7-11 Stour Street, Canterbury
Stage 3 BA(Hons) Interior Architecture, University of Kent 2009
Stage 3 BA(Hons) Interior Architecture, University of Kent 2009
Locate
The Locate project was the selection and research of a chosen derelict building from within the city walls of Canterbury. It was essential that the chosen site was capable of first hand investigation, which included a thorough documentation of its current state and last usage through drawings, photographs and models in order for it to be used as a location for the major design project; Symphony, where it was to be considered for use in the performing arts. As the 'client' for had not yet been defined, the chosen building and its immediate environment had to allow for different interpretations of usage and of architectural and interior adaptation and extension.
After consideration of four sites within the city walls I settled upon the central location of 7-11 Stour Street, indicated on the map below. The old derelict "garage" is situated just off the High Street; it has the contrast of the dense and busy city centre to the front and the peaceful open space of Greyfriars gardens to the rear, separated only by the Great Stour. I carried out a detailed survey of the building and an extensive investigation into its history, through old newspaper articles and planning applications.
Built in the 1920's by a local entrepreneur, it was used as a storage unit for his hotel business. It was sold to Nasons (a Canterbury based department store) in the mid 1980's, but was soon after sold on to a development company. The site was never developed since and as a result has fallen into its current state of disrepair.
The Locate project was the selection and research of a chosen derelict building from within the city walls of Canterbury. It was essential that the chosen site was capable of first hand investigation, which included a thorough documentation of its current state and last usage through drawings, photographs and models in order for it to be used as a location for the major design project; Symphony, where it was to be considered for use in the performing arts. As the 'client' for had not yet been defined, the chosen building and its immediate environment had to allow for different interpretations of usage and of architectural and interior adaptation and extension.
After consideration of four sites within the city walls I settled upon the central location of 7-11 Stour Street, indicated on the map below. The old derelict "garage" is situated just off the High Street; it has the contrast of the dense and busy city centre to the front and the peaceful open space of Greyfriars gardens to the rear, separated only by the Great Stour. I carried out a detailed survey of the building and an extensive investigation into its history, through old newspaper articles and planning applications.
Built in the 1920's by a local entrepreneur, it was used as a storage unit for his hotel business. It was sold to Nasons (a Canterbury based department store) in the mid 1980's, but was soon after sold on to a development company. The site was never developed since and as a result has fallen into its current state of disrepair.
The Concept
Canterbury already contains conventional theatres, the Marlowe being the most famous. My aspirations for this design project were to create an experimental and informal theatre, based on the style of Peter Brook's "Rough Theatre" - no seats, not sets, no unnecessary glam. With Canterbury having a large student population I wanted to create a space for young, up and coming performers, similar in nature to that of the Young Vic in London by Haworth Tompkins.
I found myself drawn into the raw, dirty aesthetics of 7-11 Stour Street after surveying it for the Locate project. Its dirty character seemed to show its past uses, which is the main feel to the building that I was keen to maintain, again in a similar way to the conversion of the butcher's shop for the Young Vic. My initial proposal was to adapt and extend the site in a similar, raw and industrial manner as its existing state to a suitable performance space.
In this glam free environment there is no hierarchy, everyone uses the same entrance. The interaction between the audience and the performance is encourage by the fact that there is no seating, unlike a conventional theatre.
Canterbury already contains conventional theatres, the Marlowe being the most famous. My aspirations for this design project were to create an experimental and informal theatre, based on the style of Peter Brook's "Rough Theatre" - no seats, not sets, no unnecessary glam. With Canterbury having a large student population I wanted to create a space for young, up and coming performers, similar in nature to that of the Young Vic in London by Haworth Tompkins.
I found myself drawn into the raw, dirty aesthetics of 7-11 Stour Street after surveying it for the Locate project. Its dirty character seemed to show its past uses, which is the main feel to the building that I was keen to maintain, again in a similar way to the conversion of the butcher's shop for the Young Vic. My initial proposal was to adapt and extend the site in a similar, raw and industrial manner as its existing state to a suitable performance space.
In this glam free environment there is no hierarchy, everyone uses the same entrance. The interaction between the audience and the performance is encourage by the fact that there is no seating, unlike a conventional theatre.
The 'Rough Theatre'
Peter Brook wrote of four theatre types; the 'Deadly', the 'Holy', the 'Immediate' and the 'Rough', here are two short passages that became the inspiration backbone for my design proposals.
"It is always the popular theatre that saves the day. Through the ages it has taken many forms, and there is only one factor that they all have in common - a roughness. Salt, sweat, noise, smell: the theatre that's not in a theatre, the theatre on carts, on wagons, on trestles, audiences standing, drinking, sitting around tables, audiences joining in, answering back; theatre in back rooms, upstairs rooms, barns, the one night stands, the torn sheet pinned up across the hall, the battered screen to conceal the quick changes - that one generic term, theatre, covers all of this and the sparkling chandeliers too."
"It is most of all the dirt that gives the rough theatre its edge; filth and vulgarity are natural, obscenity is joyous: with these spectacle takes on its socially liberating role, for by nature the popular theatre is anti-authoritarian, anti-traditional, anti-pomp, anti-pretence. This is the theatre of noise, and the theatre of noise is the theatre of applause."
The 'Rough Theatre' is all about the interaction between the audience and the performance, this raw, dirty relationship becomes the focus of the performance. The setting and the actual theatre design is almost irrelevant. This style of theatre almost makes the observer complicit, where the outcome performance I then determined by the complicity.
Peter Brook wrote of four theatre types; the 'Deadly', the 'Holy', the 'Immediate' and the 'Rough', here are two short passages that became the inspiration backbone for my design proposals.
