Private House

private house thomas bennell re_map

We are principally concerned With the oWnership of space, its perception, demarcation Will be paramount. We Will consider devices of appropriation, enclosure, severance,

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ServicesTebay

and [mis]use... the question of What constitutes territorial, netWorked and residual space fragmentation, and cultutral identification of space. [Unit statement]

barroW-in-furnessA 33 mile cul-de-sac

1 barrow

2 national security

3 obscure

War economy

Private

Hidden in plain view

28%

80%

8.5%

# 1 most Working class toWn in the ukWhite britishpopulation [85% in total united kingdom]

third highest % population on long term

benefits

royal navysubmarinesbuilt in barroW

manufacturing employment

barroW & furness

manufacturingjobs in barroW

With bae systems

united kingdom

98%

95%

22%

Once you can see the target, you can expect to destroy it

The most geographically obscure town in the UK

Here, were so far from where the media might be looking...

Barrow developed as a railway and steel producing town from the 1850s onwards. By the 1890s shipbuilding had grown to dominate the towns economy as it continues to do today. The shipyards at Barrow specialise in designing and making naval vessels and submarines, sold to navies all over the world.

The economic fortunes of the town have therefore been closely tied to world conflict. The end of the cold war hit Barrow hard, with 33% of total jobs lost in the early 1990s.

The nature of work and geographical isolation has resulted in a close-knit homogeneous community. People collectively accept lower wages or shorter working hours to avoid redundancies. This sense of home is often cited by Barrovians as the reason why they wish to remain in the town.

W.J. Perry, former US undersecretary of state for defence

Owen Hatherley, architecture critic

Owen Hatherley

The military has always been concerned with visual information. As Paul Virilio discusses in The Sight Machine, strategic success relies upon knowing the actions of the enemy.

The manufacture of the submarines which form an essential part of the United Kingdoms nuclear deterrent is understandably a senstitive activity. It is vulnerable not only in terms of military and national security but industrial designs and processes also need to be protected from espionage.

As personal experiences in the town have demonstrated, these imperatives lead to restrictions on photography near BAE Systems Barrow Island factories that, while of dubious legal authority, will be physically enforced by private security.

Barrows peripheral location and historically dominant industry combine to create a place with a deeply ingrained culture of privacy.

This culture, borne out of factors which combine to give the town a precarious economic future, could be an important asset for an activity that sought to be discreet.

4 environment

5 retreat

6 high re(s)volution

Austere beauty

Global revolution in imaging technology

Synthetic aesthetic, modern monastery

The famous often use rehab as an excuse to escape from the media...

how can a building be made less vulnerable to invasive photographic intent?

cosmetic surgery

procuedures, 2006-2009,

united kingdom

Elsie Neal, actor and dancer

2009+ 5%34,100 total

2008 + 11%

2007+ 24%

200622,000 total

+

Id say at least 75% of black celebrities have had some cosmetic procedure

While defence procurement may be declining, it is not the only industry to value privacy. Cosemetic surgery procedures continue to grow in popularity amongst the public as well as wealthy celebrities, while many also make use of spa-like rehabilitation centres. Barrows isolated location on a forgotten peninsula, with a security conscious population, beautiful landscape and private airfield suggest an exclusive retreat for the wealthy who wish to discreetly indulge in cosmetic reshaping or recover from addiction without risk to their public image.

The ongoing development of digital cameras and internet media poses an unprecedented challenge to traditional security procedures.

Apparent restrictions on photography are not confined to military sites: personal experience teaches that photographers will experience restrictions near corporate headquarters, transport interchanges and shopping centres. These problems have grown alongside the mass inclusion of cameras in mobile devices, allowing the capture and instant distribution of images across the world.

The question therefore must be asked: whatever the reasons behind this apparent fear of photography,

Ten miles from the Lake District National Park, the south end of Walney Island is designated as a nature reserve of international importance. This is a landscape of dunes and gravel pits, waste tips and shingle beaches. Carelessly used by man, it is scattered with enigmatic monuments to war, navigation and energy production: a ruined castle, lighthouse, offshore wind farms, concrete gun emplacements, gas pipeline, rigs, beacons and the nuclear power station at Heysham. There is a melancholy, lonely beauty here.

30 St. Mary Axe, City of London. Photographs are not permitted in the public plaza.

Apples iPhone, launched in 2007. The high resolution camera in this and other smart phonesautomatically geolocates images, identifies people, and can instantly distribute pictures to twitter, facebook and flickr.

SUBWAY VENT

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HOTEL

3 BED HOUSE

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NATIONAL PARK

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BURY REMOTE

DULL

ACTIVE SECURITY

FUNCTION

ZEIGEIST

SERVICES

STRUCTURE

MUTEDAZZLE

DISGUISE


The revolution in portable and digital imaging technology over the past ten years means that traditional means of controlling photography are increasingly ineffectual, and yet intimidation by the police and private security guards has become so commonplace that professional photographers have marched in protest.

The precise reasons behind this fear of photography remain opaque, but they seem to stem from a fear of terrorism or an invasion of privacy. The difference between a photograph and simply seeing is that a photograpic image can be interrogated for its information at the viewers leisure, while to gain an equivalent picture by looking would require a long

stare and an excellent memory. So the important factor is the visual information about the building that the photograph contains. If any photographs taken contained less relevant information, then would they present such a security risk?

Classic modernism eschewed traditional ornament. Instead, architects often used the buildings function, structure, services or materials to give the building expression and interest. Examples include the Centre Pompidou, where structure and services are dramatically exposed on the facades, or the Richards Laboratories by Louis Kahn in which expressed vertical service towers support laboratory floors with bands of horizontal windows, revealing their

internal form on the facade. This idea of truth is still a dominant idea in contemporary building design, and results in highly legible buildings.

In the context of the fear of terrorists with cameras, however, perhaps alternative means of expression should be sought. An unphotographable building may take many forms, depending on the threat and its purpose. Historic examples and categories are shown above.

Military structures are often hidden out of sight behind guarded perimeters and/or buried. This extreme solution is rarely appropriate to other building uses although it is

7 unphotograph?

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MUTEDAZZLE

DISGUISE


an increasingly popular approach to new development in sensitive environments. Another way of confusing visual information is to use disguise. This approach has also been used by the military, but can take many civilian forms. A popular idea is to disguise, as houses, infrastructure such as substations and vents that are in residential areas. Alternatively, houses have been disguised as agricultural buildings in order to circumvent planning restrictions. Perhaps the mildest form of disguise is pastiche: Poundbury in Dorset is a new housing estate stylistically disguised as an ancient town. These examples suggest that the value of an investigation into the semiotics of buildings may have a wider application than simply security, but is also relevant

to the construction of new or incongruous buildings in sensitive landscapes.

