Presentation 1- design studio 1B

AR CHI TEC TURE DESIGN STUDIO 1B

E MIL IA G RA CE T U D O R DE SIGN IN G A HO U SE FO R M YS ELF GROUP 1A

SITE 01

- 93 The Quays, Salford, M50 3TT

SIZE & SHAPE -

30m

According to MappingGM, the longest width was to be found as 30m and the longest length, 29m.

This gives an approximate area of 753 meters squared for the whole of the site. The inner site appears to be a flat square shaped area, pretty much symmetrical in perimeter within the grass terrain.

The vegetation, such as the hedges and trees, give the site plan a more interesting shape in the surrounding area, a more natural and free shape rather than a regimented, man-made appearance.

29m

TOPOGRAPHY Low hedges line the perimeter of the site to give it a more natural feel, however, these were most deffinitley planted deliberatley- man made. Similarly, tall trees surround the site and are able to give the area a sense of privacy due to their height- makes the site seem more secluded in such a public, residental area. The Centre of the site is all flat grass and, as its used as a green space currently, it has two small enterances. There is a near by lay-by for parked cars (2-3 cars), finished with bollards to prevent vehical access. There is a clear view of the water/Quay and the terrain is almost completely flat with no elevation. The more Artificial aspects to the site include the clean and well looked after apperance- no litter, hedges trimmed, grass cut etc. There is also a pathway built all the was around the site, along with benches and bins, suggesting that this site is used regulary and quite public..

GROUND CONDITIONS The ground conditions at Site 1 are mostly soil and grass with alot of natural and planted vegetation. This suggests that the Site is well looked after by the public/council and the ground is very fertile with good soil quality. This will be good if my design is looking at using alot of nature/greenery. Based on the information given on MappingGM, the image to the left shows the Site is on an EA Flood Zone 2 (the light blue area). This means that there is a 0.1%-1% chance of flooding- a low-medium chance.

When Looking at Site 1, I decided to create a quick water colour painting represeting how it makes me feel, the emotions it gives me and showing how i percieve the site. The greener and more natural feel of the site inspired me to bring it to life, using bright and bold colours to give it its own sort of energy. I felt like site one could offer me more in terms of fuelling my passion for the natural world and sustainability. I also used long and smooth brush strokes to create a sense of movement within the site, not just to mimic the wind on a windy day, but to give the site a life of its own, especially considerint the fertile soil and foliage all around the area.

This has inspired me to keep the theme of organic forms and the natural world when creating my own house desig. I will also be using the site’s aspects of nature to my advantage.

133 Merchants Quay, Salford, M503XG -

SITE 02 SIZE & SHAPE -

According to the meassurments i found n MappingGM, the longest length is 26m and the longest found width is 16m. This gives an approximate site area of 416 meters squared. The shape of Site 2 is a little more basic than site 1, with less vegetation and folliage to disrupt symmetry. It is a long rectangular shape with the internal rectangle coming out about 60% of the way accross the road side of the site. Site 2 is also a litlle more 3D, the terrain actually slopes down towards the water instead of remaining flat.

16m

26m

TOPOGRAPHY The land is mostly surrounded by urban-residential areas and is located near the water (again like site 1). The once empty site is now recently surrounded by new flats placed on and around site and the majority of the ground on site is paved. This creates a significantly more man-made, artificial feel to the site compared with site 1. The Perimeter is lined with trees, suggesting that the small amount of soil is fertile. The terrain is sloped towards the north-side (facing the water), this could either make it difficult to come up with a cooperative design or make it a whole lot more interesting. The site is also artificially fenced off in order to make it safer and prohibbit access from vehicals etc. Althogh the site does seem to be looked after, it looks signifficantly more deserted and forgotten about than the first site. The atmosphere seems a little more bleak and dull.

GROUND CONDITIONS Like Site 1, Site 2 is also an urban ground type, however it contains alot less soil and signs of life. According to MappingGM, this site is also an EA Flood Zone 2 area but the sloped terrain may mean it is slightly more likely to flood. It is a combination of a manmade and a natural site, probably leaning more towards the man-made side due to the many artificial products (fences, walls, paved ground etc). The Ground is mostly paved, however the small amount of vegetation, such as trees etc, suggest that the little amount of soil on site is fertile and of good quality.

