maxime downe portfolio 3.3: inter[b]lock

INTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCK

INTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKINTERLOCKYOUTH CENTRE & URBAN FARM IN COLLYHURST

MAXIME DOWNE

INTERLOCK

INTRODUCTION

Atelier 3xD

Atelier 3xD looks at the urban environment, at what users want and expect from public and private space, and at how careful design can enhance the users experience of their urban environment. It is therefore about using design to endow urban form with qualities such as privacy, security, safety, be-longing, defensibility, sustainability, or protection of the user and the environment. The architect of ur-ban form uses physical design and ownership to alter impressions and perceptions and thus enhance these desirable qualities. Of course, the particular qualities chosen will depend on the use the land is put to, and will change as one traverses between public to private domains. The role of the architect here is to invent or use suitable features to add value to the user experience and to create positive at-titudes and feelings of wellbeing.

This project : Collyhurst urban revitalization

For this project, the atelier focused on urban revitalization. We were looking for areas of Manchester that seem to have become disconnected, both physically and socially, from the rest of the city. The territory found for investigation was the River Irk and the valley of the Irk. This river flows from Royton through Manchester’s northern suburbs to the City Centre where it merges with the River Irwell. The Irk suffers from many disconnections: a disconnected river, a disconnected valley, a disconnected en-vironment, a disconnected industrial history, a disconnected community, with a disconnecting future.

The River Irk passes through a suburb of Manchester called Collyhurst. Collyhurst is 2.5 kilometres to the North East of Manchester city centre. Two major roads pass through Collyhurst: the A664 Roch-dale Road and the A62 Oldham Road.

Investigation of the problems of Collyhurst

This project begins by investigating the particular problems of Collyhurst. These stem from its history of sheer neglect. The river became heavily polluted and culveted in the course of the industrial revo-lution. The area suffers from poor social housing conditions. Whilst Collyhurst is close to the city cen-tre geographically, Manchester has grown further and further apart from it economically and socially. Though the city council advertises its investment in the area, it is visible that nothing is being done. The situation that the inhabitants are in is worsening.

The area is ripe for urban renewal. The question here is about the best strategy for that renewal: should we be reconnecting Collyhurst to Manchester or further disconnecting it in a positive way in order to surpass the rest of the city and create a haven for its residents?

This investigation brings us to the aims of this project. Looking at the qualities desirable for the res-idents of Collyhurst, the project aims to create a crime-free, pollution-free, independent and healthy society in Collyhurst. This is expressed in the group manifesto.

A manifesto for Collyhurst and its development into portfolio and programmes

From the manifesto, we can extrapolate a portfolio of works, of which one programme is the develop-ment of a hybrid Urban Farm/Youth Centre. To achieve this, we zoom into the area of Collyhurst to find a site suitable for our masterplan and on which we can then develop a concept design for the Urban Farm / Youth Centre. This concept focuses on bringing back the youth and addressing the needs of young people with a view to integrating them into the community. The shape of the chosen site and its intended user base of young people, inspires a practical design concept based on a 3D jigsaw.

MAXIME DOWNE INTERLOCK

RESOLUTIONThe Resolution part of the portfolio consists of a set of drawings and visuals which communicate the final resolved scheme.

1 SUMMARIESPamphlet summaryPortfolio summary

CONTENT

2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENTModel developmentTectonic axonometricSteel frame atriumEnvironmental analysis

3 DRAWINGSMasterplanFloor plansRoof planElevationsSectionsStructural detailSite as proposedMaterialityInterior spacesLightbox


SUMMARIES

1


PAMPHLET SUMMARY

In the 19th century, the industrial revolution transformed Manchester. It grew into one of the world’s most influential cities. Its cotton mills employed vast numbers of people and exported their produce across the globe. Collyhurst, with its dozens of machineries, mills and works sitting on the Irk’s powerful back, was a hive of industrial activity. Over time, the UK’s economy has changed: traditional industry still exists, but on a far smaller scale. Large scale employment here has shifted to digital industry. While many of the country’s cities and towns have developed and adapted to these changes, there still exist areas of post-industrial desolation.Collyhurst, despite its close proximity to Manchester’s centre, is one such area. It is stranded between the cosmopolitan city centre of Manchester, ethnically diverse Cheetham Hill and more respectable residential areas. The shift towards digital innovation has not taken place there and therefore the whole area has fallen into disrepair. Collyhurst’s southern end is dominated by car parks that occupy post-industrial landscapes waiting to be put to more permanent use. Standing amongst these historically rich, yet currently insignificant spaces, a clear juxtaposition is visible: a look back to the city displays a rich, glass and steel skyline – the high rise markers of a digital age. They seem to sneer provocatively, laughing at Collyhurst’s unused spaces and uninhabited factories.

