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Scott Sutherland Yearbook 2014/15

Scott Sutherland Yearbook 2014/15

FIFTYSEVENTEN7

Professor David McClean // Head of School

The end of the academic year is always a time of reflection, but no more so than when, after 58 years, the School is about to move to a brand new bespoke building, and a new home.

In 1957 �omas Scott Sutherland gi�ed Garthdee House to the then Robert Gordon Institute of Technology to establish a distinct School of Architecture. �is came one year before the watershed moment in British architectural education of the Oxford Conference of 1958, in which an elite group of gentlemen professionals, led by Sir Leslie Martin, formulated the blueprint for architectural education that was to endure for the remainder of the 20th century. �e recommendations sought to reinforce the exclusive status of an elite profession, raise entry standards, and limit modes of study. Some 50 years later the educational agenda is widening access, varied modes of study, collaborative working, and the quest for professions with membership pro�les that mirror those of the society they serve. How things change!

Now �ttingly a multi-disciplinary entity, the Scott Sutherland School’s time in its existing building has directly paralleled a period of rapid and continual change in education, both professionally and at a more generic ideological level. Of course, on the ground, much that we do in teaching, learning, and research endures, but any comparison of professional roles, functions, and attitudes over the last 50 years reveals seismic shi�s that have impacted on educational provision. Every indication is that this will continue, and our move will provide us with a setting that will allow us to address ongoing change.

Nevertheless, leaving a much loved building inevitably stimulates many emotions, and no more so than when its occupants share the passion for our built environment that we all have. Add to this the provenance of Garthdee House, and a heady mix of excitement, expectation, and nostalgia results.

Buildings harbour memories and, through these, exert a powerful force on our lived experience. In the words of the great playwright Tennessee Williams, ‘life is all memory’, an accretion of lived experience framed by the physical settings in which social interchange takes place. As such, buildings such as schools and dwellings can assume enormous importance in our lives, extending far beyond their physical presence. I know this to be true for many in relation to Garthdee House. Indeed, a school such as ours is both a place of learning and a home, and we can proudly re�ect on the enduring allegiance that graduates and colleagues - many thousands of them - have for the Scott Sutherland School both as a place and an experience. Le Corbusier famously claimed that ‘the home should be the treasure chest of living’, and I would argue the Scott Sutherland School has provided great richness for many and, as we progress to a new chapter, will continue to do so.

Amidst change, buildings can provide constancy, solidity, and a sense of permanence. But there are of course times when change is positive, o�ering new possibilities, challenging entrenched habits and accepted orthodoxies, and inviting fresh perspectives to be formed. For our School, such a time is now.

As ever, the work of our students as illustrated in the pages of this Yearbook, stand as testimony to their abundant enthusiasm, energy and commitment. It would be remiss of me not to mention our other subjects whose outputs do not lend themselves so easily to publication in this format, but which are every bit as important to the School. Looking back over similar publications over the last six years, one sees a strength of consistency, and a sense of identity being communicated through the work. We will take this with us to grow further over the coming years. But for now, I invite you to enjoy the imagination and industry visible on these pages.

J �omson Colour Printer, Glasgow

Printers

Published by the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher.

Publishers

ISBN 978-0-9562825-6-9

Cover images: Glaciären project by Blanka Borbely, Gabriel Wyderkiewicz, Amanda Vos.

Scott Sutherland School 2015 1

A New Beginning

ContentsThis is the last SSS Yearbook to be produced at Garthdee House. By next year students will have spent a year in the new Riverside East building and will, no doubt, want to reflect on the qualities of their new home and its impact on their education and work.

For now, we thought it would be worth re�ecting on the particular qualities of the present or ‘old’ school building and the way in which students and sta� have made use of it in recent years. During our time as students the Garthdee campus has changed beyond recognition. In the process we have lost a union bar in the city, but gained a number of new resources on site.

As Year 6 students we are not just leaving the building, we are also leaving the school too. Looking back over the past 6 years it is interesting how much the school has also changed. Developments in the workshop (digital printing and laser cutters) and changes in the labs (the emergence of 3D modelling and BIM etc) have had a major impact on the work we produce and how it is presented. It feels as if architectural education has changed a lot, although we can’t quite agree on the nature of the change. Whether education is more or less radical, technologically driven or marketing-orientated are questions on which you might chose to make your own judgement based on the work in this year’s book. As we are moving to a new building, we thought it might be a good time to experiment with the format of the yearbook. We decided to go for a large square format so we could show work in a legible fashion. We hope you like it.

Holly Kennedy, Volha Druhakova // Editors

Scott Sutherland Yearbook 7

Volha Druhakova // EditorHolly Kennedy // EditorJ’ Stewart // CommissioningShallom Okello // CommissioningZisan Duniya // Design and ProductionRob McCaughan // Design and Production

Editorial Team

Special �anks to Penny Lewis

04 Scott’s Present, Past and Future10 Competition entries13 �e Big Crit 2015

24 Architecture Part 125 Stage 1 Studio28 Stage 2 Studio34 Stage 3 Studio

42 Architectural Technology

49 Journeys54 Essays on Modernism58 Product Design

60 Architecture Masters 61 Stage 5 Studio66 Stage 6 Studio

84 Electives86 Dissertations

90 Sketchbook

Scott Sutherland School 201510

Competitions

Look AgainFestival information hub design

Scott Sutherland School Students // Stages 2-5

The students were set a brief to design a new temporary structure for the city’s Castlegate to act as the festival hub and information point for Look Again 2016. The students were asked to use recycled and low cost material for the hub.

�e winner was Lucy Fisher with “Mirror pavilion”. “Aberdeenshire Map” by Andy McDonagh and Kyle Scott and Pallet Pavilion by Calum Ward & Vicky Mitchell were runners up.

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1 Mirror Pavilion Lucy Fisher2 Pallet Pavilion Calum Ward & Vicky Mitchell3 Viewpoint Pavilion Kirsten Macfarlane & Karen Reid & Emily Fawdon4 Aurora Pavilion �omas Perritt & Sophie Houston5 Aberdeenshire map Andy McDonagh & Kyle Scott

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120 Hours is an international student competition set up by The Oslo School of Architecture and Design. The title of the competition comes from the time allowed for the full competition process from conception to completion.

Frozen in time, Glaciären drapes its protective form around the abandoned Pyramiden. A rarity in this area of the world, the history of this once pulsing but ill-fated community must be brought back to life. To play to the town’s strengths we turned to the landscape to �nd the answers in order to preserve this piece of history, a structure that can dwell for thousands of years – a glacier.�e aim for this piece was to be able to protect the town from the harshness of the extreme environment it lies in, whilst re�ecting the arctic landscape. �e Glassier will harvest the inconsistent sunlight it receives through �bre optic technology so it can act as a beacon of the north. Highlighting the monument, the piece will be seen from miles away and can be explored by visitors touring Svalbard.

1 Site plan2 Setting in the landscape3 Concept

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120 Hours

Preserving Pyramiden

Blanka Borbely, Gabriel Wyderkiewicz, Amanda Vos // Stage 3

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12 Scott Sutherland School 2015

Big Crit PosterPoster Design Competition 10-17.03.2015

Winning entry: Natali Hristova

1 Natali Hristova2 Kimberly Smith3 David Jones4 Xanthe Bodington

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Competitions


The Big Crit 2015

A Recap of the Big Crit

Zisan Duniya // Stage 6 Unit 2

The 7th edition of The Big Crit was an unforgettable experience for many people who were present. It is an annual student review show which highlights some of the best works that have emerged throughout the year. The event also provides an opportunity for students to meet and interact with a panel of highly respected architects and professionals. This year that panel was made up of Harbinger Singh Birdi, Heinz Richardson, Adam Khan, Alan Dunlop, Cecilie Andersson and Ben Addy.

One of the presentations being delivered by the Stage 5 students on the ‘Future of Norway’ was called the Northern Verge. �ey were asking this question ‘Could Norway’s and by implication Scotland’s economy �ourish without oil?’

A�er the presentation Cecilie Andersson, who was very familiar with the context, commended the students on being able to carry out projects that were presently relevant to the Norwegian context.

Another presentation, which was delivered by the Stage 6 students, ignited questions from Ben Addy and Heinz Richardson about the e�ects of densi�cation in contemporary urban cities. �is presentation was titled ‘Denburn Masterplan’ and it proposed to create green spaces and building typologies capable of merging the unconnected layers of Aberdeen’s city centre.

At the end of the presentations everyone assembled to re�ect on the broader issues that had been discussed during the day. A few students were also awarded gi�s for their spectacular presentations.

�e colourful event was nicely brought to a close with a cocktail event hosted by 57’10 and the Build Our Nation committee.

1 Stage 3, Belmont Street project2 Heinz Richardson, Opening Remarks3 57’10 Cocktail Event4 �e Big Crit Panel, Closing Remarks

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A Brief History

The Scott Sutherland School’s current home at Garthdee House was opened in 1953. However, classes in architecture were first offered at Robert Gordons College in 1883 and for about 70 years architecture students studied at Gray’s School of Art at the Schoolhill campus.

�e architecture course was delivered mainly through evening classes and took �ve years, at the end of which students were not o�ered an Art School diploma. When the Aberdeen Society of Architects was formed in 1898 they began to take a greater interest in the organisation of the architectural education, stipulating a minimum age of 16 for new architectural apprentices.

Aspiring architects of the nineteenth century had to endure conditions which would likely shock today’s students. In the early twentieth century the architecture course was taught by Robert Gordon’s Technical College, and classes were held in poor quality buildings that had been erected in the College Grounds at Schoolhill. In 1911 and 1926 classes in these buildings were disrupted by large �res. In 1919 the Aberdeen Journal published an article on Christmas Day describing the buildings as “ugly corrugated iron sheds unsuitable for permanent purposes”.

At the outbreak of World War One a partnership between the course and Aberdeen Society of Architects and with advice from the Architectural Association in London a “Scheme of Architectural Study” (1914) was produced.

�e scheme detailed a diploma course consisting of 2 years full time study and a minimum 3 year apprenticeship. �is was enough to secure further RIBA accreditation for the college. In 1922 the school also secured RIBA accreditation for the Post Diploma course providing students with exemption from all of their �nal RIBA examination except Professional Practice.

�e Architecture department was later moved to the upper levels of the newly extended Gray’s building in 1930, but sta� and students battled for years, before and a�er the World Wars, with overcrowding. �e school faced a dramatic increase in students from 20 to 67 between 1945-1946. By 1948 full-time students could no longer be guaranteed a drawing space in their �nal year, o�en having to vacate the studio for other classes.

�e history of our current home, Garthdee House, stretches back to 1870. It was designed by William Smith, who was also the architect of Balmoral Castle and constructed four villas on the old Pitfodels Estate including Garthdee and Norwood Houses. It was a family home to Tommy Scott Sutherland and land on the estate and later the house was o�ered to the Architecture department

by the Sutherlands. It was while drawings were being drawn up for this temporary building, the decision was made to instead give the school the entire house.

Tommy Scott Sutherland had entered the school in 1916, and graduated with a Post-Diploma in 1923. At the time he did not stand out among his peers, the Head of Gray’s said; “Congratulations, �omas. Ye’ll go far, I’m thinking. But no as an artist. My assessments o’ you is ten per cent art and ninety per cent business”.

It was perhaps �tting then, that while Tommy Scott Sutherland had given the school the house, it was in fact his own practice which was awarded the contract to carry out the initial extension. When the new school �rst opened Garthdee House housed an o�ce for the Head of School, lecture rooms, library and post-grad studios. However an extension was built to house sta� o�ces, further studios and a building construction laboratory.

