Name: Leo Justin Watson Fieldhouse Title: Coventry’s New Third Place Description: This project explores the idea of third places and aims to create a new truly free third place in the form of a new public library for the city of Coventry. The concept evolved around the idea of giving individuals an escape from the commercial shopping district where the old public library is situated. Through this, and the atmosphere and environment present at the new site nature became a system that was to be focused around when designing. The idea of bridging the two green spaces through my building was something that was looked at from the very beginning of the design process, with there being a strong importance on the connection of my building to the site it sits in and the buildings around it, something that the building that sat there before did not do particularly successfully. The columns that form the structure of the building became an important feature both within the interior and the exterior landscape, with them acting as one of the main connections between the new build and the existing trees that are on the site. The project aims to produce a ‘Living Room’ for the city, where all members of society and all communities can come together and exchange knowledge with one another as well as from the normal resources of a Public Library. Creating attractive, green spaces was done both through external landscaping, but also through the roof garden, where those who want an escape from the city can come.
Contact Details: leofieldhouse@gmail.com