Still going

I feel like not much has actually been done this week in terms of working on this project - I've done plenty of other work in aid of getting all of it done a lot before the deadline!

Wednesday, I updated my sketch site model so that it shows the new intervention. I also extended the model so that it includes the whole of the site, including the community garden centre. Now that I have this, I can look at how I can link the two together. 
I am going to do this by creating a communal space beneath the stairs up to the theatre entrance. I still need to work on this space on my plans which is probably something I will do today. 

I also want to look at how I can use the space in front of the stairs, and give the stairs more function than just as a way to access the theatre. it was suggested that I make it into a outdoor performance space so to help me, I think I need to look at similar spaces and how they are defined from the rest of the site. At the moment, I feel that I could just leave it clear and explain that it is a performance space, with the stairs doubling up as seating for this space but it seems a bit like cheating so I am going to look into existing spaces. 

I have been working on my technical drawings but having a lot of difficulty with the line weights of my drawings. I wanted to use them to distinguish the existing building from my intervention but it's not going so well. I will, however, persevere!

Bits and Pieces

I find it quite ironic how one of my main themes is circulation and I completely forgot about disabled access to the upper floors. Darn. I am still working this out but I am thinking of making it part of the landscaping. I already have exterior stairs so I can try and work them into each other although I feel I have to be careful so that it doesn't become too similar to my previous project. As the ramp will have to reach a height of about 3 metres, I have to have a slope of at least 36 metres - going on the 1:12 gradient determined by the building regs. This, if I get it right, could be quite interesting and a key part of my intervention; the space below it can be used to create vital spaces that could be used for gathering or a cafe or spaces that could be used for pop up shops and similar.

I also had to return to the brief and make a list of all the facilities needed within my design. Some of them have already been considered and are covered by my multi studio/circulation space. One of the things I forgot about was the projection booth but I think that this can also be covered by the multifunctional space - a mini outdoors cinema could be created by closing the studio doors to create a flat surface to project onto with the steps under the stairs acting as seating - although this could only really be done during the summer months. Or I could just be boring and put a projection booth behind the circle and put a temporary/moveable screen over the stage so that the theatre doubles up as a cinema. 
There are also a couple of other facilities that I needed to consider, such as the blue screen facility and the seminar room. I feel that it would be cheating to try and incorporate these into the multi studio space but they would kind of fit. A seminar room could be created by having tables and chairs in storage and setting it up when the room is booked for a meeting. I could also transform the space into a green screen facility by, well, adding a green screen. From my knowledge, you simply need a green/blue area where filming takes place but I think I will have to look further into that. I guess I would also need to include a computer suite for editing the footage. This could relate back to engaging the community and local schools and youth clubs.
In order to show this, I think I'm going to need a number of different sketches showing each different function of the spaces. Photomontage time? Using this relatively small space to create a range of different spaces reminds me of those ridiculously small flats where everything folds up and hide away so that you can only have one room set up at a time but it's all there and when it's not needed, it gets hidden away . . . . 

The Next Brief

Today was the site visit for the new project. Hulme Hippodrome and Playhouse is more or less derelict and we have free rein on the place, although the decorated interior is Grade II listed. The project is focused on the Playhouse, the slightly smaller of the two.

Wilberforce Close Façade

On arriving at the site, there wasn't really much to see: it looks nothing like a theatre and has no obvious entrance to it except a small area of non-brickwork in one corner. Its the kind of building that you could easily walk past and not even realise was there. In front of it, is the Hulme Community Garden Centre, set up and run by the local community. This is extending to the patch of empty land in front of the Playhouse but part of out brief is to landscape this area as well as create a proposal for the interior and exterior of the building. 

Hidden Column on the Hippodrome

Before exploring inside the theatre, we were encouraged to wander around and take a closer look at the exterior. My camera had completely run out of batteries so I had to resort to using my iPod but while the quality wasn't great, it enabled me to capture things that really interested me. It also encouraged me to us my sketchbook more (although the rain soon put a stop to that).
The North-west façade was originally the entrance to the Hippodrome. Something that really caught my eye was the columns that decorated either side of the door. These had been covered up with some sort of plaster board but with the building being derelict and subject to vandalism, the boards had either been smashed up or fallen into disrepair, leaving the original details exposed.

Back stage at the Playhouse

When it had started to rain too much to stay outside, we headed into the building, but not through the box office and main entrance as you once would have. To get into the building, we had to go through the stage door. Inside was freezing! Back stage had quite a clinical-anti-septic kind of feel to it: tiled flooring, white (ish) walls, etc. One of the first things I notice was the small step that ran down the room. This, I later realised, was the boundary of the stage. There was also a suspended/cantilevered walkway which lead to what I think are currently being used as some sort of offices/meeting rooms. The whole contrast of blue and white was quite unusual and striking. 

The stage in the Playhouse

I kind of knew what to expect when I went through into the front of house but I didn't expect it to be as garish(?) as it was. The stage was full of musical instruments so it was obvious that the place was used on a regular basis and make use of the stage, despite half of it being cut off by the fire curtain. 

The box office

The main entrance/box office/cloakroom was really small. Especially compared to the size of the theatre. It was very hard to move around when one of the groups came in to have a look. The entrance was completely blocked off from the outside but the glass paned doors reminded me a lot of the Art Deco style: straight geometric patterns. 

The original foyer entrance

After we were too cold to stay in the theatre any longer, we headed over to the Zion Arts Centre to get an idea of what could be done with the space. The Centre, as well as having its own theatre, also has dance studios and gallery space. The building is an old church that was completely regenerated into this community arts centre.

We also went into the city to the Royal Exchange Theatre near the Arndale. This, again was to give us ideas and made us think about what could be done to with the shell of an old building to give it a new lease of life. The theatre in the Corn Exchange barely touches the existing building and looks very odd and modern among the pilasters that line the room but at the same time, the use of a completely modern looking theatre, although, being circular, links back to the original Greek and Roman theatres, is really interesting and visiting the three gave me a lot to think about in terms of my proposal.