 10 days of the 2011 festival. In conjunction with routes described by the tracks left in the sand by multiple people walking around the site, it is possible to build up a picture of the most popular areas of the site. The movement map indicates that the majority of the his time was spend exploring the ‘theme camps’ and camping areas, with other explorations out into the open area with larger artworks. He also took one trip outside of the pentagonal fence line that surrounds the city. This pattern of movement fits with the concept of the festival being about the participants - everybody entertaining and engaging with everybody else. Although the masterplan is very rigid in its polar grid layout, the participants within the physical city do not always stick to the prescribed routes.

"We've shown that you can actually deal with the complexity of urban problems by using specifically cultural means. The citizens participate in creating the city. In fact, half of our 'control' is based on watching their behaviour and meeting their needs. And that's the whole history of the development of the city." Larry Harvey, Executive Director, Black Rock City LLC; Co-founder of Burning Man

Route mapping using GPS, Burning Man 2011, Marc Merlins Tracks in the sand, traced from satellite imagery, Google Earth, 2011 Black Rock City 2011 Plan, Rod Gerrett

Areas for Theme Camps, Sound Art as defined by black Rock City 2011 Plan, Rod Garett Areas of focused activity according to routes traced in the sand

Social context Immediacy

De-commodification

Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Burning Man sets out 10 principle to guide participants while they are in Black Rock City. The principles of de-commodification and gifting seek to create a society that works without any kind of market forces, or exchange of goods. Radical self-reliance, civic responsibility and leaving no trace are principles that help to ensure that everyone is able to give in the desert without damaging it, themselves or others.

Gifting

Leaving No Trace Radical self expression and radical inclusion are principles that aim to allow participants to open their minds and behave exactly as they wish. Communal Effort

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Radical Self-reliance

Radical Self-expression

Radical Inclusion

Participation

Civic Responsibility

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

The 10 principles of Burning Man illustrated through photographs from Burning Man 2011 Photographs accessed via www.burningman.com

Communal effort, participation and immediacy are the three principles that underpin the main aim of Burning Man, which is to allow free individuals to come together as communities to produce, enjoy, share experiences and spectacles that couldn’t or wouldn’t be achieved without participation from everyone.

Radical self reliance and radical self expression Immediacy

Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise, and rely on his or her inner resources.

Decommodification

Radical self reliance with its connotations of safety, responsibility and efficiency are juxtaposed strongly with radical self expression. Participants at Burning Man are not there solely to survive in the desert, ultimately there are there to express their creativity and to party.

Gifting

The principle of radical self expression means that the structures at Burning Man are often very expressive and exuberant. The principle of participation means that many of the sculptures have an element of interactivity, so that rather than simply being observed, they are experienced in a rich multi-sensory way.

Leaving No Trace

Communal Effort “We live in an efficiency obsessed world. An awe depleted world. Radical Self-reliance

Radical Self-expression

A world that tries to quantify every shred of our humanity and throw away the bits that don’t fit. A world where kids and adults alike are often scheduled within an inch of their lives.”

Radical Inclusion

Caveat Magister Volunteer coordinator for Media Mecca at Burning Man

Participation

Civic Responsibility

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

The 10 principles of Burning Man illustrated through photographs from Burning Man 2011 Photographs accessed via www.burningman.com

Distant observation Buckminster Fuller’s book, An Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, set out a view of the Earth as a global system. In order to achieve this view, it was necessary to imagine stepping out of the Earth and viewing it from outside. This process of stepping outside of a system and analysing or speculating about it is critical for developing a deep understanding.

“Spaceship Earth was so extraordinarily well invented and designed that to our knowledge humans have been on board it for two million years not even knowing that they were on board a ship.” R. Buckminster Fuller, ‘Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth’, 1969

“I first began to conceive of Burning Man as an environment that is geographically and culturally distanced from the so-called ‘‘normal’ world, temporarily manifesting as an alternative to a culture of commodity. I academic-speak, we could say that Burning Man inherently promotes a critically distanced, self-reflexive understanding of both the individual self and the culture of signification within which interpretations and actions take place. 2 The idea of ‘distancing’ has been identified as a fundamental aspect of cultural ‘reflexivity’ by many post-modern theorists. This basically entails the ability to distance oneself from what is given as ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ in order to examine the structures within which one lives and acts.” Jeremy Hockett ‘Afterburn - Reflections on Burning Man’, 2005

1 Black Rock City’s panopticon quality, combined with the participatory nature of the festival make for a very immersive experience that it is very difficult to escape from. Art installations in the form of towers set in th e Playa can allow a certain amount of reflexive distancing in as much as they can only contain a small group of people, and allow a view over the whole city.

3 1. Aerial view of Black Rock City allows the viewer to see the awesome scale of the temporary city 2-3. Viewing platforms, while not as distant as the plane, afford a view over the whole city, allowing some distancing and reflection to take place

Vertical separation from the Playa As the festival has grown in scale from its original 20 participants to the current 40,00050,000, so the height of the Burning Man at the heart of the festival has increased in height. The diagram to the left illustrates this evolution.

25m 20m

The diagram also shows that since 1989 the Burning Man has remained the same size, but has been lifted from the Playa by the addition of a supporting plinth or tower. This separation makes the Man appear like an idol to be worshipped, which fits with the ritual of burning it at the end of the festival. Along with its position at the centre of the panopticon Back Rock City masterplan, its height makes it a very powerful symbol that can be seen from the whole city.

15m 10m 05m

Year Participants Height 1

1986 20 2.5m

1987 1988 80 170 6m 8m

1989-95 300-4,000 12m

1996 8000 15m

1997 10,000 15.5m

1999 23,000 16.5m

1998 15,000 16m

2000 25,400 16.5m

2001 25,650 21.5m

2002 29,000 24.5m

2003 30,500 24m

2005 35,600 22m

2004 35,600 24.5m

2006 38,900 22m

2007 47,100 20m

2008 49,600 25.5m

2009 43,600 20m

Other installations and art cars structures built in Black Rock City have also grown in scale in proportion with the increase in population. Just as the Burning Man looks over the whole festival and therefore has power over it, so there is a human instinct to climb higher than our surroundings to be able to control all we see. Everyone at burning man is encouraged to participate fully in everything that they come across. The principle of radical self reliance means that Health and Safety laws that apply strictly in everyday life in the USA are applied more loosely in Black Rock City. Everyone has to take responsibilty for their own actions. For this reason, people who feel that they can climb safely on structures are allowed to do so, at their own risk. ‘Thunderdome’ built in 2011 allowed participants to climb on top of a geodesic dome to watch gladiator matches taking place inside. ‘Elevation’ was an installation built in 2008 that allowed participants to climb 16.5m to a single chair. ‘Babylon - Tower of Dreams’ built in 2008 allowed participants to climb 33m to survey the entire festival and the surrounding Playa.

