This project followed several other projects whereby a narrative was created, a relationship between a human and animal. This relationship was explored throughout the year, with each element leading to this penultimate project. The narrative follows the relationship of a scientist and a honeybee and using this story to design a small research/treatment facility that would be testing and using honey bee by-products. A choice of 10 sites were given to us to choose from, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Each of the sites were located on or close to Oxford Road, Manchester - the road that is home to both universities, Central Manchester Universities Hospital and an abundance of small and larger businesses.
To initiate the project, a visit was due so as to understand the site, to fully comprehend the details that will enable and restrict the design.
Once I had finished with understanding the site and after developing ideas, it was then necessary to conduct some research to find existing structures that could inspire a thought and develop the process into a more rigid idea to pursue. The majority of my influence came from The Eden Project in Cornwall, The Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavic, Iceland and The Beijing Aquatic Centre. To summarise everything, the main concept I liked was the development of some aesthetically pleasing visual display upon a blank canvas.
With a lot of conjectures regarding the use of mathematics in some of the simplest forms I read up of the formation of the hexagon within a honeycomb and the Fibonacci series/golden section. Compressed down, The idea started with a circle with one point on the circumference, this point being the origin of another circle, proceeding on by drawing another circle drawn with the origin at the intersection of the previous circles we create an image most individuals will have no doubt drawn themselves at some stage in their life. If we take each intersection along the first circles circumference then we have a perfect hexagon. It also leads to the depiction of how the third dimension is created from a two dimensional concept.
The ground floor plan worked around a rather thin site and the double height atrium at the front which allowed me to develop idea of a visual depiction on a blank canvas. By incorporating a decorative double facade it helps improve the efficiency of the building while also acting as an aesthetical tool, utilising the natural sunlight that floods the site from the south that decorates the atrium with ever changing hexagonal patterns.
Section 1 - This image shows the main reception and the public space on the ground floor as well as the main private space upstairs. I really liked the idea of contrasting the main wooden feature wall against the white walls throughout the building. The double height feature wall also acts as a canvas for the light to cast its shadows form the hexagonal double facade creating an ever-changing visual display.
Section 2 - This section shows all the private space on the eastern side of the building.
Was rather happy about how this turned out given it was my first attempt at rendering and creating a perspective visualisation. Probably still going to edit it some more to play around with the colours and try and create different aesthetics to see which I prefer.
