DigitalPortfolioElin Davies

WSA Year 2 Autumn Work

Phase One FORM FINDING

House ScapesProposal for a self-sufficient residential neighbourhood block mixed with some shopping and public space. This project took lessons from natural systems relating to water including geological processes such as fluvial erosion and considering how this system might be relevant in generating form, material and structure for the housing complex design.

Eroded shale located on a river bedhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/justin-tosh/4467928225/

Digital image representing an eroded rock

Fluvial Erosion ExperimentationThe first concept I had was water shapes its surrounding landscape and in turn the land-scape influences the direction of water flow. I began by investigating this natural system through creating plaster casts of moulds of eroded river beds. Theses casts were then experimented by pouring a liquid concoction over them and observing the flow of the liq-uid. The outcome that water takes the most direct path and therefore quickest route, very similar to how people behave, and it was thought that we could create an environment that

will imply the flow of people through the a site.

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Precedents Erosion Inspired BuildingsAfter exploring fluvial erosion, I then looked at how I could apply this system to a building. I looked at precedents that took inspiration from fluvial erosion to inspire form and shape. Zaha Hadid’s King Abdullah II House of Culture and Art took inspiration from the fluvial eroded walls of the ancient city of Petra, Jordan. The concept that the entrance in eroded away to create a public open space, with the theatre located in the massing of the building. The other prec-edent was Richard Chi’s store, which is a temporary installation inspired by the erosion of water in a glacial cavern excavated from a single material.

Zaha Hadid’s King Abdullah II (1. 5. http://bit.ly/bbWvGd) (6. http://bit.ly/tiST05)Richard Chi’s Store ( 2. 3. 4. http://www.snarkitecture.com/projects/richard-chai/)

Phase Two SITE ANALYSIS

Long Section of Site

Photograph of the street running parallel to the north of the site

Our site was located in the heart of Cardiff City Centre, adjacent to the railway

centre and in close proximity to the Millennium Stadium and the retail district.

The site analysis helped with the subsequently stage of the design process

aiming to designing a building that fitted into its surrounding vicinity.

Photograph orientated to the east of the site

Phase ThreeMASTER PLAN

Diagram showing access ways around and through the site, anticipating the passage of people.

Main massing on site

Massing splits site into two open public green areas

Master plan concept

Phase FourDESIGN

Eroded LandscapeTo bring fluvial erosion into the design, I created the landscape through

overlapping the image of the eroded shale bed over the site and using eroded pattern to contour the landscape, and eventually erode the building away

too so that it looks like its growing out of the landscape. The image on the opposing page is a conceptual piece of work

demonstrating the above idea, through overlapping several images and paterns of erosion under the main massing from the master plan design.

Massing and CirculationThrough the use of laser cutting I created a conceptual massing model that showed the circulation through my programme. Each hole represents a unit with the massing being the flat planes surrounding them.

Floor Plans

Ground Floor First Floor

First Floor Second Floor

Fourth FloorThird Floor

Fifth FloorFourth Floor

Long SectionFacing South

Tectonic Drawing . . .

showing the layer from floor to ceiling of a unit, with an elevation of the same section showing the materials of glass and coloured concrete.

Unit Plans

One Bed Unit

Living

Kitchen

W.C

Bedroom

Family Unit

Living

Kitchen

Bathroom

Bedroom

Bedroom

Bedroom

Two Bed Unit

Living Room

Kitchen

Bedroom

w.c

Bedroom

Model of Two Bed Unit

Public Semi Public Private Semi Private Sahred

Walkway Vernadna Flat Balcony Garden

Unit Model

Front Elevation

Back Elevation

Side ElevationBack Elevation

Plug In Final Model

Plug In model with surrounding context