THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB ESTD. 1989
James Paul Presentation 17/06/2020
How can architecture help open up traditionally gendered spaces?
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
...providing help for vulnerable people. ...looking after others. ...a building’s function. ...giving people the respect they deserve. ...a ‘feminine’ trait. ...undervalued and under appreciated. ...giving your time and energy to others. ...sometimes ‘uncaring’. ...protecting the natural world. ...caring for the city. ...making buildings easier to maintain. ...a form of resilience. ...an approach to site. ...political. ...not spread equally across the world. ...about establishing ownership. ...unfair. ...ultimately reflecting structures of power. ...about being present. ...sharing food. ...different between scales. ...a verb and a noun. ...a core human value. ...for some; may hinder others.
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
GB / ROI
West Midlands
Birmingham City Centre THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
PROJECT CONTEXT
‘The danger of global warming is as yet unseen, but real enough for us to make changes and sacrifices, so that we do not live at the expense of future generations’
Margaret Thatcher UN General Assembly 1989
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
2010s HOW MUCH HAS REALLY CHANGED?
CONTEXT THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
19 Austin Allegro production ends between 1973 and 1982, Austin (part of British 82 Built Leyland since the late 1960s) sold over 640,000 Thatcher elected 19 Margaret Thatcher’s economic polices sought to 79 privatise previously failing nationalised
Allegros, despite British Leyland’s declining reputation during the 70s
industries, such as vehicles and steel
‘Winter of Discontent’
strikes across the UK by 19 Widespread public sector workers due to a cap on 79 pay rises to try and curb inflation
Handsworth Riots
days of rioting in the area, 19 Three classed as ‘copycat riots’ due to 81 similar happening in London
19 70 - ‘Red Robbo’ unionist who worked at British Leyland, 19 Trade and led over 500 walkouts in a 30 month 80 period at Birmingham’s Longbridge plant CONTEXT THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
Ring 19 Bull for redeveloping the 89 Ideas 25 year old Bull Ring Centre are proposed, due to declining footfall, and poor public image
‘Zulus’ 19 Birmingham A rise in hooligansm within 82 Birmingham City FC led to an in violence across - increase matches in the 80s
Handsworth Riots
19 85
Sparked by an arrest of a man in Lovells, and a police raid on the Villa Cross pub, these riots were more agressive than those 4 years previous, and led to 2 deaths
British Leyland Collapse
in 1975, British Leyland 19 Nationalised was defunct by 1986 due to financal 86 struggles, and became Rover Group
February 10th, 1986
Government announce Birmingham as host city for Working People’s Club Initiative - centre to be opened in 1989 CONTEXT THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
Project Location
MINGHAM CITY PL ANNING UE 1 - BIR CRITIQ
Bull Ring Centre Demolished
Bull Ring Centre Constructed
2000
1964
Highbury Initiative 1988
British Leyland Formation 1968
Big City Plan
Handsworth Riots
2010
1981 / 1985
1920
1930 ‘Masterplanning’ / Modernist Principles 1920s-1930s
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
Industrial Decline
Herbert Manzoni’s Vision for Birmingham
1980s
1935-1963
Inner City Ring Rd 1950s-1971
2000
2010
2020
CRIT ITIES IQUE 3 DISJOINTED COMMUN SS / LO S E HANG CRITIQUE 2 - INDUSTRY C
Central Library Demolished
FACTORS WHICH LED TO...
2016
Central Library Constructed 1989
1974
BRUM Whilst it may be set in the 1980s, it’s not ‘Of the Time’ - Critiques everything happening then, with hindsight
CONTEXT THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
‘Life on Mars’
PROJECT THEMES
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
1 ‘The Concrete Collar’
How can a city progress holistically?
2 ‘Workshop of the World’ How can industrial crisis kickstart social change?
3 ‘Last Orders’
How can architecture reconnect / promote lost communities?
1 ‘The Concrete Collar’
2 ‘Workshop of the World’
3 ‘Last Orders’
The Bull is back.
“ Hello world. “
“ Cheers ” to the future!
THE BULL RING CENTRE. NOW BETTER THAN EVER.
WELCOME TO THE WPC ‘SKILL SPACE’. TM
When it was built in the 1960s, the Bull Ring Centre was seen as the start of a new future for Birmingham. And now it is once again. A new atrium creates a pedestrian route that transports shoppers and commuters all the way through from Edgbaston Street to the Working People’s Club that currently occupies Manzoni Gardens. Improved routes, more daylight, new shops, new experiences. What more could you want from a shopping centre?
With the Inner Ring Rd now underground, Birmingham also has an improved outdoor market, and urban park between St. Martin’s and the Rotunda. Whilst taking a peek at the newly refurbished Bull Ring Centre, why not pop into the Working People’s Club as well. With a range of different learning opportunities for all skills and abilities, there’s something for everyone! Places are limited, so inquire in-person or over the phone to not miss out.
At the Working People’s Club, we’re not just preparing you for today, we’re preparing you for tomorrow. As well as traditional teaching and learning spaces, such as classrooms and lecture theatres, the WPC also contains ‘Skill Spaces’TM - areas of more hands-on and practical learning, where you can be taught about activities - such as Information Technology, cooking, woodworking, car repair, photography, film-making, sculpture, or insight into new green technologies.
A ‘CLUB’, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT.
Learn new skills, or become a mentor and share your knowledge with other members of the public. Spaces on offer include; classrooms, lecture theatres, Skill SpacesTM , meeting rooms, large and small offices. Find us in our new home on the former Manzoni Gardens site next to the newly refurbished Bull Ring Centre. Places are limited, so inquire in-person or over the phone to not miss out.
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
At the Working People’s Club, we do things differently, especially when it comes to the word ‘club’. Often seen as an exclusive space where most people are shut out, for us it’s more about bringing together people from all backgrounds to socialise and converse. A club without the membership. Clublic. During the day we have spaces that can be used for meetings that aren’t stuck within the traditional confines of the office, providing a more relaxed atmosphere than you may find in the boardroom.
In the evenings, the club provides areas for drinking and socialising, or just socialising if you’re not into drinking. Covering all aspects of life, the WPC also houses a nursery, so childcare isn’t an issue useful for if you work locally, or want to use our other facilities without having to worry about your children. Find us in our new home on the former Manzoni Gardens site next to the newly refurbished Bull Ring Centre.
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
How can a city progress holistically?
How can industrial crisis kickstart social change?
How can architecture reconnect / promote lost communities?
SUSTAINABLE REDEVELOPMENT OF A LOCAL AREA / BUILDING
SKILLSHARE
A SOCIAL SPACE FOR A FRAGMENTED COMMUNITY
THEMES THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
How can architecture help open up traditionally gendered spaces?
THEMES THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
THEMES THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
Insular, and exclusive society
THE WORKING MEN’S CLUB
Inclusive and diverse group
Geared towards institutes’s original use - education
Has become more about socialising / recreational use
Lessened community outreach
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
Building acts as social ‘anchor’ for community THEMES THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
General Public
Blue Collar Workers & Unemployed
THEMES THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
Bull Ring Market Traders
SITE
THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
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SITE THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
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THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
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SITE THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB
Isolated
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Hidden
Poor Access
SITE THE WORKING PEOPLE’S CLUB