UNIT J

Unit J is interested in developing architecture as a response to ideas surrounding bespoke fabrication, sound & architecture, social engagement, technology & making, prototyping, questioning architectural representation and experimental practice. We help students to discover and develop their individual interests and architectural responses, through experimentation, prototyping and inventing methods of representation which are resonant with their projects. In Unit J, we believe in designing through physical investigation. We do not ask “why? ”but rather “why not?”

This year, we explored the theme of “Sui Generis”. Not to be confused with “anomaly” or “miscellaneous”, Sui Generis is something that is unique and “of its own kind”. Unit J students made their own “Sui Generis” through 3 projects. The brief also explored the concept of the architectural fragment. Last October, we visited Rome to study a city ripe with fragments old and new, embedded and distinct. Students began the year with a short project to analyse and interrogate a fragment of an existing building. These initial observations were then developed into their own 1:1 designs, through a range of multimedia making and drawing techniques. These fragments formed the basis for the building projects, which were sited in Wapping, London. Each student developed their building projects through rigorous experimentation, iterative models and drawings and film. The resulting projects are highly particular to their physical and cultural contexts & unique to the students’ particular architectural fascinations and interests.

TUTORS

Emma-Kate Matthews

Kirsty McMullan

Declan Molloy

STUDENTS

Alfie Richards, Andrew Chadwick, Elizabeth Brodie, Emily Brister-Runnacles, Gabriel Adams, Isaac Sherriff, Kasandra Zoltowska, Mariana Serra, Rachel Cannon, Ricky Ansher, Samuel Watts

VISITORS

Stuart Hancock, Prof. Nat Chard, Ralph Parker, Dougal Sadler, Tom Fotheringham, Josh Broomer

Reading To The Rhythms of Wapping

Alfie Richards

A semi-floating library located on the foreshore, within the tidal zone at Wapping

Foreshore Retreat

Andrew Chadwick

The initial project aimed to unlock the foreshore through revealing subterranean narratives; the device offers an instrument to capture the contours of the hidden surfaces. Informed by the historical research into the Waterman, the building proposal set out to establish an outpost for the mudlark community. Within the building, an alderman of the Waterman Guild inhabits the living quarters sleeping with the cycle of the tide, while mudlarks scramble up with the tidal flows. The project acts as a testbed for building on the foreshore.

Exploded Axonometric of the Retreat - Foreshore Retreat - Andrew Chadwick

Curiosity of the Unseen

Emily Brister-Runnacles

Situated along the River Thames in Wapping, London, a study of the sites microorganisms encountered on site led to the design of multiple latex self-supporting skins. These installations act as functional water vessels within the building. The enticement and curiosity of this design lies within the fact that this is not a traditional bath house.

Concealed microorganisms - Curiosity of the Unseen - Emily Brister-Runnacles

Long section through Thames Thermae Bath house - Curiosity of the Unseen - Emily Brister-Runnacles

Linking Landscape

Gabriel Adams

Set in the slate quarries of North Wales, with its dramatic landscape, scenic views, and rich history, the potential of the architecture as a “link” is truly tested through architectural interventions that provide inhabitants gateways into its past, present and future.

Site Section - Linking Landscape - Gabriel Adams

Rock Observatory Isometric - Linking Landscape - Gabriel Adams

Soundscape

Isaac Sherriff

Gateway to a world below our sonic register; spatialising London’s unheard microtonal soundscape within a structural framework inhabited by vibration. The project addresses the physical and psychological effects of London’s noise pollution; offering refuge from an acoustically violent soundscape.

Section through the Therapeutic Garden: Refuge from a Violent Soundscape - Soundscape - Isaac Sherriff

Exploring Tension & Counterbalance - Soundscape - Isaac Sherriff

Wapping Rescue Dog Hotel

Kasandra Zoltowska

Following an investigation of the poor conditions in which many rescue dogs are forced to live, this project offers a series of spaces in which rescue dogs are allowed to live and spend time with potential owners before being taken to their new homes. The building has living spaces for dogs of different sizes and personalities and humans who are looking to adopt, but want to test their compatibility with their potential new pet before taking them away. The building has lots of sheltered semi-outdoor play spaces and private play spaces located on the rooftops of living areas.

Tactile paving study lino print - Wapping Rescue Dog Hotel - Kasandra Zoltowska

The Unseen, Unclean and Everything Inbetween

Elizabeth Brodie

Using the methodology of collection and deposition, the project demonstrates a cyclical process of extruding waste clay through the building’s facade, collecting the grime and dirt of the fluctuating tide to entice local birds to eat upon. Thus creating an enhanced experience for birdwatchers and ceramicists alike.

3D Section - The Unseen, Unclean and Everything Inbetween - Elizabeth Brodie

Lost in the Mist

Mariana Serra

Lost in the Mist is an architecture of atmosphere - a refuge on an environmental and atmospheric scale. To the ones that want to escape from city stress, without having to go that far. The aim of creating a safe place to escape from the stressful daily work routine, is to provide relaxation and self isolation. The fog offers nothing, but our dependence on vision itself.

Fog study - Lost in the Mist - Mariana Serra

Mechanical Bowls

Sam Watts

Mechanical Bowls is a community bowls centre for Wapping, London. Located on the Wapping Ornamental Canal, the project aims to bring together a disconnected community through the game of bowls. Crucially Mechanical Bowls looks to re-invent the game of bowls from a static repetitive passing of time into a more versatile and engaging game.

Culture Kitchen

Ricky Ansher

A building for Wapping’s Jewish community, to teach other cultures about the preparation of Jewish food and customs. A range of types of spaces are available to rent for short or longer periods of time, to support community cooking classes and religious events.