bsc 2nd year learning journal_//2011-2012

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LearningJournal

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Sophia Ahmad ZaharudinWelsh School of Architecture

Year 2 | 2011-2012

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Contents

01 Housescapes 04 - 42

02 Figure Ground 43 - 78

03 Big Span 79 - 84

04 Photographs 85 - 88

05 10 Things I Learnt This Year 89

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Housescapes

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01 | Housescapes

The starting point of the Housescapes project was informed by the Design Principles and Methods (DPM) module. We were asked to form groups of four and choose one out of fiour ecological systems which were : wind, solar, water and material structure.

The group I was in was one of the last to sign up and we chose to explore the wind ecological system. We then had to explore and observe these ecological systems before trying to apply it into the built environment.

DPM Concepts

Image by Willie Huang that was an earlier inspiration

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DPM | Ecological System | Wind

Ant Hills

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As a group, we chose the ant hills as our choice for an ecological wind system as we found it interesting and fascinating how the hill, and the pods, several meters deep could still be ventilated from just one central shaft.

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DPM | Physical Formfinding

After studying the ant hills we used the shafts of the ant hill tunnels as a concept for ventilation shafts within

a building.

We then experimented with smoke to see how it would flow around and through

the blocks

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DPM | Digital Formfinding

I also used 3Ds Max to make variations of a building mass and then inserted rods before booleaning them away to see

which configuration would be ideal for ventilation

Variation 1

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Variation 2

Variation 3

The different variations are a series of, straight and later curvy, rod “tunnels” inserted through a mass at

random to mimic the random tunnels of an ant hill.

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Variation 4

Variation 5

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Variation 6

Variation 7

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In trying to create different variations of the digital models, I tried to think of different parametrics which included:

i) Diameter of rods (air vents)ii) Position of the rodsii) Symmetrical vs Assymetrical

Sketches | Workings

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Sketchbook

I also went back to what a section of an ant hill looked like. I was very interested in exploring if the ‘rods’ that represented the ventilation shafts, to bring in air, could be from one level to another. As it would from the actual ant hill.

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Sketchbook

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Site Analysis | Cardiff City Centre

Site

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At the same time on working with the ecological invertigations, we were given a choice of sites and we chose Site One, which is located next to the River Taff and Cardiff Central Station.

On the visit to site, I mapped out a few things:

a) Existing site amenities and vegetation (if any) I could find on site. b) Viewsc) Noised) Access to site

Site | Visit

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Site | Strategy & Notes

From the site visit, I started to think of a site strategy of what spaces would be needed, where views should look out to, would there be any areas that would be public, private and/or green, etc.

I liked the fact that it was by the River Taff and thought that it had potential to be a nice public area.

I also gave thought as to where the residential units should be as from almost every angle, there would be some noise pollution.

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Site | Views

View of Site from Cardiff Central

Positive views direction View of site from Millennium Plaza

View from across the River Taff

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View towards Millennium Stadium and Millennium Plaza

View towards Cardiff Central Railway Tracks

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Site | Public Amenities

Eateries

Offices

HotelsPubs & Clubs

Transportation Hubs

Recreational Facilities

Shops

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Commercial zoning on lower 2 levels

Different mass zoning | Residential (pink) | Commercial (blue) | Gardens (green) |

Circulation (yellow

Vertical circulation (yellow translucent core) to bring sunlight into the middle

mass of the building

Building footprint on site

Development | Design Process

Introducing green spaces to create new views and as noise buffers

Residential zoning above

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Precedents & Inspiration

achieved units stacked on top of another whilst each unit having their own garden. The depth of the flower box does not allow the occupants in the higher units to peek into the gardens of the people below.

I was also interested in Renaudi’s Ivry solely for the roof garden which was something I wanted to Incorporate into my own scheme.

PJ Trade Centre | Kevin M. Low

Ivry-sur-Seine | Jean Renaudi

The Mountain | BIG Architects

I chose the following three projects as precedents and/or inspiration for different reasons.

