An adaptive re-use project driven by microbiological experiementation and emerging biological construction technologies.
Design Studio: Complex Constructions
Year: 2022
Location: Via Pescarenico 2, Milan
Sector: Education
Tasked to completely replace the existing lower secondary school, with a solution that would allow for more students, and that could act as a social hub.
Design Studio: MAKING
Year: 2023
Location: Cloughbank Farm, Ringway Parish
Sector: Industrial
Driven by a more empirical framing of the 2023 Biennale theme “laboratory of the future” this project looked to interrogate Earthen materials as construction solutions.
Companies: GRAMPUS Hertiage + McDonald Architects
Years: 2018 + 2024
Locations: Lefkara, Cyprus + Mayfair, London
These projects examine heritage through two lenses.
The first through traditional construction techniques. The second through contemporary adaptive re-use.
Company: Publicworks / R-Urban
Year: 2019
Location: Teviot Estate/Tate Modern, London
A community project centred around food production, leading to an exploration of architectural forms to facilitate such.
Based in Stockport, underneath the town’s famous viaduct, Weir Millnow in disrepair, was once a beautiful example of a water powered mill, and a showcase of red brick development throughout the industrial age. The task for this proposal was to create an intervention which would foster the co-existence of humans and microbes, utilising the existing structures on site, which would draw more attention to the area. The local microbes were comfortable in hardy conditions, and research suggested they could be used in construction, giving the opportunity to involve them in the adaptive re-use of the mill buildings.
Contrasting yet respectful, this was the ethos of the proposal.
Proposed Existing
Key Tasks:
Establish a coherent programme which includes a place of residence for both Humans and Microbes.
Create an adaptive re-use strategy for the existing mill buildings using contemporary & speculative methods - ensuring they can meet regulatory standards. Restore damaged elements where possible.
Respect the mills’ spatial relationship with the viaduct & river; make sure the proposal does not cause additional obstruction to them.
Design an intervention which would make a buzz and draw people in.
Urban Section from the North of Weir Mill. Shows material degredation.
Urban Section from the West of Weir Mill. Shows relationship with the river & viaduct.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
An exploration of biomimicry; understanding how microorganisms react to the existing volumes on-site and how this can form an intervention.
1. Collection and swabbing of microbes.
2. Application of samples to Petri-Site Model
3. Microbial growth
4. Mapping growths of Microorganisms
6. Developing these point clouds into volumes
5. Translating Aspergillus’ growth into a pointcloud
7. Establishing a structural frame to achieve volumes
A key thing I wanted to avoid with this project was the inclusion of unrelated microbes, everything grown in the petri-dish came from the site. Weir mill already hosts many successful microbial colonies, as well as their growth mediums. The problem is that currently these growth mediums are damaging the fabric of the mill itself, and aren’t under control.
What I propose is a form which will celebrate these lives, and co-exist with humans. From manual mappings and observations of the microbes, to parametric realisations of the volumes they produced, I hope to give them representation worth of their presence.
Aspergillus
Microsporum
Cyanobacteria
S.Chartarum
S.Marcescens
Microbial Interior - W/Natural Lighting Test:
To be used as a communal space, following the ramp, and research space from the ground floor.
Classrooms - W/Artificial Lighting Test:
Acting as practical demo labs, universities, colleges, and high schools, can rent out these spaces.
Hydroinfrastructure:
When there is a risk of flooding, water is pumped up from the River Mersey using Papa Pumps. This water is piped up to the top of the microbial frame structure, allowing it for an initial microbial filtration before reaching the tanks at the bottom. These tanks carry on the filtration at a smaller resolution, before the water is passed through to the Wheel House for observation & use.
PROGRAMMATIC RESOLUTION
A highlight of the commercial and industrial aspects of the proposal, from its hydroinfrastructure to its laboratories.
Exploded Volumetric Axonometric:
Illustrating the span & adjacencies of the microbial mesh as it wraps around the existing form & the programmatic adjacencies within the latter.
Scheme Overview:
The existing mill buildings are to be mostly kept intact, aside from the warehouse units which had gone into a greater state of disrepair than the rest of the scheme. The bricks from these units will be reused/recycled for construction within East and West Mill.
Echoing the Wheel House’s original programme, a water filtration scheme is to be established. Pumping water up from the Mersey, the system will start with an initial filtration through the microbial frames, before being ran through a greater reesolution filter, and pumped into tanks within the Wheel House.
Classrooms, Labs, and exhibitions covering Microbial topics will feature within the frame. The residential development will be situated above the frame, which acts as a stark divider between the programmes.
