Mollie May Macdonald Portfolio

MM Mollie Macdonald

Part 1 - Architectural Design Portfolio SEMESTER 2 ARC8052

Mollie Mcdonald 120213957

An ecological web of interdepent agencies Part 1 Design Portfolio

Establishing Agency........................................................................................01 Site/Host..............................................................................................................02 Programme.........................................................................................................03 Design Development.....................................................................................04 Visuals....................................................................................................................05 Drawings..............................................................................................................06

- ARB Criteria -

Each chapter within this portfolio has been referenced to the relevant ARB criteria. Highlighting knowledge, understanding and skills against the ARB criteria allows me to track what I have achieved thus far and where my focus should lie going forth.

GC1 Ability to create architectural designs that satisfy both aesthetic and technical requirements.

1. Prepare and present building design projects of diverse scale,

complexity, and type in a variety of contexts, using a range of

media, and in response to a brief;

2. Understand the constructional and structural systems, the

environmental strategies and the regulatory requirements that

apply to the design and construction of a comprehensive design project;

3. Develop a conceptual and critical approach to architectural

design that integrates and satisfies the aesthetic aspects of a

building and the technical requirements of its construction and

the needs of the user.

GC2 Adequate knowledge of the histories and theories of architecture and the related arts, technologies and human sciences.

1. The cultural, social and intellectual histories, theories and technologies that influence the design of buildings; 2. The influence of history and theory on the spatial, social, and technological aspects of architecture; 3. The application of appropriate theoretical concepts to studio design projects, demonstrating a reflective and critical approach.

GC3 Knowledge of the fine arts as an influence on the quality of architectural design.

1. How the theories, practices and technologies of the arts influence architectural design; 2. The creative application of the fine arts and their relevance and impact on architecture; 3. The creative application of such work to studio design projects, interms of their conceptualisation and representation.

GC4 Adequate knowledge of urban design, planning and the skills involved in the planning process.

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1. Theories of urban design and the planning of communities; 2. The influence of the design and development of cities, past and present on the contemporary built environment; 3. Current planning policy and development control legislation, including social, environmental and economic aspects, and the relevance of these to design development.

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GC5 Understanding of the relationship between people and buildings, and between buildings and their environment, and the need to relate buildings and the spaces between them to human needs and scale.

GC9 Adequate knowledge of physical problems and technologies and the function of buildings so as to provide them with internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate.

GC11 Adequate knowledge of the industries, organisations, regulations and procedures involved in translating design concepts into buildings and integrating plans into overall planning.

1. The fundamental legal, professional and statutory

responsibilities of the architect, and the organisations,

regulationsand procedures involved in the negotiation

and approval of architectural designs, including land law,

development control, building regulations and health and safety legislation;

2. The professional inter-relationships of individuals and

organisations involved in procuring and delivering architectural

projects, and how these are defined through contractual and

organisational structures;

3. The basic management theories and business principles

related to running both an architect’s practice and

architectural projects, recognising current and emerging trends in

the construction industry. impact of specification choices.

1. The needs and aspirations of building users; 2. The impact of buildings on the environment, and the precepts of sustainable design; 3. The way in which buildings fit in to their local context.

GC6 Understanding of the profession of architecture and the role of the architect in society, in particular in preparing briefs that take account of social factors.

1. The nature of professionalism and the duties and responsibilities of architects to clients, building users, constructors, co- professionals and the wider society 2. The role of the architect within the design team and construction industry, recognising the importance of current methods and trends in the construction of the built environment; 3. The potential impact of building projects on existing and proposed communities.

GC7 Understanding of the methods of investigation and preparation of the brief for a design project.

1. The need to critically review precedents relevant to the function, organisation and technological strategy of design proposals; 2. The need to appraise and prepare building briefs of diverse scales and types, to define client and user requirements and their appropriateness to site and context; 3. The contributions of architects and co-professionals to the formulation of the brief, and the methods of investigation used in its preparation.

GC8 Understanding of the structural design, constructional and engineering problems associated with building design.

1. The investigation, critical appraisal and selection of alternative structural, constructional and material systems relevant to architectural design; 2. Strategies for building construction, and ability to integrate knowledge of structural principles and construction techniques; 3. The physical properties and characteristics of building materials, components and systems, and the environmental impact of specification choices.

