ADS11: Already There
Taejin Choi
When it comes to the city, the ‘brand new’ can be rather disadvantageous. The streets people love are those that have been built over
centuries. The combination of different styles within the aged fabric of the city makes the city look alive and real. The Aylesbury estate has had the capacity to house 7,500 people since the 1970s but has gone through slumization over the last few decades. In 2005, the London Borough of Southwark council made a conclusion that renovating the estate would be less economical than rebuilding everything after the demolition. A new masterplan was introduced in 2015, providing more houses whilst keeping 50% of the new development for affordable housing.
The approved proposal presented a limited number of material options (mostly brick) in order to maintain the continuity with the site and surrounding area, complimenting the ‘London Vernacular’. While the existing masterplan suggests a low density neighbourhood, I wanted to experiment with a hyper-dense scenario on this site, whilst maintaining 80% of the existing buildings. Although the Aylesbury estate is located centrally in London’s Zone 2 poor public transport connectivity has led the site and its surrounding area to be developed compared to North London. With the proposed extension of the Bakerloo line, Elephant park to the north and Old Kent road development to the south, and proximity to one of the largest parks in South London, I thought the Aylesbury estate would make a competitive position as an urban playground.
Existing Site Typology Analysis — There are multiple typologies in Aylesbury estate. While the prefab concrete cladding based Brutalist style makes the major parts of the estate, there are a number of other styles within the estate.Â
Reuse / Demolition Plan — Demolishing blocks has been decided based on the styles of the building and the locations of the existing building where it is fundamental for the demolition in order to develop the new buildings which require the deep foundation base.Â
Reuse / New Construction Plan
New Masterplan
New Connection Strategy
New Mall and the Greener Belt South London
Site Location Strategy — While the site is located in zone 2, the accessibility to the city is really weak as there are no tube or overground station near to the site at the moment. Although public transportation is lacking, the location of the site is sitting right in the middle of a number of major London city centres. Due to its close physical distance from the cities, it can reach to most of the city centre within 20minutes by car.Â
South London Greener Belt Connection — The new mall and the Aylesbury Estate share its longest edge with the Greener belt of South London while it sits right in the middle. The new Old Kent Road development also includes the greener belt connection which goes right through in the middle of their development. This greener belt could connect the Aylesbury Estate through walkable parks from the Nine Elms, Oval and all the way to the Canada water and the river Thames.Â
The project proposes a new ‘Mall’, a hotel, a skybridge. The mall is 40 meters long and 800 meters wide and isbuilt across the centre of the estate. This mall connects the Aylesbury to the Old Kent road development and Elephant park, through cycle lanes and pedestrian only open public space.
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While designing the mall, I've used the styles of Georgian London. I wanted to bring the aesthetics of London’s city centre to the site, reflecting my idea that architecture gains value when adjacent to buildings of different styles and qualities. Reclaimed tiles have been used as a major pavement cladding to create a convincing ‘oldness’. While this mall is expected to attract more publics to come and enjoy the newly introduced city centre in South London, a hotel and the public entertainment space has been designed right next to it.
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While designing the mall, I've used the styles of Georgian London. I wanted to bring the aesthetics of London’s city centre to the site, reflecting my idea that architecture gains value when adjacent to buildings of different styles and qualities. Reclaimed tiles have been used as a major pavement cladding to create a convincing ‘oldness’. While this mall is expected to attract more publics to come and enjoy the newly introduced city centre in South London, a hotel and the public entertainment space has been designed right next to it.
Medium:
samplesample
Proposed New Mall Plan — Mall which connects the Old Kent Road development and the Elephant&Castle. Mall is to be designed with the Georgian style elements while using the reused materials to create the convincible old atmosphere.
Skyline View A — The view from the North East. Adding the new volume between the Old Kent Road development and the Elephant&Castle. Maximum height of the development are set to 300m.
Skyline View B — The view from the South West. The Aylesbury Estate faces the one entire edge with the Burgess park which is one of the largest park in South London.
Skyline View C — The view from the South East.
New Mall of Aylesbury Estate — 'The mall is 40 meters long and 800 meters wide and is built across the centre of the estate. This mall connects the Aylesbury to the Old Kent road development and Elephant park, through cycle lanes and pedestrian only open public space.'
'While the existing masterplan suggests a low density neighbourhood, I wanted to experiment with a hyper-dense scenario on this site, whilst maintaining 80% of the existing buildings.' (From the Statement)
Present: Thurlow Street coming from Elephant&Castle
Proposal: Thurlow Street coming from Elephant&Castle
Present: Thurlow Street coming from Elephant&Castle
Proposal: Thurlow Street coming from Elephant&Castle
Present: Thurlow Street Bus stop
Proposal: Thurlow Street turned into a pedestrian only mall.
