Part 2 Architecture Portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

Architecture & Urbanism

Academic & Professional

2022

Maria Baban

Maria Baban- Architecture portfolio 2022

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About myself...

My name is Maria Baban, I am a young, determined and hardworking postgraduate student at the University of Strathclyde. Even though I am not originally from the UK, I have been living and studying here for the last six years, getting to better understand the architecture legislation and construction regulations specific to this country. I graduated from Cardiff University in 2019 and worked remotely for two small companies in Romania. In 2020, I enrolled to complete the Master in Architecture, while still working part-time.

Regarding my architecture work, I would describe myself as a methodical person who always pays attention to detail. Throughout my academic and professional architectural experience, I had the opportunity to develop my design technique for approaching different projects. This helped me always stay organised and focused on my work and meet every deadline. Fuelled by my passion for architecture, I became a creative and confident designer even when outside my comfort zone. I have the ability to easily adapt to any situation and I am open to learning whenever there is a gap in my knowledge. What makes my design style unique is that I usually take inspiration from my life experiences, driving every project close to my heart.

An important skill I have developed while working as an Architectural Assistant was communication with clients in a professional manner. Being supported by my employers gave me the confidence to perform well in client meetings and attain successful design results.

Thus, I overcome any challenges through perseverance and trust in my abilities.

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Table of contents

01 The International Data Bank

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Masters Year 5 Design Thesis Project 2022

02 The Radio Palace

16

03 Family dream home

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04 Free-up the streets

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05 New in the neighbourhood

36

06 Community Sports Centre

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07 Green space for leisure time

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Masters Year 4 Design Project 2021- Nominated for the GIA Commendation

Practice work 2021- Private home design

Practice work 2021- Multi-story car park

Practice work 2021- Apartment building refurbishment

Practice work 2020- Project conducted by the Local Council

Practice work 2020- Project conducted by the Local Council

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01

The International Data Bank Masters Year 5 Design Thesis Project 2022

My Year 5 Thesis Project represents the latest design work that I have produced. The studio theme included aspects of urban design that I had the opportunity to learn about. For instance, we were asked to produce a more in depth site analysis compared to other studios. This encouraged me to pay more attention to certain aspects of the context and better integrate it in my design project.

1. Govan’s Sensorial Museum 2. Device Clinic 3. Story-sharing gardens 4. The International Data Bank 5. Hotel 6. Community Technology Centre 7. Community greenhouse 8. Archival Towers 9. The Square of Technology and Innovation

The main concept idea was to create an International Data Bank, meant to preserve digital information. Since much of our modern data is digital, there is concern for its longevity. With current practices, data can be lost, corrupted and become outdated. The consequences could generate a “Digital Dark Age”, a gap in our history and culture. The Data Bank aims to manage and store people’s data on a global scale, also providing public spaces meant to encourage interaction and cultural exchange.

Riverside Museum

River Clyde

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4 3

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7 9 6 1

Govan Road

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The site selected for this project is located close to Govan Cross. It depicts informal settlements to the left and residential areas to the right, being bordered by the River Clyde to the North. The place was chosen due to its historic importance and high accessibility created by the Govan Road and the Govan transport hub. These attributes could facilitate easy access to the International Data Bank and create the right context for the Govan’s Sensorial Museum. The large plots of vacant and derelict land represent an opportunity of offering an example solution to the issue.

River Clyde

Informal settlements 3

Walking path

Residential area

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2

Govan Road Site analysis plan

Urban strategy plan The urban rationale was to create a public square surrounded by technology-related buildings, incorporating similar design features. The response to the site envisions a route crossing the square and linking the Govan Road to the North bank of the river. The newly created road passes through the International Data Bank, encouraging people to enter the premises. It also represents the connection between Govan’s Sensorial Museum and the River Side Museum, creating a touristic route of Govan. The site vistas are an important feature of the scheme as the views of the old historical buildings help maintain the place’s identity. This strategy can be observed in diagrams A and B.

