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Plymstock Swimming Pool: Reconciling private and public space

Part 1 Project 2004
H. Killion Mokwete
 University of Plymouth | UK
Plymstock Swimming Pool: Reconciling private and public space

This design scheme was greatly influenced and informed by the site’s contextual issues. The commercialized usage of the site, which is typical of many of today’s private ‘business parks’, has in years ‘stolen’ the site’s ownership from the community. This has created a conflict in usage, and ownership between private interests and community/public needs.

A reconciliation of the needs of public spaces with private spaces is a matter of urgent design priority to restore community identities. A rethink of design concepts is needed to reach a resolution to this conflict.



Hlanganiso brought an intense level of consideration to this project, resolving the demanding context and complex patterns of use of the site, and integrating the existing water course into the building.

The expressive external form and engaging multi level swimming pool space signalled significant change in the site's use and character. However Killion went beyond the spatial and experiential dimensions of his design. His exploration of the structural and constructional resolution of the complex geometries, both in models and in his technical development of the scheme, made this an outstanding piece of work at Degree level.
2004
Design Breif Analysis
Location Map: The site at the first point of entry/gateway into the village.
The Village Context
Site Obervations: Dis-orianted traffic, lack of pedestrian access, carparking space take-over;cause for concern.
Conceptual Site Master Plan: traffic re-organisation, prioritizing pedestrian access, introducing green spaces and maximizing usage of space.
Design Speculations
Site Plan layout: The building layout and location completes the end side of site to form a public courtyard existing between private private and public property.
Spacial Organization: Spaces layered vertically and horizontally acccording to uses.
The Building In context: celebrating the importance of the site location as the gate way into the village
Section: Construction and Materials Study
Interior Spacial Qualities: All-round visual connectivity and a great sense of space emphasised by quality of material choice and definition of tresholds.
Building Services Study: building form designed to achieve maximum Solar harvesting, natural ventilation and self-shading.
Form Exploration Models:sculpturing the space and exploring its relationship to the enclosing shell.
Exploring The Form: the building form in context
Form Finding Models: Exploring issues of enclosure, lightness and volume of the space
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