TECHNE, CHAMPNESS HALL RE-USE
The brief asks to ‘revive’ Champness Hall, however the project goes beyond the revival of a singular building. It re-invents the hall as a technical college and day care centre. It will create a catalyst project that has as much an impact on a physical level as well as sociological.
‘Techne’ - meaning an art, skill, or craft; a technique, principle, or method by which something is achieved or created,. Techne is the name we have given to this project as it represents our aim of creating an environment where people of all ages will learn of new ways to see the world.
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The intervention is based on various significance studies of Champness Hall. Our key interventions are to create a new circulation core. This is supplemented with smaller interventions that do not interfere with the buildings existing fabric.
Context
Drake Street is a highly recognised and well cherished historic market street that includes many buildings that contribute to Rochdale’s history and identity. There is currently a high number of vacancies and serious market failure within the town.
Rochdale is regarded as one of the most economically and educationally deprived areas of Greater Manchester and I would like to address this issue through creative design. To achieve this goal I will explore the project from Urban scale, to building (human) scale and down to small details, drawing on theories of Contextualism and Champness Hall’s heritage. Our aim is to create an experience that provokes creativity in the visitor and while drawing strong links to the history, visibly strides into the future.
Sketch​ of the existing context.
Site plan showing the Drake street and Town centre heritage zones.
Image showing the significance of Champness Hall on Drake street.
A historic image of the dome that was on the facade.
Existing building
Although the Champness Hall is not a listed building, its rich
history and significance within the town of Rochdale makes it
locally listed. It comprises of many features that hold architectural,
historical and aesthetic merits.
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Historic value of the building derives from the ways in which
past people, events and aspects of life can be connected
through a place to the present. These are features of the
building or historic uses that such as the Methodist church
that are present today. These are aspects that may have architectural merit and possibly be retained or restored
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I undertook a detailed survey of the existing building.
The circulation core
Way finding and circulation was a prime issue of the existing building. The intervention addresses the journey around the Champness Hall.
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The circulation core is used to separate the various programmes as well as allowing these programmes to intersect.
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The entrance of the building is a reinterpretation of the pantheons plan. The purity of the space, symmetry and scale creates a clear distinction between public and private. As you enter you walk through a ‘column Forrest’ before entering the large void (the circulation core).
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Exposing structure
Based on the Conical Intersect the old structure of the Champneess hall is ecposed throughout the scheme and the connection between the old and new is celebrated.
The image above shows how the study pods fit into the existing structural fabric of Champness Hall. The natural materials and day light from above allows for maximum productivity for students.
Detail design
