Elizabeth
Carney
ArCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
To download the PDF version of this page click below:
URBAN OASIS
ACADEMIC PROJECT
BUILDING TYPE: Mixed Use
BUILDING LOCATION: Ballycastle, Northern Ireland
PROJECT LEVEL: 3rd Academic Year / 2nd Semester / Final Project
DATE PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT: May 2023
This project is my own, and shown below are the listed design qualities; adaptability, creativity, analytical skills, attention to detail, problem-solving, detail orientated and innovation.
ACCOMODATION SCHEDULE
Central Meeting Hall 341.5 sqm
Hospitality 12 sqm
Café / Foyer 161.9 sqm
Kitchen 37 sqm
Display / Counter 4 sqm
Enclosed Civic Space 537.5 sqm
Art Studios 49.7 sqm
Meeting Rooms
26.6 sqm/63.9 sqm/66.3sqm /61.8 sqm
Library 78 sqm
Micro studios
12.8 sqm/3.7 sqm/7.6 sqm/8.9 sqm/15 sqm
Plant room 16.7 sqm
Sub Total 1504.9 sqm
Circulation 105.1 sqm
Total 1610 sqm
The image to the right was developed in Sketchup and rendered in V-Ray and Adobe Photoshop.
OBJECTIVE BEHIND THE PROPOSAL:
On the north coast of Northern Ireland, a small town is located amid a dramatic landscape near the Causeway Coast. Surrounded by various breathtaking and jagged landscapes. The proposed building aims to mimic the story of the environment by utilising local materials throughout.
The façade follows the streetscape offering vaguely familiar scale, form and materials respecting the characteristics of buildings in the area. The proposal has a parabolic ramp, effectively creating circulation space that is coherent with Ballycastle’s demographic. The main parabolic feature dictates the form of the building.
The proposal has two separate roofs, one at level 6.4m and another at 8m. Both roofs are covered with natural, unworked stones from the area and grass to mimic the surrounding cliffs. The roof becomes viewpoints that visitors and locals are invited to walk on. From here, you can overlook the ocean, cliffs and surrounding hills. The view creates a direct visual connection between the surroundings and the proposal. The proposal has long spans, minimising material use, resulting in an economical and sustainable design. The building has a low surface area compared to floor area and volume, which is favourable for both material and energy consumption.
The proposal will curate a meeting space for locals and visitors. The building will house a café, meeting rooms, a central meeting hall, a library and viewpoints to highlight the landscape. The external envelope consisting of permanent materials such as basalt conveys an enduring message, in contrast to the timber and cork elements of the internal walls which portray fleeting elements.
With an ambitious goal to combine permanent and fleeting architecture to highlight climate change and sustainability, the building will strengthen Ballycastle as a travel destination. The proposal has been designed with leading integrated technological systems in response to 2050 climate change goals.
MINIMISING MATERIAL USE AND MAXIMISING SPACE
WHY?
USING NORTHERN IRISH LANDSCAPE TO SHAPE TOWN CENTRES TO CREATE A DIRECT VISUAL CONNECTION
The building mimics, the journey along the coastline using the same shapes and materials within the town centre to create an accessible experience of the Northern Irish landscape for all.
The proposal was inspired by the surrounding rugged yet elegant landscape. This shape inspired the structure of the ramp.
Following the town’s streetscape and elevating the building above the standard height of the streetscape, you can access views of the beach, cliff edges and surrounding town.
MATERIALITY WITHIN SPACES USING LIGHT
The images above were developed in Sketchup then rendered in V-Ray and then adapted in Photoshop
CAFE
LIBRARY
CORE PRINCIPLE: ACCESSIBILITY
CIRCULATION
Inside the building, there are skylights to indicate the journey through the building. Directly below the skylights are textured floor panels to show the journey to different spaces within the proposal. There are no stairs, instead a ramp which has sections of glass to naturally light a path up to the main hall. The ramp has the same textured floor panels to indicate the path. Before entering the building, there is indoor mapping provided digitally to aid in accessing the full potential of the proposal. The initial sketch for these ideas is to the right.
PLAN SCALE 1:100
FORM
ELEVATIONS
The image to the right was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
The image above was developed in Sketchup and rendered in V-Ray and Adobe Photoshop.
Existing scale 1:100
The image below was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
INTERNAL ARRANGEMENT
proposed scale 1:100
The image below was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
SECTIONS
PROPOSED SECTION THROUGH CAFE, HALL AND STUDIOS scale 1:200
The image below was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
proposed SECTION THROUGH LIBRARY, STUDY PODS AND RAMP scale 1:200
The image below was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
Employing Passive Haus principles in this proposal increases energy efficiency and sustainability. Natural light, ventilation, high thermal mass, maximising winter solar gain by positioning a higher percentage of glazing at the south-facing windows, using large skylights to facilitate natural warmth. The roofs are covered with moss and greenery absorbs excess moisture ingress/egress. Moss and greenery provide extra thermal insulation. There are no thermal bridges which limit the weak points in the building envelope.