Plainly, Collyhurst has been left behind. What was once a strong limb, a crucial piece in the city’s great whole, has been wounded by the movements in industry. Collyhurst has dropped back from a pack striding on towards economic power, and now, showing its age, lies isolated.

This decline is very clear when the disappearance of community-associated buildings in the area is mapped over the course of a century.

1890 1960 2013IndustryEducationReligionLeisure

Collyhurst at its peak: industrially powerful and home to thousands of workers. Machineries and mills line the Irk’s banks, while an abundance of churches, schools and places of leisure cater for the large population.

29 9 5 15Post-industrial peak, pre-digital boom. Collyhurst continues to rely on machineries and mills to generate jobs and money. As the outsourcing of labour begins, so does the decline in employment. Communities decrease.

11 3 2 12UK economy now based more around digital rather than traditional industry. Collyhurst, still generating most of its money through traditional industry, has been left behind. The majority of the buildings are now residential; many of the area’s inhabitants work elsewhere in Manchester. Community-associated buildings are at an all-time low.

40 10 11 18

Anti-social behaviour (54)

Arson (2)

Bicyle theft (2)

Burglary (6)

Criminal damage (10)

Drugs (4)

Graffiti (1)

Possession of weapon (2)

Public order (2)

Robbery and other theft (9)

Sexual offence (4)

Shoplifting (8)

Theft from the person (1)

Vehiclecrimes (13)

Violence (8)

Month of August 2013Source: Greater Manchester Police

Christiania, Copenhagen: an Economic Case Study

“The aim of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible for the well-being of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical pollution can be averted.”

The Charter of Christiania

Christiania is a small neighbourhood in central Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city. The area was originally a military barracks, before becoming abandoned in the late 1960s. O cially described by Danish authorities as a hippy commune, Christiania is now home to a large community that has continued to grow since the Free Town’s founders squatted on the land in 1971.

Denmark Copenhagen Christiania

950iNHABITANTS

400bUILDINGS

34HECTARES

Christiania has to generate money which it can reinvest in itself. The money is collected in a global budget; from there it is spent on a number of projects to improve the Free Town.

Local businesses must pay an annual rent into the global budget. Due to the small number of businesses running in Christiania – the majority of the commu-nity continue to work outside the neighbourhood in Copenhagen – this rent provides only 30% of the global budget each year; the other 70% is funded by residents.

Although Christiania has no police-like authority, its inhabitants have a strong sense of community and are, in the most part, happy to contribute to the global budget. Those who do not are listed in the local newspaper and encouraged to either pay or move out. Those who have never missed a payment are proudly labelled ‘model residents.’

Our manifesto must learn from the example set by Christiania. Although many of the Free Town’s principles di�er vastly from those we plan to implement in Collyhurst, it does show that financial stability can be achieved with a strong sense of community. The people of Christiania know that the global budget will be spent on improving their neigh-bourhood, and so it is in their own interest to donate part of their income.

This is an idea which is fundamental to the success of our vision for Collyhurst.

Christiania Global Budget

Christiania

Yes No

Inside Christiania

Employed?

Outside Christiania

Annual Rent Residents’ Payments

Global Budget

Shamed in Christiania’s Newspaper

Model Resident

NoYes

85% 15%

30% 70%

PAMPHLET SUMMARY

1953-59 -Socialist revolution inCuba led by Fidel Castro.Cuba becomes ally of USSR.

1961 -Bay of Pigs Invasion:CIA backed operationto overthrow Castro’sleft wing government.

1972 -Cuba becomes a memberof COMECON, an economicorganisation of socialisteconomies run by USSR.

1962 -Cuban Missile Crisis.

1985 -Gorbachev comes to power inUSSR: Cuban/Soviet relationsdecline with Gorbachev’s market economy reforms.

1989 -Increasingly di�cult for USSRto sustain Cuba as the Sovieteconomy was failing: Cubanurban agricultural movement.

