Comprehensive Design Project: Natural History Museum North
The Natural History Museum North was a university project based on creating a sister building for the existing Natural History Museum in London. We were given two locations for the conceptual project both in Manchester; one located outside the city centre, and one in the city centre. I chose the city centre location on Water Street, after doing research for my essay corresponding to the project. A museum is a civic building and should be a reflection of the city so it seemed more appropriate for me to choose the more central location.
Producing a CDP report is a part of the overall Comprehensive Design Project; it's a combination of the brief, research, design concept, design development, resolution and initial technical aspects. The undertaking of the report was down to the individual, only the basic guidelines of content were provided and the rest was down to creativity and research. It was also presented with the finished projects to give more of an insight and understanding into the project.
Please click the subtitle to view the report.
Water Street elevation
AA Section
Brick is a material that I was interested in using with it having a strong connection to Manchester. After looking into different brick bonds I made some scale bricks and experimented with different patterns thinking about light and shadows. I wanted the facade of the museum to be more than just a pattern and to be more than just existing.
The final design of the brick is a combination of the developed models and mimics the movement of a murmuration of Starlings which ties in with the research carried out throughout the project and in the CPD report. With the chosen pattern it allows the facade to change throughout the day with the way the light falls on the bricks and plays with the angles; it also lets light into the spaces which also change throughout the day as the sun comes around, creating an interior element into the design.
| final brick design |
To work out the final design of the brick I made a SketchUp model of it to see how it would be put together technically and to see what shadows would be created from it. As the sun moves round I wanted the building to change too.
| butterfly house watercolour |
