Jakub Rammel - UCL Portfolio

PORTFOLIO

ACADEMIC STUDY: URBAN INTENSIFIER

Site & Urban Context

Project Description

I was part of a design unit (called “atelier” at MSA) called FLUX. The main focus of the atelier-determined students’ projects was the temporal aspect of architecture and the emphasis on the relations/connectedness

between specific parts of the city and the site The criterion for selecting the city parts was the concept chosen by the student that was an answer to a certain theme/problem (also chosen by the student).

The problem I chose was the underdevelopment of the northern part of Mayfield and the concept behind my project that counteracts this problem was named “Urban Intensifier”

Urban Context

Like many parts of Manchester in the 19th century, Mayfield was a part of the Industrial Revolution and developed into a condensation of textile and rubber industries However, after an intense industrial age started to decline after WW2 A region of the city of dilapidated workshops the site recently got renovated a a new park (Mayfield Park) opened. However, a northern part is still left, showing a gloomy state of its local life and economy Prominent objects in that area are the Viaduct that cuts Mayfield in two: The southern one that was renovated and the northern one that surrounds the project’s site

Project Site

The project is located on two separate plots One longer strip runs along the train viaduct and another is a site small car workshop At the longer site, the arches were storage places for textiles in the past, now being walled up and cut off from the outside. They are connected to Fairfield Road, one of the busier communication routes running through Mayfield.

The

The Problem & the Concept

Academic Study: Urban Intensifier

Economic Underdevelopment

The northern part of Mayfield has been stagnant for years An area near the city centre that is sparsely populated with people rarely spending time or walking by That is the problem I focused on in this project

The Theory: Jane Jacobs

To combat the stagnation I drew mostly from Jane Jacobs’ “The Economy of Cities” Her theses are that 1) the shape of the city is tightly linked to the socio-economic activity happening IN cities, and 2) to have a well-developed city promoting Economic Development (qualitative betterment), NOT Economic Growth (quantitative increase). According to Jacobs economic development is achieved in a dense network of competing businesses and social organisations That is because the lack of a few dominant economic entities promotes innovation and is more resilient to economic shocks Contrastingly, cities reliant on a few dominant enterprises face greater risks, as a crisis in these entities can lead to the city’s downfall, as seen in Detroit with the automotive industry’s collapse

The Solution: Urban Intensifier

Applying Jacobs’ insights, my aim was to enhance my site as a tool for local businesses and organizations, serving as a catalyst for socio-economic development—the essence of the Urban Intensifier Concept. The vicinity boasts numerous businesses with untapped potential and available plots awaiting utilisation (see Map on the right). Urban Intensifier stands for 4 Functions:

1 Skill Transfer - Areas with high-spec computers and a workshop with CNC machines, 3D Printers and other machine tools

2 Co-work Space - Area designed for comfortable individual or teamwork

3 Usufruct Library - a library of various things (books, DIY tools, furniture); it promotes a sharing economy that can help local businesses find tools or resources for a quick period when it is needed

4 Social Space - beyond work, there is a space for hosting social activities

All of the facilities a available for visitors, with Skill Transfer area having staff that assists and provides workshops

Key:

Current Buildings that host Businesses

Area with no building objects

Businesses

Routes to the Site

Major connections to the Outside of Mayfield

Design Process

Chosen sketches diagramming the design process

Chosen models showing the design process

Final Project: Plans

Final Project: Sections

Section A

Section B

Section C

SeminarSpace MeetingSpace ComputerSpace

Computer Space

The Computer space was placed inside the arches, on a platform that is inserted into the arch and supported by a series of columns and beams In this way the workshop below is visible and the space achieves distinguished architectural qualities over other spaces in the project

Workshop

The workshop occupies three arches on the ground floor. Parts of the walls were removed for better consolidation between the arches The most left part of the workshops is a place a spot for material storage Other parts are spaces for devices, such as CNC machines, 3D Printers, and sandsaws There are tables, drawers and sinks placed there for people to assemble their projects At the end of the arches, toilets were placed

Seminar Space

The space was organised to host small seminars or meetings It provides privacy for people who want to organise some closed meeting

Usufruct Library

Part of the usufruct library was put into the small arch Because of the double height, bigger things, e g ladders can be stored there

Social Space: Atrium

Workshop

Inside the project, between the built structure and arches, there is a main space for social iteration and small events The stairs are not only a way to rest but also to meet people and organise events

