2016
Architectural Design (University)
This second year architecture project took me to Rome with a brief aimed at designing a specialist library within a chosen context.
This project aimed to challenge us by placing us in a historically and culturally important city and asking us to consider our response to the build environment as contemporary architects. To begin with, I studied three sites, recording observations and sketching initial conceptual ideas. Having then selected a site, based on my understanding of the brief and my initial conclusions, I then embarked on a full technical and photographic survey of the site to allow me to create my design back in Edinburgh.
My design proposes a brass clad, tripartite newspaper library with an irregular angular form. Situated on a well used public square, the design includes an Edicola (a commonly seen newspaper stand), a protected play park and a central library and archive building. The floorplan echoes the creation process of newspapers and ideas. The edicola represents the words, with dislocated brass fins separated by panes of glass, whilst the play park follows a linear layout relating to the spread. At the end of the park, the main library building takes on the abstracted form of a broadsheet newspaper whilst being held, it’s cladding intended to age like newsprint.
This project allowed me to better understand how to design for unfamiliar settings, taking into account cultural and historical differences and yet still proposing a contemporary design.
Skills:
- Site surveying (including sketching and photography)
- Concept design
- Technical design
- Model making
Software used:
- Sketchup
- Autocad
- Shaderlight Renderer
- Quarkxpress (for presentations)
