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Overview of Maryport Cookery School, showing diagrams of ten-year phasing strategy
Just putting the finishing touches to my presentation and starting to frame drawings, final images to be uploaded shortly!
Please join us for our graduate show opening night 5pm till late Thursday 24 May. A great opportunity to talk to our graduates about their inspiring project work.
Some good and challenging points raised at this review. Firstly, I need to take a clear direction with materiality. Currently, I have been torn between a traditional timber structure and a Cross Laminated Timber one with a stone outer layer for most of the building. However, the stone work is a little bit too tall to be self supporting and unable to be clad of a timber frame. Therefore the stone will need reducing and the timber will need to increase, which is ok. Lots of opportunities for nice timber details perhaps. Some of my window designs were perhaps more akin to a concrete structure and need amaneding accordingly.
Also, my main rendered image printed far too bright! Pink and green textured patterns stood out far too much. Either need to show no materiality or perhaps do some hand drawing… Much to sort over the easter break anyway!
Review No. I’ve Lost Count
Above is one of my review boards from the latest review of the Comprehensive Design Project for a Cookery School in Maryport. I was reviewed by my tutor and a guest reviewer. There was lots of good points raised by the review panel as to how to further improve the project. The idea of a paper clip plan form was one idea discussed to further develop the design further. The form and materiality were well received. The elevation treatment to High Street got a positive response. Further work is needed to be done to refine several smaller elements. O’Donnell & Tuomey’s work was suggested as a precedent that I look at.
Both reviews were generally very positive. The key issues to plan for are outlined below.
Review 1 - Mechanical & Electrical
Issues included:
- Providing level access if possible to plant rooms; they need a ceiling height of 4-4.5m if possible.
- Check sizing of wood pellet boilers as they are generally very large - need big enough plant room
- The narrowness of High Street could be a problem for the delivery of wood pellets - need a large enough space for trucks’ turning circle
Generally the M&E issues were considered well thought through.
Review 2 - Structures
The key issues raised included:
- ensuring a decent foundation for buildings in phase 1 which are higher up the hill to ensure later phases lower down the hill do not undermine the first phases’ structure.
- careful underpinning of foundations of renovated houses
- Tie timber frame into exterior stone wall for rigidity of structure
The CDP for a cookery school in Maryport has seen several revisions recently. Early sketches showed a building stepping down the hill, which was followed by more organically formed shapes. This was further refined into the idea of one block separated into two by the landscape.
The current design idea has three main design expressions:
- the primary driver being the idea of a landscape obliteration a building rather than a building obliterating a landscape
- the second is the restoration of the fragmented terrace on High Street
- the connection of all circulation routes and kitchens with the landscape and the sea - the sources of the school’s ingrediants
Kitchen Forms - Inspired by Bronze age cooking hut. Natural ventilation is the key driver to finding the form.
Visit to Ballymaloe Cookery School - 19/01/12
As soon as I stepped in the door of the school I was met with the most inviting smells wafting out of the kitchens. A tour of the kitchens showed me a great buzz of activity with nearly 60 students busily preparing the day’s lunch.
I was kindly given a three course lunch, consisting of a starter of a pear salad, fish pie for the main course, and a variety of cakes for dessert. It was all thoroughly delicious.
That gave me an opportunity to speak to Darina Allen, who founded and runs the school, her husband Tim who manages the farm, students, as well as support staff and other members of the Allen family. They all presented an inspirational picture of a school that utilises its own organic ingredients from their own 100 acre farm.
Apart from seeing first hand the organisation of the place, what has inspired me for my own design is the smells and the happy buzz of people creating excellent meals.
