Newport Botanical Laboratory

Newport

Botanical

Laboratory

Design studio 4 Ross Wise Architecture & Planning

“You cannot simply put something new into place. You have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see.�

Tadao Ando

Abstract The former industrial Welsh city of Newport sits at the neck of the river Usk’s convergence with the Severn estuary. Historically the area was a river delta, since then it has been reclaimed for farming.

Even after this dramatic transformation it is still home to a vast array of native Welsh flora and fauna.

On the northern bank of the estuary, running parallel to the river, is the Gwent Levels. This area is made up of a series of zones that have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

This low lying stretch of land is home to a very delicate ecosystem, now under threat, with many of its native species on the verge of extinction. Newport is only a few miles from this naturally rich environment, yet its presence cannot be felt within the city limits. Residents and visitors of the city may never know or experience the extent to which this fragile habitat and its species are struggling to survive.

In response to this disconnection between the city and its neighbouring environment, the project integrates education and research into a botanical laboratory/research centre, set in a wider, wild ‘Welsh’ landscape. The aim was to develop a relationship with the public allowing them to engage with the local natural environment.

Visitors to the project follow a winding route through the building presented with views at every turn, into areas where vital research is being undertaken, whilst simultaneously being enveloped with examples of native species. Drawings, images and collages throughout emphasise the distinct difference between the clinical environment of the lab with the naturalistic Welsh habitat it is trying to save. Here the lab complex acts as the meeting place for both.

The lab sits as the focal point within a larger agenda for Newport. To further raise awareness and increase the integration of this habitat back into the city, a collection of vacant sites or “meanwhile” spaces have been identified in the city for remediation. In this instance the adjacent site is to be transformed into additional green space used, to begin with, as part of the botanical garden.

Contents

Botany

Introduction Importance of the industry Importance to Newport The state of nature Botanic Gardens

Brief

Masterplan

Topic exploration Building users The Brief

Introduction Spatial Relationship City scale analysis Masterplan vision

Site analysis

Introduction Site analysis diagram Site history City quarter

Design + Concept progression

Design and concept Precedents Configuration of a plan Form generation

Design Proposal

Scheme overview Plans Sections Elevations

Technical Resolution

Overview Construction details 1:1 detail study Building weight Structural strategy Environmental section

Environmental Moderator

Botany

Introduction Importance of the industry Botanic gardens

Botany Botany is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. Scientists who specialise in this field of study are referred to as botanists.

Botany has always been important to the survival of humans, with its origin dating back to prehistory as herbalism. Efforts were made by early humans to identify and cultivate edible, medicinal and poisonous plants, making it one of the oldest branches of science. Medieval physic gardens, often attached to monasteries, contained plants of medical importance. They were forerunners of the first botanical gardens attached to universities, founded from the 1540s onwards.

A botanic laboratory is a facility that conducts research into various disciplines of botany.

Often they are located within the grounds of a botanical garden. Activities within the laboratory consist of the chromosomal surveying of flora, studying and evaluating lesser known plants as well as additional studies into the germination behaviour of seeds from important plants locally, nationally and internationally.

Each section of the laboratory will

Importance of the industry The study of plants is vital because they play a major role for animal life on Earth. Plants generate a large proportion of the oxygen and food that provide humans and other organisms with aerobic respiration with the chemical energy they need to exist. In addition, they are influential in the global carbon and water cycles and plant roots bind and stabilise soils, preventing soil erosion. Plants are crucial to the future of human society as they provide food, oxygen, medicine, and products for people, as well as creating and preserving soil.

As a result of urban expansion many wildlife habitats are being engulfed. Studying these diminishing environments in an effort to rescue or revitalise them is important if they are to survive. Too often these habitats are lost and replaced with developments that contain green space that has no real relationship to the habitat it has replaced. Parks and green space are being filled with imported species, leaving local or native varieties exiled to the sometimes few remaining reserves.

The state of nature (UK) A report produced by 25 wildlife organisations into the current health of nature in the UK and its overseas territories found that: 60% of the species studied within the report have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from the UK altogether Of more than 6,000 species that have been assessed using modern Red List criteria, more than one in ten are thought to be under threat of extinction in the UK. A further 885 species are listed as threatened using older Red List criteria or alternative methods to classify threat.

The threats to the UK’s wildlife are many and varied, the most severe acting either to destroy valuable habitat or degrade the quality and value of what remains.

