Students plans to refurbish Aberdeen tower block

Students of architectural technology from The Robert Gordon University will show their plans to refurbish Seamount Court, a residential tower block at the Gallowgate, at exhibition at Garthdee.

Students of architectural technology from the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment at The Robert Gordon University (RGU) will show their plans to refurbish Seamount Court, a residential tower block at the Gallowgate, at an exhibition currently showing at Garthdee.

Over the last 20 years high rise living, especially within the social housing sector, has fallen out of favour.

This is due to many factors within the control of the designer including security, difficulties in heating, condensation and mould, severe weather conditions, access and layout.

These blocks do however have many positives in terms of materials and energy and it can be argued to retain them is a better investment than to knock them down, both for the landlords and the environment.

Students Owen Forsyth (22) from Garmouth near Fochabers, Samuel Travis (22) from Stonehaven, Ashley Keenan (23) and Peter Dowswell (27) from Aberdeen, were given the task of taking an existing tower block, keeping in mind its urban context, and turning it into a sustainable community within a sustainable built environment.

The refurbishment the students designed included substituting the concrete surrounding the tower with greenery.

This area is currently unused but could become a playground for children and a seating / relaxation area for adults.

It was felt that the scheme should be a soft as possible to combat the image of tower blocks as places that need to be defended.

This meant minimum use of fences, gates and barriers, and better use of planting and hard landscaping to create a secure environment.

Heat Recovery Ventilation, which allows 60% of air normally lost to be recovered, would be installed in every flat.

The block would have combined heat and power installation which would reduce carbon emissions and encourage more effiecient power generation.

The students felt it was important to utilise the local weather conditions and use natural ventilation backed up by mechanical ventilation.

Trees and landscaping could reduce the temperature during summer, thus ventilating the building indirectly.

Landscaping would also be used to alleviate wind problems at ground level and glazed fins would deflect the wind when it hits the building at higher levels.

Glazed balconies could be installed in some areas with solar shading designed to minimise the high summer suns' penetration.

The shading would generate electricity with photo voltaic panels.

These 'sun' spaces would also help heat the flats as well as a place to dry washing or enjoy the view.

The students recommended that two new lifts be installed which had magnetic drive to reduce energy consumption.

The lifts would be large enough for disabled use and for access for emergency services.

The students found that a change in the architecture would not be opposed by residents.

The proposed structure would provide greater surface area for solar panels or turbines and glazed panels could also be fitted to the roof which would not restrict the view of tenants.

This project will be on show as part of an exhibition which launches a year-long programme of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the School.

It will run until Wednesday 30 May and will showcase the work from 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students from architecture, interior architecture, surveying, construction design and management, and architectural technology.

The exhibition, which is open daily from 10am - 4pm, will include displays of structural models developed by the students and studio projects.

There will also be live images from the Castlegate Pavilion where RGU's Professor Jonathan Woolf has designed a 'Monkey Pavilion' as an information point for the Six Cities Design Festival.

The second exhibition is the School's Degree Show 2007 which runs from 15 - 19 June, the same day as the Gray's School of Art Degree Show, which sees RGU's Garthdee campus transform into a hub of creativity.

The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment Degree Show 2007 will exhibit the work of graduating students from architecture, surveying, construction design and management and architectural technology.

Work from across the disciplines will be displayed throughout the School including projections, displays of schemes for the Aberdeen Civic Medal, a design competition sponsored by the city, computer generated visualisation, photographic exhibitions and study trip images.

Further events will be held throughout the year including an alumni exhibition in the autumn and the launch of a commemorative book written by RGU's Jim Fiddes to chart the School's history over the last 50 years.

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