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1. Principles associated with designing optimum visual, thermal and acoustic environments; 2. Systems for environmental comfort realised within relevant precepts of sustainable design; 3. Strategies for building services, and ability to integrate these in a design project.

GC10 The necessary design skills to meet building users’ requirements within the constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations.

1. Critically examine the financial factors implied in varying building types, constructional systems, and specification choices, and the impact of these on architectural design; 2. Understand the cost control mechanisms which operate during the development of a project; 3. Prepare designs that will meet building users’ requirements and comply with UK legislation, appropriate performance standards and health and safety requirements.

ARB Criteria + Revised Work

Amended pieces of work are demarcated by filled circles

New pieces of work are demarcated by hollow circles

- Revised Work Amendments and additions to existing work has been made since the final critique, these changes have been highlighted by the below convention, at the top of every page.

Amended pieces of work are demarcated by filled circles New pieces of work are demarcated by hollow circles

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Critical Introduction

First semester saw a critique of what can be described as a ‘radically anthropocentric’ society. My inertness during lockdown prompted me to seek an alternative perspective to which I looked for within another species, my puppy. Researching Cliffard Geertz’s ‘Theory of Interpreted Culture’ and Jakob Von Uxskell’s ‘Theory of the Umwelt’, I attempted to understand life from a non-anthropocentric perspective and generated a range of surrealist outcomes.

Our culture is radically anthropocentric; The majority of environmental problems we have now can be traced back to our anthropocentrism. As a relationship began to occur between the spaces I was so obsessively studying, it raised the question is it anthropocentric to think of a building as a thing? Can a building be a person? In the context of law, blacks laws dictionary states – “A person means an individual, a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association, trust, unincorporated organization, or other legal entity or organization or government body”. Basically, anything that has rights, responsibilities and interests.

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Studying, Research-based Architectural Practice, Onomatopoeia’s ‘Avery Green’ allowed an interesting perspective on my initial ideas, the practice’s ethos works against anthropocentrism ‘in architecture and beyond’ and referred to the dwelling ‘Avery Green’ as a person. I began to investigate Jesmond Dene’s Banqueting Hall as a person in ‘her’ own right and her relationships with the surrounding ecology, heritage and her wider context.

Paying particular attention to the language in Lord Armstrong’s deed, gifting her to the Corporation of Newcastle in 1866, reveals much compassion and affection for the Banqueting Hall and exposes an intimate relationship between the two. The banqueting hall in her current architectural state is dilapidated and in much need of attention, to feel her presence felt within the context of Jesmond Dene. Her previous relationships have become part of her history in deeply material ways, however new relationships with her surrounding foliage and ecology could be formed to keep her youthful and fresh despite her age.

I believe personifying architecture fashions a new level of compassion and credibility for our environments. Jane Jacobs describes a habitat as ‘an intricate, complicated web of inter-dependencies’, which can be said to beautifully describe the complex nature of people. It would seem appropriate to re-mention Donna Haraway’s extract describing mixed species relations “a subject- and object-shaping dance of encounters” (p.4), as quoted in semester 1. Buildings may be seen as ‘unnatural’ environments that seem inextricable from humans, made up of culture as oppose to nature, whereas if we regard the ‘human’ force as being part of a tangled ecology rather than it’s only impulse, architecture may be seen differently? This thesis aims to explore nonhuman creativity in a variety of ways that question and have the possibility to outdate our typical anthropocentric agenda.

A piece of work from Semester 1 generating surrealist outcomes by attempting to understand another organisms capacity Source: Mollie Macdonald

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Establishing agency

01 “The great River flows from the mountains to the sea. I am the River, the River is me.”

Legally, a non-human entity can be granted the same rights and responsibilities as a person. The Whanganui River, an ecological entity, has been granted legal personhood status, which means it is an integrated, living whole from the mountains to the sea. This acknowledgement of the river is a recognition of the Maori’s cultural, legal, historical, and spiritual relationship with the river as well a non-monetary based valuation of nature. With more attention on conservation and environmental management in a bid to prevent climate change, many governments and organizations have started to recognise more abstract and creative systems of environmental governance.

“For many young Maori, a journey on the river is a journey for the soul.

