Coniston Cricket Pavilion, Competition Proposal

Coniston Cricket Club、Coniston Institute、Grizedale Artsにより共同主催された建築コンペに応募した案です。

Coniston村の新クリケットパビリオン（クリケットとは、英国発のスポーツ。野球の様な、と言ったら怒られるかもしれませんがそれが一番近い表現かと思っています...）のデザインが募集されました。

湖水地方の素晴らしい山々と英国らしい村の景色に囲まれた大変絵画的な敷地でした。

要項はそのような景色と地域の歴史を尊重しつつ、現代的なパビリオンのデザインを希望。

セルフビルド、地域密着性にも重点を置き、クリケットのオフシーズンでもパビリオンが存在できる様「セカンドUSE」の提案も呼びかけられた。

This is a proposal for an open ideas competition to design a new cricket pavilion for Coniston Cricket Club, located in the south of Lake District by Coniston Water. The site is surrounded by a great Lake District landscape and the brief asked for a design solution that encourages self-build, community engagement and an enhancement of local characters. 

Another key requirement was the proposal of a 'second use' of the architecture that enables the pavilion to self-sustain during the off-seasons and help bring business opportunities to the site/area.

以下のイメージ、文章は提出パネルから抜粋したものです：

The following images and texts are extracted from our submission panels:

Inspired by Coniston's glacial heritage; the new Cricket Pavilion cum Bathhouse proposes a new architectural language that draws on the local vernacular of dry stone walling, slate and painted wood.

The building is both a landmark and place of refuge; sheltering cricketers from the rain in the summer, and soothing bathers through local mineral water and stream during the winter.

Aiming for a minimal carbon footprint; locally-sourced, community-abled construction techniques are coupled with sustainable principles such as optimizing orientation for natural shading and daylighting.

-lenga910

Great Fen Visitors Centre, RIBA Competition Proposal

2013年1月、RIBA（王立英国建築協会）主催の建築コンペに応募した案です。

英国ケンブリッジ州にあるGreat Fens自然保護区に開くビジターセンターのデザインが募集され、200以上の建築家／建築チームがプロポーザルを提出。

本案はラスト30まで残りましたが、惜しくも最終選考で落ちてしまいました。

This is a proposal for the Great Fens Visitors Centre in Cambridgeshire - an RIBA competition entry where I collaborated with some of my colleagues and my good friend @mr_aliabbas.

The shortlist was announced in Feburary (which we didn't make...) but we were delighted to make the longlist of final 30.

It certainly gave hope to young and unknown teams like us - we will aim to build on from here and develop our team ethic in future competitions.

The following images and text are extracted from our submission panels:

Conceived as a floating structure, the proposal creates a mutual relationship with the changing water level of the Fens, evoking the heritage of the waterways and utilising the wetland characteristics to enhance the visitor experience.

A new focal point in the landscape is created by a pond upon which the new Centre floats. 

The circular form of the building ensures 360° views of the developing reserve. 

A playful relationship of the views is achieved via a charred timber slatted façade, which in addition provides shading for the building. 

The design of the Pond is central to the scheme, creating a gravitas, focus and context within which the centre, as a window into the nature reserve, would sit.
It creates an immediate presence from the beginning of the development, enabling incremental growth and maturing of the flora and fauna while creating an initial buzz to attract visitors to the reserve from Day 1.

Internal spaces are designed to maximize flexibility, with key functional spaces encased in galvanized metal nests, encircled by free-flowing public spaces to exude the essence of a village settlement.

The verticality of the tower acts as a sculptural contrast to the horizontal nature of the land and the perpetual skies, while  providing an elevated view of the surrounding landscape.

The contemporary protruding 'core' tower was introduced, fashioned by the vernacular forms of the surrounding area through historical windmill forms. 

Within the 360 degrees building perimeter are series of enclosed spaces with specific functions. 

The generous 'in-between' spaces enable users and the management to interpret them in different ways for flexible use.

As a collective, they form a settlement within the Visitor Centre, creating a 'village-like' feel that is also distinctive character of the Great Fen region.

Spring in Japan

After a frantic three months of 2013, I flew back to Japan for a quick Easter break. 

The temperature in London measured 1 degree when I left Heathrow - upon arrival to Tokyo Narita Airport, the warm air of 20 degrees and bright sun instantly welcomed me.