DESIGN BRIEFWhen being asked to design a house for yourself, you must first consider the type of person you are and how your design will relate to you and benefit you. After considering both site one and two, i have decided that site one best suits me and my everyday life/personality. As a yound student, i am extremely interested in the idea of sustainability and always looking for the best solutions to benefit the world around us. I believe that site 1 offers a larger and greener space for me to express my passion for the natural world. Although I am a hard worker, i like to take the time to relax and rest my mind, eventhough i have recorded site one as having quite alot of bird noise, I think the whole atmosphere and nature theme will aid in practising mindfulness.

When designing a house for myself, there were a few main factors that i wanted my home to include. The main property was that i wanted my home to inhabbit both a studio space and a mindfulness, relaxing space with large windows and a view of the water. Here i can see myself working on my studys, painting and creating, as well as practising abit of yoga or just genrally chilling out. The large windows will also be an important factor as i will need as much loght as possible for my studio space, and the views may also aid in the relaxing side of things. Another important property for my design includes interesting shaped windows and doors in order to create shadows and manipulate light. This way, i can keep my design quite simple, with large open plan spaces and rooms. The reflections and beams of light will act as a way of dividing up larger spaces into smaller spaces, for example using a darker corner for a lounge space as opposed to a lighter, more airy kitchen space (despite them being all one big room. I will also have to consider the positioning of my design in relation to the sun path of the site.

CONCEPTUAL IDEAS In terms of my architectural design concept, I wanted a way of bringing the natural world into my design. I considered looking at having a tree growing through my house, however i decided that this was abit too obvious and didnt serve much purpose of benefits, the UK climate was also a problem with this idea. After sitting down with a banana and brain storming ideas, i noticed the way the peel fell off the banana and sloped down, almost roof like.

Therefore i began to explore the way architectural structures and concepts can be inspired by organic forms, for exampke the Sydney Opera House was actually inspired by the segments of a orange.

I began looking at creating an organic looking roof for my house, linking different plants and leaves to the shape and ways of the roof. Having a curved roof can also benefit my design as it can allow me to be more sustainable.

Collecting rainwater would be easier and my design will be able to blend into the natural site abit more.

DIAGRAMING

When beginning to diagram my design and roughly sketch up where i wanted everything to be, i look to my site plan and was influenced by the surroundings. For example, i already knew i wanted a studio/relaxing space with large windows overlooking the water. Therefore i positioned that room facing North East. My Design was lacking abit of creativity and structre (it was looking abit boxy), so i decided to have my kitchen diner (the main body of the house) on a 45 degree axis in comparrison to the studio spaces. This also created interesing shapes and corners for windows, as well as little nooks on the outside for plants and trees to really bring the design to life.

Another thing i considered when drawing out my diagrams was the sunpath of the site. Obviously the sun rises is the East and sets in the West, so i wanted to manipulate this path and get the most out of the light beams in order for y open plan kitchen to be broken up into seperate spaaces.

The axis of my design helped with this. I was also thinking about the different shapes of windows and balconies i wanted to include in order for the sun to create interesting shapes and paths throughout the house.

1ST 5m High

2.5m High

When looking at creating a working 1;00 scale model, I first started off with my the basic shape of my floor plan. I didnt actually know how i was going to make the exterior of my design look, so i began experimenting as i went along, trying different shapes and different sized windows. I knew that i wanted to keep my main space (Kitchen, Diner and lounge) as a large open plan space, broken up into different areas by shadows and light. I decided that my studio/mindfulness space should have higher ceillings than the rest of the house (5m High) with its own second floor built in, accessible by its own staircase or ladder. The rest of the bottom floor sits ar 2.5m high and i intend to add a second floor for my bedroom and balconies.

I also thought that an outdoor seating area was necessary in order to take in the natural site, with large doors leading out from the kitchen diner. the entrance is on the road side of the site as i wanted the back of the house to feel a little more private in such a public area.

MODEL ATTEMPT Studio Space with its own second floor and high ceillings (large windows etc)

FLOOR PLANS-

I decided to hand draw my 1;00 scale floor plans as i felt like i was abit more free to experiment and move around different ideas. When creating my second floor, again, i wasnt too sure on how it was going to look. My main priority was getting a bedroom and ensuite in there to complete my basic needs. I also would like to include an open spiral staircase from the open plan kitchen up to the landing. It was a necessity for my design to include terraces and balconies, preferabley they will be green and sustainable, in order to overlook the water and get the most of my views. I made the trianfular shaped as i thought this would create interesting shapes and shadown once again.

LIGHT AND SHADOWS

Exploring the way in which the sunpath travels over my house, using a lamp and mimicing what the sun would do. This is an example of how i will manipulate light to create new smaller spaces.