Master's Part II Portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

RESUME

Andy Axel Kokongando

Birmingham, West Midlands

07983760248 andyaxel12@gmail.com Linkedin.com/in/andy-axel-koko-434694110 issuu.com/andyaxel

ABOUT ME

I am clear that I want to pursue a career in Architecture, because it will enable me to combine the strongest aspects of my personality; a fascination with the complex nature of architecture and the rewarding experience of nurturing an idea from concept to completion; enthusiasm for solving practical problems; a willingness to work hard and develop new skills; and working with other people as part of a team.

When I first came to the UK from the D.R. Congo at the age of ten, I spoke almost no English, but I found I was able to express myself through my art. Whilst exploring this passion at college, I was inspired by one of my teachers to apply for a Summer Internship with Glenn Howells Architects, which I was successful in obtaining. This experience subsequently inspired me to apply to study Architecture at University.

Having obtained my undergraduate degree at Coventry University, I obtained a role with CDRB Architects, working on projects in RIBA stage 0-4, specialising in housing and renovations.

I have also worked for the past three years as an external Architectural Consultant, collaborating with other design practices and also directly with clients. The projects I completed were varied and included both residential and commercial units.

I have recently obtained a Master of Architecture (March/RIBA II) from Birmingham City University. I am keen to grow and develop my skills further and therefore I am seeking a role which enables me to do so.

SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY

DIVER CITY

PERFORMATIVE INSTALLATIONS DIVERCITY MASTER’S PROJECT

This was a series of performance-based installation projects, inspired by the BBC film ‘The Way Out’, which was filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot. Initial development involved conducting cinemetric analyses of the chosen scenes, using both qualitative and quantitative data. Particular focus was given to the underlying themes and the way these were portrayed by actors, as well as the significance of the films’ location, namely Battersea Arts Centre.

This analysis was used, as well as drawing inspiration from the Mayor of London’s ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy’ (2019) to develop two design proposals. The aim of these designs were to create not just simply performance spaces, but to serve a secondary purpose determined by the local community it serves.

PROGRAMMING

The development process deconstructs the key elements of each scene (symbolism, characters, script, action and how the camera presents the context), tranforming each scene into a single narrative, which becomes the design principle and sets the parameters for each site and subsequently, the design choices.

STRENGTH TO INSPIRE

This scene represented the journey of overcoming hardship in one’s life.

This scene represented having the confidence to showcase one’s talents.

This scene represented self-acceptance and using that strength to inspire others.

SHOWCASE

JOURNEY

JOURNEY SHOWCASE

STRENGTH TO INSPIRE

1907

Battersea Town Hall became a significant venue for the Suffragette Movement, whose campaign movement ultimately led to women achieving the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

1841

Battersea became a Metropolitan Borough. Much of the open, free land was taken up by the four railway companies and riverside windmills. Wharves were replaced by new industries, such as: Paces Candles, Morgan’s Crucible Works, Garton’s Glucose Factory, flour mills, breweries and the Nine Elms Gas Works.

1913

Battersea Arts Centre was used as a venue for the election of John Archer as Mayor of Battersea. Monumentally, he became the first black Mayor of a London Borough. 1987

Akyaaba Addai-Sebo was a Ghanian-born analyst, journalist and activist, who was credited with developing the recognition of October as Black History Month in the UK. He lived in Garfield Road, Battersea after migrating to the UK.

Decades later, St George’s School in Battersea became one of the few institutions to teach Black History Month as part of their curriculum.

2020

A ‘Black Lives Matter’ march is held at the US Embassy, in Battersea, following the unlawful killing of George Floyd.

BATTERSEA’S CULTURAL & DIVERSITY HISTORY CULTURAL CLUSTER

Brief

To design a temporary theatrical installation that challenges the concept of how to interpret the idea of user/audience experiencing a journey while interacting with the space to reach the destination (performance space). In addition, incorporating a secondary use within the outline of The Mayor of London’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and also the surrounding context. As such, I implemented design initiatives.

