City Ruins

Studio 2 City Ruins

ARC 3001 2020-21

Studio Summary Studio 2 is engaged in ideas concerning context, historical narrative and materials that create enduring architecture in search of a wider intelligibility. Working through a process of research, rather than invention, we are looking to create architecture that is rooted in place and explores the experiential potential of materials, carefully pieced together in a celebration of craft. We are looking to create architecture that is contemporary yet not isolated in time.

This year we will be considering the place of ruins in the contemporary city and investigating how a more sustainable strategy of re-use and adaptation can lead to the creation of rich architecture, layered with history and imbued with a sense of place.

We will investigate ruins and study the city using works of art from artists such as Eduardo Paolozzi, Rachel Whiteread, J.M.W Turner and Doris Salcedo as a lens - a way of seeing and making sense of our surroundings. These observations will form the basis of our proposals and we will look to create figurative and characterful city buildings that seek to celebrate the complex and varied city landscape. Working on derelict, former industrial sites we will be creating a series of live work spaces and shared facilities for a community of artists and craftspeople.

John Constable Sketch for ‘Hadleigh Castle’ 1828-29

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Studio Description City Ruins In her book Pleasure of Ruins, Rose Macaulay describes the complex historical, political and emotional associations we, as humans hold with ruins. It would seem the capacity of the ruin to fascinate, engage and capture one’s imagination, is something deeply rooted within our human nature. John Ruskin, one of the most prolific architectural writers of the 19th century would have perhaps supported this and reminded us of the delight in walls washed with marks of the past, those that become an eyewitness, a tangible register of history that allow us to understand and seek delight in our place in the world.

Atomgrad 8 (Nature Abhors A Vacuum) Jane and Louise Wilson 2012

This human obsession with the ruin is something with which popular culture has grappled with over the centuries. Over time the depiction of the ruin has been communicated and celebrated through the lens of various works of art, in fact, this romanticisation of the ruin became so popular in the 18th century that the German language coined the term Ruinenlust (ruin lust) in order to describe the growing phenomena.

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Studio Description

This year we will be working with buildings and sites of varying degrees of dereliction, these will be our ruins, and through their peculiar and intriguing nature we will be considering their capacity to enrich and create diverse, spirited pieces of architecture. In order to help us along the way we will be using various artworks from the seventeenth century through to today as a lens - as a way of seeing, interpreting and understanding our emotional response to these perplexing and unusual, found conditions. We will look at works by Joseph Gandy, Eduardo Paolozzi, Jane and Lousie Wilson, J.M.W Turner, Rachel Whiteread and John Stezaker to name just a few. Naturally many of these reference points will cross over with architecture and we will be considering how we can learn from these methods to create architectural proposals that are rich in narrative, spatial complexity and identify with the city around them.

The Asset Strippers (Heygate stack, equivalent for a lost estate) Mike Nelson 2019

As a studio we will be considering the figure, expression and language of the architecture we create. We are intrigued by the historical narrative of the city and the contributions that buildings make to this ongoing dialogue and will explore what message buildings communicate and how they are expressed. While examining the language of architecture the studio will focus on a series of key aspects such as composition, material quality and spatial narrative. This will involve working at a range of scales from city grain, to individual room, to threshold and the expression of the façade.

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Studio Description

Finding a place in the city

Community and belonging

Across the UK technological advancements and the decline of industry in our city centres has often left voids that have provided opportunities for artists and creatives to form communities and colonize spaces in which to live and work.

Examples of such habitation can be seen in Shoreditch in London, Spike Island in Bristol and the Ouseburn in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

We will be considering the nature of the evolving city and investigating how a combination of live-work spaces for a creative community of artists, makers and craftspeople can be integrated into the sites in question. Often such communities are pushed to the fringe of our cities as they develop, yet we want to consider a more inclusive approach to growth that promotes affordable, long term accommodation in which creative communities can develop a sense of belonging, contributing to the creation of a sustainable and vibrant city culture.

The studio will be working on a selection of sites within Newcastle’s Ouseburn valley. Each of these sites is home to varying degrees of existing architecture or infrastructure in a semi-derelict or ruinous state. Often driven by social and economic perceptions, the default response may be to demolish these dilapidated structures, yet in the spirit of ruin lust, we will be examining a more sustainable strategy of reuse and adaptation. We will consider how the ability for a building to transform during its lifespan, is not only more sustainable but also offers the potential to find delight and celebration in the layering of time.