Lighting Legend:
The classroom labs, and the research area within the Microbial interior require 500 Lux. Infrastructural
Ceramic Tile - 5mm
Underlay - 15mm
Mycelium Rigid Insulation - 20mm
Bioconcrete Slab - 100mm
Thermal Cyanobacteria Brick Debris - 80mm
Concrete Debris - 155mm
Reinforced Bioconcrete Vaulting - 65mm
Plenum - 15mm
Plasterboard - 10mm
Beam for Microbial Volume - Red Oak - 800x400mm
Steel Plating - 10mm, between the Ring Beam and Oak Lintel Support - 200x100mm
Ceramic Tile - 5mm
Underlay - 15mm
Mycelium Rigid Insulation - 20mm
Bioconcrete Slab - 100mm
Thermal Cyanobacteria Brick Debris - 80mm
Concrete Debris - 155mm
Existing Brick Vaulting - 65mm
Plenum - 15mm
Plasterboard - 10mm
Existing Stone Arch, followed inwards by Red Brick - (22.5mm, 102.5mm) and Timber - 50mm Lags
Existing Fabric - This is a late Georgian Era red-brick mill
A) Unaltered Red Brick
B) Injected Red Brick
These external bricks have been injected with a bacteria concrete composite solution which will allow this part of the structure to have self-healing properties - this being done to brickwork that is important both structurally (this injection will allow for greater resilience against water damage), and aesthetically as a show of the microbial integration of this scheme. Slight gasses are released from this healing process, hence this is a measure only taken with external elements - the gasses aren’t problematic in semi-enclosed spaces.
C) Recycled Red Brick Cyanobacteria Composite -
The inner leaf of bricks from the thinnest walls will be carefully replaced with a composite break made from crushed redbricks (from the deconstructed elements elsewhere on site, if not using the original damaged bricks which are being replaced), and cyanobacteria, allowing the building to act as a demo for the multiplying properties of this composite, upscaling this limited resource. These bricks will also be used for any new walls built to facilitate the ring beam connection/fill the window void.
Partial Oblique Projection of Typical Section - Resolution of Steep Microbial Volume Connection to Existing Fabric: Scale 1:10@A0. Exploded Axonometric Projection of Microbial Frame Modules.
Ceramic Tiling, 250x250x5mm SVP - 140mm Diameter
Support, Red Oak 150mm thick
Hexagonal Frame
Aluminium Gutter
Triple Glazed Window
A) Steel Frame (using the metal from the existing steel framework
B) Timber Venetian Shutters
Ring
A)
Water Mains, Hot Water and Grey Water pipework
Existing Stone Slab Window Sill - 70mm
A WEIR GROWTH ON THE MERSEY EAST MILL FIFTH FLOOR PLAN
Plan of proposed residential floor in East Mill Outline of regulatory considerations underpinning development.
Scale: 1:200@A3
East Mill Residential Floor Specification:
1. 1 Bedroom - 1/2 Person [3 x 37m2, 1 x 49m2, 1 x 50m2]
2. 2 Bedroom - 2/3 Person [1 x 72m2, 1 x 76m2, 1 x 79m2]
3. 3 Bedroom - 3/4 Person [1 x 82m2]
Combined Mill Residential Cost Estimates:
Solely for the residential portion of the mill buildingsMaterial Costs:
30300 Reclaimed/Reused Bricks for Envelope = £46200
179 Internal Walls (Brick and Plaster/Plasterboard) = £35800
Construction:
£1750 per square metre, for the total 1947m2 = £3,407,250 Plumbing:
Including materials, the average cost to install plumbing in one apartment is £7000. For 41 apartments = £287,000
Electrics:
1 Bed Apartment, £3900. For 26 apartments = £101400
2 Bed Apartment, £4800. For 10 apartments = £48000
3 Bed Apartment, £6250. For 5 apartments = £31250
Total Costs:
£3,956,900, after adding an 8% Architect fee = £4,273,452.00
To make a 15% profit, the total sales would be = £4,914,469.80
£4,914,469.80 / 1947m2 = £2,524.12 per square metre, which is cheaper than the average of £2,800 for an apartment in Stockport.
Sales: Cheapest apartment - £93,392.44
Most Expensive apartment - £206,977.84
Compliance with Approved Document B: Last amendment at time of design was on 26/10/20.
Design for horizontal escape:
Every apartment, besides the western wing, is less than the maximum 30m away from both fire stairs, with the largest apartment to fire stair distance being 12 metres.
The western wing has a protected corridor running 7.2 metres long which leads to the common area with the fire stairs. This is all in adherence to paragraphs 3.27 and 3.36, in addition to diagram 3.8b.
Design for vertical escape:
2 sets of fire stairs are provided for the maximum 23 residents, and are to be used by other inhabitants of the building (from educators to guests). The number of people in the entire building at any given time should not exceed 500, reaching this number only for exhibition openings and the like, let alone the maximum 760 to be served by the 2 fire stairs.