PROPOSED TECHNICAL SECTION THROUGH LIBRARY scale 1:20
The image to the right was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
ACCREDITED CONSTRUCTION DETAiLS SCALE 1:30
The image below was drawn in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
The image to the left was developed in Adobe Photoshop.
ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY
MODEL
USING MINOR CHARACTERISTICS ACROSS THE TOWN TO CREATE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTIC OF THE BUILDING.
TECHNICAL DETAIL
BUILDING BLOCKS
ACADEMIC PROJECT
BUILDING TYPE: Education and Workspace
BUILDING LOCATION: Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
PROJECT LEVEL: 3rd Academic Year / 1st Semester
DATE PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT: December 2022
ACCOMMODATION SCHEDULE
Meeting Rooms 74.97 sqm
Office / Study spaces 394.24 sqm
Dining Hall / Lecture Theatres 300.3 sqm
Nursery 172.48 sqm
Total 941.99 sqm
WHY?
NORTH
ELEVATION
OBJECTIVE BEHIND THE PROPOSAL:
Building blocks is a retrofit of an existing Queen’s University Belfast campus building. The proposal is an opportunity to create an environment with neurodiverse/accessible sensory spaces at the forefront of the design.
To articulate the form of building blocks, the proposal is divided into 4 main buildings done through a mathematically defined rational system that was applied to all masses.
By designing for inclusivity, everyone can benefit through the removal of barriers that create undue effort and separation. It enables everyone to participate equally, confidently and independently
The proposal conveys an inclusive architectural identity and provides a frame to inspire and motivate the next generation of academics in Belfast. The proposal has both a presence beyond campus and is accessible to all through uninterrupted pedestrian flow from the main university buildings to student areas.
The overall design compromises of reclaimed brick construction to mimic the surrounding university buildings that were built in 1849. The building has a unique identity, both resilient and reliable, with reuse and regeneration at the forefront. Common areas, meeting rooms and private spaces are naturally connected in a hierarchy with spaces suitable for neurodivergent individuals less sensitive to louder environments being placed at the centre. And more private spaces with a shorter reverberation time being placed at the peripheral.
This project is my own, and shown below are the listed design qualities; adaptability, creativity, analytical skills, attention to detail, problem-solving, detail orientated and innovation.
The proposal is in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is an initiative for incorporating inclusivity into the existing local network in Belfast.
The image below was developed in Sketchup and rendered in V-Ray and Adobe Photoshop.
EAST
ELEVATION
The image below was developed in Sketchup and rendered in V-Ray and Adobe Photoshop.
By adopting principles in the building to make the building as energy efficient and sustainable as possible such as; natural light, natural ventilation, high thermal mass, maximizing winter solar gain by positioning a higher % of glazing on the south, southeast and southwest with larger windows to facilitate natural warmth. Additionally minimizing summer solar gain and overheating.
Implementing Passivhaus from RIBA Work Stage 0 enables energy efficiency in the building whilst reducing the building’s ecological footprint.
Cooling Pipework is integrated into the concrete floor slabs, combined with chilled beans, creating the possibility to maximize light into the building as it isn’t obstructed by a suspended ceiling.
Increasing the U-values of the façade it decreases the heat loss in the colder months, therefore, reducing the energy required to heat the project. The project is anticipated to have windows with U-Values of 2.0 W/m2.K to be in line with Part L 2010 minimum standard.
Within the building, Building Management Systems (BMS), will be installed to control and monitor the building’s electrical equipment including ventilation, lighting, fire systems and security. Heat recovery ventilation units allow for filtered air to be transferred back into the project from units that extract stale air inside the building.
Total area of building = 941,506 m^2 Total area of windows = 199,449 m^2
This means the windows are around 21% of the building which is compliant the with approved document.
The proposal anchors into the campus creating a break from the surrounding urban landscape, with internal green spaces to allow students to decompress before attending lectures.
SCALE 1:200 The image above was developed in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
ORTHOGRAPHICS
SCALE 1:20
SECTIONS
The image above was developed in Sketchup and rendered in V-Ray and Adobe Photoshop.
The connection between studio areas, meeting rooms and public spaces flows to strengthen the knowledge sharing between them. All floors are based on the same core principle.
Adding greenery, alleviates urban environmental problems, further improving the benefits of the cooling effect, energy-saving 1and carbon emission reduction.
SCALE 1:200
The image above was developed in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
PROPOSED SITE PLAN
STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
MODEL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN AT BIRD’S EYE VIEW TO ILLUSTRATE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT.