During the 8-day stay, I fully utilised the 7-day JR Pass (where I could unlimitedly use the bullet train) and managed to visit Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, Hakata, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Nagoya, Okazaki and Kawasaki. 

Having lived in the UK for so long where seasons merge into each other and you don't get to fully appreciate the authentic characters of each month, it is rather easy to forget how 'beautiful' Japanese April/spring is. 

The four seasons are distinct in Japan and the nation had always (traditionally) embraced the changes culturally. 

For the Japanese, April is renowned for its cherry blossoms, greenery and picnics. 

Every place I visited lived up to its reputation...

-lenga910

City of Hiroshima

Ritsurin Park, Takamatsu

Cherry blossoms in Ritsurin Park

Japanese gardening at Ritsurin Park

Park within a city, Ritsurin Park, Takamatsu

Carps in a pond

Okazaki city, Aichi

Udon in Kagawa Prefecture 

Brockholes Visitor Village

A few months ago I visited Brockholes Visitor Village, designed by Adam Khan Architects. 

The scheme modestly sits within the Brockholes nature reserve (12/15/2012), on an artificial pond, surrounded by wetland landscape and its inhabitants. 

As we approached by a car, after setting off from the busy M6, a long 10 mph limit narrow way instantly transformed our mindset.

We sensed calmness, slowness and a crescendo of 'anticipation' as 'something' was going to appear from behind the trees.

Brockholes Visitor Village, from the approach driveway

The first sight of the visitor centre became apparent - a village-like settlement floating on water. 

With the vastness of the moody sky and the horizontal landscape, the composition of this image was iconic and drew our attention straight away. 

We continued through the approach road and the building was hidden behind a bank, but the imagery that we just saw was still strong in presence in our minds.

Brockholes Visitor Village, from the approach driveway

After parking, the approach journey by foot was equally dramatic.

Now, we were walking towards the sun, with the oak-shakes-cladded roofline gradually becoming clearer to our eyes. 

The banks and the reeds are lit and come into life with colours. 

Daylight bounces against the water and the sky is still massive. 

By this point, we felt a real sense of arrival to this visitor centre.

Visitors village exterior - a floating structure

The construction of this architecture is simple but very well executed. The dwelling-scale structures are timber construction (using glulam beams) with oak vertical slats. 

Interior - restaurant area with large openings

The proportioning of the budget seems simple. 

Use affordable building materials but invest well on openings and the floating structure (pontoon construction). 

The finishes bring out the 'humane' feel of the 'village' but also show respect and friendliness to the wildlife that would inhabit in and around this site.

Entrance to the village - connection bridge

As mentioned, the village is a floating structure where concrete pontoon goes up and down in relation to the water level of the pond. 

The site is within a flood risk area, and hence it needed to have a sustainable strategy to live with such natural conditions. 

Visitors would access the village using the two bridges that connect with the land - these detach themselves when the area is flooded so the structure can 'ascend' with water.

Sky, water and the visitor centre

For me, the best experience at Brockholes always had emphasis on the outdoor journeys in relation to the building - it became a reference point that revealed certain views and areas of the surrounding landscape. 

The water was key, but the sky was equally significant. 

I am too used to the sky we see in the congested urban setting - the emotion and the vastness of fast-changing cloudscape I saw that day was overwhelming.

The visitor centre became beautiful still life objects that enhanced such contemplative experience.

-lenga910

Snapshot of Movement/Horizontality

Brockholes Nature Reserve, November 2012

イングランド北部、プレストン市（Preston）からやや東に位置するブロックホールズ自然公園(Brockholes)を訪れた際に見た景色。秋から冬へと移り変わろうとする木々達が水平なラインを作り、手前には平凡なウェットランド（湿地帯）が流動的な空模様を映している。

英国の雲は変化が早く、見る見るうちに表情／形を変えるムーディーさが目立つ。

農村地域が国土の大半を占めるイングランドでは、地形の浮き沈みが少ないフラットな景観が多く、空はより広大に見える。
此処ブロックホールズ自然公園では、無限の表情を見せる空の景色が水面とシンク[synchronize]しながら、訪れる来遊者を楽しませ、その日限りの「イメージ」を脳裏に焼き付けてくれる。

-lenga910