PROJECT 3: PROGRAMME
SITE + CLIENT + BRIEF
INTRODUCTION
You are asked to design a two-storey public building for a specific client and its users, to include a set of programmatic
functions. A successful project should meet the brief’s requirements, respond to the context of the site and the
culture of its users, make considerations for the future and be creative. You will work with a specific programme, for a
specific site, and a specific client, thus inviting the exploration of successful spatial and architectural possibilities,
whilst considering how people use the building and its surrounding context.
To add to all of that, this year, the project is real! The client, the programme and the site are real and some of the best
outcomes from this project may form the basis of public consultation or community engagement. It’s really exciting!
CLIENT, USERS AND SITE.
Your client for Project 3 is the ‘Our Whitchurch and Hengrove Community Group’ (OWHCG), situated in the
southern outskirts of Bristol. This group was initially formed following on from a Covid Volunteer response
group. Their aims are to ‘grow the community in a supportive way by providing a central place for
information relating to local support and by financially supporting local voluntary groups with small
grants’.
This long-term project is moving into its second phase following the completion of a preliminary Feasibility
Study conducted by Voscur associate Melanie Monaghan and completed in April 2023. The predicted timeline is
3 years and the cost is around £5 million. The Feasibility study has carried out a significant study of the area and
of the local population, as well as financial viability.
It concluded the following;
- The number of older people (over 75) is higher than the Bristol average
- There are many families with young children
- The number of children aged 0-9 is higher than the Bristol average
- There are limited facilities for young people in the area, especially those offering physical activity.
Three sites have been considered for the Feasibility Study and Project 3 asks all students to work on scheme
designs for just the one preferred site, Oatlands Avenue, based in Whitchurch. OS maps of the site will be
provided at a variety of scales.
The site at Oatlands Avenue is a derelict site adjacent to the local ‘district centre’, where there is an Asda
Supermarket, a doctor’s surgery and a local library. The scrubland site nestles between Oatlands Avenue,
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allotments and a site and building occupied by a not-for-profit company called ‘Lush Greens’. The site is
agricultural and is owned by Bristol City Council (BCC); the parks department currently has it earmarked for
parking vehicles.
THE BRIEF.
The feasibility study has made recommendations for a new two-storey community building and has assigned
the potential use of space to this site. Below is a list of requirements that form the Project 3 brief together with
some approximate sizes.
• Reception Area – potentially linked to cafe
• Café – to account for basic food offering and toilet provision 125 m2
• Large hall with stage, 120 m2
which could be converted to 2 or 3 smaller spaces. Could have pull-out seating.
• Small meeting room for 4-8 people 30 m2
• Office space for rental 40 m2
• Flexible workshop space. 65 m2
e.g. for cookery school, repair shop or clubs.
• Childrens Nursery 150 m2
(Based on roughly 20 children under 5yrs)
Designated outdoor space for nursery Forest School
• Circulation
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.
- External space associated with the café,
- Indoor/ outdoor storage,
- Building must be low maintenance and have low running costs,
- Building must be fully accessible, e.g. lift, accessible WC.
- Local infrastructure – including car parking and nursery drop-off,
- Crossing the road and connecting with the district centre,
The building must be positioned within the defined red line boundary on the plans provided (shown below). The
red line is NOT the footprint of your building.
The access road across the site must be retained and there are future plans to use the small existing building to
the east of the access road, therefore you should retain this also. The mature trees should also be saved.
(Red line boundary provided by OWHCG).
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DELIVERABLES FOR PROJECT 3:
Take care of all drawings, models and sketches you make along the way, as these will be used to
support your final proposal. Complete submission details will be released nearer to the deadline. Below is a list
of the required drawing and some ‘suggested’ scales.
• Site analysis drawing (we suggest using the 1:1250 Digimap plan as the basis for this), to show
orientation, built context, historical context, access, and adjacent movement, activities and functions,
climate. These are to be illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and mapping. Similar to the Exercise i
brief.
• ‘Sketch’ models demonstrating the development of your design, and a ‘final’ model at 1:100/1:200.
• Process work; Sketches, drawings, diagrams showing intentions, concepts, function, organization, etc.
• Precedent studies and references (images, diagrams, notes)
• Site plan at 1:500. This will include the proposed building (showing the roof plan) and all natural or built
elements on site.
• Plans of both levels at 1:100. Show the surrounding context on the ground level plan. The plans should
indicate use and inhabitation.
• Two sections as is appropriate to the design, in context at 1:200 or 1:100 (to be discussed with your
tutor). Note: one of these should be of the whole building, but the other section may be of a particular
space/ set of spaces.
• One Elevation (minimum) at 1:200 or 1:100 (to be discussed with your tutor), ‘rendered’ to express
form and materiality.
• An annotated drawing that describes the structural approach to the building: either a plan, section or a
structural axonometric schematic drawing.
