Brief:
The initial investigations of our studio will be concerned with the special condition given by gateways or portals or thresholds. They mark the transition between worlds, some things are ‘in’ the rest is kept ‘out’. In terms of testing, what is of interest is both the quality, material and symbolic, of the gateway and also the defining characteristics of the two worlds, the ‘in’ and the ‘out’.
Philosophically, gateways imply a transition from different states, a change in quality, of material, texture, air, knowledge, culture, behaviour, attitudes, socio-economic realities etc. Depending on personal inclination the subject can be investigated as a philosophical proposition or as a physical reality with its psychological consequences.
For the purpose of this brief, these conditions are to be investigated in the context of a real site and client. The site is in Woodhall Spa and the client is a charity running Jubilee Gardens.
Woodhall Spa was called the English Kreuznach, at the apogee of its fame at the beginning of the 20th century, because of the chemical content of its mineral water, rich in bromide and iodine.
The spa presents us with a catalogue of portals: its genesis in the mid-19th century was made possible by the human incursion into the literal ‘underworld’ in search of coal. There was no coal to be found, but the disturbed geology burst, flooding the abandoned pit with water which seemed to cure human and beasts. While the entrepreneur looking for coal went bankrupt, the local lord of the manor, noticing the waters ameliorated his ailments, invested in a hotel and other amenities. The arrival of the railway line in 1855 ensured the quick development of the resort, the train station representing the gateway into the elegant world of Woodhall Spa, which had become a leisure destination and a centre for healing.
Investigation:
The project began with an observation “without me on the bus the average age is 60” which sets the context of the area giving the reasoning for the name.Continuing the given site of jubilee park, I have focused on the area of the pool as it is a focal point in the park itself.Analysing the former state of the pool it used to be known for its healing remedies and mineral spring however, the heated pool is still there yet with no mineral water is found and the current facilities are antiquated.Which formed a conclusion of accessibility, rehabilitation and self-sufficiency for the site to work. Which connects to the GP scheme never too late formed between the charity that owns the park and local doctors, that send the people that need physical help to use the area of the pool more.
Exploration of Movement:
Given demographic of the area and potential veterans and elderly people with physical and psychological traumas, the facilities are only for those who can get to them and use them. I have analysed each of the boundaries for all groups of people which will be taken into consideration when designing. The solutions are for example flat surfaces, greenery and wider paths but what if the park allowed for disabled to enable their use.
Transhumanism & Metabolic Architecture Movement:
Analysing boundaries of each from the category I investigated transhumanism as a theory which extends the human capabilities and where technology and humans are blurred into one. I also looked into metabolism that can grow and adapt to the user needs as plug ins which expands the existing boundaries of existing sclerosis.
Visualising the Areas of change:
The analysis of the building and the site analysing in terms in of places of what can be adapted, extended or changed.
Relationship of the Building and the pool:
Concentrating on the pool as a focus point referring to existing site historical relationship towards water implying my solutions. Expanding the analysis into relationship between pool and the building they seem as two separate entities that have found themselves next to each other yet there is no correlation ship between them both and they are paralysed within their function.
Conclusion:
Concluding all the analysis and case studies together I decided I can’t focus only on the area of the swimming complex by itself the site shall be my boundary with the building having only one entrance which is far from the main entrances to the park making it seem like the building is almost hidden.
Continuing with precedent studies looking at Carlo Scarpa which details buildings in terms of their materiality to expose the beauty of the structure and Richard rogers is a pioneer in high architecture he uses future technology as a main movement in his designs to expose the facilities. Identifying the key issues of the park. The facilities are only open half a year the other is not so when is never too late? half of the year is too early another is too late so when is the right time?
Currently the site allows only able person to achieve the use to all facilities. The proposal aims to fully create a place where all physically or psychological disabilities groups to be addressed to 100%. Aiming to rehabilitate the site itself through creating interventions with the proposal of redesigning, rehabilitating and bringing people to the pool.
Movement and Non-Movement potrayed on the site:
Directly moving me towards analysing the ritual of movement between different groups of people for example a disabled person will choose specific paths that will not inflict their physical restraints through uneven surfaces and presumably take the shortest route whereas the mentally ill person will look for an exit as they are not interested.
Exploration of the Current theme:
Concluding the site boundaries of the site with a theory of transhumanism where currently the park is the middle between the past and the future combining that with the expanding metabolic movement to create a series of enablers, a plug on pods that rehabilitate the site and allow all groups of people to use the area of the pool. With the ability to be moved through a crane into another location if need be.
Architectonics:
The architectonic collects all the issues of the site and presumes a vision resulting with development of scheme to work within in a conceptual manner to extract and explore the architectural language that will rehabilitate the use of Jubilee park in terms of its performance to local demographics.
Deploed Architectural Prosthetics:
The main emphasis of the park is to allow accessibility for those that need it. A series of “enablers” that will extend the capabilities of current park. As the building is every year less and less interacted I have allocated places in the building that can be benefit of the enabler to extend the capability of the building. Therefore, I looked into the rigidity of the area and created forms and stages that need to be facilitated for the pods to be the enabler.
Architectural Prosthetics:
Therefore, I looked into the rigidity of the area and created forms and stages that need to be facilitated for the pods to be the enabler. Richard Roger’s connection of high tech architecture is applied to the pods as they move and expand and I have put my own twist on Carlo Scarpa’s style to rather than exploring materiality I am exploring the movement and utilities provided
For example, each of the cranes forms a different function in terms of leisure, hydrotherapy, and safety.
For example, each of the cranes forms a different function in terms of leisure, hydrotherapy, and safety.
Architectural Prosthetics Placement:
This is where the enablers are placed on the park. This is the building when it is closed, which allows only able people to use it and this is the building is fully opened and becomes the enabler allowing all groups of people to use the facilities.
Metabolic Growth:
As you can see this is the metabolic growth between the three years of the building process.
Transportation System:
Analysing the current site with groups of disability in mind, I have created tracks for transport systems, created spaces for those groups of people and added greenery from Hogieviek which is a precedent study in the booklet below the board is where they create greenery and gardening spaces for them to interact.
Final Masterplan:
With that I have created the final masterplan showing accessibility to those groups of people, but I believe that the severely physically and psychologically unable should still be left at the entrance of the building with their carer as they won’t be able to take care of themselves around the site alone.
Hydraulics:
Rehabilitating antiquated facilities, I have created high tech pods that are placed underground which allows for high tech water collectors, so that the water does not freeze over winter.
The pod has embedded geothermal system which warms up the water. The water itself is taken from a water vein underneath the site, is collected through the pod and is transferred through the building for further use.
The building uses the water for the pool with underground heating to maintain the heat of the water and after being used, it gets filtered through and transferred to a grey water tank and used for utilities inside the building and for vegetation around the site.
Thesis Concept of application on a bigger scale:
In terms of the next project I created this graphic which is a mechanism of rehabilitation that rehabilitates all groups of people, physically, mentally and even those that don’t have a cure.
For example, a physically disabled person will go into the pod where they will be examined by a doctor in terms of what type of rehabilitation they need. The rehabilitation takes placed through technological means, getting used to a new limb in processed and rehabilitated.
A series of achievements is complete, then they exit the building. In terms of people that are uncurable, the building transfers them through a mechanism into a cryogenic chamber where they are frozen till a cure is found. Underneath ground there is more of a dark side of research lab and fabrics which create the limbs, so people end up as transhumanists.