Disguise and burial are, however, relatively crude methods. There is little point disguising a railway terminus as a farmhouse; once the disguise is revealed the ridiculous building would be just as open to photographic capture as before. Other strategies rely on obscuring rather than expressing the important elements of a building. Some contemporary styles wrap the whole in a homogenous veil, resulting in a scale-less, illegible crystalline form that is only half animated by light moving around it or by the indistinct shapes of figures and processes within.

Private house is an opportunity to explore a building programme with reference to the visual information conveyed, in order to protect the privacy of those who seek its services.

ARMED SOLDIER

WATCHTOWER

INFRARED CCTV CAMERA

DO NOT APPROACHNO PHOTOGRAPHY SIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY AND FEARALONGSIDE THE BUFFER ZONENICOSIA, CYPRUS

PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN NATURALLY

PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH GREAT CAUTION

TOO FEARFUL TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPH

photography in a different context:Walking the un buffer zone in nicosia

If the control of photography is an issue in the UK at both quasi-military and non-military sites, then how is it accomplished in a place recently emerging from a long and violent conflict?While the island of Cyprus is a popular tourist destination, its capital city is still divided by a heavily defended demilitarised zone. Photography is illegal here despite attempts to attract visitors. How is it prevented, and what does it feel like?

ARMED SOLDIER

WATCHTOWER







ARMED SOLDIER

WATCHTOWER







begin at the ledra palace hotel checkpoint and Walk east.

The zone is not shown on any civilian maps, so to set out to follow it is necessarily an unplanned journey with unexpected directions. There is a continual process of approach and retreat, made more complex by the labyrinthine street pattern that has been further broken by the zone itself.

In Cyprus it is forbidden to take photographs of any military installations. Pausing within sight of a sentry will result in the enquiry: can I help you? Recording the zone by taking photographs is problematic. The act of taking a photograph becomes a way of describing the environment beyond the mere content of the image. It is a way of indexing fear.

To approach the barricade down a narrow street is to enter the grey area of the zone. An old couple leave a house which except for the front door is entirely within the zone. Elsewhere, furniture and car repair workshops form the crumbling boundary of the zone itself.

Any systematic survey will attract attention. Be careful not to pause for too long in any one place close to the boundary. Try to avoid taking photographs when there are people around, or if you hear an engine approaching (several military jeeps). To be near the zone is to be constantly on edge.

Perhaps you can be too cautious. My walk resulted in an old man becoming angry, shouting from his suburban garden as his wife looked on. That was all. There is a park on the Roccas bastion where the zone is unusually thin. The park is fenced all the way round and there is a sentry at the entrance, but there are swings and slides, children playing, and a small pavilion selling Turkish coffee.

The park contains two concrete structures, one at each end. They are staircases going down into the ground. They are marked WC, ladies and gents. There are lines of vent shafts poking up through the ground between the staircases. The WC signs must be the cheapest disguise a bunker has ever had.

Being split in two has not been a good thing for the old city. Old, congested, with basic amenities, mud-brick buildings and narrow streets, it was always at risk of being forgotten and impoverished. But it is now forcibly on the periphery of both Turkish Nicosia and Greek Nicosia. The labyrinthine streets lead to barricades.

A590A590A590A590

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a residential retreat for wealthy celebrities who need medical assistance to enable them to overcome drug problems or indulge in cosmetic reshaping.

8 programme

While the treatment of drug misuse and the practice of cosmetic surgery may initially seem to be a curious hybrid, both are closely related to the pressures of celebrity, and may recur in the career of a single individual. Medically and emotionally, both client groups require seclusion and isolation while a treatment programme is followed. Th e cosmetic clients are not ill, and will expect appropriate levels of indulgence, while the drug rehab clients are not subject to restraint and must be encouraged to remain.

An environment must be created that is a controlled blend of luxury hotel, private clinic, comfortable home, and monastic retreat. Th ree distinct groups: the rehab clients, the beauty clients, and the staff , move between shared spaces and individual spaces. Th ere is potential to use architectural means to control and shape the relationships between these groups, and ultimately to create a building whose design generates an emotional bond with its users and contributes to the healing process: a memorable interior housed in a forgettable shell.

Th e programme off ers an unusual opportunity to explore architectural responses to the control of image, space and orientation both for the public and for clients. Th e disconnection between the requirements of the building as seen from the outside and as experienced on the inside translate into a deliberate separation in architectural approach to the external form and materials, and internal spaces.

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Clerks Clerks

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Public Witnesses Magistrate

Jury Cubicle hall

Male cells

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Interview

Advocate Jury

three separate but contiguous buildings which, like pieces of a Rubiks cube, happen to interlock

circulation Within a typical county court buildingafter Dr. Julienne Hanson, Th e architecture of justice, arq: Vol 1: summer 1996

BIGGAR

REFUSE TIP

SOUTH END

FAR SOUTH END[RUIN]

NAVIGATION BEACON

GROYNES

GROYNES

HIDE

HIDE

HIDE

HIDE

HIDE HIDE

OYSTER FARM

LIGHTHOUSE

JETTY [DIS]

HIDE

HIDE

JETTY[DIS]

PIEL CASTLE[RUIN]

0.0m/yr

-0.3m/yr

-0.8m/yr

+4.4m/yr

Mawfla

t Lane (public road)

Caravan parkCaravan parkCaravan park

Biggar village

Th e site chosen is the south end of Walney Island, six miles off the end of the A590 in the centre of Barrow. Out here the landscape is wild, open and empty, far from the suburban settlements further north.

Access by road is along a single track lane; the only road access to the island is across Jubilee Bridge via BAE Systems Barrow Island complex. It is therefore very easy to monitor traffi c to or from the site.

At the north end of the island, Barrow Aerodrome provides access for private jets and helicoters.

Th e far south end of the island is a nature reserve with small visitor display. It is popular with bird watchers and those who come to see the shingle, Piel Castle on its island and the lighthouse. Development here is prohibited and it is too public for the private house.

Between the reserve and the tiny medival village of Biggar further north is a large recently closed landfi ll site, which forms a long low hill. Th e shore side of this hill is comparatively distant from the public lane and hidden from it by the hills bulk; the recent history of landfi lling means that the nearby caravan site and farms are screened from it with large earth banks and hedges. It is at this point that the gas pipeline from rigs in Morecambe Bay crosses the island, and there are large warning pillars. Any new structure here would be discreetly screened by the topography and could be interpreted as part of the gas infrastructure.

