WoolWorks

This project aims to re-inhabit Perth’s dying High Street through method of an urban acupuncture intervention into a former woolworths building built in 1925, once an icon of the High Street. The intervention applies a post covid-19 response to Perth by introducing 18 live/work units for skilled workers, whilst providing a range of multifaceted spaces for both viewing and creating, re-igniting Perth’s creative spine. The approach to the intervention of the former woolworths follows a sustainable design, retaining and preserving the historic dialogue of the existing building.

Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 1 of 10 | Special

Front (High Street)

Back (Mill Street)

Existing Conditions This selection of images demonstrates the existing character, condition and fabric of the former woolworths building. The building has two languages, the “front” which is a formal language responding to the high street retail context and the “back” industrial language which sits on Mill Street. The intervention utilises the existing conditions by responding to both Mill street and Perth’s High street individually, eliminating a front & back. This is achieved through a sustainable retain-reuse intervention with programmes which construct engagements and interactions in which respond to their relevant context.

Perth’s High Street

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1:2000 Retain Remove Intervention The Woolworks intervention and urban strategy response stems from the understanding of Perth’s core challenges, the elements of focus within this project are the dying high street, lack of skilled workers, demand for homes, aging population and vehicular priority.

A key urban move within this project is to form a 4 minute neighbourhood with Perth’s core which follows the ideology of living locally with micro interventions for engagement across the city, improving the quality of the civic realm.

This projects seeks to respond to these identified challenges through the application of “urban acupuncture” to reform the dying High Street by intervention of the former retail woolworths building into live/work spaces for skilled workers, which will serve as an incubator for creativity. The intervention also sees the sites neighbouring car park partially reclaimed for the public realm by transforming it into activity space for temporary events and exhibitions.

The intervention ties into this strategy by embedding the site and into its context, acting as a performance within the public realm with engaging programmes at the front and rear, whilst becoming a walk-able building with a central void for connectivity and interaction between spaces.

The woolworks intervention sits amongst a series of Studio D interventions following an urban acupuncture methodology - the belief that a series of small scale interventions placed in a network can act as a catalyst for massive change. A selection of these projects have been indicated in grey.

The building acts an incubator for creativity and facilitator for engagement.

The intervention has been principally organised within the existing former woolworths building with a focus on sustainability. Retaining, re-using and restoring the building while preserving it’s historical dialogue and DNA. This has been achieved through the retention of the existing fabric, volume and structure of the building with the implementation of lightweight adaptable configurations.

The gray shapes indicate where portions of the floor slab have been removed to allow for light, circulation or programme. The most notable areas are the public realm void space carved through centre of the ground floor slab, the vertical gallery sitting at the front of building, engaging with the High Street and the workshop at the rear sitting on mill street which has been excavated down a story.

The red structure and staircase demonstrate the projects intervention structure which will be used to prop up the existing facade retaining the face of woolworths, preserving the visual DNA. The red lines on the fabric indicate where new openings have been made to the existing skin, allowing light & circulation.

Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 2 of 10 | Urban Scale Hypothesis to Architecture

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a. Vertical Gallery

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Key:

d. Workshop

1. Rent-able Artist Studios 2. “Walk-able Building” 3. Activity Space (Outdoor Cinema) 4. Green Roof Garden

Location

Location Location Location Location Location

The Site is located between Perth’s High St and Mill St with narrow vennels on both sides of the site.

Volume

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On the site sits an old Woolworths building built in 1925. This building looks at retaining much of the existing building fabric and volume.

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The building has a void cut through the centre The front of the building becomes a vertical Contained between the two volumes is the Live/ to join areas of development adjacent to the gallery which engages with the High St. The rear Work levels. site, providing a through route. The footprint is recessed down to form a workshop which is then divided into thirds providing the acts as a performance within the public realm.

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Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 3 of 10 | Urban Scale Hypothesis to Architecture

Landmark The Workshop which sits on Mill street is recessed down a story, requiring a device to transfer loads between levels. The design implements a winch system which sits on the roof within one of the buildings existing rising volumes.

The Intervention draws influence from the Scottish Story Telling Centre which has restored an old royal mile bell to serve as a landmark on the mile, retaining a historic dialogue.

The woolworks design uses the winch as a symbol of intervention and landmark along mill street, highlighting the reindustrialisation along the Perth’s “creative spine”.

