MODULUS OPERANDS
Our site was listed as an area of important green space by the council, so we know it would be important to preserve the spaces availability to the local houses. We needed to make paths through the site and lines of sight on the area for the development to the existing houses so not to create a feeling of being shut out.
PROCESS
Our site (about 15 minutes away from the High-street) is next to a existing neighbourhood, our main concern when organising the site was shutting the existing houses out of the new development.
Our solution was to break the density and height of the development towards the west side furthest from the houses which would allow people in the existing houses to see into the development a could be involved in the activity.
The second solution we came up with to cluster the houses into groups of four to increase the number of lines of sight through the development.
My part of the plot was in the two highest density bands and closeted to the South west corner.
We started to look at how we could organise the spaces in the building around each other, we did this we simple wood blocks so we could experiment with how light falls across these masses, points of entry and exit and sight lines. We decided upon two mirrored L-shapes with the two tallest masses towards the road to block noise.
My plot for my building was right on the corner and three stories, the major issues being the space was surrounded by a paths and a forest area. I then started to experiment with how I could arrange my mass away from the courtyard area away (which the mirrored L-shapes that are organised around). If I could reflect sound pollution away from the courtyard area it would become a small oasis area from the city.
Again with different wood blocks of different sizes I began to organise the space I came to a form, with the concept form there were exterior space away from the exposed ground level next to the path. The form also allows for an underpass through the building plot to connect the courtyard to the cycle path, this would back the top entrance nearest the road less used and more private giving my building a more private side of the buildings.