Often displaced and disconnected from their geographical roots, urban Maori fare poorly on social measures such as education, health, and employment, and the incarceration rate of Maori is more than three times their proportion of the population. For this group of former prisoners, communing with the person of the river is a way of nurturing their own sense of self ” Mathias Svold

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Pia Ednie Brown’s architecture practice, ‘onomatopoeia’, pursues an Architectural Movement away from anthropocentrism – that aims to extricate humans as the centre or ultimate reference point of concerns. Jane Bennet states, in her book Vibrant Matter, “Maybe it is worth running the risks associated with anthropomorphising (superstition, the divinisation of nature, romanticism) because it, oddly enough, works against anthropocentrism: a chord struck between person and thing, and I am no longer outside a nonhuman ‘environment’”.

Houses are generally labelled as ‘property’: an entity owned by a person, just as wives used to be. Similar to how marriage has and will continue to be redefined, Pia Ednie Brown suggests a shift in the way we consider our houses. She established a companionship with her house, Avery Green, and in her essay ‘A Vital, Architectural Materialism: A House-Person’s Escape from the Anthopocentric’ stated “If one understands intimacy, as I do, as shared transformation, one could say that Avery Green and I have had an intimate relationship that developed over a decade’.

Arakawa and Gins Bioscleave House Source:

A great hidden story lies in homage to, whos work on the Bioscleave House was previously mentioned in Semester 1, artist-architect couple Arakawa and Gins, regularly refered to as ‘AG’ (Avery Green’s initials). Not only were they an early influence on my own work but on the work of Pia Ednie Brown too, having spent a few short periods of time actually living within the Bioscleave House. She described the house as an ‘architectural creature’ as it helped to develop the thought process that buildings might be considered as entities such as ‘persons’ with which we can have personal relations.

Avery Green, as does any other house, exceeds her typology, just as there is more to a human than the features of their human body.

Typologically she is a Victorian terrace house, however similar to other houses she holds many secrets and histories. Avery Green recently underwent a series of transformations designed, governed and in a lot of ways undertaken by Pia Ednie Brown, in which their relationship became part of Avery’s materiality in many ways. Avery was the house in which Brown finished writing her doctorate and through the research process she realised “how much we are guided by the things we set out to guide”.

The hope of Pia Ednie Brown is that employing a sense of intimate relationship with the dwellings we inhabit encourages deeper awareness, gratitude and respect for all environments. The more meaningful our connection with places are, the more vitality we cultivate for ourselves and others.

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A piece of my own work completed in Semester 1 - Influence from surrealist studies of perception juxtaposed with an isometric domestic scene inpsired from the Bioscleave House.

Source: Mollie Macdonald

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“We human beings regard ourselves as (or compare ourselves to) animals only when it suits us.”

Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Having looked at studies surrounding the questioning of anthropocentrism and the possible beneficial outcomes they are having for some of the issues this world is currently facing because of it, it is apparent that a change in design thinking is required.

Non-anthropocentric design is about embodiment of entanglements of humans and non-humans. By understanding that we as humans, are only one entity in an intricate web of interdependencies, we are able to act in collaboration with diverse fields and be somewhat humbled. The diagram on the following page suggests how considering multiple perspectives within the design process generates a more diverse and constructive outcome for both humans and non-humans (Both animate and inanimate).

Diagram on considering all perspectives in order to create an embodiment of the entanglement Source: Non-Anthropocentric Design Thinking - Tisha Hupkes

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02 GC2.2 GC2.3 GC4.1 GC4.2 GC4.3

Site/Host

In continuation of the work undertaken in Semester 1, Jesmond Dene seemed an appropriate starting point as an area to intervene. In my earlier work I labelled The Dene as an ‘infrastructure for becoming-with’, due to it being an interesting ensemble of all variations of life including both humans and non-humans.

Certain aspects of the calibration of the dene appeared to respect non-human ecologies (e.g a grave yard for dogs), however after consideration I deemed this as anthropocentric as ultimately it is just a way of humans channelling their emotions, the dogs do not care if they have a tomb stone or not. There exist many tensions within the operation of the Dene and the way it caters for its mixed web of ecologies, which are particularly interesting to some of the questions raised in my thesis.