�e studios, on both the ground and �rst �oors bene�tted from large expanses of south facing glazing to help light the drawing boards for the students and beautiful parquet �oors. �e rooms are now used to as Master’s studios on the �rst �oor, and the main computer lab on the ground �oor.

�e student’s �rst moving into the building would �nd a very di�erent

A school and a building

Holly Kennedy // Stage 6


Present, Past and Future

school than the modern campus we see today. Garthdee was still very rural and students had a long commute to get to class by tram. �ey would have found cattle grazing in the future site of Gray’s and Tattie �elds for the local schools growing where we now would see Riverside East. It was in contrast to the bustling city centre the students may have been used to – where smells from the nearby bakery would dri� in the windows and art students could be heard though the walls as they tapped away at granite sculptures.

Despite the break in the connection with the Art School, the architectural sta� were convinced that their students would be inspired by the beautiful surroundings. �e school o�cially opened in summer 1957; it was less than 10 years until the school felt the need to expand further, due to the

ever rising number of students. �e second phase of expansion extended the

school in an “L” shape south from Garthdee house, adding the Lecture halls SB42 and SC21, allowing teaching to take a di�erent style than that which would have been possible in the rooms of the old house. �is also provided the last of the studios in use today, along with further classrooms and laboratories for the Built Environment courses. �e style of this extension was distinct from that of the original extension, using angled high level roof lights to bring sunlight down into the studio spaces.

While the connection with Gray’s was temporarily cut, the art school followed the architects to the Garthdee campus in 1967, shortly

before the �nal phase of phase of construction for Scott Sutherland School was completed. �is �nal phase consisted of the current entrance lobby entrance and a connection to the original studios and a southern wing to fully surround the courtyard space. Most of these spaces are now occupied by the Graphic Design courses of the Art School, and not Scott Sutherland Courses.

Very little work was then undertaken in the school a�er the 1970s; the construction of the business school in 1998 and subsequent additions provided a striking contrast to the aging architecture building.




Memories

Many staff and students can recollect a number of experiences they have had within the Scott Sutherland building from the 1950s to 2015; memories from a time when the School of Architecture shared the building with other departments. A few of these memories have been revisited and are detailed below, drawing from the work of Fiddes’ commemorative book (2008).

1950sAs an architecture student, Norman Marr recalls moving to Garthdee House in 1957 and being able to walk through the library, which went from the drawing room to the dining room of Garthdee House. He was able to view the surrounding landscape with lawns and occasional monkey puzzle trees but he was not permitted to walk on the grounds. Past photographs illustrate the opening of the Scott Sutherland Building in 1957 with Tommy and Georgina Scott Sutherland and other notable �gures standing outside the building. Other photographs include sta� and diploma students from 1958/59 within a new studio, see image 1.

1960sIn 1961, Iain Ramsay recalls passing through the enhance hall of Garthdee House to attend an architectural open day exhibition. Later, as a student, he remembers glancing out of studio SC17 and seeing the construction of ‘sandy’ foundations for the new building extension to Garthdee House. Marr recalls the extension having centrally heated wood �oors, the library being relocated upstairs painted black and dark red whilst the lecture rooms on the ground �oor had black paint. Approximately six new studios were created with views to the lawns whilst the drawing room became a common room for sta� and students. Dining rooms for sta� and students were on the western grounds of Garthdee House; these were originally stables and a coach house.

Dennis Urquhart, an appointed lecturer, recalls sta� supervising labs for research and the exhibiting of ‘materials and methods of construction’ in the basement of the original building. Ramsay remembers the proposed studios had ideal working spaces for each student, particularly light levels, which applied to all departments in the school. He spent up to 50hrs a week there and many of these involved drawing in the studio and participating in drawing competitions with students in the lower years of the architectural course on Mondays throughout the academic year. Furthermore, as a student from 1964 – 1970, John Donald recalls seeing cows grazing outside Garthdee House which had a terrace and lawn extending to the riverbank.

1970sIn 1970, Brogden was appointed as an architectural studio tutor and lecturer and recalls Garthdee House accommodating the Scott Sutherland Library from the mid-1970s to 1998 in the Garthdee drawing room before relocating to the new Georgina Scott Sutherland Library. �e original Scott Sutherland Library included 200 volumes of antiquarian books that were related to architecture and which were donated by partners from the Jenkins and Marr practice in Aberdeen (Fiddes 2008). He recollects second year students completing model making and the photographing of models which were exhibited for RIBA in studios C17 to 10 C22 in 1970s. In addition to this, students spent 60% of the course in studios. Urquhart also recalls the annual cricket match between sta� and architectural students on the Garthdee grounds.

1980s Ramsay recollects �rst year students attending graphic design classes from 7am to draw professionally in black and white with minimum colour. Brogden recalls tutorial weeks, known as ‘t weeks’, that enabled students to apply what they learned in taught lectures in small lecture rooms within Garthdee House to studio projects. Robin Webster, the new head of school, remembers his �rst appearance in the ‘criticism room’ in Garthdee House, with a hot drink and bun when food was not permitted, according to Brogden. Webster also recalls unusual events that occurred on the �rst day of the ‘Winter School’ during January 1985. Students were welcomed by a ‘timber structure’ constructed by Stuart Duncan, between the Scott Sutherland School and the Gray’s School of

Memorable Experiences within the Scott Sutherland Building 1950s to 2015

Shalom Okello // Stage 6

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Memorable Experiences within the Scott Sutherland Building 1950s to 2015 Art buildings and ‘melamine foil’ balloons being manufactured by sta� and released on the Garthdee grounds, (see image 2). Unfortunately, the balloons were traced by Aberdeen airport’s radar and found by railway workers following obstructions to both services, (Fiddes 2008).

1990s�e ‘Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment: a Commemorative History’ archive contains photos of sta� using the library for Christmas parties in the 1990s. Felicity Tait was a student of the Architectural Technology HND from 1992 – 1994, and recalls moving from class to class at a ‘fast-pace’ throughout the day due to the nature of the course, an indication that the building facilities were fully utilized. David �omson, a graduate from the BSc in Quantity Surveying 1998 recalls up to 300 students inspecting the early construction of the new campus causing frustration to the site o�cers. By 1999, Chris Andrews was a student on the BSc Architectural Technology and recalls technicians being located in the basement where they had been based since the 1960s.

2000 – 2015�e 5710 Architectural Society co-president Duncan Henderson, a year six student, recalls running for presidency in 2013/2014 by actively promoting campaigns with posters throughout the school, and participating in question-time with year one to six students in room SB24. Furthermore, in 2014/2015 he organized with his team, numerous lectures with prominent visiting professionals from across the country, followed by the traditional ‘cheese and wine’ social event in the canteen basement. �ese forthcoming lectures and competitions between students were advertised widely using posters around the school on a weekly basis.

Sta� and students been have fortunate to have had so many memories in the Scott Sutherland School of Architeture and Built Environment building and will no doubt continue to have more as the 2014/2015 academic year draws to an end.

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New Building

J’ Steward looks at the new building and discusses how new studio spaces might influence the design process. The article is illustrated with photographs of the building under construction, trying to capture the qualities which should show even if the spaces are unfinished.

Any move from the comfort of home into a relatively unknown space or place is a destabilising moment; but one that holds the potential for something new or rede�ned to emerge. �is summer the Scott Sutherland School will move from Garthdee House to a brand new building at Riverside East. �e opportunities abound for introducing ways and means of proceeding and learning that result from observation and re�ection on the years spent at the current learning space.

What Reyner Banham, the architectural historian, calls a “mode of designing” is an attitude that can be an impersonation or a presence. Design is o�en overlooked when working within the habits and traditions of a discipline established some 600 years ago. �ere has been a minimal input from Scott Sutherland sta� and students in the design

of the new building and a compensatory student competition for furniture and sta� input on �xtures and �ttings, has failed to fully explore the possibilities present in this moment. �e nature of the design process and its relationship to built form is o�en overlooked. However, this does not detract from the opportunities inherent in the act of physically occupying a new space.

Observations, even unconscious ones, will make their presence known by comparison. What was, and is or could be, simply becomes evident. Is this the moment to reshu�e the physical and intellectual furniture or to re-evaluate and

Studio: Room with a View

J’ Steward // Stage 6

restructure how to proceed? ‘How’ is the essence of Architecture. It is the process of moving through space and place; the experience of our constructed reality. �e embodiment of this “how” and therefore of architecture resides �rmly in studio.

Studio is the natural habitat of the architect-in-training and has been compared to a tribal long house with its inward looking rituals. Some believe that studio culture promotes an outdated preference for product over process or expertise and image over integration. Sometimes “what” is produced can end up dominating the “how” or the process by which it was developed. Team building


Past. Present and Future

can be excellent and creativity heightened in such a culture; but does it best prepare students for the awaiting professional global habitat?

�e new studios which will be occupied by students in September 2015 are positioned on the south edge of a building that forms part of a series of campus pavilions set amid a rich 57 acres of natural parkland. �ese pavilions sit above the tree line enabling views to the river and landscape beyond.

�e “crit” review rituals and studio culture are a powerful force in an architect’s gestation. �e attitudes that are developed in studio go on to form the attitude of those that make the built environment as we know; budding architects emerge from its womb-like con�nes. In this new place will studio culture remain stubbornly clinging to the past or will it allow new life to be breathed into it and its processes?

�e new building spans �ve �oors providing the same generous �oor area for studios that is currently in use. Floor 1 is a purpose built printing and workshop spaces with IT. Floor 2 provides the entry point from within the main Riverside East building. It has a dedicated exhibition/display space and an open plan �exible studio for architectural technology students. Floor 3 accommodates faculty along with post graduate research and IT. �ere is also the “base” room for construction and built environment. Floor 4 holds the studio for architecture stages 1, 2 and 3 (RIBA part 1) and a seminar room. Floor 5 studio is for architecture stages 5 and 6 (RIBA part 2).

How will faculty members contribute to the valuing of sustainable time, work and life values? How will the school involve students in scheduling decisions and encourage optimism and con�dence? Studio interactions are key formative principles, opportunities to be seized. How will sta� encourage discussion and participation in reviews? How could review be broadened out? �e new open plan studios will have 2 meter high storage with display boards running along the circulation area between sta� and student spaces. Could this possibly be a supporting interactive zone that lies between desk reviews and formal pin ups?

Each student is to be allocated a new desk with under desk locker and mobile display screen

(2100x1190) that discretely spans the desk width (designed to allow adjacent screens to sit at 900 if so desired). Screens are important for review and re�ection; another critical element of studio culture.

Considering that construction of this complex new building has been photographically recorded step by step by the company Multivista. �ose videos have been recorded about the operating of the building for sta� training and reference. And considering the array of computer technology and so� wear currently available for students shows just how the business of architecture is changing.

As architecture is moving steadily towards more and more collaboration between those mastering specialisations and end user complexities. �e

repositioning of the new building in close physical proximity to other disciplines invites existing relative isolation to be addressed. So how will faculty members encourage interdisciplinary collaboration? How can lectures, now set to take place in the theatres of Riverside East and the Health and Social Care building, cross existing boundaries?

�e o�cial completion date is 22 May; sta� and equipment will move in during June, ready for the 2015 October semester. Will sta� and students embrace the innate opportunity of this step into the relative unknown? Will the studio culture grow into its potential and lay the foundations for the next phase of “how” and of Architecture?


My SpaceA competition to design a piece of furniture for the new building

David Jebb, Andrew McDonagh // Stage 5

1 Exploded axonometric2 Screen3 Bench4 Box5 Shelving unit6 Screen completed with plinth

�e key issue for the studios in the new building is the acoustic and visual separation of the large space. With this in mind, we designed a screen for crits that can be separated into its constituent parts so that each part retains a function of its own. For example, the plinth element can be used for display as well as seating and storage on a day to day basis.

