LU BArch 2nd Year Portfolio 2 2024

F213157 P3

CONTENTS RESEARCH

DEVELOPMENT

FINAL DESIGN

4

Macro Research

12

Concept

28

Site Plan

5

Meso Research

13

5 Big Ideas + Parti

29

Location plan + Long Section

6

Site Analysis

14

Enterprise Precedent

30

Floor plans

8

Typology Study

15

Program

34

Sections

10

Stakeholder Analysis

16

Site Strategy

36

North Elevation

11

Library Pop-up

17

Massing Iterations

38

South Elevation

18

Design Exploration

40

Storyboard

24

Further Site Exploration

42

Bay Study

25

Final Model

43

Exploded Axonometric Diagram

LEST WE REMEMBER The objective of this project is to design a library to serve the community of Liverpool, specifically the Vauxhall area.

My project explores the relationship between place and memory, focusing on how that interplay deteriorates as the built environment decays.

LEST WE REMEMBER | Macro Research

1945 Onwards

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

LIVERPOOL

4

LEST WE REMEMBER | Meso Research

Housing conditions in the vauxhall The new developments in

area in the 70s were extremely

Vauxhall and the surrounding As a strip of land near the river it

area

was naturally an ideal location for

derelict and polluted land

are

poor and continued to decline Vast

restoring

new

place During

the

1840s,

on

developments

taking

brownfield

sites,

potentially benefitting biodiversity

industrial

have

voted

infrastructure such as iron foundries

•

Job insecurity

The

•

Lack of opportunity

development trust for raising funds

•

Financial decline

to employ professional staff and

1885

-

Irish Nationalist

1929

the

develop

Group:

Action

group

called

Contamination Vauxhall address the of

environmental industrial

waste

80s

and

90s

commercial,

A

physical,

-

Aims and objectives: •

Maintaining the community

•

Providing quality affordable

Labour

housing •

it a location dense with labourers

impact dumping

in the industrilal strip due to the decline of liverpool as a port.

Eldonian

and economic projects in the area

and factories were created , making

1967-72, 20% of jobs were lost

throughout

Labour since the dock closure.

industry and had a strong workforce.

All

majority

Claims that 2000 tonnes of

1964

-

Having a say in how and where they live

Labour

Influx of irish immigrants into Vauxhall in the 1840s 1971

-

Labour They lived and worked by the docks, poor quality housing withsocial deprivation and disease prevalent

1974

-

Labour

1997

-

Labour Co-op

1970s saw the decline of the dock in terms of employment

2019

-

Labour

Regeneration scheme, building 130 new houses 36 units of sheltered housing around Portland Gardens

contaminated waste dumped on Vauxhall and Chisenhale street

INDUSTRY

ENVIRONMENT

POLITICS

COMMUNIT Y

VA U X H A L L Throughout the history of Liverpool and Vauxhall, specifically during the postwar years, what stands out most is the progressive shutting down of major public infrastructure, such as the overhead railway system and the docks

5

LEST WE REMEMBER | Site Analysis

SITE 1

Site is accessible from both residential and commercial zones

Traffic from the major road could limit service access

Road access from only one side

Acoustics problems caused by passing trains Canals can be integrated into the site View of the river Empty site so less sitework

Potential development will block daylight for much of the site

EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

6

Flatness makes it easier to access

INTERNAL STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

LEST WE REMEMBER | Site Analysis While the aforementioned theme of the

SITE 2

decline of the built environment relates to both sites, further analysis led me in the direction of choosing Site 2, since El-

Nearby school would provide users of the library

don grove is example in itself of a recent instance of the public realm being shut down.