2 1. Heights of the Burning Man at the centre of the festival varying over time 2. Thunderdome, Burning Man 2011 3. Elevation, Burning Man 2008 4. Babylon - Tower of Dreams, Burning Man 2008

Emergent systems and structures Ant colonies are social and physical structures that are vast compared to the ants that construct them. They can be considered emergent systems, as they are built from a bottom up approach rather than a top down approach. No single ant knows the overall structure of the whole system, rather every ant follows a simple set of rules governing its relationship with its neighbours. The macro system emerges out of these rules.

Look to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways and be wise: Which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, Provides her meat in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8

Tetrahedra can be added together to construct an extremely large variety of forms, which can all be decomposed into a selection of partial tetrahelices. The underlying geometrical rules governing the structure relate to the angles that the faces and edges of a tetrahedron meet. The tetrahedra can be placed randomly, and the forms that emerge are governed only by the simple set of rules that guide their placement in relation to their neighbours.

2 1. Complex structures that follow a simple set of rules governing their form emerge from tetrahedra magnetically attracted to each other in Grasshopper 2. Examples of different structures that emerged from the same set of rules applied to tetrahedra in different starting positions 3. An cast of an ant colony compared in scale to a human. The colony is a complex emergent structure 4. Army ants following each other to food sources. The ants communicate simple instructions through pheromone trails, the swarm behaviour emerges out of these simple instructions

Self assembling tetrahedra The model illustrated to the left has magnets at each of the vertices of the tetrahedra that allow them to be added to one another in any combination. The parametric model replicates this physical model, but in free space. The magnetic attraction pulls the tetrahedra together into self assembling structures This model creates unique geometries each time it is run.The tetrahedra start of floating in space, and are attracted to each other by forces acting on all of the vertices. Repellant forces acting on their centres stop too many of the tetrahedra fitting inside one another, though some still do. 1 The aim of the model was to simulated a construction created by the addition of one module at a time, with no consideration of the overall form. An analogue proposal might have one person adding a module, another person adding the next, a third climbing up to add theirs, and so on for the whole week of Burning Man. By the end of the week, a viewing structure might have emerged, or might not. 2

Creates base points either randomly or within a grid

Creates regular tetrahedron at each point

Extracts tetrahedron edges for Kangaroo

1. Tetrahedral geometries created by self assembling free floating tetrahedra in Grasshopper 2. Screen stills of a form emerging as it self assembles 3. Grasshopper definition - Separate tetrahedra are set to attract each others vertices, and repel each others centres

Forces in Kangaroo attract tetrahedral vertices to each other, and repel the centres of the tetrahedra from each other

Runs Kangaroo physics engine

Removes duplicated edges where tetrahedra join

Creates tube structured around tetrahedra edges

Finite varieties of tetrahelix There are three families of helices possible to construct from tetrahedra. Each family is based on a starting module composed of either three, four, or five tetrahedra build around a central axis. There is no helix based on two tetrahedra, as it is automatically the same as one based on three. Likewise there is no helix based on more than five tetrahedra, as they become self intersecting after five. Because helices are chiral, within each of these families there is a clockwise version and an anti-clockwise version. More complex forms can be built up by intersecting sections of these helices together, but their underlying geometry remains intact.

Rules for tetrahelical crystal growth:

1 1. Diagram showing the three possible varieties of tetrahelix .

Start with one tetrahedron

Attach one new tetrahedron to an existing tetra heron by attaching three of the new vertices to three of the old vertices.

Ensure that no tetrahedron sits wholly or partially within tetrahedron.

Repeat steps 2 + 3 ad infinitum.

another

Complex tetrahelical crystal growth This Grasshopper definition repeatedly mirrors tetrahedra to grow tetrahelical structures. The form taken is defined by the slider inputs that choose which of the four faces of the tetrahedron to mirror the next one about. The model shown uses one primary tetrahelix, with secondary tetrahelices growing from every tetrahedron in it, these in turn spawn tertiary tetrahelices from their midpoints.

Imports a tetrahedron and repeatedly mirrors it along a face determined by the slider to create a primary tetrahelix

Creates secondary tetrahelices from each of the tetrahedra in the primary element

2 1. Tetrahedral geometries created by mirror growth of tetrahedra in Grasshopper 2. Grasshopper definition - Tetrahedra built up adjacent to each other by a mirror translation 3. Grasshopper definition - An explanation of the cluster used for the mirroring process

Creates shorter tertiary tetrahelix from the tenth tetrahedron in the secondary elements

Gathers geometry and outputs piped frame

Imports tetrahedron geometry and the face to mirror about 3

Mirrors geometry about base plane

Rotates mirrored geometry to chosen mirror face

Outputs mirrored tetrahedron

Divergent structures This physical wire-frame model demonstrates in finer detail the principle of the divergent tetrahelix. The dihedral angle of a tetrahedron means that any two tetrahelices will always diverge from one another. Because the dihedral angle is irrational it is in principle impossible to have two parallel tetrahelices that are connected with any number of tetrahedra. This constant divergence means that within any structure made solely from tetrahedra, there will always be areas bounded by diverging tetrahelices.

1-5. Model showing how connected tetrahelices always diverge from one another - Model built from soldered steel wire

Crystal defects and interstitial space Interstitial Defect

By viewing the modular growth of the proposed installation as analogous to crystal growth, it is possible to analyse possible ways of inhabiting it. There are three main types of defects that occur in crystals: - Interstitial defects - Vacancy defects - Dislocation defects Of these three, interstitial defects are the most relevant, as they involve a rogue atom sitting within interstitial space within the crystal’s lattice structure. They are not bonded to the rest of the atoms in the crystal.

Vacancy Defect Interstice 1. The space between adjacent atoms in a crystal lattice 2. A minute opening or crevice between things

The fact that 5 tetrahedra fall 7.2° short of 360° means that it is not possible to create parallel tetrahelices. There is always a divergent interstitial space between them. This can be inhabited in the same way as an interstitial defect in a crystal creates inhabited spaces. Dislocation Defect

1. Diagram showing three types of crystal defect 2-3. Digitally modelled tetrahedral forms surrounding an ‘interstitial’ space at the divergence point

Concept | Inhabited interstitial spaces Tensile membranes stretched between interstitial spaces as they emerge create nest like spaces as found in the boughs of trees. They can become places to sit, admire the view over Black Rock City and the desert and reflect on events at Burning Man.

1 1. Tensile membranes stretched between interstitial spaces allow inhabitation at a high level

Concept - Modular growth Using a module size that allows individual modules to be carried by one person allows the structure to continue to grow like a crystal over the course of the festival. The participants would be able to climb to whichever location on the structure they preferred, and lock their own module in place. In this way, no single person has overall control over the growth of the structure, rather the inherent geometrical properties of tetrahedra govern the form that emerges over time. The overall form is governed only by four guidelines: - The form will ultimately be controlled by tetrahelical geometry. - Every person wishing to climb the structure must add an additional module to their own preferred location. - The balance between every participants own ‘radical self reliance’ and ‘radical selfexpression’ should govern where they feel they should climb to. - Every time an interstitial space between two adjacent tetrahelices appears, a tensile fabric nest should be created.

