This Classbook is the collated work of the Master of Architecture graduates 2019. The masters course allows students returning from practice to build upon their experience and mature their knowledge and interests. Spanning two years the course allows for a deep analysis of concept and site right through to detailed design. Unlike previous years where enquiry and design would be compacted into one semester, the project spans four semesters each moving into a different level of detail. Stage 5 is a year of critical engagement highlighting the importance of context, site analysis and social response while Stage 6 focuses on developing architectural intention in hand with detailed technical design. Students are given the freedom to think and to become ever more creative as they design their own brief related to their personal aspirations.
The course takes on the social responsibility of real issues which the built environment currently faces in practice, questioning current approaches and developing limitless, inspirational and forward thinking concepts. Over the past two years each unit has tackled local and global issues from Aberdeen’s harbour and Orkney’s growing tourism industry to the issues of mass housing across the globe. The beginning of the course focused on detailed group work studies of the site or theme which shaped their responses. The following two semesters, individual designs develop from concepts right through to detail. In the final semester, students are allowed complete freedom to study a particular interest or idea surrounding their project to complete their thesis. The individual work varies across the units with each student’s project driven by their own personal influences and experiences.
Unit 1
Unit 1 continues to explore a possible future for the City of Aberdeen focussing on the creation of a resilient city and the potential for new residential buildings to underpin the design of thriving urban environments. This work responds to the national need for new housing and proposes an alternative to the usual suburban development. It builds on the work of previous years which looked at Union Street, The Denburn Valley and the old fishmarkets beside the Dee. Stage 6 are finalising their proposals for the north edge of the harbour – from Market Street to Footdee. ‘Reclaiming the waterfront’ proposes an idea that the creation of the new harbour in Nigg Bay will move the centre of gravity of the existing harbour to the south and allow its northern edge to be re-inhabited by the city. The quayside might become a real part of the urban life of the city and the potential development behind it a vibrant place to live. Professor Bill Black
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Reclaiming the Waterfront
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Revive and recreate thriving spaces along Aberdeen’s harbour edge” Historically, Aberdeen has been fortunate in its ability to capitalise economically on an abundance of valuable natural resources, fish, granite or laterally oil. Today, 6 out of 10 of Scotland’s largest companies have a major presence within the city. As finite resources dwindle, the city is challenged with developing alternative economies, through attracting investment from beyond and cultivating an attractive entrepreneurial environment to stimulate diverse activity within. Aberdeen’s life has always been dictated by its relationship with its rivers and the sea. This association is ever evolving and indeed we live in a further period of change today. The challenge for Unit One over the last two years has been to explore future social, economic and cultural influences
on Aberdeen, in addition to the influences that a potential waterfront development could have within Aberdeen. As a city that turns its back on the water, the project hopes to shift the emphasis of public space back and to reclaim Aberdeen’s Waterfront. The project is to produce urban design strategies and architectural ideas which could shape Aberdeen and its waterfront. The key themes are bringing back the harbour to the people, creating attractive settings, opportunities for interest and activity and to develop a prospective typology for the design of waterfront buildings. With the turn down in the oil industry and the new harbour at Nigg Bay an opportunity was presented to reclaim the harbour for the public and create new engaging spaces.
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
In order to maximise impact on the site, four new zones with their own character were established with the aim to introduce people to the water. These zones spread out from Castlegate through the site to Footdee linking the area. Zone One to the west, forms a strong connection with the existing city centre, creating a green space and an obvious link from the busting Union Street to the Harbour. Zone Two is located more centrally on the site, and is a brand new public square with a tram station linking North to Ellon & Peterhead and commercial and food outlets.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Aberdeen’s life has always been dictated by its relationship with its rivers and the sea” Zone Three is located along the harbour edge and aims to integrate new functions and statement buildings such as a marina within the existing industry, additionally improving density. Zone Four is located at the east end of the site, around ‘Fittie’ it aims to be a residential area with retain and expand upon the community spirit of the small fishing community. It aims to integrate with some existing industry which will remain.
In order to connect these four zones the harbour front (Trinity Quay, Regent Quay and Waterloo Quay) has been widened and prioritized for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. Accessibility and improving the transport infrastructure is a key theme throughout the masterplan which include improving bus links, cycle paths and safe pedestrian routes as well as the insertion of a new tram route round to the beachfront.