Th e landfi ll site contains 600,000 m of municipal solid waste and landfi ll gas from the site could power a CHP system for the project for the next forty years.

Th e landfi ll must also be protected from coastal erosion, so the private house can benefi t from existing coastal defence.

9 site

Th e map shows the location and subject of photographs available on the internet from walney-island.com, walneyisle.co.uk, southlakes-uk.co.uk, madaboutmountains.com, geograph.org.uk, federicamonsone.com, fl ickr. com, and panoramio.com. Th ese sites were the top links for the google search walney island. Although certainly not an exhaustive search, they provide a good indication of the parts of Walney Island that are most attractive to photographers and that are most visible to the online public. Th e most photographed view/feature by some margin was the castle on piel Island, followed by the groynes and lighthouse. Th ere are large areas of the island that are not photographed at all: these are generally poor-quality agricultural land.

Th e density of photography must be put into context: a comparison of a larger area using the site geograph.com indicated that while the oS grid square that covers Barrow town centre had 24 photographs and Barrow island (home of BAE Systems) had 20,the most photographed square on south Walney had just12 and most had only one.

BIGGAR

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LIGHTHOUSE

JETTY [DIS]

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JETTY [DIS]

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10 form

perfect World

Th e top fl oor and surgical suite, used by the beauty clients, is intended to be pure and perfect beyond anything normally experienced in the physical environment.

In this way it provides reassurance about the clinical responsibility of the centre, whilst also reinforcing the impression that it is possible to transcend earthly constraints on beauty and perfection.

high, bright, openWeather, horizon

sheltered, Warmescape from landscape

Bedroom at the Hotel Puerta America, Zaha Hadid Architects.Lined with seamless white LG Hi-Macs (solid surface)

Chapelle Notre-Dame du Haut, le Corbusier

vertical stratification

sea Wall

Every room faces directly out to sea.Each room is articulated as a separate form.Form and materials refer to Second World War pillboxes, half buried and shifting in the dunes.Th e long corridor is broken into changing vistas by shifted rooms.Heavy materials are reassuring and protective.

object horizontal

inscrutable skin

Th e main body of the building is unifi ed into a single, cryptic block by a skin of louvres and mesh materials. Th is skin protects the inhabitants from external voyeurs while allowing views outside, removing the need for windows. As a result, the form becomes scale-less: it is much harder to judge its size or distance. Its purpose is also diffi cult to read - habitation or infrastructure?

bifurcated end

Th e common spaces of both beauty and rehab programmes each demand a share of the best part of the building.

Splitting the end gives each an obscured view to the other.

St Andrews Beach House,Sean Godsell ArchitectsTransparency changes depending on viewing angle.Skin results in homogenous, scale-less form

Plan, Rome Zumthor spatial arrangement

Th erme Vals,Peter Zumthor

Th erme Vals,concept sketch by the architect

thermal baths

irregular geometry spatial complexity

As the programme seeks to explore a building of ambiguous meaning on the outside, so an irregular interior is created.

Studies have found that environments which may initially seem confusing paradoxically become highly imageable with time and familiarity. Mediaeval town centres are good examples. Th ey can also seem much larger as the edges of the domain are not immediately perceived.

Clients of this building will be spending signifi cant periods confi ned within, so it is vital that they do not become tired of its spaces. Th e initial disorientation, developing into a proud territorial knowledge, should affi rm the treatment processes practiced within the centre.

Th e spatial arrangements of Peter Zumthor, neither fi gure nor ground, provide an instructive precedent.

loW perpendicular

Sky space, James Turrell

private house [project, 2009]

the past ten years have seen a revolUtion in popUlar image technology, enabling the rapid distribUtion of images across the world. the corresponding increase in secUrity and privacy concerns has resUlted in attempts to restrict photography in pUblic places. what woUld a bUilding designed to address these fears look like? private house proposes a residential retreat for wealthy celebrities who need medical assistance to enable them to overcome drUg problems or indUlge in cosmetic reshaping. their wealth, and the risk to their image if sUch treatment were to become known, demands the design of an UnUsUally low-key yet high qUality bUilding.

this programme explores complex issUes of power, control and ownership of space both externally, in the way the bUilding responds to its context and location, and internally, how the bUilding can have a powerfUl healing effect on its patients as well as providing the necessary technical and organisational framework for their treatment.

site

1 mean high water

2 mawflat lane

3 gatehouse and visitor accommodation

4 staff accommodation

5 landfill site

6 main building

7 kitchen garden

1

1

1

1

34

5

2

6

7

plan roof

aa

aa

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cc

dd

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dd

plan first floor

9

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1

aa

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10

1 rehab common room

2 rehab communal kitchen

3 rehab snug with hearth

4 rehab library

5 cosmetic lounge and bar

6 cosmetic restaurant kitchen

7 store

8 laundry

9 beauty suite

10 rehab orientation suite

aa

bb

cc

dd

bb

cc

dd

plan groUnd floor

1 porte-cochre

2 client entrance

3 directors office

4 group therapy

5 individual therapy

6 rehab cell

7 camera obscura

8 exit cell

9 craft workshop

10 greenhouse

11 gym

12 massage

13 cosmetic recovery

14 ensuite

15 medical practitioners office

16 staff entrance

17 security centre

18 staff toilets

19 general office

20 managers office

21 office

22 loading bay

1

3

11

9

17

16

5

1314

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5

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12

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15

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22

2

aa

aa

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dd

plan basement

1 sauna

2 steam bath

3 shower

4 wheelchair changing

5 surgical preparation

6 anaesthetics

7 operating theatre

8 recovery

9 therapy observation room

10 wc

11 pharmacy

12 operating theatre plant

3545

161

3

34

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2

2

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16

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6. releasesmall room with no windows

approached through dark tunnel of camera obscura

through barely noticed door

last night spent here; meals and entertainment provided in room

after goodbyes, no human contact

in the morning the door is found to be unlocked

opens to outside and waiting car

1. disembarkationpaved courtyard sheltered under concrete fins

2. Welcomethrough narrow doorway and vestibule

large desk, armchairs and bookcases

meet director, welcome, discuss treatment programme

3. first night / assessmentbright, translucent room approached by lift

first night spent here

meals and entertainment provided in room

in morning, leave by different door and

descend stairs

4. roommonastic cell, through one of many identical doors in corridor

deep wooden window reveal to sit and observe horizon

also through embrasure by bath

5. therapyled back up corridor

through concrete hall up staircase to common room

introduced to other clients

free to explore baths, workshops, gym, camera obscura and garden;