We designed the surface of the screen to be drilled with a grid of 5mm holes in a similar manner to a peg board with acoustic insulation behind to dampen the noise of the studio. In order to pin up on this surface we propose using a system of pegboard hooks and bulldog clips.

�e design is intended to use the “open desk” method of construction using CNC routing and screw-less construction of approximately eight sheets of plywood. �is also allows for onsite digital manufacturing and self-assembly.

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Stage 1 Studio

Stage 1 Studio

Graeme McRobbie

During Stage 1 students undertake a number of projects both in groups and individually to investigate process, physical, perceptual and performance criteria in relation to design, architectural ethos and building elements.

� e initial � rst semester individual project encourages students to explore the city of Aberdeen and sketch a space or place that encompasses an atmosphere. � ese spaces are then further studied in groups, with students presenting this atmosphere using the skills and talents they have brought with them to university.

Students progress into larger groups developing an understanding of model making, prototyping and graphical presentation through the creation of an architectural ‘game’. Individually students work on core skills such as orthographic drawing throughout the semester.

� e � nal � rst semester project allows students to demonstrate their skills in the design of a ‘city room’. A generic Aberdeen house and garden provides the context for students to create their own brief for a ‘space’ in the garden. Students create the users and their need for this additional space, which in turn creates numerous unique schemes.

Semester two begins with an interpretive model of a place in Aberdeen using the work of contemporary artists as inspiration. Later in larger groups students conduct an in depth analysis of the site for their � nal project, entitled A House for 2 Professors.

� e challenging site on the Garthdee campus encourages students to consider the use and function of the � nished house resulting in designs which fully engage with the topography and context.


Jill Flemming

A House for Two Professors

A modern brick house on the university campus for two professors visiting twice a week. �e house must consist of at least one level change and also provide a crit space for up to thirty students. My design focuses on views on the side of the house, in particular the south views of the river. �e main feature of my design is the cantilevered balcony facing south allowing light to �ood into the open plan top �oor.

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1 North Elevation2 Perspective of Living Room3 Section CC4 East Elevation5 Floor Plan

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Stage One Studio

Sophia Rusinova


In this project we had to develop a building, speci�cally a house, in a given context. �e users for the project are the two visiting Architecture Professors - Neil Gillespie and Alan Dunlop, who travel to the School from their homes and practices each week and required general living and sleeping accommodation and a gallery/workshop space for informal workshops of up to thirty students.

My approach to this project started from developing the site landscape and examining all the views sun movement, shadows and etc. For me the landscape design is inseparable from other aspects of architectural design - they supplement each other. �e shape of the house is inspired by the landscape layout.

Moreover, I felt that the site needed a more creative touch. �e initial idea I had was to create an area of inspiration that includes the surrounding, the building exterior and interior. And my e�ort was to combine them in harmony.

�is project is concentrated around a tree in the middle of the site I have, which was the starting point of the design and the reason to create a small closed beautiful space within the building, around which everything curves as centre of the area, that serve for inspiration and joy, which each person dealing with architecture needs in my opinion.

Also I had a little deeper research of materials so that I could create a warm feeling, because in our brief we were practically asked for brick work, so I added pieces of wood, green and metal. Also I chose colours that would match the surrounding area each season.

1 Plan2 Section BB3 South Elevation

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My brief was as follows: Design a house on a chosen site within the university campus to accommodate two visiting professors. �e design must employ at least one level change. Primary building material for the project was to be brick. A crit area was to be incorporated into the design and hold up to thirty students.

1 Section BB2 Perspective of Living Room3 Site Plan4 Floor Plan5 Living Room/Crit Space6 Kitchen


Craig Mackenzie

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Stage 2 Studio

Stage 2 Studio

Gillian Wishart

� is year the Stage 2 Semester 1 Design Studio project was a collaboration with Developing Mountain biking in Scotland (DMBinS) and the Forestry commission. � e aim was to kick start a drive to realise a regional mountain biking centre for the North east of Scotland – the only region that lacks such a facility. � e project culminated in a public exhibition of all the schemes which launched a public meeting. � e cycling fraternity are now taking the project forward with support from DMBinS. In semester two, in stark contrast to the landscape project of semester one, students tackled an urban in� ll project. � e question under consideration was: “How might we re-make a slice of Elmont Street today, such that it has meaning for today’s society, and speaks a contemporary language that is understood by the eighteenth century street?” Design studio was supported directly by the design philosophy module. � e early stages of the project saw the students applying their understanding of Figure Ground theory (introduced by Silvia Bassanese, and explored through texts by Pier Vittorio Aurelli, Colin Rowe and Wayne Copper) to the character and spatial qualities of Belmont Street in the historic centre of Aberdeen. Students were asked to develop strategies and approaches to designing within the street from this analysis, and were free to select their own plot on the west side of Belmont Street. All projects asked for consideration of the complex section to the gardens, and addressed issues of “front and back” or “front and front” to the street and gardens. � e result has been a rich variety of projects consciously considering the relationship of the contemporary individual unit and façade to the street, and a greater awareness of how theory and practice of architecture inform each other.


James Mackenzie

A Mountain Biking Centre, Kirkhill Forest

�e structure, at heart, is simply post and beam. Taking precedent from CEBRA’s RebildPorten the ground �oor building is braced and given extra support by diagonal timber members – referencing the immediate landscape. �e cafe’s structure gives a more slender appearance by using steelties to brace it.

�e ‘�at’ roofs will be angled slighlty in order to capture rainwater to be used in all buildings. By using Cross Laminated Timber columns the structure uses a renewable source material which sequesters carbon during growth.

1 Site Section2 Part Elevation- Changing facilities3 Section through Cafe4 Ground Floor Plan5 Model Image

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Stage Two Studio

Johanna Kleesattel

In�ll Belmont Street

�e focus of this project was to design a contemporary in�ll for Belmont Street located in the centre of Aberdeen with regards to its urban context and characteristics of the site. In order to relate to the historical development of the street, the building is composed of two main areas which provoke two di�erent movements of circulation and it celebrates changing atmospheres of light exposures.

1 Back Elevation2 Street Elevation View3 Gallery Image4 Plans5 Long Section

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Debora Dimitrova


Stepping for the �rst time onto Belmont Street, one can clearly notice that it is a place o�ering a wide variety of shops, galleries, restaurants and mainly bars which. However, it seem as one whole volume because of the unclear boundaries between the buildings, both physically and functionally.

For this project I chose the worst organized, in my opinion, plot Number 9, which currently houses a bar and a hotel underneath, with the objective to make it planned better, look contemporary and attract people to go in by standing out from the rest of the buildings.

1 Exterior View on Belmont Street2 Cross Section3 Site Plan4 Bar Interior 5 Belmont Street Elevation

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Stage Two Studio

Stuart Campbell


�rough studying the context of Aberdeen, speci�cally Belmont Street, designing a piece of contemporary architecture became more about the consideration and investigation of the existing and previous buildings. With this in mind, the design developed into connecting the inner city to Union Terrace Gardens, creating an open space that relates back to Belmont Street’s sub-urban history.

1 Building on Belmont Street2 Cafe3 Plan4 Street 5 Front Elevation

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Agata Chomicz


�e project challenges the �gural, corridor-like character of Belmont Street by breaking the continuous entity of existing built fabric and creating a “centre of gravity”. It explores the potential of juxtaposition formed between radically geometric form and traditional, additive granite architecture, the ability to revitalize deteriorated bits of public space and the impact of said geometry on internal atmosphere.

1 Sketch2 Section3 Building on Belmont Street4 Plan5 Staircase

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Stage 3 Studio

Stage 3 Studio

Neil Lamb

� e aim of this design studio is to explore and develop students’ skills in the relationship to design and making. � is is done through two discreetly di� erent projects, one per semester. � e majority of work by architects involves working with existing buildings in established settings. � is was an important driving force behind the work done by third year students.

� e theme of adaptive reuse was explored through the redevelopment of the Gray’s School of Art building located on the Robert Gordon University campus. � e building, which was designed by local architect D.M.A. Shewan and completed in 1968, has a timeless elegance which is the result of good design and a magni� cent site. High quality modernist buildings are a rarity in Britain and even more so in the North-East of Scotland, this building has a local as well as national importance. Such a brief demonstrates a signi� cant shi� in attitudes to the re-use of buildings cultural signi� cance. � is studio developed strategies to retain the building and show how it could be retained to have a signi� cant role in the future of the University. � e proposal was to refurbish the Gray’s building and create a new Conference and Exhibition Centre for the Robert Gordon University. � e building would also house the o� ces of the RGU Foundation and the Centre for Northern Culture and Design and residential accommodation for guests.

In the second semester students designed a new, purpose-built public building in a challenging part of the city of Aberdeen. � e brief was for a new city block in the established community of Torry; students had to realise their project balancing a range of complex social and technical issues. � e user was placed at the heart of the design process and students investigated how the building could house vulnerable people in the heart of the community.

Aberdeen City has highlighted the Torry neighbourhood as one of the priority areas for its Community Regeneration Strategy. � e scenario for this project is that a number of public bodies: Police, Scottish Enterprise and a Local Housing Association have come together to instigate a mixed development brief on the strategically placed Victoria Road. � e building scenario stated that it would be � nanced by public money and a housing association and therefore durability, long life and low running costs were important, there was a high emphasis on sustainability. � e building would be made of durable heavyweight construction utilising either concrete or steel frame, with solid � oors, a hung pre-cast concrete façade and a durable roof (slate, metal or single ply membrane). � e building envelope would be fully insulated to a high standard and would aim to develop an appropriate system to complement the elegant Granite facades of the established city.


Calum Dalgetty

Gray’s school of art adaptive re-use

Gray’s is a building of unique character within Britain, and to dismiss it as a copy of Mies’ iconic Crown Hall is unfair. Gray’s is a proper interpretation of the International Style, as its strong relationship with its site proves. �e vast volumes composed of steel and glass have totally clear spans, allowing large open spaces orientated around a central courtyard.

In order to centuate the courtyard, the south facade of the main block houses a double height atrium o� which the large exhibition spaces and various o�ces are accessed. �e best examples of the International Style respond to their context in terms of materials and cra�, I therefore created a

1 Sketch of Grays2 Exhibition Space3 Opening4 Atrium Space5 Entrance

material contrast between the public and private parts of the building. �e atrium exposes and renews the concrete ceilings and mezzanine �oors combined with exposed structural elements. �e atrium houses the staircase which has a series of large intermediate landings that are hung from the steelwork in the roof via elegant steelwork and provide areas for informal meetings. �e �ooring is granite and the corridor walls are panelled with locally sourced Douglas �r. In contrast the exhibition spaces are pure white and have highly polished concrete �oors.

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Stage �ree Studio

Blanka Borbely

�e Future of Gray’s

Our task for this project was the adaptive reuse of the Gray’s School of Art building, located on the Robert Gordon University campus. As the school is moving into a new building, the original one is getting demolished. We were asked to consider its cultural signi�cance and to convert it into a Cultural and Exhibition Centre.

Today, the qualities of the Gray’s School of Art building that once gave it an elegant and �ne impression are lost due to bad maintenance and cluttered interior spaces. I aimed to re-introduce the building’s transparency, lightness and balance by creating spatial continuity both inside and out. My main focus was on social areas. What makes them successful? Could they encourage people to connect more with the architecture of the building? I was interested in creating inviting, lively communal areas and intended to �nd out how to in�uence users to explore spaces. �e dining area became a meeting point and is therefore a crucial element of the design. �e courtyard is also a key component, and together they form a meeting point for visitors to eat, talk and relax.

