JAYAKYNE.
The L.E.A.P. Building.
Location:
West-Facade Town Wall, Newcastle, England
Time of Study:
1st year - 2nd semester - Stage 4
Project Title:
Architectural design: Project 1.4 - Urban Room
Project Brief:
This building is named The LEAP Building, which stands for Local Education for Architecture and Planning. The word Leap represents a positive and inclusive ‘leap’ in the right direction between university, business, schools and community, and it is also intergenerational. My building is for teaching local youth. This project idea was inspired by a lack of exposure to Architecture when I was in school. There are no formal or informal settings where I could have learnt about architecture, and yet there are many places and courses that teach Design, Technology and Art. I wanted the building to inspire learning and offer an exceptional space to young people who are not necessarily exposed to innovative learning environments. This building is responding directly to Newcastle as a city.
With a double height ceiling in the main building, you walk into a very open, clear space. Above you is an atrium going along the entire room with local art donated or bought from the community lining the hallways. This space looks down onto the flexible space where workshops and presentations for your children would be held. This means that not only does your child feel safe because they can see you, but you can feel your child is safe as you are watching over them. If you look above you, the angled roof has large windows to let lots of light in, splitting the building into clear sections which is amplified by the change in direction in the roof.
1:50 Axonometric Drawing.
1:500 Site Plan.
With a double height ceiling in the main building, you walk into a very open, clear space. Above you is an atrium going along the entire room with local art donated or bought from the community lining the hallways. This space looks down onto the flexible space where workshops and presentations for your children would be held. This means that not only does your child feel safe because they can see you, but you can feel your child is safe as you are watching over them. If you look above you, the angled roof has large windows to let lots of light in, splitting the building into clear sections which is amplified by the change in direction in the roof.
The big windows flood the space with light which compliments the Bucida, a tree that thrives indoors. The atrium can be accessed from the stairs or the lift. The first floor is equipped with a second enclosed meeting space for future planning of the city of Newcastle. This is the smaller of the two meeting rooms in the main building, the other being downstairs. The meeting room downstairs is lined with big two metre tall windows to represent openness with the community. However, these windows have blinds for if there is a presentation for children about architecture. They can go into the enclosed space for a darker atmosphere so that the projector/tv is more clear and the acoustics are better.
1:50 South-West Facade Long Elevation and 1:50 South-East Facade Long Elevation.
1:50 South-East Facade Long Section.
Both floors have toilets and the top floor has three exits going onto the outdoor elevated walkway. This was originally more of a ‘floating platform’, however, I wanted to activate the space underneath so I took chunks of it out to give the whole thing more direction and keep the underside well lit. the walkway going over Stowell street represents a bridge, much like how a lot of people see Newcastle – represented by bridges. After doing some research into millennium bridge, I learned that it was built to join communities between Newcastle and Gateshead as the two sides were deeply divided, historically. I wanted to create that same ethos by making the roofs of my two separate buildings on either side of the ‘bridge’ look like a silhouette of a city skyline. The building on the right represents Newcastle and the building on the left, Gateshead.
That building on the left is the recency. It was modelled after studio apartments. Walking into the space, you are greeted with the living room and kitchen to your left and a wall separating the bed. The space has a toilet and shower, and a staircase leading downstairs. Downstairs is only accessed by the resident, where storage can be utilised and the gallery surrounding the whole outside of the bottom floor of the building can be accessed from the inside.
In front of this building is an amphitheatre – this is for public announcements for the community or presentations for the future of Newcastle. Next to this is the spiral ramp feature, leading straight to the window of the gallery. The amphitheatre is another way to get onto the walkway. There are many ways up and down, to create good circulation of people.
1:100 Concept Model.
Concept Diagrams.
If I were to change anything about my final pieces, I would have rendered more of them. I was intrigued to try partial renders, I like the look of them as a conscious design choice. If I were to change the design of my building, I would have liked to spend more time designing the shapes of the buildings themselves. The intriguing roof helped, however, the buildings are still quite rectangular and I feel that was a missed opportunity to explore.
