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EXPLORING ELEVATION
TIMBER CLADDING EXPLORATION
FACADE STUDIES: THE SHOP FRONT
RITBLAT BUILDING, HAWKINS\BROWN
Larch rain screen
Cedar shingles
After exploring Ritblat School design for inspiration for my structural stragtegy for the retail units I again have looked at the precedent for materiality. There are two buildings each with their own cladding, one is larch and the other timber shingles. I want to create a domesticated feel to the retail units and use natural materials. The site is situated near to residental areas, having a contrasting yet soft materiality will help to create a welcoming and unique environment.
After deciding to use a vertical timber cladding I began to explore the possibilites which sat inside this option. I explored four different types of wood which could be potentially used as cladding. All four aesthetically would work but the scottish larch stands out in front for its natural and local sourcing. The timber can be sourced from Scotland only a 4hour drive away. The material is also durable to the conditions in Manchester and will age well over time.
FACADE STUDIES: THE MATERIAL
ROOF MATERIALITY
WINDOW PLACEMENT
Where to place the windows on the pitched facades of the retail units was key especially along the connecting alleyways. It is important to maintain cross connection over the alleys so that they are places which feel safe. Having large windows on opposite walls that look directly into the shops will mean people are always observing activity in the alley and the likelyhood of them becoming unsecure areas reduces. This diagram explores the opportunites of placing windows on the facades.
Window juts out slightly with the glass set furthest away from the building creating an alcove in the interior
Black aluminium windows with the glass sat closest to the interior, ledge is created externally.
Black aluminium flush windows
Black aluminium windows with sill inset 150mm from exterior
WINDOW PRECEDENT:AMSTERDAM
When on study trip in Amsterdam I was inspired by the classic large dutch windows which have been used widely in recent architectural projects. When visiting Java school I came across this school. The sizes of the windows intrigued me as I liked the way different views are created from different levels. The largest windows inspired me most as they invited massive amounts of light and allowed you to see the programme inside the building. Using large windows such as this I think would well on this site as connection is a key concept in window design.
Community School, Java Island
As a tech precedent I explored Wooden Huis by M3H Architecten. The project is housing in Amsterdam and features a continuing cladding system for the facades and the roofing. The way the material continues over the whole building creates a strong aesthetic tieing back to one of the key design objectives of choosing materials which are natural.
CONTINUOUS ROOF CLADDING
BIFOLD DOORS BROOKLYN
These bifold doors are featured on retail space in Brooklyn. The panels made from perforrated core-ten lift up and down when the shops are open and closed. In Leaf St scheme however, just the glazed facades will lift up to allow cross connection between stores. Creating firm facades during the night and closing times would be negative for the site.
Experimenting with how the glazed shop fronts will sit and where the doors will be. Through this I explored having the doors flush and partially inset which I prefered as it created more of a continous boundary rather than so defined. I then explored window placement and door placement. The final image showing a single door and large glazed panel made the most sense as it created a shop front window for those passing by. This window has now been further developed to create a bifold door. With connection being a key design aspect of this project the ability to raise the facade and enter into the different spaces at different points will enhance the life of Leaf St.
Although the cladding of the building has already been explored I wanted to explore the possibility of changing facade materiality. After experimenting with roof materiality too I came to the conclusion that having a continous cladding would look best aesthetically for the individual retail units. However, I used this exploration as opportunity to test cladding size deciding that a 120mm cladding system would work best on the units as they become bolder in the landscape.
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