CLARISSA
O'DRISCOLL
PORTFOLIO
MARK WAGHORN DESIGN
PART 1 ARCHITECTURAL ASSISTANT
In her Part 1 Architectural Assistant position, Clarissa assisted in the development of a local wine bar, a garden cottage, as well as an ecovillage. Her undertakings included measured surveys, producing CAD drawings and editing them to suit the client and architect’s needs, as well as contributing to the designs with her personal input. With the garden cottage being “her” project, she had the opportunity to make independent decisions within the plans and designs. Throughout these projects, she not only developed her CAD software and design skills, but also her understanding of the architectural process at a practical level. As an individual within an intimate, local practice of seven people, she was given the opportunity to offer input during collaborative processes, which provided a greater sense of responsibility within the workplace. The practice prioritises a sustainable approach, which allowed Clarissa to build upon her understanding of sustainability and the importance of locality. She plans to apply this knowledge to all of her future projects because those within architecture play a fundamental role in the relationships between humans and the built and natural environment.
elevations
ground floor plan
bar detailing
elevations
ST. MARYLEBONE CE
MUSIC DEPARTMENT
SUSPENDED SOUNDING BOX
Clarissa's final project's brief was to design a school annex for a secondary school in the Marylebone Area. She has designed a music department for Marylebone C.E. Secondary School for girls. Using Steven Holl’s Lewis Centre for the Arts Music Building as a main precedent, as well as following the idea of the sounding box of a violin, she arrived at the concept of suspended sounding box practice rooms.
These practice rooms will be made of timber due to the relationship between music and timber, as timber absorbs sound in a specific way, and will be suspended from concrete beams by steel tension cables. There will be mezzanines that allow access to the practice rooms, however these are supported by the main concrete structure. The aim was to understand how the concrete beams can support the weight of the room, which will hold heavy musical instruments, students and tutors.
MARYLEBONE BOOK MARKET
FOLDED PAPER ROOF
Her first brief during her final year was to design a permanent market located in the Moxon Street Car Park, Marylebone. This included the design of the market itself, the roof of the market, the ground and a public space.
She has designed a book market with a folded steel roof that covers the southern third of the site. The books will be displayed and sold in deployable bookcases. The market is covered by a steel roof resembling folded paper, and the proposed ground will follow a similar rhythm to that of the roof, inspired by the Brunswick Centre steps and Plaza De Santo Dominigo, Madrid. The alternating levels of the ground will go as deep as 2.7 metres. Each level will be 90cm deep. There will be steps and ramps to allow access to each level. The steps’ rise will be 150cm each, and there will be seating integrated within the steps. There will be six steps in total to go from each level to another.
The book market is designed mainly for the use of the children and students of the community in Marylebone as the area has many schools and universities. It is also for the customers of the existing Marylebone Farmer’s Market, who can attend both markets.