1 Main Section2 Furniture Design3 Exterior Decking view4 Exterior Decking view5 Interior Space

�e dining area connects main functions such as the exhibition spaces and the main lecture theatre. It is also strongly related to the main circulation routes and other social spaces, such as the Café and the Courtyard. It is therefore not a separate room dedicated merely for eating, but acts also as a social hub. �e existing facade is set back from the exposed steel structure for environmental reasons. �e dining area’s pivoting doors can be opened during nice days in order to merge inside and outside areas completely.

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Julija Lebedinec

Urban Regeneration, Victoria Road

�e biggest challenge while designing the new mixed use development, including sheltered housing, on Victoria Road was to create a pleasant for living, sensitive to the context building which would become a part of the area’s regeneration project and would gain enough support from Torry’s sprawling community to be able to last and not to be demolished in a longer timespan. To achieve that, the whole ground �oor was dedicated for the public use (including skatepark, cafe, shops and skateboard workshop) li�ing the residential spaces from the ground and turning each U-shaped �oor in opposite direction creating private external and internal communal spaces for its residents.

1 Street Elevation2 Section 3 Communal Space4 Plan

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Stage �ree Studio

James Dalley

Sober Living Environment

�is scheme proposes an architectural response to combat the problem of drug and alcohol addiction in Aberdeen. �e creation of a sober living environment provides an interim between rehabilitation and the return to a former life. �e architectural intention is to take the aspects of rural rehabilitation centres and implement their feeling in an urban setting by studying their

1 Axonometric2 Internal View3 External View4 Street Section5 South Elevation

connection to nature and therapeutic space. �e building attempts to integrate ex-patients back into society by allocating spaces to grow and sell produce, by using the roof terraces and public space. �is social message aims to instil the philosophy of being rewarded through one’s own e�orts and may be implied as a therapy program extending from rehab.

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Docho Georgiev

Urban Renewal, Torry

Taking inspiration from Jahn Gehl’s book ‘Life between Buildings’ this project is an exploration of how architecture can trigger social interaction in an speci�c urban environment. Being located on a site that has the potential to reconnect Victoria Road in Torry and a pedestrianized lane, my proposal used this attribute to develop a form that would serve a new open market in Torry.

1 First Floor Plan2 Key Section3 Key Elevation4 Model Image5 Interior View

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Calum Ward

Urban Renewal, Torry

�e overall arrangement of the building sees the commercial units on the ground �oor accessed through a loggia space that acts as a threshold for the user entering the building. �e sheltered housing occupies the three �oors above and is adjusted as the form of the building steps in to respect the church to the side. On the �oors of sheltered housing, users enter each �oor onto their own ‘communal corridor’, a generous space that is easily accessible directly from their door of their �at. �is space allows constant interaction between the residents both directly and by chance, such as moments looking through ones kitchen window, down the voids created in the �oor and being allowed a glance at communal space as they make their way up the stairwell.

�e facades of the building consist of a multi-layering e�ect where individual elements; pre-cast concrete panels, recessed photographically printed panels and winter gardens come together to create a whole. Subtle relationships can be noticed against the surrounding buildings where the projecting horizontal rails step down with the projecting granite course of the tenement and the colour of the panels re�ect the granite used within the area. Its prominence and strength is achieved by their composition and the elements are arranged in order to create a sense of human scale in a relatively large urban block.

1 Site Plan2 Part Elevation with Detail Section and Plan3 Section4 View from Back5 Model Image

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Stage �ree Studio


Neil Mair

Renewal on Victoria Road

�is project sees the creation of a mixed use development which houses retail units, a police station, and sheltered housing accommodation on the strategically placed Victoria Road in Torry, Aberdeen.From the outset I wanted to create a plan of clarity for what seemed a very complex site, such that its clearly articulated functional zones would have an e�ect not only in plan but in the overall form of the building. I was therefore interested in how plan arrangements could be transposed through di�erent levels of the building to create a recognisable language which was easy to understand for the occupants. I was also interested in the creation of a ‘street-like’ element which ran

1 First Floor Plan2 North Elevation, Rear3 Section4 Loggia 5 Communal Area

through the middle of the site, creating a division in the plan and forming a threshold between the public realm and entrance to the building. �is ultimately resulted in a building form and facade which was directly informed by the internal uses and structural arrangement, forming a distinctive ABA form made up of three key segments.

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Architectural Technology


At this stage the projects are to focus on a key infrastructure project – particularly the new Harbour Expansion for Aberdeen. As part of a sustainable and diverse future economy, Aberdeen is seeking to develop the new harbour alongside existing and developing ferry services to the Islands, Scandinavia and, in future, further afield. As such, the project will incorporate a terminal facility to cater for international visitors.

�is project is a signature project and should be treated as architecturally signi�cant, highly secure and functional. Additionally, as with the rest of the harbour proposals the projects should contribute towards a low carbon ideology – In particular all proposals should aim to achieve

‘zero carbon’ ratings.A standing arrangement is that a BREEAM and/or similar rating of

excellence should also be achieved too for all building types within the development. �e terminal was to cater for the excellent transport links and incorporate not only the disembarkment of visitors but links into town such as Trains, Buses and Cars (with the proposed links to the AWPR).

Jonathan ScottTahar Kouider, Huda Salman, Simon Leeman, David Wilsonand Andrew Brown

A Montage of Works by AT Students

1 Sean Buchanan, Site Plan2 Connor Gray, jack Mechanism3 Ben Orr, Building Section


Stage 4 - Harbour Expansion for Aberdeen


Scott Crighton

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Aberdeen Harbour Expansion1 Location Plan2 Exterior Night View3 Interior ViewMarine Operations Center4 Interior View5 Plans6 Exterior View

Scott Crighton



Peter Adamson

continued text. continued text.

Aberdeen Harbour Expansion1 Interior Visualisation2 POD Details3 POD Detailed Section4 Exploded Isometric5 Exterior View, Showing the Solar Shading Mechanism

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Connor GrayConnor GrayAberdeen Harbour Expansion1 3D External Drainage Detail2 Exploded Detail, Intermediate Floors3 Axonometric, Jack Mechanism4 Building Section

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Name Minion Pro size 12 pt Stage number

Garry BissetAberdeen Harbour Expansion1 Floor Plan2 Structural Detail3 Building Section4 Interior Visualisation

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Marine Operations Center1 Hydraulic System2 Environmental Strategy Diagram3 Exterior View, PTFE projectAberdeen Harbour Expansion4 Exterior View, Harbour Expansion

Robert Lucas


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workplace efficiency through design

maximising

www.active-interiors.com

creative office solution

Tel: 01224 680111


Journeys

Once upon a time in 2014, a group of architecture students left behind their humble granite surroundings and set out to explore the world’s most densely populated potential superpower, China.

� e students’ Masters project involved developing a masterplan proposal for a new city accommodating one million people on the outskirts of Suzhou, China. � e aim of their trip was simple: visit Shanghai and Suzhou to experience thousands of years of culture and architectural tradition in just under two weeks.

In the last 30 years, Shanghai’s � nancial district, Pudong, has experienced a vertical explosion. It’s di� cult to take your eyes o� the piercing skyline as you navigate between buildings, avoiding the stream of oncoming tra� c and the cries of determined street vendors. It’s delightful. Pudong feels like Manhattan’s long-lost Chinese cousin. Although Pudong is impressive in scale, the copy-pasted nature of much of the architecture throughout the rest of the city feels inauthentic.

Suzhou is o� en described as the ‘Venice of the East’. � is conjures up images of gondolas gracefully gliding through narrow canals. In Suzhou, there are no gondolas in sight. However, the joy of constant interaction with the water’s edge brings the city to life. A patchwork of canals of varying sizes creates a sense of stillness and movement about the city. Narrow canals of a human scale are inhabited by dri� ing canal boats and brave swimmers. Wider, industrial canals accommodate large boats and high-speed vessels, creating a real sense of movement and energy about the city. Although Suzhou su� ers from sections of copy-pasted architecture, beautiful moments occur when traditional low-rise buildings meet the water’s edge.

Shanghai and Suzhou

Ehsan Ghavimi // Stage 6

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1 Market Canals, Suzhou2 Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai3 A typical Market Street4 World Financial Center, Shanghai


Journeys

1 Barcelona Pavilion, Mies Van Der Rohe2 Montjuïc Communications Tower, Santiago Calatrava3 Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi

Selecting a destination for our annual study trip is often the result of a particular theme which runs through the studio unit. This year was no exception with the aim to study a city which has experienced large scale expansion in order to understand the implications of the expansion at a micro and macro level.

Barcelona was the chosen as the destination which utilised a grid to facilitate its expansion which was echoed in the resultant stage �ve master plan for the Aberdeen city bypass. By visiting the city it allowed us to experience the contrast between the planned expansion of the city and that of its historical centre. �e contrast is heightened through the diverse range of architectural styles which have responded to the cultural and economic demands faced by the city throughout its history. �e diverse range of buildings from the Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi to the Porta Fira Towers by Toyo Ito demonstrated how the cities continued development has created a majestic city. �e knowledge gained as a result of the study trip reinforces the importance of experiencing architecture �rst hand in order to further develop the not only the individuals knowledge but also that of the unit as a whole.

Barcelona, Spain

Sinclair Young // Stage 6

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Sabin Maguregui, Fajar Rezandi and myself entered into a competition held by Forum8, a Japanese software company, to draft a proposal for the redevelopment of a 1 kilometre square area of waterfront to provide a desirable destination for Japan’s 2020 Olympics, hosted in Tokyo. Amar Bennadji, who is familiar with Forum8’s UC WinRoad gave us regular guidance throughout the process, and accompanied us to Tokyo, where he too was presenting material on Virtual Reality and the possibility for Educational applications.

Our submission focused on providing a more pedestrian friendly atmosphere by concealing the heavy infrastructure that moved rail and vehicular tra�c across the site. We also proposed the addition of sinuous towers that acted as a local landmark, a terminus to transport links and accommodation to the sta� and athletes frequenting the neighbouring venues during the Olympics. It was important to us that the features we proposed had continued relevance, so we proposed that the tower could easily be converted to provided housing and facilities for new residents post-Olympics with minimal e�ort. A slower paced tram was also proposed for the site, to provide access between the transport nodes and each of the venues. A�er presenting to a panel of judges in Toyko, we were presented with a judge’s special prize for sustainability.

Tokyo, Japan

James Nicol // Stage 6

In November, Unit 1 went on a study trip to Norway to visit the busy cosmopolitan capital City of Oslo, before travelling to the west coast to visit the much slower paced City of Stavanger.

As a unit we selected a number of buildings and places that we wished to visit, compiling a fully packed itinerary for the �ve day trip. On the �rst day our visits ranged from the Contemporary Art Museum; Astrup Fearnley Museet designed by architect Renzo Piano, to a major seafront transformation development in the area of Tjuvholmen, described as an architecturally cutting-edge urbanisation development. As well as being gi�ed with a visit and tour around the Snøhetta’s o�ce, an international architects practice.

Following this on our second day, a�er gaining an insight into Snøhetta, we were given a very insightful tour of the Oslo Opera House, one of Snøhetta’s most iconic designs. A new landmark of the city which each of us could truly admire. Other visits included Oslo City Hall and the National Museum of Art. A�er a packed few days in the international city of Oslo, we moved onto the next stage of our study trip and �ew to Stavanger. It was here we began to see a true insight into Norwegian architecture. Beginning with a trip to the Lantern Pavilion by AWP/Atelier Oslo chosen to promote Norwegian’s innovative, timber architecture. Overall the trip to Norway was very insightful to our unit, as well as a great socialable event out-with the o�en manic studio environment.