We should act to save nature both for its intrinsic value and for the benefits it brings to us that are essential to our well-being and prosperity

Importance to Newport Newport’s proximity to the and the lack of green space within the city creates as disconnection between the local population and the surrounding natural environment. Any kind of integration of the two would benefit both parties. In addition to this Newport has on opportunity to revitalise its numerous bronwfield sites across the city. These spaces could be a catalyst for future change in how an urban population integrates itself with nature.

As Newport becomes less and less industrious, space is made available for nature to re-enter the city.

This decline has led to a lack of identity for the city. Giving parts of the urban fabric back to the local environment and not “developing� sites in the generic sense of the word but developing them for wildlife instead may re introduce an identity to the place, one that is much more grounded in the environment.

Ootacamund Botanical Gardens, India

Chicago Botanic Gardens, USA

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London

Botanic gardens “A botanic garden is an institution holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education.�

Peter S Wyse Jackson To attract visitors often best practice is for the garden to contain a collection of wild and exotic plants on show for the public to see and engage with. To facilitate the growth of these plants it is common for botanic gardens to contain a glass house, where the climate can be regulated to the desired temperature and humidity for the plants to be in appropriate growing conditions.

Botanical gardens are generally research facilities they are often run by universities or other scientific research organizations. The main role of the garden is to maintain documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display, and education.

Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore

Brief

Topic exploration Building users The Brief

Topic exploration In the previous chapter the importance of botany, as part of biology, was discussed alongside role the industry has at a variety of scales. The State of Nature report further highlighted this, stating how seriously the health of our natural environment is declining. This level of understanding is important to the scheme as it will inform design decisions throughout the development process.

Working at a variety of scales has made it possible to highlight the importance of the scheme within the local context of Newport. The masterplan will focus on how to approach the many social, physical and environmental obstacles found within the city and how to adjust the city’s image from a previously industrial one to something new.

The site plan will re-establish a lost connection between the characteristics of the local natural environment and the inhabitants of the city.

The proposal for the botanical laboratory and research garden will act as a much needed patch of green space for the city, where people can come to learn more about an environment so close to them geographically but so distant mentally. The scheme will offer an educational and experiential environment with a flexibility in its programmed use.

Building users Generally there would be three main users of the laboratory; scientists, visiting members of the public and staff to work at the reception desk and in the cafe. The botanical scientists would be the primary users of the building as they are relied upon visually by the visiting members of the public.

The secondary users of the laboratory would be the visiting members of the public. These may be educational visits from schools and colleges or small scale conferences with local landowners to increase their knowledge on how to manage the landscape to accommodate wildlife.

The staff present within the reception and cafe, as well as additional staff members would have similar roles to those found working within a gallery or exhibition space in that they would be available to provide more information upon request.

Finally within the surrounding landscape the users of the space will cover a broad range of the local population who choose travel through it. The landscape will be managed by local horticulturalists in partnership with the Gwent Wildlife Trust to produce an accurate representation of the naturalistic style of environment found within the local area.

The brief Botanical laboratory.

Much of the green space within a city is very generic. The insertion/restoration of the area chosen hopes to re-introduce the immediate local Welsh habitat into the city rather than exiling it to the perimeter. A selection of appropriate vacant brownfield sites across the city are also to be given back to the local flora and fauna. The overall scheme should incorporate flood attenuation, mirroring the qualities of the drainage ditches (reens) in the Gwent levels SSI. The building itself must not turn its back to the river but open up to it and have good linkages to the surrounding landscape. The overall structure will be no more than three stories to minimise its visual impact on the waterfront location. The layout of the interior spaces must be that of an efficient working laboratory with convivial space available for collaboration. The site is to become a destination in itself, as somewhere to travel to and through. In partnership with the Gwent Wildlife Trusts Living Landscape scheme the laboratory will also be a functioning part of the landscape with seeded wall panels allowing for additional planting and a higher replacement percentage.

The working side of the laboratory will be directly viewable to the public through a series Of openings, revealing the work undertaken to restore the local natural environment and protect it from extinction.

This visible interaction with the public hopes to reveal and make available locally endangered plants and the wildlife that depend upon them. The wider setting of the laboratory will provide a contemporary botanic garden allowing the public to directly engage with endangered species as well as providing a space for social interaction. The sites location with close proximity to the university provides and opportunity to maximise its engagement with the student population traversing the area everyday.

