Sustainable Design Portfolio

1. Nicola Ramsden
nsramsden@googlemail.com
07871522849

2. Restoration and Refurbishment
Project
The aim of this project was to refurbish an
existing building into apartments for the
young professionals coming to Liverpool.
To the right there are some examples of the
interiors that I spatially designed and
furnished and below is the basement and
Ground floor plan layouts of my scheme.
The floor plan to the right is of the apartment
I have shown in the interior CAD images.

3. Sustainability Project
The aim of this project was to renovate and refurbish terraced houses in a run
down area in Liverpool by making them more sustainable. In my scheme I
have combined two of the terraced house to create a spacious three
bedroom family home. I have integrated eco systems into the design such as
solar panels, rain water harvesting system, sustainable insulation and a
Not to Scale natural ventilation system.

4. Sustainability Project
This Final Design shows :
• Urban Planning of the site and other terraces in
relation to each other.
• There is a communal garden in the centre of the
terrace houses and other facilities to allow the
inhabitants to become more self sufficient.
• Architectural design of the terraced house showing
the extension in a white render.
These images of the exterior show the main
sustainable features. The large glass wall
extension that allows light and heat into the
space, which creates a stack effect of heat
rising and the window openings act as a
natural ventilation system to allow cool air in
and hot air out. The roof garden creates
outdoor space to grow the families own
vegetables and have an extra outdoor space to
dry clothes in and relax. The green roof also
acts as natural insulation and allows the
building to breathe. The solar panels are
placed on the roof of the extension and face
south.
I did an analysis of my design against the code
for sustainability regulations and gave my
design a rating of 4 out of 6.

6. Final Year Project
Live Art Gallery
Exterior of the warehouses and Living Quarters
This CAD image below is of all of the apartments
that I have designed to be fitted onto the old
warehouses. I have designed them so that they
become a feature of the warehouse and contrast
the old with the new. I have stacked them on top
of each other like a set of stairs to create balcony
areas. The diagonal lift is exposed to create a
The Project that I have completed for my feature and allow the artists to view outside as
final year was to design an art gallery they go up to their private apartments.
were artists can live and work for a two
year period. The brief involved doing the
whole plan layout of the museum but
focus on two or more areas to detail. I
chose to detail the apartments, entrance
and circulation of the museum and Café.
The artists needed some accommodation
and also needed to have some privacy
away from the rest of the museum.
The CAD image above shows my design of
a sustainable apartment

8. Apartment Section Showing were Solar panels will be placed on top of
the sustainable systems will be: the 36 artists apartments to provide
hot water and to heat some of the
under floor heating. These are
placed on top of all of the
apartments because this is the
highest point and it will allow for
the solar panels to face south.
This is were the grey water
Under floor heating will be the main source
system will be fixed directly
of heating for the apartment.
under the bathroom to re-use
the sink and shower water
back into the toilet. This will
also provide water for the
outside tap so that this can be
used to water plants etc. 1:50

9. Apartment Design
This is an axonometric view of the spatial arrangement and interior design of the apartments.
This CAD image shows how the apartment would look in the evening without much sunlight. This render
shows the kitchen unit pulled out and the table pulled down from the storage wall. The table and kitchen can
be hidden away to create more space within the living area, which would be needed if there was somebody
else sharing the apartment and had the sofa bed pulled out. The folding glass doors between the bedroom
and the living area provide privacy and allow for the two spaces to be separated if needed. Having the folding
door open allows for plenty of natural light into the space and creates the feel of a vast open space.
There is a large balcony area that can make the apartment feel even bigger when the folding glass doors are
fully opened. This can then provide extra space to socialize, eat and relax in.
The interior of the apartment has influences from Karim Rashid and Will alsopp in the use of shapes and
colours.

10. Entrance to the Museum

11. Suspended Floor Detail of Supporting Trusses for the entrance to the Museum

12. Architectural and Interior
Design of a cinema
The bar interior
design CAD renders.
This project involved designing the whole building and
interior of a cinema.
The design of the building was hugely influenced by Toyo ito,
which is expressed through the triangular shaped windows
and the hexagonal lift shafts. The lift shafts are the two
features at the front of the building with one accessing all
floor levels and one lift taking people straight up to the bar
area. There is a bar on the top level and café , ticket office,
waiting area on the first floor and the cinema is
underground. The cinema is designed so that as people pass
it they get a feel of the shape and size of the actual cinema
itself since it forms the ground level shape of the building.