Reflective Drawing |
A reflective drawing exercise was performed to identify where theory influenced and affected the co-housing scheme design. This revealed that its most prominent influence occupied an in-between space between private, semi-public (amongst the residents), and outwardly public, i.e. a ‘fuzzy’ social space. The inhabitants of these spaces often had competing needs for its use and therefore their design could span many purposes. These social spaces indicate multiple potential agonistic and passive social outcomes, as this scheme brings over triple the amount of residents to the existing community of Albert Walk, all of varying beliefs and backgrounds. For example, the ability for the Common Ground residential units’ to open onto Albert Walk to act as vendors on the street, allows public space to bleed into spaces of domesticity, perhaps increasing trade relations along Albert Walk. Or perhaps conflict may occur in spaces that were designed for congregation and attract greater volumes of people, causing congestion along Albert Walk and within the co-housing scheme, thus highlighting the complexity that is social space, which has become a focus area for the current chapter (Semester III) of the research project.
This graphic illustrates the influence of the various theorists studied in semester I, each colour representing a different theorist or text. The drawing highlights the layers of complexity, specifically social complexity, within the co-housing scheme, but also to the surrounding public realm and social spaces.
The Character Occupancy methodology, which developed through Semester II, was an engaging and insightful process of design, and allowed for both a way into the project and a vehicle to guide design decisions. It also allowed for a deeper exploration and means of challenging these theories when applied to practical architecture. Semester III continues testing and refining this methodology to further explore the mediative role of the architect in this project.
This phase of the research project focuses on the existing public realm of Albert Walk, Bray. The Character Occupancy methodology is applied to Albert Walk, in its current state as well as with the addition of the co-housing scheme. |
Albert Walk, c.1930
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Historical Research & Interviews
Albert Walk is a public pedestrian thoroughfare that leads to Bray train station from Bray seafront. It was originally established in the late 1800’s as the only route for the third class passengers arriving in Bray on the train to the seafront and promenade (White, 2021). By the 1940’s, Albert Walk developed into a busy walkway lined with souvenir shops, arcades, and restaurants (Deveney A., 2021) (Fig. 8). Each retailer along Albert Walk also resided there, with the lane benefiting from a ‘sustainable circular economy’ (Deveney A., 2021).
I conducted an interview with Anna Deveney and her brothers Barry and Donie - Albert Walk residents and retailers since the 1950’s - in order to get a better sense of the social history of the walk. Anna described the walk as having a close-knit community where ‘there was less of a sense of privacy…[that] all of the shops would tick-tock around each other and help each other out, [and one] could never do that these days’ (Deveney A., 2021). The Deveney siblings shared anecdotes of growing up on the Walk from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, reminiscing on its busy atmosphere and character6 (Deveney A., 2021), which is somewhat contrary to its current conditions. Today, Albert Walk’s main function is a route, rather than a destination as it had been in previous times. Much of the pedestrian traffic consists of the morning and evening commuters.
I conducted an interview with Anna Deveney and her brothers Barry and Donie - Albert Walk residents and retailers since the 1950’s - in order to get a better sense of the social history of the walk. Anna described the walk as having a close-knit community where ‘there was less of a sense of privacy…[that] all of the shops would tick-tock around each other and help each other out, [and one] could never do that these days’ (Deveney A., 2021). The Deveney siblings shared anecdotes of growing up on the Walk from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, reminiscing on its busy atmosphere and character6 (Deveney A., 2021), which is somewhat contrary to its current conditions. Today, Albert Walk’s main function is a route, rather than a destination as it had been in previous times. Much of the pedestrian traffic consists of the morning and evening commuters.
Donie Deveney recollected the crowds coming down the walk in the evenings after attending the Arcadia dance hall or ‘Mick’s Pongo hall’ (Deveney D. , 2021), and how he ‘could hear the bands from [his] house, and it was even louder along the walk’ (Deveney D., 2021). The Deveney siblings described the characters who resided and retailed along the walk as they grew up. For example, Mrs. O’Toole, who opened her grocers in the morning, but then shifted to working in her amusements at six o’clock ‘to catch the evening commuters coming down the walk’ (Deveney D., 2021). |
The way of life and characters depicted by the Deveney siblings in this interview felt analogous to the characters and social culture I had imagined and designed through the theorists in Semester II. This interview also demonstrated the potential of Albert Walk as a successful public space. I attempted to illustrate this life and atmosphere which the Deveney siblings so fondly described. |
Elevation of Albert Walk’s elevation, how it was in the 1940’s and how it remains now. This illustration collages drawing, quotes from the Deveney siblings interview and historical images to begin to imagine and document the character and social history of Albert Walk in the 1940’s - 1970’s. The pink represents the day time activity, and green, the evening.
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Conducting this informal interview allowed for greater insight into the social and economic character of Albert Walk before its decline from the 1980s. This decline can be attributed to a few different factors. One such factor was the increase of mass franchised businesses, which induced a decline in family-owned business in the area. Another was the surge in private car ownership, which reduced the need for public transport, including the train and DART that brought so many pedestrians through Albert Walk since 1886 (Deveney A., 2021). Being a resident of Bray myself, these in-terviews were not only insightful, but also compelling, as my own memory of Albert Walk was quite contrary to the ‘bustling, lively place’ (Deveney B. , 2021) that Albert Walk once was.
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Character Occupancy Development
As a development of the Character Occupancy methodology, I chose to add a few of these historic characters to the collection of applied characters for this phase of the project. To layer additional characters increases the potential complexities and conflicts of this public space – the test subject. This phase is about further testing this methodology as well as investigating such complexities of urban public realms, which my studied literature contends is necessary for a good public realm (Deutsche, 1998), the chosen public realm for this project being Albert Walk.
I identified four varying conditions along Albert Walk to apply the Character Occupancy methodology to . For the purposes of this study, the current uses of these units are assumed permanent (if they are currently in use), as are the occupants of the adjacent co-housing scheme, determined in Semester II. I undertook sketch exercises to allocate characters to each chosen condition, their personal theories or outlooks being the determining factor. I ensured each condition differed from the previous one. Occupants who hold extremely opposing views on the privacy or publicity of living or retailing, reside next to one another as well as occupants whose outlooks align. Each occupant’s individual theory or perspective on how to live or inhabit a dwelling, as well as their response to fronting a public realm is exaggerated and used as the driving guide for design in this exercise. The use of their unit adds another layer of complexity on top of their personal outlooks, as does the fact that Albert Walk is a public space that attracts the general public, who also had to be considered throughout this exercise.
I identified four varying conditions along Albert Walk to apply the Character Occupancy methodology to . For the purposes of this study, the current uses of these units are assumed permanent (if they are currently in use), as are the occupants of the adjacent co-housing scheme, determined in Semester II. I undertook sketch exercises to allocate characters to each chosen condition, their personal theories or outlooks being the determining factor. I ensured each condition differed from the previous one. Occupants who hold extremely opposing views on the privacy or publicity of living or retailing, reside next to one another as well as occupants whose outlooks align. Each occupant’s individual theory or perspective on how to live or inhabit a dwelling, as well as their response to fronting a public realm is exaggerated and used as the driving guide for design in this exercise. The use of their unit adds another layer of complexity on top of their personal outlooks, as does the fact that Albert Walk is a public space that attracts the general public, who also had to be considered throughout this exercise.
PART I
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PART II
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PART III
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