Exploratory Design Proposal

The design proposal was to interpret the ‘Lost Youth’ scene within the BBC Film ‘The Way Out’; recreating the physical action and importance of the spoken word within the performance. The pavilion was designed to signify growth; leading the user down a fixed path, to reach a positive end destination. The flexibility of the site enables it to be utilised for a range of secondary purposes, including weddings and celebrations.

An important element of the design proposal was to create a structure which was respectful of the environment it is situated. Due to the pavilion being positioned within a recreational park, I wanted to ensure that any environmental impact was minimal. As such, I implementing design initiatives which included raised platforms to prevent unnecessary destruction of nature. The design also celebrates green spaces, by incorporating the plantation of community gardens within the pavilion.

Concept Defining journey

PHYSICAL

ABSTRACT

CIRCLE OF LIFE.

DIAGRAM BY THE BEST START RESOURCE CENTRE, A CHILD BECOMES

STRONG: JOURNEYING THROUGH EACH STAGE OF THE LIFE CYCLE

EIGHT STAGES OF LIFE

SEVEN PHASES OF LIFE

1. 762X267mm roof beam span to allow for max span on the first floor. 2. Corregated Roof Deck

100mm Lightweight Roof Copper panel for the ramp

Translucent Lightweight curtain panels to also act as a safety component

Signle Glazing curtain Panel

Steel Columns

Cross-diagonal bracing system attached to I-steel column to add to its rigidity

Structural Steel floor deck

Raised CassetteTimber floor - chosen due to its capability of being temporary

Lightweight Steel Deck for the ramp

AXONOMETRIC OF THE JOURNEY PAVILION

JOURNEY

Brief

To design a temporary theatrical installation that challenges the concept of how an installation can be inspiring to its audience and to elevate the activities being undertaken within the space.

In addition, incorporating a secondary use within the outline of The Mayor of London’s ‘Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy’ and also its surrounding context, namely: Battersea Park.

Exploratory Design Proposal

The design proposal sought to interpret the ‘Come To Me As You Are’ scene within the BBC Film ‘The Way Out’; which is about self-acceptance. The protagonist (‘the outsider’) is coming to accept who they are. This is represented by a change in tone from previous scenes whereby both the physical and spoken attributes are more intricate and honest, creating a calming sense of clarity and inspiration for those seeking acceptance. As such, the design proposal will incorporate a secondary use, namely a community counselling space, in line with the theme of the scene.

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

STRENGTH TO INSPIRE

SHOWCASE

PROVISION HOUSE DUDLEY

PROVISION HOUSE MASTER’S PROJECT

Provision House was part of a project tailored to specifically combine complex, synthesised design skills with collaborative, administrative, legislative and technical challenges of working within a live practice framework. Beyond just handling a design brief, this project placed an importance on teamwork and the understanding and application of the RIBA’s ‘Plan of Work’. Provision House itself was briefed as a prominent building within the Dudley High Street thad has a long-standing history since 1939, and was therefore locally listed. It has been recently acquired by ‘Loaves N Fishes’, a Christian based charity, whose vision was to offer spaces to complementary organisations who could provide services which would be of benefits to the “charity’s client, others in need and the local community in general.”

As a collective and practice, it was important to establish a manifesto based on shared beliefs. We sought to deliver a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable scheme. We established a working business structure to reflect our working relationship, one that promoted inclusiveness and shared ideas.

BRIEF DEVELOPMENT

Loaves N Fishes had recently acquired a lease relating to the former Cooperative Emporium building, now known as Provision House. This building is located in a prominent position on Dudley High Street in the West Midlands. The building required a significant overhaul. It had been poorly serviced; there was limited heating, intermittent hot water provision and no power supply to certain floors. This all required rectification.

