ALICE HODDER

The McKenzie Art Centre is an arts centre located in the heart of Cork City. The Centre is designed to unite the community, providing a positive, social, and creative hub in a disadvantaged area that currently lacks cohesion or a sense of community. It is a space for everybody. Students, professors, artists, and journalists are the gallery's primary target user groups, but the art centre is free and open to everyone in the public. The centre is a space that supports visual artists, exhibiting their work, and providing them with exposure to the public, collectors, the media, and other cultural organisations. This functional arts centre has a specific remit to encourage arts practice, and provides facilities for arts events, classes, and exhibitions. The gallery space, bar and café will gather people together to enjoy art and celebrate the local culture and community that are present in the space. This sense of togetherness is reinforced by beautiful curves and arched windows that create a rhythmic sense of connection throughout the building. The curvilinear shapes in the building strengthen a positive sense of unity and community.

In a city where creativity flows and imagination knows no bounds, a derelict building stands as a blank canvas, eagerly waiting to be transformed into a hub of artistic expression. The decaying structure, with its faded walls and broken windows, is about to embark on a journey of rebirth as a new art centre. A vision of revitalisation and community engagement, this project seeks to breathe new life into the abandoned building and provide a haven for artists, art enthusiasts, and the local community.

This centre entices the visitor through its doors with the friendly atmosphere of its café. From there, the visitor is tempted to explore further through the arched hallway. An awe-inspiring gallery awaits on the other side, lofty triple-height spaces evoke a sense of child-like wonder. Glimpses of the three multipurpose maker spaces and artist studios are visible, tempting the curious to explore further. The maker spaces are artistic sanctuaries, where dreams and visions come to life and creativity is explored, supported, and encouraged by resident artists.

Welcome to the birth of a new art centre, where imagination takes lofty flight, and the beauty of art unfolds in the most unexpected of places as we embark on this exciting venture and witness the magic of art coming to life in a once-forgotten building.

The Shannon Family Center responds to the specific needs of the Longford community as identified in a series of interviews in local community centers at the start of the project. The facilities of the center respond to these needs directly, providing activities such as cooking, gardening, dance, yoga, and performance. Thus, the center provides families with the opportunity to engage in activities together that develop their potential, whilst discovering new and open new horizons.

Sand textures and warm colors provide a calm, warm and welcoming interior. These base colours and textures are lightly enlivened with pastel colors, and various decorative elements and materials in the art-deco and boho style, providing a fresh aesthetic approach to a community center. The use of small, differences in color, form, and decorative elements celebrate the rich and individual variations, of people, cultures, and communities. Likewise, as a designer, I aspire to infuse spaces with creativity and to advance work that captures the special, qualities of human nature. I work to create environments where human behavior and experience are at the heart of the creative process and where feelings are integrated into projects. As a designer, I believe this building would bring communities together. This family center, responds to real community needs, supporting culture, education, and raising the cultural value of the society in which it is situated.