Corina Thomas - Architecture Portfolio

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D.a.i.s.i.

Dismantled And In Storage Index - Saltaire Hackspace

A new [digital] industrial revolution is being heralded by some in response to the emergence of digital fabrication. Through the recent accessibility of technology such as 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC routers, individuals can theoretically make anything, anywhere. This project responds to the questions of social conscience that emerge with such a culture.

‘Hacking’ means the playful adaption of materials and technology to a new function. In recent years a number of ‘hackspaces’ have sprung up in cities worldwide. These are places for people to enjoy working on projects alongside likeminded individuals and share expertise in electronics. With a quirky community atmosphere and regular public events, hackspaces are about letting people taking control of their technology.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire is a world-renowned model of 19th Century industrial development, built to house workers for the wool-production of Salt’s Mill. The Mill’s past function as a machine for various processes has given way to new, smaller enterprises - a jewellery shop, bookstore, art gallery, and several technology companies.

This project looks at placing a ‘hackspace’ in the central courtyard of the Mill, joining the smaller enterprises into a new ‘machine for making’, where individuals can come and learn how to repair old gadgets or invent new ones. Central to this idea is the desire to reduce ‘e-waste’ - the huge amounts of old unwanted technology that goes to landfill each year.

At the heart of the hackspace is D.A.I.S.I - the Dismantled And In Storage Index - a vast physical database of materials, parts and possibilities...

[All work by Corina Thomas unless labelled otherwise. Disassembly and site analysis was undertaken as a group project.

Precedent images from internet are labelled accordingly.]

Things to Data The first group study involved disassembling an inkjet printer then reassembling it in a way that provided new information about it. Research showed that the value of the printer’s components far outweighs its cost to buy, and that there are numerous alternate uses for parts of the assembly. An idea emerged to guide the hacking of objects by connecting components from various devices.

Dismantling, cataloguing and storing:

Sytematic Disassembly

Cataloguing

Dismantle the device, learning how it works

Tag components with a scan code

Enter component in database under ‘parent’ device

Physically sort and store by function

Sourcing and creating:

Sorting by origin and use

Search for a specific component in the database

Exhibition

Timeline of the history of printing showing exponential growth in technology up to advent of smart phones and tablets (group work)

Create and discover, learning new skills

Scan a complete hack with an app...

...to bring up the relevant D.A.I.S.I. page

Saltaire, Yorkshire Appalled by workers’ conditions in wool mills in Bradford, Sir Titus Salt built the town of Saltaire in 1853 on the outskirts of the city. Salts Mill dominates the landscape and was in its time a hugely successful alpaca wool factory. Salt built neat stone houses for his workers, as well as bath-houses, a hospital, a library and recreational facilities. The building ceased functioning as a mill in 1986 but was reopened shortly after, now housing a mix of purposes from galleries to restaurants.

Section through Salt’s Mill (group work) 1:500

Salts Mill

Processes Within Salts Mill - 19th Century Group site analysis of the mill’s historic functioning as one large manufacturing process, with the whole town based around it.

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Carding

Cleaning

The wool fibres are straightened as they are run through rollers and unwanted materials such as straw are removed.

The raw wool is washed and scoured to remove mud and grease, the run through rollers to dry it.

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Combing Carded ribbons of wool are aligned to face the same direction. The process is repeated to refine the wool.

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Warp Twisting The wool is twisted onto large rollers. Twisting the wool holds the fibres together.

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Cap Spinning Worsted wool is spun into a dense, strong yarn.

Spindles are joined to form cones, which are then spun together.

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Weaving

Dressing / Warping

Inspecting

The lengthwise threads are organized into a design and wound onto large spools that hold that thread pattern intact.

Material quality is analysed, and regular inspections are made on all part of the mill.

A ‘heddle’ holds the warp threads while the weave threads are run through into their pattern.

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Dyeing

Burling / Mending

Folding / Storing

Natural dyes were used to colour the material. Because of the smell, dyeworks are located away from the town.

Highly skilled workers inspect the cloth by sight and touch.

Imperfections are teased out and mended.

Finished cloth is stored in large warehouses, ready to be transported to the rest of the country and the world.

Worsted wool process

Roberts Park

9 Alpaca wool from South America and Constantinople

10 The process through the Mill

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wed se-to Hor

t to S transpor barges

altaire

Barges pushed across to mill

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Stables

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Liverpool

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United Reformed Church

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Dining Hall

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Woole n

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trains

A mill worker’s day

The movement of workers about town Worker’s Houses

Rail

The Institute

Technical School

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New Processes Within The Mill The Mill is now occupied by a number of small industries, and part of an even more expansive global network than in the 19th Century. Designing a new use for the courtyard creates the opportunity for new relationships between people in the Mill. The hackspace will have its own full time staff ‘residents’ who assist visitors and contribute to the running of the facility.

