sitooterie

the focus of year two was timber construction. we were to individually to design a sitooterie for two people using a given site on campus. later four designs were chosen to be built in groups.

the site was not very inspiring and it had quite a difficult context. the site is sheltered from the sun a building and trees to the south. it is also very close to the student union therefore the night time activity around the site had to be considered. from site analysis it was discovered that due to fencing people often walked around the site and not across it or use the space.

my response to the site was to create a sitooterie that connected two parts of the site so i created a walk-way that went across the site. focusing on the linear i had horizontal slats with small windows to create interest.

section though seated part of sitooterie

a small model of the sitooterie

group sitooterie

from a selection of 18 sitooteries for each site a final design was chosen. it was then the task of the group to build, fund raise and document the sitooterie.

i think it could be agreed that the sitooterie turned out quite... unattractive, however there was a point in the project where the groups priorities changed. the university was offering a small amount of £200 to fund each sitooterie and the groups had to fund raise for the rest of the money.

in the previous years of the project there had been a greater budget given by the university and local architect and businesses often donated money. however as this project coincided with the collapse of the banking system and an impending recession people were less will to donate money.

through approaching local businesses, builders and contacts we soon realised that although could not contribute financially they were will to give resources. the other advantage of the sudden downturn was that there was a lot of building halted which led to surplus materials. we managed to accumulate a large amount of 18mm plywood.

the most eye-catching part of the design is the yellow timber frame. through a group contact we managed to source our timber frame, cut to size and delivered, for free. unfortunately the timber game treated resulting in the yellow timber which did not compliment the recycled plywood.

final sitooterie

although the outcome of the project was not aesthetically pleasing we learnt to be resourceful and work what it like to work with a tight budget and recycled materials. despite not needing the money we as group did raise money through a very successful raffle and a bake sale. also as a year we organised a fund raising night securing a local night club as our venue for free. as we did not need the money we gave money to other groups that required extra funding.

below is a of videos that myself and a colleague made to document the construction of the sitooterie. as well as documenting i was also group secretary and in charge of the finances.

research retreat

our second design project was to design an artists ‘research retreat’ on tentsmuir beach, fife. the building was to include twelve bedrooms for artists to stay, a range of studio spaces, communal spaces and exhibition spaces.

i placed the private accommodation amongst the trees for privacy while the public spaces were more exposed. the studios are north facing to benefit from natural daylight rather than sunlight.

an influential precedent was the kaufmann house(1946) by richard neutra (below). from studying this house i decided to create the pinwheel plan.



as the building was to be a retreat i concentrated on creating small intimate spaces and gardens.

above are some of places i created. first is the outdoor gazebo where people could go reflect in the fresh air but still shelter from the elements. in the middle is a small seated nook. it is placed around the corner from the studios and was designed as a place where artists could go to to escape the studios. lastly is a small bench to create a ‘go to’ place at the end of a corridor. i also wanted to create bedrooms that were a private sanctuary. each room has its own porch, 'transition space', where the artist can have their own private external space.

from the elevation below it is evident how the building ‘hugs’ the earth to become part of the landscape.

i still consider this my favourite project. There are things I would like to change about the project however on the whole this is the project outcome I am most happy with. 

habitat

perspective of the home from the south-east looking towards the entrance and the private garden

our first design project was to design a house for three people. the site was in kenmore on loch tay and the site protruded into the loch. we were to develop our own brief by creating our clients. i chose to design for a family, mum, dad, and child.

panorama views from the site

i had decided that the mother was a ceramic artist and potter. this meant that required a studio. she also taught pottery clases and sold her work from her studio. as the family were to invite people to the shop i also wanted to give them their private space so i created a stromg wall that separated the private parts of the site from the public. i created a thick stone wall that was inspired by the gabion wall around the site.

the dad was a graphic designer who worked from home and therfore required a small office. i decided to place the office outwith the family accomodation because i wanted to separate work and family.

ground floor plan

i also made some practical decisions like placing the garden on the sheltered east side of the loch and the living space to the south to enjoy views and sunlight.

the east and north elevations showing the gabion wall

entrance

entrance was our first project in architecture. we were assigned a doorway from the old part of campus. individually and in groups we carried out a number of studies; including a 1:1 drawing, CAD drawings and freehand drawings.

a freehand drawings of the entrance