Having embarked upon Lord Armstrong’s 1866 deed, gifting the banqueting hall, within Jesmond Dene, to the corporation of Newcastle, I was drawn to it as a potential site for intervention. The language within the deed reveals much compassion and affection for the hall and exposes an intimate relationship between

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Lord Armstrong and his commissioned architectural project. The Banqueting Hall is currently undergoing the process of ruination despite being managed, human presence is preventing the Banqueting Halls reconnection with nature. Many ecologies within the dene, whether it is human, non-human, foliage, decaying material matter, natural processes such as weather etc. have become part of the halls history in deeply material ways, however new relationships could be formed to keep the hall youthful despite ‘her’ age.

Rather than labelling the Banqueting Hall as our site, it will be regarded as the host.

The proposed intervention will consider ‘her’, her character, personality, histories etc. In order to create a symbiosis in which they come together and live in harmony along with other entities within the entagnlement.

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I have undertaken brief research into the history of Jesmond Dene; dating back to 300 years ago when the Dene was one vast delta. Over time, the waters of the delta receded leaving deposits of sediments which has formed the layers present in the Dene today. Following the ice age 12,000 years ago glaciers melted at a rapid rate allowing the formation of the River Ouseburn. The warmer climate brought vegetation and the Ousebun Valley became covered in a dense forest of oak, ash, holly and hazel. The Dene would have remained a quiet valley for hundreds of years populated by bears, beevers, wolves and wildboar.

During the last several hundred years improved farming methods and industrialisation began to see some woodlands being cut down to meet the demand for timber. Where Jesmond was largely farmland, the Dene became quite industrial; home to watermills, various quarries and an iron foundry.

In the mid 19th Century the park was purchased by Lord Armstrong. It was then turned into a private park inhabited only by his friends, family and workers. He populated the park with artificial dialogue such as a man-made waterfall, bridges and introducing non-native species of trees and shrubs such as cedars and rhododendron.

In 1883 Lord Armstrong gifted the Park to the coorporation of Newcastle to benefit it’s citizens. Since then the Dene has been a popular public attraction and even more so in 2020 since it is one of the few permitted attractions in Newcastle Upon Tyne due to COVID.

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“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”

C.S Lewis

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“Ultimately we need to recognize that while humans continue to build urban landscapes, we share these spaces with other species” David Suzuki In order to deviate from anthropocentric design practice, it is essential to understand and be aware of as many of the non-human interdependencies at play. Research was undertaken into the ecology found within the dene, it is habitat to a whole host of species.

I began to differentiate between species, understand their comfort zones, their fears etc.

Before even considering a ‘human building program’ I began thinking about what would best suit them.

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“The world is not to be put in order. The world is order.

It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.”

Henry Miller

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Programme

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Evading anthropocentrism and giving greater consideration to the nonhuman remains a difficult proposition, it requires a building programme that caters for the whole entanglement as oppose to just the human functions. However, as this intervention/experiment has been designed to tackle anthropocentrism the human programme can act as a resource to advocate its key principles. The human function will be 1. To understand, 2.

To empathise and 3. To educate, this intervention will be a learning facility in which human-beings are a resource towards a non-anthropocentric future.

However, this learning facility is far from conventional, it is designed to disrupt the standard classroom model and advocates a more animalistic approach. The intervention will trigger a rethinking of agency by being placed in close proximity with animals, foliage, an important heritage asset and evident materiality of the building. The curriculum within the intervention raises many questions about the value of entities; human, non-human, living, inanimate etc. Through such learning and carefully curated architecture; human beings are able to develop greater empathy and advocate importance to things they otherwise may have dismissed.

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Programmatic Precedent Studies There exist few propositions of learning environments that fully deviate from a typical anthropocentric agenda. When researching less conventional learning environments three precedent studies stood out to me for different reasons.

The first was Sarah Wrigglesworth Architect’s Mellor School, an extension to an existing primary school that forges new connections with its natural landscape. The centrepiece of this project is the habitat wall, a wall designed by the children, that is ecologically engineered with diverse cladding components to provide intimate environments for birds, bees, bugs and bats. The principle of the façade having a separate program is an extremely interesting and exciting concept; Other questions are raised about what other technical aspects of buildings can have their own non-human program? In addition to this the extension was built using natural and locally-sourced materials, which caters for the environment as an entity of the entanglement.

