Compendium

Barbican: “Understanding space and identity”
Academic Project 1
A.Y. 2014/2015 Autumn
Located at the northern edge of the once Roman Londinium is the Barbican.
The mini-city that we see today is the result of redevelopment and infrastructure
projects done after the Second World War. Today, the Barbican complex
and estate stands as a landmark that showcases a principal example of London’s
Brutalist architecture. And is the site of the first project: Botanist Lab
- Using and applying the initial learning and experience on the kiosk project,
the key task is to come up with a scheme for a compact structure that can
accommodate a small laboratory for the botanists working on the Barbican
conservatory.
Proposal: Play on simple geometry - square inscribe in a circle defines the proportion
of the structure. The aim is to create a workspace, convenient enough
to produce work and research in collaboration with the Barbican conservatory.
It is a small laboratory that can easily house two botanist with dedicated
spaces for storage, microscopic work, computer work, laboratory instruments
and small environmental controlled shelves for their experiments.
In comparison to the laboratory, the exhibiting area is a small and simple
circular space with open interior. The room is divided halfway by the entrance
stairs but as well as the sensorial experience with light. With the stairs
blocking the light coming in and the shadow trapped at the expense of being
blocked by the conservatory on the the other side, the temperature and the
lumens of this particular area will be of opposite of the other. This difference
in environment creates a micro climate within the structure which can affect
the user’s experience and understanding when visualising artwork.
Designing according to the existing context