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Centre Pier, Galway - RIBBON
Centre Pier, Galway - RIBBON
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Centre Pier, Galway - RIBBON
The pier forms part of an Engineered ensemble of docks and quays, and as one of the few planned areas of the city, enjoys a strong geometric bias towards Galway Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The layout of the buildings which surround the docks suggest an Architectural set piece of which the Commercial Dock might form its head. The proposal to insert a civic building into a still-functioning Commercial dock will create a diverse mixture of uses and provides great potential for vibrancy.2. Site Strategy
The pier is untrafficked by cars. Surrounded by water and boats, this space is an asset in its own right and should be available for public use.For this reason the building is stacked at one end in order to reduce its footprint and leave the pier available for use. The building has been designed to have a clear sense of ownership over this pier; almost like a house and garden arrangement.This particular house has a front and a back each of which address very differently scaled contexts. The front is a formal elevation which cranes out over the water towards the Atlantic, forming a windbreak and providing a degree of shelter to the space on its leeward side.The rear is more open and makes an invitation to the city. An orthogonal elevation, it goes some way to complete the broader square of buildings around the docks (noted above).The form of the building grows out of the pier and uses the device of the ribbon (described below) to form a continuous circulation element, creating a promenade which extends the pier up into and around the building.3. Ribbon is an organisational device, a structural element, and a powerful visual form articulating the open and civic nature of the building. Into its folds, two elevated public rooms for the city are sheltered. It is hoped that the simple silhouette would create a memorable and timeless image, amid the visual clutter of a functioning harbour.The functions and orientation of the building generate a spiralling route starting near the landward end of the pier, ramping up around the back of the Performance Hall (to provide views of the sea along the route) and culminating in the Exhibition Deck at 15.0m above sea level. The route continues further up to two floors of offices contained in a perforated shell.CirculationThe various levels of the building are accessed by the route defined by the ribbon. Direct access (and emergency egress) are provided by a vertical core on the South elevation. (This also provides a Shear wall / Bracing element for the structural stability of the building.)The access ramp is gently sloped in one plane from pier level to Performance Hall (1:20 min slope) and stepped in the other in order to be an outdoor seating area facing the sun in the afternoon / evening. Structure
As a structural element, the ribbon is cast as a continuous strip which acts as a deep beam in places, reducing the frequency of vertical load-bearing elements required. Elsewhere the ribbon connects floor and wall to act as a structural shell. The design strategy contains a series of open plan column-free spaces which call for a Hybrid structure of In-situ concrete and prefabricated structural steel components.Architectural Expression
Many industrial buildings in this part of the city are clad in painted steel. This creates a robust and practical Architectural expression to powerfully describe simple volumes such as that of the storage silos nearby. Extensive areas of Floor-to-ceiling Aluminium framed curtain wall glazing are sandwiched between the various levels of the ribbon form.The top floors of offices are contained in a perforate shell. Here, manually operable circular windows (with diameters of 600 to 800mm) provide ample daylight whilst allowing extensive views. The smaller window size is appropriate given the exposed Marine location.4. Two Elevated Rooms for the CityPerformance HallThis is conceived as a open sided room for the city, elevated over the harbour, and with extensive views. The audience area is laid out in concentric tiers around the stage (800mm deep with a 200mm step between tiers) with removable bench seating for up to 1000 persons. Alternatively, the stage can be viewed from the pier for larger (standing) crowds. The Green Room and storage areas are located under the raked seating.Exhibition DeckThe Exhibition is a slice of horizontal space which has been enfolded into the ribbon structure. The open floor plan is fully glazed and also toplit centrally. The glazing is set well back from the elevations to allow for generous external spaces.5. Outdoor Space
The quality of outdoor public space is vital to the success of the scheme. The outdoor space encompasses not just the pier but also the promenade route up around the building. Soft landscaping
Many of Galway's piers have become grassy areas. By accident or intention, this provides an attractive softness to the semi-retired piers. In this project a lawn is laid out on the same geometry of the building. This is surrounded by seating and low level planting.
