Harrison Cameron-Barr
Taking inspiration from my precedent research, The Factory by the late Ricardo Bofill, my design proposal for SITE F culminates the monolithic sculptural shapes and grandeur of the double height space seen inside The Factory. A large part of Bofill’s design is about openness and light. My proposal’s structure provides a large open plan volume with residential units above, resulting in a flexible space for the exchange and food preparation hall. The idea is to have shared learning throughout the building: The vast atrium with the sculptural cylindrical light wells makes it so the central heart of the building is visible to all. You can look down upon the exchange hall from all floors or watch a ground floor lecture or watch as people learn horticultural practices in the silos and open classrooms. The building also has an important connection to the waterfront, it opens to the canal and the descending views of the Maryhill Locks via several large apertures and balconies, allowing easy access to the outdoors and spectacular sight lines. Taking further precedent research, this time from La Tourette by Le Corbusier, the building reflects its location and the activity that goes on inside. And so the geometry of the façade in my design is a map of the canal, the afternoon sun casts a shadow of this map on the ground floor, highlighting the significance of the canal route to the occupants.