University Projects

Some of my university projects

Ring Roads

The other day I can across this nice little image of the ring roads of the world by Rice school of architecture.

And I decided to do one for the cities of Great Britain.

Ring roads are significant features within cities and very often form the centre piece of a cities movement network. They do however only ever form part of the vehicle network and often little consideration is given to how pedestrians and cyclists will cross the ring road barrier. All to often pedestrians and cyclists will be forced into an underpass or overpass, which very few of us ever want to do.

Reburbia

Reburbia is a competition to re-envision the suburbs.

"Calling all future-forward architects, urban designers, renegade planners and imaginative engineers:Show us how you would re-invent the suburbs! What would a McMansion become if it weren’t a single-family dwelling? How could a vacant big box store be retrofitted for agriculture? What sort of design solutions can you come up with to facilitate car-free mobility, ‘burb-grown food, and local, renewable energy generation? We want to see how you’d design future-proof spaces and systems using the suburban structures of the present, from small-scale retrofits to large-scale restoration—the wilder the better!"

Here are some some my favourite finalists.

'Burbs REDUXED

Our scheme proposes to thicken the arteries of our burbs as the remedy for their future. New housing is proposed above the roadways in-between the existing suburban fabric. The density of the burb is dramatically increased. The new housing promotes a new typology. A sinuous ribbon that weaves between the McMansions promoting mixed forms of living that offers an alternative to the single family dwelling.

Smaller housing modules, shared housing and extended family living are all accommodated in the strip. Opportunities for community interaction are increased. The ‘backyard’ is relocated to the roof, and becomes community parkland, providing new recreational opportunities and a new view of suburbia. The new density increases the patronage of public transport making the system more sustainable.

When the strip converges at an intersection the strands cluster and rise vertically to create a mini-city of apartments. These clusters of high density living encourage the development of support services around their base. The rooftop parkland becomes the façade of the towers transforming into a vertical garden.

When the strip terminates, the ubiquitous cul-de-sac creates the opportunity for a unique suburban event space such as skate park, gallery, restaurant or perhaps just a new take on the ‘corner store’.

In time the patterns of living in these commuter suburbs shifts. People want to live in the strip. The demand for the McMansion falters. Slowly they are replaced by park.

I really like the inventive use of space in this idea, using what is essentially defunct space above the roads for housing would increase densities in the suburbs and go some way to making it more sustainable. The idea that the existing housing would be replaced with parkland however contradicts the purpose of the idea in the first place as it would just result in in lower densities in open parkland. We have see that idea fail enough over the past 30 years to repeat it again with this!

PARKING LOT AS FARM.

Bumper Crop is a soil-less farm irrigated with reclaimed waste water and suspended above the strip mall parking lot to shade the ground plane and reverse the heat-island effect. By means of a membrane bioreactor, reclaimed water from the city sewer main supplies the overhead crop with nutrient-rich irrigation water creating an oasis in the asphalt desert. Land currently used for parking only is reclaimed for urban agricultural production thereby preserving undeveloped land and repairing the ecosystems that have been sacrificed for soil-based agriculture.

I can't see why this couldn't happen over every car park?!

URBAN SPRAWL REPAIR KIT

This set of simple infill techniques represents a sprawl repair toolkit to retrofit the 5 building prototypes that define Suburbia. These iconic detached structures and their parcels, via modest interventions, have the potential to contribute to a more diverse, cohesive urban fabric within a walkable and identifiable public realm.

Rather than being demolished, these existing buildings are re-purposed and/or lined with new structures using renewable technologies and energy-efficient practices, often taking advantage of Suburbia’s typically excessive setbacks and parking lots.

A drive-through restaurant pad becomes part of a main street, but largely concealed from it, with perimeter liner buildings added along the edges of its parking lot. A strip center is converted into a recycling center with a green roof and 2 side-wings with solar panels framing a courtyard that reaches to the sidewalk. A gas station remains in place while growing a two-story corner store-office extension at a busy intersection to help screen it. A suburban ranch house is permitted to utilize its deep front yard to add a wing with additional bedrooms, a home office, or a rental outbuilding that creates a courtyard with the existing home and defines a livelier street frontage at the sidewalk. Even the ubiquitous McMansion can be converted into senior housing when a five-bedroom/ three-car garage home yields a 10 room-9 bathroom facility for seniors and a caretaker.

This is brilliantly simple, turning what are poorly designed spaces into interesting, attractive places that will contribute in a highly positive way to the suburbs. This gets my vote!!

CharacterLess Areas

Thought it was interesting looking at a character area plan without a base. I though it was surprisingly informative, but maybe that's because I know what the masterplan looks like? I would be interested in seeing others!

The Burbs

Artwork from Ross Racine

"The subjects of my work may be interpreted equally as models for planned communities or as aerial views of fictional suburbs, reflecting the dual role of the computer as a tool for urban planning as well as image capture. Encouraging a reflective attitude by its perpendicular and distant viewpoint, the aerial view is used here to comment on society's occupation and transformation of the natural landscape.

In addition, the obviously invented nature of these suburbs exaggerates existing situations and drives the subject matter into the investigative domain of science fiction. Examining the relation between design and actual lived experience, the works subvert the apparent rationality of urban design, exposing conflicts that lurk beneath the surface. These digital drawings are a comment on the fears as well as the dreams expressed in suburban culture."

Just Seat it

Fixed individual seats offer little in choice of where you sit, what you look at and who you sit with.



Seats can sometimes be tables.......



...........and sometimes so uncomfortable people would rather sit on the floor.

Seating can sometimes be found in the narrowest of places.

Sometimes seats are steps.........................

