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Comprehensive School In Bristol

Part 2 Project 2003
Roly Hudson
 University of Bath | UK
The ambition for the project was to create a school with a strong formal identity both internally and externally, while being flexible enough to accommodate the variety of spaces required by a school of its size. A point of reference for the project was established in a study of the work of Issey Miyake where fabrics undergo permanent three-dimensional deformation and can fit many differing sizes. Sitting at the brow of a green space in north Bristol the site is buffered from the residential surroundings by gardens and allotments yet enjoys stunning views over Bristol; while orientation loosely suggests internal organisation.


Roly Hudson's project was exemplary in that each stage was explored with real energy and without knowing where it would lead. The study of Issey Miyake textiles showed the enormous range of textiles that could be made from only a few materials and processes. The Framework stage was very conceptual, putting forward a spatial and
institutional asperation that was only just described by the facetted mountainscape. Roly's individual project remained formally ambiguous for some time, but each new piece of work clarified certain things. The final project is impressively resolved and manages to articulate many of the formal and organisational early ideas in a fresh and unusually consistent manner.

Adam Caruso
2003
Miyake’s Pleats Please range of clothing demonstrates how permanent three-dimensional deformation of fabric can result in a single sized garment that can expand and contract to accommodate a variety of sizes yet retain a strong identity.
Conceptual perspectives.
Facade Perspective
Site Plan and Section
Communal Hall Perspective.
Elevation
Section
Section Primary structure is a steel lattice which like the weave and weft of a fabric can expamd and contract to cover each differing floor plate.
Elevation. The building is wrapped with a façade that consists of seven standard steel framed panels, which are treated as large shingles.
Teaching Space. Partitions are formed by a combination of quadrilateral panels and furniture elements. Panels are either transparent or solid and furniture elements create floor to ceiling storage and work surfaces.
Level 0. Larger programmatic and communal volumes are located on the ground floor where floor to ceiling heights are greater than those above. Allowing access for community use out of school hours.
Level 1 Plan. Three deep plan floor plates with unique geometry wrap around inner and outer courtyards. Entrance to the school is via the outer courtyard and is orientated towards the main access road.
Level 2 Plan.Subject rooms where more practical work takes place are located on the northern side of the building and more theoretical subject rooms would be located on the southern side of the building.
Stair Perspective.
Reflected Ceiling Plan. Lighting layouts flow with an overlaid swirling figure of eight pattern connecting the entire ceiling plane of each floor and working in individual teaching spaces.
Internal view.
Structural Model. Floor plates are supported on moment carrying concrete filled steel columns that connect vertically adjacent voids in the lattice.
Facade Model. The lapping of the panels allows the otherwise rigid system to have a degree of flexibility allowing the varied floor plates to be enveloped, giving the façade an undulating crystalline form.
Facade view 1. Externally glazing within the frames has varied degrees of reflective coating. The scale of reflectivity determines the opacity of the glass and acts as a control mechanism for preventing excessive solar gain and glare.
Facade View 2.The constraints of the tessellation of the three-dimensional façade system create a symbiotic relationship with the floor plan.
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