Portfolio - David Bekiareli

Cornwall House Residential Retrofit Single-family Project

Shoreditch Graffiti Centre Mixed-Use Civic Retail Project

Creek Wharf Residential Co-living Masterplanning

Shoreditch Graffiti Centre Typology:

Civic & Retail

Location:

201-207 Shoreditch High St, E1 6LG

Size:

878.36m2

Brief

Design a hybrid civic centre celebrating an activity in relation to the context and key interests derived from the site. The centre must include a temporary pop-up retail experience, with a permanent civic function. The proposal will act, as to allow a variety of people to participate within its function and engage with the context while celebrating the cultural diversity of Shoreditch.

Proposal

Shoreditch Graffiti Centre celebrates the area’s prominent Graffiti character. It brings together people of different skill levels with an interest and passion for the art form. A variety of spaces cater to the different stages of graffiti such as lasercutting rooms, studio spaces and graffiti studios. The modular structures are envolped with a lattice frame used for artisits and enthusiasts to climb and graffiti the exteror of the modules. The pop-up food market also serves as a gathering space for the community that can be converted to exhibition spaces for the art to be displayed and admired by passers-by.

Concept Model Taking influence from the neighbouring Grade II listed Braithwaite arches,

1

Exhibition Gallery

5

Group Studio

designed by John Braithwaite in 1840, the external facade of the ground and first

2

Pop-Up Food Market

6

Individual Grafitti Studio

floor emulate the historic industrial vernaular associated with Shoreditch, often

3

Social Gathering Space

7

Group Grafitti Studio

used by grafitti artists as a canvas for their art form to be on display to the public.

4

Lasercutting Room

4 6

７

5

2

1

3

2

1

Technical Diagrams The modularisation of architectural compenents within the proposal allows for efficient and cost effective construction by using standardised prefabricated elements, reducing material waste, on site assembly time and construction errors.

Modules 1

External Render

4

Insulation

2

Air Gap

5

Plasterboard

3

Timber Frame

6

Aluminium Window

Brick Facade 1

Internal Brick Finish

4

Insulation

2

Light Steel Frame

5

Brick Cladding

3

Air Gap

6

Aluminium Window

Lifts

Void Toilets

Void Additional seating

(converts to gallery)

Exhibition Gallery

Terrace

First Floor Scale 1:150

Lifts

Social Gathering Space

Food Trucks

Toilets

Staff Room Courtyard

Pop-Up Food Market

Exhibition Gallery

Ground Floor Scale 1:150

Modules 2m

2m

2m

Lasercutting Room 3m

3m

3m

Group Studio 4m

4m

4m

Individual Graffiti Studio 5m

5m

5m

Group Graffiti Studio

Cornwall House Typology:

Retrofit Mixed-Use Residential

Location:

33-34 Cornwall Rd, SE1 8TJ

Size:

181.57m2

Brief

Design a residential proposal that responds to the evolving needs of new urban dwellers in the context of the climate emergency and the Covid-19 pandemic. The project should reflect the societal shifts prompted by these crises, addressing environmental, humanitarian, and spatial challenges through innovative architecture.

Proposal

Cornwall House reimagines urban family living in a post-pandemic world, where rising living costs and changing values call for thoughtful, flexible design. This retrofit project prioritises sustainability and affordability, employing low-impact materials and efficient construction techniques.

At its core, a sunlit courtyard acts as a vital threshold between the home and an integrated commercial bakery—balancing privacy, community interaction, and economic resilience. The design celebrates adaptability, daylight, and spatial generosity, offering a resilient model for living within the dense fabric of modern city life.

Reimagining urban family living through sustainable, post-pandemic design

The COVID-19 pandemic within the built environment has posed many challenges to our daily routines and way of life that has altered our needs within the residential sector. With the introduction of remote working and home-schooling during the pandemic, ways of life and the space we require on a domestic scale has changed.

Post-pandemic Living With social dynamics changing, a new way of living has emerged and shaped our requirements for pandemic and post pandemic living. Cornwall House supports a new sustainable and progressive way of living in times of social, economical and environmental crisis.

New Era of Living A new era of domestic architecture has emerged post pandemic emphasising flexibility, wellness, and functionalitywith adaptable spaces for work, exercise, and leisure, with an increased focus on natural light, ventilation, and connections to the outdoors.

Spatial Arrangement

Ground Level

The bakery, front of house and commercial kitchen where bakery classes are held face Cornwall Road, while the quieter residential spaces are set

Kitchen Diner

back, separated by a central courtyard that maintains visual connection. A shared first-floor landing connects the master and children’s bedrooms Living Room

and bathroom, all linked by a south-facing walkway that brings natural light.

