Circulation Towers
The circulation towers fill the voids left by Boilers 2 and 4 and in this way their materiality is intended to mirror the industrial feel of the existing space, acting as a mediator between new and old while simultaneously creating an enclosed space that allows the scale and sense of the each floor to be reintroduced to the viewer after the reprieve of movement either through the stairs or lifts.
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The circulation towers focus on re-instating the historical interior experience of forms in the space while integrating movement into one cohesive tower that creates an equitable experience of the site for everyone, both those visiting the spaces and those who work there. They help to communicate the need for multiple viewpoints as part of a successful space for informal education through debate.
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#controlled
#balanced
#integral
A wink to the past.
The circulation towers are not a space, nothing in them speaks to a want to linger, they are place for movement, to be reset between levels and allow the spaces and the scale of the history to engulf their viewer each time they travel between them. They imitate what was one there and through the movement of people constantly within them, imitate the constantly running internal mechanisms which once kept the space alive.
The layering of the stairs as a movement back and forth allows the individuals to be pushed toward the covered shell of the stairs and then be re-introduced to the interior of the boiler house. The constant back and forth also intends to encourage exploration of each level as a reprieve form the enclosed and consistent space.
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The detailing of the stairs has a clear structural need but the use of exposed stringer, alongside the steel and hempcrete stairs also speaks to the existing materiaility of the site. It allows the underside of the stairs to create its own language and mirror the black handrails with their subtle connections.
The junctions of the handrails act as an expression of both exposed and concealed detailing, conveying clear clear connections between rods, while hiding them through the continuous material and colour choice. They are a clear expression f the detailing of the current site speaking to the exposed nature of the historical site.
