EDUCATIONAL CENTRE (BYING STREET, ISLE OF DOGS)

The given brief is about designing live work units for entrepreneurs coming from different parts of the world. The site is in Bying Street, near Canary Wharf. It is of the boundary between the commercial and residential area. My proposal is for an educational centre for aspiring entrepreneurs and deprived people in the area, that are looking to start up a business or for a second career path. This on the long term would benefit the local economy. The aim to empower people started after assessing the site and its surrounding carefully.

Following the visibility study of the architectural precedent which is the Panopticon (circular prison with centralised tower), I applied the same principles for my own sight line analysis. It depicts a defensive space which would be the main core of my project. The central space in the case of Panopticon is used as a surveillance space. This kind of spatial arrangement is still used in some institutions and offices as it has a positive impact on the users.

The driving element of my project is the public view being projected on private space and its response on site. Although the defensible central space created by the buildings all looking towards it, is influenced by the precedent, it differs in functionality. The central courtyard in the proposal, will be used as a public space for trade and interaction differently from the Panopticon’s surveillance purpose which imposed power. The surrounding buildings have different functionality in relation to their position on site. They accommodate workshop spaces, childcare and counselling spaces on the lower levels whereas residential areas are on the top floors to ensure privacy. The final drawings show how the visibility analysis has been crucial for the aesthetic aspect of the project. In this case function follows the form.

The educational centre tries to blur the boundaries between the neighbourhood by being private yet so public. The attentive use of materiality, especially CLT, follows the idea of delivering a warm and welcoming environment. The site is indeed a microcosm that’s in contrast with the cold and office like spaces normally found in Canary Wharf.