Alex Thompson Sustainable Community, Affordable Living, Elswick
Sustainable Community, Affordable Living, Elswick is a renovation project centring around a 1960s tower block (currently called ‘Cruddas Park’) and surrounding neighbourhood. As architects, we have a great responsibility to use our creative thinking skills to design buildings and schemes that are driven by 21st century issues such as global warming, and the UK housing crisis. My design aims to rejuvenate this outdated tower block to be suitable for the future, whilst adhering to current societal issues: improving mental wellbeing, and encouraging diversity and social interaction. The studio group, named ‘Remedial housing (…for architects)’ focuses on addressing, and correcting the issues associated with housing in the present-day. Identifying and resolving problems specific to my site led to strategies and features incorporated in my design. The capabilities of modern technology create a range of opportunities, that can be used as solutions in cost-effective renovation works to existing structures. Whilst designed for Cruddas Park, these strategies are suitable for widespread implementation in social housing blocks across the country.
For any further enquiries, please email: alexiothompson@icloud.com