L e e  M c I l r o y
A r c h i t e c t u r e
U R B A N T H E O R Y | t h i r d y e a r p o r t f o l i o
After spending 3 weeks in China, we began a sketch design project based on the research carried out in Wuhan.The project focused on the urban theory of the design and its position within the wider context of the city. After spending a week on site, measuring and meeting with residents, we agreed upon an urban move and each took a position within the site, each working toward a design with a communal residential programme. We post-analysed each design to investigate how the rules we had agreed upon had been resolved differently.
S I T EÂ S T R A T E G Y
The site was situated in the old community of Sandeli in Wuhan. It was filled with the li-fen typology housing which mainly housed an elderly community. The existing residences were derelict and we're being cleared by the government to turn the site into a shrine to the first female member of the communist party who lived on the site and sacrificed herself for the cause.
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Our analysis from being on the site was there were two main routes through the site - one public (continuous line) and one private (dashed line). We also found the residents often lingered and chatted around a pond area (highlighted in grey) so we decided to leave this area more open to encourage the continued use of this space.
Despite the poor living conditions it was evident there was a huge sense of community within the site and our analysis aimed keep this in our designs.
"Cultures and climates differ all over the world, but people are the same. They'll gather in public if you give them a good place to do it."
J a n G e h l
D E N S I T Y S T U D Y | c o l l e c t i v e s c a l e
The issue of density is prevalent in China today - evident in the section at the top with most of the buildings being of high-rise residential blocks. The final design opposes this convention with a maximum of three storeys and a 33 person capacity. It does this in favour of each blocks proximity to the streets between, to encourage interaction through the vial connection to these streets. The above diagrams acknowledge the current predicament in China and analyses the design and its capability to be extended to a greater capacity and the subsequent affect this would have open its surroundings.