The first is the PJ Trade Centre for the feel of its masonry construction without it feeling too cold.

I then looked and researched BIG’s The Mountain as I was intrigued on how they have

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Development | Masterplan

Following my site analysis and site strategy, I began trying various placements for the different programmes. Initially, I wanted to have residential and retail as seperate blocks with shared green spaces scattered around the area as seen in the sketch in page 19.

However, after a conversation with a tutor, he asked me a crucial question of how 600,000 people from the Millennium Stadium would make their way out and to Cardiff Central. Would they

go around my proposal or through it.After much thinking and skecthing, I decided that if there were routes through my proposal that criss-crossed each other that would lead people from one area to another like an ant hill with many intersecting routes within.

This then lead me to create three rows of blocks on the ground and first floor for retail, and the residential units above. I kept the idea of the area next to the River as an open green area for public use.

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Development | Initial Masterplan

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Development | Initial Masterplan

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Development | Retail Units

Following from that decision, I spent a lot of time working out the layout and placements of the retail units on the ground and first floor.

For the retail units, they were originally boxes but I decided to make them into a trapezoid which made them into a funnel of sorts. I was aiming for it to give and restrict views as you would walk past it; due to the angles, you would never get a full view until you reach a certain point.

The location for entrances to the residential units had me stuck several times during design. There was

the issue of security and practicality.

In the end, I decided to have one central entrance for the residents in the middle of the building and from this it would lead to the different residential units.

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The final iteration that I did was also a split level unit. The downstairs is the entry level and is the public domain, where the living room, dining, kitchen and guest wc is located.

The upper level is the private domain, where the bedrooms, bathroom and an open study area is located.

Development | Residential Dwellings

Precedent: Siedlung Halen by Atelier 5

When designing the individual dwelling units, I always knew I wanted to give each unit its own garden or outdoor space. As a result, I built the units at the edge of the structure first and that gave me the result of designing a unit that was more appropriate for a house rather than a flat or apartment.

I delved into books and came across the Siedlung Halen project by Atelier 5, and was atracted to how it’s quite a compact house but makes up for it with many levels.

My initial iteration was already a double storey unit but I scaled it down to be more practical. I also wanted to keep the outdoor space factor, and looked at BIG’s ‘The Mountain’ project as well as Jean Renaudi’s Ivry-sur-Seine project..Second last iteration of

unit layout

First iteration of unit layout

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Final | Ground Floor Plan

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Final | Floor PlansN

First Floor Plan Second Floor Plan Third Floor Plan

Fourth Floor Plan Fifth Floor Plan Sixth Floor Plan

Drawings Scale 1:250

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Final | Individual Dwelling Unit

OutdoorCorridor

Whilst I was designing it, my tutor kept asking me to think of the occupants who would live in the unit. Where would their guests go and sit when they came round to visit? What spaces should come first?

During my final review, the feedback that I received was that the living room and kitchen spaces should be switched as one would prefer the living room to face the outside.

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Final | Digital Modelling

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For this task, I had to use Photoshop to create an image that would help inform my design studio. The image shows the

water front space.

It is a landscaped area of wooden steps, leading down to the River Taff, with trees planted in and around the stepped

landscaped.

Initially, I had composed the trees as green but found them too jarring. I then changed them to a grey which was more

pleasant on the eye

DPM | Digital Image Processing

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Sketchbook

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Sketchbook

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DPM | Digital Fabrication

Tectonics

For the digital fabrication task, I had to make a 3D model which would then be laser

cut and then assembled.

I decided to do a bench that would flow up and back down to be a table; before doing another loop to create a shelter and to

act as a balance support.

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DPM | 3Ds Max Model

3D Studio Max progressional models of the bench which was meant to go into the publc space of my housing scheme. It did not go in as it did not fit

into the scheme.

It was still produced and fabricated for my DPM Module .

