Views

More 3D views


This is the main stair atrium from the top floor looking down to ground floor. I've gone for lightweight stainless steel handrail with glass infill to match the language of the stairs and atrium. There is a line of fire-rated glass dividing the atrium from the spaces, which provides protection and works with the solar gain / passive vent strategy of the atria themselves.




This is the secondary staff stair/fire escape, which uses the same language as the atrium - louvred glazing to get light into the main spaces.




This a new space, the nursery. Due to the level change, there is a 5m floor to ceiling depth on this storey which I have used as an opportunity to design a curved acoustic raft for the main nursery play area to keep things interesting




Here's the view from the grassed square, showing the building in context.





These last two are the views from the tow path, again showing the building in context. The lower floor is built from reclaimed stone and the structural frame is on show to heighten the feeling of strength, supporting the zinc box and overhangs above.

Plans

Getting there on the plans



This is the second floor medical centre, which is causing the most headaches at the moment. I want to arrange the space so at the southern end we have the waiting area, and at the northern end we have the staff roof (to maximise the light and views in each case. Then the reception dek should be near the entrance from the atrium and also preferably be able to see into all areas, so patients can't wander off. And at the same time, satisfy means of escape regulations - all in all a tough order!





First floor now, this one is shaping up well with a new staff area and updated cafe/terrace.



Ground floor, lots of progress on the nursery, support and staff areas.



And the basement, with wcs, plant, general store and bin access.

Context

Something I should have done a looong time ago - model some elevations for the surrounding context for the design to fit into. Whilst I've been able to very quickly design some reasonable facades largely based on Clarence Dock (see earlier posts), the problems of working with a masterplan on this project once again rears its ugly head.



Aire-scape and it's context all share a common reference of language - in this case a 5m high podium, then a design break and subsequent 4m storeys with a completely different material.



Aire-scape is lower than it's context to the north, to prevent overshading



And here's the money shot, the main image I'll be using to illustrate how the design responds to it's site - see how the heights all reference each other, the landscape and form lead the visitor into the front door, and eventuly we'll have lots of greenery and people enjoying themselves, so that the grassed square becomes part of the design as much as the architecture.

Louvres

Right, I've been working on the atrium today, trying to get some semblance of form to work. I've decided to clad the whole thing in louvres to keep it from overheating



This view really starts to show hoe prominent the louvred atrium is, and how you really read it as a seperate element to the zinc boxes





Here's the view across the park again, you can see the fire escape atrium has had a similar louvred treatment but needs finishing



And lastly here's a view from ground floor looking right up through the atriu, you can see one one side we have the external louvred glazing, but internally there is another line of glazing for fire protection and to augment the effect of solar gain

Dilemmas

Another update for you, this time with a more refined model - and plenty of questions to answer!



Here's a view from the locks showing the south elevation. I think it is shaping up very well, but the geoetry of the top floor is creating problems with the glazing. Put simply, the vertical mullions conflict with the edges of the slanted end walls, resulting in odd angles either side of the glazing. The solution would be to either a) make the end wall vertical, b) make the end wall at right angles with the side walls, or c) come up with some sort of glazing solution with slanted mullions. I'm in favour of c but this requires some complicated modelling!

Also the question remains how to deal with the ground floor glazing. So far I have gone for 1200mm high glazing, possibly louvred, to create the best balance of light and privacy.




This is the other side of the Elevation, showing the glazed stair core. I think it needs to be much more understated, with slender structure. The aspect also demands lots of shading, so I suspect there will be a large scale louvred system which will look suitably high tech







This image is doing my head in. What we have here is one of the best views of the canal, and the box overhead creates a natural terrace. The question is, do we make it a cafe terrace or a nursery play area? I've spent ages weighing up the pros and cons of each and still haven't reached a decision!




Lastly, here's a view of the main entrance. I'm very pleased with the shape of the upper box, which has some very sharp lines silhouetted against the sky to draw your attention to it (and the main entrance). The elevation does have the same problem as on the other side of the box though.