Buildings are grade II listed Accessible to local residents Width of residential roads could limit service access

Plenty of immediate road access

Building area is limited by existing buildings

Lack of privacy for local residents

Major road cuts off road access from the city centre

Potential development could block daylight

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

THREATS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

Full access to daylight throughout the day

STRENGTHS

7

TYPOLOGY STUDY looking at different existing library typologies

ARTERIAL

Since Eldon Grove used to be tenements,

RADIAL

LEST WE REMEMBER | Typology Study

provides a better idea of how the spaces within the existing building can be altered to better suit it’s new function as a public building. By identifying certain typologies that my chosen libraries have in common, I was over time. Libraries are seemingly tending towards more of an open plan circulation with other functions integrated into the standard

PERIPHERAL

able to map how the typology has changed

DESIGNATED

functions of the library

8

Library of Congress 1800

British Museum Library 1857

New York Public Library 1897

Viipuri Library 1935

OPEN

ACCESS

LEST WE REMEMBER |

CENTRALISED

REALMS

Private space

Public space

INTEGRATED

ARRANGEMENT

Reading room

Services

Stacks

Other

DAYLIGHTING

Shelving

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library 1963

Geisel Library 1970

Public Library in Villanueva de la Cañada 2005

Library in Beidaihe 2015

Kirkkonummi 2020

Library

9

LEST WE REMEMBER | Stakeholder analysis

Key Stakeholders LOCAL STUDENTS

OLDER RESIDENTS OLDER RESIDENTS SCHOOL CHILDREN

LOCAL STUDENTS LOCAL FAMILIES

CATERING

SCHOOL CHILDREN

NEIGHBOURS

LOCAL FAMILIES

LIBRARIANS

Map of the distribution of Key stakeholders throughout Liverpool

Impact

LANDOWNERS LIVERPOOL CENTRAL LIBRARY

LOCAL COUNCIL

NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

SECURITY

HISTORIC ENGLAND WASTE MANAGEMENT

CLEANERS

MANAGERS

LIVERPOOLBASED CHARITIES

LOCAL INDUSTRY

• • • • • • •

Accessible spaces Lifts Communal space Study spaces Breakout rooms Recreational space Cafe/Restaurant

• • • • •

Kitchen Storage Waste disposal Service access Offices

•

Gift/souvenir shops

•

Market space

Influence

How much influence they have over the design

How much the project will impact them

Professional 2%

Associate professional & technical 6% Clerical & secretarial 5%

No response 9%

None 25%

Craft & Related 19%

Any 5% Other 4%

Local community members Library staff Authoritative groups Investors

10

Managers & administrators 1%

Stakeholder needs

TRANSPORT AUTHORITIES

IT

Desired occupations for residents of Vauxhall

Plant & machine operatives 7%

Personal & protective service 13%

Sales 4%

LEST WE REMEMBER | Library Pop-up

RE: LIVE CANVAS

SHELVING

ELDON GROVE’S PAST

SEATING

ELDON GROVE’S FUTURE

TIMBER

FOLDING MECHANISM

Looking at the communities that this project could potentially reconcile, my key stakeholders are ones that could facilitate this connection through memory, so this project will mainly focus on catering to and connecting the older and younger generations of Vauxhall.

ROTATING THE CANVAS

TRANSPORTING THE STRUCTURE BACK TO THE SITE

These key stakeholders wer taken into consideration when designing my library pop-up, which involves reaching out to past and present residents of the area local to Eldon Grove and collecting visual and written memories which would be exhibited on this revolving analogue fabric display

11

LEST WE REMEMBER | Concept

NARRATIVE It’s impossible to distinguish a memory from the place where it occurs. Places that are inhabited by many end up becoming intangible libraries of thought which are able to span generations, tying together its occupants. Therefore, what happens when these spaces start to degrade? The shared memories which reside in these buildings become fewer and fewer as they get overwritten with images of emptiness and desolation. The built environment of Vauxhall is one that has been subject to decades of this process which has forced the community apart and nowhere is this exemplified more than in Eldon Grove.

While this stain within Vauxhall’s memory manifests as a common problem, this commonality has the capacity to rebuild the community; by inhabiting these hollow memories once again, the community is given a chance for reconciliation.

“The shared memories which reside in these buildings become fewer and fewer as they get overwritten with images of emptiness and desolation” 12

LEST WE REMEMBER | 5 Big Ideas

REINFORCE

RECONCILE

Abstracting the existing typology, working with it instead of against it by exploring the existing materiality.

