The Architecture

March 29, 2020

The Architecture

The Architecture:

"Designed complexity and functional sustainability serve as a radical lens, through which students should counterbalance their pre-existing notions of traditionalism".

I have envisioned this university through the radical lens of the future, where I believe

'traditonal' libraries and large lecture- theatres would be redundant. The focus will shift to inspiration-based learning , supplemented by intimate studio-rooms/ galleries. In accordance with future design considerations, 'designed complexity' in the form of sustainable design that ALSO has a practical use was at the forefront of this project. Hence any measures taken to improve our LEED rating were also intended to enhance the functionality of the university.

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Common room/ staff meeting area:

Where you can study, relax or engage in conversation.
I believe a lot of university experience resides inside buildings, so I made one common room in an outdoor area, where people can relax with their friends and the other indoor, in case of bad weather.
A private, concealed and enclosed area for staff would obstruct the flow of the building. To compensate, the common room area features a centralised region suitable for both staff and students to involve in conversation.

Lecture Spaces:

Three-floor building in which a lecture room resides on each floor for each year group.
Will connect to the studio building, so students go straight from lecture to common room for a break.

Studio Spaces:

Consisting of 2 large studio spaces.
These will be combined with computer labs which hold enough room to host 2 year groups in one studio space.

Gallery/Library:

The gallery is also a place to showcase work and congratulate students for their perseverance. Hence it will have the format of the museum and focus on circulation.
I believe in the future, libraries will become redundant and therefore I will simply allocate a few shelves of necessary books in the studio space, where they will be required.
Instead, I wanted to emphasise the galleries exhibiting the works of all three levels of students (hence the protruding tree-like spaces)

Rough Sketches and Design Plans:

1st Draft plan:

The problem with this plan was it was joining too many buildings and I was building on top of many buildings which would impact light entering important spaces.

Hence with consideration to my theory, I countered the pre-existing notion of vertically rising buildings, so I decided to span my massing elements and spaces horizontally, to ensure the access of light which would be disrupted otherwise.

FINAL PLAN:

I chose Zaha Hadid's Riverside museum plans as inspiration for my section.

Section cut:

Final top view Circulation shot:

In terms of functionalism, my space has a natural progression from the lecture room to the studio spaces and work areas, which eventually leads you back to the light rail, so students don't have to trek to go home.

I connected the studio building to the lecture building, so students go straight from lecture to the common room for a break.

This water- colour sketch depicts the different spaces in my school and how they are interconnected.

Outdoor Common Space:

The common room, I want to be a hybrid between indoor and outdoor space (inspired by my theory of diverting from traditional notions of architecture).

This common room will feature stairs for relaxing under the shade of the science building and separate stairs for students going to the lecture.

Studio Building:

Consisting of 2 large studio spaces with shelves containing ONLY essential books.

These will be combined with computer labs which hold enough room to host 2 year groups in one studio space.'

The curved wooden feature is sliced so you can see through it, from the area below and above, increasing sunlight permeation and minimising heating and lighting costs (functional sustainabili).

I realised that this building would take up too much space for the playing area and would be inefficient and would go against my theory of "designed complexity."

Therefore I made the building hollow from the centre and allocated all the space on the edges/supports of the buildings and above the ground.

This design would allow ball games to go on uninterrupted and light would even come through the roof, due to its design (sliced) nature.

Gallery:

I felt this space should be one of inspiration and learning from others experience.

Hence all exceptional work from each year group would be exhibited in a way that inspires and motivates others to work hard.

The architectural promenade and a sense of awe were at the core of this design which is fostered by its shear height and its ellipsed shape.

The oval shape and circular elements are meant to help lead the viewer around the gallery so it acts as a vector path for your eyes to follow around.

Even the texture was an informed design decision inspired by the word "rotational" so its fosters a sense of architectural promenade.

Lecture Theatre building:

Three-floor building in which a lecture room resides on each floor for each year group.

Will connect to the studio building, so students go straight from lecture to common room for a break or to their tutorial classes as per the circulation route.

- Each floor will feature a lecture theatre for the three-year group of students.

- The 3d printed screens are designed to dissociate the lecture theatre from the rest of the building and any distractions, whilst not making the room feel claustrophobic and void of light and ventilation.

Lectures will be intimate, and the curved, large tables are designed to encourage student discussion when required.

I felt that single chairs made the space much more comfortable, in order to counter the "pre-exisiting notions of traditional" lecture rooms, which are too rigid in their design and therefore an unpleasant space to be in.

I made one face of the building semi translucent, which is my innovative take on future windows, which will be replaced by semi-translucent facades.

(This counterbalances the pre-existing notions of traditional thresholds).

The passage:

This passage connects the lecture theatre to the indoor common room.

The bubbly texture is intended to create a surreal atmosphere, infused with feelings of joy (having finished your lecture) and being able to go have a break.

Indoor Common Room:

This indoor common room has spaces to eat and drink with sufficient seating space.

The way light interacts with the room is my attempt to achieve "designed complexity" as the rooms appearance is never the same at any two points in the day.