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PARASITE

Part 1 Project 2010
Jayson Young
Arts University Bournemouth | UK
P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E.: Public and residential architecture systems improving transportation edifices.

The site was chosen because it is an ugly, dull and imposing structure on the town centre. The a green park boarders the site and is a major feature to Bournemouth.

PARASITE is a modular system comprised of units which co-ordinate to the size of two car parking spaces. These modules are prefabricated and adapt to any gradient the car park might have. The units come in 5 different types: living, eating, sleeping, working and studio. Each unit can be customised to meet the needs of the user, with off-site construction and site assembly. The owner then has the option to suspend a studio for either their own use or to rent for an extra income. The studio can be accessed from the car park via a bridge or from deck access at the front, which also provides public access.

There is also a piece of shared architecture associated with the development. In this case it is a coffee shop, which sits on the existing lift shaft and creates interaction between the parasites and the public.

To summarise, dwelling and working units suspended off of the car parks increase the town centre options for working and housing without having to build on open parkland. The parasite creates a mutual relationship with the host by doing a number of things:

PARASITE improves the facade of the host building.
PARASITE brings life to the car park via the use of the working units.
PARASITE helps re-imagine car parks as opportunities for development.
PARASITE regenerates a failing aspect of the host and its local environment.

Jayson Young


This studio is designed to encourage the students to interpret various sites in Bournemouth and to use their findings to develop a hybrid brief that relates to their chosen context.

Jayson quickly identified the challenges of working alongside the Bournemouth Pleasure Gardens and the town centre. He was able to identify the various users of the area and how single person living and working could improve a dull and forgotten part of Bournemouth.

The work clearly integrates the challenges that were set; addressing the aesthetic, constructional, functional and formal issues of the existing car park whilst relating an architectural proposal to the adjacent Bourne Chine (the linear park in the town centre). He wanted to ensure that the final proposal improves the local built environment (it is one of the worst buildings given the potential of the location) and proposed a parasite typology to work with the existing building.

Jayson’s work has been centred on how his project can develop a synergy between its host and parasite to increase the density of our urban centres. Parasites are often regarded as a negative, whereas the project has the potential to suggest an interesting, popular typology that could improve our built environment and extend the suitability and life of much of our current building stock.

Though modest in scale this proposal is ambitious in concept and well considered in its detail. The proposition is transferable to other similar host buildings, in fact Jayson completed an initial study on a parasite on IKEA in Southampton as well.

Jayson has developed a coherent graphic presentation, including a brochure to promote the project. An engaging concept model in the form of a kit of parts encourages participation to design various bespoke resolutions.

Tutor(s)

2010
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