appointments for therapy rooms

therapeutic programme begins

inhabitation rehab

1. disembarkation /9. exit

paved courtyard sheltered under concrete fins

2. Welcome /8. release

through narrow doorway and vestibule

large desk, armchairs and bookcases

meet director, welcome, discuss treatment programme/

meet director, conclusion of treatment

3. roombright, translucent, white room

large with freestanding services

private lounge/study area

entertainment and meals available here

views along coast

4. relaxationintroduced to lounge and restaurant

free to explore building; find gym, spa, workshops, garden

massage to soothe stresses of journey

5. preparationnext morning

led from room through different door down different passage

lift to surgery

6. rescuscitationrecover in bed with view of sky high above

when well enough, move to recovery room on ground floor

with view of kitchen garden

7. recoverystay for as long as needed in original room; about two weeks for

visible bruising to disappear

inhabitation cosmetic

elevation to soUth east

elevation to north west

elevation to north east

elevation to soUth west

long section aa

cross section bb

16 pool 45 pool surgery corridor

fitness suite

beauty suites

drive

rehab orientation suitebeauty suites

porte-cochre directors office

changing boxes

surgery corridor sauna changing boxes beauty suite craft rooms greenhouse loading bay and plant

surgical prep

operating theatre therapy / observation room

rehab common roomlibrary (quiet space)group therapy

cross section cc

cross section dd

rehab main stairs

wall mounted showers

bath 35

bath 16

fitness suite beauty suite

surgery corridor

central management office staff toiletsstaff garden entrance

disabled changing

laundry

recovery recovery snug group therapy operating theatre anaesthetics rehab cell (bed) rehab cell (bath)

rehab cell rehab cell (bed) rehab cell (bath)

pUblic road

Th e fi rst sight of the centre from Mawfl at Lane, as it bends around the marsh. Th e two long sheds are designed to resemble in form and materials the farm buildings common on this part of the island. Th ey are strategically positioned behind

an existing earth bank to reduce their visibility, while blocking any further views into the site. Th e large opening is the entrance to the site, controlled by a recessed gatehouse and large barn doors.

access track

In context on the shore. Th e main building sits in a hollow between the rise of the landfi ll and the hill at the navigation beacon. Its upper storey, a horizontal monolith wrapped in multiple layers of louvres and meshes, is an inscrutable scale-less form in the wide landscape. Without visible windows or other signs of

human habitation, it becomes a piece of infrastructure alongside the gas terminals, turbines and beacons characteristic of the bay.Below, transverse rows of rough cast, turf covered concrete cells form a protective sea wall as if all the second war pillboxes on Walney had been lined up together.

porte-cochre

Disembarkation from the convoy of luxury vehicles is in a sheltered courtyard within the building, avoiding the disorientating experience of walking though a car park. Above, a mesh of deep concrete beams fi lters light and prevents surveillance.

directors office

Th e initial experience at the centre is a fi nal consultation with the director. Th e o ce is a traditional square room, with fl oor to ceiling wooden shelves fi lled with books and a large oak desk. Th ese are intended to provide reassurance of the directors authority. Windows overlook a severe garden of marram grass and shingle.

rehab common room

High over the beach with views along the shore, the rehab clients common room is for informal therapy through social activity. Clients are required to cook meals together around the central long table which is also used for dining and group activities. A small, cosy room with a fi replace and tiny window overlooking the

main stairs provides a warm escape from wintry weather while a sunken library above the group therapy hall is a place to sit alone.

cosmetic loUnge

In the same elevated position the beauty clients lounge provides high quality meals prepared by chefs, served by waiters to individual tables. Here the emphasis is on individual perfection.

Th e narrow slot between the common room and the lounge allows for indistint shapes to be seen moving in the other space.

cosmetic sUite corridor

Th e operation rooms may be used for all types of cosmetic treatment, not just surgery. It is important to create an almost surreal impression of high technology and sanitary perfection. White solid surface is used to line walls and ceiling, with radiused corners and LED light mats behind the translucent material. Th ese rooms

have no windows but there is no sense of being in a basement, just disconnected from the base, material world.

therme

At the centre of both the rehab and cosmetic programmes, the thermal baths occupy the basement of the building. Cave-like, faceted spaces lead o each other to be explored and to become lost in. Pools of di erent sizes and depths hold water that ranges from chill to nearly scalding. Small openings lead to saunas and steam rooms. Th e exploring client will fi nd showers at certain points under smaller daylight illuminated slots and niches to rest in. Th e layout is anchored by a

central conical void rising irregularly above the main pool to a view of the sky at the top of the building. Th e cone is pierced by tiny openings at all fl oors allowing glimpses of activity on fl oors with very di erent functions.

groUp therapy

As the principal functional space in the structured rehabilitation programme, the group therapy room is given prominence in the plan. Formally more refi ned than the irregular cone of the thermal baths, it occupies an asymmetric square pyramid with occulus. Th is creates a sacred atmosphere, a rming the importance of the activities practiced there. Th e main circulation between the bed cells and the common room passes through this space, down a staircase that winds around two

corners with openings at di erent levels o ering raised perspectives of the space.

rehab cell corridor

Th e small bedrooms for rehab clients are laid out along a single corridor. Th is ensures that all the rooms have a view over the sea and prevents territorial groups forming. At the far end, a camera obscura provides a distant space of contemplation and ensures that the full length of the corridor is public territory - there is no

sense of entering a cul-de-sac. Th e individual cells are shifted slightly relative to each other as if the sand on which they sit had shifted over time, something that has happened to the second

world war defences along the coast. Th is results in a complex space with changing perspectives, quite di erent to an institutional corridor where the end is visible at all times.

rehab cell

In contrast to the luxurious spaces clients may be used to, the accommodation here is provided in tiny, monastic cells. Th e furniture is built in to the fi ne concrete fl oor, walls and ceiling. Th e bed is positioned just below a large window looking out to sea so that lying down feels protected from the elements, but sitting up

allows expansive views. A deep wooden reveal allows somewhere to sit and think.

exit cell

Th e form of the induction sequence into the rehab programme is intended to create a physical disconnection with the past: it is impossible to remember or to fi nd the way in, and therefore there is no way back.

Th e exit room creates this separation at the end of the programme. Its entrance is concealed in the darkest part of the camera obscura and once inside, the door is hidden in the fi tted furniture. Th ere is symbolically and physically no returning to old habits.

Th e room is has a familiar layout but without views; instead light comes down from the ceiling. Unlike the wood and concrete used for the accommodation cells, this room is white, for purity and perfection.

