GREEN answer to stressful daily life

My summers have always been linked to the countryside. I guess from here I have desire for a green lifestyle. Here in Dundee I have joined to the gardening group for being in relationship with nature and make new friends. Every Sunday we meet at the Botanic gardens in our small allotment to do some garden work. It is agreeably to see that your work bears fruit, even it is some small sprout in the next week after sowing :).

Climate in Dundee is very suitable for gardening

 Cold-frames – pure thermal physics.

Made from recycled furniture

 Different plants into the cold-frame - for more quickly growing

Very first sprouts - sowed in the previous week!

Herbal spiral - landscape architecture for herbs.

The anatomy of one building

Demolition building was a former shopping centre store in the heart of Old Riga. In recent years different activities have been taken a place in this building - a nightclub, art exhibitions and even the architectural office.
Last year it was demolished to allow the space for a new hotel.
My attention was attracted by the building's anatomy and inspiring details.

Demolition in process 

Structure 

Walls

Room

Decoration

The best view is from this room

Wall painting technique - roller painting

Momento Mori

 

Research Retreat. Result

This is the first project where I have tried to extend the boundaries of way how to present my design. Until now I have been very modest in terms of presentation. Usually I put more emphasis on functionality or technical aspects of the solution. I found very challenging to discover myself in more artistic approach. Here it is...

 

...see more images at STUDY WORK.

Research Retreat. Brief

Context.

The main building of this place is Hospitalfield House built in 1849. In nowadays it is a residential art centre – place for creating  in a medium with 'quiet ambience, tranquil country gardens and particularly generous studio space' (http://www.hospitalfield.org.uk/).

The building is built in the Gothic style from red sandstone which is typical local material of most of Arbroath buildings.

The site is a park bordered by old trees and further by stone wall variables in a height.

There are several art pieces located in the park and out of it. One of them on the way to the park was very impressive to address and inspire me.

Programme

Private accommodations (25m2 each) and studios (40m2 each) for 6 artists, gallery/event space (100m2), ancillary (kitchen 25m2), storage and WC). Besides them some external areas for relaxation, contemplation and exhibition are required.

Research Retreat. Process

“A picture without a frame is like a soul without a body”

“I can only finish my pictures when they are framed" (Vincent Van Gough).

I have thought why paintings should be framed and why frames used to be so rich, even richer than the same picture. What is the important message transmitted by frame?

Throughout the history frame has been used as 'a decorative boundary, it protected and emphasised the work it held, and might have a strongly symbolic aspect' (Paul Mitchell).

I brought frame as main concept for my design of Research Retreat.

I perceived the meaning of frame in the wider context.

*Frame is significant feature of the site. The site is framed by different layers of surrounding environment such as crop fields, stone wall and finally lines of trees.

*Frame is strong and recognisable stereotype of art, especially painting.

*Frame is integral part of functioning society in terms of ethic and law codes.

Intangible of the site caught in the tangible painting and framed with Mannerist Frame.

The frame in my design is a coherent scheme within which to live and work in a creative atmosphere. The frame pulls together this small commune, bounds from the unnecessary information and focuses on main things.

The very first sketches shows development of this idea.

The main idea of my proposal is about linking together accommodation with studio because of the specific of residence in Hospitalfields. The period of residence varies from couple days till several months. This factor and specific character of artist living style demands flexible and compact solution which provides close links between daily habits without interrupting creating process. Contemplation and study is inseparably linked with active creation.

Next idea is about specialising and communication between artists for inspiring process of creation. This factor demands common area.

All these factors together make multi-layered space where private passes into the public. 

 

The first plan of the building shows public and semi public areas (gallery/event space and studios) located around the courtyard and private areas located by perimeter with view to the park. The main feature - variety of entrances to the each cluster. Private entrance from courtyard and public link between all studios and gallery. This creates one continuous art gallery in the case of "Doors open day", when visitors could walk through the whole building without disturbing artists in their private accommodations. 

But there is one problem with clusters located in the corners. They do not have direct access to the courtyard. I improved design by lengthening the courtyard to get access for each cluster. 

Besides, I changed location of the main entrance. Now it is directed towards the park.  

Artist represents that part of society who breaks frames and boundaries in the searching of new horizons. This concept is embodied in the solutions of openings for the traffic of people and light. 