As Loaves N Fishes did not wish to expand their service offering, the floor space available at Provision House was much greater than they required. The clients vision was therefore to offer space to other organisations who complimented their offering and could provide services which would be of benefit to their clients, others in need and the wider local community. This was taken into account during the planning and design process.

ACCOMMODATION

We initially explored the relationship between the spaces required on the brief. The required us to imagine the various routes and narratives of the users of the building.

EXISTING ROOF LEVEL

EXISTING SECOND FLOOR LEVEL

EXISTING FIRST FLOOR LEVEL

EXISTING GROUND FLOOR LEVEL

EXISTING BASEMENT FLOOR LEVEL

ACCOMMODATION

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Loaves N Fishes previously operated a linear economic model, whereby they would receive donations form the public which they would then sell onwards. The main issue our clients faced, according to our brief, was that the majority of items donated were not feasible for immediate resale and required a high level of craftsmanship to make them adequate for sale. As such, we focused on designing creative workshop spaces in which volunteers could donate their time to ‘upcycle’ these items ready for sale.

We also incorporated ‘active display’ areas in highfootfall locations around the building to further sales potential. Furthermore, we introduced a roof garden whereby food could be grown and harvested by volunteers. The resulting produce would be sold within the cafe, donated to social supermarkets or used in community cooking lessons. All of these incorporated features would enable Loaves N Fishes to operate a circular economic model; increasing their future earning potential and improving their environmental footprint, by reducing waste.

MATERIAL MOOD BOARD

Our strategy for Provision House was to inject a natural material pallet. We chose to use materials such as raw timbers, brickwork and concrete. This enabled us to reuse components of the existing building or locally-sourced materials from industrial buildings surrounding the site. We also sought to use existing charitable donations within the space to decorate and furnish. This sustainable approach created an eco-friendly solution, in addition to being more economically viable for a project which has limited funding.

DONATED CYCLE

FOOD CYCLE

Proposed Basement

Proposed

PROPOSED BASEMENT FLOOR LEVEL PROPOSED GROUND FLOOR LEVEL

Proposed Ground Floor

Proposed Ground Floor Mez

Scale 1:100

PROPOSED GROUND FLOOR MEZZANINE FLOOR LEVEL

Proposed First Floor

PROPOSED FIRST FLOOR LEVEL

Scale 1:100

Security

Proposed Second Floor

PROPOSED SECOND FLOOR LEVEL

Proposed Roof Garden

PROPOSED ROOF FLOOR LEVEL

Scale 1:100

This is designed with both the church and sun path in mind, as the main public route across the green roof is determined by the shadow of the spire from top church at 5:30pm, forming a spiritual connection between the existing church and Provision House. In order to improve the yield of growing, the plating area is kept to the sother section to insure year round sunlight for the majorty of the day. Additionally, to improve connectivity between Provision House and the highstreet, the public realm on the roof is positioned to the north, where Provision House connects to the top of the highstreet.

COSTING AND PHASING

SOUTH ELEVATION WEST ELEVATION

NORTH ELEVATION LONG SECTION

TRENLEIGH HOUSE MOSELEY

TRENLEIGH HOUSE MOSELEY AVALON DESIGN

Working an Architectural Consultant in conjunction with Avalon Design, the brief was to convert Trenleigh House from a derelict three-storey building into seven premium duplex apartments, centred around a communal landscaped courtyard. Trenleigh House itself is situated in a prominent location within the affluent Moseley Village and is located within a conservation area. The intention of the project was to reflect the growing investment occurring in the vicinity and create a unique space, which emulated its wider surroundings.

WALSALL

POOL STREET WALSALL AVALON DESIGN

Pool Street was a new-build residential project in Walsall. The design consisted of one multistory unit, comprised of a mixture of apartments and town houses. The brief sought to reflect existing properties within the area. This heavily influenced design choices including materials, form and scale.