River Clyde

A A

B

B

Govan Road

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East site lelevation

West site section

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International Data Bank exploded axonometry- showing the individual components

Structural assemble and wall construction technical detail 1. Truss 2. Connection element 3. Metal pilar component

1. Exterior aluminium plate 2. Damp proof membrane (DPM) 3. Insulation 4. Interior aluminium plate

1. Main structure 2. Cladding panelling 3. Supporting metal frame

1 3

2

2

3 1 4 3 2 1

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Recording room

Storing/ retrieval room

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Public auditorium/ canteen

Childrens’ seminar room

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Segments of three window repeeeon Design feature of a local building: the tower placed on the side

The posiioning of the staircase emulates the nearby building’s tower

Segments of three window repeeeon

Public ground floor

Facade design development- inspiration from the existing context

Govan’s Sensorial Museum- view from Govan Road

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Story-sharing gardens

The Square of Technology and Innovation

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02

The Radio Palace Masters Year 4 Design Project 2021- Nominated for the GIA Commendation

My Year 4 Design Project looked into creating a new typology, a people-driven radio tower and media building. This was supplemented by a protesting square, with the project aiming to provide a free speech platform for Glaswegians. The building is fully made from recycled components (scaffolding, shipping containers, vehicle windows, box-pallets etc.) and it was designed to be built by the members of the community in less than three months. Some challenges were faced when choosing the right scaffolding connections in order to support the ten floor tall building. However, through research I considered the bridge construction scaffolding to be the best option.

The software used for the thesis project were SketchUp and Photoshop. The style that I wanted to express was a crafty/ handmade atmosphere, just like the assemble of the building. Moreover, the collage style of drawing with striking shades of yellow would match the free expression atmosphere of the Radio Palace.

The Radio Palace

Protesting Squa

Glasgow’s Promenade

River Clyde

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are

The Radio Palace is a cultural landmark and public opinion media platform in Broomielaw, Glasgow. The project aims to disseminate balanced and accurate information about local issues and provide the space and resources for Glaswegians to express their opinion. The Protesters Square reintroduces the idea of the Greek Agora, as a place for the people to congregate and express social and political concerns. The site is situated on the bank of the River Clyde and can be accessed from Broomielaw Street to the South, Brown Street to the East and Crimea Street to the North. The area is dominated by

several governmental buildings which creates an ideal place for protesting and public manifestation. Moreover, the site has good visibility from south and east having a significant impact on the position of the building.

As a response to the site analysis, the media building was positioned to face the Ministry of Defence(1). This works to provide a confrontation with the authorities when necessary. While connecting the two, the square (2) also provides visibility for the protesters. On the southern side, the cafe seating area creates a relationship with the river (3), thus functioning as an entrance, which can also attract visitors. To improve visibility inside the plaza the Radio Palace was split into two buildings separated by a central space which also provides the main access to the public square (4).

Ministery of Defence 3.

4.

1.

2.

Broomielaw St

Significant buildings:

Accessibility

1. Ministry of Defence 2. Scottish Government offices 3. Scottish Procurement Directorate 4. Scottish Cities Alliance

Visibility

Site analysis diagrams

Urban strategy

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2

4

3

River Clyde

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South elevation

Site section AA’

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30 10

20

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North elevation

A

A’

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Site section (facing East)

Public auditorium

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Public computers room

Library

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Along the other public facilities presented previously, The Radio Palace incorporates a radio room too, positioned on the fifth floor. Inside, there is the Radio Pod, which was designed to encourage live debate, inviting a variety of guests with different backgrounds. Seating is provided for the guests and the interviewer, while it also incorporates a stage designed for live performances transmitted on the radio. Furthermore, it can be accessed from the outside ramps during a protest, thus, facilitating a live update for the listeners. The radio pod follows the reused and recycled material design of the building, being constructed from shipping containers while also incorporating soundproofing such as wall insulation and insulation panels.

