K A Y L E N C H O I
CRACKING BAYNARD
DEC 2022: STUDIO ABROAD (ARC 408): LONDON, ENGLAND
Under the instruction of Professor Amber Bartosh
A COMBINED EFFORT WITH Sierra Taylor and Lillian Zhao
Baynard House is located in Central London along the River Thames. After our visit to the site, we observed that the building was very dark and hard to navigate. It has a harsh boundary to the street with its blunt concrete walls. Through this facade redesign assignment, we wanted to create a space that welcomes the public and provide clearer circulation to the River Thames. We "cracked" a central path through Baynard House in which would become the public space.
Materiality
Antique glass has a unique quality of solarizing and gaining a purple tint overtime. We decided to use this material for the facade to add vibrance to the area and create a vivid and welcoming space for visitors. Due to the facade's curvaceous surfaces, some surfaces would receive more sunlight than others; resulting in a spontaneous mixture of purple hues.
The purple tint of the solarized antique glass allows for transparency into some parts of the building and a beautiful change of environment on the interior. The original building design had extremely narrow terraces and hardly any natural light entering inside. This transformation creates a lively and welcoming environment
This render shows a look into the space during the evening. This area of London seemed to be dark and scary for people walking around. With a more open space and additional lighting, the space can be transformed into a glowing hub that boosts with activities at night. It creates a space for the public and its glow reaches out to the rest of the community.
