2015 k the healthy connection by #MUI Medellín Urban Innovation

The Resilient The Healthy Borders Connection Project Yahia Abulfadl

+ Programme and Place + Prospectus + Prototype

our other projects - Forming Nexus - Knowledge Corridor - Gala Gait - Eol Gala - Cycling Gala - Textile Heritage - Gala Design Hub - Textile Tectonics - Food for Thought - The Well-being Network - The Healthy Connection Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture M.Sc. Advanced Sustainable Design 2015

Galashiels town centre is important providing commercial services and cultural facilities where people can meet and share. However, as we progress further away from the town center towards the neighborhoods social interaction decreases significantly. This project aims to regenerate outlying neighbourhoods creating a more engaged and integrated communities, and improved social ties. Proposal: Phase 1 A Bridge : New Community Center: Creating community centres that offer both interior and exterior space will help engage more people at all times of day and year. Francis points out the importance of creating a good environment, for people to participate in a supportive and democratic habitat that satisfies human needs such as comfort. (Francis, 2012) Ray Oldenburg describes Public places as third places, an intermediate link between home and work. It is seen as enriching the quality of life and enhancing well-being, hence, cultivating the sense of belonging. (Francis, 2012) In order to achieve the expected culture regeneration and social cohesion. The project must engage the peripheries, creating a bridge that cross-over routine and improve well-being, fixing a strong social node to unite peripheral areas and neighborhoods. The node will be a community centre that will provide shelter from poor weather and have access to protected outdoor areas. The centre will create a venue that is accessible and within walking distance for all. It will provide a wide variety of services and activities with a flexible and adaptable building design. Phase 2: A connection of Community nodes After building the community centres within different neighbourhoods, then connecting them through public spaces, pocket parks and comfortable pathways will act as a strong linkage between the neighbourhoods and the Town Centre.

our proposal location

community centres within each neighbourhood

High Street & Bank Street Community Centre links to Town Centre

The Resilient The Healthy Borders Connection Project Yahia Abulfadl

+ Programme and Place + Prospectus + Prototype

Programme Proposition

Social Impact: “The Scottish Borders faces a range of social challenges as a result of the rural nature of the area and the relative isolation of many communities” Final Report of the Borders Working Party: Social Inclusion Agenda. (Borders Working Party, 1998) Creating a community centre in Eildon’s neighbourhood will attract people who are within close proximity and will enhance social participation and sense of belonging. A Community Kitchen, will provide an opportunity to for people to meet and share while eating.

Environmental Impact: The community centre main objective is to be built with low-cost materials, recycled and easily deconstructable assembly systems. Taking advantage of the site’s slope, it will provide a chance to benefit from earth-sheltering, A wide range of activties for the neighbourhood will be provided and depending on the need, spaces will be flexible and adabtable for people to use daily, weekly and annually. Economic Impact: Community centres in Galashiels, such as Focus community centre. rely mainly on charitable foundations and donations making funding the centres challenging and intermittent. Economic challenges such as high heating loads, electricity and building costs will decrease significantly through the use of lowcost building materials, passive heating design and sustainable strategies to maximise daylight. The Centre will encourage people in the peripheries to walk instead of using vehicles to reach the project. It will also provide a wide variety of services and activities to ensure the diversity of the users that will contribute to the collective identity of the community. (Dolors, 2004)

The Resilient The Healthy Borders Connection Project Yahia Abulfadl

+ Programme and Place + Prospectus + Prototype

Adaptable Building Use The building is divided into two sectors, Adaptable spaces and Anchor spaces. Adaptable spaces consist of rooms that have a diverse functions and the the capability to change. Moveable walls are used to accommodate numerous activities within the same space. Mutation and Adaptation Adaptable spaces will have movable walls, which will allow multi-space use. The normal setting consists of the main atrium, dining room beside the communal kitchen, workshop, gallery and 3 multi-purpose rooms which can hold classes, small leisure activities.

According to the time of day and season, the movable wall can be moved and stored creating a signiô&#x20AC;&#x192;ścant variety of spaces with upto 25 different setting. Thus, it will give the opportunity for dancing classes, seminars, weddings, education and leisure activities to take place using minimum footprint. This image shows the normal space setting of the community centre, where spaces are evenly laid out.

The Resilient The Healthy Borders Connection Project Yahia Abulfadl

+ Programme and Place + Prospectus + Prototype

The building is set into the existing hillside with basement rooms forming a multipurpose space. All of this frontage is protected by a sunspace that provides passive solar gain to the building as a whole. The cut back into the land also allows for a protected outdoor space with less exposure to the wind. The entrance level includes cafe facilities and large areas of multipurpose space leading to an earth sheltered roof that features photovoltaic celles and a roof garden

The Resilient The Healthy Borders Connection Project Yahia Abulfadl

+ Programme and Place + Prospectus + Prototype

The orientation of the building is a fundamental part of the sustainable design strategy for this project. As the north-south elevation is shorter than the east-west elevation, a sawtooth roof is incorporated to maximise sunlight and passive solar gain. The key aim was to provide the community centre with passive heating through Earth-sheltering on the west side and sunspace on the east side. In Winter, a solar chimney and atrium can be closed to achieve to conserve heat. The heart of the building will collect heat during day time provide warm air to rooms nearby. Due to the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thermal capacity and energy from solar gain in the sun space, heat can be released through solar chimney if overheating occurs.

In Summer, hot air exits the building through solar chimneys and openable windows in the atrium/sunspace.

The Resilient The Healthy Borders Connection Project Yahia Abulfadl

+ Programme and Place + Prospectus + Prototype

Materials Used: Compact soil Gabions for foundation: There’s a 􀃸at base of unbound aggregate and then the baskets are placed, laced together with tie wire and then filled with the rubble. [1] Gabions are 1.0m x 1.0m [2] underneath each foundation there is a pipe for drainage. 2 layers 6mm Polystyrene Insulation Overall thickness: 12.0mm U-value: 1.7544 W/m2.K 3cm Hydraulic Lime mortar 7cm Sand

Objective The main objective of this project is the use of low-cost materials that are environmentally friendly. The building aso has a design for deconstruction strategy that allows for reused materials to be incorporated in the building and at the same tie, if changes are required, the building itself is easily demountable. Materials Selection: The earth-sheltered communal kitchen and saw-tooth atrium will be investigated 1. Gabions: Flexibility: Gabions can withstand tension and compression forces with the ability to deform rather than break. Permeability: The gaps between the stone spaces provide a great degree of permeability throughout the structure preventing buildup of hydrostatic pressure which could crack concrete structures. 2. Hydraulic lime mortar: Ithas an advantage of being easily removed from bricks and tiles. thus allowing them to be recycled and replaced. 3. Earthen Floor: Inexpensive material - Eliminates construction waste Up to 90% lower embodied energy than finished concrete. Stabilized earthen flooring does not generate dust when properly sealed.

Earthen 􀃸oor, thickness 3cm, mixture of sand, 􀃶nely chopped straw and clay. U-Value: 4.8611

Vegetation: Sedum, herbs and perennials Extensive soil mix: 4 inch Filter memberane: Drainage Geotextile 100gsm High Tenacity Polyproplene Roll 1m x 100m

Soil drainage

Waterproof/root repellant 6mm Polystyrene

Support panel composed of a 180 g/m² non-woven polyester reinforced SBS membrane with thermofusible or sanded surface Thermal insulation 40mm Rigid polyurethane insulation 6mm polystyrene Insulation for waterproofing