The diagram below shows how users might explore the different spaces depending on their needs.

Visitors:

Residents:

Visitors:

Residents:

The Horde - a group of school children learning about their relationship to digital technology

Wizard - Takes care of the computers, server and intranet, and helps users with laptop problems

The Designer - A creative user who works in the Mill, looking to use the fabricate products

Shopkeeper - Sells you raw materials and looks after tools

The Tinker - An experienced user with an eye for creative hacks and re-using components

Doctor - Diagnoses issues with people’s devices and suggests fixes

The Archivist - An experienced resident who loves dismantling devices. Responsible for donations and storage.

Mechanic - In charge of wood and metal workshop, helps users with large machines Porter - The first person you see when you visit. Knows where everything and everyone is Owls - Roaming assistants who help amateur users and keep an eye on health and saftey

Canal used as goods access

Entrance from Espresso Bar

Offices

1:500 Section showing possible connections to Salts Mill from courtyard

Visual links and/or entrance through

Entrance through Kath

Long skylit roof space only

History Exhibition

Libbert Jewellery

temporarily used

Main Mill

Concept - Shelving Spine The D.A.I.S.I. database takes on a physical, architectural form as an enormous storage system, forming the core of the building. The hackspace branches off this system, with Residents occupying small ‘domains’ within the unit itself. The shelf stores and displays: > Whole donated devices > Disassembled parts > TV screens > Raw materials > Hand tools > Literary resources > Incomplete projects > Data access points

Computer lab / breakout

Materials shop

Relating to the old Mill

Crossing the courtyard on high level walkways

Site Strategy Development How the D.A.I.S.I component database manifested itself changed quite considerably throughout development. The decision to push it to either side of the mill was made mainly to keep the sense of scale of the courtyard. Spaces within the courtyard become about storage and making, whereas spaces inside the mill

Single slanted spine

Space frame within grid

Break up database

Storage within grid

Warped grid, regular spaces

are more ancillary.

Dog-leg spine

Diagonal spine with stairs

Frame pushed to edges

Spaces occupy a lot of courtyard

Some spaces push into Salts Mill, freeing up the courtyard for workshops

Bridges between storage walls

The stairs climb the spine, offering new views

However the spine divides the space and poses light issues

Key space (electronics lab) is an inhabited bridge

Proposal A place, a storage device, a series of connections. The hackspace is envisioned as part of a series of flows of inputs, outputs and processes. The courtyard is the gateway to various spaces within the mill, and levels can be reached in a variety of ways. The courtyard functions as an inside-outside space, sheltered under an ETFE roof.

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10m

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Key

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1. Disassembly and Sorting Area 2. Entrance to canal 3. Metal and Wood Workshop 4. Materials Shop/’Mechanic’s’ Residence

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5. Suspended walkway

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6. Relaxed lounge space 7. Materials Shop entrance

Level -1 (Lower Ground)

Level 3

1:500

1:500

8. Outdoor recreational space 9. Main entrance area 10. Suspended walkway 11. Computer Lab 12. Fabrication Lab - laser cutters, 3D printer etc.

13. Disabled WC 14. Kitchenette

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15. ‘Owls’ Office 16. Electronics Lab 17. Flexible Seminar/Events Space

Level -2 (Canal Level)

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1:500

18. Entrance to History Exhibition in Mill

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19. Entrance to Kath Libbert Jewellery

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Level 2 1:500

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10m

Level 0 (Entrance Level) 1:200

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The D.a.i.s.i. Mainframe The database frame is subdivided according to what is stored in it and the kinds of shelf needed. The grid corresponds to the windows on the east side of the site, and each unit is 3m high to match the scale of the mill spaces. While the location of items corresponds to the spaces that need them, people are encouraged to wander through the courtyard to find a specific item in order to see what other people are doing.