Oslo and Stavanger, Norway

Amy Kennedy // Stage 6

1 Oslo Opera House - Lobby, Snohetta2 Forum8 Competition entry, RGU

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A Working SchoolLife in Scott Sutherland School’s ‘Old Building’

Volha Druhakova // Stage 6

After five years of study Volha Druhakova reflects on the very particular qualities of the present Scott Sutherland School building.

It took me a while to actually understand the coding system for the rooms at the Scott Sutherland Building. Actually, it is very straightforward: S stands for Scott Sutherland School and A, B, or C corresponds to basement, ground and �rst �oor respectively. �is is followed by a room number, although sometimes not in order that you expect. Each of these numbered spaces have their own identity expressed in a variety of ways by those who think of the building as their own. �ere is SB42 or the big lecture theatre, SB36 - the long studio on the other side of the courtyard, the studio with glulam beams (SC 32), ‘Fergus’ (SB21) ‘ and ‘ the Old house’.

1 Stairs in the south wing2 Ground �oor corridor South wing with student work and storage lockers along the walls3 Stairs in the East wing

�e building is planned with all of the spaces o� a central corridor, which closes in on itself forming four wings around central courtyard. New visitors can get easily lost if not familiar with organisation of the plan or the codes. �e absence of a legible plan form and the di�culty in navigating the building can be considered a negative thing ; however, strangely, for those of us who studied or worked in there for many

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years, it adds to the feeling of being at home and distinguishes its residents from outsiders.

Corridors are quite dark and fairly narrow, however it is usually the case that any suitable wall or corner is taken over by the students to display work, or simply store work such as enormous models of cities or skyscrapers (the lack of storage does not need explaining). �ere is also a fragment

of a space frame and scaled casts of the classical orders displayed on the walls around stairs. It adds to the atmosphere of the place and registers the potential of the multiple functionality of circulation spaces.

�is architecture school is a place of work. Following the conventional 1950s planning of educational facilities, it consists of many di�erent

separate spaces; larger as studios, smaller seminar rooms and yet smaller cellular sta� o�ces.

Studios

Each architecture year has its own studio, and so di�erent years are quite isolated from each other; it feels a bit like trespassing to go into somebody else’s studio. At some point one of my projects was to design an architecture school. We speculated on the possibility of all years to be together in one space and to learn from each other. During that project we tried to formulate what would be the ideal architecture school in terms of circulation, work, presentation and learning spaces and the �rst point of departure was of course our own building, identifying what worked and what didn’t. In the end about half of us ended up designing something similar to the current school, so it is probably all right.

Studios accommodate activities such as day-to-day self or lecturer-assisted study (drawing, work on computers, model making); storing work using any available corner, a patch of wall, �oor or someone else’s desk; displaying work -from pinning up sketches in progress to completed presentations printed on large format paper or projected on the pull-down screens; crits and reviews, discussions - in groups and more private ones; having breakfast, lunch and dinner (uno�cially), because students o�en stay in studio from 8am till 10 pm. All of the above would involve using various drawing media and


1 Makeshi� review space (Stage 5/6 Unit 2 studio)2 Arrangement of permanent review/exhibition space within the studio (Stage 3 studio)3 Smart organisation of workplace so everyone has their own space (Stage 3) 4 O�ce with small meeting area made by subdividing the room with shelving units5 Small o�ce

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STUDIOS WORK HARD. It is expressed in the photographs, as in real life we get used to all the amount of activity and stu� around and stop noticing it.

OfficesSta� o�ces, rooms of nice proportions with tall ceilings and large windows, are usually shared between 3 or 4 people and distinguished by better organisation. �ey even manage to subdivide them to create small meeting areas. O�ces contain a wealth of interesting things including thematic selection of periodicals, books, works of architecture and art, previous generations of students work, memorabilia etc. all kept in the most popular storage solution -wall shelving. Walking into any of the sta� o�ces is a learning experience in itself -they are containers of ideas. �e preparation to the move involved a major clearance of o�ces, the activity which was always thought about, but never actually happened, but hopefully this aspect of tutor’s o�ces will remain. How do you transfer culture from one place to another? Probably with material carriers: physical things, which embody culture. Maybe the new building does not need dedicated storage space (also the case with digital one), because things get forgotten in there and so lose their purpose.

Labs, lecture theatres and pin-up spaces Review and exhibition spaces, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, computer labs are all learning spaces. Reviews happen in studios and the whole school is literally an ongoing exhibition. Once a year studios get a real makeover for the End of Year Show, when everything is transformed for the celebration of achievement and hard work. �e most important events such as the Big Crit and open days happen in what is considered the best presentation space: the old house, where the architectural qualities of the place adds a special value to the event. I can’t imagine the Big Crit anywhere else really, but it may change when the school moves.

Two lecture theatres are also used for presentations (usually full) and for the lectures (rather empty), and surely everyone is familiar with the situation when the technical side of things does not quite work. �e manner of presentation is becoming more and more towards the digital, and so is the methods of production of work. In recent years there was constant demand to increase quantity of computer workstations in the school, resulting in more rooms adopted as computer labs. Some students don’t even use the studio anymore. Is there a need for seminar rooms as this mode of teaching can happen online? �e separation of physically produced part of work from its digital component creates problems and the pre-digital age building could not be easily adapted to avoid this. However, I believe that it is important for an architecture school not to substitute studios for computer labs, but to integrate both; as now all students have their own laptop alongside a sketchpad and a cutting mat. Having both studios and labs requires more space, but perhaps the enormous studios of new building will provide some answers.

WorkshopsIntermittently the workshop in the basement become the most important place for every student. Here is the chance to have your project built. It can be at a variety of di�erent scales from 1:1 for the product design to contour



1 Opening of an exhibition in the Old Hall2 Studio arranged for reviews 3 One of the computer labs 4 Workshop5 Drawings (based on the drawings provided by the RGU Estates Department)

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equipment, cutting and gluing card, paper, wood, casting concrete (de�nitely uno�cially), using the pull down sockets to get access to mains electricity (we greeted their installation, �nally a�er much struggle, with cheers), producing various smells, lots of rubbish, trip hazards, etc. Because of multitude of activities now and again studios need rearranging to accommodate presentations, exhibitions, or di�erent number of students. So everything is temporary, shi�ing; one rarely has their own desk for a long period of time, sometimes not at all. �is is quite a strong issue amongst students: without exception everyone longs for their own part of space, untouchable and unchallenged, the space that can be customised and individualised. And if complete with additional storage space close at hand –it’s dream come true! However, I noticed that it is a question of a smart approach to the organisation of space, rather than not having enough space; studios prove to be �exible.

models. Around studio deadlines the workshop becomes a place of hectic activity, �lled with noise, dust and queues of people. Again, CAD-CAM is taking over conventional tools, faster than the workshop can respond.

A building

For an architecture student there is another use of the building: as a learning tool itself. When we need to look closer at precast concrete construction elements, arrangement of saw tooth roo�ights , prefabricated concrete panels, Crittall metal windows, example of well-proportioned steel stairs, terrazzo �ooring, light conditions in south facing spaces or courtyard planning - we can easily �nd them just a few steps from the studio. �is will be true for the new building as well, only there students will learn di�erent things. �e way we use building does not only depend on the type of activity undertaken, it is also an expression of certain culture created by several generations of users. �is culture is probably the most important thing to retain when moving to a new place.


Ground �oor plan First �oor plan

Basement �oor plan West Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

North Elevation

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Winter HabitatWe are three second year architecture students in Grenoble city (France). Finding that architecture study is too theoretical without enough practice, we decided to do something real with our hands.

We had the personal initiative to build a minimal habitat designed for winter. However, the goal was mostly to build it, to live in it and test it during one season. �is implies that the habitat had to provide the minimal comfort for a human to be able to eat, wash and sleep.

However, with a student’s budget, it was impossible for us to buy all the materials for the construction. We decided then, to explore and visit some abandoned warehouses in order to �nd construction materials, which we could recycle for our project. �e search for materials was an important part of the project, and it in�uenced the design of the cabin, a lot. �e construction took place in our garden, but it was not the �nal destination. �e goal was to prefabricate it and move it on the roof of an abandoned warehouse in Grenoble. �e design then also included a method of easy, quiet and quick transportation. �e details of the �tting were carefully thought through to ensure tightness against the cold and also intruders.We �nally li�ed the cabin onto the roof of the warehouse. We were not allowed to be there, so all the operations took place at night. We took two complete nights to li� the complete structure. �en we equipped the habitat with the appliances needed for heat, cooking and washing. Little by little the cabin became a real place to live. We lived four months, spending more than two days every week without trouble, improving day by day the living habitat. A�er the season ended, we disassembled it on the roof in one night for a new place. �is project was a really good experience for us. Not only the hand-made aspect, but also the low budget taught us a lot about the building world. To build something we designed at a small scale was really motivating and exciting. It is something we recommend to everybody because it taught us a lot more than we expected.

(Justin Ponthenier was an exchange student at RGU this year).

Justin Ponthenier, Adrian Galeazzi and Diwan Corre

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2 Exterior View Photos: www.jimphotographie.com

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Journeys


Modernism Essays

BOAC 1970Glasgow

Many of Gillespie, Kidd and Coia ‘s best known designs are churches, so it can be quite interesting to explore some of their less typical work such as the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) offices. Completed in 1970, it came to being a year after Jack Coia, the sole surviving architect of the partnership, was awarded RIBA Royal Gold Medal. One of the practice’s last commissions in Scotland it was built when the post-war construction boom was coming to an end and some of Gillespie, Kidd and Coia’s earlier experimental buildings were subject to criticism. It is sited in a prime location in Glasgow, it can appear at odds with the surrounding Victorian architecture, however through clever design and detailing it complements its neighbours without compromising its own character.

�e minds behind the design of the BOAC were Andy MacMillan and Isi Metzstein; despite the absence of their names on the plaque, they were the somewhat anonymous driving force within the practice. �ey saw themselves as wanting to “strengthen the vocabulary of modernism wherever it was necessary.” Metzstein is quoted as saying that “it is important to realise that buildings and cities are mutually interactive and the city does not consist of plots with buildings that sit on those plots.”

Metzstein and MacMillan shared a similar view on the way architecture comes about as MacMillan himself has once remarked that, “If I had grown up in Slamannan, our architecture would have lacked the scale, ambition, and urban legibility [as our work in Glasgow achieved].” �us it can be said that perhaps it is Glasgow itself that has had most in�uence upon their design, working in connection and with an understanding of their surroundings they produced a building which belongs. �e essence of the building is e�ectively described in the RIAS Quarterly 2012: “�e tall ground �oor is distinct from the copper clad upper �oors, the fenestration’s regularity accorded with the palazzo formula dominant in the street and the height mediated e�ectively between disparate neighbours. �e building is, as intended, both physically and metaphorically permanent, timeless, a responsive addition to an evolving Victorian streetscape.”

�e classical language of the street prevails in the elevation; from the double height recessed ground �oor containing the shop front to the false perspective windows which give it a sense of depth and grandeur, likening itself to its historical neighbours. One may expect to see a �ush treatment of the windows more closely associated with the modernist style, however, the seemingly classical treatment of the windows is translated into a more modernist approach. �is is evidenced by the increased density and simplicity of the façade that can be likened to the e�cient, streamlined form of the fuselage of a jetliner.

