Workspace: Housing Systems Housing Project in Waterford, Ireland 4th Year Architecture, Spring Semester 2014-2015 Student: Sophie El Nimr

Exchange Street (Site B) is the location the housing schemes of families and retired couples. Site B is situat-ed perpendicular to the main pedestrian shopping street, Broad Street along High Street. The current use of the site is a public surface car park and in a previous life, a cattle mart.The site is to behind buildings that face the River Suir. The gable ends of these buildings surround the site. A housing scheme in an area that is surprisingly quiet regardless of its proximity to the main shopping street could be imagined as an urban renewal and transformation project. I had an idea to vitalize the essence of the families and retired couples daily activities and also to create a symbol of existence. My intent was to create a timber-structured scheme that marks the spontaneity of function and human necessities. The flexibility in the project can be seen in the one-bed apartment plans but can be used throughout the units in the scheme. The idea was to have these one beds adapt-able into commercial space at ground level to liven the quite street. The concept of a living city was driving the scheme as these apartments at ground can be altered from residential to commercial space to encourage and strengthen the idea of a living city.

Site B Exchange Street

The investigation into the life aspect of this year’s theme with a brief to design group-housing schemes for a variety of users. Exchange Street (Site B) is the location the housing schemes of families and retired couples. Site B is situated perpendicular to the main pedestrian shopping street, Broad Street along High Street. The current use of the site is a public surface car park and in a previous life a cattle mart.

The site is to the back behind the buildings that face the River Suir. The gable ends of these buildings are to the north of the site. Exchange Street, which borders the site, is a one-way street and leads cars into and underground car park to the main shopping center, which sits south of the site. To the east of the site is a six story old ESB building, which is vacant. And an old stonewall lines the west of the side with a stone barn type building behind it.

A housing scheme in an area that is surprisingly quiet regardless of its proximity to the main shopping street could be imagined as an urban renewal and transformation project. I propose to provide scale, identity and a piece of living city, which connects new development in the area to the backlands character of the existing fabric.

I have an idea to vitalize the essence of the families and retired couples daily activities and also to create a symbol of existence. I intend to create a timber-structured scheme that marks the spontaneity of function and human necessities. The housing can’t itself define the site. The place needs an anchor. So by reconsidering the grocery to become a market (fish and fresh fruit), which is made around which the housing is operated.

The flexibility in the project can be seen in the one-bed apartment plans but can be used throughout the units in the scheme. The concept of a living city was driving the scheme as each apartment can be altered from residental to commerical space to encourage and strengthen the idea of a living city.