3_AXIS
Located in Balloch, Scotland, the residential retreat and performance hall will help children with a difficult family backgrounds reconnect with the nature and their surroundings. Seeking similarities between musical harmony, space and human body it is my intention to create a place of escape and contribute to childrens mental health through the interaction with my building, nature and music practice.
Site Plan 1_200
The site for the project is a cross point of three axis: Axis of journey, axis of escape and public/private axis. Laid out in an east-westerly direction, the building responds to its surroundings in a number of ways. The location of the buildings not only benefits from breathtaking views, but also is a part of environmental strategy. In order to achieve energy self-sufficiency, the project of a residential retreat is based on passive use of solar energy.
Floor plans of the Residential Retreat 1_200
The closer to the river edge the more private is the program of the residential retreat.
Perspective cross section of the residential retreat 1_50
The bridge in-between the two buildings is accessible from the sun space of the residential retreat creating the connection to the performance hall and practice rooms.
The Voids
The voids spread throughout the height and length of the building finished with a south facing roof lights act as light wells. The roof windows allow a flood of an unobstructed light that allow a natural light penetration far into the floor plan. The roof light enclosure, ceiling and some walls of the upper floors are painted white to strengthen the illumination by providing strong first reflections. The light reaches the timber panelling of the first and second floor and cast a warm glow throughout the bridges that lead children to their flats.
Flexible Comfort
The flexible system of the partition walls within the cloisters gives the opportunity for every kid to feel comfortable in the residence. The rooms are also designed in a way to provide enough space for the instrument practice.
The sun room
At the south part of communal areas, there is a large sunspace stretching across the south-west facade. It serves several functions from a pleasant place of botanical discoveries to a dreamlike meeting and circulation space. Moreover, it forms a buffer space able to capture heat during winter. The open floor plan allows flexibility and facilities the distribution of the warm air to the communal areas.
In-between
The performance building is conceived more as a pavilion in the park than a classic urban building, more like a roof protecting a public space. The polycarbonate skin allows the sun to penetrate the building, reaching the exposed rammed earth walls that surround the main event space. During winter the thermal mass walls absorb the passive solar energy and slowly release their heat into the interior of the event space reducing the heat demand. The skin of the building allows continuity between the structure and the park, without giving up a certain privacy for the activities that take place inside. Seen from outside, during the day, the translucent skin of the building appears sculptural and does not make the immediate visual communication between the interior and exterior possible; at night, this situation is reversed and the interior becomes perceptible from the outside.
To perform
The secondary structure of the roof consists of thin and deep LVL beams which bring a diffused sun light within the space the whole year round. The primary structure accommodates the lightening and sound equipment.