Architects: Gillespie, Kidd & Coia

Lukas Vegys // Stage 5

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Andrew Melville Hall 1964St. Andrews

Gavin Douglas // Stage 5

Architect: James Stirling

‘The Battleship’ as it is known by the locals, refers to Andrew Melville Hall, a halls of residence constructed during the St. Andrews University expansion in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

�e architect, James Stirling, skilfully cra�ed a building that encompassed his then present design beliefs, but also initiated the progression towards his later, more mature style. Located on the North Haugh, the building was designed to be part of a continuous building programme that was to stretch over 6/7 years. �e �nal outcome which would have consisted of 4 identically separate buildings, with the capacity to house 1000 students; was never fully realised and only one of the units was constructed. �e geographical location of the site meant that Stirling had to re-address his hierarchy of importance, a system that he used to “grade elements in order of importance”. Which had and organisational problems; now placed structure and construction as a priority. �e construction and aesthetic of the building saw Stirling move away from his favoured bricks to the more fashionable concrete. It is important to remember that this change in his work was not a symbolic rejection of his previous work but was essential to the extraordinary circumstances the site presented.

Andrew Melville Hall became a melting point for the set of architectural aims and beliefs that Stirling worked to, as he believed that these were important to the evolution of design. �ese de�ning characteristics focused mainly around economy, organisation and sociological ideas. �e design for St. Andrews comprises of: a communal block, located at the main entrance, which houses the shared facilities, two wings of student accommodation, set at angles to the communal block and glazed promenade which unites the three elements together.

Stirling was working in an exciting era of British architecture; he was working alongside people like the Smithsons and Robert Matthew, who were primarily concerned with the social programme, which sought to create a more equal and fairer society. Stirling, although working in parallel with his contemporaries at times chose to explore a slightly di�erent route, where he openly expressed that “Architects should design �ne buildings, not attempt to remake society”. �is resulted in a greater sense of freedom and abstraction in his architecture. His early work speaks loudly of European modernist in�uences, in particularly Le Corbusier, where Stirling �rmly believed that “modern architecture buildings: the communal block, the student dormitories and the glazed promenade.


Modernism Essays

The Edinburgh University developments in George Square are known to have been a source of contention. On first impressions George Square looks like a stereotypical 1960s scheme with sweeping acts of unsympathetic redevelopment. However, University records suggest that it was a much more considered approach. The need for expansion and integration of the University was discussed by the Court and the Senate before 1939. If it wasn’t for the Second World War the expansion may have come to fruition earlier and therefore would not have become the important modernist pieces they are today.

In 1944 a ‘Post-War Development Committee’ was formed to envisage a major development southwards between Old College and the Meadows. �e committee’s aim was to strategically determine the best course of action, the University was still considering a number of possibilities. �ese included devlopment to the south of Old College; to the east of South Bridge; or a complete move to the Kings Buildings’ site. �e latter didn’t have support from the University as it would have resulted in the abandonment of the Old College and four hundred years of being “an institution built into the life of the city.” that we know today.

Holden observed that to the east of the Old College “there was a large number of densely populated slums and that the terrain was very uneven and sloped sharply.”

He suggested a major building expansion for the Medical school on the north side of George Square and Science Faculties around the other three sides. �is phased proposal, avoided sporadic and

unrelated development alongside the existing University buildings.

Additionally it meant that as a University estate it would be easier to maintain and control and with the majority of the square in the possession of the University, it would mean minimal expense and displacement of population. �ere was also the potential for further opportunities of expansion or links with proposed facilities such as Pollock Halls. Holden’s proposals were included in the overall plan prepared for Edinburgh in 1948 by Sir Patrick Abercrombie and Derek Plumsted.

�e Town Council then attached conditions to the University plan that they must also provide an alternative scheme that did not make alterations to the building facades.

1 North elevation of David Hume Tower2 Detail of horizontal members

George SquareEdinburgh

David Jebb // Stage 5

Architects: Robert Matthew, John-Marchall Partnership

It was at this point that Basil Spence was appointed, with Robert Matthew as the internal advisor to the University. A�er a year Spence submitted his report which received unanimous approval. A statement from the University claimed that it was “not in any way in reproducing the existing 18th century domestic architecture, yet is entirely in harmony with it so that the general character of the square may be maintained.”

1963

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Peter Womersley (1923-1993) is considered to be one of the most visionary architects working in Scotland in the later half of the 20th century. Womersley received a bronze medal for his first commission Farnley Hay in Huddersfield and soon after formed his own practice. His portfolio exclaims a diverse body of work progressing from ‘miesian’ modular timber houses in his early years to the sculptural reinforced concrete in his later years. In 1965, Womersley designed a collection of doctors consulting rooms at Kelso. The consulting rooms were awarded a Civic Trust Award in 1968.

�e design consisted of consulting rooms and a caretaker’s house, set onto a sloping platform of slate. �e structure sat amongst generic semi-detached �ats and (three-four storey) social housing built using brick cavity construction and harling renders.

�e consulting rooms were housed in interlocked pairs within three extruded oval drums (7mx5m), with a fourth used for o�ce space. �ese were arranged around a sunken waiting area winged on the east by a water closet and the west, an entrance porch. �ey were enclosed by a �at roof that adjoined all of the drums at a standard height on their vertical axis. �e caretaker’s house (11m x 4m) was two storeys tall and detached from the main consulting rooms, however it was comprised of the same vague form. Its shape was conceived as a �lleted rectangular plan that was then extruded and sliced 45 degrees at its head. �is was then annexed by another cylindrical drum that formed the stairwell. �e building represented Womersley’s transition from simple, rather �at bosomed architecture to a sculptural three dimensional one.

Womersley referred to a basic Miesian principle of subtractive architecture’ in which the ultimate simple open volume, derived from the plan, is broken down by a series of closed

related volumes. In response to this he explored a counterbalancing ‘additive’ architecture. Here, a collection of similar closed volumes surrounded the circulation area and were held by their relative position around the dome-lit, seating area. �is illustrates how Womersley wished to progress and not duplicate the ideas of seminal architects. At Kelso this additive architecture seems confused with its pastiche of organic drums and rigid horizontal projections. �e main building was designed like a group of pavilions that had a �at roof and post and beam structure juxtaposed in its courtyard. �e toilet, its lack of scale and its solitary position also confuse the aesthetic. �e abandoned wind lobby also appeared to be an a�erthought. Although all of these design elements possessed the same organic form as the other pavilions and there was de�nitely an apparent harmony; there was still a poignant mystery to the composition which infuriates and endears.

Consulting Rooms 1967Kelso

Shaun McIntosh // Stage 5

Architects: Peter Womersley

1963


Product Design

Product Design

Reflection Pod // Sinclair Young

�is pod was designed with the aim of providing an alternative environment within the studio achieved by breaking down the volume of the studio space to a more intimate space. By enclosing the user it allows complete detachment from their surroundings presenting the opportunity to focus or re�ect upon their work.

Some of the objects designed and built by Stage 6 students

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Architect/Designer Bag // Blair Macintyre

Arising from the notion present that architects and design professionals have a particular penchant for their paraphernalia, this then manifested itself in the form of an architect/designers bag.

Both in terms of its visual appeal, unique material, elegance and ultimately with the high demands Architecture/design professionals place upon their belongings, it had to be of an extremely robust nature, yet not appear out of place during a formal occasions.


Two sheets does plenty // Dominic McAndrew

From two sheets of plywood a student is supplied with a full compliment of workspace furniture and two pin up boards. �e basic design is taken from an open source database. Due to the design only using temporary �xings items that are not needed can simply be �xed back into the pin up boards awaiting use. All items are easy to assemble, lightweight and materially e�cient so as to get the most out of the limited amount of material. �e items are easily fabricated in large numbers on a CNC router.

During the project an app proposal was also developed. �is allows students to mix and match items from the universities collection, and customise to their own taste and tools of the trade. For example, the top plate of the chest or drawers can be customised to hold the tools an individual prefers to have within easy reach. �ey go through a list and select (or select and buy) pens, rulers etc. �e outline of these is then created into a machinable layout, creating a tray with a space for each of these to be kept.

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1 Finished Products2 Plywood sheet templates3 App. Screenshot

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Stage 5 Unit 1

HRPU - The New North, Cairngorms

Gokay Devici

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1 Mountain Peaks, British Isles2 Settlement, Braemar3 Settlement, Ballater

HRPU is an architectural design and research laboratory that provides a platform for combining both practice and research in contemporary housing through academia, teaching, and research-based architectural practice. This is an experimentally minded research-based design studio. Scott Sutherland School is the most northerly provider of Architecture education in the UK. The school’s location represents a uniquely diverse portfolio encompassing urban and suburban, planned estates, villages and towns, managed landscapes and wilderness, marine and land-based industry, and coastal towns.

Stage 5 students addressed the Cairngorms, which is the UK’s largest national park, and investigated a holistic consideration of rural and town housing with a view to developing a prospective typology catalogue for the design of residential buildings. �e proposition and challenge of the unit is to explore new housing (accommodation) typologies that can interpret and accommodate current social, cultural and technological tendencies, focusing on adaptable and dynamic structures suitable for the ‘northerly’ context of which these projects are based upon. Your proposals will contribute to developing a strong and sustainable economy within the Park that is resilient to future pressures and increases prosperity and opportunity for the people and communities who work and live there.


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Both Scotland and Norway share similar natural resources and a comparable climate. They have stunning landscapes and an extensive coastline and also share the North Sea as a potential rich resource. Both focus on bio diversity and are developing wind and water, perhaps misguidedly, as an alternative energy source.

In the run up to the Scottish Referendum in 2014, � e Scottish Nationalist consistently referred to Norway as an example of a highly successful, small northern European country with a comparable population and oil. � ey asked the question: if Norway can go it alone, why can’t Scotland? Year 5 of Unit 2 looked to Norway and investigated what it means to have an economy dependent on oil revenue from the North Sea and asked the question: what would happen if that oil supply ran out and could Norway’s and by implication an independent Scotland’s economy � ourish without oil? Together they visited the cites and coastal areas in Norway to explore what the environmental and economic alternatives were in a country which at present is dependent on oil and in doing so plot a possible future, through rigorous analysis, architecture and urban design, for Norway and for Scotland. In their � rst semester the students created a new settlement in Eidsvåg, based on maritime industry, not oil. For their second semester they started their individual proposals for housing, schools, library, church, hydro, ferry port, boat and ship building, infrastructure, transport place making and much more to support the new settlement.

Stage 5 Unit 2

Northern Verge, Norway

Alan Dunlop

1Group Model2 Site Concept Sketch3 Settlement Development Sketches4 Group Photograph

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Stage 5 Unit 3

Over the past few years we have been concerned with exploring architectural propositions that stem from themes such as the peripheral and the parochial. In each case we have attempted to understand and then interrogate our understanding of what these themes might mean. It has been enlightening; for example, we found activity and energy within peripheral areas; we discovered ambition and vision within the parochial.

Stage 5 have considered the bypass as a whole. � ey have considered the new conditions and opportunities that this permanent mark in the landscape might make. � e bypass will inevitably create a more de� nite sense of a city limit, it will make areas that are inside or outside this limit. It will create a physical division in addition to the social division that it has already created. It will have a major in� uence on future development. Does Aberdeen as a city have the foresight and skills to imagine how this development might happen, or rather how this new condition may be inhabited? Working as a group, Stage 5 have leapt into this civic void and have proposed a gridded framework within which each of their individual propositions will operate. While the grid is provisional, acting as an armature for exploration, the individual propositions are lucid and promising.

The Pastoral

Neil Gillespie

1Group Model2 Site Selection3 Grid Development

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HRPU, The New North, Cairngorms

Northern Verge, Norway

The Pastoral, Aberdeen

1 Lukas Vegys2 Kyle Scott3 David Kemp4 Alexandra Dobes5 Li See Yeow

1 Anneli Kiviniemi2 Gavin Douglas3 Natalie Hristova4 Daniel Cardno5 Krista Silina

1 Janis Vilcins2 James Coe3 David Jebb4 Euan Beggs

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Stage 6 Unit 1

Stage 6 concluded their study on Aberdeen city and investigations into possible scenarios for tackling the growing problems of its centre. What do we want Aberdeen to be in 25 years? What identity should it have? What needs to happen to ensure that the centre remains a prime space in the city? How do we incorporate ‘next housing’ typologies and what other mixed uses? What civic or cultural focus should the street have? How does the city centre connect to spaces and places around, below and above? �ese are a few of the research questions which were asked during the development of the projects.

