I am an aspiring young architect with intentions to gain a better understanding of my subject and share this experience with the people and environment that surrounds me. The processes I employ will always involve an adaptive hands-on approach either through model making, drawing or writing, which has consistently elevated my projects to a new technical and spatial resolution. My passion lies within the theories and readings of art and architectural history as I believe it offers meaning and orientation, both inside and outside of the subject. This confidence to seek further has shaped me into an enthusiastic and dedicated individual who is willing to learn from each opportunity given.
Emmett Seelochan
01- Trentside Teatro
Theatre/marketplace
Meadow Lane Lock
Nottingham, NG2 3HR
2022
Trentside Teatro establishes a new architectural landmark adjacent to Meadow Lane Lock, on the bank of the River Trent; an important site south of the city belonging to Nottingham’s waterside heritage. Once an area of intense activity, the site has over-time, lost its purpose, from underuse to non-descript developments. The new landmark attempts to re-vitalise the area with a blended theatre and marketplace typology to encourage visitors from near and far. Its concaved southern façade was designed to face the river, recalling a Baroque sensibility to landscape and space.
The project involved a large emphasis on the design of the façade as it was a means to address the wider waterfront area aswell as provide the site with a layered, inhabitable public space. To strengthen the relationship with the interior organisation, the diameter of the stage was used as a proportional module to determine the nature of different aspects such as the height of the portico, placement of the interior oculus and diameter of the rotunda’s form.
Façade/BB composite
Plan/AA composite
Design diagrams (opposite page)
The composition of the plan and section became distinctly centralized with the theatre taking focus amongst the colonnaded perimeter. As a result of this design decision, a circular rotunda form was developed alongside tiered seating and arched openings to create a dynamic theatre in the round experience. The diameter of the stage is again used as a proportional module to maintain homogeneity and spatial logic.
1 Convex/concave narrative
2 Raised site floor flood protection
3 Centralized composition
4 Permeable outer perimeter
5 Part-to-whole relationships
6 Southern orientation
A Construction isometric
To facilitate the marketplace typology, precedent was taken from the Stoas of Ancient Greece and loggias of Renaissance Italy, thus creating a flexible indoor/outdoor space that could be used across the year for different events. The same trabeated design language of the market is then taken across the rest of the scheme to create a sense of structure and articulation. This loose and open language suited the permeability of the site which naturally had access from multiple directions.
The front portico gives the scheme a definite fa çade that addresses the adjacent canal and river. It is also a method of presenting the dimensions of the rotunda to the exterior through it’s overall width, thus enhancing the relationship between interior and exterior. Environmentally, the portico helps to deal with the strong southern orientation by shading the interior from overexposure whilst still admitting healthy light levels through a clere story window composed above.
Foyer roof
60mm Extensive green roof
10mm Filter fleece
20mm Drainage layer
Weatherproof membrane
180mm Insulation
20mm Sound absorption board
100mm Pre-cast concrete slab
70mm Thermal insulation
70mm Service void
20mm Ceiling finish
Intermediate floor
20mm Floor finish
70mm Screed with underfloor heating
20mm Sound absorption board
120mm Thermal insulation
100mm Pre-cast concrete slab
150mm Service void
20mm Ceiling finish
Assembly details
Inside the theatre (opposite page left)
Technical isometric (opposite page right)
General construction description
Lightweight bronze “crown” with extensive glulam structure below. This supports the theatre roof, interior oculus and natural perimeter lighting. 1000mm Rammed earth rotunda walls have 16 arched openings that lead into the theatre. Perimeter foyer structure is constructed from secondary precast elements with a primary timber frame and aluminium framed windows. Ground floor inlet plenum is composed behind exterior steps to take fresh air into the interior through AOVs.
02- Experiential Catalyst
Pavilion
Meadow Lane Lock Nottingham, NG2 3HR 2022
Experiential Catalyst encourages one to be curious about the perception of architectural space and it’s relation to the senses. A curiosity that comes through the superimposition of various horizontal and vertical layers where point, line and surface, are presented to the eye in a dynamic composition amongst the site. These notions were taken from the conceptual work of El-Lissitzky and his artistic culture of Russian Constructivism; an exciting time-period which evoked fast-paced change with new developments in society, politics and technology. In this spirit, the elongated forms of Experiential Catalyst represent a fluctuating tension between the known environment and it’s own abstract space; between the inside and outside of it’s built existence.
Meadow Lane Lock isometric
To establish the pavilion over the lock, two circular forms are superimposed over one another, giving the initial impression of horizontal enclosure but the supporting cantilevered structure comes from two opposing orientations, creating an open-ended and abstracted space. The lower garden acts subordinate to the composition; continuing the diagonal rhythms from above.