Assembly of Volumes

Landmark contextual model

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West Elevation (A-A)

Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 4 of 10 | Urban Scale Hypothesis to Architecture

Connection

Programme

The over arching approach to this intervention project is to retain and preserve the existing DNA of the former woolworths building.

The workshop programme has been developed from the Blackhorse workshop model which enables flexible walk in studio sessions and classes for the public as well as memberships for residents.

However, the most evident intervention to the existing building is the void which is carved through the ground floor, dividing the floor into thirds and creating passage through the site. This move embeds the building into the public realm, linking the proposed activity space within the project with the outline proposal of another Studio D student, situated on a neighbouring site.

The design decision drew influence from Aires Mateus’ Architecture faculty building which displays a simple facade with a sculptural void encouraging passage.

Woolworks

The woolworks workshop offers a multifaceted space for a range of disciplines, enabling people to work with all sorts of materials and at a range of scales.

The workshop will be used as a device to build elements of the intervention such as the live/work units and a space to construct enclosures for micro engagements across Perth.

Woolworks Workshop

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Section B-B Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 5 of 10 | Architectural Scale: Fragments

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Basement Floor

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Contents: 1. Workshop 2. Mill Street Entrance 3. Ground Floor Workshop Stair 4. x3 Changing Room Toilets 5. Check in Office 6. Winch & Beam Crane Space N

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1. Basement Workshop 2. Mill Street Entrance 3. Industrial Bi-Fold Entrance 4. Private Rear Sculptural Stair 5. x3 Changing Room Toilets 6. Staff Office 7. Ground Floor Workshop 8. Activity Space Entrance 9. Private Void Sculptural Stair 10. Void 11. Shared Workspace & lobby 12. Private Front Sculptural Stair 13. Vertical Gallery 14. Re-claimed Red Brick Paving

1. Workshop Volume 2. Material/Goods Loading Space 3. Indoor Street 4. x18 Individual Work Units 5. Elevator 6. Vertical Gallery

1. Workshop Volume 2. Material/Goods Loading Space 3. Indoor Street Mezzanine 4. x18 Live/Work Units 5. Void 6. Void 7. Elevator 8. Vertical Gallery

1. Winch House 2. Respite Spaces 3. Vertical Gallery

Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 6 of 10 | Architectural Scale: Fragments

Event - Sculptural Stair Newport Street Gallery by Caruso St John has played an integral role in influencing the woolworks intervention. Both in terms of dealing with an existing post industrial building’s fabric and striking a balance between the new & the old, adding too and preserving the historic dialogue.

This influence is most identifiable through the sculptural stairwells within woolworks.

Render and Section Key

External Wall to Void Space built with a vertical stack bonded brick to highlight the intervention and key design decision.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

The concept behind the design derives from the desire to create an event for residents. A powerful and contemplative space in which a resident engages with daily, a handshake guiding them to their live/work units. A celebration of the verticality.

Handshake with the building. The sculptural stairwell has an in-built handrail, constructed from pre-cast concrete components bonded into the wall structure.

0.3mm Membrane and 100mm glass wool insulation envelope for the stairwell to the indoor street.

Fire rated Matt white brick internal wall formed in a stretcher bond, Diffusing natural light down the stairwell.

The Event Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 7 of 10 | Architectural Scale: Fragments

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Live/Work - Affordable & Adaptable Nicholas Shurey’s workshop has been the principal source of influence for the design of the live work units. A live/work case study of a maker and his environment. Drawing elements such as spatial organisation, materiality, light and service requirements.

The live/work unit inside woolworks follows a simple, effective design for the “Bricoleur”. A lightweight, affordable and adaptable unit providing space for making and living. Constructed in the workshop and assembled and organised between the existing structure and volume of the former Woolworths.

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The unit design features an exposed timber frame internal wall with frosted polycarbonate panels & large industrial sliding doors creating engagement between residents and forming an indoor street.

1. Existing 300mm concrete floor slab polished and repaired.

2. Frosted polycarbonate panels built into exposed timber frame for Indoor street.

3. Service Stair.

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Designing for the Bricoleur

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

5. Unit external wall with existing brickwork, insulation, siphonic drainage and timber batons.

6. Unit Skin is constructed from 12mm OSB boards and 12mm Birch Plywood Finishing boards.

7. Ceiling 40mm Acoustic panels between timber battens finished with birch ply boards.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

4. Workshop timber frame unit with false wall for services, storage and machinery.

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8. Existing 300mm concrete floor slab.