“In the act of making, a theoretical or intellectual consciousness has to be suppressed, if not entirely forgotten. More precisely, only embodied knowledge divorced from conscious attention seems to be useful in creative work. Even in the simple act of riding a bicycle, the theoretical knowledge of how the vehicle is kept upright is suppressed a the act is performed unconsciously though body memory; if you attempt to think what really takes lace theoretical and factually in the dynamic and complex balancing act of bicycle riding, you are immediate danger of tumbling over.” Juhani Pallasmaa ‘The Thinking Hand’, 2009

A possible ‘crystallisation’ built up by individual participants

Concept - Inhabited structure Interstitial spaces between adjacent tetrahelices are wrapped in tensile fabric to create nest like structures that provide secure areas to rest, relax and reflect. Although the structure might attract a crowd, the participants willing to climb to the top are able use the nests to separate themselves from the crowd and have an overview of their surroundings. The more people join in, the higher the structure will get, and the further people are able to get from the crowd below.

“A genuine artistic or architectural experience is primarily a strengthened awareness of self... ...One of the paradoxes of art and architecture is that although all moving works are unique, they reflect what is general and shared in the human existential experience. In this way, art is tautological; it keeps repeating the same basic expression over and over again: how it feels to be a human being in the world.” Juhani Pallasmaa ‘The Thinking Hand’, 2009

1 1. Installation drawing a crowd but still allowing reflexive distancing

Concept - Black Rock City at night Black Rock City comes alive at night, and the installation should be no exception. Tube lights that could be attached to the structural modules would emphasise the geometrical properties of the structure as well as shielding its occupants with their glare. The crowd below are able to see the parts of the structure directly lit, but the contrast between the bright tube lights and the darker tensile fabric areas would mean that the would not be able to see in.

1 1. Installation at night 2. Black Rock City 2007 at night, Michael Mancer

Connection systems There are several options for joining tetrahedral modules together at a larger scale. These fall into three categories: - Node connection - Edge connection - Face connection Node connections are used widely in space frame construction, but are not well suited to flexibility of connection angle. There are examples of nodes that can accept a variety of connection angles, but these are often complicated and expensive. Due to the concentration of loads, the joints need to be extremely strong both in tension and compression. Edge connection is possible when using a frame by, for example, binding edges together.. This does result in unsightly duplication of struts and nodes. Face connection becomes possible if the modules are made from full or partial flat faces. There are more options possible for face connection than the other two. Face connection options explored in test models include: - Neodymium magnets - Velcro strips - Bolts , washers and wing-nuts

Face connection - Velcro

Face connection - Bolt, washer, wing-nut

Face connection - Neodymium magnets

Ease of installation 5 Ease of connection 8 Aesthetic 0 Strength 1 Cost 5

Ease of installation 3 Ease of connection 6 Aesthetic 7 Strength 10 Cost 7

Ease of installation 6 Ease of connection 10 Aesthetic 10 Strength 3 Cost 1

Total

Total 33 /50

Total 29 /50

Notes

19 / 50

- Very low strength both due to Velcro and the glue holding Velco to wood

- Very high strength - More bolts could be used to add redundancy and strength - Comparatively low cost

1 1. Comparison of face connection methods - Model built at 1:2 [actual side length 400mm; proposed side length 800mm] 2. Examples of commercially available node connection systems by Mero, Shigeru Ban, and Alexis Rochas

- Strength dependent on proximity of magnets [when separated by 20mm of wood, low strength] - Very high cost 2

Magnetic tetrahedra - Face connection This model uses powerful magnets in every vertex of each tetrahedral module to create a system that can be re-configured simply by pulling the modules apart. The laser-cut net, pictured below, is folded to made individual tetrahedra. A 5mm diameter neodymium magnet is placed within each of the four vertices of the module, and small triangles with tabs are glued in to hold the magnets in place. Because the magnets are spherical and only loosely held in place, they are free to orientate themselves according to the proximity of other magnets. These therefore forms rigid modules, where any face can be made to stick magnetically to any face of any other module. The strength of the magnetic joints is such that cantilevers of up to 16 modules may be built up. As a system, they are much easier to manipulate than the preceding rod+magnet models because the faces of the tetrahedra are flat and cannot pass through one another.

Small triangle of card with tabs to hold magnet in place, but allow it to rotate freely Tetrahedron face with hole cut out to allow internal access during construction Spherical neodynium magnet

4 5

1-3. Form created by the addition of face-connecting magnetic tetrahedral modules - model build from laser-cut card and spherical neodynium magnets 4. Diagram showing construction of magnetic module 5. Laser-cut net

Magnetic tetrahedra - Growth over time This animation sequence uses the face-connecting magnetic tetrahedra modules described on the preceding page. At this scale the form is not emergent, as the modules are wilfully placed by the animator. However at a larger scale, there is potential for each module to be placed by a different person, and the form to emerge from their collective decisions. Despite this, the form that grows follows the intrinsic tetrahedral geometric rules - all sections of the model can be see to be parts of one of the three types of tetrahelix defined in earlier experiments, and all diverge from one another at irrational angles.

1 1. Animation stills from a sequence building up a form module by module using face-connecting magnetic tetrahedra

Structural analysis Stresses are at MIDDLE of element Output axis: global 40.00E+6 Pa 30.00E+6 Pa 20.00E+6 Pa 10.00E+6 Pa 0.0 Pa -10.00E+6 Pa -20.00E+6 Pa -30.00E+6 Pa -40.00E+6 Pa -50.00E+6 Pa

These diagrams show some initial structural analysis of a potential structure as it grows. The program used to calculate these images was ‘Oasys GSA’ ; a structural analysis program developed by Oasys and Arup. In the false coloured images, red shows ares of maximum compression, green equilibrium, and violet areas of maximum tension. The model was subjected purely to static loads from the weigh of the structure itself. In order to simulate a full scale installation, it was modelled with a module side length of 600mm, and the material used was 20mm thick plywood. The physical model shows the actual forms for comparison. These are modelled from 300gsm card with neodymium magnets forming the joints between modules.

z x

2 1. False colour images showing shear stress - Calculated using Oasys GSA [structural analysis] and SSI GSA for Rhino 2. Physical model demonstrating the same forms - card and neodymium magnets

Modular construction and modification

1-3. Visualisations showing a form being constructed from 160 modules by participants 4-6. Visualisation showing the form being de-constructed and modified by participants throughout the festival

Visualisation - Day Interstitial spaces between adjacent tetrahelices provide divergent areas to rest, relax and reflect. Although the structure might attract a crowd, the participants willing to climb to the top are able to separate themselves from the crowd and have an overview of their surroundings. The more people participate, the larger the structure will get, and the further people are able to get from the crowd below.