2 x base grid = workspace

Deep cupboards/shelves

Wet areas

Inhabited storage in Hack Lounge

1. Coat rack 2. Project shelf 3. Medium device shelf 4. Large device shelf/ tool wall 5. Tool / material shelf 6. Large component drawer 7. Medium component drawer 8. Small component drawer

1700mm

3000mm

Base grid - 1:50

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Tools and components

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2200mm

4400mm

800mm

1000mm

600mm

650mm

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D.a.i.s.i

Database access screen

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Kath Libbert Jewellery

Trek and Trail outdoor shop

Openings joined by classroom

Computer lab

Electronics lab

‘Owls’ residence

Main public route and deliveries access

‘Hack lounge’

Materials shop

Access to canal

1:50 frame study model Journeying through D.A.I.S.I

Construction Key precedents:

Imagination Building, London - Ron Heron

Laban Dance Centre, London - Herzog and de Meuron

Roof connection detail 1. Aluminium grip 2. Translucent ETFE foil cushion 3. Multiple air chambers Querosene House, Sao Paulo - grupoSP

4. Secondary structure - 75mm hollow steel profile 5. Air handling unit and air pipe 6. Primary structure - 75mm steel profile 7. Steel gutter section 8. Plastic sheet gutter 9. Steel bracket

Pompidou Centre, Paris - Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers

BBC Scotland Building, Glasgow - David Chipperfield Architects

Cross section through ETFE cushions

Detail Section through Electronics Lab 1:100

Materials:

Key space components (external to internal)

Roof

Walls Hollow profile steel frame structure Translucent polycarbonate cladding 30mm White rock wool insulation 160mm Transparent breather membrane Translucent polycarbonate sheathing 30mm Bolted glass, double glazed, silicon sealed Roof Trussed steel frame structure Steel hangers Translucent polycarbonate cladding 30mm Translucent breather membrane White rock wool insulation 160mm Translucent breather membrane Translucent polycarbonate sheathing 30mm

Floor

Floor Trussed steel frame structure (Plastic packers to raise deck) Polycarbonate cladding 30mm Breather membrane Aluminium corrugated deck Rigid rock wool insulation 160mm Screed 75mm with underfloor heating pipes Hard rubber floor 5mm Key Space - Electronics Lab. The lab forms an insulated, inhabited bridge between the two sides of the mill, a place where you can inhabit the stroage frame as well as access it.

Semi-outdoor courtyard

Spaces inside Salts Mill

Raft foundations, piles under frame Poured concrete floor Diagonally braced steel frame Angled metal brackets Plywood shelves Plastic components containers Inflated ETFE roof

Walls and ceiling

Spaces inside Salts Mill Walls and ceiling European Larch cladding Rigid insulation 30mm Timber frame with 100mm rock wool insulation (Walls: battens with 30mm services gap) European larch cladding

Floor Oak floorboards on battens Floor cavity 30mm Screed 75mm with underfloor heating pipes Breather membrane Rigid rock wool insulation 160mm Plywood subfloor 18mm THe Hackspace comes alive at night

View from the entrance to the courtyard

Fortuny Centre Historic Fashion School, New Mills

The smoky industrial past of New Mills in the Peak District was the driver for this project to design a new textile-based facility. As group work, we investigated the historic and physical fabric of the town, particularly the way the dramatic folded topography of the Torr Valley has parallels with the art of pleating. A brief emerged: to design a centre for the hands-on learning of historic fashion and textiles methods, nestled sensitively into the valley.

New Mills

Diagrammatic section through the Torr Valley showing complex topography

Groupwork models of New Mills, demonstrating the topography through layers and folds 1:1000 Map of New Mills showing rivers and rail links. Site is indicated in orange.

Early sketches exploring topography through different textile expressions, i,e. layering, crumpling, pleating, felting.

Site

Site Plan - 1:500

Analysis Key 1. Site (on ruins of Rock Mill) 2. Rock Mill Path - steps up to New Mills 3. Millenium footbridge - to New Mills Central Station 4. Torr Vale Mill - closed since 2003 5. River Goyt 6. Gritstone wall used by climbers 7. Popular paths for dogwalkers

Flat areas for large spaces

8. Residential buildings 9. Union Road - main high street

Dry stone walls that could be retained

Site Section - 1:500

Flows of movement around the site

The site straddles a series of levels created by the ruins of Rock Mill. Numerous access paths lead past the site and the building will adress each of these as a ‘fold,’ leading people into the pleated structure of the building. The building should respond to these three elements: the flat levels for large spaces; the paths in and around the site; and the mill’s existing retaining walls.

Below are a series of early ambitions for using the site. Movement, enclosure, views and light became the driving elements for the proposal.

Flowing spaces linked by

Varying privacy and

Elements seated within

Exploiting long circulation

Flowing spaces linked by

Connecting levels of the

Different qualities of

horizontal circulation

enclosure

walls of old mill

of site and perpendicular

horizontal circulation

building with pedestrians

natural light ‘pleated’ in

view lines

Building reflects site angles

Program / Process The proposal is for an teaching centre for the revitalisation of historic fashion techniques, where individuals or groups can take part in courses or run their own design projects. The main space is a large well-lit workshop for groups doing machine work, mimicking the weaving rooms of Torr Vale Mill opposite. Branching off are smaller individual rooms and some space for research and design. A large gallery space provides a grand public entrance and be used for fashion shows.

