PORTFOLIO-2.1

LEVENSHULME- SKELETON LOGIC LEVI THEATER LAMIAA ABOUELALA STUDIO 2.1 (1D5Z0101_1314_9Z1F)

GROUP WORK-DEMOGRAPHICS

GROUP WORK-FRAMING LEVENSHULME

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1840

In 2050, the UN has predicted that 85% of the world’s population will reside in cities (Urban and Rural Areas 2009). The end of the 19th century brought the emergence of Manchester as a city, with growth and decline taking place to varying degrees over the coming century.

In this was the city could be seen as a system, which through analysis can be improved and optimised. Manchester offers an incredibly rich post-industrial history, the study of which has informed urban design globally.

Urbanist studies have been produced for a great many cities, and relevant parallels can be drawn. William McDonough has described ‘the city as an organism’ (London : Vintage 2009) With this in mind, we can see Levenshulme as an organ within the body of Manchester, which has seen variations in performance since it’s conception.

The area has seen physical growth and decline, all the while being subject to external factors.

The notion of the city as a modulating system is supported by Koolhaas, who describes New York as a ‘cyclic restatement of a single theme: creation and destruction irrevocably interlocked, endlessly reenacted’. In this way the city represents as versatile playing ground in which mistakes are made the slate is cleaned, and a fresh pair of eyes can reinstate a new sense of place. Manchester’s boroughs are parts that are both independent and inextricably linked. Levenshulme is just such a part.

The area is fundamentally dependant on the Central Business District to provide many jobs and transport links.

This study aims to investigate this dependance as well a it’s ability to self sustain.

Levenshulme was built around 1840 and began with being a small village area consisting of very few residential houses. Gradually levenshulme grew into a small society over 50 years with residential houses and shops expanding and covering a greater area of land. During the 1900s, Levenshulme progressively grew, surfacing more terraced houses. A more formatted system was created with houses assembled parallel to the main A6 Stockport road and the railway line. By the 1940s it was clear to see this layout of Levenshulme and the area becoming town with a more established community. Large areas of green space were built on top of with only very few spaces where it has been conserved and turned into public spaces, such as parks. However between 1960 and 1970, areas on the outskirts of Levenshulme start to become derelict, subsequently turning them into empty land or green space. By the 1990s, Levenshulme has developed a wider community base with more improved public areas such as schools, shops and parks, although many abandoned sites still remain to be left untreated.

GROUP WORK-STOCKPORT ROAD ANALYSIS A photographic survey of Stockport Road reveals a cross section of the shops and services available to the people of Levenshulme.

Not only is the street a main shopping district, it also offers amenities to the local inhabitants and those of wider areas.

Unlike many high streets, that of Levenshulme hosts few major chain shops. As a result, the street is a canvas for the businesses of Levenshulme, which attempt to grab the attention of the passers by through individual formats and frameworks. The designs behind the signs, logos and banners are not regulated by marketing teams, but by the shop owners. The rich diversity of graphics creates an atmosphere that is always changing, and as units compete through new advertisements, some thing that is self-referential.

Aside from the graphic interpretations, from the data collected, it is possible to trace the consumption patterns of those that use the thoroughfare. Supermarkets, 9 of 13 being independent, absorb many of the units. Cafes, restaurants and pubs are all outnumbered by takeaways collectively. Of a total 273 units, 31 are takeaway food shops. The ranges of foodstuffs available in these outlets vary from Fish and Chips to Halal Kebabs, all of which are energy dense, and source ingredients from outside of the area. Furthermore, the supermarkets offer international ingredients and frozen produce, with high embodied environmental costs as a result of air miles.

Much research has been invested into the factors of socioeconomic decline and amenities can certainly be seen as indicators of just that.

As the unemployed eat out of home and frequent pubs/bars and betting shops, they are engaging in a cycle of decline. There are serious questions currently being raised on the subject of decline in the UK’s cities, particularly of the North, and a point of contention is often the link between lifestyle and economic activity. The production and consumption patterns of Levenshulmes individuals are so varied that any such links cannot be easily drawn. Depravation, however, is apparent.