1 1. Visualisation showing the modular construction in use during the festival

Visualisation - Night Tube lights that could be attached to the structural modules would emphasise the geometrical properties of the structure as well as shielding its occupants with their glare.

1 1. Visualisation showing the modular construction lit up at night; accentuating the curved heli

Visualisation - Extended The preceding scheme has been designed with an operating budget of $20,000, as this is the maximum Art Grant that Burning Man Festival awards, However it is possible to extend the funding through other fund-raising initiatives. This visualisation therefore works on an operating budget of $50,000, and simply increases the size and scope of the project by increasing the number of modules. A rough estimate puts the cost of a single module [including materials, labour, and transport] at around $100. Therefore, the number of modules in this scheme is 500.

1 1. Visualisation showing the modular construction expanded due to an increased budget

Brief 03 - REALISE Supported growth | British Library Business Incubator 26. Abstract | British Library Business Incubator Background research | British Library Business Incubator 27. Adjacency diagram Business model Business incubators 28. Site location Site context Solar analysis Site history 29. Site constraints 30. Initial site concepts 31. Business growth 32. Growth patterns and algorithms Growth experiments II Growth experiments III Growth experments IV 33. Growth within a matrix of close connections Space filling polyhedra | Truncated octahedra 34. Concept diagram 35. Iteration I | Growth over time 36. Iteration I | Visitor approach Iteration I | Module Types 37. Scaffold system | Additive structural logic of Kelvin foam truss 38. Scaffold system | Spatial characteristics of Kevin foam truss 39. Iteration II 40. Karamba | Structural differentiation 41. Iteration III 42. Growth and alteration over time 43. Integrated office modules 44. Site plan | 1:500 45. Ground floor plan | 1:200 46. Upper floor plan | 1:200 47. Approach from St Pancras International 48. Public open space 49. Modular office space 50. Meta-diagram | Fold-out

Abstract | British Library Business Incubator In 2011 the Government announced the launch of ‘StartUp Britain’, a national private sector campaign for an ‘enterprise-led’ economic recovery. At the heart of this campaign was to be a network of local groups offering support and advice to startup companies. Business incubators act in a way that supports the aims of ‘StartUp Britain’, offering supported office space for startups, with on-site events and advice. The Mayor of London’s London Plan sets out the need to provide an adequate supply of environmentally attractive, high quality and affordable premises, ‘incubator units’ and sites for synergy between business and research and academic institutions. There is currently a huge debate about intellectual property law, with ideas such as the Creative Commons licences, Open Innovation, and Wikinomics being pitted against Rights Protection Programs, Digital Rights Management, the SOPA and PIPA laws in the US, and ACTA in Europe. TH O W RT G R P P O RK S U TWO NE

The British Library Business Incubator is proposed to: - Provide supported office for up to 30 startups - Allow the startups to join with one person and expand as necessary, before allowing established startups to move on - Provide exposure to local, national, and international companies and markets through extensive networking and events programs - Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships between the British Library and the startups - Encourage networking, as well as collaboration between startups - The building will explore the concept of growth, support and networks

Background research | British Library Business Incubator Copyleft

Start Up Britain

Research Summary

Copyleft, on the other hand, provides a method for software or documentation to be modified, and distributed back to the community, provided it remains Libre.

Copyrights exist in order to protect authors of documentation or software from unauthorized copying or selling of their work. A copyright infers that only with the author’s permission may such activities take place.

“StartUp Britain is a ground-breaking response from the private sector to the Government’s call for an ‘enterprise-led’ recovery. It will deliver the very best in support and advice for startup companies, led by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. StartUp Britain will be a champion for the UK’s 270,000 businesses that start up every year aiming to help drive growth by accelerating, inspiring and celebrating Britain’s start-up talent.” 10 Downing Street - Press release 2011

In 2011 the Government announced the launch of ‘StartUp Britain’, a national private sector campaign for an ‘enterprise-led’ economic recovery. At the heart of this campaign was to be a network of local groups offering support and advice to startup companies. Business incubators offering supported office space for startups, with on-site events and advice can assist the growth of new businesses.

To accompany its work as the repository for all UK Patents, in 2006 the British Library opened the British Library Business and IP Centre. It helps businesses, researchers and individuals to access material relating to business in the library’s collections, as well access the patent collections of 47 different countries worldwide. The centre also hosts talks and events relating to intellectual property.

IP IP

There is currently a huge debate about intellectual property law, with ideas such as the Creative Commons licences, Open Innovation, and Wikinomics being pitted against Rights Protection Programs, Digital Rights Management, and the SOPA and PIPA laws in the US.

The Mayor of London’s London Plan sets out the need to provide an adequate supply of environmentally attractive, high quality and affordable premises, ‘incubator units’ and sites for synergy between business and research and academic institutions.

IP IP

Creative Commons

Patents

“The idea of universal access to research, education, and culture is made possible by the Internet, but our legal and social systems don’t always allow that idea to be realized. To achieve the vision of universal access, someone needed to provide a free, public, and standardized infrastructure that creates a balance between the reality of the Internet and the reality of copyright laws. ”

A patent is a contract between an inventor and a state. The inventor puts a detailed description of his invention into the public domain and in return the state grants him the right to prevent anyone else exploiting his invention for a limited period of time. In the United Kingdom the patent system is administered by the Intellectual Property Office, and a copy of every patent is held in the British Library.

The Business and IP Centre, and UK Patent Collection

Wikinomics

“The British Library Business & IP Centre launched in March 2006 and supports entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business. Since the launch, over 250,000 entrepreneurs have used the Centre. The British Library Business and IP Centre is also a designated PATLIB UK centre. PATLIB UK is part of a Europe-wide network of patent information centres.

“What was the difference? The losers launched Web sites. The winners launched vibrant communities.

At the heart of the [patent] collection are millions of patent specifications published by patent offices throughout the world. These documents provide detailed technical descriptions of inventions and identify the individuals and companies associated with each invention.

The losers innovated internally. The winners innovated with their users. The losers guarded their data and software interfaces. The winners shared them with everyone.”

The collection also houses extensive collections of supporting documentation such as official patent journals, name indexes, subject indexes and abstracting journals. Patent offices have been moving away from hard copy publication of their documentation [to online publication]. “

‘The losers built walled gardens. The winners built public squares.’

