Sunday 20 February 2011

Finally back to doing my Blog

After the introduction of the final project, I had been set the task of coming up with a spatial concept or strategy for the project. My site is the old aldgate tube station, where the temporary daytime clubbing event was proposed. For that event I proposed using existing conditions of the site and levering them to perhaps unexpected places. The use of temporary and permanent architectural interventions such as a staircase, hoarding, lighting and sound system allowed me to engage with the site temporally as well as spatially.

For my spatial strategy for the new project in which I have to design an assembly building for meetings I want to take my approach to the clubbing event and apply it to the rest of the site. So as with the daytime clubbing event I proposed leaving a lot of the existing spatial conditions, so I will work with the new site in such a manner.

Initially I looked at potentially placing a new building on the existing site however, once I started visiting the site a lot more, I realised there were many moments and conditions within the site, moving around the site, that were in fact surprisingly beautiful. I then began to think how these moments within the site could be highlighted through ones experience of the space.

What I most enjoyed about the site was the car park area, wherein the extremely deep ground floor space set up a condition which was very rare. The depth of the volume allowed the facilitation of curious and unexpected moments under the car-park wherein the highstreet was framed by the waffle slab ceiling and the dirty car park floor. The depth of the car park volume intersected with structural columns was similar to the spatial and structural conditions set up in an underground space. After visiting St Martin in the Fields church as a precedent for the assembly hall I noticed how the vaults of the church presented me with a space which was reminiscent of the space under the car park. From here I began looking into how the spaces of the church could be transposed into the car park. I also began looking into how vaults could be used on the site in a new assembly hall.

As well as the structural elements of the car park working for the spatial experience of the space, volumes created by the brick walls intersecting into the space of the car park created a playful sense of movement throughout the space. As one moves around the car park, the brick volumes juxtaposed against the structural elements moved around you, and the framed view of the high street moved around that. As such ones sense of being in the city and being in the building was heightened. And at particular moments this relationship between self, architecture and city was realised in a particular framed view of the city. As an Idea and feeling of space, this is what I wanted to lever into presence through a piece of architecture.

To exaggerate this feeling of being in the city and framing particular views the use of new materials throughout the entire floor would help acheive this. Juxtaposing, new/old, building/city, exterior/interior along a journey will accentuate ones sense of self and being within the piece of architecture. However once one begins to set up a journey within the city, the question of destination arises. What is the purpose of the destination? What will the destination do? How will it make the subject feel? I intend to place the subject alongside the city, so that the person can see them self as part of the city and its architecture. This feeling should be revealed through the journey- implicitly- then revealed explicitly at the end in the final destination. Perhaps a view, a moment, a material expression, a detail? Maybe a view of the journey they have taken? A view of where they have come from, and the city? Yes!

No comments:

Post a Comment