Brief 5

PROJECT 5
The New Suburban Civic: A Neighbourhood Centre

BRIEF
“The definition of suburbia now embraces a wide range of developments from New Towns to Council Estates. National census returns record 86% of the British population as living in the following suburban categories:
Suburban/Urban (19th century suburbs) 23%
Suburban (20th century suburbs) 43%
Suburban/Rural (scattered small estates in open land) 20%
It is clear that the old stereotypical associations are no longer relevant to these vibrant sites of social mobility and ethnic diversity, which offer a model for local living in a global society.”
Centre for Suburban Studies, Kingston University London

Semester One was spent ‘Learning from Milton Keynes’, the archetypal suburban city. Notions of neighbourhood and centre were explored in the range of assorted suburban experiments that make up the MK grid. The studio focused on public buildings and spaces, and wondered what forms civic society would occupy in the future suburban condition.

The brief is to design a new neighbourhood centre for a grid square in MK.

Through developing and gaining approval for the Final Proposal Design Brief, developed from the supplied template, you should now have a clear brief outlining your intentions, site, schedules of use/accommodation and precedents.

AIMS
To develop a brief based upon:
   a) suburban architectural precedents you have researched and experienced in MK, NYC, PHL and beyond.
   b) the needs and aspirations of ‘the publics’ in your site of study
To exploring the relationship between use and form.
To develop a design proposal that is both generous and appropriate.
To explore, at a detailed scale, the use of materials and building elements to define an experiential and rich architecture.
To develop an architectural language that communicates with both users and the wider public.
To explore the relationship between your personal aesthetic/formal preferences and an appropriate architecture.
To study and consider the full impact of your proposal – formally, socially, economically and environmentally
To develop an understanding of the inter-related elements that contribute to the construction and maintenance of your proposal
To produce spectacular visual material that successfully conveys your intentions and proposal.
To develop your own design methodology.

REQUIREMENTS
THIS LIST INDICATES THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND SHOULD NOT BE VIEWED AS A CONTENTS PAGE FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO. BE SURE TO PRESENT ALL YOUR BEST WORK…

Week 4/5
OUTLINE DESIGN CRIT
1. Final Design Brief – entire booklet to hand, final accommodation schedule printed out and pinned up
2. Minimum two high quality photographs of your proposal on its site – developed from workshop (3.2.09)
What is the essence of your scheme? How have you developed your first semester hypothesis into a proposal?
3. Minimum two high quality photographs of your three dimensional spatial constitution – developed from workshop (10.2.09)
4. A selection of models (minimum 5) describing the external envelope of your proposal and the internal experience
Note: similar scale but different models demonstrating the evolution of an idea are encouraged.
5. Clear drawings describing your scheme with high production values, minimum:
a) site plan – 1:500 or similar to show relationship with surroundings. Consider it as a Nolli map.
b) plans of all floors – 1:200 or similar to show the main spaces and their adjacencies
c) 2 sections – 1:200 or similar to describe the main spaces, adjacencies and light
PLUS Additional material that illustrates the development of your first semester hypothesis into a design proposal. This may include additional models, concept diagrams, collages/photoshop images of your proposal on site and considered line drawings e.g. axonometric, worm’s eye

Week 8
DETAIL DESIGN CRIT
Edit and format your previous work to articulate the progression of your design, plus:
You must produce the following for your detail design proposal:
6. Detailed (1:25 or 1:50) model of a key part of your proposal – facade/entrance or most significant space
7. Minimum two high quality photographs of your model showing inhabitation
8. Drawings – all necessary plans, elevations and sections to explain scheme
1:100 or similar to show detail of proposal
9. A structural strategy diagram
10. An environmental strategy diagram
PLUS Additional material that illustrates the development of your outline design into a detail design proposal. This may include additional models, detail drawings (1:10, 1:5, 1:1), material investigations, storyboard of day in the life of key characters, exploratory drawings e.g. development sequence of a key facade

Week 12 (inc. Easter)
FINAL PRESENTATION CRIT
Edit and format your previous work to articulate the progression of your design, plus:
Produce a presentation set of information for your final scheme, including as a minimum all of the above plus any drawings, samples, models or photographs requested by your tutors.It is especially important that you consider:
a) how your building communicates to passersby. This may take the form of an exceptional model, detailed elevational studies or characterful renders.
b) how your characters, the publics, experience your building. This may take the form of intelligently-lit photographs of inhabited models, beautifully illustrated storyboards or richly textured sections.

Your lead-in to the final crit should balance technical development with joyful expression. Spend a day developing a detailed section and the next day making a huge model out of cheese – or updating your original concept images. Keep producing, keep reassessing the work you have done and enjoy – you may not get the chance to design another building for a very long time.

“Social classes rarely come together, but if they can make temporary alliances in the designing and building of multi-valued community architecture, a sense of paradox and irony will be needed on all sides.”
Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour, 1972