Linus Torvalds - Founder of Linux

Adjacency diagram Paying Users

Pre-Startup

Paid staff

Startup

Permanent Staff

Visitors

British Library Staff

Local Community

International Business

Service

British Library User

Service Vehicles

Accommodation Schedule The British Library Business Incubator is proposed to include:

Flexible office space for up to 30 Startup businesses - These spaces should range from single desks up to offices for 20 people. - They should be flexible and adaptable enough to allow the businesses to expand with minimal disruption - They should encourage businesses with similar interests to collaborate Shared administrative and meeting facilities - Including reception, meeting rooms, conference facilities, cafe, shared secretarial staff Shared technical facilities - Including workshops, labs, and clean-rooms for prototyping and testing - Access for delivery and service vehicles - Manufacturing facilities for modular office space Office space for British Library research and support staff - Linked to the British Library

Permanent Office Space

Conference Facilities + Meeting Rooms

Expandable Office Space

For researchers, accountants, advisors and British Library staff

For knowedge sharing and advice seesions

30 startups starting with 1 person each; expanding to 15 people each

Link to British Library

Retail Units + Market Research For advertising and market testing

Prototyping + IT Lab For use researchers and Startups

Modular Office Space Manufacturing

StartUp Britain headquarters - Office space - Space to park and maintain StartUp Britain bus Space open to members the public and international business commuters - These should encourage the promotion and advertisement of the Startups - Potential to develop shop-fronts for some businesses

Business model Non-speculative additive building Program Element

Users [Fee paying]

Supporters [Donation]

Virtual Incubation

Pre-Startup Business

British Library

Access [Free of charge]

In order to allow for the unknown growth rate of the individual startup businesses and the connections that they might may with each other there is a desire to allow maximum flexibility in positioning of office space. The office space will be financed by rent from its tenant startup businesses, and there is therefore a benifit to only building the office space as it is needed. The office space will be able to grow organically with its occupants

Physical Incubation

Startup Businesses

British Library

R & D facilities

Startup Businesses

British Library

Permanent facilities will be built initially and office space will grow out from them.

Income Outside Businesses

INITIAL Investment relating to later return based on rent and shares in startup businesses Grant from sources inclluding British Library, Startup Britain and National Lottery

British Library Users

Conference facilities

Startup Businesses

British Library

CONTINUING Rent and fees from startup businesses Fees from outside businesses using R&D and conference facilities Grants and donations from British Library and its users

British Library Users

Outside Businesses

Outgoings British Library Users

Retail / Market Testing

Startup Businesses

INITIAL Construction of permanent facilities, structure, and infrastructure CONTINUING Construction and modification of modular office space Staff costs Maintanance

British Library Users

General Public

1. Outline business model showing subsideised fee paying service users 2. Diagram expressing the concept of additive building of expandable physical incubation space

Business Incubators Hub Kings Cross

Connect London

Accelerator Business Incubation

Business incubation process Startup stage

Startup needs

Incubator type

Incubator input

Conception Pre- Startup Location: Kings Cross, London Number of startups: 20-45 Average duration of incubation: 2-3 years Size of startups moving in: 1 person Size of startups moving out: 2-3 people

Location: Kington-upon-Thames, London Number of startups: 60 Average duration of incubation: 2-3 years Size of startups moving in: 1-2 people Size of startups moving out: 10-15 people

Location: Shoreditch, London Number of startups: 35 [+40 virtually incubated] Average duration of incubation: 2-3 years Size of startups moving in: 1 people Size of startups moving out: 12 people

Ethos “The Hub is a global network of spaces designed to enable people with enterprising ideas to drive social and environmental value in the world.”

Ethos “We are a not-for-profit operating a model run by entrepreneurs not administrators or academics”

Ethos “Accelerator is London Metropolitan University’s business incubator for early stage, start up and pre-start up businesses.”

Speciality Social and environmental entrepreneurship

Speciality High growth businesses in IT and technology - customer/market focussed

Speciality A combination of manufacturing and service industries that capture, transmit and display data and information electronically

Sponsor No sponsor - commercial only

Sponsor No sponsor, though strong links to Microsoft and many London universities

Facilities - Flexible membership - Meeting rooms to hire - Boardroom to hire - Hot-desking - Wireless internet - Printer/fax/photocopy - Secure storage - Mailbox - Kitchen - Library

Facilities - Flexible membership including virtual incubation - Meeting rooms to hire - Boardroom to hire - Hot-desking and full time desks - Wireless internet - Printer/fax/photocopy - Secure storage - Mailbox - Links to many London universities for R&D and prototyping - Business angel network - Business mentors

- Investment - Training - Advice

Virtual Business Incubator

- Networking events - Training events - Advice forums

Physical Business Incubator

- Networking events - Training events - Advice forums - Rentable desks - Shared office facilities - Rentable meeting rooms - Contacts with R&D facilities

Physical Business Incubator

- Networking events - Training events - Advice forums - Rentable office - Shared office facilities - Rentable meeting rooms - Contacts with R&D facilities

Own Office

- Networking events

Incubation Startup 1-2 people

- Investment - Training - Advice - Desk space - Office facilities - R&D assistance

Sponsor London Metropolitan University Facilities - Flexible membership including virtual incubation - Meeting and training rooms to hire - Conference suite to hire - Full time desks and range of differently sized offices - Wireless internet - Printer/fax/photocopy/Audio-visual equipment/PCs and MACs - Secure storage - Mailbox - Networking and training events - Business angel network - Student and graduate interns

Hatching Startup 10-15 people

- Investment - Office space - Office facilities - R&D assistance - Assistance setting up outside or being bought

Fledging Small business 15+ people

- Office space - R&D assistance

Site location Somerstown Goods Depot, Midland Road, London Camden UDF - Schedule of Land Use Proposals Site ID: Site location: Site area:

Site 30 [A] Midland Road Site [Land to north of The British Library] 4,000m2

Current use:

Car parking, loading bay, and construction site

Preferred use:

Operational needs of British Library Mixed use including community facilities

Ownership:

British Library

The proposed site for the British Library Business Incubator is highlighted in red on the maps [left]. It is fully owned by the British Library, and is listed in the Camden Unitary Development Framework as a potential site for development. It suggests that the best use for the site would be a building that assists the operational needs of the British Library, and that provides additional facilities for the local residents of Somerstown. 1

3 Proposed site location: Former Somerstown Goods Depot, Midland Road, London British Library The Francis Crick Institute

The site to the north was recently purchased by the Medical Research Council, The Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research, and University College London. It is currently a construction site for the The Francis Crick Institute, which will be a £600m bio-medical research centre with 1500 members of staff. For the purposes of this project, The Francis Crick Institute will be modelled as it will be when complete.

1. Map of London showing site location in the contexxt of the city 2. OS Map of the St Pancras area showing the site location - Scale 1:10000 2. Aerial photograph showing site location in relation to the British Library

Site history Somerstown Goods Depot, Midland Road, London The historical OS maps show that the site contained terraced houses in the 1870s, before demolition in the 1880s to make way for the expansion of railway goods yards dealing with the delivery and storage of milk and coal brought in on the Midland Railway The goods yards remained in place until after the 1970s, after which they were demolished to allow for the construction of the British Library on the southern half of the site. The northern half of the site of the goods warehouses, which remains vacant today has been used as the temporary home for the construction offices for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the subsequent extension of St Pancras Station into St Pancras International. The adjacent site has now been cleared to allow for the construction of the Francis Crick Institute.