Views

Home

Interconnected Spaces

Bathroom

Guest Bth

Neighbours

Zone Change

Interconnected Zone

Master Bedroom

Balcony

Private

Landing

Entry

Courtyard

Courtyard

Herb Wall

Neighbours

Kitchen

Circulation Baking School

Bedroom

Theed St

Commercial Bakery

Theed St

Bathroom

Public

Balcony Front of House

Cornwall Rd

Bedroom

Upper Level

Cornwall Rd

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festival orchestra

residential

courtyard

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commercial

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Kido International Nursery & Preschool

The bakery opens to a main circulation route so will

The scale of each volume is fairly proportional to the

The subterranean space with private residential

draw more commuters. The bakery and public living

amount of space needed for its use. Situating the

space that’s for private use is hidden from

space open to a courtyard limiting privacy of the

bakery further back from Cornwall Road, risks the

passer-bys and allow access to greenery, while the

residential private space from the public bakery.

bakery not being noticed as much to passer-bys.

bakery is on Cornwall Road attract more customers.

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Technical Design Cornwall House features a front-facing commercial kitchen and service wing, with private family living set back from the road for quiet and privacy. A central courtyard links both wings, maintaining an open-plan flow. Bedrooms, including the master suite, are housed on the upper level.

Master Bedroom

Bedroom Bathroom

Bedroom

Office

Balcony Living Room

Kitchen Dining

Courtyard

Workshop

Bakery Kitchen

Front of House

CLT Cladding

Materiality

The use of cross-laminated timber is a sustainable and energy efficient use for the addition of the first floor. Not only does it compliment the existing brick facade on the ground floor, but it is also great at thermal insulation which has added benefits for the residents in terms of reduced energy usage and cost.

Plasterboard Insulation between timber studs Vapour control layer Vertical CLT cladding Horizontal timber batten Vertical timber batten

Plasterboard Vapour Control Layor Insulation

Corten Steel

Corten steel over the front wing is low maintenance and

saves

energy

maintenance.

Vertical CLT Cladding Horizontal Timber Batten

Materiality

It

and

is

cost

associated

prefabrication

offsite

with and

pre-oxidised ensuring precision and easier assembly on site. It is 100% recyclable which all contribute to my carbon-neutral strategy for a better environment.

Vertical Timber Batten Welded weathering steel cladding Plasterboard Insulation between steel frame Insulation Acoustic insulation Air gap Steel frame

Flooring Dry Sand/Cement Mix Sterling Board

Existing Brick

Retrofit vs Rebuild

Heating Pipes

Reducing Insulation Structural Joists

operational

and

embodied

carbon

emissions from buildings and construction is essential. Preserving the exisitng brick facade is more environmentally friendly than new construction as it makes use of existing structures and materials, reducing waste and conserving embodied energy.

Outer brick Double wall tie Medium density block insulation Cavity Retaining disk

Facade Detail

Plasterboard

First Floor

Ground Floor

5

3 1

2

F F

4 F

4

3

3

THEED STREET

THEED STREET

5

5

F

8

Ground Floor

F

1

6

W D

2

1

Front of house

2

Commercial Bakery

3

Bakery Class

4

Herb Garden

5

Courtyard

6

Kitchen/Diner

7

Living Room

8

Guest Bathroom

First Floor 7

1

Landing Office

2

Master Bedroom

3

Bedroom

4

Bathroom

5

Balcony

Scale 1:15

Creek Wharf Typology:

Residential Co-Living Masterplan

Location:

Lanrick Rd, Aberfeldy Village, E14 0JF

Size:

181.57m2

Brief

Develop a residential complex for a collective group of artists and craftsmen that encourages positive social interaction within the complex and with the surrounding neighbourhood, while defining a new path for co-living that anticipates the environmental and societal changes in the future with their spatial needs in account.

Proposal

Creek Wharf introduces a new co-living typology centred on creativity, collaboration, and craft. Designed as a shell-and-core masterplan, it provides residents with a structural framework and the freedom to shape their homes around their practice, personality, and changing needs, making home-making a creative, participatory process. Rather than relying on conventional amenities, the project fosters community through shared values. Communal workshops, flexible studios, and shared courtyards encourage cross-disciplinary exchange, creating a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem of skills and support.

With modular layouts and accessible services, the design remains open-ended, able to adapt to evolving lifestyles, social patterns, and environmental challenges. Creek Wharf blurs the lines between work, home, and community, framing living as a shared, generative act shaped by the people within it.

Location and Connectivity The site is located in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, adjacent to the Bow Creek section of the River Lea, which forms a natural boundary with the Borough of Newham. While the nearby A13 East India Dock Road bridge provides strong vehicular connectivity, pedestrian access remains limited, making travel to Canning Town Station less convenient for residents and highlighting the need for improved local connectivity.

London City Island

Canning Town Station

East India Dock Road

Aberfeldy Village

River Lea

Poplar Riverside

Site Primary Road Minor Road B Road A Road

Proposed Co-living Model The proposed co-living concept focuses on creating socially sustainable and flexible community living that harmoniously integrates the habitants with local surrounding context.