The second study was Robert Gaukroger’s Elleray Preparatory School, the building

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was designed to have a low impact on the environment, elevated on Douglas Fir Stilts to minimise disturbance on the biodiversity below. The school is focused on “up-cycled, recycled and low-impact architecture”, as much as using recycled plastic milk bottles for the deck. The school is built with an outdoor deck for use in the summer, to forge a lost connection with nature and advocate outdoor learning for children.

The third study diverts from the typical school programme, however is host to a deck serving a high level adventure playground for children, which contributes to the outdoor experience programmatic quality. The majority of the tree house is held up by locally sourced engineered Douglas fir raking struts, however one of the pods within the structure is supported solely by a lime tree. This uses a helical run of stainless steel pins in order that the load can be transferred to the tree without stunting the tree growth. Using alive vegetation as a structure instead of employing artificiality and without stunting its growth an exciting concept for the whole ethos of this project.

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The Kielder Observatory provides a dramatic yet sympathetic base for astronomers. What is nice about it is the programme centres around two telescopes in boxes, it has a room with a stove in it that is labelled ‘warm room’ and that is it with regards to programme. Yet it hosts many events that it caters for seamlessly. Due to the diverse range of activity and learning that will take place within the Banqueting Hall intervention, it would be beneficial to keep the program simplified and open ended. The students should interact with it how they feel necessary. Putting labels on each and every space within it deviates from the natural flow of the building and steers away from the merging with nature. I will identify absolute essential spaces needed but other than that keep it open to interpretation and diversity.

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The current school national curriculum entrenches anthropocentrism as the dominant paradigm for human-environment relations.

The environmental problems we are currently facing are rooted in behaviour which is informed by values. Rethinking/educating children with an alternative value structure seems to be a highly appropriate response to our climate crisis. This begins with putting children in close proximity with animals, in close proximity to nature, in close proximity to ruination, in close proximity to evident structure and materiality and advocating messy play, questioning of agency, adding value to seemingly insignificant aspects of life.

It includes a little less ‘programme’, less of an institutionalised setting and more of an open ended, exciting journey.

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Design Development

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I began to start piecing together the program, research and design principles established this far and translate them into drawings, I took a photograph of the existing plan of the Banqueting Hall in order to start working into it, however as I clicked capture on my iPhone my puppy jumped up at me and the image was distorted. Originally, I discarded this image and retook the photo however when I later revisited the photograph I realised that it was affected by an ecology within the web of interdependencies that was out of my control. The typical design process is effected and mutated by non-human ecologies for example weather, animals, plants, obstruction, budget etc and they should not be seen as an obstacle, but an ecology that has contributed to the final design. It was so important for me to use this new distorted version of the plan that has now had non-human influence.

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“Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.”

Aldous Huxley, The Art of Seeing The distortion of the plan was down to the impulsive movement of my puppy. Movement is evident throughout the image, therefore I have exaggerated this using photoshop.

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I began to start imagining where architectural spaces could emerge through the distorted images...

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However the drawing became much more static than I would’ve liked so I photographed it again, only this time I used the iPhone panorama feature and welcomed my puppy into play. The outcome was much more lively than the previous...

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Again I started to highlight potential architectural features...

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I decided the elaborated drawing would work better in section. My normal design process predominantly uses plan as oppose to section or in 3D therefore I decided to see how the drawing worked in section and populated it with silhouettes to see how it would work as a functional section.

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“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”

Frank Gehry This is an elaborated sketch of the scheme that really captures the playful, animalistic quality I had in mind throughout. I want movement to flow through the section of the building and animate the space just as nature would.

The section was elevated within the Banqueting Hall in order to effect biodiversity as little as possible and not create additional development out side of the Hall. Ruination can take place around the development and nature can fully reclaim its lost connection within the ground floor of the Hall.

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After a tutoring session and a technical discussion I realised something interesting about the university architectural design process. An under-represented precedent study within architecture project in university are actually the tutors. Often do our tutors give comments based on their experience and thoughts on where our projects are heading. They are another entity within the ecological web of interdependencies and I wanted to pay homage to this in a drawing.