Accompanying these stairs are dedicated smoke shafts, and with the Eastern stair there is a 1.4mx0.9m refuge and adjacent is a Fire Fighting Lift
This document defines ‘passive stack ventilation’ (PSV) as, ‘…a ventilation system using ducts from terminals in the ceiling of rooms to terminals on the roof that extract air to the outside by a combination of the natural stack effect and the pressure effects of wind passing over the roof of the building.’
Section showing the interplay between the mill, microbes and river. Outline of various conceptual ideas underpinning development.
The existing lower secondary school didn’t meet size requirements, had a poor natural lighting scheme, as well as circulation issues. Further its public functions were situated to the back of the school, making them awkward to find. The task was to design a school from scratch which would remedy these issues, and which could act more so as a community hub. The site is in south Milan, adjacent to where the canal run kinks, creating a kind of joint to respond to. This is a residential area, and the road going westwards goes towards the local metro stop, meaning there’s a lot of pedestrian traffic. Thus the form reconciles the primary programme and urban scale relationship through the cylinder running centrally, and its secondary (public) programme speaks to the street scale.
Key Tasks:
The design has to accommodate 300-400 students, due to more recent residential developments adding to the students in the catchment zone, maintaining a 1:10 staff:student ratio.
Public functions must be easily accessible from the main road, and must include a gymnasium, a library, and a multifunctional space.
This project maintains strict structual adherence to the Eurocodes, resulting in a thorough structural report which can be found here
External play and enrichment areas were accounted for, situating a basketball court, and several allotment patches on site.
Existing: Site Photos
CALAMARATA LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Ground Floor Plan + External Interventions
First Floor Plan
Fire Safety:
Following the advice set forth by Building Bulletin 100 and adhering to BS EN 122591:1999, sprinklers will be installed as illustrated. Tyco RF II Concealed Pendant sprinklers have been chosen for their range of cover plate colours, and for their reguatory adherence.
The arrangement accommodates the 1.95m radius of the sprinklers, ensuring maximum safety, as well as further adherence to British Standards.
WESTERN ELEVATION
Scale: 1:250
Showcase of various structural features of the proposal.
Section A, Scale: 1:500 @ A3
This section shows one of two structural strategies for incorporating the orthogonal extrusions.Rather than utilising beams, deep trusses span the width of the volume.
The strategy is also applied for the Auditorium space, and it was developed so as to maintain a large span without any columns.
This structural plan shows the incorporation of the of the orthogonal extrusions, alongside the general structural approach of the building.
Element Design:
These primary structural elements, which define the radial grid, were designed to have a minimum fire rating of R90 They were designed through a series of structural calculations which accommodated safety factors, and were constantly tweaked to make sure they were as efficient as possible to minimise material costs.
Grid:
01. Roof construction: 135 mm metal roof covering, 2 mm waterproof membrane, 200 mm polystyrene insulation, 50-320 mm incline forming concrete beams,2 mm hydroisolation, 200 mm reinforced concrete slab.
02. Draining system: 3 mm aluminium sheet draining cavity connected to internal gutter system.
TECHNICAL RESOLUTION - DETAILS
FtR Section of Library Connection. Detail Close-ups A;D, Scale 1:50@A2
03. 160/80/10 mm steel RHS facade fin suspension 04. 600 x 700 mm hollow aluminium fin
05. 900 x 500 mm reinforced concrete shear wall
06. Glazing layer (internal) : 8 mm + 15 mm triple thermal glazing, cavity + 6 mm +70 mm cavity + 15 mm lam. smart safety glass with vertical silicone caulk joint
07. Glazing layer (external): 15 mm lam. safety glass.
08. Main building floor: 20 mm plaster finish, 60 mm concrete slab, 80 mm insulating polystyrene board, 2 mm vapourproof barrier, 200 mm reinforced concrete slab. 09. Supended ceiling: soundproofing, space for ventilation, loudspeaker, fire alarm, lighting, 90/90mm aluminium module.
10. Foundation floor: 20 mm Floor finish, 60 mm Concrete screed,
2 mm Hydroisolation, 80 mm Hard polystyrene boards, 200 mm Reinforced concrete slab, 230 mm Cavity, 36 mm Suspended ceiling, 475 mm RC foundation slab, 20 mm Protective finish.
11. Drainage system: 30 mm metal grating on 60/30/8 mm steel H-profile frame.
Driven by a more empirical framing of the Biennale theme “laboratory of the future” this project looked to interrogate Earthen materials as contemporary construction solutions, in addition to creating a commercial development and research centre for them. Further, I investigated the feasibility of such a scheme being situated adjacent to Manchester Airport, from infrastructural considerations to the geological composition of the site itself.