1991 -Fall of the USSR: Cuba losestheir major trading partner.Cuba hits “peak oil” - crisis.

1999 -Agricultural workforcein Havana: 9000.

2001 -Agricultural workforcein Havana: 23000.

2006-Agricultural workforcein Havana: 44000.

1998-2001 - Chemicals used in the production of potatoes,tomatoes, onions and tobacco reduced by:

Bay of Pigs

Havana

Cuba’s initiative has been an inspiration for our vision of Collyhurst early on. In looking at islands, self-sufficiency was a prominent theme. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba lost its major trading partner and hit “peak oil”, meaning that oil and food supplies became scarce - urban agricultural movement sprung from a need to survive. The socialist regime brought people together, preaching togetherness. We propose to bring people of Collyhurst together through digital revolution. We want to bring in technological industry to create employment and boost education. Here, urban agriculture will encourage community interaction and take Collyhurst one step further to being self-sufficient.

ORGANIC FARMINGCUBA No chemicals used in:

INDEPENDENCE SUSTAINABLE

DIGITAL

1. Community Hall: renovated into loveLife Youth Centre and offices for organisations

2. Live-Work Units: 8 units with groundfloor workshop and first floor flat so user can protect workplace and square

3. Business Hub: 15 shops for local businesses, bakery/cafe, boxing gym

4. Active Box: Three storey building containing offices, a caretaker’s flat and a patrol room

5. Multi-purpose building: Library, Early Child-hood Resource Development Centre, experimen-tal learning facility, caretaker’s flat and offices

VIOLENCE PREVENTION THROUGH URBAN UPGRADINGKhayelitsha, South Africa

Khayelitsha was founded in 1986 as a way for the local authority to concentrate the black population at the periphery of Cape Town. No industry, no economy in the area means poor health conditions and high violent crime rates.The aim of VPTUB is to achieve an integrated society by implementing situation-al, social and institutional crime prevention measures.A series of “active boxes” are placed along main pedestrian routes, open 24 hours a day to allow unquestioned access. Community “sub-centres” are being planned and built.Collyhurst suffers from high crime rates so a similar method can be applied. What Collyhurst needs is building that anyone who feels threatened can access with fa-cilities for youth to seek help, to practice sport and to play safely. A series of these buildings spread over Collyhurst, reducing crime throughout the area.

PAMPHLET CONCLUDING DIAGRAM PROGRAMME DIAGRAM

COLLYHURST

YOUTH

CARETAKER

YOUTH COUNSELLING

URBAN FARM

SPORTS & RECREATION

BIKES & ELECTRIC VEHICLES OIL FREE ZONE

ORGANIC FOODCOMMUNITY

USERS ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS

GOOD HEALTH

CRIME FREE ZONE

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

PERMANENT

TEMPORARY

ENTRANCE

ADJACENCY

PROGRAMME TIMELINE

PROGRAMME CYCLE

There is a need for two caretakers to maintain the building and occupy it 24 hours a day so that it is always accessible. They will live within the building and occupy the public space whilst having sufficient private space that can adapt to a changing lifestyle.The urban farm will be worked on by volunteers. They will be trained on site and catered to by the building itself. Part of the food pro-duced will go to the cafeteria whilst most of it will go back to the community for free, which is the incentive for people to volunteer.Youth counselling will get troubled youths off the streets and will give them an opportunity to succeed. The sports centre will allow the whole community to come together.

ADJACENCY DIAGRAM

PORTFOLIO SUMMARY

1 2 33-STOREY APARTMENTS CAR REPAIR CENTRE

FLAT WITH UNDERGROUND TUNNEL URBAN FARM

5 64SMALL HILL

HOUSES ON SITEHOUSES CHURNET STREET

RETIREMENT SCHEME

SMALL HILL LANDSCAPE SLIGHT SLOPE MAIN BUILDING

ZONING SECTION

SPATIAL ORGANISATION MAP

After thorough site analysis, ideas of where each component of the masterplan scheme began to emerge. This is the final outcome of the analysis, the spatial organ-isation on site.