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DPM | 3Ds Max Model

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5 Things I Learnt This Term

1) Waiting for a concept to come can take a long time and I should just keep working on things instead of worrying of NOT having a concept. At times, it’s best not to dwell too long on a concept.

2) If I am in a group where everyone is reluctant to step up and take charge, it is a good idea to volunteer myself.

3) Though I worked more with digital formats this term, the freedom when using pencils on butter paper was more liberating.

4) Time management and multi-tasking are very important skills, especially when you have four modules in one term.

5) Diagrams, diagrams, diagrams.

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Figure ground

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Rhyl | Initial VisitThe first trip to Rhyl was on an early morning in December. Upon arriving, we met a number of people from the local council as well as the person in charge of the regeneration of the North coast of Wales. We sat down for a few hours listening to the history and current affairs of Rhyl. Rhyl is one of the most deprived towns in the UK and walking around, one could see it clearly as there were a lot of boarded houses and shops.

Rhyl’s main economy income is tourism and it was once a hub for seaside vacations until cheap flights were introduced to Europe. Since then, no new economy has been as successful.

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Rhyl | Transect WalkWe were given the task of doing a transect walk and my group was allocated the walk along the promenade by the sea.

The transect walk was to do a section sketch of the journey. However, with the strong wind, sand and rain, I drew my walk as more of an elevation than a section. I attempted to do a plan of the journey but gave up after the first few seconds of the strong wind and sand in my face.

We were also asked to write a bit of what we saw, what were the problems with the area, what oppurtunities are there and any solutions that we could suggest.

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Urban Conditions | Site AmenitiesFor the Urban Conditions assignment, I was paired up with Arief Ahmad Afandi to map out the site amenities around Rhyl. After spending over 2 hours walking around to document the area, I was able to navigate my way around Rhyl as though I had lived there for a few weeks.

We then took the information we had gathered and made it into a more legible format. We did this in the form of five diagrams which showed:

i) Public Amenitiesii) Residentialiii) Retail + Commercialiv) Tourismv) Public Institutions

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Urban Conditions | Site Amenities

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Site | The Honey Club, Rhyl

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but it was a health hazard as parts of the building was

falling apart on the inside.

The site has a lot of potential as its location is quite central and the fact that it is near the cinema allows good visibility for locals and

tourists alike.

Our site is a listed abandoned Victorian building which has had a few Art Deco fittings retrofitted in, as can be seen from the windows. Its last use was as a club and has since been left to deteriorate. We were keen to see what the inside condition was like

The Honey Club in its surrounding context

(previous page, top)

The front facade of the Honey Club and its burnt

down neighbour (previous page, bottom)

The rear elevation of the Honey Club (top left)

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Site | Analysis

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Site | Strategy

From doing the site amenities, I realised that Rhyl lacked two things - places for cultural learning (art galleries, museums, etc) as well as good food outlets. The majority of the food outlets available were mainly fast food and pubs, rather than nice restaurants where families

could go for a meal.

From the get go, I was keen on doing an art centre where workshops could be held for the youth to take part in. I read somewhere that it is when people do not have something to do that they

get into trouble.

I also wanted to have a food outlet where families could

go for meals together. The idea that that it would be next to the art centre was to be more accessible for tourists who were driving

by.

The green area in the drawing to the left is, in reality, a carpark. I initially thought of converting it to be a green area . This idea came about as West Rhyl lacks green areas and is a

concrete jungle.

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Manifesto | V 1.0

Economy

In the summer Rhyl has tourism as their main source of economy. However, they lack activities and an economic industry for the colder months. What is needed for the community is a space that creates new activities to help the youth spend productive hours on something, a space where families can come together to do activities together. Apart from that, there is also a lack of nice/comfortable/family-oriented eating outlets for dinner. In terms of bringing in tourists, there needs to be something to entice them to come to Rhyl and stay a night. Hence the need for a place to do a few evening activities and a good place to eat.

