Zenia Josephine Andersen
Part 2 Architecture Graduate
Thesis
Three Colts Tannery was developed through research of the local history of industrial trades, backed by a social and political agenda to combat poverty and unemployment synonymous with the Bethnal Green area, East End of London.
In the past 30 years, the UK’s manufacturing sector has shrunk by two-thirds, the greatest de-industrialisation of any major nation.
The acknowledgement of the historical significance of the leather industry and craftsmanship in Bethnal Green and Brick Lane Area results in a respectfully proposed thesis project in dialogue with the neighbouring Weavers Fields Park thus creating a programme, which is historically, socially and architecturally significant to the area.
The programme focuses on the need for apprenticeships and basic craftsmanship and manufacturing opportunities in modern Britain providing trades, we have otherwise outsourced to the Eastern countries, thus acknowledging traditional skills and enhance future employability for talented individuals.
“Its a myth that the UK can survive on services alone, manufacturing is essential rather than optional to a healthy economy”
Digby Jones, Head of Confederation of British Industry
Design Process
During the creative process I use various methods to communicate my design ideas, including model making, drawing and production of film essays.
The particular medium of film, or film essay, works as a visual language combining feature film and documentary. Since the late 1970s, architecture has fervently sought connections with other fields of art. Pallasmaa argues that cinema is closer to architecture than music because of its temporal nature and spatial structure. Film essays allow the maker, or director, to focus on which aspects he wants the viewer to achieve whilst problematisising various traditional film “concepts such as narrative fiction and historical record, truth and fantasy, blurring the boundaries between the stable genres and calling into question all simplifying binary categories of representation.”
AutoCAD has for a long time been my preferred method of scaling technical drawings, as it is, in my experience, a lot freer than certain other CAD programmes. However, I am proficient in ArchiCAD after my year in work experience as the firm I worked for, Danielsen Architecture, solemly use this CAD programme across their firm.
As well as physical modelling, creating my main digital models in Sketchup Pro is a quick an easy way to visualise ideas, which, in comparison to physical models, you can reverse should you make a mistake or wish to change your design.
I am very efficient in the entire Abobe package - my main visualisation tool is Photoshop, in which I create all my renderings, collages and posters. Illustrator is used for additional design if certain methods are more complicated in Photoshop.
In-Design and Adobe Acrobat Pro are used for the creation of my presentation documents in order that they can be translated to PDF format and printed as a collected booklet.
I thoroughly enjoy working digitally and am excited by the process, in which, you distort and create images using them as a tool for conveying your desing intentions and make them ‘come to life’ (see image below - Storyboard for London Film Essay).
Design Implementation
The techincal and technological requirements of the design in the building mainly lies on the incoorporation of the industrial elements / machinery as well as implementation of the communal gardens The building is a sound metal-frame and glass structure, covered in a woven, grid-like wooden frame to shade from direct sunlight, as well as tie in the history of weavers in the area.
The materiality is kept to a simple metal frame, glass and concrete. Using wood lamellas for the exterior solar panels would be an inexhaustible and easily recycled material and tie in with the bordering Weavers Fields garden. However, the exterior isnt only for aesthetic purposes but shields the industrial interior from overheating, glare and the elements and helps maintain the interior climate efficiently.
The interior glass structure will provide vast amounts of daylight for the workers and transparancy for visitors and locals visiting the building and walking by.
Due to the industrial elements / machinery, heat and moisture control is necessary. Therefore, implementation of mechanical and natural ventilation is crucial. Despite the heat from machinery and high volume of glazing, passive solar heating, additional heat control is needed for especially winter time which will provide the thermal comfort and indoor air quality required for the workers.
Further Development
The development of the new Whitechapel Crossrail Station is located less than 1 km away and will have an overwhelming affect on the local area in terms of scale and businesses. Not only will it connect the immediate area to the city centre and outskirts of London, but it will also connect the suppliers in Essex to the tannery creating a quick route for stock and business partners to reach site. By connecting key districts of London to Bethnal Green you’re offering potential of employment elsewhere to local residents, and thereby potential aspirations, values and experiences.
The addition of 40 new stations has, however, already had an impact of increasing property values of up to 40% within a 10-minute walk of the central area of the proposed route, despite still being incomplete.
This could potentially mean that the issues of housing in Bethnal Green could expand out of proportions and push residents further out of the city and ruin possible local communities. Therefore, secure employment and further education is vital in order for the current residents to be able to stand the future changes, which will happen to Bethnal Green over the next years. Pushing the speed of construction and training of future employees would be necessary.
I have tried to embed several concepts into my thesis; including community, opportunity and ownership. By introducing and making the building fully open to the public and transparant to visitors, I’m hopefully adding a program, which will introduce a unity and sense of pride to the different communities in Bethnal Green whilst offering a great industrial opportunity of internships for talented individuals.