Sketches of exterior and interior.

 Main entrance

Courtyard

Gallery/event space with diffused light through skylight along the perimeter.

Artist's accommodation with direct exit to the park and light flushing the wall through skylight.

Project 'Habitat' 3. Result

Constructive structure of the building – monolith, reinforced concrete outer walls 200mm and 200 and 150mm inner walls.
One column 200x200mm in the middle of living zone supports large span (7500mm) roof construction – timber beam.
Concrete – good material for sculptural purpose and it makes load bearing constructions as thin as possible.

'Slate - a metamorphic rock type that splits easily in one preferred direction and is highly impermeable at
right angles to the cleavage planes' Professor Rob Duck
Slate is the most typical roof material at Kenmore. I used this material to make building fitting in regional context, because of good technical qualities of this material and with sustainable approach – to
use local material.

1. Concrete (recycled) wall
2. Natural and local insulation (hemp wool, sheep wool)
3. Concealed gutter
4. 5. Slate panels for roof and walls
6. Window head panel
7. Window sill panel

The interior of the house is painted in white as contrast to dark gray exterior. White colour makes inner spaces more spacious.
The contrast as way of expression is very important in the design of this house. Contrast between outer - inner, building and local architecture (in same time respect local context) and between inhabitant's lifestyles.
Common feature – clients are strong, individualistic persons. Therefore materials are simple, natural and functional.

Section shows some sustainable solutions, for example:

*‘Massive’ roof and wall’s cover with slate panels provide
good ‘thermal inertia’ - house slowly accumulate heat and
and conduct to inner space.

*Rainwater collecting for reuse.

*Natural ventilation with heat recuperation.

*Windows are located according to views and insolation.

*Heated concrete walls and floors.

*Thermal heat pumps with energy gathering from a lake.

N elevation

E elevation

SW elevation

View from local road over Loch Tay

View from Pier road

Interior view - living room

Interior view - Bella's area

...see more images at STUDY WORKS.

Project 'Habitat' 2. Process

From the very beginning of presence at Kenmore and the first sketches I have thought about relationships between my design and its surroundings – local townscape, the lake and the hills.

In the book ' Thinking Architecture', Peter Zumthor writes, that architecture that is made entirely only from tradition and by dictates of its site is false and without connection to contemporary world. Whereas architectural design speaks only contemporary approach without sense of its site, this design does not fit in its environment and has not found its place.

I found very important to follow this idea and pay close attention to the dialogue between projected house and the environment where it sits and to find a balance between these extremes.

The most important aspect in the process of designing my idea was clients. Their needs, habits and life style is totally different, therefore I decided build my idea on something which represents these contraries. The first sketches shows very ordinary scheme – living volume along the street side and perpendicular volume for common needs. 

In process of sketching crystallises the idea about triangular form of the house's plan with functional argument – individualistic inhabitants need separate space. Each of 3 inhabitants could accommodate another (their own) 'corner' of the house.   
  

For me designing always starts from plans - to locate functions and get notion about scale

Volumetric model: blue colour – Tony, green - Bella, red – Tracy, yellow – common area,
black – garage and technical room.

This is base of further countless transformations in ground floor plan.

Triangular form in a plan is simple and strong and it demands strongly articulated 3^rd dimension - walls, roofs, elevations.

The first sketches had very simple, static and

conventional design.

Triangular form in plan is dynamic – 3 corners pull form each to another direction. It demands dynamic in the 3^rd dimension too.

In process of designing form I worked with models to gain

proportions and dynamic and dialogue with surrounding environment.

The main idea of this solution was getting better insolation in

deep living space simultaneously avoiding over shining.

Insolation in Tracy's and living area

on the SW side of the house

SW elevation 

E elevation

Insolation in Tony's and Bella's area

on the E side of the house

Weak point of this solution is rhythm of openings which makes the

whole volume more fragile and flimsy. 

And then I got final solution - where Tracy's volume get 

analogue form as two storey volume where live Tony and Bella. 

Argument – high space for artist needs.

 

Final stage - two solutions for form and location of openings. 

  

 

More static solution

More dynamic solution








And the winner is... dynamic solution with spontaneously located 

windows.