PHERO FORMS

DESIGN STATEMENT

Between the boarders of Camden and Islington, on 184 York Way is a retrofit of an existing storage facility aiming to transform a storage unit into BUILDING 2030. The design must integrate a material exchange, a visitor center for Camden Highline, locally produced food, and a space for a radical social program. The building represents radical sustainable approaches to building, offering alternative forms of construction as we are reaching the net zero target deadline of 2030.

One of the main aspects of the building is its integration with the Camden Highline through an extension of its third phase hence acting as a city marker and the end to a users experience. The main visitors are those exploring the Camden Highline and residents from the Maiden Lane Estate and Kings Cross. However, the space is inclusive and welcomes everyone.

Camden Highline third phase end

concept & strategy

My program features three key spaces: the art workshop, the disassembly space, and the rooftop garden, all designed as open areas providing viewpoints for visitors creating a feeling of involvement. The ground and first floors are reserved as private spaces, not accessible to the public, while the second to fifth floors are open for public access.

The general arrangement of the employee-only spaces includes open, modular shelving systems and flexible areas to accommodate various material sizes and types. Interactive digital kiosks facilitate the exchange process and provide information on sustainable practices.

Good design is about creating a feeling, and my aim was to create an environment where visitors feel free to roam within a structured space. This influenced my choice of polycarbonate facade, which maximises light during the day and transforms the building into a lantern at night. I also chose to scatter the exhibition spaces throughout the building, allowing the user to experience the exhibits as they move through the space, rather than confining them to enclosed rooms. This mixture of open and enclosed areas immerses the user in multiple activities simultaneously, enhancing their overall experience.

My concept revolves around ants, their living conditions, anatomy, and my interpretation of an ant’s point of view. Initially, deciding on a concept was challenging, but inspiration struck accidentally when I sat near an ant colony by a tree. This moment sparked my fascination with ants and their extraordinary sense of community, which is evident in their highly organized social structures.

While drawing inspiration from nature to address human-made challenges appears promising, I hesitated to adhere too “literally” to my ant concept after reading Bernard Tchumi’s ‘Concept & Notation’. Tchumi argues that literal concepts can be limiting and unproductive. Instead, my design of the building incorporates multiple layers of thought processes. These processes encompass various considerations beyond a direct emulation of ant behaviour or anatomy.

The proposed client for this building is a coalition government, including the Green Party, with the aim of challenging the dominance of developer-led construction practices. The need identified for this building is to provide a sustainable, innovative community centre.

The main users of the building are visitors to the Camden Highline, and residents from neighbouring communities.

PROGRAMME

- Art Workshop: A creative space for artistic expression, workshops, and community art projects.

- Disassembly Space: A facility for dismantling and re-purposing materials, promoting circular economy practices.

- Rooftop Garden: A green space featuring a viewpoint towards kings cross, relaxation area, and educational demonstrations.

- Exhibition Spaces: Scattered throughout the building, these areas showcase sustainable initiatives, local art, and interactive displays.

- Food Canteen: featuring locally produced food and beverages, supporting regional agriculture and healthy eating habits.

- Social Program Space: A flexible area for community gatherings, workshops, and cultural events, fostering social connections and collaboration.

MATERIAL INPUT

Between 1000-1300 square meters of corrugated aluminium material from the facade is available to be reused to produce railings, seating and cladding for the building, additional materials will be the first input to the material shop-floor ready to find a new and better home.

CLIMATE RESPONSE

Designing for longevity and durability to minimise maintenance requirements over the building’s lifespan.

Incorporating flexibility and adaptability to accommodate changing user needs and technological advancements.

By addressing these practical parameters and sustainable design principles, the building can minimise its environmental impact, enhance occupant comfort and well-being, and contribute positively to the local community and environment.

Climate Response:

- Designing building orientation and fenestration to maximise natural light while minimizing heat gain.

- Using passive ventilation strategies to enhance indoor air quality and reduce reliance on mechanical systems.

- Incorporating flexible layouts to accommodate future changes in occupancy or function.

Climatic Envelope:

Site Location: The site is located in an urban area, possibly near Camden or Islington, with access to transportation and amenities.

Constraints: Limited space, potential soil contamination, noise pollution from nearby roads or railways.

Opportunities: Proximity to public transport, potential for green space integration, access to local communities.

Challenges: Ensuring compliance with setback requirements, addressing site slope or irregular shape, coordinating with neighbouring properties.

Access: limited site access for construction vehicles, pedestrian safety considerations, and coordination with local authorities for road closures if needed.

Energy use: Implementing energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling systems to reduce carbon emissions.