• And one of the following based on your course/programme of study:
▫ An axonometric drawing (also can be sectional or exploded axon) to show a key interior space,
rendered to illustrate perceptual qualities of (day) light and shadow. (IA/Arch)
▫ A perspective drawing generated from one of your model photographs to show a key interior space
rendered to illustrate perceptual qualities of (day) light and shadow. (Arch/AP/IA)
▫ An axonometric drawing (also can be sectional or exploded axon) to show the exterior of your
building in context and proposed landscaping. (Arch/AP)
▫ A ground to sky section through a wall (and ceiling/roof junction), to show intent of structure/
construction/ environmental envelope. (ATD/AEE/Arch)
▫ Environmental strategy drawing - a building section that considers orientation, climatic design and
materials. (AEE/ATD/Arch)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
All drawings should be labelled appropriately: drawing title, scale, orientation for plans, section indications,
notes where needed.
At the end of the project the student should be able to demonstrate an ability:
LO1 To design a small public building containing a range of spaces in a defined site.
LO2 To present an architectural design to communicate layout; idea; spatial quality; tectonic/
construction.
LO3 To work competently and accurately with architectural conventions of plan, section, elevation, and
axonometric drawing, with appropriate drawn and scale conventions.
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LO4 To illustrate an understanding of context via site analysis and site design.
LO5 To show evidence of understanding of sustainable principles in the design proposal.
LO6 To reflect on the design process through the medium of tutorial, crit and with evidence in proposal.
ASSESSMENT
The assessment of this project will be made on the following criteria:
1. Imagination, competence and rigour in the design and tectonic realisation of spaces & volumes.
2. Response to site and context.
3. Organisation of spaces in response to use, activity and construction.
4. Coherence in integrating use, space, form, materials and construction.
5. Clarity, completeness and elegance of representation: written, 2D & 3D visual, models.
6. Use of iterative process and use of precedents, with integration of resultant thinking into design.
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SESSION DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND EXPLORATION
Thurs 14/DECEMBER In groups you will produce a site model of the site into which you can place your
own design models, later in the project. You will need to interpret the plans
provided and do some of your own research to make this as accurate as
possible.
WINTER BREAK - Over the break you should draw up a site analysis of the Oatlands Avenue site, (similar to that
in Exercise i before Christmas). You should also begin diagramming ideas to bring to the first tutorial on 01
FEBRUARY.
Thurs 1/FEBRUARY Start drawing existing site plan + landscape and context, share your initial ideas
and concepts with the group
Thurs 8/FEBRUARY Developing your ideas through Sketching and sketch models, spatial layout
studies, diagramming. Site sections + Precedent study
Thurs 15/FEBRUARY Design Development; structure, enclosure, materiality, sustainability. Model.
Start schematic plans and sections (and elevation)
Thurs 22/FEBRUARY Finalise your orthographic drawings. Make sure your stairs meet regulations.
ENHANCEMENT WEEK – W/C 26/FEEBRUARY – Work on final drawings
Thurs 7/MARCH Finalise the presentation. Populate the drawings, add furniture and occupation.
Final model.
Sun 10/MARCH Submit work online by 10pm.
Mon 11/MARCH &
Thurs 14/MARCH REVIEW – of all original drawings and models
THE REVIEW.
The reviews will be conducted over two days. You will be given a time and place to pin up your work for the
review. You must bring all of your work associated with the project and outlined in the deliverables above.
If your work meets the client brief and is considered to be well resolved, copies of your work may be taken and
given to the Our Whitchurch and Hengrove Community Group for their community engagement or Public
Consultation events.
We will be inviting members of the community group to the review.
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SITE VISIT – FEBRUARY (Date TBC).
This will be a 2-hour site visit to understand and record the site, allowing you gain a better understanding of the
context, ahead of producing your designs. We are doing this before the Winter Break to allow you to complete
a comprehensive site analysis and begin sketching ideas for the site, over the break.
IMPORTANT:
• Please behave professionally when on site. Take care when moving around the site, the ground will be
uneven.
• Please wear appropriate, warm and waterproof clothing and shoes. It WILL be cold and will be muddy, if
you have boots, please wear them. Wrap up warm with hats, gloves and scarves.
• Please stay within the red line boundary, unless advised by a tutor.
• You are responsible for the safety of your personal belongings: do not leave your stuff lying around.
• We have completed a Risk Assessment for our site visits to these buildings. However, you must still follow
any guidance that is provided when you visit your building.
• If you haven’t already done so, (for the Project 2 site visits) please complete the following confidential
medical questionnaire prior to your site visit, in case of an emergency.
[Link]
What to do:
As well as your normal drawing implements, please make sure you bring a tape measure, some form of camera
and a sketch book / paper. Everyone will need to keep an individual record of the site.
Consider what you might want to capture when on site. Think about the information you will need for an
effective site analysis. Some examples,
• Ground levels
• Check the size and dimensions
• Local climatic conditions, i.e. prevailing wind, overshadowing
• Landscape, tree specimens, boundary treatments
• Access to the site
• Views to and from the site
It is unlikely that you will be able to make a return visit to the site, therefore you will need to work very hard to
record all the information you need, during this visit.
Please remember: We are privileged to have been offered access to this site by the owner.
THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT, STUDENTS MUST NOT CONTACT ANY OF THE SITE OWNERS OR COMMUNITY
GROUP FOR INFORMATION. THIS IS CONSIDERED UNPROFESSIONAL AND THESE PEOPLE ARE VERY BUSY.
WE WILL BE INVITING GUEST SPEAKERS INTO OUR STUDIO LECTURES, WHERE YOU MAY HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS.
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