Chadwick Leadworks Creative Factory

Comprehensive Studio
Northeastern, University
Service
Architectural Drawings and Model
Year
Spring 2022 Semester
Introduction
I designed this project in collaboration with Adrian Ramon. We were assigned a site at an old leadworks factory with a tower whose sole purpose was to manufacture lead shot by dropping molten lead from the top, which formed into balls and cooled as it fell. We decided to embrace this purposeful void and create a project based on the passage of time and potential future uses.
We did extensive site research about historical topography, sun shading, and other climactic elements. Our analysis was done with grasshopper, ladybug, and GIS data. After our initial site analysis, we were drawn toward the historical topography, the Chadwick Leadworks tower, as well as the wind conditions on site, and the lack of sunlight available. These four influences pushed the project toward two main goals: 1) Harnessing as much natural sunlight as possible and 2) Reinstating the historic topography of Fort Hill.
We decided to use glulam and CLT for our structural systems, taking advantage of the long spans these materials and our conceptual system of buttresses could support. These long spans could provide flexible space that could be utilized for many different programs and because of the prefabrication aspect of glulam and CLT, could be taken out or added as needed. We decided to keep the existing tower and front two facades to maintain the history of the building. The tower became a central point for circulation and connection between floor plates - serving as a necessary building element like it once had producing musket balls.
Copyright © All rights reserved.