Accommodation

Co-working Space

+

Networking Studio Space

Workshops

Building Module

Green Spaces

Initial Phase

Retail

Community Parks

Education

Future Development

Open and communal spaces encourage interactivity and sense of community, with private areas offering residents a retreat from the hustle and bustle of communal living.

Quinta Monroy

Precedent Study

By ELEMENTAL

b

a 80m2

h

40m2

a=b

1 house = plot

h>2

The design aims to support the forming of communities both inside the building

The design aims to support the forming of communities both inside the building

The design aims to support the forming of communities both inside the building

80m2

40m2 + 40m2

1

3

2

Upper floor

4

5

First floor

Roof

Initial duplex unit

Expanded duplex unit

Initial duplex unit

Expanded duplex unit

Ground floor

Duplex

Slab

Initial ground floor unit

Expanded ground floor unit

Unit

The initial construction connects 2-story blocks around 4 shared courtyards and is designed as a skeletal framework which residents expand in the future. Workshops then help residents to construction of the second part of their homes. This methodology saves cost, gives flexibility forexpansion, and creates communal spaces.

House for Artists

Precedent Study

By Apparata Architects

Co-living The design aims to support the forming of communities both inside the building and within the local area, through shared entrance patios and courtyard, and a street-facing public space.

Resident artists can use the ground floor as work studios for their own practices as well as for the public programme, while the apartments offer co-housing possibilities.

Each set of three apartments shares a communal outdoor space scaled for eating and working together, as well as access. One floor of apartments has double doors in the party walls, creating optional and flexible shared living possibilities, such as parties, childcare, or co-working.

8 x 2 bed unit 1 x 1 bed unit 1 x 1 bed live work unit

Studios at rear

1 x 2 bed live work unit 1 x 3 bed unit

Public space at front of the building

Apartments with double doors offering flexible shared living possibilities

Building Programme

Unit Types

No added walls

Artist Couple

Open Plan Family Apartment

2 Artist Flatshare

4 Person Family

Large Shared Studio Open plan living/sleeping area at rear

Large Living/Kitchen/Dining/Study 1 Double Bed + 1 single bed and study

Small Living/Kitchen/Dining 2 Double Beds + Shared Studio

Large Kitchen/Dining/Living Room 2 Bedrooms + store room

One added wall

One added + sliding wall

Two added walls

n

Family Townhomes

Sky Bridge Studios

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r Le

a

Family Townhomes

Family Townhomes

Sky B

Oban

St

Central Park

St

rick Rd

Portr e

Lan

e St

Fortr

ose C

l

Oban

Bridge Studios

Deck Pontoon

Riv er

Lea

A sense of community and connectivity can be explored through

Solar panel shaded parking

the lens of co-living where habitants come together to interact over a common activity or interest. Compared to traditional ideas of housing which clearly define public and private spaces, co-living redefines these parameters of what is public and what is private.

Proposed is a shell and core residential development with workshop spaces and studio spaces for residents to come together as a community to fit out their homes in an artistic and creative way. Construction materials and interior furnishings are transported to the site using barges that access the site through a dynamic waterfront promenade.

The future of the development has the potential to be developed further once the homes are completed and the workshop spaces can be transformed into necessary retail and community facilities. With the area along the river Lea mostly derelict and in need of regeneration, this model of affordable, efficient and collaborative living could be seen flourishing along the River Lea.

A13

Modularity and Sustainability The residential units are designed as modular components optimized for

Prefabrication significantly lowers on-site labor, material waste, and

off-site prefabrication, enabling efficient transport, rapid assembly, and

embodied carbon compared to conventional methods. Built in

flexible on-site arrangement. Standardized dimensions and structural systems

controlled factory settings, the modules minimize disruption in dense

ensure precision, reduce construction time, and improve quality control.

urban environments and reduce emissions from construction logistics.

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Photovoltaic Sky Light

Bedroom Light-filled Staircase

Bathroom

Bedroom

Bedroom

Garden Guest Bathroom

Kitchen Dining Living

Entrance

Floor Plans

Family Townhouse

Family Townhouse

Ground Floor

First Floor

GARDEN

KIDS BEDROOM

BEDROOM

DINING ROOM

KITCHEN

HALLWAY MASTER BEDROOM

BATHROOM LIVING ROOM

BATHROOM BALCONY

1 Bedroom Apartment

Studio Apartment

(2 adults + 1 child)

(1-2 adults)

DECK ACCESS

DECK ACCESS

OFFICE

EN SUITE

BATHROOM

BATHROOM

STORAGE

STUDY/ DRESSER

BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

KIDS BEDROOM

BALCONY

BALCONY

The waterfront of the River Lea, part of the Lower Lea Valley Opportunity Area, has been identified as an area of London that has the potential to attract young talented artists and craftsmen as outlined in the council’s opportunity area framework. With an increase in working individuals and families moving into the area, there has been a large demand for housing that caters to the needs of this demographic. With this, the council has incorporated key infrastructure into its plan to link different areas both in connectivity and a sense of community.