Increased public engagement should also be seen through the re-appropriation of adjacent buildings, currently small scale commercial cafe and restaurant spaces.

Schedule of Accommodation Public spaces

m2

Private Spaces

m2

Ancillary spaces

Lobby

32.9

Laboratory 1

218.4

Cafe

Exit space

120.4

Laboratory 2

218.4

Gardens

Auditorium

235.3

Laboratory 3

218.4

Nursery

125.3

Laboratory 4

218.4

Central space

224.3

Seed store

44

Meeting room 1

42.1

Tissue culture Lab

95.7

Meeting room 2

20.3

Staff Room

12.7

Meeting room 3

20.3

Collaboration space

101.8

W.Cs

55

Offices

111

Disabled W.C

11

Plant room

161.2

Nursery

225.3

W.Cs

165

Disabled W.C

26.5

m2 110

12123.89

Total = 1980.8 + Ancillary spaces

=14214.69m2

Masterplan

Introduction Spatial Relationship City scale analysis Masterplan vision

Introduction Site introduction

This section comprises of the appropriate analysis surrounding the social, environmental and cultural characteristics that go towards developing a responsible, inclusive masterplan for Newport. Each of the subsequent sections and their topics inform both, the overall scheme, and the masterplan.

National and regional context

Newport is a city best known for its industrial heritage. Slowly, over time, the majority of its industry has moved elsewhere in search of cheaper labour costs. Newport’s current role seems to be as a commuter settlement for its neighbouring major cities of Bristol and Cardiff. Its location on the M4 ensures it is well connected within the region, with the proposal of a new M4 relief road further strengthening its connectivity.

Investment is still being poured into Newport with the newly completed Friars Walk shopping centre costing around ÂŁ100 million. As part of the recently established Severn Powerhouse, Newport should see a new period of growth. This relationship with the Severn estuary extends beyond just a trade partnership as the region is home to areas of particular natural environmental significance, both locally and internationally.

Newport

Severn Powerhouse region

Local context

Within and surrounding Newport there are many boundaries restricting movement and expansion. Initially the city spread southwards following the canal and the associated industry into space towards the town dock. On the whole Newport’s industrial district has remained in the south of the city with the addition of the TATA steel works on the city’s eastern edge. A symbol of its industrial and engineering heritage and probably Newport’s landmark structure, is the Transporter Bridge. The city centre on the western bank of the river is mainly made up of commercial properties with many of the civic buildings located in close proximity to the river. Residential property was initially located in and around the industry. Now as the city continues to expand housing sprawls outwards from the riverside.

Abergavenny Newport

Bristol Bath

Cardiff

Weston Super-Mare

Newport

Spatial Relationship The Gwent Levels, classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), sits just south of the main urban sprawl of Newport. The area covers around 4,500ha on the edge of the Severn estuary.

Much of the area has been reclaimed from the tide for farming, with a complex network of drainage ditches, or reens, in place to drain water from the low lying land. It is this habitat, as well as the wetlands, that attract such unique instances of wildlife. Settlements in the Levels are sparsely distributed, with many of the buildings supporting the agricultural industry.

City Scale Analysis

Urban area

Industry

Education

Major roads

Commercial

Open space provision

Railway

Cycle network

Leisure facilities

Masterplan visions - To re-establish a connection between Newport and the local natural environment of the Gwent Levels.

- To increase the ease of movement across the city within a high quality public transport network alongside pedestrian priority zones.

- To extend the commercial district towards the south of the city, attracting investment.

- To provide more opportunities for leisure activities through the provision of public green space.

- Creating a place that fits within its local Welsh Context.

- To further develop the knowledge quarter of the city to promote education.

Site Analysis

Introduction Site analysis diagram Site history City quarter

Introduction The main site is a vacant plot that is positioned alongside the river, Wales building and the Castle Bingo centre, on Usk Way. This site sits developed, comprised of existing vacant plots surrounding the site, as hard and soft landscapes. These are to be developed in accordance with new knowledge quarter for Newport.

between the University of South within a much wider area to be well as the immediately adjacent the masterplan, as part of the

There are many views to the site as the landscape is flat and the surrounding buildings and structures are much higher. The site is visible from the east bank of the river(opposite) and also from the George Street bridge.

The current only vehicle access onto the site is from Usk Way. Pedestrians however may access the site from the public cycle/footpath that runs alongside the river as well as the Usk Way entrance.