"It is always the popular theatre that saves the day. Through the ages it has taken many forms, and there is only one factor that they all have in common - a roughness. Salt, sweat, noise, smell: the theatre that's not in a theatre, the theatre on carts, on wagons, on trestles, audiences standing, drinking, sitting around tables, audiences joining in, answering back; theatre in back rooms, upstairs rooms, barns, the one night stands, the torn sheet pinned up across the hall, the battered screen to conceal the quick changes - that one generic term, theatre, covers all of this and the sparkling chandeliers too."
"It is most of all the dirt that gives the rough theatre its edge; filth and vulgarity are natural, obscenity is joyous: with these spectacle takes on its socially liberating role, for by nature the popular theatre is anti-authoritarian, anti-traditional, anti-pomp, anti-pretence. This is the theatre of noise, and the theatre of noise is the theatre of applause."
The 'Rough Theatre' is all about the interaction between the audience and the performance, this raw, dirty relationship becomes the focus of the performance. The setting and the actual theatre design is almost irrelevant. This style of theatre almost makes the observer complicit, where the outcome performance I then determined by the complicity.
The Nightclub
I wanted to create a flexible space, influenced by designers such as Ben Kelly (the Haçienda and GymBox), whose design theory is to firstly create a social space. Turning the concept on its head so that the space is a nightclub, but also a theatre.
Following a field trip to Berlin in October 2008, I took great inspiration from the Berlin club scene. After the Second World War the majority of east Berlin was destroyed, the bomb damage was not cleared and buildings remained derelict for many years. The underground club scene moved into these sites like squats, maintaining the raw dirt of the shell, these spaces are often intimate and created with found objects. The roughness of the appearance creates the atmosphere, along with lighting and the movement of people to the music.
I wanted to create a flexible space, influenced by designers such as Ben Kelly (the Haçienda and GymBox), whose design theory is to firstly create a social space. Turning the concept on its head so that the space is a nightclub, but also a theatre.
Following a field trip to Berlin in October 2008, I took great inspiration from the Berlin club scene. After the Second World War the majority of east Berlin was destroyed, the bomb damage was not cleared and buildings remained derelict for many years. The underground club scene moved into these sites like squats, maintaining the raw dirt of the shell, these spaces are often intimate and created with found objects. The roughness of the appearance creates the atmosphere, along with lighting and the movement of people to the music.
The Design
The key parameter for the design was to maintain the industrial aesthetics of the building, in a similar way to Ben Kelly's iconic Haçienda, where an old factory unit in Manchester was converted to become one of the most famous nightclubs in the world, without losing the identity of its original function. The space needed to be adapted and extended to accommodate its new functionality, but I chose not to do this in the conventional sense.
The primary structure remained almost the same and modifications to the building came from found and recycled materials, such as scaffolding to create stairs, balustrades and a mezzanine within the performance space. The deck of the mezzanine was created from steel grates, maximising the natural light from the existing roof lights to flood the performance space.
The key parameter for the design was to maintain the industrial aesthetics of the building, in a similar way to Ben Kelly's iconic Haçienda, where an old factory unit in Manchester was converted to become one of the most famous nightclubs in the world, without losing the identity of its original function. The space needed to be adapted and extended to accommodate its new functionality, but I chose not to do this in the conventional sense.
The primary structure remained almost the same and modifications to the building came from found and recycled materials, such as scaffolding to create stairs, balustrades and a mezzanine within the performance space. The deck of the mezzanine was created from steel grates, maximising the natural light from the existing roof lights to flood the performance space.
The main extension was the adaptation of four shipping containers on the southwest façade, which provides a "back of house" area. This also adds flexibility to the space, allowing it to be changed from day to night time uses, the raised stage platform can be retracted underneath the shipping containers, transforming the space and bringing the performance to the same level as the audience.
Using the existing building (7-11) and its exterior car park (12-16), the shipping containers can be opened out, using a runner system. This allows the performance to overspill onto the car park, where further more intimate spaces can be created by rearranging two free standing shipping containers. The additional containers would be used for storage.
Using the existing building (7-11) and its exterior car park (12-16), the shipping containers can be opened out, using a runner system. This allows the performance to overspill onto the car park, where further more intimate spaces can be created by rearranging two free standing shipping containers. The additional containers would be used for storage.
The design scheme emphasises the contrast between the synthetic and the dirt, from the found items to the high technology of the lighting systems as used in the club. For a further sustainable detail in my design I looked into the possibilities of Piezoelectric generators beneath a sprung floor, which could be used to power the lighting of the club.
The generators would be located between a series of springs under the floorboards. Current is produced by the deformation of crystals (usually quartz); movement on the floor would result in the compression of the springs. This pushes down a bar with teeth, turning the cog connected to the generator. The kinetic energy is built up and stored to help power the lighting.
This system ties in with the initial concept, as people interact with the music, the movements they will create as a response (ie. dancing) are in turn their interaction with the space. As long as they are dancing the lights stay on, as soon as they stop they are in darkness.
The generators would be located between a series of springs under the floorboards. Current is produced by the deformation of crystals (usually quartz); movement on the floor would result in the compression of the springs. This pushes down a bar with teeth, turning the cog connected to the generator. The kinetic energy is built up and stored to help power the lighting.
This system ties in with the initial concept, as people interact with the music, the movements they will create as a response (ie. dancing) are in turn their interaction with the space. As long as they are dancing the lights stay on, as soon as they stop they are in darkness.
AR526: Locate - 15 Credits - Final Mark 80
AR528: Symphony - 60 Credits - Final Mark 80
AR528: Symphony - 60 Credits - Final Mark 80
Last Updated: September 2018