Other elements are designed to respond to the language of the pavilion and site, such as the new pathway which takes the circular form and extends it over the forward lock. Particular detail was paid to the tectonics of the pavilion’s interior with a circular staircase, seating and handrail to suit an overall sense of dynamism. By composing the stairs centrally, the composition is de-centralised; emphasis is placed on the outward view looking over the canal and river beyond.
Design diagrams
View up canal (opposite right)
View down canal (opposite page)
The many horizontal and vertical layers of the existing site gave much influence to the composition of the pavilion, both at an orthographic and perceptual level. Most notably, the canal provided a strong design axis in which to respond, alongside the more objective north-south orientation. The overall span of the structure is set to give movement to the composition; giving the impression of extending beyond boundaries and guiding us through the environment.
1 Axial layering
2 Dynamic boundaries
03- Mise en Scène: the Immersive Façade
Formal analysis essay 2022
The term Mise en Scène, originates from the 1950’s when film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma began using the term to critique cinematography. It simply translates into “setting the scene”; a technique to physically convey the immersive spectrum of detailed realism to emotional expressionism that aligns with the underlying narrative. Meaningful architecture, like film, requires similar sensations of immersion; encouraging both the architect and society to be involved at an intellectual level with the environment. The immersive façade could be seen as this initial plane of intersection between the eyes of the viewer and the soul of the building. Paralleled with the dialogue of Mise en Scène, the soul could be interpreted as the underlying narrative and it’s face would be it’s ability to bear this meaning in concrete terms.
Sant’ Andrea and Villa Shodhan isometrics Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale (opposite page left) Villa Shodhan (opposite page right)
The purpose of this essay was to investigate: what makes the architectural façade immersive; using two main case studies, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Baroque church of Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale and Le Corbusier’s typically modernist Villa for Mr.Shodhan. As the essay involved physical and metaphysical analyses, form and composition of the two cases was of primary focus. Form could be viewed as the result of architectural expression, allowing one to read the emotions of the architect through it’s composition to the eye. Humans feel through physical form and in a platonic sense, it activates feeling and thus brings us closer to a sense of intellectual immersion.
The Vitruvian principle of disposito (disposition) finds much of it’s logic in the processes of Corbusier when he initially generates plan from structure and then façade from plan. Corbusier is here concerned with the Renaissance ideal of part to whole representation whereby, the interior volumes, programme and structure become framed and are readable via the façade’s apertures with the help of the brise-soleil system. For Corbusier, a structural framework combined with his modulor proportioning, gave precise guidelines within which he could compose his architecture. It was an ordering discipline except it was neither fully expressed or exploited, offering room for sculptural statement. For him, this is architecture, when the relationship between mass to space is regulated harmoniously and the eye co-ordinates with the brain to perceive universal emotion.
This idea of expressing the internal programme or character onto the façade is not a modern concept and has been identified as a tactic throughout much of the Baroque. A continuity between the interior and exterior realm was encouraged in an act of personal morality. For the church, the façade provided a means to advertise the house of god; a method of monumental signification in an open public statement. These narratives can be read in the exterior portico of Sant’ Andrea which is influenced by it’s interior altar and aedicula screen. By reversing their concaved nature into an outward convex motion, a continuity of form and scale is achieved to create the portico. This was part of Bernini’s philosophy; to provide a series of rhetorical episodes in ever changing contexts; fulfilling the Baroque ideal of a unified whole within which it contained a diverse system of parts.
Concave/convex motion analysis
The quadrant walls of Sant’ Andrea radiate from the centre and out towards the viewer in a concaving fashion; creating a mini public piazza and contrasting against the convex motion of the church’s main body. Amongst the quadrant walls, the central aedicula motif is monumentalized and isolated. It’s colossal pilasters reaffirm the frontal orientation of the façade and conceal part of the body behind in a typically Baroque act of elusiveness. The extruded portico and pediment become important elements as they re-introduce the hidden cornices. In this instance, the portico has a double reading by creating a dialogue with the face and the body in addition to it’s interior and exterior realms as forementioned. Bernini knew that by expressing the shape of the ground plan through the façade as well as a disarticulation of it’s structure, the composition would have a greater dynamism.
The cubical form of Villa Shodhan presents itself at an oblique angle when approaching from the drive; it unfolds from a welcoming S/W garden façade to a forbidding N/E entrance where the vestibule and portico is located. In this event, it’s N/E rear becomes it’s logical front where traditionally, the entrance would have been the par excellence for architectonic expression; the ideal garden façade is denied this privilege. Rowe notes that in much of Corbusier’s work there is an element of “twisting”. He explains that his fascination on providing a three-quarter view will also expose the less interesting elevations, creating an absence of revelation. Alternatively, it could be argued that Corbusier is presenting here a Janus-like duality between male architecture, containing the clarity for an entrance, and female architecture, which has the plasticity found in the garden façade.
