Y3P1
Y3P1
Heritage Re-use and Ecological Regeneration
Heritage Re-use and Ecological Regeneration
Embedded Files
Process and Urban Analysis
Process and Urban Analysis
The cornmill
The cornmill
Undeniably a ruin, the project required an approach that deviated from the assigned task of retrofitting, which would pose maintenance concerns and be unfeasible in the long run. Therefore, the goal was to re-use, and frame the building's heritage as a grade II listed building by drawing attention to it through design. To tackle the problem of flooding up to 1.5m, a buoyancy system was designed to ensure that the ruin remains used and is not subject to abandonment like it has been today.
Getting a grip of the language of ruin.
Getting a grip of the language of ruin.
A conceptual model that is built up in layers of materiality and history helped inform the design approach as one that tackles layers as opposed to a unified building. The infill hoped to reflect this idea so as to celebrate rather than overpower the humble mill, which is already standing in the shadow of the monstrous, brutalist Hepworth gallery.
Introducing a sculptural walkway to bridge gaps in the Hepworth's modernist language and that of the industrial mills nearby, whilst making the site accessible during floods
Introducing a sculptural walkway to bridge gaps in the Hepworth's modernist language and that of the industrial mills nearby, whilst making the site accessible during floods
The Hepworth has its own flood-proof platform above the flood plane, which the walkway would now connect to the mill, bridging the hierarchy of spatial importance. The sculptural language speaks to the gallery's activities, highlighting the mill as an art piece of its own.
Designing a Buoyancy system for the Mill's infill, making its ruinous insides usable at all times.
Designing a Buoyancy system for the Mill's infill, making its ruinous insides usable at all times.
Making the space usable was a key goal in framing the mill's heritage. Covered in scaffolding and a plastic cover today, the mill is completely closed off of public use, rendering its Heritage listing somewhat ambiguous - the building is a ghost that is melting into its flood-prone site behind an opaque veil, with people inhabiting the spaces outside it, unaware of what happens within. The buoyancy system would protect the new infill, giving the building's function a sense of permanency and importance. During floods, the infill would simply rise up, untouched by the unforgiving tides of the River Calder, keeping the teaching kitchen and material exchange library enclosed within safe and dry.
Precedent Studies
Precedent Studies
Designing the extension - an ecological center that:
Designing the extension - an ecological center that:
Frames the mill through a minimalist design language that acts almost as a canvas to the red sculptural walkway. It aims to not compete, and refrains from using too many embellishments and intricate facade design.
Is in dialogue with the Hepworth gallery's angularity and brutalism, creating a visual transition between the contrasting gallery and the mill.
Critiques the Hepworth's brutalism by infusing the envelope with life, with the help of gabions' permeable materiality. The permeable program aims to do this as well.
Materiality - Gabion walls: testing, visualising and detailing.
Materiality - Gabion walls: testing, visualising and detailing.
Material tests and precedents
Uninsulated spaces were carved out in the floor plan and assigned to transition routes or areas to make way for the gabion's beautiful light qualities. Instead of cladding it and walling it off, light was allowed to flush through, and children and visitors would be able to see the roots of plants and animals that inhabit its insides.
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