Concept

Inspiration Board

"Touch the sky..."

"TOUCH THE SKY"

"A bee puts to shame many an architect in the construction of her cells but what distinguishes the worst of architects from the best of bees is this, that the architect raises his structure in imagination before he erects it in reality.  At the end of every labour process we get a result that already existed in the imagination of the labourer at it's beginning."
- Karl Marx, Das Capital

Free your mind, Start on an idea, work on it, develop it and it make it better than you ever imagined. Throw away your worries, move far from the negativity and grow. 

Too much planning and without an open mind can lead to dead ends; 

With a mind free from stress your imagination can explore and expand, you can begin to find your talent, let it flourish and reach your full potential.

You cannot understand it untill you have been through it from start to finish. 

#Design #Architecture #Bees #Building #Life #WorkThroughIt

Space

DO YOU THINK 

"PLACE" OR "SPACE" ?

Conceptual model I made using foam board and wire, with sequins and beads for added detail

Butterfly

“Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”  

– Henry David Thoreau

A butterfly broach I made while experimenting with textures in college.

ARCOLA THEATRE- ANALYSIS REPORT

Located on Ashwin Street in Dalston, the Arcola Theatre has made itself a home in what was once known as the ‘Colourworks Factory’. 

This Victorian building was built by Reeves & Sons during the Industrial Revolution in 1868.  1860 to 1920 was also known as ‘The Birth of the Modern Building’ as much more attention was paid to the importance of construction in buildings; engineers were calculating almost every little detail enhancing any aspect of building design as they could.  This was also a very important period for materials and construction in Britain.  Industrialisation allowed materials to be mass produced on a much larger scale and due to rapid developments of transportations, such as trains, they could be carried great distances much easier and faster than ever before.  During this time the population in London was increasing; from 950,000 in the 1800’s to 6 million by the beginning of the 1900’s.  These advances, together, made it possible to build bigger and faster.

Major materials of this time were brick, steel and timber; which, to this day, still makes up almost all of the materials in the building.  One important factor to consider when redesigning this space is Arcola’s wish to keep a strong industrial look, it is a key feature which they would like to maintain; to me that means keeping these materials intact and perhaps enhancing their qualities.  Because these materials had great significance during the Industrial Revolution, keeping them will be the main if not only element connecting the theatre to their desired theme within the building.

In 2012 a new entrance had been made on the side of the building, leading into a bar area.  At the moment there is a temporary wooden door on the outside, and the steps leading up to it were made with paving stones and slabs found from around the area.  Through it is another door, this time a glass door, which the Olympics had donated to Arcola.  Along the same wall is a glass panel allowing you to see through to the main staircase.  This wall is actually a non-load bearing, wooden, stud wall; it is attached to the main structure of the building and a load bearing wall on the inside of the building.  It has been covered using another material which was also donated to them; Shuttering Ply.  However they have been left bare, the seams are visible and the sheets uncoated.  The structural walls are made from a few types of clay brick, the brick has been purposely exposed to keep the industrial look that they’re after.  Exposed wiring can be seen travelling up the walls and across the ceilings.  As you look up, there are load bearing beams visible and the rest of the ceiling has been coated in a white paint.  On the floor, a thin carpet has been laid; most likely with no underlay, just ply sheets as it is quite hard.  There is no sound proofing.  Sections of carpet have been kept together using a strong tape.  There is a relatively small kitchen situated in the far corner of the bar; its floor is concrete, has plenty of natural lighting and has painted brick walls.

Heading out of the bar area towards the Foyer you can see the stairs to the right.  The staircase is not the original.  It has been made with solid timber treads and risers and an anti-slip strip on the nosings.  The main frame of the banister is also constructed in solid wood and the panels are made from sheets of sterling board; also donated to them by the Olympics.  At the bottom of the stairs, on the basement level, there is a mixture of reclaimed and original brick wall due to the recent redevelopments of the building.

Up the stairs and back onto the ground floor you will find a lift and another few steps taking you to the Foyer on another platform to the Bar Area.  The hydronic lift was put in to make all the floors accessible to everyone.  It was originally spray painted in white but then stripped down to its raw steel to fit in better with the industrial theme.

Over the past few years the Theatre has already been redeveloped a few times so it has been left with some old and some new materials.  In 2012, 42 windows were replaced with double glazed windows for extra insulation and to save energy. The original design had to change due to the cost; however the new design was purposely chosen to match the exterior of the building.  The Foyer, and where the Bar area is now were previously detached from each other, they were completely different sections of the building.  Joining the two sections allowed the Foyer space to open up and both sections became much more accessible, it also meant people were able to navigate through the space much easier.  Above you can see the new load bearing beams which were put in when walls were taken out.  You can also see the new ceiling/floor put in using prefabricated concrete slabs.  The flooring was covered with plywood sheets and chipboard; rugs had been placed on top.   

  

Throughout the site an industrial theme appears in some places and then disappears in others resulting in a lack of consistency within the building.  This is mainly due materials being used as ‘cover ups’ as oppose to using them to their full advantage.  However, the materials can all be reused which is a major advantage in the design process, considering their low budget.  Infact, some places do not need to change drastically, for example; where shuttering ply has been used to cover stud walls can remain.  The ply is in good condition and therefore all that needs to be done is plastering and painting so that the seams are no longer visible and the wall looks complete.  Overall the building itself is in good condition, changes to be made will include; soundproofing, finishes, signage, and creating a strong identity.

ARCOLA THEATRE- Initial workings

After visiting the site I researched the Area; had a look at what was around the building and researched into demographics to gain an insight into the community.  I also made a brainstorm to help me focus on key factors.

Sketch describing bar entrance

Auto Cad drawing placed into Illustrator to show areas to focus on; orange for Kitchen, green for Bar, Blue for Lobby