Programme

There is lack of space allocated for cultural/arts based activities in Rhyl at the moment. The arts is not limited to painting and sculpting, but photography and film as well. There would be a need for studios, workshop spaces (carpentry and workshop teaching space), pottery kiln and gallery spaces to exhibit the work done on site as well as temporary exhibitions from outside. The art centre could work as a collaboration headquarters (HitRECord online collaboration). The cafe/restaurant would be run by the Taste Academy and whilst food is being served, films and projects done by Tape would be screened on the walls.

Building & Design

I have chosen to retain the facade of the building from the first level up, as the Ground floor needs to be more respondent to pedestrians. The material that I will work with is brick as the surrounding site buildings are of the same material. However, I like the idea that as you look up the building’s facade, the brick is not as heavy as below, and opens up to more of glass and steel signifying growth from the past to the future.

Goals

Create a safe haven from the wind and maybe even situations at home. A positive way for one to release emotions through art.Engage people and invite them in.Involve the community and give them a sense of ownership of the space.

Create. Exhibit. E x p e r i e n c e

House N by Sou Fujimoto

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Site | Initial Design StrategyI also had to decide if I wanted to retain the Honey club or knock it down to

build something new.

I compromised both options and decided to retain the outer facade as a protective

skin.

My proposal would be set back from it, creating a small open green area where different activities could be

held for the public.

At the same time, I was interested in how to retain the facade and sketched out a few possible situations. I imagined it to create a negative/positive space & views by punching out the windows and doors. I also wanted to explore if parts of the new building extended out of the wall. Thus,helping to

create a new atmosphere.

Initial Maquette (top left

Initial sketch (bottom left)

Initial design ideas (right)

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Precedent | Kolumba Museum

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Apart from that, I also find the social and historical context a critical part of the site to understand as I am creating spaces for the people who live around the area. I need to understand the locals before proposing a programme as eventually, it will be them who will use the building the most.

I believe in involving and engaging the community and giving them a sense of ownership of the spaces I create, inviting them into the spaces I will create.

In Rhyl, there is a desperate need for activities for youth and a lack of cultural activities for families to do together.

Manifesto | V 2.0

I am interested in modern and contemporary architecture but with a fascination of older buildings. I believe in simple architecture and the importance of phenomenology and spatial experiences. The creation of spatial experiences through the use of appropriate materials as well as how light enters the space. How one approaches and enters a site and the spaces I create is important as this affects the mindset for those who wish to enter these spaces.

I approach a project by looking at the site and trying to observe and analyse how it is and what is around it. I look at the surrounding site buildings and see what materials they are made of as I believe that the usage and choice of materials is very important as they can say a lot about the place as well as allowing one to read the structure with the surrounding context.

I propose an Arts Centre where the community and the visitors to Rhyl could come and create artwork, have them exhibited and through that have an understanding of the different experiences that are in their community.

House N by Sou Fujimoto

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Design | DevelopmentI worked mainly in plan for the layout of spaces and used modelling, physical & 3D as a means to see how a space

felt..

There are obvious pros and cons by my work ethic; but I am fast in 3D modelling and am able to quickly build the space. This allows me to get a feel

of how a space would be like.

However, I do at times get caught up with tiny details in the modelling which are not important or that at times can ‘t

even be seen.

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Design | Development

I started thinking about the gallery spaces and how I would like visitors to experience it. I imagined a series of galleries that were connected to each other. The spaces seemed too mundane and by making them into split levels that progressively go higher and connected by a ramp. This created a dynamic space within the building.

At this point, I had also decided that the space between the existing and new facades would be an open aired space for the public

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Design | Interim

A comment from the external tutor that stuck with me was: “what was my stand with my

building?”. That if I wanted to make the external facade wall as a protective skin, that it should be more

pronounced.

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Design | Development

I realised that the way I was drawing the existing wall was not accurate and it was not showing the real depth of it.