The idea of positioning a “room within a room” improves the acoustical insulation as the space around the Radio Pod acts as a buffer zone.

STORY TELLING TELLING STORY Inside the Radio Pod (hand drawing)

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Diagram showing the “room within a room” design concept

Radio Pod- exploded axonometry

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Protesting platforms and wall construction detail

Floor construction: 1. Linoleum 2. TEGO plywood sheets 20 mm 3. Recycled Denim insulation 200 mm 4. TEGO plywood sheets 20 mm 5. VARIOKIT elements truss 1015mm depth

The scaffolding was used to support the ramps and banners, while the heavy-duty scaffolding was used as the main structure for the Media Quarter. These structural components were selected to facilitate the quick construction through predominantly manual labour. The reason for that was to provide a fast solution during a crisis and to be taken apart and moved when necessary. As such, the estimated construction time of the building would be around two months.

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Wall construction: 6. TEGO plywood sheets 20 mm 7. Recycled Denim insulation 200 mm 8. EPDM 9. Steel angle 10. VARIOKIT steel waler 60x140 mm 11. Wooden batten 60x200 mm 12. Box pallets used for cladding 150x800x1200 mm Platform construction: 13. Industrial steel flooring 20mm 14. VARIOKIT formwork girder 200 mm 15. Scaffolding

Foundation construction detail

Floor construction: 1. TEGO plywood sheets 20 mm 2. Extruded polyester 100 mm 3. EPDM 4. Base layer of crushed rock and cement 1000 mm 5. VARIOKIT truss of 500 mm depth Wall construction: 6. TEGO plywood sheets 20 mm 7. Recycled Denim insulation 200 mm 8. EPDM 9. Steel angle 10. VARIOKIT steel waler 60x140 mm 11. Wooden batten 60x200 mm 12. Polycarbonate sheet 200 mm

The foundation solution adopted was to treat the whole building as a scaffolding construction. The principle was to create a very compact ground on which the scaffold can sit on. The Variokit structure was fixed at the depth of 500mm inside the base layer. In turn, the base layer sits on top of the Geoblock modulo and Krinner ground screws. These function as an anchoring block working against possible tilts in the building.

Pavement construction: 13. Asphalt 60 mm 14. Base layer of crushed rock and cement 200 mm 15. Dense sand layer 30 mm 16. Compacted earth Foundation construction: 17. Base layer of crushed rock and cement 1000 mm 18. GEOBLOCK modulo 70x70x70 mm 19. KRINNER ground screws 1500 mm 20. Compacted earth

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03

Family dream home Practice work 2021- Private home design

The “Family dream home” project took place during my practice work and was done for a private client. A young family acquired a new house which was built only up to the structure level, having none of the fitting works done. They required our practice to complete the design of the interior, change the roof and resign the facade using the Neo-classical elements. My duties fell under the interior design and facade design, while also collaborating with the engineer on the roof’s structural design.

This project offered me the opportunity to learn more about interior design, room proportions, symmetry, materials and colour palette. Knowing I had limited knowledge, I started researching the topic and took a Skillshare interior design class which helped me understand its principles. Being a fast learner and relying on my self-taught abilities, I improved my skills and delivered a project which satisfied my client’s expectations.

Terrace design options

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Even though I was working remotely for the last few months of the project, constant communication was kept with the clients. Being always approachable, encouraged my clients to easily communicate to me any issues or ideas they would like to explore. When undecisive, I created multiple design versions and together decided on the most optimal approach. One example is the terrace design for which I developed three versions for my clients to choose from. Overall, the design development was done using the collage drawing technique, along with 3D modelling in SketchUp and Revit.

View to the terrace

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1

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2

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4 5

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Ground floor plan 1. Front garden and parking 2. Entrance lobby 3. Bathroom 4. Kitchen 5. Dining area 6. Livingroom 7. Terrace with outdoor dinning

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Ground floor livingroom design

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1 2

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At that point, the family had only one child, however, they were considering having a second one. Here, the diagram shows how the upstairs living room could be transformed into another child’s bedroom.