13 supermarkets

11 Off Licences 13 supermarkets

4 Bettting Shops

14 Estate Agents

3 Restaurants

6 Cafes

3 Clothing

8 Home + Furniture

13 Technology + Appliances

31 Takeaways

5 Education

9 Legal

6 Pubs/Bars

13 Hair + Beauty

6 Health

2 Carwashes

8 Repairs

GROUP WORK-SECTION OF SHOPS ALONG STOCKPORT ROAD

The main transportation routes are the A6 Stockport road and the railway line that runs parallel to each other through Levenshulme. Not only are both routes the main modes of transport and means of getting around Levenshulme, but also it has formatted the town when it was first built; providing a basis for its surroundings. The main railway line starts at Levenshulme station and heads to Stockport. Buses go along the Stockport Road and also Albert Road heading towards Fallowfield. Both the train and bus routes allow the public to get to and from Levenshulme and Stockport within minutes.

There are 7 schools that are located in Levenshulme, all of which are not distant from each other and are built parallel to Stockport road on either side. The number of schools increased when Levenshulme was developing and the schools also increased in size from the 1900s to present day. The churches and places of worship are again placed closely along Stockport road. The significance of religion within this community is shown by the number of these buildings; there is double the amount of religious buildings than there are of schools. This does not come as a surprise with the fact that Levenshulme is a very culturally and ethnically diverse community with more than 7 different religions. There are quite a few parks around Levenshulme; with the bigger green spaces being on the west of Stockport road. Most green spaces are actually part of schools or libraries and other public facilities; only a couple are open to the whole community.

For nearly two millennia Stockport has been a major arterie fulfilling its role of connecting residential and industrial urban environments of both Manchester and Stockport. Throughout the years most of the landscape alongside the route evolved; from having blank extensive plots of greenery and rarely any building back in the 1840’s to having a mass populated small urban communities with an excessive density of structure and relevant absence of any vegetation in present days. The train line, passing through the area, kept its original parallel to Stockport road direction.

The diagram shown above aims to present few major topics: • Consistency between flora and ‘bricks’ • Changes in altitude • Distances • Connection with other small roads infrastructure • MSA chosen sites

GROUP WORK-TRAFFIC

GROUP WORK-LEVENSHULME GEOGRAPHIC BORDER

GROUP WORK-SOCIAL MEDIA

LEVENSHULME BATHS TO STAY OPEN - EXCLUSIVE! Following a huge local campaign, Town Hall bosses have backed down on their plans to close Levenshulme Baths. They have commissioned a report from the Chief Executive to replace the baths with a modern facility, and to keep open the pool until the replacement is availible.

Local Councillor Simon Ashley said, “This is the third time we have stopped Labour closing our baths. I want to pay tribute to the thousands that filled in petitions, demonstated and forced the Council to listen and perform this U turn. The original claim, that keeping the baths open was totally unaffordable because of government cuts, was simply not true.”

Local Councillor John Commons added, “We will be watching and waiting for this report, and hold the Council to account. It just goes to show, Levenshulme, when it works together, can force the Council to listen.”

City Council

This shows how people in within the levenshulme community get together through social media to rise up against the problems occurring in levenshulme. After having interviewed a couple of people, one in particular, of british nationality, explained to us several problems happening around the area concerning the sports center that has been planned to be relocated and replaced by baths. This will cause several problems: The people will rise up against this and try to stop it through social media and meetings and any means possible like they did previously with the library. Some other problems would include the traffic that would increase more than it is now due to the parking space planned for the sports center area (planning for 200 cars).

Group

REPORTAGE

Rebecca

Sarah

Throughout our group work, I have contributed in most of the reportage making, video taping several audio interviews with rebecca which then allowed us to draw several diagrams from her interview. The information obtained from physically analyzing Levenshulme was more rewarding then the information obtained solely on the internet and books.