The image to the left was developed in Autocad and adapted in Photoshop.
Scale 1:1250
SCALE 1:200
The image above was developed in Autocad and adapted in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
MODEL
THE SENSE AND REASON FOR THE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT ALLOW FOR THE EXPRESSION OF CREATIVITY AND THE EMBRACE OF DIVERSITY.
EXISTING SITE PLAN
DUKE STREET
PROFESSIONAL PROJECT
BUILDING TYPE: Residential
BUILDING LOCATION: United Kingdom
PROJECT LEVEL: Professional Project
DATE PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT: March 2024
ACCOMMODATION SCHEDULE
The development, occupying an area of c.7981 sq.m, will compromise of the following:
83 apartments consisting of a mix of 3-bed, 2-bed and 1-bed units,
Dual-aspect townhouses accessed from Henry Street,
5-7 Storey Height,
The existing Grade II listed Georgian townhouse properties are to be fully refurbished to form part of the residential accommodation,
Main entrance via Kent Street,
C.680 sqm of retail / commercial accommodation across 3/4 units,
active frontage,
communal courtyard
shared/private roof terraces,
parcel collection,
secure, internal cycle spaces for 60 cycles,
48 storage units.
The image above was developed in Sketchup and rendered in V-Ray and Adobe Photoshop.
OBJECTIVE BEHIND THE PROPOSAL:
The site is located on Duke Street, a principal street within the Ropewalks development area, which is currently an area of focused regeneration activity. It also falls within the Duke Street Conservation Area.
The site currently consists of four Grade 2 listed Georgian townhouses fronting onto Duke Street that are to be remodelled and refurbished appropriately to form part of the wider development of the site. The rear of these properties, facing Henry Street, are to be demolished to make way for a new build part of the development. The proposal as a whole will see the redevelopment of the existing townhouses, including partial demolition, to provide high-quality residential apartments, duplexes and townhouses, as well as ground-level retail and community facilities, with an outdoor amenity courtyard and roof terrace.
The proposal aims to open up active frontage to Duke Street, with commercial units on the ground level of the Georgian terraces to restore some of the building’s original purpose.
This project is a joint project. As part of the design team, I helped develop the overall form and concept which meets strict conservation and heritage requirements. I worked on the delivery phase of the concept, and fine-tuning of the planning application. The renderings were done by Infinity 3D.
PROPOSED STREET ELEVATIONS
INTERNAL ARRANGEMENT
PROPOSED SECTIONS
Scale 1:500
The image below was developed in Microstation.
PROPOSED planS
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
north ELEVATION
The image below was developed in Microstation.
The elevations are intended to replicate the existing grade II listed Georgian townhouse sat between the city living low density residential area to the south with the vibrancy of the city’s nightlife to the North. Duke Street is a converging point of different architectural styles, historic and new, with varying scales and densities in the area providing a key piece of the street’s identity.
FOURTH FLOOR PLAN
PROPOSED ELEVATIONS
WEST ELEVATION
The image below was developed in Microstation.
Scale 1:500
The image below was developed in Microstation.
Scale 1:500
The image below was developed in Microstation.
DEYSBROOK COMMUNITY CENTRE
PROFESSIONAL PROJECT
BUILDING TYPE: Mixed-Use
BUILDING LOCATION: United Kingdom
PROJECT LEVEL: Professional Project
DATE PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT: March 2024
ACCOMMODATION SCHEDULE
The development will compromise of the following:
A second multifunctional space with kitchenette,
A number of large, spacious cupboards for storage,
2 gender neutral WC’s (minimum),
1 Accessible WC (minimum),
Office Space,
Extra carpark spaces,
Muga pitch (multi-use games area),
Separate entrance for nursery,
Increase energy efficiency and lower carbon footprint.
FORM TO MIRROR FUNCTION
PROPOSED SITE PLAN
The image below was developed in microstation. Scale 1:2000
The image above was sketch drawn and then developed in Adobe Photoshop.
OBJECTIVE BEHIND THE PROPOSAL:
Deysbrook Community centre is a charity run by local volunteers who provide services, group activities and training in response to residents identified needs. The centre’s current activities consist of sessions and activities that cater for a large cohort of people from across the communities of Yew tree and West Derby. The Deysbrook Community Centre delivers sessions for vulnerable, elderly and unemployed people during the daytime and youth activities, adult health sessions and theatre group sessions for disabled young adults in the evening. The aim of the community the community centre is to provide quality inclusive accommodation in the interest of social welfare, provide recreation and leisure time activities and sessions, for all ages, for the residents in the Deysbrook district and the surrounding areas.