Historically Before the site was home to a selection of storage sheds/warehouses used for storing goods that would have been transported via the canal network that was eventually replaced by the railway and then the current road network. From historic maps it appears that the site has never been fully utilised with only temporary structures being placed there for convenience. During the early 1900s the site was mainly used as a network of railway slips-ways that led to a series of wharfs for the loading and unloading of goods to be transported up and down the river Usk. The site borders the industrial district to the south, the retail district to the north-west and the residential areas to the west. As a result of this it is located at a point where the buildings that surround it are part of a number of use classes.

Total site area.........3823.29m2

Access Vehicular Newport’s location next to the M4 motorway means that vehicular means of travel are most common. As a result of this, when the city expanded, growth was orientated around the transport network.

Parking.

Excessive road network dominating the city.

Former canal route.

Crossing points of the river.

Pedestrian Lack of sense of pedestrian safety.

Quality of public realm diminishes as you travel down commercial street.

Lack of green space.

Rail The rail network historically played a major part in the city’s industrial age, with large amounts the transportation of coal being taken towards the docks by train. Travelling by train to and from Newport is relatively simple as it lies on the main line to London with trains departing for most of the day every 30 minutes.

Train station design.

Site History

Aerial views

1925

1961

Present day

Here it is evident that the former canal system has recently been replaced by the rail network. The site has been cleared with only a few buildings remaining.

Almost 40 years later and the site looks very similar, with a mixture of small industrial buildings serving the wharfs and the railway on either side.

The current situation is not too dissimilar to that seen in the previous photos. The site is still clear of any large buildings, now sitting between the University and the bingo centre.

Historic Maps

1845 This map showing the canal route suggests a flow of movement through and past the site, as well as showing small bridges used to traverse the canal.

1907

Present day

After the removal of the canal the pattern of movement on the site only varies slightly from that with the canal in place. Now there is much more horizontal movement from the rail tracks towards the river.

The road has no as the means of parallel to the linear barrier, on an island.

replaced the railway transportation running site, still creating a stranding the site almost

Potential public realm

Reinstating the canal

Vacant space for planting

Additional planting sites

Concept + Progression

Design and concept Precedents Configuration of a plan Form generation

Design + Concept The initial research and analysis has provided an insight into the current situation on the site as well as its historical context. In developing my understanding of the agenda and the program of the building I have been able to develop a set of characteristics that the scheme is based around.

In researching both the program and the agenda it was clear that the design of the landscape was just as, or even more important than the design of the laboratory.

The key goals were really trying to make the building and the landscape really “of the place� trying to respond to the context as much as possible, whilst still producing a working laboratory.

Theoretical precedents

Biophilic design

Principles in biophilic design

The biophilia hypothesis suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia (1984).

He defines biophilia as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life”.

- Biophilic design requires repeated and sustained engagement with nature - It focuses on human adaptations to the natural world - Encourages emotional attachment particular settings and places - Promotes positive interactions between people and nature that encourage expanded sense of relationship and responsibility for the human and natural communities.

- Encourages mutual reinforcing, interconnected , and integrated architectural solutions

“We need nature in a deep and fundamental fashion, but we have often designed our cities and suburbs in ways that both degrade the environment and alienate us from nature. The recent trend in green architecture has decreased the environmental impact of the built environment, but it has accomplished little in the way of reconnecting us to the natural world, the missing piece in the puzzle of sustainable development.”

Program precedents

Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge

- Stanton Williams Architects

Australian Plant Bank, New South Wales

- BVN Donnovan Hill

This laboratory has a definite connection with the landscape as it is orientated around a courtyard space. To promote collaboration the lab is laid out so that corridors act as a thinking path leading to informal meeting areas. As the faรงades facing towards the courtyard are glazed it suggests that the internal elements as integral parts of outdoor landscape.

The emphasis here is on native plant species and creating a space where they can be studied and stored safely. It also develops a relationship with the public through exhibitions and activities.v

Configuring a plan

Main spaces identified in a rectilinear organisation, echoing the field patterns found within the Gwent Levels

A route winding through the structure offers maximum visual interaction with the public. This flow also follows a similar pattern of movement to the water in the drainage channels that surround the fields.

A separation of public and private so that each side can function autonomously.

Division of mass to create a better visual connection tot he landscape on both sides.