04- Future Makers
Event/work space
Daleside Road
Nottingham, NG2 4DH 2021
The purpose of Future Makers was to provide Nottingham with a flexible event space along with a series of studios that could both be used throughout the year. Located on the eastern outskirts of the city but close to many upcoming developments, it’s spaces were conceived from the conversion of an early 20th century warehouse with much retention of it’s industrial character. Using various photos and models, the following visuals were produced for the client at the start of the project to envision what the spaces could be; not in their absolute state but as a series of fluid collages.
Future Makers was intended to be both an interior and exterior intervention, encouraging all yearround use alongside the possibility for clients to hire select parts of the venue. The large volume of space provided by the warehouse architecture can accommodate a range of vehicles, which could arrive and setup with ease given the site’s predominant access from Daleside Road.
Alongside the events function, Future Makers hopes to encourage young creatives and small businesses to work in the space, with dedicated workshop facilities composed towards the rear of the building. The aim is to motivate circular-economy-based collaborations with further plans for a plastic recycling station and woodworking studio.
3 Studio
5 Offices
Events space
Perspective down the central axis (opposite page)
The central axis of the warehouse, with it’s large industrial doors, provided an avenue in which visitors could travel from one space to the next, allowing them to experience the activities in a continuous montage. By keeping the roof structure exposed and the brickwork in-situ, an informal setting was suggested which suited the flexible nature of the Future Makers ethos.
05- Hybrid Housing
Work/living masterplan
Bath Street
Nottingham, NG1 1BZ 2021
The overall aim of Hybrid Housing was to establish an effective but sensitive masterplan between the city and it’s bordering residential area of St.Anns. The programme was designed in anticipation of a flexible working culture, whereby families and small businesses could live on the boundaries of the city alongside their work life in a hybrid relationship; a situation inspired by the growing population and the financial pressures of operating a remote studio space. At a macro level, the masterplan was to become a common ground where communities could meet amongst the creative culture of Nottingham; encouraging the design of a more active public realm through visible gallery spaces and makers workshops.
View through the workers yard
A clear physical link between the city and it’s neighbours was a main focus throughout the project; thus providing the site with good permeable routes and an east to west axis in which to compose the apartments along with their yards. For the design of the elevations, precedent was taken from the local lace warehouses, which utilize a grided articulation of openings and favourable glazing ratios to create ideal working conditions.
The overall masterplan was conceived at the start of the project and predominantly faced west, towards Huntingdon Street. By continuing the urban grain of the city, a certain harmony was achieved between the masterplan and it’s surroundings; thus helping to define the scale of each building as well as the multiple access routes. Developed later in the project was a series of apartments situated around the various working yards, with workshops and gallery spaces composed adjacent. To contain this area, terraced units were arranged along Brook Street which also gave the scheme a greater variety in accommodation types.
When distributing the programme, it remained important to keep the public functions on the ground floor open and adaptable, which in turn, encouraged the development of double height windows and top-lit lighting. The plan of the apartment was similarly flexible, with a shared studio and living space featuring either side of a multi-use fire core; centring the symmetrical composition.
Year 3 BA Architecture
Emmett Seelochan
Year 3 BA Architecture
Emmett Seelochan
Assembly details
The sloping terrain of the site was an issue for any spaces following the predominant east to west axis; this forced the gallery to be split over three levels, creating a series of open but separate rooms with dividing partitions for additional wall space. By composing the workshops alongside the gallery, it made a safe route for the transportation of work by reducing the travel distance and keeping it within the envelope of the building. The tectonic nature of the scheme was limited to steel framed construction clothed in masonry, thus continuing the contextual link with the warehouses as well as providing the opportunity to source labour and materials locally.
External wall
105mm Ibstock Hardwicke
Sherwood Blaze
50mm Cavity
Brick channel
Brick tie 450mm centres
Breather membrane
10mm Sheathing
180mm Insulation
VCL
15mm Sound absorption
15mm Plasterboard
Intermediate floor
10mm Floor finish
15mm Sound absorption
VCL
10mm Screed
150mm Hollowcore slab
240mm C-channel
150mm Insulation
50mm Rigid insulation
VCL
15mm Sound absorption
10mm Ceiling finish
Ground floor
10mm Floor finish
15mm Sound absorption
VCL
200mm Poured concrete slab
100mm Rigid insulation
DPM 1200 gauge
Compacted hardcore
600 x 500 Pad foundation
Terrace plans
The purpose of the Brook Street terraces was to house small families or individuals outside of the main apartments, thus offering more space and privacy. For the design of the plan, precedent was taken from the weaver’s cottages of the 18th century, which had small studios on the upper floors. This meant the work was easier to access and contain in contrast to the factories of the city; it also created a healthier working environment with better lighting and air quality. The design of the terrace’s exterior can be seen as a continuation of the scheme’s language, with articulated window openings serving dual aspect rooms and a coloured multi-use core.