Research

Drawing

Design Meetings

Group Task - We exlored the site through several keywords - ‘light’ ‘reflecting’ ‘pleating’

Teaching

Pattern Cutting

Main workshop

Machine Sewing

Fitting

Design studio

and the material ‘metal’. Photographing the site with various reflecting materials created new patterns, especially when reflective surfaces were used to ‘pleat’ reality.

Process section illustrating the way the levels of the building relate to the levels of the site.

Ironing

Top level entrance

Fashion Events

Changing

Middle level entrance

Gallery

Gallery entrance

Relaxing/Eating

Pleated Light The manipulation of light through the envelope of the building was a key concept.

Depending on the nature of the space, light would be allowed to filter through in soft daylight, or dramatic patterns of direct sunlight.

1:50 model showing the dark, heavy lower levels and light, airy upper levels

Sketch models exploring light and envelope

Second floor 18. Double height space above workshop 19. Study space 20. Top level entrance

First floor 9. Middle level entrance 10. Design area and cafe 11. Outdoor seating 12. Daylit corridor space 13. Disabled WC 14. Cloakroom 15. Main workshop 16. Wet area 17. Stairs to individual studios

Ground floor 1. Main entrance 2. Reception and office 3. Gallery 4. Changing room 5. Multidirectional lift 6. Individual studio 7. Stairs to main workshop 8. Cycle store 9. Outdoor seating

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Proposed Floor Plans 1:250

10m

Proposal

Detail showing replaceable pleated fabric skin clipping onto portal frame system

Section A:A - main workshop and individual studio

Construction Axonometric

A late-night fashion show brings visitors from far and wide

Section B:B - gallery and cafe

Threshold Microlight Hangar, Peak Dis tric t

The dramatic Millstone Edge, a popular climbing destination, becomes home to a cantilevering viewing platform and hangar for microlight aircraft. This project began with a drawn investigation of the scrubby paths and mysterious rock faces of the site, alongside programmatic studies of hangar requirements.

The hangar complex is set at a perpendicular axis to the cliff edge, bisecting two key walking paths and taking visitors on a new journey towards or away from the Edge. The key spaces required were a hangar and runway with associated admin space, a ‘walker’s rest’ and public washrom facilities.

The three key material elements are the solid gritstone paths (reinforced closer to the building), the timber boardwalk and cabins, and the bird-like roof structures. Each element allows for a different relationship with the place, emphasising the weight of the earth and the feeling of flight. The glider-shaped roofs give the impression the building is ready to take off and provide a visual landmark in the wilderness.

A cantilevered viewing plat form juts out over the Edge, allowing visitors to experience the thrill of having air below them and sk y above.

Sec tion through walker ’s rest, toilet block and hangar of fice

Cross sec tions through walker ’s rest, toilet block and hangar

1:10 0 model showing sail-like roof struc tures

The facilit y in relation to the sudden threshold of the clif f

Early experimental models

Housing Mixed Residential Development, York

Drawing on a rich collection of precedent research, the brief was to design a housing development of three-bed family units and two-bed units for first-time buyers in York. The proposal was influenced by the study of row-houses in Amsterdam and UK housing such as Accordia, Cambridge (FCBS) and Abode, Essex (Proctor & Matthews.) Aesthetic and material decisions were guided by the desire to avoid pastiche and create a contemporary development respectful of its historic setting.

Environmental sec tion exploring solar shading and daylighting

Striking a delicate balance between privacy and security, the development is intended to encourage interaction between neighbours through shared front entrances, a communal rear access route typical of Victorian terraces, and a children’s playground. The larger units sandwich the smaller, creating a staggered terrace of pitched-roof dwellings with generous garden space. The timber cladding of the building unfolds to form garden decks and steps up to the shared path.

Inside the family units, a large well-lit double height space forms the central kitchen and dining area. More private spaces such as the living room and bedrooms are moved upstairs. The spaces are fixed around a central integrated staircase and bookshelf. Environmental factors such as desire for natural daylight influenced the decision to provide large amounts of south-west glazing facing York’s City Wall.

Each 2-bed proper t y is paired with a family 3-bed unit, sharing a front entrance space

1:50 opening model exploring internal layout of a 3-bed family unit

The relationship bet ween the dwellings, their gardens, the shared deck and York ’s wall helps create a sense of place and promotes interac tion bet ween neighbours

Twinned front doors under an overhang

Open stair around bookshelf in living space

Ver tical movement reveals new views

Early massing experiments

Detail sec tion demonstrating heat-loss control