Form generation

Floor plan

Circulation

Private

Public

Life occurring at the edges of the drainage ditches, where the view points in the lab are.

Flow of people echoing the flow of water through the landscape.

Aesthetic of the simplification of industrial/agricultural typology.

Sequencing of construction, basement Mass model excavated and piles positioned,concrete slab, internal pre-cast panels with ties already in place for external skin to be fixed to,

Design Proposal

Scheme overview Plans Sections Elevations

Scheme overview Newport public botanical laboratory is a direct response to the lack of connection with the local Welsh natural environment. It approaches issues regarding the public’s ability to engage with the research and replenishment process.... With this in mind the design emphasises the scientific and horticultural work that is necessary to enable the survival of the native species in the Gwent Levels.

The scheme creates a journey of exploration and education through the landscape with the use of links to the areas industrial heritage and the local natural environment, creating a contrast between the existing condition and with what might have been before. This act creates an environment that is really ‘of the place’ in that it directly addresses and responds to its context, both locally and beyond the city limits.

Site plan 1:500

Basement floor plan 1:200

1. Plant room 2. Lift shaft 3. Service riser 4. Seed storage 5. Air lock 6. Tissue culture store 7. Tissue culture laboratory.

8. Male w/c 9. Female w/c 10. Disabled w/c

2 1

4

10 3 8 6 9 7

2

Ground floor plan 1:200

1.collaboration space 2. Lift shaft 3. Service riser 4. Office 5. Laboratory 1 6. Laboratory 2 7. Disabled w/c 8. Male w/c 9. Female w/c 10. Reception 11. Auditorium 12. Meeting rooms 13. Cafe 14. Nursery

1

7

2 8

4

4

9

7

2

9

3

8 3

4

4 14

5 6

11 7

7

8

10 9 9 12 8

13

First floor plan 1:200

1.collaboration space 2. Lift shaft 3. Service riser 4. Office 5. Laboratory 3 6. Laboratory 4 7. Disabled w/c 8. Male w/c 9. Female w/c

1

7 3

2 8

9

4

7

2 9

4

5

4

4

6

8

3

Site elevation 1:500

Short site section 1:200

Building section 1:100

North elevation 1:200

West elevation 1:200

East elevation 1:200

South elevation 1:200

Technical Resolution

Overview Construction details 1:1 detail study Building weight Structural strategy Environmental section

Technical Resolution Overview One of the main objectives of the laboratory is to expose the processes of necessary to regenerate the local natural environment. To achieve this the detailing is simplified where possible as to not overt the public’s attention.

The material palette consists of very few materials.

They are chosen in such a way to create a contrast between the concrete and greenery. Also using concrete as a construction material is not only appropriate for its durability within the lab, but also to generate a sense of permanence for the structure within the landscape.

The phasing of construction for the laboratory will occur in reverse order to the direction of flow of users through the public walkway. As the formwork will be re-used as many times as is possible, the surface texture of the concrete will appear to increase in depth as the users of the space travel towards the nursery and care.

1:50 section

Construction details The skin of all the structures is a continuous in-situ concrete and plays a key role in the relationship between the laboratory and the landscape. The texture of each of the surfaces will vary depending on how many times the OSB formwork sheets have been used previously for other parts of the building. Applying the texture to the surface....

The internal structure will be constructed using pre-cast concrete panels......

After speaking with a structural engineer the issues with the junctions highlighted in the 1:50 section have been resolved on the right

2 zoomed in parts from it Hidden gutter detail

1:1 detail

Working on this drawing helped me to better understand the relationship between the both public and private users of the laboratory and the visual relationship that occurs between them.

It helped me to simplify components to create a more elegant solution. The junction chosen to study was a view from the central public space down into the cold seed storage room.

Structural strategy

Building weight

Materials

Volume m3

Weight Kg

Concrete Floor slab in-situ concrete RC40 50% Basement slab + walls External skin in-situ concrete

749.603

1,799,047.2

620.609

1,489,461.6

302.257

725,416.8 220,800

Internal pre-cast ground floor walls Pre-cast concrete double T slabs

51.408

123,379.2

Metal Structural steel roof frames

56,483.338

Steel roof deck

86,946.96

Stand & seam zinc roof

12,972

Glass Glazed units

Total

10,725

4183801.8kg

Embodied Carbon KgCO2/Kg 424,575.139 351,512.938 171,198,365 52,108.8 29,117.491

Environmental section

Environmental Moderator