SKELETON LOGIC-PROPOSAL PLAN

Diagram 1

SKELETON LOGIC-ANATOMY

Diagram 4

Diagram 5 Diagram 2

Diagram 3

Diagram 6

Plan on car wash site

The Anatomy and positions of the human body After some thought about the plan, I decided to use it as spaces for shelter.

These would be comprised of triangular walls that could be detacheble and put down on the floor; creating a plan view as seen on the site plan to the left. The location of the car wash is a long rectangular strip that night be restricting in some ways. I think using a space that looks fairly normal without a specific shape would be a good challenge to create a design that goes beyond simlicity and gives the space meaning.

Fitness activities and position

tension on the rope from the person

The transition betzeen a simple reaxed position to an active one

The strength that is needed to climb a rope and maintain that position is a difficult task. It does, however, fascinate me the differant positions formed through the simple act of climbing a rope

position formed to maintain a balance on the rope

Through the process of Geometry, i was able to find a design that is derived from the plan chosen. Although the influuence is not evident at first glance, The idea of being able to design something very geometrical from a plan that is fairly simple and rectangular appealed to my interests. Diagrams 1 and 2 was my process towards the final plan through merging two sets of diagrams together. Diagram 4 shows the line drawing of the geometrical triagnles dervied from diagram 1 and 2 in diagram 3. I then started focusing on circulation within the line drawing to try and determine spaces and openings as viewed in diagram 6; different colors representing differant spaces.

Gravity pull downwards

body elongation and elasticity

SKELETON LOGIC-PRECEDENTS FOR FIRST MODEL

SKELETON LOGIC-FIRST MODEL

Santiago Calatrava The two cantilvered parts with one core The tenerife Concert Hall The structure is very interesting simply because it portrays an unusual piece of element that captures the curioosity of most people on a first impression.

First Model Attempt

Fitness design

Cantilevered parts elongated- parts resemblimg skeleton parts of an animal

The convrete base supporting cantilvered parts

Tansit Hub at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York This impressive structure with the best representation of a skeleton of an animal with it’s cantilevered spikes. This could even be compared to elongated fingers.

Core Strucutre resemblance

Punente del Alamillo in Sevilla This example in particular shows in some sense the idea of a cantilevered body position holding on a rope as seen in previous sketches.

The rough sketches also have a few structural rezemblances.

These rough sketches were derived from an abstract design of a fitness activity that is compared to certain designs by Calatrava introducing and enciting differant ideas and concept for this first design

Concrete support

Using sticks was a means of constructing a structure that is linear and geometric on a first hand. Usin blue tack made it easier to manipulate the differannt parts and to redeisng it

SKELETON LOGIC-PRECEDENTS FORSECOND MODEL

SKELETON LOGIC-SECOND MODEL

Roof plan of Palazzetto dello sport The concrete core mimicing the concept of a tree and supporting the structure

Palazzo del lavarro -Turin, Italy Freidman Nervi

Second Model

The Tree of Life The concept of the tree of life and how that is very closely related to the idea of “arbre, ami de l’homme” (man, friend of the tree) encouraged me to explore a design that is related to this concept

Palazzetto dello Sport-Rome

Plan of Palazzetto dello sport

Symmetry

Geometry

This inner structure is almost like a literal metaphore to a tree and it’s branches or even it’s roots. The continuous repetition of this strucutre is shown in the section below

Through Nervi’s architecture, one can notice the link between the earths organic structures displayed throughout these images

Elevation of a tree Section combined physically with that of a tree’s structure

Concrete core

Plan of Palazzo del lavaro

Geometry

The sticks act as a physical model of either tree branches or the act of entangling two hands together: “so that they metaphorically work together”

SKELETON LOGIC-THIRD MODEL

SKELETON LOGIC-REFINEMENT PART l

Plan of first model attempt Sound Waves

Third Model

“LIFE IS LIKE A SOUND WAVE AS LONG AS IT’S MOVING I’M STILL LIVING” Motion and fluidity Sketch of refined model

