Conclusions

This was, without doubt, an extremely challenging project. Not only was the initial investigation more wide-reaching, in terms of geographical area, than any I had yet undertaken, but the scheme itself was the most complicated I have ever attempted. This was, in part, due to the fact that in addition to the usual building program to be fulfilled the schemes relationship to the landscape was paramount - and the landscape itself was a large area of land. It was therefore easy, at times, to lose coherency between different pieces of research and reading, and the challenge became to produce a coherent scheme and building that did the research justice. That said, I remain confident that the approach taken was the correct one, in terms of method and ethos of design, and no project finishes 100% complete.

It was the fate of this project, given the research and responsive position, to be a stepping-stone of sorts. The position rested on the fact that this intervention could be continued and developed further in future and I think this is one area, at least, where the project does well. By connecting the suburb to the allotments over the river, other projects begin to suggest themselves that might address the allotments, or the empty space next to the Leen to the north. That is without mentioning the rest of the identified site, and there is no doubt that certain programmatic elements of this project - the factory or the college, say - could be easily expanded.

Whatever the successes or failures of the design, I can honestly say that I have never learned more as a result of any project than I have on this one. From the practicalities of dealing with contaminated land, how to make cloths and cotton, why Barcelona is envied the world over: the subjects have been many, varied, and at times frustrating as well as informative.

There have been life lessons as well. This project was not wholly smooth sailing, and there were definitely points when I could have reacted better to set-backs. Of all the knowledge I am taking forwards, this may be the most valuable.

In the end I am glad that, from a situation where it was heading in a fairly uninspiring direction, I have managed (with help, of course) to turn the project around into something which I think has some genuinely good ideas underpinning the scheme and which I actually enjoyed working on. I am disappointed to be handing it in because it is a complex scheme, and there are areas and relationships I would like to explore with the time and attention they deserve. I plan to do this, even though the scheme has been submitted to the University, with a view to including the more completed work in my portfolio in future. 

Technical

1. 10mm Plywood facing to interior

2. Primary Structure: Universal Steel Column 356 x 368 mm

3. Steel studs incorporating service zones

4. 10mm Plywood sheathing

5. 150mm rigid insulation board

6. DuPont Tyvek Breather membrane

7. DensGlass fiberglass matt gypsum sheathing (for finish)

8. Horizontal Hanging rail (connected to studwork via steel plates)

9. PROTEUS SC Perforated Bronze Panel Rainscreen cladding

10. Steel L section to form window opening

11. Farrat Thermal Break Column Connection Plate

12. Concrete floor slab with 75 mm screed finish

13. DPM

14. 50mm insulation

15. 450 diameter precast reinforced driven concrete piling with

      2110 x 600 x 600 mm reinforced concrete pile cap

16. Suncool high performance glazing 

Textiles Factory

The final proposal for the Textiles Factory serves as an attempt to summarise the scheme as a whole. Located to the west of the site in close proximity to the railway, the building is an exploration of the juxtaposition between industry and reclamation of brownfield sites by nature.

Central to the layout of the building is the Cut, which not only provides a visual link to the railway from further away within the scheme but divides the spaces effectively between utility - the factory floor, engineers workshops, part stores etc - and accommodation in the form of reception and meeting spaces as well as a canteen for staff. Deliveries can be taken either by road or rail and raw materials (bales of either cotton or wool) transformed into cloth in the main factory space, which is fractured in order to maximise north light. The entire process is overseen by a machinery control mezzanine.

A garden connected to the building is bounded by the railway, the re-introduced river and the main factory space itself, emphasising the tensions first investigated during the site analysis stage. 

Scheme: Collage Suburb

The final scheme is the culmination of both strands of investigation: the historical tensions between nature and industry inherent within the site and the broader involvement of the site within the framework of New Basford and its potential to reinvigorate the area.

A public walkway connects two key points of the site: the convergence of railway, river and site boundary and the centre of one of the old gasometers. This is re-excavated and the body of water it would have contained reinstated, as are historic water courses throughout the site (including the original course of the Leen and the old fishing pond). The built interventions are arranged in and around this central axis, which cuts through the buildings and functions as an ordering mechanism for potential programs. These use the fashion industry already established in Nottingham (interpreted here as a re-invention of the traditional lace industry) as their point of departure.

A hierarchy of public-to-private programs is established along the axis, including a Textiles Factory, Fashion College and Venue building, culminating in a natural amphitheatre and public performance space, engaging directly with the suburb. As an entrance to the site, the second gasometer's structure is re-introduced, and could form the basis of further intervention.

Design Response Development:

Considerations of Site:

Indicative Site Arrangements

Site Geometry

Historical Tensions

Applying the Site Strategy

Re-Assessment of Site Engagement

Throughout the last few weeks I've been focussing a lot on the background research and urban analysis of the project, and to some extent have neglected the architectural response. As it stands, there are some issues with the project which I need to address to bring it to a successful conclusion. The main two are:

• The old Gasometers, an integral part of the site's heritage and character, are ignored within the current scheme
• Although the site is largely empty, there is no relationship or coherence between my design and the builders warehouse (the only existing structure other than the Gasometers) leading to a further lack of cohesion

In order to try and resolve these problems, what follows is a quick re-cap of the research I've conducted, the conclusions I've drawn and the resulting approach to the site:

Research

• There is a disparity between the city centres and suburbs of Nottingham following the decline of industry. This has resulted in many of the suburbs, and particularly New Basford, becoming little more than residential districts rather than contributive pieces of city: people have to go into the centre to work/shop/eat out etc. 
• Key texts Towards an Urban Renaissance and Collage City (details are elsewhere on the blog) have given me an understanding of how building typologies and densities can contribute to cities working and an alternative to dealing with large sites than a comprehensive masterplan, respectively. 
• An Area Strategy has been formulated that centres upon the creation or propagation of Green Routes throughout New Basford; a recognition, or reinvention, of the areas Industrial Heritage and a considered approach of any new intervention to respect the existing Urban Fabric. 