9. Living unit constructed with a timber frame.

10. 12mm birch Plywood boards wrapped around timber structure to form unit skin.

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11. Unit ceiling, 12mm birch plywood finish with 100mm of insulation and existing 300mm concrete slab.

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Living

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

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Work (FF) The Indoor Street Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 8 of 10 | Tectonic Scale: Sub Fragments

Activity A key element to the urban strategy hypothesis and formation of a neighbourhood within the city is through application of micro interventions following the urban acupuncture methodology, in which encourage engagement throughout the public realm. This has transcended into the integrated design intervention through the activity space adjacent to the woolworks building. The image above illustrates a local artists work being displayed onto the former Woolworths fabric.

This intervention sees the activity space adjacent to the site as a flexible temporary exhibition area which enables residents and local Creatives to display their work, improving well being and evoking surprise and reward for residents dwelling within the city.

These temporary exhibitions are enabled through the creation of enclosures and materials formed within the woolworks workshop.

Environmental Design The largest contributor to the sustainable design of woolworks intervention is the retention of the existing. Retaining the existing concrete structure allows for adaptable configurations aiding to the sustainability of the design, negating the toxic cycle of build and demolish whilst assisting heat retention across the building.

The vertical gallery maximises solar gain to heat the space and has utilises large ground floor openings to provide fresh air to enter and circulate the space. A mechanical ventilation unit sits within the inhabited wall to pull fresh air from the gallery into the indoor street.

Stack ventilation is introduced into the indoor street with stale air rising and dispersing out of vents built into the void skylights. The skylights provide rich natural light to indoor street and energy efficient artificial lighting has been integrated throughout the design to aid specific programmes and spaces whilst enabling woolworks to function in evening hours.

The extraction of dust material and stale air has been a focus within the environmental design, each workspace within the live/work units has their own individual mechanical extracts sitting within the service wall. The workshop incorporates a hung service ceiling which contains industrial mechanically assisted ventilation drawing harmful material and extracting up the existing volumes at the rear of the building. The environmental design of woolworks has been discussed holistically throughout vol II of the design journal.

1. External Wall Construction

2. Underpinning Existing

3. Foundation Detail

4. Structure & Services

5. Internal Walls

6. Floor/Ceiling Detail

7. Roof Construction

The external wall build up follows a 50/50 model, half built from the existing and half from the intervention.

The excavation for the new workshop space requires the existing woolworths structure to be supported.

- Damp proof membrane 0.5mm - 200mm in situ concrete slab - 100mm rigid insulation -200mm polished concrete slab

Existing concrete columns grid extended down into workshop with suspended service ceiling.

- Damp proof membrane 0.5mm - 50mm Dry packed concrete - 600mm concrete retaining wall - 5-30mm multi-foil insulation - 30mm timber battens - 12mm birch plywood board

- 12mm birch plywood board ceiling - 40mm acoustic blocks for sound absorption between working and living - 50mm timber battens - 300mm existing concrete floor slab - 12mm birch plywood floor finish

The intervention develops the roof into a terrace space offering respite for residents.

- 225mm existing red brickwork in English bond - 30mm air gap - 100mm glass wool insulation - 3mm Vapour Barrier - 75mm Service Gap (siphonic drainage) & timber battens - 12mm OSB board - 12mm Birch Ply Board finish

The Affordable and adaptable live/ work units are placed between the existing concrete columns and on top of the concrete floor slab. The existing structure is retained as a load bearing element.

- x3 suspended ceilings panels 30mm hung from the existing 300mm concrete floor slab.

- Hidden services including ventilation extracts

- Units are formed by timber frames constructed with 200mm x 50mm members.

- 12mm OSB board - 12mm birch plywood board

- 65mm reclaimed/recycled red brick - 100mm screed - Damp proof membrane 0.5mm - 300mm existing concrete slab - 100mm glass wool insulation between timber battens.

- 12mm birch plywood board

Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 9 of 10 | Tectonic Scale: Sub Fragments

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Section C-C Marcus Myles | Studio D | “WoolWorks” | Board 10 of 10 | Tectonic Scale: Sub Fragments