1830s - Recently constructed terraced houses extending northwards from Euston Road

1870s - Construction of St Pancras Station [Site contains terraced houses]

1890s - Construction of Somerstown Goods Yard to receive coal, potatoes and milk

1950s - Somerstown Goods Yard in use until 1970s 1

2012 - Vacant site used as a starage yard and lorry park

2015 - Completion of The Francis Crick Institute and Kings Cross Station

1. Ordinance Survey maps show the history of development on the site over the last 140 years

Site context The proposed site is surrounded on three sides by large institutional buildings; - The British Library [South] - The British Library Coservation Centre and St Pancras Station [East] - The Francis Crick Institute [North]

Extensive glazing to south facade of The Crick Institute

The Francis Crick Institute is the tallest of the adjacent buildings at 51m high. The west side of the site is bounded by Oussulsten Street, with four and five story blocks of flats on the opposite side of the road. These are a mixture of council and privately owned flats, some built during the Victorian era, some in the mid 20th century. The site itself is almost completely flat, with a rise of 300mm across whole length.

Brill Place

The Crick Institute

Public Path

Proposed Site [ St Pancras + Conservation Centre behind ]

Oussulston Street

Proposed Site [ The Francis Crick Institute behind ]

The British Library

Section AA Scale 1:1000

Hadstock House

Section BB Scale 1:1000

The British Library Conservation Centre

Midland Road

St Pancras Station

Key plan Scale 1:5000

Solar analysis Because the site is surrounded by large urban masses, a solar study model has been created using Autodesk Ecotect 2011. The images used are ‘Butterfly Diagrams’ that show the shadows cast every half hour throughout a single day. The darker the shadow, the longer the space is in shade. The buildings that affect the site the most are the British Library and Levita House on Oussulston Street. That said, the diagrams illustrate that the majority of the site is un-shaded during office hours for 8 months of the year. The area just to the north of the centre of the site receives the most direct sunlight throughout the year, and the south eastern edge receives the least direct sunlight

Winter Solstice - 21st December

Spring and Autumn Equinox - 21st March and September

Summer Solstice - 21st June

The south east corner of the site is largely overshadowed by the British Library The western corner of the site is in the shade of Levita House during the afternoon

The southern half of the site is shaded by Levita House early in the morning, and by the British Library during the late afternoon

The whole site is un-shaded by surrounding buildings during the working day. During the evening the site is shaded by The Francis Crick Institute. Key plan Scale 1:5000

Site constraints Key

The site can be accessed from two sides by road, and from three sides as a pedestrian. Proposed site Proposed site access

Traffic route British Library service road

Pedestrian route St Pancras Station entrance + exit

Residential Commercial / Office Research facilities Transport hub

Crick institute entrances British Library entrances

The pedestrian route that runs in between the site and The Francis Crick Institute links one of the five exits from St Pancras International Station to businesses, housing, and Euston Station to the west. The British Library is accessed only from the south side of the site, with no access from the north apart from service access. this means that there is a strong separation between the British Library and The Francis Crick Institute. The small road that runs to the east of the site is a service road for the British library. It allows lorries with books requested from the British Library Inter-Library Holding Store in Boston Spa to be delivered and recovered daily. It also allows access for all serivces to the British Library. and the British Library Conservation Centre. Midland Road, to the east of the site is moderately busy, with a very busy taxi rank. Noise levels from this road is quite high due to number of idling vehicles..This is the main source of noise on the site, as it is much close than the busier Euston Road, and is within line of sight. The site sits within the context of a large cluster of research facilities and commercial properties along Euston Road, and also next to the housing estates of Somertown.

1 1. OS Map 1:2500 2. Render looking north; showing the site in between the British Library and The Francis Crick Institute - HOK Architects 3. Renders looking south; showing the site in between the British Library and The Francis Crick Institute - HOK Architects

Initial concepts Supporting Growth - Petri Dish | Stem Cell Scaffold Business incubators support new business ventures until they establish themselves.

Given the proximity of The Francis Crick Institute to the site, it seems appropriate to use an analogy to a process from the biologist’s lab: the analogy of the conditions provided in a Petri dish, where ample food, water oxygen and light are provided in order to maximise the growth of the bacteria inside. In order to optimise the success rate of the businesses it is raising, business incubators have to provide everything that the startups might need. It has to nurture them, and in return they will grow into new novel forms. The diagrams to the left begin to show ways to divide the site according to use

3. Advertising through views approaching site

4. Pedestrian and service access

ion

ct era t n cI

b Pu

1. Concept collage showing the Business Incubator as a Petri Dish with bacteria growing in it 2. Concept volumetric sketch showing possible advertising, interaction , and service locations 3. Diagram showing the space carved out by distant views of the building 4. Diagram showing possible pedestrian and vehicular access 5. Concept zoning diagram 6. Historical precedent for movable structures on tracks

5. Zoning concept

Lin

ice

v Ser

kin

wt Gro

6. Historical ‘goods yard’ language [1890s train tracks shown]

Business Growth

Small Startup 3 Staff

Large Startup 16 Staff

Medium Startup 8 Staff

Small Startup 3 Staff

Medium Startup 8 Staff

3 1. Diagram showing potential growth, collaboration and fledging of supported startup businesses 2. Cubic growth by addition using adjacent cubes within a cubic grid 3. Octahedral growth by addition using adjacent octahedra within a kelvin foam matrix

- Open plan office space with movable subdivisions that can allow for expansion and contraction of individual startups - Standard sized modular offices that can be joined together to create office clusters

Collaboration 20 people

As small startups grow they take on more staff members and establish more links with other related businesses. A business incubator can support this growth in a number of ways:

Medium Startup 8 Staff

Small Startup 3 Staff

Growth by addition and network creation

- Selection of differently sized permanent offices which businesses can upgrade between

Small Startup 3 Staff

Fast Growing Startup 17 Staff

Small Startup 3 Staff

Collaboration 20 people

Small Startup 3 Staff

Modular office space Standard sized offices that are able to connect to one another would enable businesses to grow and contract and conglomerate as neccessary. Once the startups have moved on, the office could be reused, or deconstructed and moved to another location. Only as much office space as is actually needed at any one time would need to be constructed, meaning that the up front funding needed would be decreased, and the long term flexibility of the building would be increased.