A radical adaptation offering an alternative form of construction to the borough of Islington

Aims to connect with the existing built environment and act as an extension to ‘The Wilds’ section of Camden Highline

Noise pollution from active railway trains passing by can generate significant noise, which can be disruptive. advantages constraints

Camden’s public transport networks, like the London Underground and bus routes, makes commuting easy for employees, clients, and visitors.

site is across an active street, an extension for access is crucial via Camden Highline for convenience. connection to allensbury estate, XY apartments and Kings Cross

Digimap

Islington Council, controlled by Labour, has implemented various policies aimed at addressing social inequality and improving public services. These include initiatives to tackle poverty, support for small businesses, investment in education and youth services, and efforts to promote environmental sustainability.

CAMDEN

ISLINGTON

Plimsoll building, Kings Cross

Phillyrea angustifolia

Lavender

Prunus lusitanica

Pittosporum tobira

hornbeam

santolina

yew

here i experimented with cyanotype printing using plants & film photographs off of national geographic

1 5 eco-print sculpture

Wayfinding using scent-based cues to guide visitors through the building, experiencing it as a trail map similarly to how ants navigate through spaces by following a trails of pheromones. Different eco-print scents could demarcate areas meant for specific activities, such as, workspaces, or social areas achieved by using different plant species.

eco-printing is a natural dyeing process that involves transferring the pigment and scent from plants & other organic materials onto fabric or paper. my sculpture was made entirely out of biodegradable materials including an old cotton shawl, flowers, linen yarn and tree branches. My intent is to exhibit the piece throughout the building as an exhibition and visitor trail guide.

The Growing Pavilion is a temporary events space at Dutch Design Week constructed with panels grown from mushroom mycelium supported on a timber frame and is made entirely from bio-based materials.

Mycelium can be used as a sustainable building material, by combining mycelium with agricultural waste such as straw or wood chips to create a strong, lightweight material that can be moulded into various shapes.

This mycelium composite is biodegradable, fire-resistant, and can be grown in a fraction of the time it takes to produce traditional building materials like concrete or wood. It has been used in applications such as insulation & has good acoustic properties.

The Growing Pavilion is a temporary events space at Dutch Design Week constructed with panels grown from mushroom mycelium supported on a timber frame and is made entirely from bio-based materials.

The facade is made up of translucent polycarbonate panels allowing natural light to permeate the building, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day.

The use of double-layered polycarbonate panels enhances the building’s thermal insulation properties. The air gap between the layers helps maintain a stable indoor temperature, contributing to energy efficiency and overall sustainibility.

The Laban Dance Centre, designed by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

PRECEDENTS

Nest We Grow

Kengo Kuma & Associates + College of Environmental Design UC Berkeley the openness of the facade and inner structure presents the ability to bring nature in the form of air, water and light into the Nest.

Nakanosawa Project

Ryo Yamada architects, If this house could speak, it would say, “I dream never to be completed.”

utilisng pillars are beams creating paths and walkways through the space emphaises the feeling of openesses in the space.

Open-plan buildings designed with minimal internal walls or partitions promote a sense of openness and flexibility to visitors. such design choices encourage social interaction, adaptability, and efficient use of space.

John Batho - present & absent encapsulating uninterpretable feelings by epitomising a ghost; the spirit of a person, yet remain abstract.

During the day, translucent facades allow natural light to penetrate, creating varying light patterns and effects based on the time of day and weather conditions. At night, interior lighting can illuminate the facade, turning the building into a glowing landmark.

Nová Ruda kindergarten, Czech Republic. Petr Stolin Architekt double-skinned translucent facade of fibreglass

Application of randomised process using broken plant pots to determine the placement of ramps to develop a users experience throughout the building

Using the broken ceramics and their arbitrary spread multiple arrangements were documented

each broken piece represents a stop for a view of the exhibited items throughout the building. Whilst the connections between the ceramic represent stairs or a users journey

Designed by The Living principal David Benjamin, the structure is built from entirely from biodegradable materials & encased with mycelium bricks.

though the mycelium brick is not structural it is appropriate for curtain walls which seperate the disassembly and art space from the rest of the building

the broken pieces were glued and stacked to curate new forms which can be applied to the building structure and break down current spaces to create a hierarchy.

both sides of each piece had different curved qualities which conceptualise antenna formations

building circulation

highlighting the 3 key spaces through a breakdown of the current frame using different modular forms.

my experimentation with ant nests let me to develop a more curved approach, combining “rooms” from ant colonies to form a ‘stack’ to exemplify to the user an experience from an ants point of view.

Walter R. Tschinkel’s book on ant architcture and his abandoned ant nest sculptures also inspired my approach to break down the exhibition space by scattering it throughout the building similarly to platforms observed from the ant nest sculpture.

concept experimentation on the disassembly space, mixed media foam and modroc model

Anthill Art Casting Sculpture, Harvester Ant Aluminum Casting

movement at the peak of an anthill of carpenter ants creating a gallery within rotting wood by excavating sawdust sized wood

sketch dotted section

Camden’s public transport networks, like the London Underground and bus routes, makes commuting easy for employees, clients, and visitors.

Camden’s public transport networks, like the London Underground and bus routes, makes commuting easy for employees, clients, and visitors.