Th e rehab client spends one night here. In the morning, the only door in the room is found to be unlocked. It opens to the expansive landscape outside, symbolic of freedom.

technological and legal resolution

Initial structural concept as described in the text.

structural considerations

The building proposal is generally not structurally unusual. Most of the accommodation is housed in single or two-storey blocks, and there are few very large spaces requiring large spans. The proposal does, however, include a large cantilever, and numerous spaces that are either partially or wholly buried.

The site is very exposed and the building will have to be designed to resist live weather loads greater than normally expected. Wind loads will be particularly strong, and may be made more powerful in fierce storms by spray from the sea. Because the site is so close to the sea, there is a small possibility of a storm and tidal surge that could inundate the site. The structure must resist such an event.

lt is unlikely that snow loads will be significant in this location.

Loads create the forces that the structure must resist. Dead loads are generally the weight of the structure itself and anything that it must always carry such as claddings, finishes, and fixtures and fittings like built-in furniture. Their weight is not expected to vary greatly for the life of the structure.

Live loads are hmporary or variable. They include the weight of movable furniture, people, equipment and vehicles, and also the forces imposed by weather such as wind or the weight of rain or snow.

foundation tactics

The site covers an area of land that is both immediately adjacent to, and partly on, a recently closed landfill site. Even the land that is not landfill appears to have been raised in level by tipping. Below this layer, the ground is made of glacial deposition of clays, sand and gravel. This can be observed in the sea cliffs adjacent to the site. The site is about 1 mile from former commercial gravel workings.This combination rasults in extramely suspect bearing conditions, and much of the building will be carried on friction piles. Two spaces do not require piles, which areexpensive and difficult to remove when the building is demolished. The buried spa, which will be below the level of fill and on firm ground, will have a reinforced concrete raft. Because it is buried, it is not expected that much settlement will take place because the imposed load of the building is unlikely to exceed the weight of soil removed. The columns that support the greenhouse will not carry sufficient load to justify piles and will rest on concrete pad foundations.

primary structure

The building contains spaces with distinct characters: those that are earth-bound, either completely or semi-buried, and those that are lighter or higher. The earth-bound spaces will be built from reinforced concrete and the lighter spaces of steel.

This division will allow the qualities of each material to be exploited, both experientially and structurally. The earth-bound spaces will use the concrete as retaining walls and slabs to support heavy roofs. where the loads are evenly distributed.The lighter relative weight of steel better suits the cantilevered space and the greenhouse, where the frame structure concentrates loads and allows for large andfreely placed windows.

secondary and tertiary structure

The steel structure will be infilled with dense concrete block walls and precast concrete plank floors to provide thermal mass and structural rigidity.The primary structure of the greenhouse will be sufficient to support a proprietary patent glazing system.

1 structure

ROOFFins made from Siberian Larch, corten steel, and galvanised steel left natural and painted black

Corten steel grating, 76x25 mm mesh, bars 2mm thick, rods 4mm , on lightweight corten steel support structure

Steel section purlin to support fins and grating. Spans 4m between posts. Painted dark grey

Hot-rolled steel posts at 4m intervals, painted anthracite black. Bolted connection throughflashing between Kalwall panels above portal frames, to minimise thermal bridging

Kalwall 100 Skyroof system

Hot-rolled steel section purlin to support Kalwall Skyroof, painted dark grey

Steel post to support roof structure above, painted dark grey

I -section steel portal frame, painted dark grey

0.2 mm perforated steel tray, painted white, in light steel frame

EXTERNAL WALLFins made from Siberian Larch, corten steel, and galvanised steel left natural and painted black

RETAINIING WALL50 mm basalt slab

110 mm foamed glass rigid insulation board

Bituminous waterproofing layer

300 mm reinforced concrete

100 mm basalt block



50 mm blinding100 mm hardcore

BASEMENT FLOOR

10 mm fibreglass honeycomb thermal insulation



Aluminium curtain wall system, dark grey, with triple glazed, argon-filled units with two low-E coatingsMechanically operated louvres


Unheated service corridor

Channel glass (eg. Pilkington Profilit) wall, double-layer

Structure

Weatherproof envelope

Thermal isolation

sustainability

Environmental issues have, over the past decade, become so well known and pressing as to become almost mainstream. Th e growth in living standards and resource consumption across the world threatens to have disatrous consequences for all of us if we do not reduce the damaging eff ects of our activities.

Th is goes further than the simple carbon equation that has become so dominant. We have a wider responsibility, for example not to poison ourselves and environments in resource extraction and processing or use. Large-scale destruction of habitiats must be avoided.

But this project does not propose an eco building. As a thesis project, it must focus on certain architectural questions, there are control, surveillance, the legibility of spaces and visual obscurity. Th e building proposal that has been produced is really a fi rst sketch attempt at exploring these themes. In its formal and material resolution, environmental priorities have necessarily been secondary to these themes.

Th e building uses large quanities of steel, concrete, stone and glass - all materials that have a considerable environmental

impact in production. Th ese costs have to be balanced against the expected lifespan of the building and its running costs. Th e buildings considerable expense, robustness and quality of fi nish would encourage a long life.A more detailed discussion of how this proposal responds to environmental issues will follow on sheet 2.

skin: intent

external appearance Homogeneous, scaleless, monolithicSuggestion of activity visible behind the facade, but without clarity. Must be resistant to a photographers telephoto lens.

internal experience Contrast between buried space and elevated spaceBasement warm, wet, dark. Retreat from harsh landscape outside. Masonry and thick walls

First fl oor accommodation for cosmetic surgery patients. Translucent, white. Nothing completely opaque, but diff use glow of daylight from all surfaces. Pure and perfect. Moving shapes give a suggestion of activity.

Ground fl oor gym mediates between these extremes. Stone fl oor and concrete ceiling with diff use glass walls. Timber changing cubicles. A more natural materiality than above.

structure

below ground: reinforced concrete box foundation/basement. In made-up ground of indeterminate loadbearing capacity by the sea, so thick concrete walls used.

above ground: Steel portal frames at approx. 4m intervals, spanning the full width of the building (approximately 16m). First fl oor reinforced concrete slab with exposed soffi t suspended from the portal frames to provide column-free space. Some support provided by reinforced concrete light funnels that protrude the height of the building from the basement.