Denburn Regeneration

Professor Gokay Deveci


1 Edward Ashcro�2 Christina Carle3 Chery; Gillespie4 Oisin Kenny5 Sabin Maguregui6 Zhanar Omarova7 Fajar Rezandi8 J’ Steward

9-11 Groupwork

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� is scheme achieves density through repurposing the under-appreciated, It engages with existing paths that were previously disregarded and creates a frontage to a stretch which lacked in continuity and vibrancy.

James Nicol

Inhabiting Denburn

Stage Six Unit One


�e proposed building provides a bold and unique solution to the need for high quality, high density housing in Aberdeen with a view to curtail the exodus of the city’s high earning families to the expansive commuter belt. �e propositions deal with this in two ways – one building of 14 �oors, with retail at ground level, o�ce space on levels 2-3 and housing above. Poor quality units are removed from the building form and replaced with an elevated terrace whilst simultaneously creating new triple aspect apartments with private roof terraces.

�e second, and most radical, is the use of a super slender, super-tall tower providing a mixture of two units per �oor, 1 unit per �oor and duplexes of varying con�gurations over 52 �oors. At only 12 metres wide and 150 metres tall this building makes a strong impact on the Aberdonian skyline.

Dominic McAndrew

SUB URBIA


�e proposal is situated within the City Centre of Aberdeen, on Union Street. During the unit’s Master-planning semester in Stage 5, it was proposed that the Trinity Shopping centre would be removed, in order to create a fully legible pedestrian route through the lower level of Aberdeen. By creating this new route and removing the obstructions, it became clear though that there was now a large gap site that needed re-purposing and to be given a more suitable and sustainable function for a modern City Centre.

�is individual project was driven by the main theme of Connectivity. �ere are many key outdoor spaces that have been le� neglected and forgotten due to current development within the city, so therefore, this building, by using existing historic buildings such as the Trinity Hall, provides a key vertical connection down from Union Street to the Green.

By connecting the historic public space in the Green with Union Street, it means that the pedestrian can move through the city with ease, and can avoid the tra�c that usually dictates their movement. However, although the building provides connections, it needs purpose and function to provide for the inhabitants.

�e proposal provides a traditional Food Hall and Market for the public to gather in, shop, eat and socialise, encouraging the people of Aberdeen to fully utilise all the richness and culture that the city boasts.

Rachael Murray

Reconnecting the City

Stage Six Unit One


Amy Kennedy

�e Triple Kirks, Schoolhill

�e Triple Kirks is an important part of Aberdeen’s heritage, which contributes to give the city a sense of identity. But with such historic buildings being le� vacant and at risk of damage and decay, these irreplaceable assets are at risk of being lost forever.

�e project intends to inspire people towards the true potential in restoring historic buildings. With the interventions proposed to be an imaginative twenty-�rst century re-inhabitation, which will transform the public’s experience; reinforcing the qualities of the ruin, whilst providing spaces to allow for the rich physical and cultural understanding of the Triple Kirks and the city of Aberdeen to be revealed in a proposed Architecture Centre and Museum.


Stage 6 Unit 2

With the rapidly changing economic and social conditions in China, space is emerging for new architecture in which critical thinking and place making are embedded. Over two years students have worked to develop the Suzhou manifesto and to design a new city of one million people. � is

Suzhou, China

Alan Dunlop

new settlement responds to Suzhou’s growth and China’s social and economic ambitions whilst retaining an authentic sense of place. Students visited Suzhou and experienced an urban and social environment vastly di� erent from Scotland. � ey gathered information on the people and the

city and developed a plan for new development. Individual project briefs, which were driven by the research and design work in the master plan, include high rise structures, transportation centres, medical facilities, urban farms, water � ltration tower, public gardens and much more.


1 Ehsan Abbas-Ghavimi2 Finlay Conner3 Faiz Hanapiah4 Robert Harkin5 Duncan Henderson6 Robert McCaughan

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At this moment in time cancer is the leading cause of death in Urban China and is one of their most important public health problems. “A placebo is a phoney cure that works, you can imagine all sorts of ways in which architecture adds to the placebo e�ect.”

�e vision is to transform the journey and experience of the patient by creating a building that is sympathetic and understanding. To simplify what is already a very complicated and di�cult time by consolidating cancer treatment into one compact campus. �is will give the opportunity to to focus on the quality of spaces at a human scale whilst challenging the conventional and traditional design of healthcare facilities. To create a peaceful and healing space which has a direct connection to the surrounding nature and water, which has been proven to aid in the treatment and recovery of the patients.

Jean Christie

Oncology Wellbeing Centre

Stage Six Unit Two


China’s population is rapidly ageing. An estimate predicts that by the end of 2015 there will be 220 million over-60s. As a result, the demand for care-homes in the region have risen. �is sudden increase in the demand for care homes can be partly traced to the one-child policy and a sudden fall in the number of births.

�is project therefore proposes to design a luxurious facility that would cater for Suzhou’s growing population of senior citizens. �e design would also consider provisions for recreation, leisure, therapy and catering. In line with global campaigns for sustainability and environmental friendliness, the design for this care-home employs the concept of earth sheltering. �is concept isn’t far-fetched as many Chinese people still live in caves. And we aren’t talking about just one or two people; according to the LA Times, at least 30 million people live in caves, which are energy e�cient and have a low environmental impact.

Duniya Zisan

Earth Sheltered Care Home


Rory Dickens

Waste Water Tower

“�e sewage disposal system devised by Joseph Bazalgette in 1859 was considered in many ways to be a breakthrough particularly in public health and sanitation. �e current reality, as predicted by his critics at the time, it is one of the biggest loss of nutrients in the history of civilisation.” Justus Von Liebig.

�e Waste Water Tower is a design aiming to tackle the growing water pollutions of China by treating sewage using the ‘Living Machine System’. A natural system that uses plants to remove the nutrients and as a result the bacteria from the sewage providing the city with a source of potable water.

Stage Six Unit Two


�is project pursues the idea of a vertical farm with the desire to improve mental, social and physical existence in urban areas. �e Yuan vertical farm is located in the centre of the new settlement to minimise the use of land area while maximising the agricultural production in the city.

It will reduce carbon emissions and food shortages. �is vertical living farm aims to tackle three years of Masters’ project: the loss of agricultural land; mass housing shortage for the new urban Chinese and the reduction of carbon footprints.

Ruo Lim

Vertical Living Farm


Stage 6 Unit 3

Over the past few years we have been concerned with exploring architectural propositions that stem from themes such as the peripheral and the parochial. In each case we have attempted to understand and then interrogate our understanding of what these themes might mean. It has been enlightening; for example, we found activity and energy within peripheral areas;

North Sea Perigrination

Professor Neil Gillespie,

we discovered ambition and vision within the parochial.

Stage 6 have been concerned with completing their parochial studies within Old Aberdeen. � e students have penetrated their proposals acutely and methodically in order to reveal or release fundamental truths about space, light and form.

Following on from our peregrinations, north,

along Aberdeen’s eastern seashore, from the Rivers Dee to Don, and having paused in Old Aberdeen, we now attempt to imagine the new western boundary that will be formed by the proposed Aberdeen Bypass; a new arterial route that will connect north and south avoiding the congestion of the city.


1 Holly Kennedy2 Hugh Lawson3 Alistair Littlejohn4 Blair Macintyre5 Ashley Tosh6 Sinclair Young

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A key concept for this project has been the theme of liminality. One way in which liminality is expressed in the building is through the series of transitional spaces which create a process or ritual. It is the experience of this process, the process of preparation, in which liminality is experienced.

Jill Marks

Interfaith Centre

Stage Six Unit �ree


�e aim of this project is to create a non denominational and �exible place of prayer, contemplation and sanctuary to anyone who might require it.

�e building aims to be as neutral as possible while still preserving a sense of spirituality.

By designing opportunities rather than barriers and aiming to not exclude any belief system; the hope is that the space created can be used by any denomination or none.

�e brief is split up into 3 separate buildings on the site. �e main building houses the main hall/ prayer space on the top level, due to the split level of the site due to the large retaining wall this hall opens up directly onto a walled garden to the South West,

To the east glazing with views across the roof tops towards the sea are partially obscured by a large screen which is �xed to the exterior facade.

Anna MacKenzie

Interfaith Chaplaincy


�is building will be a universal place for every belief, providing for the social activities related to the dialogue between di�erent religions in the open lower part of the building, and also for a retreat, worship and meditation in the isolated space of paradise garden raised to the roof.

Circulation is through a sequence of di�erent spaces, materials, light and re�ections are used to create rich experience and convey the feeling of having visited far-away place to the users of the building.

Volha Druhakova

Forum of Beliefs

Stage Six Unit �ree


In all memorable experiences of atmosphere. Space, matter and time fuse into one single dimension, into the basic substance of being, which penetrates consciousness and allows for a grand epitaph to endure once this feeling has departed. We identify ourselves with this space, this place, this moment, and these dimensions become ingredients of our very existence and which can profoundly in�uence us.

Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation plays through our senses, through memory and through atmosphere.

Russell KearseyStudents Union


Electives

Urbanism

The separation of public and private and its influence on personal space were studied using the examples of Thomson Street, Wallfield Place and Footdee in Aberdeen.

Private and public spaces If we study any settlement, town, village or city we can see how they are structured to create separation between private and public spaces. �e physical space of any city is greatly a�ected by the way its community divides into public and private spheres, and how movement between these places and access to di�erent areas and activities are controlled. Similarly, if we look at our daily routines and actions it is clear that they are shaped by how we live and pass from private and public spheres and the way we feel and behave on these various settings: from a private place where we feel safe and in control to a public place where we feel cautious.

Personal space �e de�nition of spaces in the city as public or private therefore depends on how people feel in them and how its physical characteristic in�uence their perceptions. “All forms of private and public distinction are directly related to the fundamental distinction between the inner self and the outside world” (Mandanipour, 2003) �e interface between body and the city is personal space. It provides a portable and invisible protective layer that controls the level of privacy and freedom of an individual in a particular situation, and regulates distance of separation between people. �e size of personal space varies depending on the perceived role and status of the person in a place and the degree of protection from outside intrusion desired during that situation.

Social Interaction Additionally to the function of protection, the size of personal space is also determined by the function of communication and social interaction. Personal space is equally part of both private and public realms and therefore it is an important driver of social encounters and how individuals regulate their interpersonal interactions by maintaining an appropriate distance between each other. �erefore, this depends on whether we are with relatives, friends, acquaintances or complete strangers.

Public vs Private Urban Interface

Sabin Maguregui // Stage 6

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1 �omson Street, Aberdeen2 Wall�eld Place, Aberdeen3 Footdee, Aberdeen


What is HÖMM?

HÖMM is designed to be an emergency relief shelter that can be air dropped and then li�ed by the community to the build space. It is to be constructed by two or more unskilled labours using only two adjustable spanners/wrenches. Once constructed and fully in�ated the pillows will harden creating a permanent structure that has a �oor space of 6m by 3m.

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ConstructionFlat packed emergency shelter

Rory Dickens // Stage 6

How does HÖMM work?

HÖMM is designed to �t in its own transportation box. �is helps to save space allowing for the maximum possible number of shelters to �t in the plane per air-drop. Once dismantled the container walls act as the shelters �oors and doors. To simplify the construction the main frame is connected by hinges before being packed. �is means the instructions are simpler to follow on site and also removes the need for drills and screwdrivers, which are expensive, to be shipped in the box. �e only tools required are two spanners. Nuts, bolts and threaded bar also allow for minimal damage in dismantling the building should a more permanent structure be required. Due to the timber being more or less damage free it can then be reused in a new building project.

