Anastasia Asenova Portfolio

ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO Anastasia V Asenova

STAGE 3 STUDIO 6: BUILDING UPON BUILDING

2020-2021

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATED REFLECTIVE DIARY

3

PROJECT FRAMING

6

PROJECT TESTING AND SYNTHESIS

14

REFERENCES

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APPENDIX

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Group work identification

ILLUSTRATED REFLECTIVE DIARY

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ADDITIONAL PUBLIC SPACES

Public cafe, with a view to Regent’s Park, that would replace the demolished existing cafe.

Sheltered public area under the bridge with seating areas, bikes shelter and stages for street artists to perform.

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PROJECT FRAMING

England London Camden Town

Regent Park

London Zoo

SITE DECLARATION The project is located in London Zoo, which is the oldest scientific zoo in the world. The zoo itself is situated in the north of Regent’s Park.

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REGENT’S PARK CONNECTIVITY

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REGENT STREET COLLAGE

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VIEW OF REGENT’S PARK WITH SURROUNDING BUILDINGS

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PICTURESQUE VIEWS OF REGENT’S PARK

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DEVELOPMENT OF LONDON ZOO

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IMPORTANT STRUCTURES AROUND THE ZOO

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BERTHOLD LUBETKIN

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THE PENGUIN POND

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2.

The Penguin Pond was created by Lubetkin and the Tecton Group in 1934. The grade I listed structure was one of the first buildings to demonstrate the potential of reinforced concrete, making the ramps not only a wonder of architecture, but also a leap in the advancement of construction with concrete.

Now the pond has been empty for 15 years, standing like a monument reminding of the past rather than fulfilling its purpose.

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PLANS AND SECTIONS OF THE PENGUIN POND

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STRUCTURE OF THE POND

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DESIGN STRATEGIES

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PROJECT TESTING & SYNTHESIS

PROJECT PROPOSAL Research Centre for Ecological Change and Wildlife & Habitat for Red Pandas Royal Zoological Society London

CONCEPT OF THE PENGUIN POND Manmade structure inspired by nature

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PRESERVATION OF THE PENGUIN POND A glimpse of the past

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3.

The pond will be left untouched and preserved as it is. However, in order to show the real purpose and use of the pond, it will be filled with custom made sculptures of Humboldt penguins made from quality fiberglass reinforced designer resin, and hand-painted with authenticity from plodding flippers to layered tuxedo feathers. The life-size penguin figurines will allow the visitor to experience the pond similarly to the way it was intended.

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5.

POSITION OF PENGUIN SCULPTURES The sculptures inside the pond are positioned in a way that the penguins would normally use it in order to create a realistic representation of what it used to be when the pond was fulfilling its purpose. The life-size sculptures would allow the pond to be half way revived and attract attention to the pond despite the lack of animals so that it can be appreciated by a vaster majority of people once again.

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6.

THE POND AS A SPECTACLE EXHIBITION The pond is designed with special atttention to the way the penguins are showcased to the visitors. The elliptical geometry of the structure and centered ramps, that serve as a podium, provide an insight into the nature of penguins while exhibiting them like a theatre play.

In my project I aim to extend that idea and provide a more interractive and memorable experience of the habitat, compared to ordinary zoo exhibitions.

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INVERTING HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN The ramps are a crucial concept in both projects as they are the ones that provide an insight into what the natural habitat of the animals is and how the two species would be moving around in their natural environment. The Penguin Pond uses ramps to exhibit the unique nature of penguins and their habits as if the ramps are the glaciers of Antarctica. The ramps and boundary of the pond presuppose observation from the outside, whereas the new habitat is designed to be experienced maintly from within, but also from without.

Contrastingly to the pond, the new extension uses the ramp as a mean of access inside the animal habitat so that visitors can witness from close distance the animals in their natural habitat climbing up the trees and swimming in the lake. The new ramp serves as a tunnel that takes humans on a journey through a small piece of the Hymalayas.

Lubetkin’s idea of the ramps as a podium for the wonders of nature is inverted. Now the humans are enclosed in the pandas reign. Despite the change of user for the new ramp, it still fulfills Lubetkin’s concept for podium as the ramp places the visitors in the hearth of the action.

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RED PANDA Profile CONSERVATION STATUS

POPULATION

DIET

Bamboo

Endangered

SIZE

Insects

Slightly bigger than a domestic cat

Total population decline in the last 2 decades resulting in the survival of less than 10 000 red pandas.

Flowers

Eggs

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

ALTITUDE

Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains. They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet.

About 95% of red pandas’ diet constitutes of leaves and bamboo, but occasionally they snack on flowers, insects, bird eggs, fruit and small lizards, too.

THICK RAINFOREST WITH BAMBOO ON A STEEP SLOPE

PROXIMITY TO WATER

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REASONS FOR EXTINCTION

INCREASE IN POPULATION

DEFORESTATION

GLOBAL WARMING

POACHING

MIGRATION

Mankind needs more land to live and produce food. Consequently, human encroachment and farming take over the habitat of animal species.