The greenhouse at the north of the site is part of the urban farm schemes, where vegetables needing a slightly higher temperature than the Mancunian climate can provide for optimal growth such as tomatoes and chillis. It is north of the crop field so that it can benefit from maximum solar gain with nothing shielding the south side. It also follows the pavement along the main roads (Rochdale Road and Queens Road) so as to provide a buffer for the crop fields whilst being completely trans-parent so that passers-by can still see understand what is happenning.The water collection unit will be a pool of water collecting and stocking rainwater over the winter and automn, placed near the greenhouse and crop fields for practi-cal reasons because the stocked rainwater will be pumped into the greenhouse and outdoor crop fields (mainly over the summer and srping for the latter, benefitting from direct rainwater the rest of the year).The orchard provides a natural buffer between the main road and the crop fields, there are already existing trees there which do not bare fruit. Most of these will be cut down and used for the timber elements in the building and fruit trees will be replanted to supply the surrounding community with organic fruit as well as vege-tables with the neighbouring crop fields.The bike hub replaces the existing car repair centre which is on the north east side of the site, south of the metrolink route which cuts through the site, going under-ground under the crop fields.There are houses between the urban farm to the north side of the site and the main buil and sports on the south side of the site. However there is a strip of grassland with a small hill (1.5m raise) where a landscaped connection can be considered.The main building is on the south side so as to benefit from traffic on Rochdale Road and be visible. Also, it can benefit from direct solar gain by having all of the public spaces on the far south side with the larger amount of glazing. To the south of the site, there is a public green so the southward glazing can benefit from land-scaped views too.The sport facilities need to be near the main building for ease of access but also the building shields it from south the west prevailing winds

The proposed building is to be a youth centre with connecting urban farm. The youth centre will be where the youth of Collyhurst can seek refuge and be pre-sented with opportunities before they get into a life of crime. The urban farm is run by the people of Collyhurst, for the people of Collyhurst.

The concept of the building derives from the shape of the site looking like a piece of jigsaw (see above) but also it being destined for youth, to engage with them through playfulness. Inspired by Chinese puzzle games where you place shapes together in a certain way to create a purer shape. I took one of these puzzle games and tried to abstract it, firstly by decomposing it into its individual ele-ments, then by distorting and extruding it (as seen above).

PORTFOLIO SUMMARY

Toilets

Kitchen

Staff room

ClassroomLiving/dining room

Bedroom

Gym

Open library

Offices

Reading room

Games

SCHEME 1

SCHEME 2

Toilets

Kitchen

Staff room


Bedroom

Gym

Open library

Offices

Reading room

Games

Toilets

Kitchen

Staff room


Bedroom

Gym

Open library

Offices

Reading room

Games

SCHEME 3

SCHEME 4

The idea of the grid began by measuring out the various sizes to try and find a common denominator for the grid spacing in order to have a simple regular grid. All the space sizes seemed to be proportional to 4, so the grid originally was to be 4mx4m.

After the sizes of the various spaces were worked out (see sketches below), a few schemes were tested with the site model and then mapped on a grid that I sketched out in context. The previous page depicts the first scheme and this one depicts the second scheme. The common theme is that the blocks representing different spaces interlock in certain areas.This scheme’s sketches were not completed due to scheme 3 & 4 becoming more prominent and taking over the design, leaving this one behind.

After analysing the site, I determined where various parts of the masterplan can go. To the north of the site, the large ur-ban farm and green house is perfect as there is a large green area. The south end of the site is more buildable and fits the building programme well.

I tried out various schemes on a site model which was resolved with scheme 4, where all the services and private space (caretaker’s apartment) is on the north side and all the public areas on the south side so as to benefit from large surface glazing. In the middle, a large atrium space where the cafeteria for the urban farm will be, with communal space and the

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

2


MODEL DEVELOPMENT

ATRIUM SPACE

OPEN LIBRARY

BUILDING FRONT

SCALE 1:200

TECTONIC AXONOMETRIC

SCALE 1:100

300mm REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR SLABS

300x300mm REINFORCED CONCRETE COLUMNS

150x150mm STEEL SQUARE TUBING PORTAL FRAMES

150x150mm STEEL SQUARE TUBING SUPPORTING BEAMS

1000x1000mm REINFORCED CONCRETE PAD FOUNDATION BLOCKS

STEEL FRAME ATRIUM

SCALE 1:50

EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC

PRIMARY STEEL PORTAL FRAMES

SECONDARY STEEL SUPPORTING BEAMS FOR BRACING

STEEL STRUCTURE

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

SOLAR GAIN

THERMAL MASS

VENTILATION

DRAWINGS

3


MASTERPLAN

SCALE 1:1250


LOCATION PLAN

MASTERPLAN

SCALE 1:500MAXIME DOWNE INTERLOCK

SITE PLAN

MASTERPLAN


LONG SECTION A-A’