The idea of having a concept based purely on sound waves and fluid movements links back to a person’s way of moving, wether it is through dancing or a simple fluid strall. The rythm in which this happens interacts somehow, in my understanding, to the everyday sonar movements and effects Waves

Constructing a curvy structure to mimic the sound waves and fluid movemeent Section of first attempt model

Section of refined model

Refined design

As joints, I have used hinges to enable it to move in a horizontal manner creating a bigger space once spread out. I additionally used wire in order to attach the cantilever to the structure to have some tension in fear of collapse

SKELETON LOGIC-DIAGRAMMING

Positioning structure on site

Axonometric Diagramming

Final plan for my structure+attachements 1:50 on A1 diagraming the movement of the legs of my design conceptually

Through geometry, there is a similarity between both designs through their geometric lines

Working with two fairly complicated geometries had driven me to simplify it in a way that still cimpliments their geometry with ecach other

This diagram’s purpose is to show the differant parts of the structure that are able to move. These are separated in three differant parts.

the completion of the structure develops similarities wto that of nervi’s sports center in Rome

2. Vertincal wing 2.

Vertincal wing movement thatthat alters movement and controls top tip alters and the controls of thetop structure the tip of the structure

I started dividing the spaces to get a clear idea on how to make them funtional amongst/ within each other

3. Vertincal high point movement that is altered by the wings and thus alters the height of the structure

By producing blocks that are located right below the structure itself, almost as if it shelters it. Once the design was finalized, I started diagraming movement and circulation around and in it and thinking about how that might work on site

Through this process, I had to comprehend the importance of what the space might be used for. My answer was obtained through the geometry itself of both designs. This gave me enough confidence to alter the first proposal to one that is more simplified yet still obtains its core lines and structures.

1. Horizontal base movement that allows a greater space entry to the internal or external part of the strucutre

I decided to continue with the idea of geometry telling you how the design might look to where you might want to put it on site. After drawing out some main geometries on site I attempted a few positioning however, only one of these stood out: Geometry 7. This position fit perfectly with the geometry of the site.

SKELETON LOGIC-SITE PLAN

SKELETON LOGIC-SECTION

Site plan 1:100 on A0

West facing section 1:100 on A3

Alvar Alto’s plans of the the Seinajoki Town hall and the Seinajoki library both demonstrate long linear ongoing paths that inspired me on how to blend my pavillion and blocks with the site in a meaningful manner. By accentuating the long path parrallel to the road ( highlighted), creating an area for leasure and nice walks down the path of Levi Theatre. Similarly, I applied that same concept to the other path running across the road; an extension of a path from crowfard park. This keeps the area linked to the park but at the same time posseses its own qualities and purposes that distinguish it from the park across the road.

Seinajoki Library

Seinajoki Town Hall

SKELETON LOGIC-DETAILS

NORTH FACING ELEVATION

Technology section

The attachements for my structure will be composed of massive hinges with the same logic behind them: attached from edges with bolts to the timber core as seen on the technology section to the right

By using Solar Panels, a huge amount of money and electricity would be saved up. The felxibility of my upper structure allows the panels to be directed to the southern part for better exposure.

Solar Panels Solar Panels

Technical section

Solar Irradiance from sun light bulb Energy fron photons passes through middle layer of olar panel

electrons travel to source through circuits, balancing charges. This then creates electrical current that then provides light

The detail section through the wooden bases demonstrates the interiors wheels that allow the strucutre to move in a suiteable directions.The attachments of these structural legs will be joined up with bolts and the base edges with a hinge.

SKELETON LOGIC-INITIAL IDEA DEVELOPED

Having finally chosen image 4 as my final proposal design, it was evident to me that it could be used as seating areas for events that might take place in the pavillion. The shape of these seating blocks combimed with the slope shape of both the proposal design and the pavilllion remind me of the ampi-theater in Lyon. In terms of material, I thought Masonry would fit with the surrounding, especially with the houses behind made of the same mterial.