Present: Existing 10Storey block facade (From West)
Proposal: New facade of hotel A (From West)
Present: 10Storey block (From East)
Proposal: New facade of hotel A and surrounding development (From East)
Present: Roof of existing 10 storey tower
Proposal: New Skydeck structure to the roof and the hanging balcony
First thing I noticed while visiting the site was that the existing grid layout was wasting too much land, and that to increase the capacity of the land, new building on new layout would have been easier. However, I looked for value in the rare ratios and the layouts of the existing buildings.
The continuous horizontal buildings typical of Brutalist architecture are an unusual mass in contemporary development. The Aylesbury features two 10 and 13 storey tower blocks, up to 440 meters long, starting from the edge of the Burgess park to the North of the estate. These blocks seemed to be a great opportunity to create massive horizontal architectural experiences. A new sky-bridge is proposed on top of the blocks, to make a different urban experience, which with the Mall, define two new powerful public spaces in the city, a new landmark of South London.
The continuous horizontal buildings typical of Brutalist architecture are an unusual mass in contemporary development. The Aylesbury features two 10 and 13 storey tower blocks, up to 440 meters long, starting from the edge of the Burgess park to the North of the estate. These blocks seemed to be a great opportunity to create massive horizontal architectural experiences. A new sky-bridge is proposed on top of the blocks, to make a different urban experience, which with the Mall, define two new powerful public spaces in the city, a new landmark of South London.
Present: 10 storeys and 13 storeys tower block aerial view
Proposal: New Skydeck added to the existing towers.
Present: Existing tower blocks
Proposal: New tower blocks with skybridge added
Hotel Project A Structure
Hotel Project B Structure
Hotel Project A Structure Roof to Ground
Hotel Project B Structure Roof to Ground
Hotel Project A Skydeck Structure Close up
Hotel Project B Skydeck Structure Close up
In this proposal the two blocks themselves are renovated into a hotel. The renovation sees the blocks treated with different styles on either side. This new aesthetic has been decided after a design process that revealed it would function better as a hotel after full renovation, rather than keeping the original cladding. Each architectural style has been based on the structural requirement for both sides of the blocks, one side is placing the sky-bridge above the building with a large pillar supporting it, whilst the other side is holding the sky-bridge as a cantilever structure over its façade.
Hotel A and B with the Skybridge Structure
Skybridge Model Close up
Skybridge Model Close up (From east)
Skybridge Edge towards Burgess park
Above: Existing 10 and 13 storey block Elevation / Below: New Hotel Elevation
Present: Facade of the 13 storey block from Thurlow Street
Proposal: New Brutalist facade of the Hotel B from mall
Present: View of 13 storey block from Thurlow Street
Proposal: New mall and the Hotel A and B together
Hotel A Facade from the mall
Hotel A Garden in the East
Hotel B Facade from the mall
Hotel B Garden1 in the East
Hotel B Garden2 in the East
Chaotic View of Aylesbury estate East — The three square spaces between the hotel and residential units
One of the other significant structural values I found from the existing building was the ‘thinness’ of the building. I thought this could become a great opportunity to make a ‘see-through’ building. To the East side of the hotel, there are three open spaces between the existing residential blocks. While those blocks are converted into a residential block, these in between ‘squares’ have been converted into a space for the art installation organised by the hotel. I wanted these art installations to be visible from the mall and the thinness of the building became a positive aspect on this matter.
Main gathering space of new mall in Aylesbury Estate
Hotel A and the mall
Georgian style decoration finished by the old reused material
Night life in new Aylesbury estate
Development proposal
Development proposal
Hotel A and B with the Skydeck Connection
The project experiments with a different approach to using reused materials, looking at an argument for their value in the construction industry beyond an environmental perspective. I wanted to develop a design argument which relies on the value of the reused material itself that cannot be manufactured from the factory. Reused materials create atmosphere in a new development; maintaining the existing grid layout and massing preserves the volume of cities from decades ago. These design efforts are effective in creating architecture of familiarity within regeneration, rather than a ‘brand new’ version of the city.
Existing Condition
Demolishing Elements
Reusable Elements
Reusing Elements
Newly Added Structural Elements
New Proposal with Cladding Elements Added
This page shows the design development process from selecting cladding which needs to be removed and adding the new structure for the new hotel's purpose.