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Architecture of transformation – London 2012; Modular capsules system

Part 2 Project 2009
Jerzy Wianecki
 Gdansk University of Technology Gdansk | Poland
The project focuses on the transformation process of a field hockey stadium for the London 2012 Olympic Games using a modular capsules system.

Construction of the Olympic Park and sports facilities has become a pretext for the revitalization of one of the poorest parts of London. The legacy of the Games has become the main concern for the organizers. What will be left for the city after the Olympics?

Specific programme of the main hockey facility which will accommodate 15.000 spectators goes hand in hand with the planned revitalization policy. After the Games the capacity of the stadium will be reduced to 5.000 spectators in order to meet the expected popularity of the venue.

While designing this “shrinking stadium” I have decided to take the ideas of temporariness and controlled lifespan of the building even further and create a structure which wouldn’t just be disassembled after the Games but which could actually be reused.

In order to achieve this goal the stadium has been divided into two parts: permanent and temporary. The permanent part holds all the vital functions of the venue. The temporary part, in turn, needed for accommodating additional 10.000 spectators during the Games, consists of a set of self-sufficient rooms – modular capsules. These independent structures will be dismantled after the Games, transported to a new destination and assembled into complex buildings with new functions benefitting the Olympic district.

Irregular, non-cuboidal shape of the capsule enables assembling large capsule-based structures while allowing for diverse geometry creation. Designed modular buildings combine the quality of "stationary" architecture with the flexibility of modular systems. The form of the capsule provides hundreds of configuration possibilities while maintaining a consistent architectural language.

Developed examples of structures built with capsules are intended to demonstrate the variety of potential functions that may arise after the Olympics. Studio, single family home, dormitory. Each of these buildings presents a different aspect of the system: ease of construction and transportation, adaptability and complexity of possible combinations. Finally this open-ended system could be used as a base for the development of future, innovative building concepts.

Jerzy Wianecki

The main idea behind the project is the concept of sustainability in architectural design. The idea of sustainability in architecture, still disregarded or ignored by the students, hardly fights its way through purely aesthetic concept of architecture, shared by the majority. The Author goes beyond the narrow understanding of the concept of sustainability, reduced to implementation of more or less sophisticated environment friendly technologies or use of recycled materials.

Inspired by the rationale described in the guidelines for the London Olympics 2012, he developed an ambitious concept to consider sustainability as an art of multiple use of spatial structures through their combination and transformation. The project demonstrates an attempt to create and develop a system of transformable modular structures without compromising aesthetic values of its architecture. It has been nominated for Author’s consistency and maturity in searching for and investigating possibilities of transformable architecture.

The concept of a capsule as useful, repeatable module for changeable temporary functions was focused on designing a form, which could be distinctive, attractive and becoming easily embedded in memory (a recognizable symbol connoted with Olympics), avoiding at the same time crudeness and boring image of a container.

Tutor(s)
2009
The project focuses on the transformation process of a ‘shrinking’ field hockey stadium for the London 2012 Olympic Games using a modular capsules system. These modular rooms will be modified after the Olympics and used to build new structures.
Disciplined geometry of the city - axis and straight lines - collides with fluid shapes of the river bank. The task set for the design was to find a third type of geometry which could unite these two worlds.
During the Olympic Games the main hockey stadium will accommodate 15.000 spectators. After the Olympics the capacity of the stadium will be reduced to 5.000 spectators in order to meet the expected popularity of the venue.
The stadium has been divided into two parts: permanent and temporary. Inner permanent structure will remain almost unaltered. Outer temporary part consists of a 10.000 spectator stand and a system of modular rooms (capsules).
The tectonic form of the stadium is closed with a modernistic version of the traditional orangery. The orangery will remain after the Olympics as a recreational and educational facility for th local residents.
The main circulation under the tribunes (yellow) consequently divides the plan into 2 parts: permanent (blue) and temporary (red). The permanent part provides space for functions needed after the Games. Other rooms are situated in capsules.
Irregular shape of the capsule allows for building diverse structures. Capsules can be assembled together at many different angles - an irregular shape gives a much wider spectrum of possible variations than a simpler cuboidal container.
Modular capsules can be assembled into groups and stacked. The diagram shows various stages of configurations complexity. When additional space is needed capsules can be attached to existing structures allowing the building to “grow” in time.
Regularly spaced pillars support the roof. Outer sandwich panels have identical dimensions and consist of layers preventing from impacts of weather and humidity. The accessories - modular vestibule and a staircase - allow for better functionality.
After the Olympic Games the capsules will be given new functions. The summer house is a basic example of enclosing a full living programme within one modular capsule. This design also uses the vestibule accessory.
The capsule has 33 m2 and could be further manufactured even after the Olympic Games. It could become a symbol of a prominent sports event and an inexpensive alternative to the traditional building technologies at the same time.
Single family home consists of 2-3 capsules and demonstrates the possibility of expanding the living space. This configuration has been designed for a family with one child. There is a possibility of attaching a third capsule in the future.
The ground plan is clearly divided into 2 zones: open and private. There is a living-room, kitchen and storage space in the first capsule and 2 bedrooms + bathroom in the other. Third capsule won’t interfere with the existing space configuration.
The real potential of the modular system (gentle geometry and diversity of architecture) shows in the design of more complex structures. In dormitory the usage of different capsules in the building has been reduced to minimum.
Open terraces, friendly and secure inner courtyard, green space. The dormitory resembles the character of ‘stationary’ architecture. In the future the modular capsules system could become the basis of other new concepts and developments.
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