SKETCH BOOK

My initial thoughts for the site are the disused piers to the west of the current Blackfriars railway bridge, London. They are in fact the remnants of the original London Chatham and Dover railway bridge.

BLACKFRIARS BRIDGE

Blackfriars Bridge from Andrew Morrison on Vimeo.

I have spent most this week on 'site', in and around the area of Blackfriars, London. Blackfriars has two operational bridges at present, the earliest of which is the road and foot bridge (the furthest one on the left in the video), built in 1769 and the other, the rail bridge is used by Thameslink and was built in 1886. The pilars in between the two indicate where the original 1864 bridge stood and are what I intend to inhabit as part of my proposal. By the mid 20th century, the original bridge was considered too weak to carry modern trains and so was demolished in 1985.

Blackfriars are the only bridges in central London to have a direct north south orientation; providing the framework for potentially the ideal urban growing environment.

The video above was taken from Ludgate House, an office building opposite the site. Thanks must go to Katherine Hayes from BD who booked out one of the meeting rooms, without which I wouldn't have been able to film. What I think is highlighted in the film is the amount of activity which surrounds the site. The static piers depict the remnants of the old London Chatcham and Dover Railway, whilst in stark contrast, the rail and road bridges carry a hive of activity. Perpendicular to all this lies the Thames, a means to ferry passengers from east to west London. These components all contribute to the sites characteristics of an orthogonal and nodal transport interchange.

AXIAL MAPPING

Blackfriars Bridge is the only bridge in London to have a direct north south axis. The axial model explores this notion further by depicting the relationships between the differing axis which surround the site. Over the coming few days I will look to investigate axial lines against isovist grids, both of which will heavily influence the parameters I have to work between. Both were recently outlined by Lydia Heard on the city walker website;

'Axial lines should be used for intelligibility, global properties and movement; isovists for static local uses of space. Isovist grids, or visibility graphs, provide output that looks similar to that of axial line maps, but they really are measuring different things. Axial lines predict movement, or movement choices, which require some conscious thought. Isovists measure and predict behaviours which are more dependent upon environmental qualities, or perception and awareness'.

SKETCH INTERCHANGE MODEL

here is a sketch of what I propose to build over the coming few days; initial thoughts are that it will be a plaster of paris base with differing grades of wire denoting separate routes and copper pipe showing tunnels.

The two bridges are surrounded by a network of interchanges.

WHERE SYSTEMS MEET

Here are a few pics from the model. I imagine it to become ever more intricate as the project moves forward, with the building being 'wired' into position as it evolves. I have stated to suggest how the proposal will react to the different systems (the perforated plane) which surround the site, all of which is paramount to the success of the project. Now time for some programming........

SKETCH BOOK

After the crit on Monday, I have decided to refine the programme. I believe the proposal should revolve around the idea of a service station for allotments- which would predominantly be floating but could also help to provide materials, seeds etc to one of the many traditional allotments in the borough of Southwark. The reason for this is to ensure the programme informs the architecture, rather than the contrary. The programme is extremely unusual, along with the choice of site and I believe that it is this aspect of the thesis which should  be as visible as possible when viewing the project at later dates. This process of refinement has led me to believe that I should trim out aspects such as auditoria, meeting rooms, libraries etc and concentrate on the functional requirements of a service station. Offices, storage (for materials which are later sold to the public) and the market are the aspects which I intend to keep, with cranes and robotic arms spanning between the existing piers tending to the barges below.

I have started to calculate the potential 'growing power' of the barges, which I will comment more on at a later date, but initial calculations suggest that the area between Tower Bridge and Waterloo (a 3km stetch of the Thames) could serve upto 836 people. This is based on the fact that there are currently 55 barges occupying this stretch of water, covering 33,000m2. A traditional allotment of 250m2 during the Second World War was estimated at providing enough fresh vegetables to cater for the annual needs of 6 people. These calculations do not take into consideration the fact that that farming hydroponically on the barges could increase this figure. If London's average population density of 4,800 ppl/km2 is applied to this data, then, if only the EXISTING barges are devoted to food production then this area of the Thames could cater for 34% of the population. There is the potential for this figure to increase if additional structures are proposd.



Green spaces in London- Including back-gardens, parks and waterways. All of which, if utilized, could help to increase the amount of food we produce in the capital.