EMERGE

Juxtaposing the old public domain of the structure itself (the facade and walkways) with the new (atriums, hallways, etc.).

INTEGRATE

Building out of the rear or side facades, leaving the front facade, and therefore the architectural identity, intact.

Blending the public realm spaces of the library with the public use of the outdoor space.

Parti Diagram

DEGRADE

Incorporating aspects of the remaining architecture both as material and as design features.

Treating the decayed structure as a framework upon which which the community is able to thrive 13

LEST WE REMEMBER | Enterprise

The Farrell centre is a building in Newcastle dedicated to broadening the discussion of

workshops

architcture and the built environment. It hosts a variety of events and course targeted

school activities

at people of all ages, therefore serving as

practical education

an ideal precedent for how the enterprise of this library will function. This enterprise can be extended to the site itself, placing an

professional events

emphasis on the practical learning aspect of the craft of building.

conferences

URBAN CONSTRUCTION HUB

fig. 1

public talks & debates community projects

exhibitions

virtual activities

fig. 2

14

fig. 3

community gatherings

LEST WE REMEMBER | Spatial program

As a library: • Quiet study • Computer room • Reading rooms • Stacks • Plant room • Rare books

Acoustic study of each space:

As a construction hub: • Exhibition space • Lecture hall • Class rooms • Soft play room • Practical learning room • Conference room

Spatial program iterations

Final iteration is linear in order to closer emulate the spatial arrangement of the existing building

15

LEST WE REMEMBER | Site strategy

2

1

3

CK

MIDDLE BLO

EAST BLOCK

WEST BLOCK

4

6

5

1. Hollowing out the blocks by removing the floors to create a larger internal space 2. Service access from Limekiln Lane since it is one of the wider roads surrounding the site 3. Maintaining the existing walkways an using them as observation decks 4. Utilisation of greenery on site to provide privacy for the neighbours of the library 5. Removal of all roofs due to the their deterioration to create continuity 16

between all blocks

LEST WE REMEMBER | Massing iterations

Iteration 1

Iteration 2

Iteration 3

Iteration 4 Looking at how the attachment of these new spaces to the existing

The initial massing iterations tend towards a structure which spans the

facade could be facilitated by a facade retention system

front and rear façade of the existing building and allows the main entrance point to be where the West block once stood.

Upon, I decided it would be more consistent to maintain this structure, keeping the ground floor open and permeable, where these permeations still allow circulation through the site and into the building itself. The subsequent massing iteration explores instead creating volumes which sit off the facades, treating the internal space of the original building as open plan circulation.

Iteration 5

Workshop Atrium

Classrooms

Nursery Events space

Lecture hall Cafe

Exhibition space Main reading room

Conference room

Children’s books

Stacks

Quiet study

17

LEST WE REMEMBER | Materiality and memory study Since the iterations of massing models felt like they straying from the concept, I decided to return to its two main aspects: memory and decay. Since the majority of the local community’s memory is of the front façade, I decided to dismantle the architectural features and materiality of the front façade such that these newer volumes would evoke the building’s architectural identity.

Mock tudor windows and rendering

Divided light windows as well as the curtains which sit behind them

Steelwork railings which have rusted due to lack of maintenance 18

LEST WE REMEMBER | Decay study

Sketch models of various architectural features were allowed to weather outside in order to study how these forms tend to collapse and decay

19

LEST WE REMEMBER | Specific spatial development The two previous exercises are then integrated into one another incorporating the materiels explored with the potential forms that were developed in order to optimise the functionality of each of these external spaces

The stacks require a regular flow of air throughout the bookshelves in order to prevent stagnant moist air damaging the books. The dark roof tiles on the front facade accumulate heat throughout the day, and at regular intervals, the vents on that same facade are opened to allow for stack ventilation 20

The quiet study area draws upon the collapsed façade form, while utilising the memory of the windows and curtains both visually and fucntionally, as the windows provide daylighting, and the curtains would line the internal surfaces, enhancing this anechoic envronment.

