Well its been a little while since posting any pretty pictures, so I'm going to give you a quick precis of the year so far. The first studio project this year aimed to help us improve our spatial awareness, as well as how we deal with a site given to us. This is the first project.

Dundee house project

The Brief
The brief is to alter or redesign an existing garage structure to provide for a single person dwelling. The existing structure is located in the rear garden of a prestigious Victorian Terrace in the west end of Dundee. The building footprint can be no wider than the existing garage, although it can increase towards the terrace house. However, space for entrance into the garden must be allowed for.

The approach
The general push in the studio was to approach the design of this house using spatial models, tiny 1:100 cardboard models, to allow us to visualise the space available. My first model was knocked together in about 10 minutes but upon showing to my studio lecturer he saw potential and advised me how to progess. The model was basically three planes of card that wrapped around each other to create the house. This idea was further developed in a series of models that added planes, extended planes, removed planes. Each model had the best elements of the previous model and tried to improve it.

The Site
The site sits on Shaftsbury Place a small unadopted alleyway to the rear of the terrace house whose garden its occupies. North facing, the site enjoys primarily East and West sunlight, with a good part of the site open to South sunlight. Materials that are evident in the bordering buildings, are stone, blockwork, and render. The area is close to both the city centre and Dundee's university and therefore there is a high population of students. The terrace house who's garden the site occupies has fantastic views over the Firth of Tay.



The Idea
To take a small restricted site and create a useable efficient space for living. On a small site, space itself is at a premium. By creating an unrestricted living area whose use can be decided by its user, space usage is maximised to its best possible effect.
Living space is created by the wrapping of planes, walls wrap through the building internally and externally, roof turns into walls and floors. The best use of the space is achieved by the clear distinction of circulation and living space. By isolating entrance and stair to one side, a long linear living space is created.
Spatial quality is enhanced by harnessing the natural light, light is best from the east and west, in the morning and the evening, and the site is well positioned to make good use of both.

Final Iteration
The final design takes the movements of the spatial model and applies a palette of materials to reflect to same intentions. Linear materials such as timber cladding and zinc panelling wrap around the simple unrestricted interior, creating the buildings elevation and form.





The Layout
The proposed dwelling sits on the footprint of the existing garage which will be knocked down to make way for the development. The footprint extends towards the terrace house, but stops short to allow for access to the garden. The ground floor consists of entrance/circulation up to the first floor, eating/ cooking space, and a bathroom. The first floor consists is an unrestricted open linear space which allows the user freedom to arrange their living space to suit their own needs.



Elevations
The elevations evolve simply from the spatial models. Use of materials is kept simple with stone, white render, zinc roofing and larch timber cladding all wrapping around the building, replicating the simple movements made in the models.











The Final Review
Final review went extremely well, the lecturers doing the review were impressed by the quality of the work, and the process of development that I took. No real criticsms which was good. There was also one more piece of good news as well, which I'm not going to reveal at the moment because there are things are to be finalised. But I will reveal all soon.

The second project is also for a larger house, this time on a larger, more receptive site in Hull, UK. The approach of this project will be based on site analysis, finding non-traditional generators via indepth investigation to infuse with programme to create a more invoking piece of architecture.

Please feel free to crit my work yourselves. I'm quite interested on what other people think...

Later...

D