Weatherproof envelope Kalwall 100 skyroof system and proprietary aluminium curtain wall system above ground. DPM below ground.

thermal envelope To achieve desired translucent eff ect, very diffi cult to achieve necessary thermal performance in a single layer. Rather, several layers of materials overlap. Walls have unheated service corridor as thermal buff er.

legislation

Approved documents that are relevant to this building section include:Part A, structure; Part B2, Fire Safety; Part C, resistance to contaminants and moisture; Part E, resistance to sound; Part F, ventilation; Part K, protection from falling, collision and

2 detail study















100 mm basalt block




BASEMENT FLOOR








Structure


Thermal isolation















100 mm basalt block




BASEMENT FLOOR








Structure


Thermal isolation

impact; Part L2A, conservation of fuel and power in new buildings other than dwellings; and Part N, glazing. Th e Approved Document with the greatest impact on this section of the building is Part L2A, because it defi nes the thermal and solar performance that the facade must achieve. L2A takes a holistic approach to the buildings environmental performance, and includes many relevant factors. Importantly, it specifi es maximum limits for thermal transmittance of materials in the building envelope. Th ese are defi ned both as area-weighted averages and as single element values, and are expressed as U-values (W/mK), for diff erent elements (wall, roof etc.) of a building.

Wall Requirement for curtain wall: area weighted average 2.2 W/mK, max. element, 3.3 W/mK.Th is solution: Triple-glazing units with two low-E coatings are available with U-values as low as 0.7 W/mK, but the aluminium framing systems usually are less insulating. A typical average U-value for an aluminium curtain wall system with double glazed, argon fi lled, low-E coated glass is 2.1 W/mK, meeting the minimum requirement. Because of the large area of curtain wall, there may however be problems achieveing the overall TER.

retaining wall Requirement: 0.35 W/mKTh is specifi action: For 110mm Foamglas on 150mm in-situ concrete, U=0.33 W/mK (Source: Foamglas). Th is meets the requirements alone, but the earth will aid insulation.

roof Requirement: area weighted average 0.25 W/mK,

max. element, 0.35 W/mK.Th is solution: Kalwall 100 Skyroof with 8% light transmission is U=0.45 W/mK. Th is is not low enough, so this design includes a 10mm honeycomb fi breglass sheet, which may reduce the thermal transmittance suffi ciently.Notes: Th e requirements for roofs are much greater than for skylights, so if it proves impossible to reach the average U-value required for a roof then the design will still meet the requirements as a skylight. Although the roof will then be insulated more than the mimimum required for a skylight, it is likely that the additional insulation will be required to achieve the TER for the whole building.

floor Requirement: area weighted average 0.25 W/mKTh is specifi cation: For 100mm Foamglas under 150mm reinforced concrete on soil, U=0.19 W/mK, so well within the requirements. Source: Foamglas

security

Whole building Th e location and form of the building have been chosen with security in mind. Th e building is physically remote from public roads, on an island accessible only via a single bridge. Th e site will be fenced, and there will be a dedicated security team who will patrol the site and watch CCTV cameras full-time. Road access is along a single drive through a security gatehouse. Th ere are three entrance doors, all controlled by electronic locks that have to be operated by members of staff .

this section Th e external fi ns and mesh provide visual as well as physical security. Low-level opening windows are positioned behind the mesh, which prevents unauthorised access.

communication

Th e building will be equipped with a wired network with network points in appropriate locations, in adddition to a wireless network for notebooks and portable technologies. Th e steel mesh cage should prevent unauthorised network access from outside the building.

furniture

Beds and bathrooms in accommodation rooms are built in as part of the design of the space. In the addict clients rooms, the broad windowledge serves as a seat.Th e catering kitchen makes use of fi xed stainless steel units, while the addict clients kitchen is one end of a long fi xed table that they also use to eat and for games and craft activities.

Certain spaces require specialised furniture, for example the operating theatre. Th is space is designed to accommodate a full-size ICU hospital bed. In the gym, changing rooms are fi xed but designed to appear as separate, timber objects in the space.

3 form Environmental considerations

Walney island, in the irish sea, is a harsh environment. prevailing south-Westerly Winds are very strong and there is the risk of sea flooding.

In response to this, and to maximise sea views from clients rooms, a string of robust concrete accommodation rooms runs along the shoreline. Th is sea wall protects the building behind, and, with earth banks at the ends, should provide some resistance to storm surges (which climate change and sea-level rise are likely to make more common). Th is very elongated form does increase the amount of external wall, increasing material use and heat loss. Heat loss is reduced by the very thick wall and earth sheltering (the tops of these blocks are covered with a deep layer of beach sand, pebbles, and soil forming a brown roof, and earth is banked up around the sides of them).

A sheltered, south-facing garden is created where the central block crosses this sea wall. A greenhouse block faces south west to the garden to gain the most sunlight.

Th e garden, while being an essential part of therapy for addict clients, will also be an important source of seasonal, organic, zero food-miles produce.

Earth sheltered blocks

Translucent, screened block

Sea:coastal erosionstorm surge

Strong prevailing SW wind

South facing garden and greenhousesheltered from wind

Naturally ventilated areas

Areas with special requirements

4 hvacnatural ventilation through opening WindoWs supplemented Where essential.

Th e earth sheltered parts of the building are single-storey with narrow plans and are therefore suitable for this type of ventilation. Th ey will be thermally massive with small areas of glazing and good insulation, and will be heated using underfl oor heating which, being low temperature and slow to respond to temperature fl uctuations, is ideal for this situation. Bathrooms will be equipped with simple mechanical extract ventilation.

Th e three-storey part of the building shown in the sections below is made of a masonry basement containing the spa and a two-storey glazed shed containing the gym, accommodation suites and common areas. Th e basement is mechanically ventilated and locally heated, and the shed is largely naturally ventilated apart from the gym which is supplied with cooled air, and the bathrooms and kitchens which have simple mechanical extact ventilation.

summer day

Th e mesh screens the inside of the building from the high angle of the hot midday sun. To cool the building, strip windows at the top and bottom of the service passages are automatically opened by the building energy management system. Hot air collects at the top of the double-height service passage and rises through the top window, drawing cooler air in through the bottom window. If there is a wind, there may also be cross ventilation between the top windows.

Th e basement is thermally massive and will remain at at relatively constant temperature throughout the year. It is highly insulated, and generally heated by the hot water pools, saunas and steam rooms (which are individually controlled)

Th e gym is supplied with cooled air at a positive pressure. Th e ceiling has an exposed concrete soffi t which is cooled, reducing the radiant temperature of the space.

summer night

Windows remain open as necessary.

Winter day

Th e lower angle of the winter sun can penetrate the mesh layer and heat the inside of the building.

Th e windows are closed by the BEMS, with trickle ventilation as necessary.

Th e inner parts of the building are heated using trench heaters at the base of the glass walls to counter down-drafts, with the unheated service passages serving as a thermal buff er zone. Th e gym is not heated by trench heaters but the temperature of the air supplied is varied. Th is is because temperatures in this space will fl uctuate rapidly depending on use and a system that responds rapidly will be required.

