My year long project was a factory called INKit. This is the second chapter of this project which focuses on the rest of the site - the offices, laboratories, and storage rooms where ink made and stored. The factory cleans air and out of the collected air pollution it produces carbon based ink. This idea came from my research of how Brexit will effect air quality in the UK. My project is located in Shoreham-by-Sea in the Shoreham Cement Works. Brexit will untie agreements between the EU and the UK and will leave the UK to police itself. My speculation was that the air quality would gradually get worse and worse until the people had to wear respirators to walk outside. This is where, my lead character, Samantha Price, CEO of INKit, decides to build a factory that harvests air pollution and makes ink out of the filtered pollution particles. The development of my character, a long with the requirements of each step in the manufacturing process, largely informed my design.
Samantha Price is a looming presence in the INKit factory. She has a private entrance and her office is placed above the factory from where she can see everything. It became clear that the idea of cleanliness and staying clean will become central to my project and the character of Samantha Price. This idea developed into an almost sci-fi feature of the INKit factory a latex skin covering the factory departments and machinery keeping the polluted air out.
The entire project was meant to be a critique of a current issue. Air pollution in the UK is one of the hot issues and with Brexit it will become more of a challenge. Architecture and technology will play a vital part in resolving this issue. My intervention intends to show a fantastical, but to some extent, believable solution to this issue.
Strategy drawing in plan describing the process of ink making with respect to the existing structures and machinery
Strategy drawing in plan describing the process of ink making with respect to the existing structures and machinery
Collages exploring the atmospheric qualities of 4 different spaces - Samantha's Private corridor, Workstation in calibration department, Administration and Workstation on the ground flood.
Sketches investigating strategy and form
Section through Samantha Price's office, Laboratories, Administration and Storage
Storyboard of the journey through the factory told from a perspective of Samantha Price, CEO of INKit.
Journey through spaces folded out into a linear section
Latex membrane testing