Following on from earlier in the week, I have started to visualize the nature of the service station-  the market hall present on the north bank and the more industrial activities spanning between the existing piers to the south. Initial studies indicate some sort of a control tower will occupy the central most piers, with ancillary spaces such as offices and storage spaces also inhabiting this area of the site.

Here are a few images from a 1:1000 model which I have been working on. The initial response is to concentrate the massing to the north and to inhabit the existing piers with a pedestrian link across the Thames which will run through part of the proposal. The third part, as I like to think of it (part one being mass, part 2- pedestrian link) , is the external atrium which will run through the heart of the mass, providing a visual link between the various floors and functions.
At this stage I envisage the floors from each level being the most prominent aspect of the design, hence the reason behind modelling the mass though only planes which represent each floor. The floors could be separated using a truss or through the more conventional column. The reason for this is to maintain a maximum level of transparency and 'honesty' into the goings on within the building. The very last image is one I found of a germinating chamber under examination; the repetition and grid formation have been highly influential so far in terms of both structure and form of the building.

Here are a few images from last weeks interim crit, plus some initial renders from the 3D model I have been working on. The parameters I have to work within have been defined, allowing for a sculpted massing model to be created which takes into account the restricted heights set out by the UDP (Unitary Development Plan 2002).

INITIAL DESIGN NETWORK DIAGRAM

The next week will be spent on a physical model which aims to symbolize the essence of the interchange; from the underground sewage networks to paths created by flying birds….

Spanning between the two bridges- the ‘sewage tappers’ would thrive on the  Thames Tunnel, located directly beneath them. The raw sewage would be extracted from the tunnel and applied to their crops, which when coupled with the south facing site, thrive to provide ample supplies for the self sustenant community.