Ruta Austrina Graduation Project of Part 1 Architectural Studies in Newcastle Upon Tyne

Dynamic invitation Phase one - incubator

The begining of the project we contacted and collaborated with a proffesional of a creative field, who became our client. My collaborator was an areal dancer Mona McCarthy for whom I designed a performance space for. As she would hypothetically be a collaborator in the Finnish institute, the incubator was intended to be a source of ideas and principals for the main building design.

The large spring on a steel beam compacts as more people step on the staircase and lets it touch the ground at the bottom.

Incubator structure allows the audience to understand the

dynamics of areal dance performance through their own bodily experience and requires active participation

In the book by Raoul Bunschoten - Public Spaces - main theme is a prototype that stimulates urban change through pure play of the public

Site location

By pushing a sliding panel open at top or bottom, the other connected panel moves as well giving acess to pepole at the other side.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK EDUCATIONAL PRODUCT Areal Dancer hosted by a stone arch of the railway viaduct

Collaborators and institute workers hosted by the stable defensive walls like the castle hill itself

Audience stepping on a dynamic, slightly unstabile staircase

Public functions hosted by dynamic laminated timber structural beams

Bypassers access the staircase by moving an interdependent system of sliding panels

Visitors access to the main events space from bottom and top through an interdependant sliding door system

The aim of the Finnish institute is to stimulate innovation as a result of interaction of cultures.

Finnish collaborators + UK collaborators + LOCAL INHABITANTS Following the incubator design -

The aim of the institute design is a dynamic inclusion of the local inhabitants and visitors in the stabile institute’s environment, thus stimulating innovation.

Use of the site for defensive purposes dates from Roman times, when it housed a fort and settlement guarding a bridge over the River Tyne.

Phase 2

- Site analisis and synthesis

Night view of building in context.

Produced using a phisical model with a light inside, placed in a concrete site model

Looking at various dynamic flows on the very stabile castle hill site and finding design responses: Entry flow through the Black Gate - main entrance in the castle walls.

The dynamics of draw bridges and guillotine gates is actively controlled to give access.

Visitors access to the main events space from bottom and top through an actively controlled sliding door system

The brutal, big scale invasion of the railway viaduct divides the old castle hill in two parts. The flow of trains is intimidating.

Now invisible - a natural flow of water used to run down the Side. The curved shape of the nearbyt building still reflects the natural shape of the stream.

Black gate - the main entrance in the castle walls

Defensive response to the brutal railway invasion.

A solid sheltering boundary protects from railway intrusion in the building

Response to the natural water flow.

A solid, sheltering boundary protects the activities in building from the glances from the curved building.

The secret, service entry in the castle walls was through the East Postern. The remains of the secret flow are the Dog Leep Stairs.vv

Response to the secret flow.

Vertical circulation of the building is

hidden inside the defensive walls

Performers are hosted by defensive concrete walls and rigid timber frame while visitors are dynamically invited by curved laminated timber bridges that seem to be floating.

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Fragment of laminated timber beam walkways 1. steal plate running between two laminated, curved timber beams 2. Steal plate that is thicker continues inside reinforced concrete wall.

3. Timber pieces are sealed with a shadow gap that allows for imperfections 4. concrete wall 5. Groove to support perforated steel deck 6. Perforated steel deck in between the beams

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Exploded Timber frame joint detail (visible in the interior) 1. primary timber beams 2. secondary timber beam with a cut 3.Steal plate 4. Bolt piercing the timber and steal plates 5. Steal plates that are joint with the steal fletch inside the beam. Insterted from above.

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Beam junction with a cut as seen from below

Exploded facade build up fragment: 1. Conickel wowen metal mesh 2. triple glazing 3. glass finns supporting the weatherproof glass envelope 4. stainless steel spider connectors 5. Glass finn supports attached to timber structure 6. Steel plates in between timber columns to hold those togeather and provide a base for steel rods - as lateral bracing 7. Flethed beam 8. Fletched timber column

Facade visually inspired by the rigidness of log saunas’ construction.

Logs are cut into each other to join.

View from foyer inside the seminar room, timber beams seem to ‘‘daringly’’ hold the auditorium above See section AA. Sectional perspective AA

Sketch of the structure revealed to articulate important places in the building.

Here indentation next to staff lounge and meeting room is used as a balcony.

Beams in the courtyard host an informal cafe terrace

Sectional perspective BB

View from foyer inside the seminar room, timber beams seem to ‘‘daringly’’ hold the auditorium above See section AA.

Director Artist’s residence

Administrator

Interns

Social Science director

Terrace

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Arts’ director

Smoke sauna

PR

Third floor plan 1:200

Second floor plan 1:200

Back stage

Stage

Vertical artist

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Library - digital recources

Third floor plan 1:200

Back stage

Stage

Vertical performance / events space

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Foyer

Viewing platform

Research room

Librarian

Ground floor plan 1:200

Plant room

Coat rack area Vertical performance / events space

Plant room

Seminar room

Food preparation

Storage room

Basement plan 1:200

Inside the inhabited library walls Visual connection between thetolaminated timber beam bridges Library wall has the view Black gate. that pierce through concrete walls

courtyardplatforms on a sunny ViewEntering to one offrom performance in day. the vertical space.

The doors are open in nice weather and invites the public inside

From the library research room one can see a steaming smoke sauna upstairs on the terrace (see section AA)

Parallax the corn

- the anxiety to see what is around ner is inviting further

1.View from the street entrance towards the staircases in the wall and a viewing platform .

Timber beams seem to hold auditorium above (see sections AA and BB).

2.The dynamic moving walls’ mechanism pierces through the wall and can be seen in action between two landings.

3. The design aim was to let light in from above and not block it with staircases. Thus playful path with landings was created.

One of the landings allows to look down on to the auditorium stage.

Exit from the lift on the upper floor looks down on the journey just experienced.