Winter night

Bedrooms are generally cooler than other spaces, so the heating will not usually be used during the night.

noise

Th e building is remote from other human activity, so external noises are likely to be natural. Th ese may be more desirable than human activities (the sound of waves on the beach) or potentially diffi cult (wind whistling in the facade fi ns). Th e site is downwind from the Off shore Walney Wind Farm, although that is 7km away and it is unlikely to cause signifi cant noise.

Noise is unlikely to be a problem anywhere in the building except the bedrooms and therapy rooms. Th e addict client bedrooms and therapy rooms are remote from the rest of the building in the sea wall and, with thick concrete walls, earth-covered roofs and double-glazed windows are unlikely to be adversely aff ected by internal or external noise.

summer day

summer night

Winter day

Winter night

5 lighting

Th e aim has been to use daylight as interestingly as possible.

Th e top fl oor of the building is intended to be gently translucent, while the basement is dark and lit dramatically by light fi ltering down from above in concrete shafts.

Artifi cial lights will reinforce this, being placed invisibly in the ceiling on the top fl oor. In the basement they will not attempt to replace the day light shafts: instead, artifi cial lights in diff erent places will emphasise the change from day to night.

Generally daylit through windows

Generally daylit through translucent facadeGenerally artificially lit, daylit through light voids

day night

Primary heat supply and circuit

Supplementary heat sources

Heat load

Th e earth sheltered parts of the building have narrow plans and are lit through windows. Th e addict clients rooms have relatively large windows on a single side, looking south west across the sea. Th is could lead to problems with glare although the fi ne metal mesh that will cover the windows to provide a visual screen will probably reduce this. Th e rooms will be carefully lit, with variations in the intensity of light and indiviually controllable lamps.

In the three storey part of the building, the layers gradually reduce the intensity of daylight while providing their own shadows or diff usion. Th e Kalwall 100 skyroof allows only 8% diff use light transmission: the intention is not to have a brightly glowing ceiling, as in a conservatory. Th e ceiling

6 energy

Th e building is sited next to a large recently completed landfi ll tip that took MSW (municipal solid waste) from Barrow. According to the Environment Agency, (Guidance on landfi ll gas fl aring, 2002), landfi ll gas is fl ammable and is, on average, composed of 50% methane. Th is gas has a greenhouse gas potential 21 times greater than CO2 (www.energ.co.uk), and 46% of UK methane emissions come from landfi ll (EA). Burning landfi ll gas is environmentally benefi cial because it converts methane into CO2 which has a lower warming potential. Th ere is cuurently a fl are installed at the entrance to the site.

It is proposed to use the collected landfi ll gas to power a trigeneration mini-CHP system. Landfi ll gas production varies according to the age of the site and prevailing atmospheric conditions, to to be sure of a reliable fuel supply

the energy plant is also connected to the gas main.CHP uses an engine to drive an electrical generator. Th e waste heat from this engine is used to heat the building. Because electricity is required all year, heat is produced all year and CHP systems are best suited to programmes that can make use of this heat all the time: that have a relatively constistent thermal load. One of the best examples of this is a swimming pool.

In a trigeneration system, the heat is also used to drive an absorbtion chiller to provide cold water for air conditioning units.

Heat that is not required for the pool or general space heating or cooling can be fed preferentially to the greenhouse, located above the plant room. Because all

landfill gas + chp

will change with the weather and seasons. Th e walls will allow more light through, and here it is intended that people passing along the service corridors will appear as vague silhouettes. Artifi cial lights are located above the translucent ceiling, so that light fi lters through during the night as it does in the day. Mechanically adjusted louvres in bedroom walls and ceilings will allow them to be completely blacked out for sleep.

Th ere are certain parts of the building which require very specifi c lighting. Th e operating theatre, for example, will be supplied with a proprietary adjustable lighting system. Th e craft workshops will have general diff use illunination and also individual anglepoise type lamps for task lighting.

the heat produced must be used to prevent the engine overheating and shutting down, there is a radiator heat dump on the roof to exhaust unusable heat (for example, on a hot summer day) to the atmosphere.

Because the pool will be emptied often (the Th erme Vals is refi lled once a week) there is a separate tank where used pool water is retained while a heat pump recovers its heat.

CHP systems are ineffi cient if run at less than full load, so are generally sized to supply the usual running load of the building. A small gas boiler is included in the system to cope with unusually high demand (for example, very cold winter days)

7 fire Th e central part of this building is intended to be experienced as a landscape where diff erent areas are ambiguously defi ned. Open voids connect the fl oors and partitions are made from translucent materials. It would be diffi cult for such a building to meet the guidance of Approved Document B, so a fi re-engineered solution is proposed.

means of escape

Residents of the single-storey ground fl oor rooms can escape out of the windows, which will be designed as escape windows. Th e escape distance from the wheelchair accessible room to the nearest wheelchair accessible fi re escape is 18m, the maximum allowable distance where escape is possible in both directions. Th e three storey part of the building will be fi tted with sprinklers, which mean that escape distances can be increased. Th ere are four staircases from the top fl oor to the ground, of which two are designated fi re escape staircases, and one door for horizontal escape (the building is built into a hill).Th ere are fi ve staircases that connect the basement with the ground fl oor, of which two are designated fi re escape stairs. One of these is continuous up the building and the other is separate as recommended by Approved Document B. Although the basement is sprinklered, the fi re escape distances are within recommended limits (18/35 for residential other or 18/45 for recreation buildings)

compartmentation

Th e building breaks down naturally into fi re compartments, as shown on the plans. Th e largest compartment is in the central part of the building, and stretches from the spa in the basement through the gym and changing facilities on the ground fl oor to the sleeping accommodation on the top fl oor. Areas of greater fi re risk, such as the kitchens, snug with open fi re, medical suite with operating theatre and plant rooms are separated by compartment walls.

Th is compartment is large because this part of the building has many open voids and areas defi ned using translucent materials. If the fi re risk to the sleeping clients on the top fl oor is too great, is may be possible to create protected fi re escape passages where the service passage is (dotted line on plans) by replacing the Pilkington Profi lit channel glass walls with fi re-resisting glass, but this is very expensive and does not have the obscuring eff ect of the Profi lit.

Th e basement spaces will require smoke vents, not shown on the plans.

equipment

Th e building will have a centralised fi re detection system compliant with BS 5839: Part 1 (required for residential institutions), linked to water sprinklers. Th ere will be both ceiling mounted, automatic smoke and heat detectors and manual break-glass alarm points. Th e sprinkler system will have its own reservoir tanks and pumps to ensure suffi cient water pressure.

