Glasgow Mackintosh School of Architecture MSA Stage 3

Jazmine Emmanuel (she/her)

Approaching the site

I define myself as a young practicing architect engaged in a global society. Immensely aware of the responsibility we hold in providing a healthier, environmentally viable future within communities and the power architecture holds as a medium of change in society.

This Series depicts a connection of energy, landscape and culture within the design of a residential retreat and performance hall for client Sistema. Sistema is an organization that brings youth together, mentoring children and teenagers through music. The purpose is to give the children a sense of responsibility through the process of learning an instrument and gift them with the ability to bring joy back to their homes. This self-sufficient design, constructed with locally sourced materials, offers a healthy living environment. It exploits Ballochs extraordinary views and aims to uplift the user, providing spaces to encourage creativity and socialising at the heart of Balloch!

Contact
jazminerose7576@gmail.com
J.emmanuel1@student.gsa.ac.uk
Link; Live interior view of Baloch performance hall
Series
Lien
Residential Walkthrough
Performance hall walkthrough
Approaching the site

Balloch Pier 7:30am

Lien

Performance hall and Residential retreat at Balloch Pier

Jose Antonio Abreu, the founder of Sistema. During his talk about Sistema in Venezuela,  quoted Mother Teresa of Calcutta “the most miserable and tragic thing about poverty, is not the lack of bread or roof but the feeling of not being anyone, the lack of identification and the lack of public esteem”. Abreu uses the quote when describing the children’s poverty and vulnerability. He believes that music is the cure to combat these issues, which comes with poverty. Jose believes “only art and religion can give proper answers to humanity to mankind’s deepest aspirations and to the historical demands of our times.”
There is so much good music that comes from people who have had difficult, less fortunate backgrounds. This is because they need it; it’s a fact. There is nothing else to elevate their soul. It is a way for people to escape reality and imagine something better. I implement this idea of music helping you escape life’s harsh realities into the architecture of the retreat centre and performance hall, a building that allows you to escape into a utopia that enables you to imagine beautiful things for beauty is so important if you are surrounded by beauty you think about beautiful things. I built around the purpose to elevate the soul I intend this building to reflect the concept of a utopia taking someone somewhere else, letting them dream, giving them a new view and giving someone else a new place to be.

 

 

 

Axonometric site view

1:1000 location plan

Residential Walkthrough

Residential Entrance view

Residential Reception area

Residential open plan kitchen/dining area view

Residential garden rooftop view

This collection of renders represent how one would interact with each space. The Entrance is bold but remains humble; it stands out from the facade to excite guests upon arrival. The reception area ensures a welcoming environment with natural light flooding through large windows and patio doors with accessible navigation routes for guests to make themselves feel at home without a fuss. Through extensive glazing, the interior view of open plan kitchen dining purposely offers views to the practice room across the patio. Here the architecture invites people to subconsciously partake in other activities. Finally, the rooftop garden provides extraordinary views of Loch Lomand pier. Giving residents a place to recollect, practice or socialise.

1:50 East facing facade

1:50 north facing section through hallway, bedrooms and practice rooms

1:50 North facing section through hall, bedrooms and practice rooms

1:50 mid section through social areas in residential retreat

Technical detailing

Performance hall walkthrough

Entering the performance hall

Reception/waiting area

This reception and gathering space for the audience before watching a performance is an open yet suspenseful space. The slope and ceiling add an intimate atmosphere. It enhances the feeling you get before one is about to enter a wonderful experience while remaining in class. One can look out through the skylight to mountains beyond and enjoy the warmth from the sun which enters the opening above. This space is designed to bring people together before a performance. To feel comfortable, to feel excited and to share their thoughts with each other beforehand.

Interior of performance hall in action!

The performance hall is a space of celebration, a place of creativity, togetherness and joy! This space is designed to bring each individual the best time. Whether that's performing or enjoying the show, the performance hall makes everyone in the room feel as though they are in Ballochs beautiful landscape, with a massive spanning glazed wall offering an incredible view onto the loch. Raked seating allows for staff to comfortably step in and help kids while performing. This design welcomes those of all ages and backgrounds and aims to create a home from home feeling even in a designated stage performance hall.

Live interior view of performance hall

In this video, you can visualise how the building sits on the landscape, creating an almost floating sensation whilst in this space. Getting the feeling as though you are perhaps on a boat travelling through Loch Lomond, a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere while listening to truly uplifting orchestrated music.

Panoramic like view across interior of performance hall surrounded by Ballochs beautiful Landscape.

Beneficial to the site is, of course, the Loch. It provides not only tremendous views and qualities of tranquillity but also terms passive energy. The design uses the water from the Loch as a source of energy to fuel a ground source heat pump, and if energy demands increased, the Loch could also feel a micro-hydro to meet them. The ground source heat pump will heat the room in winter and cool if necessary in summer. Due to Scotland’s varying climate, this is the most appropriate installation as the weather can fluctuate between hot and cold drastically within a short period. Balloch generally has a cold climate, so the ground source heat pump will facilitate to heat the space most of the time, where the thermal mass of the wall construction contributes to the warmth emitted within the building. Sheltering from the cold climate helping retain energy throughout the day.

1:100 South facing facade

1:100 East facing section

Rainwater collection

ground source heat pump illustration

sun, wind and route graphs