Studio 5

Studio Introduction

This year Studio 5 concerned itself with the development of an urban strategy for a substantial vacant site in the nearby Wavertree Technology Park and bordering the vacant Littlewoods building, to design a privately-funded culture and congress forum. The brief called for a series of buildings, framing a new public space, to provide venues for public events and company use.

Students were able to choose from a list of suggested functions, but were also encouraged to add their own suggestions. The proposed culture forum was to host both company and external cultural events, thus providing an important new venue in the region.

In semester one, students developed the overall strategy and designed their first building(s), while semester 2 was dedicated to consolidating the urban strategy and designing the second phase – with larger building(s) and a special emphasis on detailing. A field trip to Berlin was organised in late January to visit similar ensembles of public buildings.

ARCH 352

In the final analysis, architecture is a problem of form. For this reason, it is my view that the designer must approach the problems of architecture starting from form. Thus, other approaches (sociological, economic etc.), which in recent years have provided architects with an avenue of escape from their true responsibilities, must be excluded.
Luigi Snozzi

Building on the work of semester one, in semester two Studio 5 students were concerned with refining the urban strategies posited for their site, situated in the Wavertree Technology Park and bordering the vacant Littlewoods building. The aim, carried through from semester one, remained to design a culture and congress centre, including a public square and / or park, provided by one of the Liverpool based, top-20 companies in the North West of England.

The overriding objectives and guidance given last semester remained applicable and underpinned the students’ work in semester two, with the addition of a specific focus given to tectonic considerations. Students were expected to demonstrate their ability to design spaces / buildings with a clear rationale informing the way materials come together, and to illustrate a consistent approach to materiality, and construction both generally and with a focus on specific details.

For Arch352 students were asked to fine-tune the design of their urban strategy to
incorporate the knowledge gained during the design of their first building(s) in the second half of semester one, and to design the remaining building(s), with special attention given to atmospheres and tectonics, while also consolidating and completing the overall master plan for the site.

Tutors

Julien Denis
Dr Torsten Schmiedeknecht
Jane Cadot
Susanne Pollmann
Dr Patrick Zamarian

Special Thanks

Environment: Dr Stuart Gee
Structures: Dr Carlos Medel-Vera
Construction: Susanne Pollmann
James Browne, Stallan-Brand, Glasgow
Alexander Dusterloh, UoL
Nick Moss, Nick Moss Architects, Manchester
Pietro Pezzani, UoL
Rebecca Sawcer, Waugh Thistleton, London
Alexander Turner, Studio Mutt Architects, Liverpool
Dan Williams, Donald Insall Associates, Chester
Model photography: Jazamin Sinclair