Camden’s public transport networks, like the London Underground and bus routes, makes commuting easy for employees, clients, and visitors.

CATHEDRAL THINKING APPENDIX

The Good Ancestor

examples of long-term planning

Gaudí’s basilica in Barcelona. Begun in 1882, completion is expected in 2026. It is currently the longest continuous building project in the world. Gaudí spent 43 years on it.

Krznaric introduces the chapter by discussing the myth surrounding New College, Oxford, and the story of its founder, William of Wykeham, supposedly planting oak trees for the future replacement of dining hall beams. The tale is debunked, emphasizing the human desire to believe in long-term planning.

‘This is the book our children’s children will thank us for reading’

Great wall of Chine, dates back to the third century BCE. From the fourteenth century, the Ming dynasty spent 200 years building 8,850km of wall and 25,000 watchtowers to keep out Mongols.

Channel tunnel, 50km tunnel first proposed in 1802, supported by Churchill in 1920s and finally built 1988–94, with a lining designed to last 120 years.

The Suffragettes, a movement started around 1867 to obtain voting rights for women in Britain. Achieved its aim for women over 30 in 1918, and for those over 21 in 1928.

Vavilove seed collection, founded in 1921. During WW2, a dozen botanists starved to death in a secret vault while guarding its 370,000 seeds from German soldiers, never eating a single one.

cement industry produces 5% of global carbon emissions, enough to cover the earth, An example how long term planning has its dangers.

Krznaric raises a contemporary question about the effectiveness of long-term planning under authoritarian regimes. Japan’s historical struggle with deforestation lead to ecological and social problems between the 1550s and 1750s. Tokugawa shoguns, Japan’s ruling military dictatorship, implemented a systematic reforestation program from the 1760s to the late 1860s. This involved mass plantation forestry, laws against logging scarce species, and incentivising commercial tree planting. The longterm plan, driven by authoritarian rule, successfully transformed Japan from a potentially devastated wasteland to a green archipelago by the late 19th century.

Roman Krznaric

DETAILED DESIGN STUDY

Meryem Omerspahic w1931330

Building 2030 intends to be a community center located in Islington, bordering Camden at 184 Yorkway. An adaptive reuse of an existing storage facility, the space is strategically positioned to engage both visitors of the Camden Highline and local residents. By extending the reach of the Highline into Islington, my building becomes a landmark, signalling a shift towards progressive sustainable practices and social engagement, all to be achieved by the ambitious deadline of 2030. Embracing radical sustainable principles where residents and visitors are invited to participate in artistic development, fostering creativity whilst shedding light towards sustainable building practices.

The key function of the building consists of a modern-day builders merchant where individuals and businesses are invited to deposit their waste and belongings, which can then be disassembled, sorted, and arranged to be upcycled for use in the building or sold. The second phase of the buildings programme is the art centre where

posited materials can be recycled and reused by visitors

to be exhibited around the building

The existing building consists of aluminium sheets, steel beams, concrete slabs and glass windows. My proposal would make use of most of the original building frame with the addition of timber, polycarbonate and mycelium bricks. With the focus of my technical study being the polycarbonate panels on the facade as well as a mycelium experiment as an alternative sustainable material to clay bricks.

Here i mixed mushroom spawn, coffee grounds and straw & left it to colonise at an optimum temperature of 20*C. Mycelium can be grown into almost any shape, allowing for intricate and customised designs in construction projects. in my experiment however i went for a standard 215 x 102.5 x 65mm brick mould.

it still can be used for space enclosures, particularly relevant in a retrofit where most of the existing primary structure carries the imposed loads.

by The Living principal

from entirely from biodegradable materials.

Kengo Kuma & Associates + College of Environmental Design UC Berkeley, polycarbonate & timber facade

High Impact Resistance: Polycarbonate is highly impact-resistant, making it suitable for applications where toughness and durability are required. It is about 200 times stronger than glass of comparable thickness, making it ideal for safety glazing, and cladding.

Lightweight: Despite its strength, polycarbonate is lightweight compared to glass, making it easier to handle and install in various applications while reducing overall weight in structures or products.

Thermal Stability: Polycarbonate has good thermal stability and can withstand a wide temperature range without significant deformation or degradation. It typically maintains its mechanical properties within a temperature range of -40°C to 120°C (-40°F to 248°F).

Flame Resistance: Polycarbonate exhibits good flame resistance, with some grades meeting stringent fire safety standards. However, it can degrade under prolonged exposure to high temperatures.

Strength: Timber exhibits high strength-to-weight ratio, making it an excellent structural material. Different species of wood have varying levels of strength, with hardwoods generally being stronger than softwoods.

Thermal Insulation: Wood is a natural insulator, providing thermal comfort by regulating indoor temperatures. It has low thermal conductivity, which helps reduce heat transfer through walls and roofs, making it energy-efficient.

Biodegradability: At the end of its lifecycle,

Designed

David Benjamin, the structure is built

11 envelopemodel

150framemodel