FLOOR PLANS

ENTRANCE/EXIT A - Main (Rochdale Road) B - Cafeteria (sports area) C - Side (urban farm) D - Kitchen (goods & services)

1. GALLERY/EVENT SPACE2. CAFETERIA3. BAR/RECEPTION4. OUTDOOR SEATING5. LIBRARY RECEPTION6. OPEN LIBRARY7. STUDY BOX8. STUDY ROOM9. GROUP FITNESS AREA10. GYM11. CLASSROOM12. READING AREA13. OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA14. BICYCLE RACK15. KITCHEN16. W.C. LOBBY17. GENTS18. LADIES19. DISABLED


GROUND FLOOR

FLOOR PLANS

11. CLASSROOM16. W.C. LOBBY17. GENTS18. LADIES19. DISABLED 20. STAFF ROOM21. ONE ON ONE COUNSELLING22. READING ROOM23. GAMES ROOM24. YOUTH CENTRE OFFICE25. INFIRMARY26. SECURITY OFFICE/PATROL AREA


FIRST FLOOR

FLOOR PLANS

27. HALLWAY28. BATHROOM29. KITCHEN30. LIVING ROOM31. DINING ROOM32. SINGLE BEDROOM


SECOND FLOOR

FLOOR PLANS

27. HALLWAY28. BATHROOM29. KITCHEN30. LIVING ROOM31. DINING ROOM32. SINGLE BEDROOM33. MASTER BEDROOM


THIRD FLOOR

FLOOR PLANS

33. MASTER BEDROOM


FOURTH FLOOR

ROOF PLAN

SCALE 1:100

ELEVATIONS


NORTHEAST ELEVATION

ELEVATIONS


SOUTHWEST ELEVATION

ELEVATIONS


NORTHWEST ELEVATION

ELEVATIONS


SOUTHEAST ELEVATION

SECTIONS


SITE SECTION B-B’

SECTIONS

DETAIL SECTION A-A’ SCALE 1:50

SECTIONS

1. 20 mm CONCRETE BLOCKS 40mm HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE 40mm CAVITY DAMP PROOF COARSE 150mm WOOL INSULATION 300 mm REINFORCED CONCRETE ROOF SLAB SUSPENDED PANELS (light source hiding services)2. DOUBLE GLAZING: 2 x 8 mm TOUCHENED GLASS + 14 mm CAVITY3. TOUGHENED GLASS RAILING BOLTED TO FLOOR SLAB4. 20-100 mm TIMBER PLANK CLADDING 20-80 mm BATTENS 40 mm CAVITY FOR DRAINAGE DAMP PROOF MEMBRANE 100 mm WOOL INSULATION 300mm REINFORCED CONCRETE WALL & COLUMN 20-80 mm BATTENS 30-100 mm TIMBER PLANK CLADDING5. 20 mm CONCRETE BLOCKS 40mm HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE DAMP PROOF MEMBRANE 100mm WOOL INSULATION 150 mm REINFORCED CONCRETE ROOF SLAB6. 50mm THICK CARPET 150 mm REINFORCED CONCRETE ROOF SLAB 100mm WOOL INSULATION DAMP PROOF MEMBRANE 40mm HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE 20 mm CONCRETE BLOCKS7. 35 mm POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR 100 mm CEMENT & SAND SCREED WITH UNDERFLOOR HEATING 16 mm FIBREBOARD 300 mm REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR SLAB + PAD FOUNDATIONS 100 mm WOOL INSULATION DAMP PROOF MEMBRANE 50 mm BLINDING LAYER 300 mm BED OF GRAVEL

SCALE 1:20


TECTONIC SECTION B-B’

STRUCTURAL DETAIL


SITE AS PROPOSED


MATERIALITY


INTERIOR SPACES

MAXIME DOWNE INTERLOCK SHELTERED WALKWAY

INTERIOR SPACES

MAXIME DOWNE INTERLOCK ATRIUM SPACE

INTERIOR SPACES

MAXIME DOWNE INTERLOCK OPEN LIBRARY

CLASSROOM

GYMMAXIME DOWNE INTERLOCK

APARTMENT OPEN PLAN SPACE

INTERIOR SPACES

LIGHTBOX
