Charlie Redman

About

I have always had an interest in kinetic architecture, whilst studying for A-levels I enjoyed designing and making kinetic pieces of furniture. After this I studied at UCL where in my second year I designed and built the Welcoming Shelter, a kinetic roof structure for the Kings Cross Skip Garden, the project went on to win the AJ small projects 2016 award.  

Contact

Degree Details

Statement

The current COVID pandemic is demonstrating how feasible it is for many people to work from home. Often our homes aren’t very well adapted for working. I envisage carrying on my project and start making the compact kinetic office in order to make home offices which could have multiple purposes such as be a home gym at the weekend.  

Compact Kinetic Living

1:1 Markings
1:1 Markings — The design proposal was drawn, tested and inhabited at full scale, using a technique of linemarking.
Futurist collage 1b copy
Futurist collage 1b copy
Final Model (1:15)
Final Model (1:15) — A Spatial Model made of 1mm sheet steel.

Launch Project
1:1 Markings on site
1:1 Markings on site — The design was also traced onto the final location of the Compact Kinetic Home, the markings negotiate their way through the sites constraints, its topography and the existing agricultural building.
Model Development
Model Development — Throughout the design process each element and design iteration was tested and developed using card models.
Drawing over Years
Drawing over Years — The home can adapt over the long term. In this example, the house adapts to create a larger living space, to have an office space and a children’s room is added.
Compact Kinetic Home Full Description — A video describing the full process behind the Compact Kinetic Home

The Compact Kinetic Home explores how movable architecture can be used to create an alternative form of dwelling, not currently available, for a young couple in rural Yorkshire. The design and development of the home has built upon my previous experience with kinetic architecture and will help establish the way in which I practice architecture into the future.
Currently, the market for new build houses is dominated by mass house builders, such as Taylor Wimpey, who construct around 90% of new homes each year. These are homes that are built not for the people who will ultimately live in them but are built to make a profit. One of the alternatives to this form of mass development is self-building. Self-building can however pose a number of barriers, such as: lack of access to land suitable for development, the antiquated and complex English planning system and lack of access to finance, as it is harder to get a mortgage when self-building. The Compact Kinetic Home aims to alleviate some of these issues and to create a more interesting, sustainable and environmentally friendly home.

The project is framed through the lens of a young couple looking for their first home and as such the design proposal has been tailored to meet their needs. The house is kinetic and will be able to not only adapt to the couples needs, but the movement of the home’s elements will become a spectacle. The home will do this over varying timescales, for example in the short term, the dining area moves to catch the evening sun; the medium term, a whole wall pivots to open up the internal space in summer; and the long term, a children’s bedroom could be added. The kinetic elements of the house allow for a smaller permanent footprint, meaning it could fit on a wider range of plots, have less environmental impact and ultimately be more affordable.

Medium: Architectural Project

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