Alex J Gunn Part II Architectural Portfolio [EXTENDED VERSION] 3/4

Social Analyis

Collage of Contrasting Drivers - Connection in Cardiff - Social Distancing and Social Cohesion

Cleaning Up Cardiff

What High Street Businesses/Inside Spaces will be relevent and conducive to creating communities?

Delapadated Building Faces

Is There Scope to Replace Buildings?

Graffiti - Art or Vandalism?

Can Street Fixings be Improved?

Waste Management

Can antithrowaway culture and recycling assist?

What life exists between buildings?

Many High Street Businesses

Now Vacant?

Street Level

Social Distancing?

Homelessness, a Visible Symptom of a Bigger Problem?

The Inconvenience of Constant Construction?

How can even outside space be designed for adaptability?

Are some buildings beyond rennovation?

Will we need carparks if there are no cars?

Thematic Precedents

Bosco Verticale

Aspect(s) of Interest:

Stefano Boeri Porta Nuova, Milan

•External/Internal Flora High Up

•Disjointed Garden Terraces

•Social/Environmental Benefits

Huangshan Mountain Village

Aspect(s) Critical of:

•Maintenance Difficulties

•Extra Structural Costs

•Contrived Concept

Proving to already be an influential building, Bosco Verticale uses vertical gardens. There are many benefits the green tower, but it’s not without it’s problems...

Pros are things like dust and sound and sun protection, Cleaner air, Direct access to nature. However, manual external trimming needed, additional structure needed, and complex water delivery system needed.

Mixed feelings about this, perhaps impractical, but an interesting take on integrating nature that certainly has certain sustainable and social benefits.

Aspect(s) of Interest:

•Modular, Interlocking System

•Adaptable System

•’Sacred Geometery’

MAD Architects

Huangshan

A mixed holiday residential; references vernacular form with digital spin, but most interestingly, as show below, it ‘exaggerates topography’. Based on how sheer/ tall the land is, the tower’s height will reflect this - a novel approach at integrating nature, and most interestingly, a very novel approach at creating a medium/high rise with strong complementary horizonal elelments.

Aspect(s) Critical of:

•Planning Complications

•Ability to Fit Context

•Overdone Concept

Dubiner House

Aspect(s) of Interest:

•Quanifiable Horiz/Vert Idea

•Neat Views and Terraces

•Response to Context/Nature

Dubiner House has a unique modualr system. Concepts of repetition, and interlinking. Polyhedral, sacred geometric. Non-orthogonal cellular layout make it expandable. There are lots of potentials to explore these ideas in parametrics.

Hexagonal prisms, an interesting starting point when using aggregation parametrically, also a novel attempt at designing at the human level. Does the theory translate to reality though? How can this be measured? Like Bosco, is it seems simply too ‘obvious’, or contrived can something with such geometery actaully be desgined to look good?

Aspect(s) Critical of:

•Much of the Success Resides in Other Aspects of Context

•Exclusivity

Conceptual Precednets

nonLin / Lin Pavilion FRAC Centre

Orleans, France, 2010-2011

EVolvo - Future Skyscrapers Competition Entry 2013

Aspect(s) of Interest: Aspect(s) Critical of:

•Lightweight, Can be Manufactured Digitally

•Large and Small Adjustable Porosity

•Loose Biophillic Aesthetic

•Structural Performance

•On-Site Assembly

Complications

•Specific Function

•Ability to Combine Flora

This fairly early parametrically designed pavilion/demo was part of an exhibition the FRAC Centre. It is a composite material that is broken down piece by peice and then assembled on site.

Use of new manufacturing techniques are a key part of this project, aiming to depart from conventional technologies and surrounding cultural connotations. It also has many practical uses like light and vision, and attachment to flora, similar to how green walls work.

Aspect(s) of Interest:

•Repeated Vertical Modules, Progressively Modified •Originality

In 2013’s Annual Evolvo contest, this was an entry that is frequently returned on search engines. This is a largely aesthetic precdent, but openings are clearly referential of natural forms, and the interlocking pathways weave together organically, like a spine. Despite appearance, design appears reasonably well resolved.

Aspect(s) Critical of:

•Actual Feasibility

•Justified Design

Rationale

•Spatial Planning

Different Plan Configurations - What is the ‘Spatial Syntax’ ?

Diagoon Housing

Herman Hertzberger is an established and fairly reknowned theorist and designer. One of his most famous projects was Diagoon housing, even though only some 40 got built, there were plans for over a hundred.

These homes elegantly fit together, and have interesting parameters: aiming at the same shapes, but for different functions and preferences.

On top of this, residents are encouraged to interact in a non-formal way. Public and private, as well as view to and from such spaces are mediated as seen in the digram. (Bottom Right). I intend to analyse spatial features in such a way to essential decode their idiosyncrasies and use them in my high rise, high density proposal.