Byker Bridge Ouseburn Valley Newcastle upon Tyne 1969

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Studio Description Studio Themes - Ruins - Re-use - Transformation - Art - History - Working with references - The language of architecture and construction - Live-work spaces - Artist studios - Community

Working Methods While CAD will be utilised to refine final proposals, we will be working extensively with analogue techniques to develop and interrogate initial ideas. This may be in the form of sketching, photography, printmaking, sculpture and model making.

These analogue processes need not require excessive amounts of space, specialist materials or equipment. - We will work with you to help develop ideas as to how you can make models, prints, sculptures, collages and so on with the spaces and materials you have available.

In the past the studio focused a great deal of energy on physical model making, however within the given the current circumstances, if you are unable to make physical models, then we will work with you to develop ideas as to how you may prepare alternative, celebratory pieces of work such as collages, images and material samples. In the previous year students had a great deal of success with model making during lockdown restrictions.

By way of making a record and as standard practice, anything physical or analogue will need to be photographed and documented in your portfolio.

Sculpture development

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Studio Description Working Methods

Examples of architectural models and collages at 1:50, 1:100 and 1:200 scales made from balsa, paper, cardboard, painted foam and cast plaster

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Studio Leaders Jack Mutton

Harriet Sutcliffe

Jack is an architect and founding director of Ford Street Studio; an interdisciplinary design practice based in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He studied at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, London Metropolitan University and the University of Cambridge.

Harriet Sutcliffe is an artist and researcher. Currently she is undertaking a practice-led PhD at Newcastle University investigating ‘The Significance of Space and Form In Art School Pedagogy’.

Prior to relocation to the north east in 2018 Jack worked at a number of award winning architectural practices in London. From 2012 - 2018 Jack worked with Carmody Groarke architects in London where he was a project architect on a wide range of cultural projects including Windermere Steamboat Museum, A Museum for Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House and a new public gallery for the world renowned mid-century artist, Alan Davie.

Harriet’s interdisciplinary practice encompasses, sculpture, site-specific installation, collage and drawing. Sitting between perceived disciplinary borders; artistic, curatorial and architectural, her practice uses the freedom of this multidisciplinary approach to question authenticity, authority and the politics of display. Most recently she has exhibited work at The Hatton Gallery Newcastle upon Tyne, CGP Gallery London, Workplace Gallery Gateshead and created installations for the National Trust at Cragside House and Gardens.

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Framing Ruin Lust Working in fascination of ruins we will start by asking you to take time to carefully look at the city around you; initially working through sketching and photography, you will document what you consider to be intriguing and emotionally engaging aspects of the built environment. This will be the starting point of your research and through your observations we want you to consider the nature of ruins; there is no right or wrong answer here, we are inviting you to act intuitively and find delight in exploring the city that surrounds us.

This task will be undertaken by walking, as individuals through the city, or utilising resources such as google street view. Although much of this research will be initiated by exploring the city that we know today, you may also look to the past and work with historic images, paintings and reference material.

Working with this material you will create sculptures, prints and drawings that look to formulate an enquiry in relation to the the place of ruins in the city. We want you to borrow ideas and enrich your own process by learning from significant works of art that will become important reference points as your projects develop.

At the end of the Framing phase of the year your works will be displayed together to form a collective ensemble in celebration of ruins and the city that surrounds us.

Untitled Doris Salcedo 1995

Minimum requirements - Well documented sketches and black and white photographs of the city - 1 x Sculptural work made from paper, card, timber or plaster.

- 1 x Printed work using an analogue printing technique, lino or block printing etc.

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Framing Ruin Lust

Roger Hiorns Seizure 2008

Cy Twombly Untiled 2005

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Framing Home Work Bernd and Hilla Becher are photographers and conceptual artists who’s meticulous documentation of industrial buildings and water towers offers an exceptional insight into the nature and specific qualities of typological development.

Drawing influence from this we would like you to consider and undertake investigations into the nature of spaces for living and working.

Working in groups you will study a series of existing artists studios and housing precedents. These will be from a range of points in time and cover a wide range of users including painters, sculptors, photographers and so on for studios, and individuals, groups or families with regards to housing.

You will be looking to document the specific qualities of these spaces such as their dimensions, light sources, material construction, spatial characteristics, who they are used by and the way in which they are used.

These studies will be documented as a series of ‘typologies’ that at a later point will assist you in determining the size, quantity and specification of spaces in your final design proposals.

Minimum requirements: - Typological research into studio and living spaces:

Typology of Framework Houses Gelatin silver prints Bernd and Hilla Becher 1959-73

- Diagrammatic plans - Diagrammatic sections showing openings and light source - Diagrams or axonometric drawings - Photographs / sketches / supplementary drawings (All group work)

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Framing Home Work

Examples of typology studies Studio 2 Page 11 of 23

Framing City Grain Students will select one of 3 sites to form the basis of their proposals.

