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The River of Life that Flows

Olivia Mitchell

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My architectural design work is driven by a constant focus on sustainability: striving to envisage spaces which place both the environment and users’ wellbeing at the heart. During my degree, I have developed an avid interest for engaging in retrofit projects with thorough consideration for the sites existing contextual and social condition. 

My architectural design work is driven by a constant focus on sustainability: striving to envisag...

Broadwater Farm Estate has borne witness to periods of immense social and structural change. Built in the late 1960s, the estate is no longer fit for the many demands of modern life. The project aims to address issues identified on the estate encompassing poor thermal insulation that result in high operational carbon and energy costs and especially the prevalence of flats that are unsuited to different living arrangements and household compositions.

In reference to a Broadwater Farm mural titled ‘The River of Life that Flows’, the project addresses how the estate can be regenerated in a manner which sensitively adapts to its residents. Driven by the guiding principles of efficiency, pedagogy and ensuring the intervention is future-proof, the proposal creates a new wing for a medium-rise block comprising of dwellings constructed using a kit-of-parts system which aims to ensure a highly efficient use of space whilst increases the buildings’ density. As residents' requirements change over time, the building can be adapted to suit: granting users the agency to decide the composition of their homes, participate in the act of construction and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills. Meanwhile, this ability for the architecture to be adapted helps ensure the structure has as long a lifespan as possible, reducing the likelihood of premature demolition and the environmental impact this would have. Additionally through reinstating the culverted River Moselle that flows through the site, the proposal aims to breathe life back into the estate benefitting ecology, creating a sustainable water cycle and improving residents well-being.

Final work

Isometric perspective of proposal in the wider context of Broadwater Farm Estate.

Broadwater Farm Estate Masterplan

An isometric perspective of the proposal shown in full colour against the context of the wider estate. The masterplan also envisages the wider site strategy whereby the public realm is enhanced engendering benefits to both ecology and the residents’ wellness. This is largely attributed to the reinstatement of the River Moselle, which historically ran through the site but was culverted when estate construction began. Owing to the nature of the proposal as a modular building system, there is scope for such architecture to expand across the estate to increase the density of homes on the site. In phases, I envisaged the concept growing to populate the two similar mid-rise blocks, to the north and south of my specific site.

Section drawing through the workshop space on the ground floor which also shows four storeys of adaptable flats above.

Perspective Section Through Workshop and Adaptable Homes

A section through the southern half of the proposal illustrating the activity in the workshop space. Here, the infill components will be created which are to be used to complete the spatial layout of the flats. Above, residents can be seen engaging in the self-build process to create their living spaces.

  • North elevation of the proposed building showing inhabitation.
  • Section drawing showing living accommodation above a communal, co-design space on the ground floor.
  • Section through the entire proposal from the west.

Research and process

  • A collage presenting an existing plan and historical photographs of Broadwater Farm Estate.
  • An isometric perspective, plans and a section of an existing medium-rise building on Broadwater Farm Estate.
  • A series of small isometric drawings showing the design sequence.
Photographs of pages from a booklet which outlines the construction process of the flats.

Construction Manual for Residents Participating in Self-Building their Homes

The residents’ construction manual aims to establish clear guidance for those participating in the process of designing their own living spaces through a simple explanation of the self-build process and how the infill panels and structural components are installed in order to successfully complete the homes.

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The River of Life that Flows

Broadwater Farm Estate has borne witness to periods of immense social and structural change. Built in the late 1960s, the estate is no longer fit for the many demands of modern life. The project aims to address issues identified on the estate encompassing poor thermal insulati...

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