Herman Hertzberger Delft - Netherlands

Aspect(s) of Interest:

• Socially Cohesive / Conscious Design

• Variable Units

•Vertical and Horizontal Communtiy Concept

• Influential / Respected

Aspect(s)

Critical of:

• Intended for Street

• The Theory of One

Particular Architect

Admittedly Limits Data

• Debatable Success

Initial Investigation - Experiments

One of the inital avenues of exploration was the ‘blob’: based on an ‘ideal footprint’ (right) (interpolated curve around max area, max ditance away from perimeter).

Vertical nodes on the blob were set to average surrounding context height, and provide maximal views from all points on the surface. This was then subject to iterative refinement. This language turned out to be convoluted, and eventually a simpler, ‘stack’ configuration was designed following the same parameters - one that is able to be generated within the boundaries of the ‘blobs’.

Blobitecture

Perfect Stacks

Finding the ‘Ideal Footprint’

Since the blob tended to perform better in terms of height, a method for generating the stack inside the blob achieving the best of both worlds...

Initial Investigation - Development

‘Stacks’ - Random Sequence of Columns (Aggregation) Generated inside Extents of ‘Blobs’

Stacks has benefit of adjustable level of complexity, overlap and radius of individual stack, eg. dense + high

Top Heights of ‘Blob’ Determined by Average of Surrounding Context x Scale - within Limits

Surface Area is Maximised and Potential Views From Various Vertical Points is More Optimal - within Limits

Conceptual Investigative Sketches

Connective Tissue: Tendons and Ligaments

In order to find the ‘connective tissue’, some literal sketch studies were undertaken. This aims at juxtaposing the idea of natural and synthetic, when it comes to something created by humans to ultimately be used by humans.

Conceptual Investigative Sketches

Before trying to design ‘biophillically’ or ‘biomimetically’ an effort was made to try to understand the essence of the forms that elements of the architecture were going to represent, symbollically and actively through the programme.

Epithelial Cell - (Kidney Ovary Connective Tissue)

Alveoli - (Lung Membrane)

Eye Membrane (Connective Tissue)

Human Biophilia Development

What better way to create a building focused on humans than to study a way to put the essence of humans into the building? At this point there was a pretty clear precedent set: creating some sort of reversal on traditional structure, and either creating an exoskeleton OR prominent external element. This would therefore swap the connective tissue’s function as something that goes inbetween things, and is subsidiary to something that itself is the primary object of focus.

Evolution of Stack Form and Ribbon

Learning from the conceptual investigations, computational experiments slowly began to realise a form based on connective tissue. A parallel began to emerge, a sinuous ‘ribbon element’ that contained a series of manipulated ‘stacks’.

Refinement - Form Making

To find a the perfect form, there were a series of experinments on individual ‘Stacks’ - very simple towers. Applying natural geometric sequences to forms.

Initial individual form modifications were simpler. For example changing the floor polygon shape or just rotating it the same amount every floor.

Various experimentations lead to use of the ‘graph mapper’ function - this meant that each floor shape could be scaled on an XY plane. Each scale value is subject to a point on common sinusodal graphs and repetition. This enables an attempt to capture the mathematics of nature.

Final Chosen Tower - Cross Sections at Various Floors Shown. Form consists of two hexagons manipulated symettrically.

The favourite, chosen form to be applied to the ‘stacks’ that have been generated earlier. The main form-making part of the system.

Iterative Form Development Using Wind Tunnel

N.B - See Appendix 1 for Videos

Final Form Wind Tunnel Exploration

Final Model Wind Analysis (West)

Final Model Wind Analysis (South)

Final Model Wind Analysis (East)

Shown below is the wind tunnel set up: a desk fan, a custom built tunnel with viewport and a scintilating screen to direct airflow. The source of the mist is dry ice and hot water in a bucket. Additionally, to the left, the 3D mesh boundary form that the final form was generated within. Finally, a simple site model that reiterates the lessons learned from computational wind analysis and buffering from adjacent buildings.

Final Model Wind Analysis (North)

Top, is the final model with all lessons learned consolodated into the final form. Wind tunnel analysis shows that the wind is deflected satisfactorily in all directions, and generally flows up the inclined/staggered facade.

Physical Model

Partial Section Cutaway Overview

The Final Product: Elysium Sky Village

Elysium Sky Village incorporates a unique parametric plastic facade, with a peripheral ‘ribbon’ element that functions as both an external spinkler and segmented shading device - plus adding aesthetic value. Steel diagrid lightwells allow the much wider lower floors to be liberated and bright. The stack configuration allows garden terraces at many levels, and for the grafting of a complex form to a simple base.

In plan view, the building appears as literal connective tissue. The infrastructure/arteries are the railway lines that run through the landscape and Elysium Sky Village sits perfectly as an organic entity

English Holly Cherry Japanese Maple

Building Elements

Each element of the project is independently adaptable according to contsraints.

Aspirations

The form has been optimised for views, wind, light, and structure.