PARAMETER MODELLING

Below are a few images from a 1:500model which I used to explore the structural constraints of the site. Following the notion of only using the existing piers to ground my proposal, I explored the geometry which was set up by these existing piers, whilst baring in mind the initial thoughts I have had on mass and programme. The main principles were to span between each pier whilst maintaining access beneath for passing traffic. Therefore, there is the inevitable contraction of geometry around the mid point of each span and the heightening of geometry above each pier. This  may turn out to be no more than a little exercise, but at least I have another model to photograph and the uni's laser worked!

MASSING SKETCHES

Following on from my parameter studies which were completed earlier this week, I have started to relate the investigation to massing. The sketch below is based on the idea that form/ programme will be concentrated around each set of piers, with a pedestrian link spanning between. The piers will provide the structure from which barges can dock and be tended to; with produce being transported vertically up to the pedestrian level where it can be sold to the general public. Each pier would have differing characteristics dependent on the produce which has been harvested at water level. Some could for instance, be charecterised by the servicing of the barges whilst others would revolve around the activity of trading produce.

Above is an initial sketch of one of these docking stations.

An updated infrastructure plan....

INTERIM CRIT

Below are a few images of the boards which were produced for yesterdays tutorial/ crit. The next day or so is to be spent storyboarding the activities of the barges, with facts and figures denoting how much they can actually produce and the population they can sustain. This needs to be done as quickly as possible so that I can really get into the design of the proposal so that it is a at a suitable stage for next week. So without further ado......

BARGE CALCULATIONS

The study looks at the area between Waterloo and Tower Bridge, a 3km stretch of the River Thames. The calculations are based on of each one of the floating structures (barges etc) that currently populate the river being converted to food production.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Below is a snap shot showing the initial design approach from the north bank of the River Thames. This is being developed through a combination of physical and digital models and driven by initial conceptions of a ramping public route from one side of the river to the other with a productive 'surface' above (shown in pink) housing  allotments. All of which is to sit within the framework provided by the existing piers. The size of each allotment plot is to be determined by the hours the individual has to spend each week; making it a far more manageable  and feasible activity for many of London's busy office workers. Cuba took a similar design approach, where the masterplanning of  productive plots were governed by what was deemed suitable for one person to cultivate as a full time occupation. 500m2 was the maximum area for one individual, and with this research in mind, I have abstracted the figure to an area able to be cultivated per hour per week. (12.5 m2 are able to be cultivated per hour based on 500m2 requiring 40 hours, or 1 working week).  This will enable me to design the size of plots based on the number of hours individuals intend spending 'on site'.

WIRING OF PARAMETERS

I returned to my infrastructure model this week, adding more detail as the proposal develops. The piers have been added which provide the structure for the form to evolve, with a 'wired' framework linking each of the piers. Initial design moves have been added, with pontoons represented by mesh at water level and a ramped landscape weaving its way between the piers.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

PHYSICAL MODEL

I have been mainly developing a digital model this week, whilst testing certain massing moves which arise through physical modelling. The massing model below was made earlier this week, in a bid to explore the concept of a ramped landscape and to test different ways of housing mass around each of the sets of piers.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

DIGITAL SNAPSHOTS

I have been exploring the idea of allotments (which inhabit the ramped landscape) protruding into the soffit of the ramped entrance level on the north bank of the Thames. These structures which are all 12.5 meters square and require an hour of attention each per week, could span the width of the building and the profile be a part of the structure. The image below shows the entrance sequence and the mentioned allotments.



Initial thoughts are that the allotments are terraced, to maximise the amount of  sun reaching each plot. Irrigation and nutrients could be provided by a network of pipes which interlink the separate plots, providing optimum growing conditions.



Initial view of the under carriage of the proposal, with the service station in the foreground and the administration block in the distance.



P.S. These images are only intended to represent a snapshot of where the design is and are not representative in terms of material or structure!

PHYSICAL MODELLING

Following on from my detailed exploration of the modular allotment earlier in the week, I have been studying its affect internally on the market area through digital and physical representation. A physical model of the wind shelter at roof level has also been made at 1:100, which encompasses folding geometry to create a retreat/viewing platform at roof level for the allotment workers.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

CONCEPTUAL IMAGES

FLY THROUGH

Here is just a quick animation  I have been working on- there are a few glitches but it gives the overall sequence of spaces which I'm happy with.



London Crop Exchange from Andrew Morrison on Vimeo.

CONSTRUCTION SECTION

The section has been taken through the restaurant, market and external walkway. For those rendering wizz's, the image was rendered using artlantis with the usual postproduction in Photoshop.

MASTERS TECH REPORT

MASTERS DESIGN DIARY