Th ere will be handheld fi re extinguishers provided in all areas of greater fi re risk, including the kitchens, plant room, craft room, snug with open fi re and the operating theatre where a combination of fl ammable gas used as anaesthetic, pure oxygen and very bright lights (which make fl ames invisible) create a signifi cant fi re risk. Kitchens will also be provided with fi re blankets.

Escape routes will be provided with appropriate signage and fail-safe electronic locks.

Because the access road runs past the building, at least 15% of the perimeter of the building is accessible to fi re appliances. Th is is the most that Approved Document B requires. A building of this size does not require fi re-fi ghting shafts or fi re mains.

legislation

Th e building must be shown to meet Requirement B1 from the Building Regulations 2000: Th e building shall be designed and constructed so that there are appropriate provisions for the early warning of fi re, and appropriate means of escape in case of fi re from the building to a place of safety outside the building capable of being safely and eff ectively used at all material times.

26

14

4621

36

15

18

8

18

25

19

15

11

Sprinklered areaFire escape staircaseArea of special fire riskEscape doors Escape doors from protected staircaseEscape route, withEscape distance (m)15

12

3

1 Mawfl at lane, public water supply and sewer2 Gatehouse buildings with stopcock and meter,

recycling and bin store3 Plant room, compost heap and pool water outfl ow

SD

SD SD

SDSD

SD SD

HD

HDHD

HD SD

Fire: detection circuitFire: heat detector, smoke detectorLighting circuitGeneral lighting Emergency lightingHeaterAir distributionWater distributionElectrical and data outletsElectricity supply circuit

To sea

To public sewer

Horizontal distribution in ceiling and floor voidsDistribution in main service risersPlant roomFoul water drainagePool drain to sea

8 hydronicsWater supply and distribution

Water will enter the site from the public supply pipe at Mawfl at lane, approximately 780m from the main building described in this report. Th e stopcocks and meters will be located in the gatehouse buildings adjacent to the lane.

Water pipes will enter the building in the plant room, before following the service distribution spaces around the building.

drainage and waste management

Soil pipes from the WCs, and foul water drains from kitchens, will be fed into a main drain below the level of the basement of the building. It is unclear if there is a public sewer this far south on the island, but there is a caravan park with several hundred static caravans about a mile to the south so it is reasonable to assume that there is. It is likely that the main drain will be below the level of the public sewer and a small sewage pump compliant with BS EN 752-6 will have to be installed. An alternative is a reed-bed treatment system.Rainwater will be fed separately into a pipe discharging into the sea, which will be used mainly for disposal of used water from the spa.

Solid waste will be sorted for recycling and stored in large bins in the gatehouse compound, for collection. Food waste from the kitchens will be composted in the kitchen garden compost heap, along with garden waste.

legislative framework

Water supply and distribution is controlled by regulation H of the Building Regulations 2000. Regulation H1 foul water drainage, H2 wastewater treatment systems, H3 rainwater drainage, H5 separate systems of drainage, and H6 solid waste storage, apply to this building.

Th e discharge of treated swimming pool water to the sea, and, if a reedbed is constructed, the discharge of reedbed-treated water, will require a discharge consent from the Environment Agency.

Th e Water Supply Regulations 1999 apply to this building. Th ey concern the relationship between the Water Undertaker, that supplies fresh water and removes sewage, and the building. Th ey aim to prevent waste, misuse, undue consumption, contamination or false measurement of water supplied... (Baden-Powell, Architects Pocket Book, 2001).

Th ere is no reason why this building would not be able to comply with this regulation.

Th ese spaces are large in order to accept air-handling ducts and soil pipes from the ensuite rooms on the fi rst fl oor.

On the second fl oor, lights and smoke detectors are placed within the ceiling void. Because the ceiling material is translucent and permeable, they can be placed above the ceiling surface. Cables run in trays attached to the steel structure.

Hot and cold water, soil pipes, heating pipes, electricity for sockets and data cabling for the fi rst fl oor runs in the void under the fl oor, accessed by removable panels at important points. Lighing and fi re detection cables and air handling ducts for the gym below also run in this void. Power and data cables for the ground fl oor run below the stone slab fl oor fi nish, while heating pipes run in cast-in trench heaters. Lighting and fi re detection cables for the spa are placed in the ceiling above the fi nish of thin stone tiles. Other services run in the main trench in the fl oor.

It is not anticipated that the building services or fi ttings will change rapidly or dramatically. Th e building itself is designed for a specifi c use and a change in this use would require major changes to the building fabric beyond changing the services. Many services are placed in relatively inaccessible places because it is anticipated that they will need to be accessed only rarely for maintenance. Th ose services that will require greater maintenance or access (for example soil pipes and junction boxes) are in more accessible locations. Generally, even the least accessible services are only hidden behind surface fi nishes (for example the stone fl ags on the ground fl oor) which can be lifted and replaced, rather than being cast into concrete and impossible to access.

legislation

Th ese systems will have to comply building regulations already discussed in this report, and also regulations F: ventilation and G: hygiene. F requires that there will be adequate ventilation for people in buildings: the approved document makes recommendations about access to ventilation equipment for maintenance, and points to other documents for more detailed guidance on ventilation for particular uses. Most of this building is adequately ventilated, except perhaps for the spa in the basement which may require additional menchanical ventilation. It should not be diffi cult to fi t this into existing service spaces. Th e building complies with the very simple recommendations in part G.

9 servicesTh e sea wall and other single-storey earth sheltered parts of the proposal are not heavily serviced and services run through them in a way conventional for small buildings. Hot and cold water supply pipes, electricicty cables for general power outlets, network cables and lighting cables run in a channel in the fl oor of the corridor that serves the rooms. Soil pipes run under the fl oor slab down to a common main drain beyond the walls of the building. Light switches, electrical sockets etc. are positioned in timber built-in furniture rather than being cast into the exposed concrete walls, in order to allow for future changes.

Th e central part of the building contains those areas that are more heavily serviced: the spa, gym, kitchens and operating theatre. Horizontal distribution from the plant room is initially through a main service trench that runs in the fl oor of the spa. Th is connects the plant room directly to a satellite plant room adjacent to the operating theatre and to the main riser next to the central fi re escape staircase. Th is riser connects to the upper main horizontal distribution spaces, in a cavity in the fi rst fl oor and above the ceiling on the fi rst fl oor.

tutored by nick dunn and richard brookthe manchester school of architecture

at the University of manchester and manchester metropolitan University

Documents

Private House