This drawing is a compilation of tutors drawings, comments, technical sketches, and my own building section thus far juxtaposed to create an interesting new outcome.

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Form Precedent Study Following the previous drawing taking on a new and interesting form, I began to look for similar forms to take inspiration from in order to begin my tech study, however the ethos and architectural design of this project really excited me as it was similar to my own.

The overall composition of the scheme from the glulam timber framing to the levels of light welcomed into the building by an obscured selection of windows.

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“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”

Frank Gehry I began to draw my building in 3D. Drawing in 3D really helped to imagine the space within its context, I was able to develop how the circulation of the building would work, how the building would be zoned and what the internal spaces would look like.

The 3D section allowed me to test if the internal spaces work with the external.

I love the way this drawing turned out however, I was able to pin point what needed to be changed within the project.

The changes that need to be addressed are as follows: 1. The “ground floor” is too standardised, it needs to relate more to its natural program.

Perhaps the structure itself could have a program?

2. The conventional classroom layout does not suit the external aesthetic/over all ethos. A different approach needs to be taken.

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Final Visuals

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This view is taken from a child/parent’s perspective of the approach to the new learning facility. In contrast to the obscured visual created (page 18-19) of the banqueting Hall being obscured by the foliage, the tree-like structure within the banqueting hall is obscured by the openings of the Hall. Symbiotic relationships between nature and architecture have been formed.

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As opposed to the usual, eye level visuals I create, I decided to create a view point from a birds perspective to understand how the building would be percieved. The building takes on the verticality of the trees and mimics the woodland textures of weathered timber.

The new relationship formed within the Banqueting hall refurbishes the ruin but stands behind her in order to not steal the lime light from her architectural significance. The two work well together.

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This is my personal favourite visual. It truly captures the over grown, ruinous, natural qualities of nature reclaiming it’s relationship with the hall. The ground floor fully allows nature to take over and instill its natural beauty.

This playful space allows the children in close proximity with animals to build relationships, develop empathy and learn from non-human ecologies.

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This visual was created before the floor plan was edited, it is a more open plan version of the space however I wanted to keep it as it shows how the internal spaces welcome nature in and children can truly find their animality. The multifunctional space emphasises both human and nonhuman creativity, to generate a stimulating and exciting learning environment.

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Drawings

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Integrated detail section 1:20

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References Arianne Lourie Harrison, 2013. Architectural Theories of the Environment. New York Routledge.

Barbara Smuts, 2008. Between Species: Science and Subjectivity. Configurations, 14(1), pp.115-126.

Belk, R., 1996. Metaphoric Relationships with Pets. Society & Animals, 4(2), pp.121-145.

Dean, E., 2019. Everybody Died, So I Got A Dog: The Funny, Heartbreaking Memoir Of Losing A Family And Gaining A Dog. London: Hodder & Stoughton General Division.

En.wikipedia.org. n.d. Jesmond Dene. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesmond_Dene> [Accessed 21 December 2020].

Francis, R. A. (2011). Wall ecology: A frontier for urban biodiversity and ecological engineering. Progress in Physical Geography, 35(1). https://doi. org/10.1177/0309133310385166 Frey, R. M., Miller, G. A., Ilic, A., Fleisch, E., & Pentland, A. (2018). Wild Animals in Daily Life. ICIS 2017: Transforming Society with Digital Innovation.

Geertz, C. and Darnton, R., 1973. The Interpretation Of Cultures.

Haraway, D., 2007. When Species Meet. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Critical Reflection

It has been an unusual first year at Newcastle University, having not stepped foot onto campus throughout the full year due to the COVID19 Pandemic, however I have thoroughly appreciated the spare time to completely immerse myself into my first project. I previously mentioned in my first semester critical reflection that I decided to select the studio group that was furthest from my own comfort zone; experimental and conceptual thinking is not something I was adept at. Although my work this semester has been a world away from my previous years’ work undertaken in practice, it has been an enthusing journey to embark upon.

I have really enjoyed having so much design freedom with my work this year and exploring extremely philisophical concepts has been really beneficial in developing my own quirky but extremely satisfying brief.