�e design also allows the joining of more than one air-drop to create a larger structure. �is method is not shown in the following instructions.

�e de�ning feature of the construction is the method of hardening. �e air pillows provide insulation but should they become punctured pillows will no longer provide insulation. To overcome this and increase the durability and longevity of the structure there are two layers of epoxy on the outside of the air pillow. Upon in�ation these layers are pressed together by expansion of the pillow. �is creates a chemical reaction that binds the 2 layers together over 48hrs. Due to its arched form a very strong layer is created protecting the air pillow from puncture and also resisting lateral loads that may lead to racking in the structure. An additional foil layer is placed on the outside to insulate the building from warmer climates and protect the epoxy layer from solar degrading.

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1 HÖMM assembled and boxed2 Detail3 An image from assembly manual4 Structure

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Dissertations

The Hearth of Maramures

Fire is one of the crucial elements of nature and it allowed civilization to progress over the centuries, being the primal source of heat, light and energy. In terms of architecture, fire, together with another fundamental element of nature, water, led to the appearance of different materials which then defined shelters.

Gottfried Semper (1851) wrote about the origins of architecture in relation to anthropology and described the hearth as the “sacred symbol of civilization”, around which the other three elements: the roof, the enclosure and the mound , are grouped. Even more, Semper saw the hearth as the central piece, “ the �rst and most important, the moral element of architecture”. �roughout the development of human societies, the relationship between these elements of architecture changed, emphasis being put on some aspects while others were given less importance.

In Maramureș, Romania, the hearth is still regarded as the central, de�ning point of the dwelling. �e functionality, practicality and symbolism behind this piece of architecture make it an indispensable element in the lives of the people from the area.

�ere is a strong sequence of geometrical volumes created by the di�erent components. �e complex relationship between them was developed in order to serve di�erent functions. Up until the XXth century it was the main source of heat of the house, source of light, place for food preparation, resting and sleeping place and it constituded the cohesion center of the entire family life. A great part of the human activity was taking place around the hearth, with customs and traditions being transferred on from generation to generation.

Dwellings from Maramureș that still “bene�t”

that modernization brought in the region and its e�ects on the overall aesthetics of the hearth was also examined. �e complexity and capabilities of the hearth of Maramureș assured its longevity, therefore it could be seen as a symbol of permanence.Consequently, this work becomes a typological study where emphasis is put on one element of architecture.

Alexandra Dobes // Stage 5

Hearth from Saliste, Maramures

from the hearth were identi�ed and looked upon in greater detail, with emphasis on functionality, component parts, utensils, construction methods but also the symbolic interpretation of gestures and rituals directly related to the use of this element of architecture.

However, the archaic hearth su�ered some adjustments during the last century. �e changes

Scott Sutherland School 2015 87 Scott Sutherland School 2015 87

During the last century Finnish architects have contributed signi�cantly to the development of modern architecture in Europe. �e country has produced a number of in�uential architects whose legacy resonates through contemporary practice. Although Finland has a long cultural history, the National Romantic movement emerging at the end of 19th century is o�en considered as the starting point of Finnish art and architecture. During the battle of independence at the early 20th century, the small but in�uential nation started to establish a strong sense of Finnish identity through literature, arts and architecture. Inspiration was drawn from the geographic areas of the oldest settlements, such as Karelia and Ostrobothnia, and ’Kalevala’, the national epic of Finland became highly in�uential. �e folk poems of Kalevala were gathered and put together by Elias Lönnrot and the book was �rst published in 1835.

Due to the important role of Kalevala within the history of Finland as an independent country, a strong respect towards the poems of the epic is rooted in me. Although the runes were written down almost 180 years ago, and sang long before that, they include a strong description of the characteristics of Finnish people and Finnish scenery. Passed on from generation to generation, the poems illustrate the life of our ancestors, their habits and beliefs as well as their attitudes towards built environment.

While studying architecture, I have come across surprisingly many references to the runes of Kalevala which I �rst read as a child. For example, in his book Modern Architecture: A critical history Kenneth Frampton connects the work of National Romantic architects such as Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Lars Sonck to the national poem and states that

Studying the Roots of Finnish ArchitectureAnneli Kiviniemi // Stage 5

As a student studying architecture outside my home country of Finland, I have become more and more interested in the question; what makes architecture truly Finnish? Recently I have begun to believe that perhaps an answer to this can be found from the starting point of our culture, folk poetry.

“the basic inspiration behind all their work was the Finnish folk epic, the Kalevala” (Frampton 2007 p. 193) . International interest in the metaphorical world of the epic seems high among architects who, however, o�en confuse the connection between architecture and the poems. �e subject is not widely studied yet a number of references to the content of the runes can be found from the work of Finnish architects.

During my ��h year of architectural studies I got the opportunity to research the topic for my dissertation. �rough an interpretive study I aimed to open the world of Kalevala to the readers and shed light on its important role in the history of Finland before focusing on the architectural signi�cance of the poems. �e study was based on readings of Kalevala in its original language as well as connections drawn between Kalevala and architecture in published literature. Additional primary source material was obtained directly from the architects and authors who have showed interest in the topic before; including Rainer Mahlamäki and Anthony Antoniades who kindly shared a letter he received from Göran Schildt, in which he discusses the topic.

�e dissertation discusses primal, almost unconscious, attitudes towards built environment that the Finnish architects seem to possess and which are strongly linked to the Nordic region and landscape – as well as the poems of Kalevala. Furthermore, the study introduces a concept of “Cultural and Aesthetic DNA”, according to which people carry within them certain “DNA” of their region, no matter where in world they may live at the time, which determines what they �nd aesthetically and spatially pleasing.

Kalevala Illustration by Nicolai Kochergin


Dissertations

Antoine Pierron // Stage 5

Urban decay is not a new phenomenon, many studies have analyzed its causes and it is evident throughout the history of urban planning. However, because of the contemporary context of globalization, this process operates at an unprecedented magnitude and takes many forms throughout the world. Studies on the subject suggest that this phenomenon is part of a much broader dynamic. An increase in areas affected by the process of urban decline is observed, recent prospective suggests that the continued increase in global urbanization, urban decline does not appear to be synonymous with disappearance of the city. This phenomenon is neither paradoxical or pathological but inseparable from the urban condition. To deal with the degeneration, the city must reinvent itself and appeal to innovative urban strategies.

�e macro-lot operates a strategic transformation of the pre-existing urban fabric to create new urban conditions. �e design of a macro-lot is in line with that of ‘open blocks’ theorized by Christian de Portzamparc the Pritzker prize-winning architect and urbanist. It is an entity formed from the void, generated by the mutualisation of a set of blocks or parts of blocks. Macro-lots are composed of several entities that seek to sustain some individuality, without binding to a common rule that homogenize them.

A macro-lot is a whole which is not mono-functional, and which associates di�erent programs made by di�erent actors within the same fabric. It is a large size urban block in which all programs are coordinated, both from the point of view of the contracting owner and the project’s management. Di�erent operations are performed in the same time frame to avoid delays in the delivery of a program for any participant. An urban operation that develops macro-lots assumes that actors adhere to common designing and implementing architectural and urban process. �is involves the pooling of certain program elements, including car parking and indoor gardens open spaces.

�e concept of macro-lot derived from the idea that a new parceling structure allows for a condition of urbanization based on the collective rather than the individual. More than an architectural concept, macro-lot mainly represents a profound socio-economic reorganization of the urban fabric to counter the process of urban deterioration.

�is research dissertation focuses on the Parisian urban fabric, a�ected by the phenomenon of urban decline at many levels and across multiple periods.

Macro-lotsThe regeneration of the decaying urban space

�e study looks at the urban decline phenomenon and its in�uence on the urban fabric’s ability to reinvent itself. In France, the macro-lot is now an essential tool for the development of cities. Given the phenomenon of urban decay and the tendency of society to be characterized by a perpetual sense of change, this study explores the relevance of the macro-lot as an urban tool.

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1 Open block concept2,3 Macrolot Podzampark

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Janis Vilcins // Stage 5

‘Soviet Modernism’ is a term first coined by the Russian architect, Felix Novikov, and it refers to the period in Soviet architecture from 1955 to 1985. It’s beginning was clearly marked by Nikita Khrushchev’s reforms and the imposed industrialization of construction. The few decades following his reforms of 1954 saw architectural profession slowly becoming superior to the construction industry, producing generic standardized designs all over USSR with an unbelievable uniformity, while under the control of the centralized power of the Communist party.

�e topic of Soviet Modernism still remains widely under-researched due to the perception that, within the extremely limited context, architecture had no artistic merit and the role of the profession was industrial production of square meters. Recently emerging interest from researchers, however, con�rms that there were examples that went beyond the generic and standardized designs, however, the architectural manifestation of these aspects are yet to be comprehensively assessed.

Lack of existing research, makes it di�cult to place works of Soviet post war modernists in a wider architectural context and it cannot be analyzed with the same tools as Western architecture, therefore, focus on one speci�cally chosen example can serve as a useful introduction to understanding the complexity of the issue. Firstly, Latvia can be seen as an example of the speci�c architectural characteristics developing in each of the separate Soviet Republics. Consequently, Marta Staņa and her work then outlines the key ways to apply critical practice within architectural profession, which were to

either work on buildings whose functions and signi�cance required an individual design or to work on projects that were not a priority in ‘State plan’. �ere was a choice to either work within the limits set mostly by bureaucracy and the centralized power or to practice within the limits of de�cit and the inability to acquire higher quality building technology.

Looking at the architectural qualities created by Staņa within this context, it becomes clear that political subversion was also one of the key aspects that clearly manifested itself in architecture. Initial attempts to appropriate the generic modernity show clear reference to the

Photo by Jānis Trops. 1977

Soviet Modernism in LatviaArchitecture of Marta Staņa and the possibility of critical practice in post WWII Latvia during the Soviet occupation

interwar period, however, already in the 1960s Western in�uence becomes much more prominent. Overall, Soviet Modernism was not an ideological limit to architect’s creativity, however, the centralised system created an environment where the possibilities of critical practice in architecture were extremely rare. Daile theatre can be seen as an example of a common consequence of this aspect- architecture becomes a hybrid merging Party’s directives and orders, Western in�uences as well as local traditions and ideas.

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�e Sketchbook

The Sketchbook

1 Violeta Vasileva2 Robert Coutts3 Kirileigh Fisher

Facing Page

1-2 Joanne Fowlie3 Kirileigh Fisher4 Craig Mackenzie5 Lorna Robertson6 Niall McGuinness7 Moray Taylor8 Liam Davies9 Niall McGuinness

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Drawing is an important part of architectural education. In a world in which digital technology plays an increasingly important role students need to develop their computer skills. However, this should not be at the expense of practicing and developing the ability draw and to imagine through drawing. A good sketch can capture the quality of a place or the essence of a design idea. �ese sketches have been produced by students from �rst year to sixth year.


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� e Sketchbook


Masters Students’ Sketches


Above and rightJean ChristieLeftNatali Hristova


� e Sketchbook

Facing PageTop Unkown (5th year?) Zisan DuniyaRight Robert McCaughan

OverleafDocho Georgiev

1 Duncan Henderson2 Gavin Douglas3 Faiz Hanapiah4 Daniel Cardno5 Volha Druhakova

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�e Sketchbook

Included in this publication ia a special insert celebrating Gray’s School of Art. Additional copies are available by contacting Penny Lewis on [email protected]

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Documents

RGU Architecture Yearbook 2015