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INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN PROGRAMME

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MARY BLAKE

MARY BLAKE

Introduction

The vision of our programme stems from the core philosophical aspirations:

• Care for human experience

• Inspired, environmentally conscious response to place - community, location, culture

• Creative communication and global engagement

We offer accessible experiential learning that fosters creative, versatile and ethically aware designers with developed collaborative and communicative skills.

Our Interior Architecture and Design programme focuses an environmentally conscious approach to the re-use, reimagination and innovative re-invention of the existing built environment with a strong focus on sculpting interior space. Our students are challenged to offer imaginative responses to spatial problems, which cut across interior architectural aspects of place, cultural and built heritage and recognise the design needs and identity of clients.

Through interactions with live clients, real sites and diverse design projects our students learn to position urgent stories in a coherent spatial and sociological narrative. Memory, identity and sense of place along with the intrinsic qualities of community and culture are explored and often juxtaposed with a global context, to inspire resonant, sensitive and rich design projects.

The Interior Architecture and Design course at ATU Sligo provides an internationally recognised level of education and training aligned with European Council of Interior Architects standard and best practice across Europe.

Our graduates are ethically and professionally motivated, to be innovative, responsible and versatile design professionals, inspired by current knowledge of the design world, equipped with an industry ready creative and technical skill-set and experienced in design collaboration.

The purpose of this project was to redevelop and relocate Naas library into a community and cultural centre to meet the needs of the most heavily populated and fastest growing commuter town in Kildare. The current Naas library (built 1990) does not meet the requirements of the ever expanding population & new housing developments. Additionally, the introduction of working from home now more than ever seems ideal opportunity to provide co-working & meeting spaces for the community. This new space will take a portion of a currently derelict base built shopping centre (built 2010). Currently a grey mass in the town centre, the scope of includes the provision of a two level community library & co-working spaces while upgrading of existing structure designed in accordance with up to date regulation and universal design.

The schedule of accommodation provides for the modern needs of the community, including spaces such as meeting rooms, focus rooms, a large universally accessible library, café, mother’s rooms, prayer rooms and yoga studios.

The idea of reinvigorating a derelict structure into a new purpose is something I drew heavily on for inspiration. When looking at leaves during the autumn & the structural embroidery they create it remind me of an aerial view map. All the roads create a skeleton to a community. A key strength in the project lies in its connectivity within the spaces. The vision is to create a universal library and public community space in the heart of the historic town of Naas.

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