While my existing scheme does indeed create a Green Route, the project must address all three points of the Area Strategy. While the intervention is also industrial I believe there is scope for a more creative interpretation of the program, and the Urban Fabric element of the Strategy is most neglected of all. 

Therefore, over the next week or so I will be re-assessing my approach to the site through various explorations and models in an attempt to bring these aspects of the project to bear more successfully.

Resubmission: Models

Resubmission: Urban Analysis

End-of-Term Reflection

Seeing as the last post was all too brief, I'm actually going to go through the project, and reflect properly. The phrase 'if I had more time' may get somewhat repetitive here, but here we go.

I thought the project started on pretty firm ground. The process of de-industrialisation and subsequent decline of suburban areas is well known and probably exists to some extent in every city in the UK. I don't think there's any issue with that or the preliminary research I was doing into urban theory. I have developed a fairly solid knowledge of what makes a good city work and know all about the dangers of attempting to impose a masterplan. If I have a criticism of the research it would be that it should have started earlier and attempted to find a precedent/good example of a redevelopment in a suburb, rather than a city centre, which may well have contributed to my final scheme as I was, at that point, basically sailing without a compass.

It's easy for me to sit back now and say I never should have attempted the masterplan. I didn't want to do it and I had a long conversation with Benachir (who, by the way, I haven't heard from since 2nd May, almost a month ago. A small point I know but I thought I'd mention it. What happened to supervision?) about the merits/pitfalls and in the end I have to take responsibility for letting him win me over. Looking back now through the blog that attempt stretched from March 4th to May 3rd. Over 8 weeks/2 months, from which I took very little in the way of usable work forward. Of course that is going to have a significant impact on the project. It was an incredibly harsh lesson to learn and a far from ideal environment to learn it in, but I suppose the lesson there is to trust myself and be more assertive with my ideas. I won't be making that mistake again.

As a consequence the design, although I believe it is based on (again) fairly solid principles and groundwork, is/was inevitably not developed to its full potential. Time makes fools of us all. It was unusual for me as well in terms of my conceptual work because it was quite disjointed. There were too many different ideas. I don't know if that was because the scheme was still actually quite big and there was a lot going on, so I was trying to come up with lots of ideas to supplement that, or what. In the end, of course, when you have more than one conceptual idea it is difficult (more so than usual, I mean) to pull it through and articulate it in the design properly. And you need time to be able to do that. I probably contributed to digging myself into a bit more of a hole than I needed to at this point by not pushing enough for more design tutorials. There were some that were arranged and fell through because of tutors/my other time commitments that definitely would have helped. 

Looking back, I can't help but be disappointed with the final outcome. There's no dodging that. But I have to look at what I can take forward into practice/whatever I end up doing, and there are points there. The urban research was good and will stay with me. There have been lessons in life, more than in architecture, that will too be useful. I am a confident kind of chap, and I think at this stage I should have realised that I'm at a point where my arguments can be strong enough to tell a tutor that he's wrong and to do it my way. 

What I'm looking forward to now is finishing (eventually) and having a break. Climbing a few hills, taking the dog a few walks, having a few games of cricket and looking forward to my sisters wedding and starting life as an educated member of society with Rach. I am physically and mentally exhausted. The last 5 years have ranged from being some of the best times of my life to some of the most demanding, and none more demanding than now. If I can look back in a month/2months time and say that those years were definitely worth it, I'll be happy. 

Thesis Document: Industrial Reassessment

Available for download and perusal here:

Industrial Reassessment
Drawings and final reflection to come tomorrow. Enjoy. 

Final update

So, the final presentation didn't go as smoothly as it could have done. Understandable, considering that this was the first time I've been able to pin up anything resembling a building. A building(s) which, incidentally, thinking about it, I've had a grand total of 2 tutorials on. Odd. Most important project of my student career and I've had the fewest (by far) tutorials. You do also tend to get panned for things that you know but haven't got in the drawing because there simply wasn't time, which I suppose is understandable if not particularly helpful.

I now have until 3pm Tuesday (that's when the printing's booked) to try and get some presentation standard drawings for this thing and get them on a board. Am I downhearted? Er...

There are some interesting spaces and relationships in there (such as the relationships between the exhibition spaces and the elevated public space) but, (and I'm at risk of labouring a point here, but this is a reflective journal...) given the time I've had and tutors restricted input, it cant be helped. I just have to make sure the drawings are spot on, and that plans and visuals agree with each other (because the design was still developing when I put the last presentation together there were some small discrepancies...).

I did say I'd be putting up some stuff, so here. Not much, but some:

New Basford Area Strategy

 

Site Strategy

Initial (and since altered) render for public space adjoining refectory and exhibition areas