Social Space: Meeting Space

On the top of the arch a enclosed meeting/resting area was created In-between work time people can come there and relax There are sitting places and small kitchenette

Social Space: Sitting Spot

A small sitting spot was installed at the very entrance to the site. In this small difficult to accommodate arch, that kind of sitting space can be a first stop for newcomers before entering the building

New Structure

Academic Study: Urban Intensifier

Social Space: Sitting Spot

The Second smaller part of the site will be occupied by a sitting place I will not only create a public space but facilitate a larger influx of new visitors to the site

Foyer

The first stop for the visitors are foyers, where registration desks are located People can check on them lists of objects to borrow from the library and to book slots in the workshop or the seminar spaces

Usufruct Library

The main part of Usufract Library is situated in on the ground floor in the newly built structure All of the usufruct library is on the ground floor because that makes moving things around easier, especially heavier objects

Cowork Space

The 1st and 2nd floors are occupied by co-work space The goal was to design a slim area that feels spacious, allows for appreciation and respect of the viaducts, and remains functional

Office

he whole building needs a proper administration to run the place, e g catalogue the inventory, store the documents, administrate the contracts with employers etc. Thus, an office room was proposed to facilitate that

Green Pathway

The project attaches itself to the pathway on top of the viaduct People using the pathway or greenery can enter the building through a foyer as on the ground floor and people working on site can go out and relax outside on top of the pathway

Change over Time

Academic Study: Urban Intensifier

0-1 years

Firstly the structure has to be built That means both accommodating the arches and building new structures

1-10 years

After construction Urban Intensifier will start to function With time it will pull in more people from both Fairfield Street and Green Pathway.

10-50 years

After some time the project will result in increased economic activity The result is further development of urban fabric in the area and socio-economic development

Glazed panels

Vertical Strips

Horizontal Lovre Strips

Steel Skeleton

Wavy Horizontal Strips Staircase Walls Internal Walls Vertical Strips

Panels Bracing Secondary Beams Primary Beams Covers Insulation SHS Columns

RC Slab Pads

Glazed panels

TECHNICAL STUDIES: LOUVRE SYSTEM

Fragment Iterations

Project’s Description

The task was to take a fragment of a Studio project and propose a testable intervention that would improve either its sustainability, building and life safety or constructibility Then three tests were to be designed in order to suggest an optimal solution

Tested Fragment

The fragment is part of a project that both accommodates the arches in the viaduct as well as proposes a structure that maintains a gap between itself and the viaduct I chose to focus on sustainability and my propo-

Iteration 1

sition was louvre system that lowers excessive illuminance, which can lead to thermal discomfort, health hazards for the occupants and overreliance on mechanical cooling, thus increasing the operational carbon

Iteration 2

Iteration 3

Test Design

It

That

Parameter d is determined by the altitude value of the given place. opted for 20.05 and 21.07. That is because I treat the March equinox as a barrier between the colder period (i.e. with lower altitude) when the sun can go through the louvres and the warmer period (i.e. with higher altitude) that needs to be blocked. So, the period between the summer solstice and the equinox will be considered.

Testing against Benchmark Illuminance

will be tested at 5 different hours for both dates so the wider scope of the sunlight can be seen. The table on the right side shows the illuminance

for each time on each day (Enscape for Rhino was the tool of choice) The goal is to test 3 different louvre systems and see which reduces illuminance the best and which provides the best visibility. An improvement would be evidenced when the red-orange regions turned green.

Technical Studies: Louvre System

Annotation

Structure:

1 - Steel Universal Beams

2 - Steel SHS Column

Floor/Skin Buildup:

3 - CLT Slab

4 - Insulation

5 - Wooden Covers

6 - Plasterboad Ceiling

7 - Double-glazed Panels

8 - Glazed Panels Aluminium Frame

9 - Aluminium Louvre System Strips

10 - Alumium Frame Holding Frame

11 - L-Brackets

12 - Indoor glazing - VPM - DPM

Reflections

The final louvre system is iteration 3 with 100mm wide strips. It lowers the Illuminance which counters the problems listed on the previous page It also maintains the best visibility out of the three

The importance of this small intervention is not that low In summer the energy costs are the highest for cooling, and with the prospect of the future warmer mean temperature a proper louvre system is needed The ease of construction and maintenance makes it environmentally and financially beneficial.

Construction

To install these facade segments, a frame is inserted in between the window panels, so they are attached to the structure directly. The strips are partially inserted into the small cutouts in the vertical parts of the frame and partially screwed with the help of L-brackets. Thus the stability of the whole system is accomplished.

