Second Year Student Projects at Edinburgh School of Architecture, Architectural education drawings, Scottish uni design

Second Year Student Projects at Edinburgh School of Architecture

Architectural Education Work Progress by Daniel Lomholt-Welch, Scotland

post updated 16 February 2024

e-architect are following the progress of architecture student Daniel Lomholt-Welch during his degree studies at Edinburgh University.

Year 2, Semester 2: Valencia
Valencia Community Library building design
Daniel Lomholt-Welch

DIVISION // A Library for Valencia

Sectional 1:250 model showing entire proposal:

21 July 2019

Edinburgh School of Architecture Second Year Student Projects

A library. A place of learning, a place of knowledge, not just for dusty old books, but for people too. Libraries have been an integral part of society for millennia and have doubtlessly inspired countless great minds.

However, the rise of the internet, and digital information as a whole, have led many to question: do we really still need libraries?…

Libraries, in turn, have had to evolve. They are no longer just a library. Now, they function as cafes, computer suites, function rooms, community centres and more. People may visit a library and not see a single book, despite engaging with a variety of activities there. This aforementioned change in how we process and use information has resulted in something called a “digital divide”, which is the divide between those who can access this online information, and those who cannot. Libraries are also often seen as a tool for implementing social change.

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1:500 maquette of an initial layout of the volumes and canopy

Therein, lies the essence of the brief to design a library. The creation of a place which stores knowledge, and nowadays, also creates a community hub for the surrounding area. It is the creation of a community that is the crux of the matter for the designer, as it is arguably much harder to create a community, than a place to store knowledge.

Collage of inspiration for the project

1:50 maquette of a space, showing the canopy / wall / roof connection, and how the reading spaces are laid out:

The research done prior to the site visit gave a much fuller experience, as it provided a wealth of background knowledge, not just about the nature of the city, but why it is that way.

The usage of libraries in the area was a major interest of mine, as it would define how I would envisage the proposal being used.

27.7% of adults in Spain have learning difficulties – 2nd highest in the EU, out of 27 countries. In the UK this figure is only 16.6%

In Valencia, only 42.1% of the population use the library compared to 47% of people nationwide.

The number of libraries in the communidad de Valencia fell by 23 from 2012 – 2014, (the 3rd highest decrease out of 19 municipalities).

Prior to visiting Valencia, I thought it was important to investigate the social and economic situation of the city, as I had heard before that the city had struggled after the 2008 financial crisis. The statistics proved this explicitly.

25% of people in Valencia live in poverty, compared to 22.2% in the rest of Spain. Valencia’s figure rose 5% from 2007 to 2014.

Spain has the highest school drop-out rate in the entire EU: 23.5%.

Quiet sidestreet to the north of the site, shown from the east:

Testing shadows and effects on the site model:

Development sketching:

Experimenting with the 3D-printer to make the roof canopy:

Shaped by both my initial investigation of El Cabanal / Valencia, and the actual visit itself, I had a clear idea of the concept that I wanted to back my design.

Society can be divided in a variety of ways; geographically, economically, and culturally, to name a few. Separated geographically from the rest of the city, El Cabanal is seen by some as a run-down haven for drug addicts and criminals, that is even divided within itself, both physically in the form of the old train tracks that now forms a green space, and culturally, between the Spanish and the Roma.

Concept map of Valencia, showing the satellite interventions:

So, I decided to create a network that was not linked by physicality, but by the architectural language it uses. We see these networks all the time, from fast-food outlets, to clothes shops, and hotels. Why couldn’t there be an architectural language that represents something positive, rather than just brand images?

Satellite library design for La Fontanta, which was informed by my chosen site’s proximity to other libraries, and the economic situation of the neighbourhood:

The Seville Metropol Parasol, by Jurgen Meyer:

The network that is formed across Valencia consists of seven disused sites, chosen because of their proximity to recently closed libraries, the area’s poverty, or crime levels. It was important to create a simple architectural language to be used across the network – which takes after the language created at the El Cabanal intervention. This language is defined by the standard-dimension, stone clad building blocks, and the latticework canopy, inspired by the Metropol Parasol in Seville.

Internal shot of the 1:250 sectional model, and how the canopy encloses the space:

Render taken from the courtyard looking towards the entrance:

Render taken from the non-fiction library’s terrace, looking across the canopy:

Being an individual project, every single decision rests upon our own shoulders. It requires decisiveness, and the ability to create the options to force those decisions to happen. There is a fine line to tread, between not creating enough of these options, or creating too many, and paralysing the mind through indecision. The design itself probably matters a lot less than the process of learning that we went on.

Ground floor plan:

Short section:

Long section cutting through the entrance building and the staff area:

Axonometric:

Year 2, Semester 1: In Place
Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh
Architectural institute proposal

Daniel Lomholt-Welch, Xinyi Yu, Olga Kovaleva

All work by Daniel Lomholt-Welch, unless otherwise stated.

DOING.
WATCHING.
THINKING.
FEELING.

Our proposal was based on creating a thoroughfare between two busy streets. This involved creating bold spaces throughout the proposal, investigating contraction / expansion of space.

Along the thoroughfare there are a variety of amenities designed to integrate the general public into the architecture school, such as galleries, shops and an exposed sunken workshop.

The proposal is a concrete structure, with timber fenestration that is at a frequency depending on the privacy required by the space it clads.

This project taught me some important things – it is okay to look at an idea that you have worked hard on, and to abandon it. It is important to be bold, in order to learn as much as possible along the way.

Ground floor plan showing the main spaces:
1. Art shop
2. Retail units
3. Lecture theatre
4. Atrium

Series of maquettes showing the progression of the design, from bottom to top:

Drawing and render by Daniel Lomholt-Welch
Post-production by Xinyi Yu:

Circulation model of the proposal (Shown from Buccleuch St.):

Representation of Clerk St. façade:

Representation of Buccleuch Street facade:

Drawing and render by Daniel Lomholt-Welch
Post-production by Xinyi Yu:

Second Year Student Projects at Edinburgh School of Architecture information / images from Daniel Lomholt-Welch

Address: 74 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9DF
email: eca@ed.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)131 651 5800

Saint Peter’s Seminary Cardross Study

28 Jul 2018

First Year Student Projects at Edinburgh School of Architecture

e-architect are following the progress of British architecture student Daniel Lomholt-Welch during his degree studies at Edinburgh University.

image courtesy of D L-W
First Year Student Projects at Edinburgh School of Architecture