Growth patterns and algorithms This Grasshopper definition uses a component called ‘Hoopsnake’, which allows recursive definitions to be written. The definition creates linear growth by mirroring the current module about one of its faces to create the next module. In this version, the face is selected by a random number generator. The first example uses a cube as the base module, while the second uses a tetrahedron. There is nothing in the script to stop self intersection, so in its current form it cannot be directly translated into a physical process. 1

3 1. Randomly generated linear growth by mirroring based on a cube 2. Randomly generated linear growth by mirroring based on a tetrahedron 3. Grasshopper definition used to create the two examples

Growth experiments II Using Hoopsnake in grasshopper it is possible to create a recursive definition that mirrors a tetrahedron about one of its faces. If this face is consistently selected for its proximity to target, then a linear growth pattern can be created. If the target for one tetrahedron is the centre of another, and visa versa, the two growths will converge on each other. The definition described here works in this was. Due to the nature of tetrahedra creating non repeating, non space-filling structures, it is almost impossible to get the two strands to meet face to face. The chance of it occuring given starting points and paths that were not predetermined by working out from a single meeting point are infinitesimally small. The same operation is then performed with multiple starting points, and with the starting points unfolding toawrds a each other and also a common static target point

3 1. Linear tetrahedral growth from two points towards each other 2. Linear tetrahedral growth from four points towards each other and a common static target 3. Linear cubic growth from four points towards each other and a common static target 4. Grasshopper definition used to create the second and third examples

Growth experiments III In nature there are many examples of growth towards something: plants growing towards light, bacteria growing fastest where there is the most food, roots growth towrds water. The growth of the modular office space in the British Library Business Incubator should be able to growing many directions at once, establishing new connections between startups that relate to each other. This definition is the first step towrds creating 3D forms that can grow towards one another.

2 1. Linear cubic growth towards nearest available open space 2. Grasshopper definition used to create this example

Growth experiments IV This Grasshopper script explores a defined three dimensional space by searching for the nearest available area of unexplored space and growing towards it using the growth by mirror technique. In this case the open space is first defined by a series of randomly placed points in space. The proximity of these points then governs the order in which the space is explored giving rise to a random exploration route.

1. Linear cubic growth towards nearest available open space 2. Different exploration routes defined by different randmly placed points definining the space to begin with.

Growth within a matrix of close connections Interconnectivity | Close packing spheres In order to create a network of interconnected modular offices, maximisation of the possible connections between adjacent modules is preferable. The Kelvin foam lattice derived from close packing spheres achieves 14 adjacent connectiona compared to the 6 adjacent connections in a cubic lattice.

Name: Module: Connections:

Kelvin foam lattice Truncated Octahedra 14

Name: Module: Connections:

Cubic lattice Cube 6

Growth by addition of truncated octahedra The first method of growth within a space packing structure works by placing a new truncated octahedron on e two faces closest to a target point,, as long as they are not already occupied by another truncated octahedron. This produces a mass like growtht that grows steadily toawrds a target. The second method, illustrated on site uses a cellular automation process known as Conway’s Game of Life. Each cell in a square grid will come alive if surounded by two alive cells, stay alive if surrounded by 2 or 3 alive cells, and die if surrounded by 1 or 4 alive cells. This produces a field of cells that fluctuate from living to dead states depending on their local environement. The cells from each step of Conway’s Game of Life are then saved in thier alive or dead state and moved up one level before the game continues. This leaves a trail of alive and dead cells. The alive cells are displayed by the presence of a truncated octahedron.

3 1.Growth by translation of truncated octahedra 2. Grasshopper script used to acheive the above. 3. Illustration of Conway’s Game of Life used to create a growing 3D array of truncated octahedra 4. Diagram showing connections between adjacent truncated octahedra, and between asjacent cubes

Space filling polyhedra | Truncated octahedra The Truncated Octahedron or Tetrkaidecahedron in an Archimedian Solid with six square faces and eight hexagonal faces. The minimal surface area defined by the same vertices is shown in Figure B [below], has the minimum surface area for the same vertices. Research by Lord Kelvin suggested for a time that this was the structure used by many plant cells, however this was disproved by R. Williams in the 1970s suggested that the /S-tetrakaidecahedron [figure C] was more often found in nature. It is the semi regular polyhedron that most efficently divides space. It encloses a given volume in a very small surface area and close-packs to fill space. With fourteen faces, it has the potential to have fourteen adjacent neighbouring modules.

1 1. Views of a wireframe model constructed in Rhino of a lattice made from truncated octahedra 2. Views of a card model demonstrating the three dimensional tessalation of truncated octahedra 3. Figure from an article by biologist C.W. Lloyd demonstrating the truncated octahedron’s reationship to plant cells.

Concept diagram Enclosed space Enclosed volumes of space containing modular office space, meeting rooms and other key functions site within the lightwieght lattice structure. Being modular, they are able to be extended to simply by connecting another module to an existing one.

Circulation and structure The circulation, external seating areas, viewing galleries and meeting spaces all occur naturally within the ‘empty’ volumes that make up the skeleton of the strucutre.

Public base In order to form a stable lattice capable of growing to an unsecified height, the base that the bottom layer of truncateed octahedra touches must be absolutely level and solid, and the connection must be very strong. It is therefore proposed that there are permanent scultural foundations that sit within a publicly accessable sqaure at ground level. The base lifts up at two corners to allow for manufactring of the modular units to take place

Iteration I | Growth over time As each business grows it is able to upgrade its office space and additional modules. The form that the structure takes on as it grows will depend upon the success of businesses in different sections of the building. Using the Truncated Octahedra as a core module, the structure is able to grow organiscally over time as the need for office space increases.. The only rules that govern it’s growth are those inherent in the lattice structure, and the need to maintain good interconnectivity between seperate start-ups. Modules are placed by crane and snap lock into place. The natural tendency of the system is towards clusters of interior spaces surrounded by a support network of circulation spaces.

1-6. Sequence showing the structure growing over a period of several years.

Iteration I | Visitor approach

1. View of the Business Incubator looking North from Ossulston Street. 2. View looking towards St Pancras International Station and The Francis Crick Institute from the public square within the Business Incubator

Iteration I | Module types The modules depicted are standarised to fit within and make up a truncated octahedral lattice. There are five types of exterior circulation space, and the enclosed ffice module. It is proposed that there will be many variations in the office module, with onsite fabrcation facilities making customised modules easy to manufacture.

Lift and circualtion

Enclosed space:

Stair module A

Stair module B

Horizonta circulation

Void

Scaffold system | Additive structural logic of Kelvin foam truss The truncated octahedron has six square faces and eight hexagonal faces. However all of the edges of a truncated octahedron can be defined by the edges of squares squares attached by their vertices. This structural logic can be used to additively build a Kelvin Foam Truss [wireframe model of space-filling truncated octahedra] using only a single 2D surface. In the British Library Business Incubator, a scaffold of potentially occupied space could be created using this same structural logic. Further reserach will focus on using glulam to create these elements.