717 m²Corridor 713 m²Kitchen/Dining 75 m²Shower 715 m²Bedroom 716 m²Lounge 73 m²Storage 74 m²Entrance Foyer 815 m²Lounge 815 m²Corridor 812 m²Kitchen/Dining 814 m²Bedroom 85 m²Shower 82 m²Storage 920 m²Bedroom 914 m²Bedroom 99 m²Corridor 94 m²Shower 926 m²Kitchen/Lounge 1026 m²Kitchen/Lounge 109 m²Corridor 105 m²Shower 1014 m²Bedroom 1014 m²Bedroom 113 m²Entrance Foyer 1123 m²Lounge 113 m²Corridor 1110 m²Kitchen 112 m²Toilet 111 m²Storage 1223 m²Lounge 1210 m²Kitchen 123 m²Corridor 121 m²Storage 122 m²Toilet 133 m²Corridor 131 m²Storage 1323 m²Lounge 1310 m²Kitchen 132 m²Toilet

m²Lobby

m²Bedroom

m²Shower

HOUSING RENOVATIONS

PROPOSED TWO STOREY SIDE EXTENSION

RENOVATIONS

PROPOSED FIRST FLOOR EXTENSION

PROPOSED TWO STOREY SIDE EXTENSION COVENTRY CDRB ARCHITECTS

In this particular project, the client was keen to have a rear and side extension over his existing garage, adding a new master bedroom with an ensuite.

EXISTING FRONT ELEVATION

EXISTING GROUND FLOOR PLAN

EXISTING REAR ELEVATION

EXISTING FIRST FLOOR PLAN

PROPOSED FRONT ELEVATION

PROPOSED GROUND FLOOR PLAN

PROPOSED REAR ELEVATION

PROPOSED FIRST FLOOR PLAN

PROPOSED EXTENSION COVENTRY CDRB ARCHITECTS

In this project, I was briefed by the client to remodel the ground, first and second floors. This included an extension to the first floor and roof alterations to enable the expansion of the second floor.

PROPOSED GROUND FLOOR PLAN

PROPOSED FIRST FLOOR PLAN

PROPOSED SECOND FLOOR PLAN

EXISTING SIDE ELEVATION

EXISTING REAR ELEVATION

PROPOSED FRONT ELEVATION

PROPOSED SIDE ELEVATION PROPOSED REAR ELEVATION

COVENTRY-CO DEVELOPMENT

URBAN STRATEGY

URBAN PLANNING: THE COVENTRY-CO DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTION - CONNECTION - COMMUNITY BACHELOR PROJECT

As Coventry experiences growth as a city, there has been increasing disconnect between local people and its visitors. This separation is evident in how people interact with the city and the relationship of the spaces throughout. The Coventry-Co Development project sought to mend this disconnect through the medium of urban planning. For the purposes of the project, focus was given to an area north of the city centre where the inner ring road was creating a divide and a barrier to integration.

In order to solve the aforementioned issue, three key elements were identified: Contribution, Connection, and Community.

CONNECTION relates to what the area should be; a gateway to the inner city centre for all stakeholders. The project aims to bring locals, international visitors and students together, enabling them to CONTRIBUTE to improving Coventry as a city. Previously, the communities outside of the ring road have been separated and hidden behind a large area of desolate space and dangerous parkland. The site has the potential to reignite the connection between these COMMUNITIES and the inner city.

A clear link must be established to the local residents, to clear to give a clear indication of the urban fabric

A clear link must be established to the local residents, to clear to give a clear indication of the urban fabric

The park must be celebrated, as it could be a key component to the neighbourhood. The site must act as a gateway and connection of both resident and the shopping Precinct

The park must be celebrated, as it could be a key component to the neighbourhood.

The site must act as a gateway and connection of both resident and the shopping Precinct

LES RATCLIFFE CULTURAL CENTRE

The client’s aim was to find a solution, to the ‘realities facing the city’. Therefore, the aim of the education and cultural community centre was to teach skills and qualifications in order to help tackle the issue of unemployment facing individuals in Coventry. The multicultural centre also sought to provide a base for new startups and entrepreneurs to develop their business. Collaborating with Culture Coventry and other prominent cultural groups within the conglomerate, the client also wanted the building to increase cultural engagement. Therefore, the design needed to be flexible in order to encompass all these purposes.

