Archimedia Case Study

From the appointment of an architect to final approval of the architectural design, a group of around ten young people has had a close involvement with the project, guided by Archimedia project manager, Miles Ford.

The project has been broken into three main stages:
1. Recruitment of key personnel and a feasibility study
2. Finalising designs and securing planning permission
3. Constructing the new building

It is currently entering stage three having just received planning approval.  This update follows a previous case study written at the beginning of the project, and looks at the many achievements to date.  Importantly, rather than just creating a building, the project is aiming to equip the young people with valuable skills and experience of the design and planning process.  Ultimately, the community and users of the new site will create a building they can call their own.

BACKGROUND

As the last case study explained, Knowle West Media Centre currently occupies aging premises (Leinster House) on the deprived Knowle West estate in South Bristol.  Originally established in the mid-1990s to explore the role of arts in relation to health and well being, the Media Centre has expanded its remit to include a variety of media arts. 

After being involved in many creative projects, it became a charitable organisation in 2002, offering people from right across the large estate the opportunity to experience many aspects of media including film-making and computer design.  Led by director, Carolyn Hassan, its main aim is to encourage local residents to understand the social benefits of being creative.  The Centre offers traineeships of up to two years, enabling the trainee to choose their particular areas of interest.  These traineeships can then be certified by studying to gain Open College Network (OCN) or Youth Achievement qualifications.  Alternatively, the Centre also offers full-time work experience for up to six weeks.

On an estate known for its territorial segregation, the Centre's central location is a benefit, removing the need to travel to central Bristol for such services.  The Centre is very popular, and filled with children every evening, however its current home is becoming a huge problem.  Leinster House was originally designed to be a health centre, and for many years it held waiting rooms and doctors' surgeries - one of which is now Miles' office.  The rabbit warren of corridors and small rooms with iron bar-clad windows is simply unsuitable for use as a media centre.  For example, one of the computer suites has three doors, making concentration on a particular task very difficult and making computer users feel uneasy due to the need to secure three entrances.  The claustrophobic nature of the building also means that space is very limited with no real opportunity for expansion.

The Archimedia project was therefore set up in 2003 to create a brand new ‘fit for purpose' building.  The project will cost around £3million including building and design work, employing a fundraising consultant, and an initial feasibility study.

DETAIL

To buy the land on which the new building will stand, the Centre has joined forces with Knowle West Development Trust to set up another company called Leinster House Partnership.  The Partnership owns the current premises and adjacent land and can therefore legally begin demolition work.

From the project's inception, the Centre's current users were given the opportunity to shape the new building and develop a sense of ownership.  Since 2003, a team of around ten young people (all current users of the Media Centre aged between 10 and 16 years old) has been actively involved in the design work.  This team of young people has become known as the ‘Core Group', and has been guided by youth media worker, Sandra Manson.  Though some faces have inevitably changed since 2003, a few in particular have played a large part in the process - Davina, Colston, Kerry, Chad Michael, and Chanel. 

The Core Group meets regularly on a Monday night at the current Centre between 4.30pm and 6.30pm and discusses almost every aspect of the building.  To get inspiration, the Group also visited other projects.  Armed with a camera, they carried out walking tours of both London and Bristol to look at the architecture of the cities, and also visited the St Werburghs Self-Build project to gain an understanding of sustainable development.  In addition, trips were arranged to the Centre of Alternative Technology in west Wales and the Tomorrow's Homes exhibition to consider the environmental aspects of the new building.  Several members also attended a ‘Grand Designs Challenge' summer school, with workshops led by architects, surveyors and engineers.

Before any design work commenced, a feasibility study was undertaken by Quattro Design, looking at the type of building needed, the likely cost, and opportunities to link with other organisations.  This included a public consultation evening and questionnaire, both organised by the Core Group.

Following the feasibility study, one of the first priorities was to develop a brief for architects to respond to.  After many discussions about the requirements for the building, the young people put together a list of key factors:
1. The building must be fit for purpose as a media centre
2. The building must be suited to young people
3. The building must be secure by design
4. The building must be environmentally sound
5. The building must be fully accessible to all members of the  community

A total of 14 architects initially responded to the brief to show an interest, and subsequently all submitted outline design proposals.  The Core Group then evaluated each according to the five points above and six were selected for interview.

The interviews were hosted by Miles and several members of the Core Group, and each interviewee was again scored against the above five points as well as their proposed costs, experience on similar projects, and ideas for engaging with the Centre's current users.  Using the scoring system, three interviewees were selected for further questioning, and each was invited to return once again to show the young people examples of their previous projects. The final choice to select the architect that had directly communicated to them was easy.  White Design was the successful practice.

