I explored different desks through section drawings ( not to scale ) as I felt that they were a very important feature for a writer. As this would be where they spend most of their time. By doing these drawings I discovered that I preferred the simplistic styles to any others. I felt that these would not distract from the building itself.

I then did some rough sketches of building designs. I experimented first with different shapes of buildings as shown below. I find drawing up as many different ideas as I can helpful in the process as as soon as it is out of my head and onto paper I can distinguish between the ones I like and dislike. I also experimented with other cladding textures and designs as I feel like this would play a good role in filtering light into the building.

I went to the library and looked at a few different precedents. One of these being a building precedent which was the Boston public library, Massachusetts, USA by architect Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Mead and White. I chose this as it incorporates the interior aesthetic I am aiming for, The series of grand arches and high ceilings with low light. I then looked at the Nevill Holt Opera in Leicestershire by Witherford Watson Mann Architects. I chose to look at this one as a lighting precedent as I was interested in a space with either low lighting or very localised light. Theatres tend to have very minimal lighting unless a show is on, in this particular image you can see that the light is coming from a large opening in the ceiling.The next building I looked at was the Victoria and Albert museum in London as my material precedent, it is made from portland stone which I enjoy as it is neutral in colour and it can be both smooth or textured. I like the simplicity of the material and how it doesn’t take away from the overall form. Lastly I looked at an arts precedent in the form of The Arc sculpture by Bernar Venet. I chose this again because of its repetitive shape and overall form, Venet believes that having curves at the same angle create a sense of balance to the artwork, balance being a quality I wish to include in my structure.

I did some rough sketches of the buildings surrounding the site and the view from the back. I wanted to get a feel of the shapes already evident in the buildings around it. I especially like the staggered effect created by the structures above the alley and I want to look at incorporating that into my design. Then I did a quick sketch of an elevation of the site taking down measurements so I could use these to create an elevation at a 1:20 scale and also to inform my building idea.

Today we went and looked at the site where the building we are designing would be placed. We did a few continuous line drawings to get a feel for the surrounding buildings. It encouraged me to start thinking about how I wanted it to respond to its surroundings while investigating the light aspect, a main focus of the project. It was good to see where the sunlight was coming from at that time of day. I also found it useful to get a feel for the natural and unnatural occurring shapes around the site as this can be a good reference point when designing.