First floor plan 1. Balconies 2. Bathroom 3. En-suite bedroom 4. Dressing 5. Livingroom (also guests bedroom) 6. Study area 7. Bedroom 8. Future child bedroom

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En-suite bedroom design

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04

Free-up the streets Practice work 2021- Multi-story car park

The following project required the design of two multi-story carparks in the city of Campulung, Romania. They had the purpose of freeing up the parking space in the city centre’s main boulevard.

The area has historic significance for the locals and with recent development, the vehicle traffic started to threaten its popularity. Authorised and unauthorised car parking flooded the historic centre during the day, making the pedestrians spend less time in that location. Thus, the local council decided to act quickly and build two multi-story carparks in the city centre. Other traffic calming measures were adopted by the local authorities, such as pedestrianizing the historic centre area and creating public gathering spaces.

Ground floor plan (technocal drawing)- car park 1 Bird-eye view- car park 1

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Street view - car park 1

My duty was to complete the design of the carparks and prepare a draft planning application which I presented in from of the project commission. The client requested to focus more on the fast delivery of the project than on the aspect and to create simple and explicit drawings. Therefore, I used SketchUp and V-Ray for creating simple but realistic renders and Revit for the measured plan design. Some of the challenges encountered were working with a tight deadline, learning the vehicle parking design regulations and fitting as many cars as possible considering the space constraints.

Thus research, legislation and mathematical calculations were the main components driving my design proposal.

Exploded axonometric drawing- explaining the volumetry (car park 2)

Top level view - car park 2

Bird-eye view- car park 2

Street view- car park 2

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05

New in the neighbourhood Practice work 2021- Apartment building refurbishment

The apartment building refurbishment focused on redeveloping the main facade, design planning of the basement and ground floor as well as designing the apartment furniture layout. The main software used were SketchUp, AutoCAD, Revit and Photoshop.

Because the building is neighbouring a forest, one of the key points mentioned by my client was that the cafe seating area should take advantage of that view. Therefore, I decided to open up the seating space to the forest by creating a terrace and using a glass wall, offering full visibility to the natural environment.

Cafe view towards the forest- public area

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Bike storr

C

C

Location plan

Bedroom view- private area

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Elevation

Section

Facade design development

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Penthouse (second floor)

Terrace penthouse

Penthouse (first floor)

Apartment 7

Apartment 6

Apartment 5

Apartment 4

Apartment 3

Apartment 2

Apartment 1

Bike storrage Receppon Car park Cafe and terrace

Changing rooms

Common area

AAer-school

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06

Community Sports Centre Practice work 2020- Project conducted by the Local Council

Measured site plan South elevation

North elevation

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Transversal sections

Ground floor plan- administrative, storage and changing rooms

First floor plan- public gym and indoor training area

Second floor- supporters seating area

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Green space for leisure time Practice work 2020- Project conducted by the Local Council

Axonometric view- park design

Site diagrams

Site dimensions and the main features of the surrounding

Circulation routes and entrances; the relocated monument became the centre of the park

The seating areas are positioned facing the playgrounds; parents can watch their children playing

Trees acting as shading points and as a sound barrier against the traffic noise

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Park view towards the seating area

Sheltered seating area technical detail Roof joining detail:

Roof construction detail:

1. pillar 2. roof truss 3. metal plate 4. metal profiles

3.

steel roof tiles

4.

tile batten

3.

2.

counter batten DPM

A. Walkway construction detail:

wooden roof boarding

4.

1.

roof truss

concrete cast in situ wire mesh compacted gravel B. Foundation construction detail: concrete cast in situ compacted gravel compacted earth

B. A.

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Thank you!

Maria Baban

E-mail: mariababan2022@yahoo.com Phone: +44 7873 831929

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