......and sometimes you dont need seats at all.

People will sometimes sit on mint humbugs.

Seating - Dewsbury Town Hall

The benches outside Dewsbury Town Hall are wide enough for two people to sit back to back. This allows people more choice of where to sit and according to Willian H Whyte allows for a more 'socially comfortable' space, therefore a more used space.

Public Space - Olso Opera House

According to Wired magazine the public space surrounding, incorporated within Oslo Opera House was designed with skateboarders in mind.

Dragor, Denmark

Dragor, an historic village built to the modern principle of maximising solar gain.





Interspersed with small shared surfaced spaces.

Portfolio - Street Analysis

Urban Refine - Rules of Thumb

New blog launched!

Urban Refine - Rules of Thumb intends to act as a place to store all those practical masterplanning tips that my brain is continually forgetting.

There is a link to the new blog at the side of this page!

Portfolio: A round Plan

Aspirations for Garden Cities of Today






Based on Ebenezer Howard's Garden Cities plans, an illustration for an eco-borough in Yorkshire.

Village Life




A simplified land use plan for a village that zones areas in order to quickly analyse adjoining land uses.

Portfolio - Historic Plans

This plan represents the growth and change of a village over the past 100 years. Like a jigsaw each part of the plan (different coloured areas) shows how the village has grown, generally with the more historic elements maintaining promenance at the top of the plan. The village then grows up behind (and in reality the place becasue of) these historic elements.

Competition: Sheffield Cooling Towers

The vision for the site was conceived and generated by the stronghold nature that has grown on the site and the important role the site has built in supporting local ecosystems. This rich organic world contrasts heavily with the former industrial and environmentally destructive role of the site, demonstrating the resilience of the natural world. The vision therefore, is firstly to respect the unquestionable strength of the feral environment and wildlife within the site. To then support and reinforce this by establishing it as a unique green enclave within its undeniably human dominated surroundings. Human influence is through interaction and enjoyment only, encouraging local habitats to adapt, grow and bloom. Round About the Garden strives to minimise all impact on the natural environment, in its detailed design, construction and ongoing maintenance and life cycle.

The proposal is dominated by large zones of landscaping, in addition to existing areas of established woodland, creating a green lung for the area. Indigenous planting will eventually prosper into mature woodland, capable of sustaining a complex ecology system by encouraging existing wildlife to thrive and new ecosystems to establish. These areas of woodland will have varied characters throughout the site dependent on factors such as topography, proximity to water and solar orientation. Contrasting overgrown and wild areas with more formal areas of both new planting and existing woodland, it will create a lush sanctuary alongside the cascading waters that flow through the site.

Round About the Garden is conceived as a place of discovery, play and intrigue. A network of paths at ground level and elevated within the treetops afford a chance to explore the wooded areas saturating the site. The snaking footpaths inadvertently guide pedestrians from one place to other; with surprises beyond every tree and above each canopy. It will be a unique experience for each visitor, defined by individual impulse and distraction. Openings in the woodland yearn to be discovered by those who choose to explore, with a series of towers peppered through these areas inviting people inside. Round About the Garden will be an inclusive place, with all paths linking back to a public transport system, including new tram stops and Meadowhall Interchange. They also interconnect into the underground car parks on the site, cycle routes and the waterway footpaths, giving access to all.

A series of towers, woven into the landscape at strategic points are conceived; some peeping through the treetops whilst others sit comfortably sheltered by surrounding leaves, hidden by the flourishing woodland. The new towers echo the iconic presence and status of the cooling towers, redesigned to fit in with the natural environment. The towers collectively are physically linked spaces following the topography of the landscape, with common architectural features and form. However each tower will be unique, with an individually defined function interpreted differently by the visitor; a looking tower, a chance for respite, a captured view over the treetops, a climbing frame, gallery space…. The towers are a crucial element of the site and must be detailed individually as a design competition project. This will have involvement from the local community encouraged at all stages, giving a great sense of local pride in these architectural gems.

Being such an historically integral element of the towers, water is an important element of the scheme with a constant presence throughout the site. Used to enhance the sculptural form of the cooling towers, to guide visitors, support and enhance local ecosystems and also to enable trade and servicing of the towers. Water also acts as a soothing presence throughout the site, calming the mind and drowning out the din of the motorway. Spiralling pipes filled with falling water cascades around the towers to generate hydro electricity reflecting past usage of the cooling towers, making part of the energy generation process once more.

The cooling towers are recognised as local and national icons and as such the site maintains and embraces their imposing presence from the west. Whilst the proposal is to radically alter their physical form with a cut through the eastern edges of the towers. In doing so, the inner workings and function is exposed to visitors of the site, conveying their immense scale and undeniable power. Visitors will be tempted and encouraged to enter the towers, and will be elevated into the clouds, experiencing performance workshops, art and exhibition spaces for local artists, conferences and workshops, botanical gardens and viewing platforms at the very top.

Round About the Garden will be a green haven in an urban context and will provide a great opportunity for development. By cutting the cooling towers into a more dynamic and exposed form they can afford a variety of accommodation whilst ensuring the site continues to be enveloped by nature. The height of the towers affords a high density of development and alongside other strategically placed buildings will allow the site to be economically and socially sustainable. The discreet location of new workshop buildings, along with their associated underground parking ensures that a strong sense of ‘garden’ is maintained throughout the site. The excellent movement links surrounding the site are exploited, with an emphasis on sustainable forms of transport, to ensure that new roads are not introduced at a detriment to the more important vision of nature.

We reached the Final 15 with this entry, and from what we could gather gained a lot of the publics support for this scheme when it was presented at Sheffield's Meadowhall.