- Stepney Road - Albion Row - Stepney Bank Following an initial phase of site research, we will be preparing urban proposals for the sites in question. We would like you to consider not only practical, wider urban strategies such as vehicular and pedestrian access, but also how the figurative qualities of the massing communicate with the surrounding context. These urban proposals and strategies may, with good reason challenge the site boundaries and you may suggest wider initiatives that can be integrated with your proposals.

Each site is home to one of our city ruins containing fragments and traces of the past. You will be expected to consider how your proposals will engage with the themes of ruins, re-use and contribute to an ongoing historical dialogue across the city.

Students will be required to work in groups to undertake research for each of the proposed sites. These will become a shared resource for students to use throughout the development of their own proposals.

Considering urban grain and voids within the city.

Nolli plan of Rome

Minimum requirements - Historical research and analysis - plans and photographs (Group work) - 1 x site model for each site Digital (Group work) - Diagrams demonstrating relevant urban strategies - 1 x urban grain plan showing your final urban proposal - Numerous study models Digital or physical @1:200 scale

Example of 1:200 scale sketch models

- 1 x final urban proposal model Digital or physical @1:200 scale - Images of urban proposal within the surrounding context Studio 2 Page 12 of 23

Framing City Grain - Stepney Road Site

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Framing City Grain - Albion Row Site

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Framing City Grain - Stepney Bank Site

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Testing City Building Based on your urban proposals the place of ruins and re-use in the city we will be developing buildings that accommodate a programme of housing, creative studios, shared resources and a public gallery space.

As your projects are developed you will be applying the lessons learnt from prior observations and considering how the expression of the proposed architecture may acknowledge the social and political context of your projects. You will investigate how design decisions communicate ideas and how these contribute to the wider language of the city.

You will develop your proposals based on the following brief: - Minimum 15 x living and working units (Each student is to declare the exact configuration of these).

- A shared workshop - Any other relevant shared facilities - kilns, darkrooms etc - A communal gallery space for public events and the display of residents work - A small number of offices and support spaces - Circulation and facilities Previous, typological studies of artists’ studios and housing will allow you to develop the specification and requirements of each of these spaces and will form a key point of reference in the functional development of your design proposals.

Minimum requirements: - Orthographic plan, section and elevation drawings 1:100 scale.

- Numerous digital or physical study models Varying scales - Final building model Digital or physical @ 1:100 / 1:50 scale - Photographs of physical models if undertaken - Views of your proposal in context Can be photographed models or collaged renders Studies in language and expression Pastel on paper Peter Markli

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Testing City Building

Examples of city buildings represented through collaged renders and 1:100 physical models Studio 2 Page 17 of 23

Synthesis City Threshold During the refinement phase of work we will be looking closely at the use and assembly of materials. Externally this will be in the expression of façades; we will consider how materials can be pieced together to communicate particular ideas and how this may relate to their surroundings. Students will be expected to demonstrate how their façade proposals relate to earlier explorations into ruins and how they contribute to wider ideas in relation to figure, history and context.

Meanwhile, internally we will look to understand how materials can be deployed to create particular spatial experiences and atmospheres.

The cumulative aim of these two studies will be to consider the transition between the internal space, threshold, façade and its relationship with the wider city.

Minimum requirements

The New Art Gallery, Walsall, Caruso St John

- 1 x façade study elevation drawing 1:50 / 1:20 - 1 x façade junction section drawing showing the relationship from interior to exterior.

1:50 / 1:20 - Detailed façade model, collage or exploratory drawings.

1:50 / 1:20 - 1 x internal image of a proposed public space - 1 x internal image of a proposed living space - 1 x internal image of a proposed studio space - 2 x external images of your proposed project - Numerous physical study models, collages or exploratory work at varying scales - Photographs of all physical models, collages or exploratory work.

Tate Modern, London, Herzog and De Meuron

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Synthesis City Threshold

Examples of large scale façade models made from a variety of materials Studio 2 Page 19 of 23

Synthesis City Threshold

Examples of detailed façade studies Studio 2 Page 20 of 23

Supplementary Information Timetable

Theory

The following page details a timetable of activities that is the minimum work we will expect you to be completing each week to be discussed at tutorials.

Studio 2 is engaged in ideas concerning context, historical narrative and materials that create enduring architecture in search of a wider intelligibility. Working through a process of research, rather than invention, we are looking to create architecture that is rooted in place and explores the experiential potential of materials, carefully pieced together in a celebration of craftsmanship. We are looking to create architecture that is contemporary yet not isolated in time.