6. Commercial ProgrammeRetailThe programme has a large element of revenue generating functions (retail and food / drink.) These are located at pier level so that they can spill over on to the pier itself. In addition, these tenants can open independently of the remainder of the building and their ground floor situation allows for easy access and servicing.Offices
1000m2 of offices are arranged on two levels around a central void. The maximum depth of any floor plate is 11m which is optimal for natural daylighting and passive stack non-mechanical cross ventilation.
The pier is untrafficked by cars. Surrounded by water and boats, this space is an asset in its own right and should be available for public use.For this reason the building is stacked at one end in order to reduce its footprint and leave the pier available for use. The building has been designed to have a clear sense of ownership over this pier; almost like a house and garden arrangement.This particular house has a front and a back each of which address very differently scaled contexts. The front is a formal elevation which cranes out over the water towards the Atlantic, forming a windbreak and providing a degree of shelter to the space on its leeward side.The rear is more open and makes an invitation to the city. An orthogonal elevation, it goes some way to complete the broader square of buildings around the docks (noted above).The form of the building grows out of the pier and uses the device of the ribbon (described below) to form a continuous circulation element, creating a promenade which extends the pier up into and around the building.3. Ribbon is an organisational device, a structural element, and a powerful visual form articulating the open and civic nature of the building. Into its folds, two elevated public rooms for the city are sheltered. It is hoped that the simple silhouette would create a memorable and timeless image, amid the visual clutter of a functioning harbour.The functions and orientation of the building generate a spiralling route starting near the landward end of the pier, ramping up around the back of the Performance Hall (to provide views of the sea along the route) and culminating in the Exhibition Deck at 15.0m above sea level. The route continues further up to two floors of offices contained in a perforated shell.CirculationThe various levels of the building are accessed by the route defined by the ribbon. Direct access (and emergency egress) are provided by a vertical core on the South elevation. (This also provides a Shear wall / Bracing element for the structural stability of the building.)The access ramp is gently sloped in one plane from pier level to Performance Hall (1:20 min slope) and stepped in the other in order to be an outdoor seating area facing the sun in the afternoon / evening. Structure
As a structural element, the ribbon is cast as a continuous strip which acts as a deep beam in places, reducing the frequency of vertical load-bearing elements required. Elsewhere the ribbon connects floor and wall to act as a structural shell. The design strategy contains a series of open plan column-free spaces which call for a Hybrid structure of In-situ concrete and prefabricated structural steel components.Architectural Expression
Many industrial buildings in this part of the city are clad in painted steel. This creates a robust and practical Architectural expression to powerfully describe simple volumes such as that of the storage silos nearby. Extensive areas of Floor-to-ceiling Aluminium framed curtain wall glazing are sandwiched between the various levels of the ribbon form.The top floors of offices are contained in a perforate shell. Here, manually operable circular windows (with diameters of 600 to 800mm) provide ample daylight whilst allowing extensive views. The smaller window size is appropriate given the exposed Marine location.4. Two Elevated Rooms for the CityPerformance HallThis is conceived as a open sided room for the city, elevated over the harbour, and with extensive views. The audience area is laid out in concentric tiers around the stage (800mm deep with a 200mm step between tiers) with removable bench seating for up to 1000 persons. Alternatively, the stage can be viewed from the pier for larger (standing) crowds. The Green Room and storage areas are located under the raked seating.Exhibition DeckThe Exhibition is a slice of horizontal space which has been enfolded into the ribbon structure. The open floor plan is fully glazed and also toplit centrally. The glazing is set well back from the elevations to allow for generous external spaces.5. Outdoor Space
The quality of outdoor public space is vital to the success of the scheme. The outdoor space encompasses not just the pier but also the promenade route up around the building. Soft landscaping
Many of Galway's piers have become grassy areas. By accident or intention, this provides an attractive softness to the semi-retired piers. In this project a lawn is laid out on the same geometry of the building. This is surrounded by seating and low level planting.
6. Commercial ProgrammeRetailThe programme has a large element of revenue generating functions (retail and food / drink.) These are located at pier level so that they can spill over on to the pier itself. In addition, these tenants can open independently of the remainder of the building and their ground floor situation allows for easy access and servicing.Offices
1000m2 of offices are arranged on two levels around a central void. The maximum depth of any floor plate is 11m which is optimal for natural daylighting and passive stack non-mechanical cross ventilation.
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