The same process was then undertaken to appoint a building surveyor and an artist, Simon Poulter, to consider the design of the building from an artistic perspective.  The young people also drew up a rigorous set of criteria for appointing the main contractor to actually construct the building.  This included:

• Experience on projects of this size
• A commitment to complete the project within budget and time constraints
• Decorating and furnishing the building to a high-spec level

Design work for the new building began in February 2005.  White Design continued to involve the Core Group throughout the design process, and architects Nick James and Scott Hills oversaw liaison with the group.  Unlike a standard design process whereby feedback and amendments are received on a daily basis, Nick and Scott were restricted to liaising with the Core Group just on Mondays.  They visited the Centre every week with paper-based designs for the group to review, and these were discussed at the regular Monday meetings.  Post-it notes were then stuck on them with questions and comments, which they responded to by the following week.

RESULTS

The final design has now been confirmed.  Once complete, the new building will include a 70-seat screening space; edit rooms; training rooms; a sound suite; and areas for quiet working. 

The building will also incorporate office space - a rarity in this area of Bristol.  As well as providing a home to Knowle West Media Centre staff, some of the space will be rented out, enabling local businesses to benefit from comfortable surroundings and professional facilities.  To ensure that local people are able to maximise the use of this office space, Miles is working with the Bristol Area Community Enterprise Network (BACEN), and Bristol and Avon Enterprise Agency (BRAVE) to raise awareness of the opportunities the new building will provide.

The rent is an important factor, as the Centre moves towards being self-funded.  Some Neighbourhood Renewal funding has been committed and the media centre generates income through commissioned work.  However, with much competition for funding, the Centre faced a significant shortfall.  This should however be made up by the rental income.

The new centre will be constructed from a main frame of concrete, steel and wood, however its walls will be made from straw.  The decision to use straw was again made by the panel of young people after evaluating several options.  The bales of straw will insulate the building with up to three times the effectiveness of standard insulation, and after a coat of lime, will also be strong enough to provide ample stability and security.  The use of straw as a construction method is a relatively old concept, although this application demonstrates a new approach using an innovative method.  Though used elsewhere, it is thought that the new Centre will become the largest straw building in Europe. 

Planning approval was granted on November 10 2006.  In early 2007, the current Centre will be demolished, meaning that the team will have to temporarily relocate.  The main contractor will begin work on the new building in February, and construction should be totally complete by January 2008.

Though the main design group has more or less completed its work, the Archimedia project is now recruiting other young people to run sub-committee groups on topics such as the environment (or ‘green' issues), and community consultation.  Consideration for the environment has already been a key concern, with the team deciding to place solar panels on the roof to generate electricity for the building, and insisting that all the straw must be locally sourced from within a five-mile radius.

As well as a regular newsletter which updates all involved on developments at the site, the young people are also documenting the whole design process using the Centre's multimedia equipment.

CONCLUSION

Though the young people now involved in the process won't necessarily be those that use the building in the future, all have had the opportunity to make a real difference to their own community.

Many will see the project's success in building a state of the art media centre.  The main result of the project however is not the success of the construction work but in the opportunities it has given to the young people involved in the project.  With three years of experience on the project, several of those involved are now keen to pursue their interest into further education.  One has even decided to train to become an architect.

Nick James of White Design commented:
"We've found the young people to be very well informed, and at times better informed than some more senior clients.  Following their own background research and several visits to other projects, the Core Group has a really good understanding of the issues involved, from the environment to the building's architecture.  There have been a few challenges along the way, but thanks to an open-minded approach from all involved we're very pleased with the way the design process has worked."

Ultimately, by giving responsibility to the young people, the Knowle West Media Centre hopes that the project will help to break down perceptions of young people in the Knowle West community.  The project has demonstrated that rather than contributing to the estate's social problems, young people can develop the professional skills needed to manage a complex design and build process.

The building itself will, in turn, give generations to come the opportunity to experience many aspects of media production, as well as show their work to an audience of up to 70 people (currently only possible by arranging viewings at the Watershed in the centre of Bristol).

DOS AND DON'TS

Do

• Give responsibility to those set to use a building
• Consider every aspect of design and construction carefully, even  if it means lengthening the process
• Consider the environmental effects of a new building - have you   thought of building with straw?

Don't

• Be afraid to involve young people in a complex process - it will  only benefit the project

FIND OUT MORE
http://www.archimedia.org.uk/
http://www.kwmc.co.uk/
http://www.knowlewest.co.uk/
http://www.white-design.co.uk/