2 1. Single structural element - Modelled at 1:100 using lasercut 1.5mm mountboard 2-3. Additive structural logic - Rotate 90 ° about diagonal axis and attach corner to corner 4. Enclosed volume created by default 5. Model constructed from lasercut mountboard

Scaffold system | Spatial characteristics of Kelvin foam truss As the Kelvin Foam Truss is based on the three dimensional matrix formed by close packing spheres, there ar inherantly the most connections between neighbouring cells possible. The CAD model [far left] and the physical model show different orientations of the Kelvin Foam Truss. The CAD model uses a hexagonal face as the base, while the physical model uses a square face. When considered as an inhabitable space, the hexagonal base provides more usable floor area, and allows for easier transition between neighbouring cells at different levels.

1. Proposed plan of inhabitable Kelvin Foam scaffold 2. Propsed axonometric of a section of inhabitable Kelvin Foam scaffold [with hexagonal base layout] 3. Model of Kelvin Foam scaffold build at scale 1:100 using lasercut 1.5mm mountboard

Iteration II | Growth within a defined matrix Temporary

Organically gowing and changing clusters of office modules fit within the lightweight timber scaffold

In order to allow for the flexibility to add or remove any office module at any time, a more permanent foam truss is proposed as a scaffold for the office modules to be placed within. The Kelvin foam truss is derived from close packing spheres, thus affording each of the modules with the maximum number of potential adjacent neighbours. The support structure is analogous to a petri dish and exhibits the defined limits for growth within this site

Kelvin foam truss is used made form short gluam sections creates a lightweight scaffold to allow for flexible inhabitation

Permanent features including confererance facilities, staff offices, prototyping labs and entrance circulation are situated in peramanent buildings carved into the Kelvin foam truss.

At ground level a carved void in the foam truss allows a public route through new public space undreneath .

The ground layer is peeled up to allow manufactuing of the office modules to take place underground, and allow the public to look down into the workshops.

Permanent 1 1. Explode axonometric diagram showing permanence gradient 2. View from St Pancras station - Developmental model in Rhino 3. View looking east from Oussulston Street - Developmental model in Rhino

Because of the nature the way that light can penetrate the foam truss, the Crick Institute buiding to the north fo the site is minimally shaded by the structure despite its height.

Karamba | Structural differentiation Using Karamba [a plugin for Grasshopper in Rhino], an analysis of the bending moments in the stucture is possible. In this iteration, the bending moments are fed back into the model; defining the depth of each structural member. In order to create a public square intecgrated into the site, the foam truss is lifted from the ground, and instead bridges the site; resting on the permanent structures at either side. One of the most efficient ways to span a gap is an inverted catenary or ‘natural arch’ The forces acting within the truss can be seen in the diagram below to have embedded a natural arch within the truss by way of thickening and thinning the structure according to stress. Although the live loading would change with the addition and subtraction of the office modules, the truss is very stiff and would be able to cope with these distortions.

3 1. Initial render showing structural differentiation without lifting from the ground 2. Initial structural testing using Karamba - different base attachments used 3. Differentiated structural elements 4. Exploded axonometric diagram shoing the Kelvin foam truss spanning above the public park 5. Section AA showing embedded paraboic arch created using Karamba structrual analysis results 6. Grasshopper definition using Karamba for structural analysis of the Kelvin foam truss

4 6

Iteration II | Increased public space At a low span to depth ratio of 2:1, the Kelvin foam truss is stiff enough to bridge a gap successfully. Using Karamba, a structural analysis plugin for Rhino, the thickness of the individual strucutral members is modified to take into account the stress within the structure. This structural differentiation results in a thickening and thinning of the structure in different area, which in effect produces an embedded parabolic arch. Lifting the stuctural foam above the ground allows for a generous public space underneath, with dappled shade provided by the foam and organic modulear office custers. Permanent buildings at both ends of the site house functions open to the public including conference facilities, and retail space: accessible from the puclic square. All the while the office space above is visible from the square. ‘The losers built walled gardens. The winners built public squares.’ Linus Torvalds

1 1. Site plan of Iteration II 2. View from St Pancras station 3. View looking towards Crick Institue

Growth and alteration over time The Kelvin foam truss provides a support for the modular office system to grow within. The nature of the truncated octahedral matrix allows growth and connections to be established in three dimensions, businesses able to expand around, above and below each other independently, and merge together when collaboration is required. The flexibility that this system provides is its key. The Kelvin foam truss is a rigidly organised matrix, carved into simple cuboid that defines a space for the modular office system.to grow organically.

January 2013

1. Plan view of office modules showing potential growth over time 2. Aerial perpective view of office modules showing potential growth over time within support matrix

March 2013

September 2013

December 2013

January 2014

Integrated office modules With onsite manufacturing facilities, the office modules in the British Library Business Incubator can be customised to the specifcations of thestart-up that will occupy them. The modules are composed of structural insulated panels, manufacured in small sections that fit together in situ to create panels that infill the Kelvin foam truss to create enclosed space. Each module has a minimum of three windows, with solar shading being provided by any foam truss above the module. The hexagonal panels are able to contain lifting doors that enable entry into, and possibly passage through modules. Each module contains around 25m2 of office space, and is abe to contain integrated furniture as specified by the individual startup. Once the startup moves on, the space can be re-occu[ied by another business, the upper panels and furniture can be removed to leave an open circulation space, or the panels can be removed completely leaveing a free void

1. Visualisation showing the circulation space between two close but seperated office modules 2. Exploded diagram showing SIS panels that make up the office modules. These are prefabricated in smaller sections onsite and lifted into place. 3. Cut away plan view showing a possible internal layout of one of the office modules.

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2 1. British Library Business Incubator 2. The British Library 3. The Crick Institute 4. Public open space

Site Plan | 1:500

Ground Floor Plan | 1:200 1. Public open space with modular structure above 2. Entrances into British Library Business Incubator 3. Lifts to access modular offices 4. Direct link to British Library 5. Office module manufacturing workshop 6. Retail and product testing spaces

Upper Floor Plan | 1:200 1. Modular office spaces 2. Lift access 3. Conference and meeting facilities 4. Manufacturing and storage of modular office parts

Approach from St Pancras

Public open space

Modular office space

British Library Business Incubator

IP IP

IP $

$ $

IP IP

Flexible inhabitation of scaffold allows for rapid expansion, contraction and connections of small businesses Individual office modules and circulation modules are manufacured on site and constructed in situ

Kelvin foam truss with structural differentiation provides a lightweight scaffold to support growth of new businesses

Permanent buildings provide access and additional facilities including conference rooms, permaent research staff, retail and display areas St Pancras International

Office modules to be placed within the Foam Truss are manufactured on site Office space is lifted away from ground level to allow free public access through the site

The Crick Institute

British Library Business Incubator

The British Library

British Library Business Incubator is situated in between The British Libary, St Pancras Station, and The Crick Institute