A core material concept that acts as a programmatic driver for the proposal is the use of recycled materials in conjunction to excavated earth - primarily the usage of crushed waste glass (cullet) in place of sand. The programme as a result centres around the refinement of this cheap niche material that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Key Tasks:
Develop an earthen-glass composite which is primarily made of recycled glass cullet. Test it with respect to British Standards for structural strength.
Design a proposal which can be incorporated into the broader Manchester Airport Group expansion proposal.
Establish a process from the recycling of glass to the drying of earthen construction products, utilising them within the proposed structures.
Create an excavation strategy to utilise the soil on site, as well as support proposals across the site.
Developing a composition for Earth-Glass mixture :
I used two different methods for developing the composite mix:
The laddoo/drop test, where you get some of the mix, and drop it to see how it reacts. Ideally, it should break into large pieces.
The initial barrier for both tests was making sure the brick felt right. This meant making sure they weren’t too crumbly or brittle.
After, the bricks would face a compression test. Earth bricks are innately a compressive material, and I wished to maximise this property.
To run such a test, I had to assist in the creation of a financial research channel for the MSA, through UoM’s Engineering faculty.
Prototyping, starting with existing proportions for earth mixes, then tweaking these values based on the resultant brick.
*Iteration 3 utilises slaked clay.
Testing compressive strength :
Compressive Strength =Load/Area
Area =
Load = 180kN
Compressive Strength
Compressive strength of:
1 - Typical Earthbrick
2 - Red Brick Minimum
3 - Rammed Earth Average
4 - Earth-Glass
Proposed Material Outputs :
=180kN/(75mm x 75mm x )
=10.2MPa (3.s.f)
= 75mm
5 - Concrete (Low-end)
The primary earth-glass bricks will be produced in 2 varieties, one close to existing norms, at a 70mm depth, and another at 30mm depth, making them lighter, and allowing a larger range of people to lay them.
Additionally, I experimented with waterproofing and cladding solutions for these bricks, and found that external limewash is apt for it allows the brick to breathe.
Traditional & contemporary Wattle & Daub.
For new builds and restoration projects, respectively.
PROCESS SECTION I: TRANSFER LOADING STATION
Recycling waste, and raw material deliveries for mixing are delivered here to be sorted to their respective processing point.
Scale 1:200@A3
PROCESS SECTION II: GLASS RECYCLING I
Glass waste from the TLS is lifted to its designated recylcing centre, going through various human and mechanical filters.
Scale 1:200@A3
This filtered and crushed glass is then heated, to remove any leftover adhesives, before going through further milling, and then to storage.
Scale 1:200@A3
PROCESS SECTION IV: BRICK DEVELOPMENT
Once the cullet is mixed with the other ingredients, it’s transported to a workshop, to be moulded, and dried through the use of a wind tower.
Scale 1:200@A3
Proposal:
Completion of Phase One:
Overview:
Funded by the Erasmus programme, the aim of this scheme was to educate through its continued construction, and eventual use. Our group, led by Maria Pantas and supported by Hocine Bougdah, got to kick off this project. Guided by a local stone mason, we were able to reconcile modern methodology with local, traditional techniques, making for a flexible yet quick early construction phase.
A merger of tradition and modernity, from the ground up.
EXTENSION: ECO-CLASSROOM
Location: Lefkara, Cyprus
Status: Completed
Software: Rhinoceros 3D, Excel
Key Tasks:
Design a classroom that could accommodate traditional Cypriot activities such as earth-oven cooking and ceramics.
Carry out Phase One of construction (up to the ringbeam) and detail a strategy for Phase Two, roof construction.
Ensure the built form is orthogonal, to accommodate Phase Three, cladding & oven building, so as to be carried out by trainees.
Construction Phase One:
Construction Phase Two:
Construction Phase Three:
Overview:
Performing Togetherness was a project which through temporary interventions, and collective actions, transformed a former carpark into a shared space, celebrating the performance of cooking and the “joyful encounter” of collective food production. Considering both the rituals of cooking, and the practicality of such within our space in the Teviot estate, we created our spatial interventions.
From Teviot to the Tate, food proves itself central to communities.
PERFORMING TOGETHERNESS
Location: Teviot Estate, London + Tate Modern Status: Completed Software: AutoCAD, SketchUp
Key Tasks:
Design a series of timber interventions which can accommodate the various processes needed to make pasta.
Consider built solutions which can bridge the broader community at Teviot Estate to the site, ingratiating them into the scheme.
Showcase the findings from this project at the Tate Modern, and see if these ideas engage with a broader audience / community.