Forests are being cut in order to obtain more land for growing crops and building housing. Herds of livestock degrade their habitat.

The increase of temperature forces animals to migrate to higher elevations to adapt to the changing climate.

Poaching and hunting pandas for illegal pet trade. Domestic dogs can hunt or transmit diseases to red pandas.

Red pandas migrate out of protected areas, where they are in danger of human activity.

As they decline in the wild, growing and maintaining self-sustaining populations in zoos is a high priority as a hedge against extinction and to learn more about species biology.

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RED PANDAS EXHIBITION The intricate shape of the ramp provides a thorough experience of the animal habitat without disturbing the animals in a direct way. The enclosure is viewed from below, from above and from within. This allows visitors to have a good look at the pandas, which spend most of their time in the high branches of trees.

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LEARNING FROM ALREADY EXISTING ZOO HABITATS FOR RED PANDAS Precedents

SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL ZOO

DETROIT ZOO

KARLSRUHE ZOO

The Smithsonian Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has been at the forefront of conservation and reproduction of red pandas in the last 24 decades. Despite that, the area in which the pandas are being exhibited to the public is very different to the natural habitat of the animal. However, the research habitat, where most pandas live, is rich in nature, spacious and very much alike their native habitat.

Detroit Zoo seemed to have quite good research centre and a lot of knowledge about the animals.

Their home is expansive, naturalistic and meets the animals’ specific needs. The habitat is designed in a way that humans are the guests in the pandas’ home. The design incorporates a bridge that brings people to eye level with the pandas when they are in the trees, which allows visitors to experience something similar to what the animals are experiencing.

Karlsruhe Zoo enclosures for red pandas is quite poorly and even brutally designed. As they haven’t provided high enough boundaries of the habitat, they have incorporated electrical wires on the borders of the space both on top of the artificial rocks and on the floor, which prevent the animals from escaping. Also, they use artificial materials that are painted to look real. Considering some design aspects it seems like the space is designed more for the entertainment of humans than the absolute wellbeing of the animals.

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ZOO MASTERPLAN LOCATION OF PENGUIN POND SITE LOCATION

SITE LOCATION IN RELATION TO THE PENGUIN POND The chosen site extends from the Penguin Pond towards Regent’s Park to the south. It creates a connection between the zoo and the park. which have a long connected history.

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STRUCTURES TO BE DEMOLISHED

SITE AFTER DEMOLITION

DEMOLITION OF AN EXISTING CAFE In choosing site for my project, my aim was to change the existing surrounding as little as possible, while enhancing the current environment around the unused Penguin Pond.

This resulted in the demolition of an existing cafe, which has been incorporated in the programme of the new building.

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SITE ANALYSIS

Penguin pond in relation to other buildings

Penguin pond in relation to pedestrian routes

Penguin pond in relation to water pools

Penguin pond in relation to green spaces

Prevailing wind on site

Sun movement on site

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MASSING EVOLUTION

FIRST ITERATION First massing getting shaped by the need for sloped animal habitat with accessible exhibition visible from the Penguin Pond.

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THIRD ITERATION First experimentation with a bridge structure connecting the zoo and the park.

Finding ways to incorporate the already existing trees on site inside the programme without cutting them out.

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FOURTH (FINAL) ITERATION The ramp plays an integral part in the project by connecting it to the Penguin Pond and providing a public journey through “The hills of the Himalayas”. It is the essential connection between past and future showing the idea of adaptation and change over time.

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SITE BEFORE & AFTER The site is left almost unchanged, apart from the demolition of the existing cafe. The public paths and accessibility to the area around the pond are preserved and enhanced by the addition of a new entrance to the zoo, which positions the pond as a historical landmark at the entrance.

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PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

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DESIGN STRATEGY IN RESPONSE TO THE POND

RAMP GEOMETRY

The new structure is centred to the pond and takes on its length. The elliptical curve of the pond is translated in space like the Doppler Effect to create the geometry of the vertical walls.

The intricate geometry of the ramp is derived from the curves of the pond creating an echo to the past that extends outwards from the contained shape of the pond to create the heart of the new structure.

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CIRCULATION

Ramp starting from the pond, through the animal habitat, ending at the top of the bridge.

Elevator that takes people both to the viewing platform for the habitat and the cafe at the top of the bridge.

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Path going under the ramps connects the Pond with the Public Research Centre, the proposed park extension and lift to the top floors.

PROGRAMME

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1. SNOWDON AVIARY 2. MAPPIN TERRACES 3. ELEPHANT AND RHINO HOUSE

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3 2

ACCESS TO SITE The existing zoo entrance provides quick access to the site, however, the project is proposing a new entrance to the zoo, located under the bridge. It provides access from two big streets that are connected by an existing public footpath going under the bridge.