1

CHOSEN DESIGN

The idea was to create blocks that it would be a play ground with little openings as shown in the visual above and below. However that idea did not fit with my pavillion, one that is grandiose and could be functional for something more appealing; one that links both designs together.

4

2

3

SKELETON LOGIC-REFINEMENT PART ll Model 1:50

The millennium Bridge- Newcastle

The Tower Bridge- London

The refined final 7 models gave a very skeleton aiethetic in which could also be translated as an actual building such as an arena with several openings that extend.

The swinging bridge-Witby

The above images show the movement in which it transforms when connecting the two differant parts of the model together

My model reminded me of certain bridges that transform into a differant position for the purpose to let boats through. I then started using this concept to make the differant parts of my model connect somehow and effect each other in terms of functionality

Plan of Refined Model Part 2

SKELETON LOGIC-SITE MODEL

Through the process of making my site model, It was very interesting here again to experiment with light and see if it had the same effect on a 1:100 model compared to the first model.

SKELETON LOGIC-VISUALS

SKELETON LOGIC-BIBILIOGRAPHY

BOOKS -Awan, N., Schneider, T., and Till. J. (2011) Spatial agency: other ways of doing architecture. London: Routledge -Bachelard, G. (1994) ‘The dialectics of outside and inside’ In Bachelard. G. The Poetics of space. Boston: Beacon Press, pp. 211-231 -Benjamin, W. (2008) The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. London: Penguin -Baker, G. (1996) Design strategies in architecture: an approach to the analysis of form. 2nd ed. London: E & FN Spon -Elam, K. (2001) Geometry of design. New York: Princeton Architectural Press -Jencks, C., and Kropf, K. (eds.) (2005) Theories and manifestoes of contemporary architecture. London: John Wiley & Sons -Leach, N. (1997) Rethinking architecture: a reader in cultural theory. London; New York, NY: Routledge -Lynch, K. (1998) The image of the city. Cambridge: MIT Press -Mallgrave, H. (2010) The architect’s brain: neuroscience, creativity and architecture. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell -McLeod, M. (1997) ‘Henri Lefebre’s critique of everyday life: an introduction’ In Harris, S., and Berke, D. Architecture of the everyday. New York: Princeton -Scarpa (1999) ‘Museo di Castelvecchio’ In Carlo Scarpa architect: intervening with history. Montréal: Canadian Centre for Architecture -Tschumi, B. (1994) Event-cities (Praxis). Cambridge, Mass. and London: MIT -Tschumi, B. (2000) Event-cities 2. Cambridge, Mass. and London: MIT -Unwin, S. (2009) Analysing architecture. 3rd ed. London: Routledge WEBSITES -http://www.abitare.it/en/architecture/pier-lugi-nervi-architecture-as-challenge/ -http://archiveofaffinities.tumblr.com/post/17282624139/pier-luigi-nervi-sports-palace-plan-rome -http://www.calatrava.com/#/Selected%20works/Architecture/Valencia%201?mode=english -http://cargocollective.com/rohanrathod#PROJECT-NERVI-Aesthetics-and-Technology -http://elimperiomoderno.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/pallazzeto-dello-sport.html -http://www.energymedc.com/sound_wave_therapy.htm -http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&docid=h3UQdVfO8CQx6M&tbnid=OIa6DAiJEfKa8M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newgrounds. com%2Fart%2Fview%2Ffalk%2Fthe-tree-of-life&ei=GsB8U-2LBc7B7AaegYHgCQ&psig=AFQjCNEk8VtH0ulIcmcZFnGRCW39eS0aCw&ust=1400770953618464 -http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Palazzo_del_Lavoro.html -http://questgarden.com/78/94/2/090324173857/ -http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-14187334/stock-vector-conceptual-illustration-of-the-tree-of-life-growing-apart.html