LEST WE REMEMBER |

The workshop space is able to provide a much wider space with necessary ventilation in order to avoid accumulation of dust and fumes in the air by drawing from the form of a fallen stacked structure, creating multiple pitched roofs which also help daylight the space.

1:50 section model 21

LEST WE REMEMBER | Walkway precedents Analysis of the material and potential acoustic implications of different walkway constructions, since they will be populating the whole structure, including the main reading room

fig. 4

fig. 6

fig. 5

fig. 7

22

LEST WE REMEMBER | Walkway iterations and final solution Exploration of potential walkway forms in order to solve the issue of providing consistent corridor space along the length of the structrue, as well as forms that avoid the chimney stacks while providing a comfortable route through the structrue

Final walkway solution

23

LEST WE REMEMBER | Public realm exploration One of two lampposts on site, both of which are Grade II listedstructures

One of many piles of debris on site, which, hrough community engagement, is able to host a variety of wildlife

One of many brick structures on site, able to be used as practice for the craft of bricklaying

In keeping with the concept of utilising the decay as an opportunity to reconcile the community, my final strategy for the site involves providing access to areas of the site, essentially treating different areas as landmarks. In doing so, facilitating the capacity for these areas to be enhanced as an extension of the library’s enterprise 24

LEST WE REMEMBER | Final massing iteration / 1:200 model

25

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:500 Site Plan

26

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:2000 Location Plan

1:1000 Site Section

27

LEST WE REMEMBER | Plans

1:200 Ground Floor Plan

3

1

4

2 5

7

28

LEST WE REMEMBER | Plans

6

9

10

14

15

16

1. Entrance 2. Foyer 3. Front desk 4. Staff room 5. Cafe 6. Kitchen 7. Soft play room 8. Conference room 9. WC 10. Librarian desk 11. Main reading room 12. Computer room 13. Storytelling room 14. Plant room 15. Rare books 16. WC 17. Stacks

11

12 8

13

17

29

LEST WE REMEMBER | Plans

1:200 First Floor Plan

23

30

23

LEST WE REMEMBER | Plans

18. Classrooms 19. Adult reading area 20. Children’s reading area 21. Quiet study carrels 22. Stacks 23. Observation deck 24. WC

24

19 18

20

21 22

31

LEST WE REMEMBER | Plans

1:200 FSecond Floor Plan

30

30

25

32

LEST WE REMEMBER | Plans

25. Workshop 26. Lecture room 27. Exhibition space 28. Group study carrels 29. Stacks 30. Observation deck 31. WC

31

27

28

29

26

33

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:200 Section

1:100 Perspective Sections

AA

34

B

A

B

A

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:200 Section

BB

35

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:200 Elevation

1:200 North Elevation

36

LEST WE REMEMBER |

37

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:200 Elevation

1:200 South Elevation

38

LEST WE REMEMBER |

39

LEST WE REMEMBER | Storyboard

1. Approaching the entrance

40

2. Walking through the main reading room

LEST WE REMEMBER |

3. Traversing the walkways

4. Within the quiet study space

41

LEST WE REMEMBER | 1:20 Bay study

1. 50/150 spruce studs 2. 21mm reclaimed timber boarding 3. 25mm spruce battens 4. 25mm sealed rigid foam insulation 5. 203 x 203mm corten steel I beam 6. Thermal break between end plates 7. Fabric curtain 8. 50 x 75 timber sticks 9. Double glazed divided lite windows 10. 170mm wood fibre insulation 11. 15mm rendering

7

8 9

1 2 3 4 5

6

42

10 11

LEST WE REMEMBER | Exploded Axonometric

43

LEST WE REMEMBER |

REFERENCES

fig. 1

https://www.farrellcentre.org.uk/

fig. 2

https://www.farrellcentre.org.uk/

fig. 3

https://www.farrellcentre.org.uk/

fig. 4

https://inspiration.detail.de/park-in-zurich-103833.html

fig. 5

https://inspiration.detail.de/park-in-zurich-103833.html

fig. 6

https://www.miesarch.com/work/412

fig. 7

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Koldinghus-Castle-the-interior-showing-the-relationship-of-the-new-timber-shingles_fig1_363703688

44