The skin has been optmimised for solar radiation, services, connections, light, fire safety and construction.

The space has been generated according to concepts of space syntax, daylight penetration, and air movement inside the building.

By seperating elements, the project arrives at a simple structure, a clear planning strategy, yet a complex and interesting appearence and functionality.

Creations

Adaptable Room Configurations - Option 1

Adaptable Room Configurations - Option 2

3rd Floor

5 Units

Family Flat Units

Creating

that

have

‘make

Steel frame diagrid lightwells at three locations from ground floor to mid section of building. There are structural, as well as functional (permeating light) and aesthetic.

Lifts are fully wheelchair and pushchair accessible.

Lift Speed: 1-1.6m/s

Lift Quantity: 4

1 Lift is dedicated fire-fighting.

2 Travel 12 Floors, 2 Travel 25 Max Load: 2,000Kg

Cast concrete central stairs inside structural and mechanical core.

Heavy duty, machine-roomless, gearless, high speed, electric lifts.

Vertical Gardening

Green Roof (Grass)

Shrubs

Gardens are maintained by a contractural responsibility to residents, a fixed rota and management team who are liable to look after the future of the building.

Small Plants

Jobs

ideal for lightwells, as is very tall and thin and is adpated to growing in dense, shady conditions.

Indoor Farming

Indoor

14th Floor

6th Floor

Qualitative Spatial Collage 1

Inspiration: A natural cave - a cavernous interior permeated with beams of light poking through a series of porous cracks and gaps. (See Appendix for inspiration image).

Inspiration: Behold the Behemoth: A description from the novel Moby Dick, where the whale eclipses the sun, beams of light surrounding, giving those observing an encounter with a sheer force of nature. The building element should give the feeling of being a part of something larger than oneself.

Floor Area

Total Number of Green Roof Sections - 45

Number of Accessible Garden Terraces - 33

Number of Atrium Roof Installations - 3

Accessible at floor level OR via stairs/small lift from closest floor

GIFA - 26,352 m²

F/C Height - 5.4m

Total Building Height - 148m

Total Floors (Inc. Roof Terrace) - 25

Massing Part 2

Total Family Units ~ 50-60

Total Economy Units ~35-45

Creche

Recreation Plant Rooms

Family

Visualisation 1 - Overall - Day

Visualisation 1 - Overall - Night

Visualisation 2 - Lower - Day

Visualisation 2 - Lower - Night

Visualisation 3 - Street Level - Night

Highest possible penthouse suite, with exposed tub.

Family suite with private terrace, and ribbon element visible.

Largely open plan family suite with low ceiling areas in parts.

Economy suite open plan, blinds/smart glass can cover views to lightwells or terraces.

Mid

sky-farm - communal indoor growing, and garden maintenance facilities.

Ground floor car park with central reception and access to upper floors.

floor

Communal bookable recreation area, adjacent to lightwells, central to layout.

First floor fitness suite, available to all residents.

Second and Third Floor Plan

Upper Floor Plans

Construction Phasing

Off Site Pre-Fabrication and Storage - Saves money and can speed up construction time significantly. Prototype to be developed in tandem with build.

Excavation works must not compromise integrity of railway, disturb surrounding buildings, uncover remains of historical importance. Concrete foundations. high water table to be analysed.

Steel frame uses standardised beams, and relatively simple grid construction. Concrete core to be cast in tandem.

Floor plates are comflor, with secondary stringer beams, simple and fast depolyment. Need for site material storage from this point very limited.

Pre-fabricated plastic panels, to be attached to structural frame and green roofs to be installed.

Cable tension, fiberglass ribbon elements to be added and finished to be completed. Flora can be put in and staggered handover of units possible.

The ribbons around the building are symbolic representations of the structures that connective tissue exists between.

The ribbons distort and tactically shade direct sunlight, and provide a fire safe sprinkler system for the plastic facade.

Ribbons are constructed from pre-fabricated fiberglass sections and secured via steel cables to anchors disrubuted across floors.

Solar gains are indicated towards the site’s south side. Therefore the north will lack in sunlight. Mitigating this effect are large openings and easy to access terraces.

Wind Profile - Prevailing

Wind Average Velocity

One of the effects of staggering the stacks and arranging them at different heights is the ability to achieve large floor space with generous daylighting.

Further out, we can see that nearby buildings are unlikely to significantly impact the quality of light for the proposal, and impact by the proposal onto existing buildings is within reason.

Naturally, the impact of wind on a tall building proposed on a coastal location is a particular point of concern. Winds generarly indicated from the NW.

The form of the building has been specifically developed to counter wind loads in several ways: through configuration, shape and orientation.

The orientation of the proposal complements the prevailing wind directions structurally. The NW,NE and SE winds strike the buildings corners, which deflects the wind and are stronger to resist forces.

Top Down Wind Rose

Wind Rose South View

Wind Rose North View