Precedent Analysis

Andreas Tjeldflatt – Shelter with Dignity

Andreas Tjeldflatt is a Norwegian architect based in New York City. He is the founding
partner of Himelnord which is three architectural studios working together at three
different points around the globe: Bergen, New York (where Tjeldflatt is) and Shanghai. He is
also a member of the faculty at Cornell University College of Architecture. But this is going
to focus more on that he is the Director and Founder of Framlab. Framlab states that it
“creates objects and spaces for better futures”. One of their projects is Shelter with Dignity.
The Shelter with Dignity project is aimed at
creating a safe space, clean and
comfortable for the city of New York’s least
fortunate as shelters are at capacity.
Around 61,000 people are sleeping in
homeless shelters and thousands more are
on the streets. Homelessness in New York
has reached its highest levels since the
Great Depression of the 1930’s. Adnreas
has tried to come up with a short-term
solution. It’s a way to provide more low –
income housing to help people get back on
their feet. This project is a clever way of
providing temporary housing that doesn’t take up much land to build. Other positives are
that it is economical and flexible and can be erected and dismantled quickly. This “vertical
land” uses a scaffolding structure, so it’s easy to erect, and packed densely so there’s no
wasted space. It forms clusters of microneighborhoods for cities least fortunate.
How it is installed is easy and simple with
first building scafolding along the side of a
clear tall building wall. At the top of the
scaffolding the instalation crane is placed .
This is used to firstly build the vertical
access up the wall with the stairs and lifts
and then afterwards install the pods
tightly along the wall. There are many
different designs for each pod so they
each have their own uses. Some are for
sleeping, some socialising and some for
washing. The pods are designed to
provide a year-round home for the
homeless. While the exterior construction of steel and oxidized aluminium deals with the
wear and tear of the city, the interior is made up of organic shapes of 3D-printed plastic,
that - clad with wood laminate - create a warm and friendly environment for them. The
 interior modules are 3D-printed from
recyclable bioplastics, offering a much more
environmentally friendly and cost-effective
assembly than a comparable traditional one.
It has equipment, lighting, storage, and
furniture - as well as a host of sensors, can be
embedded into the pods, each space can be
tailored to the individual resident, and serve
their needs and wants. The pods aren’t just
there as shelter they are in place to help
support and improve lives of many people.
The front face of the pod is made up of a smart-glass, this allows the face to be clear and
open to the city outside, but also translucent and provide privacy for the resident. It can
transmit digital content such as artwork created by the resident, public information, or
commercial content which effectively enables revenue opportunities.

Old Street Roundabout – London

In 2019 an iconic 1960’s roundabout in London is to be
redeveloped to change it from a roundabout to a two-
way traffic system and also creates a public space.
There were a number of entry designs but it has been
narrowed down to 4 winning concepts. They were
chosen by Islington Council, the Mayor of London,
Transport for London and Hackney Council. The four
concepts chosen are by a few lesser known architects
and surprised a few that they are up there: Dar Group,
EPR Architects (who both went with a circular digital
display board design), Gpad London (who’s ideas is to
create a digital garden) and NHA (wanted to harness
social, environmental and ecological aspirations of the
area). But overall all their designs aim was to create an
“iconic gateway” and make the entrance to Old Street
station more aesthetically pleasing.
Nicholas Hare Architects (NHA) is personally my
favourite because it’s aim was to create a vibrant new
landmark, reminiscent of a velodrome and recognizable
for orientating oneself in the city and in my opinion it’s
succeeded. The velodrome shape is clever as it is a place
to store bikes for the public so to encourage people to
cycle around this area. It is sheltered secure parking for
 them with a workshop nearby. That’s
another big part of the redesign is to
make the area more cyclist friendly, with
getting rid of the roundabout and
improving the cycle paths around it.
Cyclists can check on parking with an app
based on live information on how busy it
is. Simple LED displays above each rack
give a clear indication when bays are
free. Bicycles can be booked in for
maintenance with the on-site team who
collect and return once repairs are complete. What is included in their new design are
shops, places to relax and escape work or the busy life of London, places to watch and be
seen such as food markets and open-air cinema events. The Old Street Park community
provides an app that gives information on events, daily menus, live offers and vouchers. It
can be used to book tickets for the outdoor cinema, live performances or workshops.

Another one of my favourite designs is

by EPR Architects who’s aim is to create
an amphitheater space and their way of
creating this is with what they call the
Old Street Iris. The meaning of this is to
create an area to escape from the busy
city. The Iris is an enclosed oasis for
calm reflection but could also be used
as an area for performances, art
illustrations and community events.
Another reason for it being one of my
favourites is because of its Landscaping;
surrounding the Iris, leading up to it are
some coloured hexagonal pods that act
as steps and is some cases a ramp to
access the Iris with it surrounded by
vegetation. I could use a similar idea for
my design. The reason they are
honeycomb shaped is because it is the
most efficient geometry for achieving
coverage with minimal material use.