This was crucial for my scheme as this would be the one element to stabilise the wall on its own as well as support the ramps I have going around the facade.

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Site | Proposed Programme

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Final | Ground Floor Plan

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Final | Floor Plans & Technical Section

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Final | Section

Section A-A’Scale 1:100

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Final | Perspective Elevation

North Elevation with Existing Facade

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Final | Perspective Elevation

North Elevation without Existing Facade

72Final | Perspectives

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Final | Elevation

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Final | Elevation

North-East Elevation without

Existing Facade

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Final | Perspectives

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Final | Model

I realised that I was missing a few things for my final review which included an elevation of my proposed structure. There were other things which could have also been more polished. These are things

that I need to remember and do in the future.

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1) If your site is located very far from where you are, it’s important to get all necessary information and pictures of site as early as possible. Document them well.

2) Sketching quickly in the event of strong winds and sand in the face. Also, wear a good water proof coat and invest in alcohol-based permanent ink pens for sketching in wet weather.

3) Interaction with the community can be beneficial to what you plan to do with your site.

4) When dealing with angular or ‘organic’ structures, certain details are harder and take longer to consider and draw out.

5) Time management skills still needs to be worked on.

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Big span

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Big Span was to explore and build something that would explore ideas of movement and rest, rhythm and pause, threshold and dwelling, whilst responding to a set of conditions in a given site. In this case, it was in the Welsh Temple of Peace and Health.

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Big Span

Reciprocal Structure Maquette

Before we had our first meeting, we were alll asked to experiment and build a scaled reciprocal structure model. The studio’s main objective was to build creatively with as little material as possible.

To start, I got leftover bits of balsa wood and put them together to see how much it could span before falling over. I kept adding pieces of balsa where I thought bracing would be needed. The result is the top left picture on the page.

During the meeting, it was discussed that if we were to build we would try and standardise the lengths of wood used. I then began to make a model of an A-Framed truss and added another to it to see how much it could span. Andy Humphreys suggested that maybe one member would be able to rotate and by experimenting with that, we were able to arrive to the truss system that was used in the construction of the pavillion.

The shape of the original double A-Framed truss that I made.

Experimenting on how much weight the trusses could carry from each other

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Big Span | Construction Phases

14th May 201290% Complete

AM 15th May 2012Unfortunate Circumstance

PM 15th May 201295% Complete

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1) Communication between all team members are very important.

2) There are times where you step up and take charge; and there are times when you step back and follow.

3) When designing a structure, you need to take into consideration forces that can work against you; be it mother nature or human beings.

4) The way joints are made never turn out the way you wanted it to when you are designing it. This should be thought out in advance when designing and not in-situ. However, this also depends on the situation of site, time and resources.

5) Documenting the whole design and construction process should be planned in advance. Especially if you want to make a film/video/booklet at the end of the process.

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pHotograpHs

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I have always loved photography,.Though I am a novice, I still enjoy the photographs I take along my journeys near and far. The subjects of my photographs range from architecture to

landscapes and things.

All of these things inspire me and remind me that I am in the present. It’s also a nice distraction

from architecture at times.

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10 Things I Learnt This Year

1) Be more confident in my work and when presenting.

2) Designing a structure is one issue, trying to build it is another. You realise that certain angles don’t actually work out in real life and there are many forces that could work against you.

3) Its good to look at other people’s work, be inspired from it and not intimidated.

4) Invest in good drawing tools

5) Constantly back-up all of your work.

6) Community involvement with my projects are challenging but I like it.

7) How to explain what my project is about to people who are not architects.

8) Working in the studio has its ups and downs. It also depends on who’s in and what music they are playing on their speakers.

9) Colours can be your friend and your worst enemy.

10) Editing my work for a portfolio and/or a formal presentation, that is not in an Architecture School setting.

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Sophia Ahmad ZaharudinWelsh School of Architecture

Year 2 | 2011-2012

bsc 2nd year learning journal_//2011-2012

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