By personifying architecture and undertaking analysis as if you are speaking of a person has definitely fashioned that new level of

compassion and has created a much more sensitive approach to design. Although it would be impossible to address all ecologies within the web of interdependencies referred to throughout this project, in a semester long project, I believe my design caters for a wide range of ecologies and fashions a unique sensitivity that will be taken forth towards my whole ethos as a designer. Although buildings may be seen as ‘unnatural’ environments that seem almost inextricable from humans, made up from culture as oppose to nature, this project has definitely proven that humans are only an impulse within an extremely tangled ecology and they cannot always be fully in control of what they set out to guide.

Ingersoll, R. (2020). Think like a forest. Diluting the boundaries between nature and city. In ZARCH (Issue 14). https://doi.org/10.26754/OJS_ZARCH/ ZARCH.2020144441

Suprisingly my favourite aspect of this years design project was definitely structural resolution. Designing a tree-like structure was definitely a challenge, one I was tempted to discard early on, however through perseverance, I was able to design, draw and model an intricate modular system that mimicked it’s natural surroundings. I am so pleased with the final drawings relating to the tree-like structure, it suits the project so perfectly, I am extremely glad I did not give up on it. However, I did attempt several physical models using cardboard, lolly sticks, pipe cleaners which unfortunately did not amount to anything. My goal for next year, being back on campus and in the workshop with professionals, is to create a vast array of models, as it is something I have struggled with this year.

MacKinnon, R. B., Oomen, J., & Pedersen Zari, M. (2020). Promises and Presuppositions of Biomimicry. Biomimetics, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics5030033

I achieved a A- in my final critique, I have done considerably more work since then so I am hoping to improve on this.

Tschumi, B., 1994. The Manhattan Transcripts. London: Academy Editions.

Jasper, S. (2020). Abandoned Infrastructures and Nonhuman Life. Society & Space.

Jesmonddeneoldmill.org.uk. 2021. Jesmond Dene - History. [online] Available at: <http://www.jesmonddeneoldmill.org.uk/dene/history.html> [Accessed 25 November 2020].

John, G., Clements-Croome, D., & Jeronimidis, G. (2005). Sustainable building solutions: A review of lessons from the natural world. Building and Environment, 40(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2004.05.011 Keane, J., 2013. Initiating Change: Architecturing the Body-Environment with Arakawa and Gins. Architectural Design, 83(1), pp.76-83.

Laban Rudolph., 1974. Language Of Movement. [Place of publication not identified]: Plays, Inc. Sheringham, M., 2013. Everyday Life. Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press.

Margulis, L., 1995. Symbiotic Planet. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Maulana, R. (2018). Architecture for animals: The expanding challenges of sustainable development. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 195(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/195/1/012079 McFarlane, C., & Silver, J. (2017). Navigating the city: dialectics of everyday urbanism. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 42(3). https:// doi.org/10.1111/tran.12175 Pallasmaa, J., 2019. The Eyes Of The Skin. Chichester: Wiley.

Pawlyn, M. (2019). Biomimicry in Architecture. In Biomimicry in Architecture. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429346774 Reversibledestiny.org. 2008. Bioscleave House (Lifespan Extending Villa) - Reversible Destiny Foundation. [online] Available at: <http://www.reversibledestiny.org/architecture/bioscleave-house-lifespan-extending-villa> [Accessed 15 December 2021].

Román, E. F., & Fernández, F. M. (2019). The natural architecture of inhabiting. Boletin de Arte, 40. https://doi.org/10.24310/BoLArte.2019.v0i40.5715

The Friends Of Jesmond Dene. 2021. The Friends Of Jesmond Dene. [online] Available at: <https://www.jesmonddene.org.uk> [Accessed 18 November 2020].

Santini, T. (2020). Guilty by Association: Addressing Sustainability in Architecture Education. International Journal of Environmental Science & Sustainable Development, 5(2).

Uexküll, J., Uexküll, J., O’Neill, J., Sagan, D. and Winthrop-Young, G., 2010. A Foray Into The Worlds Of Animals And Humans. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Voyatzaki, M. (2018). Architectural burgh/9781474420570.003.0001

Materialisms:

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Materialisms.

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Weinstein, J., 2004. The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness Donna Haraway. Anthrozoös, 17(2), pp.186-192.

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SEMESTER 2

ARC8052

An Ecological Web of Interdependencies

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