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ROOF PLAN

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SECOND FLOOR PLAN Cafe

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0

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FIRST FLOOR PLAN Habitat Maintenance

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25

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN/ FIRST FLOOR PLAN Research Centre/ Accommodations

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PUBLIC PARK FOR STREET PERFORMANCES The public area under the bridge extendends towards the park even more by inviting people from all walks of life to feel comfortable and find a peaceful place to sit. The landforms create a programme that incorporates two outdoor performance stages with a vast choice of sitting areas, both in public and more private atmosphere hidden between the exisitng trees. Some of the landforms provide sheltered sitting areas, whereas others serve as bikes shelter or even a stage for street artists to perform and be on the spot.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN II

UNDERGROUND FLOOR PLAN

Canteen/ Lecture Hall

Offices/ Research Centre

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0

25

10

50

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EAST LONG SECTION REGENT’S PARK

LONDON ZOO

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0.5 m

10 m

0m

25 m

50 m

PUBLIC CAFE WITH VIEWING PLATFORM The cafe on the top of the bridge provides a panoramic view of Regent’s Park and view from the top looking down the animal habitat. The idea that one is still surrounded by nature, in the midsts of a forest is continued inside the cafe, which creates a continuous atmospheric exterience from outside-inside-outside.

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PUBLIC EXTENSION TOWARDS THE PARK The extension provides sheltered public area with seating areas, bikes shelter and stages for street artists to perform. The podiums are visible from a variety of seating places.

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THINKING THROUGH MAKING

Design of the roof under the bridge made out of steel.

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VIEW OF THINKING THROUGH MAKING PIECE

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AXONOMETRIC EXPLORATION

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CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE ARC3013

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ARC3013

LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURE Steel and concrete The bridge is constructed from arched steel beams with cross bracing. The upper side of the bridge is connected to the building with structural bracing that is incorporated inside the external walls. On the other hand, the lower side of the bridge transfers its load to the concrete basement.

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ARC3013

STEEL DETAILING The steel structure of the bridge is internal on both ends, however, most of it is exposed externally to provide area for the green roof and weather protection for the public area under the bridge. As using steel both internally and externally can be tricky in terms of cold bridging, I have incorporated two different approaches to minimise that risk.

Firstly, there is a thermal break separating the internal and external beams at any point of transition from cold to warm. Secondly, the beams are additionally insulated on the inside by 1.2 m to improve thermal performance.

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RAMP STRUCTURE

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ARC3013

RAMP SUPPORT I The beginning of the ramp is supported by inclined steel columns that are connected to the concrete ramp and foundations with the help of steel knife plate.

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ARC3013

RAMP SUPPORT II The second part of the ramp is supported by timber columns. The choice of material is influenced by the desire to remove any elements that wouldn’t usually be found in the natural habitat of the animals. The timber columns would leave the impression that they are truck on the eye level of the pandas. However, the timber is connected to the ramp and foundations with steel knife plate, which helps to elevate the timber and protect it from any running water and damp earth.

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ARC3013

RAMP SUPPORT III The third part of the ramp is supported by steel columns connecting to the concrete ramp and foundations with the help of steel knife plate. The use of knife plate on all columns in the project, especially the ramp, is aimed to create the illusion that the ramp is floating in the air unsupported, similarly to the ramps in the Penguin Pond.

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CLIMATE CRISIS The

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REUSE OF CUT DOWN TREES The old trees that have to be cut in order to build the structure will be reused in the building, whereas the new ones will be replanted on top of the green bridge. The wood will be used for the columns in the animal enclosure and cladding of the maintenance space in the habitat. Some old branches from the trees wil be used as additional enhancement of the enclosure.

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SOLAR LAMPS STRATEGY The path under the bridge will be enhanced and made more accessible to the public even during the night. Solar lamps will lighten the path during the night while storing extra energy to be used in the building.

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ARC3013

POSITION OF SOLAR LAMPS

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REFERENCES

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Penguin Pond: Courtesy of Josep-Maria Garcia-Fuentes Figure 2. Penguin Pond: Courtesy of Josep-Maria Garcia-Fuentes Figure 3. Penguin sculpture: Available at https://www.designtoscano.com/product/the+antarctic+king+penguin+statue+-+ne100068.do Figure 4. Penguin Pool interior: Available at https://www.archdaily.com/623966/unified-architectural-theory-chapter-10/553cea72e58ece73660000ad-unified-architectural-theory-chapter-10-photo?next_project=no Figure 5. Penguin sculptures positions: Available at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/01/08/penguin-pool-london-zoo-berthold-lubetkin-debate-uk-architecture-news/ Figure 6. Visitors at the pond: Available at https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/pamygm/bauhaus-penguin-pool-nature

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APPENDIX

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THINKING THROUGH MAKING

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