The proposal was split into three different zones, reflecting the function and users: Educational, Operational and Cultural.

and users: Educational, Operational, Cultural. classes: consisting of five classrooms, four Media rooms, accessible to the public, as it consists of: an exhibition Space, operate, and mostly a private area. It consists of different promote integration and collaboration between the two meeting rooms and a theatre space, for a conference different organizations, different, and different cultures. inhabitants. It is then a challenge of designing for such a treating the spatial and functional quotas as a living cit tropes against the fundamentals of how a city function flow of spaces in order to achieve balance among all of its

The purpose of the EDUCATIONAL zone was primarily for the enrolling students and classes: consisting of five classrooms, four media rooms and three functionally distinct workshops. The CULTURAL zone, accessible to the public, consisted of an exhibition space, as well as a dining and social area. The OPERATIONAL zone was a private area, which would be utilised by the clients day-to-day operational activities. This consisted of different sized office space and an open-plan office breakaway area, the purpose of which aimed to promote integration and collaboration between the different organisations. The space also included two meeting rooms and a theatre for conferences, public speaking and other events. In total, Les Ratcliffe Cultural Centre was a 4000m2 proposal.

the vertical movement wanted from the concept, the Thus, treating the concept has city, it became clear t horizontal movement. Meaning one level can have multiple with that this new proposed plans of multiple sub-levels

TAMPAK BAWAH SEKALI

3D PRINTING MODEL MAKING

WHITEFRIAR’S MASTER’S PROJECT

As part of my master’s project, I explored the use photogrammetry and its application within architecture. Displayed is a model of one the most historical roads within the city of Coventry, namely, Whitefriars. From that exploration, I then continued with a 3D modelling of key characteristics which I used to develop the wider project.

PHOTOGRAMMETRY MODEL OVEIL WINDOW OF WHITEFRIAR’S

WHITEFRIARS GATE

WHITEFRIARS MONASTERTY

WHITEFRIAR’S MONASTERY THE RUIN, MUCH PARK STREET

DOCUMENTARY FORGOTTEN PAST

FORGOTTEN PAST MASTERS PROJECT

Forgotten Past is a short documentary that recounts the significant history of Whitefriars and how it contributed to the legacy of the city of Coventry. The documentary utilises both photogrammetry models and video techniques as a canvas of storytelling. There are five key moments which highlighted by the documentary, including:

Whitefriar Gate and its legacy as the famous Coventry Toy Museum by Ron Morgan in the 20th Century.

The bombing and destruction of Much Park Street, Whitefriar Lane, Whitefriar Street and Whitefriar Monastery during the WW2 Blitz.

The construction of the Ring Road in the 1960’s that dramatically changed accessibility to the city.

The significance of Coventry University within the modern time and how it has changed the outlook of the city.

The Whitefriar Monastery, including its rich history and struggle of being in constant flux due to political, religious and economical factors.

Whitefriar’s Gate – Coventry Toy Museum

PHOTOGRAMMETRIC CAMERA’S TRACK

EVENT MAPPING

Coventry Blitz

Ring Road

University’s Plaza Whitefriar Monastery

Toy Museum

ARTWORK

CONTEMPORARY ART (GRAFFITI) THE MODERN ERA NARCISSUS

My reinterpretation of the story of ‘Narcissus’ from Greek Mythology. I have always been fascinated by Greek Mythology and I was inspired to create a piece of art that told the story in a more contemporary style, appealing to the current time. Thus I combined that initiative with the inspiration of previous artists who have told this story in their own ways; Dali’s Metamorphosis of Narcissus and Caravaggio’s Narcissus to create a graffiti styled art.

CUPID’S ARROW, COFFEE & INK

THE SKULL OF VANITAS

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