Not only will this help you keep on track as you work towards portfolio submissions and reviews but it will also help you to communicate a legible design process to examiners and external critics.

We strongly recommend that you photograph and document work towards your portfolio submission at regular intervals throughout the year.

Tectonics Students will be encouraged to consider how their design studio proposals could closely relate to the tectonic requirements of ARC 3013. In consideration of this you will be encouraged investigate the material assembly and construction details of your façades.

You should be able to present your studio work and tectonic studies side-by-side and the pieces of work will be required to complement one-another. For example your 1:20 façade studies from should provide a complementary point of discussion in reviews of any technical façade details you produce in ARC 3013.

You may occasionally find that your design work is out of sequence with the requirements of ARC 3013 and bearing this in mind you should consider how research undertaken for ARC 3013 may contribute to the later development of your design projects - this could for example be detailed research into a particular construction material and the ways in which it can be used.

In consideration of this students may wish to investigate themes that stretch across a range of scales from the city through to material detail. We would like you to consider the language of architecture in regards to urban development why do our cities and buildings look like they do?

Parallel to this our investigation and fascination with ruins will continue throughout the year and you should develop a poetic position in relation to ruins, the site and re-use in architecture.

Students will be expected to refer to the studio reading list and tease out material that you feel represents the development of your own ideas and projects.

Studio Specific Marking Criteria Alongside the general marking criteria for your projects you will also be assessed on studio specific criteria for two areas, which are outlined below: 1. Contribute to an ongoing dialogue with the surrounding city Students will need to show their ability to establish a position on the architectural qualities of the city and prepare proposals in the context of a historic and figurative narrative that is relevant to the sites and existing buildings in question.

Sustainability

2. Detailed resolution and communication of tectonic language

This year we are investigating the potential of a more sustainable strategy of reuse and adaptation of existing structures in favour of demolition. You may also wish to investigate how materials that are cleared from the site may be re-purposed in the construction of your projects, or how particular construction materials such as timber may be used to great effect to manage the impact of your building on the environment.

Students will need to show ability and understanding of materials and construction in relation to the design process.

They should be able to establish a clear position on how material selection and assembly may communicate particular ideas but also meet the relevant technical requirements of both façades and internal spaces.

A key aspect of the studios approach to sustainability is building with longevity in mind and celebrating the ability of a building to transform and adapt over time.

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Timetable

Framing - Ruin Lust - Semester 1 Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

n/a

Ruin Lust

Ruin Lust

Ruin Lust

Interim Reviews

Enrichment Week

Sculptural investigation into city ruins

Printed investigation into city ruins

Observations of the city Photographs and sketches

Photograph and collate work for portfolio

Framing - Home Work / City Grain - Semester 1 Week 5 Home Work (Group Work)

City Grain (Group Work)

- Typological research into housing and studio spaces

Historical research / analysis and site model

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

City Grain

City Grain

Review and Celebration

Development models, diagrams and drawings

Urban grain plan and final proposal model / views

Christmas

Week 9 Dissertation Submission

Photograph and collate work for portfolio

Testing - City Building / City Threshold - Semester 2 Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

n/a

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

City Building

City Building TTMW

City Building

Interim Reviews

Enrichment Week

City Threshold

City Threshold

City Threshold

Development of brief, models, plans, sections and elevations

Development of brief, models, plans, sections and elevations

1:100 Final plans, sections, elevations, models and images

Photograph and collate work for portfolio

Revisions and development of work following review

Develop external views and articulation of detail in project

Development models sketches and drawings of internal spaces and façade detail

Synthesis - City Threshold - Semester 2

Development models sketches and drawings of internal spaces and façade detail

Easter

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

City Threshold

City Threshold

City Threshold

City Threshold

Final Reviews

Portfolio Submission

Photograph and collate work for portfolio

Final images of building and internal spaces

Final images of building and internal spaces

Final 1:50 / 1:20 façade elevation and section drawings

Final 1:50 / 1:20 celebratory façade model / drawing / collage

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Reading and References

Pleasure of ruins Rose Macaulay Ruins Brian Dillon Ruin Lust Brian Dillon The Architecture of the City Aldo Rossi Ruins Michel Makarius Ways of Seeing John Berger Collage City Colin Rowe The Feeling of Things: Writings On Architecture Adam Caruso A Feeling of History Peter Zumthor Encounters, Juhani Pallasmaa

John Stezaker Mask XIII 2006

The Architecture of Ruins Jonathan Hill A Real Living Contact with the Things Themselves Irénée Scalbert The House and the City Roger Diener Encounters Juhani Pallasmaa

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