Modularity Manufacturing

With a CNC machine, the strips for the louvre system can be easily manufactured from a simple aluminium plate without wasting any parts.

Resistance to Corrosion

Aluminium is naturally resistant to weathering. It develops a natural oxide coating when exposed to the weather, which protects the degradation of the material and other layers of the building.

Removeability

The facade can be designed modularly as not only the fragment is planned to receive the facade. this makes the assembly of the facade faster.

Maintainability

The small width of the strip allows for the facade cleaners to hang safely and clean the surfaces. The strips also can serve as additional support for them.

The frame has cutouts where the strips are inserted and then screwed. The simplicity of construction allows for a simple and cheap renovation and removal of a damaged piece.

On warmer days, cooling is important for not only thermal comfort but also health. The shading provided by the facade helps to provide that with reducing reliance on mechanical solutions.

PERSONAL PROJECT: MUSEUM OF EMOTIONS

Design Intent

Initial Considerations

Phenomenon of Emotions is difficult to articulate sharply so the articulation is similarly received among many So an architecture that stimulates specific emotional responses for many is even more difficult.

One can approach this problem in this way: On the one hand, there is a physiological factor that can thought of as common; examples here are the almost universally positive response to greenery On the other hand, there are cultural factors that mediate the

Formal approach

To find a way out of the problem shown above, I opted for the formal approach to the design Being inspired by Peter Eisenman’s “The Formal Basis of Modern Architecture” and his elaboration of form in architecture, positing, manipulating, and composing different forms became my strategy I gave myself up on sketching and tried to “paraphrase” all the formal ideas in 2D In the light of the competition’s programme and its mal-

perception of architecture; one example of that are churches, which without the concept of church, i e a congregation place of the commune of believers with its Christian traditions and symbolisms, the building would be a simple basilica with no stronger emotional response Additionally, each person’s connotations of such concept, can be positive or negative, can evoke awe or fear, etc This dialectical relation was the first ground zero for my project leability to wide interpretations, I could posit and iterate new compositions and pre-test the ideas before going into software

The goal of the final composition I chose to, on the one hand, evoke the feeling of getting lost, separated and disoriented in the negative part and, on the other hand, provide calmness, clarity, and relief in the positive part

Form Manipulation

After choosing the final idea i constructed a Grasshopper Algorithm. With It I could test different parameters and choose the value best suited to my demands The table on the right side shows a couple illustrations of the structure after changing the parameters - these parameters are only couple from many that could be manipulated

Final Outcome

The project is a composition that creates set of space:

1 Reception 1 (From the side of Negative Space)

2 Negative Space - Labyrinth of columnades

3 Transition Space

4 Positive Space - Gardens

5 Reception 2 (From the side of Positive Space)

Iteration 1

Iteration 2

Iteration 3

Final Project: Images

Personal Project: Museum of Emotions

PRACTICE EXPIRENCE

Inventory

Project Explanation

The project was an inventory of the existing state of the office building in Racibórz, Poland that belongs to the office. The last documents have not been updated in a while and I was asked to do and inventory with my colleague

My Part

Me and my colleague drove to Racibórz to take photos and document the existing internal partition and organisation Then, based on this material, I started to draw the existing state The arrangement was quite different than the original one, so I indicated the new walls and premises with darker outlines and coloured hatches

Elevation and Ramp Project

Practice Expirence

Project Explanation

The project at the office concerns itself with the renovation of the already existing shopping mall “Mozaika” in Krakow, Poland The Elevation shown on the drawing is planned to be turned from a graveyard for old materials

from the mall and a parking lot for lorries for nearbyhardware shop to a functional parking lot with a gym

The project is still ongoing and the work shown is work in process

My Part

My part was first to draw an existing entrance based on the photos The entrance will be used to enter the planned gym Secondly I drew a ramp along the existing elevation my reference was the building code in

Poland The ramp was required due to evacuation needs, as well as the request of the client to include objects and devices that assist or provide handicapped visitors to use the area

Project Explanation

The project is the same one concerning the shopping Mall “Mozaika “in Kraków, Poland This piece of documentation concerns itself with the vehicular part of the project, i e the parking for the mall users, the parking slots for the nearby hardware shop “Obi” and evacuation routes

My Part

I was a part of the design team where I was proposing multiple parking lot designs As required I referred to the building code, technical requirements, local code and the deal with the investor The parking seen here is one of the variations that I proposed

Then I the document with the updated annotations, the key, and with the relevant content