The site aims in the development include:
01. Create a new larger car park at the rear of the site to stop people parking in the residential area. By locating the car park at the far end of the site, whilst there is a short walk to the entrance of the community centre, this area is closest to surrounding houses so will reduce the risk of any increase in noise from the expanding facilities. Additional recreational services would be better placed away from existing residential gardens. We can also utilise an existing drop curb off main road.
02. Extending the current building over the existing car park to create pedestrian access only off the residential road. It is acknowledged that there is a lack of streetscape along Deysbrook Lane so providing a structure on the corner of Deysbrook Lane and Deysbrook Way, will define the corner and create a beacon in the community to serve the community.
03. Create a separate entrance for the Nursery. The nursery, whilst also providing a service for the local community, it is a separate entity to the community centre.
04. Create new boundary around the perimeter of the site. This will redefine the street edge and provide security for both the community centre and the nursery.
This project is a joint project. As part of the design team, I helped develop the overall form and concept which meets community requirements. I worked on the concept phase of the scheme by drawing CAD plan, and elevations, drawing final sketches of how the practice imagines the final scheme, and the fine-tuning for the planning application.
PROPOSED ELEVATIONS
The image below was developed in microstation. Scale 1:2000
SWEET BRIAR INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
PROFESSIONAL PROJECT
BUILDING TYPE: Mixed-Use
BUILDING LOCATION: United Kingdom
PROJECT LEVEL: Professional Project
DATE PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT: November 2023
ACCOMMODATION SCHEDULE
The development will compromise of the following:
20,979 sq. ft Retail Unit,
4 Commercial units with the intention of trading.
OBJECTIVE BEHIND THE PRoposal:
Environmentally, retail has a large carbon footprint , with bricks and mortar emitting significant operational and embodied carbon emissions. The design of the new generation retail parks should aim to minimise the environmental impact of the building, through energy and water efficiency methods, use of sustainable materials and landscaping.
This project was a joint project. I had a role within the concept phase to construction phase, delivering CAD drawings to cross-functional teams.
UNIT LAYOUT
PROPOSED UNIT PLANS
The drawings below were drawn on microstation.
Scale 1:500
The drawings below were drawn on microstation.
Scale 1:500
PROPOSED SECTION
The drawings below were drawn on microstation.
Scale 1:500
MICROHOME
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
BUILDING TYPE: Residential
BUILDING LOCATION: Adaptable
PROJECT LEVEL: Personal Project
DATE PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT: December 2023
NEGOTIATION WITH SPACE
The image above was developed in Sketchup and then rendered using V-ray and adapted in Adobe Photoshop.
CONTEXTUALLY AWARE
The image below was drawn in Autocad then adapted in Adobe Photoshop.
1m X 1m Timber Panels
Ribbed Cruciform Joints
FLAT-PACK DESIGN
STUDIES SHOW COGNITIVE BIAS IN WHICH CONSUMERS PLACE DISPROPORTIONALY MORE VALUE ON PRODUCTS THEY PARTIALLY CREATED.
This drawing below indicates spatial awareness with the consideration of dwellers' routines. It shows within 25m^2 the dwellers can have individual spaces and spaces where they interact during their routines/ habits.
Combatting consumerism means constructing architecture that follows evolution, particularly human desire and choice. Studies show consumerism since the 1920s has increased, with that in mind this micro home was designed to be self-assembly to satisfy the endowment effect, in which people tend to overvalue things simply because they own them
Nurtured knowledge of seamless integration led to the conclusion that a cruciform joint that functions similarly to a plug-in connection should be used. Allowing for effortless separation of components during disassembly and fast extensions during assembly.
Relying upon a plug-in assembly system, the compact residence was designed for easy disassembly and reuse and was formed from glulam timber panels and cross-shaped joints that allow the elements of the structure to slot into each other.
This project is my own, and was intended to explore my own personal interest in adaptable housing to solve an ever increasing housing problem and help to combat the cost-of-living by making these affordable and accessible. Shown below are the listed design qualities; adaptability, creativity, analytical skills, attention to detail, problem-solving, detail orientated and innovation.
OBJECTIVE BEHIND THE PROPOSAL:
The current political sphere is balanced delicately between economic and social dynamics and the cultural climate. Integrated with the evolving climate crisis micro homes are an innovative solution. Modular dwellings have less environmental impact, lower carbon footprint and are energy-efficient. The design is intended to be flexible to both situation and use.
The micro home is made of prefabricated timber which slots together to encourage users into a sustainable form of construction. An efficient fabrication with seamless integration was at the forefront of the renewable and recycled sustainable design.
Once the user has assembled the 25m^2 building, the building is flooded with light from two adjacent arched windows. Designing from a technical standpoint with contextual awareness, the proposal aims to demonstrate spatial awareness and sensibility to apply to every environment.
