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24HOUR BUILDING

Part 1 Project 2002
Russell Everton
Mauricio Velasquez Posada
University of Lincoln Lincoln | UK
This project began as an investigation into the movements of people through an arbitrary site in the city centre of Hull. Using video footage of the site (slide 1 and flick book) peoples movements and choices of route with plotted (2). The space and forms that we created by these paths and the forms between them were interpreted into a computer model (2). Another study of the site was about the relationship not only between people and others, but their routes on the most efficient path (3), the combination of the two studies lead to an interesting juxtaposition between both amorphous and linear forms. These forms were used to design a physical installation, a landscape for the site, dealing with issues of; rights of passage, courtesy and use of efficient routes (4 and 5). The virtual installation is the collection of forms in an unaltered state.

This is a three-dimensional architectonic-language from which the main building was designed (6). A site in the city centre of Birmingham was selected. Roads, footpaths, a canal and a disused rail track, all surround the site. Due to the presence of the canal and road the site is part of a fragmented area (7). The main notion of the brief was to use the building as a public passageway, a hub that connects all of these areas. Having in mind a manifesto of creating public routes through a private building a brief was contrived to cater for 24 hour opening with a use befitting of the area. Around the theme of relaxation and invigoration, a gymnasium with sauna, steam rooms, etc and a series of bars including oxygen, water, coffee and alcohol (12,13 and14). The language was inserted, scaled and orientated so that four of the original paths were used to create new fixed routes. The external form was fragmented by gridlines then angulated, these angels were informed by changes in acceleration in the original movements.

Russell Everton
Mauricio Velasquez Posada


Russel's project began as an examination of the spatial traces left by pedestrians in a street, using time-lapse video. He then embarked on a journey of exploration into video installation and computer imaging that seamlessly developed into a architectonic language. Along the way he explored ideas involving virtual and real installations, materials and materiality, constantly testing these ideas in virtual and real sites and non-site environments. He concluded his work with the formation of an exuberant collection of forms, spaces and programme that he called 24-hour building.

2002
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