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“Bringing back the harbour to the people�
For Unit One, a main aim was to alter the perception of the site, making it more desirable and accessible in a bid for a safer, active and tourist friendly environment. Improving the transport, sight lines from Castlegate and increasing the density and spectrum of buildings creates more activity and encourages larger numbers of the
public to inhabit the area, reducing the desolate, criminal connotations of the site at present. The vision was to recreate a thriving public space on the harbour edge shifting the emphasis of public space back to the water.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“It’s changed a lot since I was young. It used to be tidal, you used to be able to walk right up to the side of the ships”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Brew Hotel Fay Stables f.a.l.stables@rgu.ac.uk This adaptive reuse project re-envisions a 19th century distinctive granite warehouse located on the northern edge of Aberdeen Harbour. It is known as the Aberdeen Ironworks, which was previously owned by the Hall Russell & Co iron shipbuilders but is now underutilised and used for storage. The aim with the Brew Hotel was to bring back the building’s industrial life while integrating tourism to attract people to use and stay within the area. Please scan the QR code to view my thesis, a video exploring how 3D technology could be used as a new way of representing an adaptive reuse project.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“How the beer can play with the shadow and light”
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Community Housing Rebecca McLeod r.mcleod@rgu.ac.uk My work has always been driven by people and the social culture which I wish to enhance with my designs. Although architecture cannot force people to act in certain ways, it can play with space, light, colour and texture to shape the attitudes of the inhabitants. I was inspired by European housing with an interest in our growing elderly generation and their ageing environments with issues of loneliness. My master’s project set out to build a community which removes the barriers of private and public space where all generations have a purpose and the entire building functions as a whole.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“It is impossible not to be affected by the joy of children”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“Carving a path for the future of housing for all generations�
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Building a community”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
St. Clements Primary School Lucy Fisher l.fisher3@rgu.ac.uk Throughout the course I have often found myself designing with a quirky novelty that tends to appeal to children and producing drawings inspired by the artistic style of my good friend, Raymond Simpson. This is also replicated in my Master’s project St Clement’s Primary School which tries to create a beautiful and fun environment to learn in. For my thesis I looked further into the future of learning spaces and spent time working with pupils and teachers to translate their thoughts and ideas into innovative designs, as I feel only by speaking to the building user can an architect truly understand their project.
“Encouraging openness and sharing”
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“The idea of transparency within the school”
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Encouraging openness and sharing�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Mixed Use Urban Block Cerys Mitchell c.e.mitchell@rgu.ac.uk Above all, it is important to me that a project is contextual. The homogenization of cities is a growing issue worldwide, and I think it is important that architecture is specific to the site, designed with a full understanding of the history and culture of a place. This mixed use urban block on Regent Quay is designed with the aim of encouraging a variety of types of visitors to Aberdeen Harbour with activity at all times of the day, reversing current perceptions of dereliction and decay, and creating a safe environment. In this way architecture can give back to the public realm.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“It aims to work as a route to encourage visitors from the city centre down towards the waterfront�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“The project ensures the site will be populated at all time and regain a feeling of safety and security�
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“The tower provides a visual waymarker to the harbour, mimicking Marischal court above�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Aberdeen Music District Jamie Christou j.d.christou@rgu.ac.uk The theme used throughout the masters’ work was centred on conservation and adaptive reuse. I have developed an interest in existing buildings, leading to the work done throughout both years within Aberdeen’s existing fabric. The way existing spaces and buildings are used more sustainably, giving an important use, upgrading them to modern standards. Exposing and retaining the existing character of the warehouses located at the Aberdeen harbour was the main focus of the individual project, while my thesis included the adaptation of the existing back lands of the harbour incorporating new functions.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“A series of boxes, placed within the existing fabric according to their various functions�
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Creating a cultural building within the new harbour redevelopment�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Community Housing Mathilde Lereec le Bricquir m.lereec-le-bricquir@rgu.ac.uk There is no better satisfaction than observing a project getting refined and defined to the finest detail. Like a blurred picture getting clearer the project grows from a general idea to a sharp conception of reality. The details are what make the bigger picture and the concept is only made stronger from the multitude of elements it is composed of. Emerging from a grand scheme for Aberdeen Harbour the Community Housing Piers present a strong identity, standing as the harbour gate but also as a composition of elements, from its black skin to its window sill.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Building a strong identity�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“A place to stay, to sleep, to eat, to be together or alone, a home.�
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
A Bridge to the North Alistair Chikwawawa a.chikwawawa@rgu.ac.uk I was interested in how the way we work is changing, many of the jobs that exist today did not exist 30 years ago and the same will be true in the decades to come. This along with an ever-increasing aging population that is already resulting in an increased retirement age. Inevitably this will cause problems in the future and I wanted to create an architectural solution that is flexible and will change as the way we work changes.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Accessible and possible to increase people’s use of public transport”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“Business continuity will be enhanced by the ability to work in an electronically enhanced environment and from a wider range of locations.�
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“A transition space for Aberdeen harbour”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
A Bridge to the North Benjamin Muir b.d.muir@rgu.ac.uk During my time at architecture school I have always designed for the users of a space. We are educated in the practice of form follows function in the design of a space and in doing so it has a beneficial effect of the users within the space. For my masters project, the design of a mental health centre, the focus was in delivering three separate spaces with one harmonious design that addressed different aspects of mental illness while keeping the central idea on the users connection to light, air and colour through courtyards, gardens and skylights throughout the design.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“Views into the courtyard”
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Different design approaches with a single theme that relates all together�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Urban Farm Tamara Mongina t.mongina@rgu.ac.uk These past two years of masters has allowed me to recognise the influence architecture has in the future of food production within our cities. With the increase in population and urbanisation, there is an increase in food demand as well as the development of innovative and sustainable farming methods. Vertical farming is a growing subject matter that allows for an incorporation of agriculture into the built environment with the aim to improve sustainability in cities through the production of food. By undertaking this engaging topic, I was able to develop interesting design ideas that seek to reconnect people with food in our cities.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Enhance public space”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“Offering a precedent that could be replicated throughout the city and beyond�
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
The H2 Haven Patrick Harris p.harris1@rgu.ac.uk With the world on the brink of global warming we fast need sustainable solutions to many of life’s problems. It is not so simple as sticking a couple of PV panels on the roof of a building but instead we need integrated design to tackle many aspects at once while providing architecture that penetrates the public consciousness to emphasise the problems and the solutions. I’ve attempted to explore this through the introduction of a future sustainable energy solution into the centre of Aberdeen Harbour in the form of a hydrogen production system which is coupled with public baths that act as community space.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“Show the past and future of Aberdeen’s history”
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“A warm, safe haven within the cold, windblown edge of the harbour”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Centre for North Sea Marine Life Thomas Proctor t.j.proctor@rgu.ac.uk Six years of architecture allows a strong platform in which the student can create their own style with an understanding of the current industry in to which we are about to work. I believe that a lot of contemporary architecture has become extremely repetitive and without colour or soul. Personally, I was recently inspired by Kengo Kuma’s V&A museum in Dundee how one building can become the face of a complete revitalisation of the city of Dundee. The Centre for North Sea Marine Life draws on these themes and attempts to create a building which is impactful yet connected with its context for Aberdeen’s Harbour.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
“Creating an impact on the waterfront”
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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“A draw for tourism”
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Unit 1: Aberdeen
Aberdeen Harbour - Revisiting the Waterfront Group Thesis The coming of oil was a blessing and a curse for Aberdeen Harbour. Before oil, the area was dense and lively, with people promenading along the waterfront, almost within arms reach of the ships coming into the harbour. But now, it’s a different story, with imposing fences blocking any route to the water and what little space is for the public is dominated by cars, further isolating pedestrians and cyclists. The two main aims of the project carried on from this, imagining a future where the working life of the harbour moved to the south, freeing up the north edge to be re-densified and refocused around pedestrian life, creating a route from the city centre to the fishing village of Footdee (“Fittie”).
A hard waterfront was introduced, making use of much of the existing buildings in the area and filling in the gaps. This became the forefront and the centrepiece of the redesign, with everything behind it designed to support the harbour edge, bringing residents, tourists and business into the area to keep it lively and exciting. Put simply, the harbour redesign is made up of a “served” waterfront full of business and leisure and a “serving” back lands with industry, housing and community space.
Unit 1: Aberdeen
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Unit 2: Housing
Unit 2
Unit 2: Home
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Unit 2’s aspiration is to explore architectures provoked by this word ‘home’ a word that is expansive in meaning compared to its neighbours, houses and housing. A word both broad and intimate. The unit encourages students to explore contemporary issues and how these contribute to the idea of home, yes, table, hearth and bedchamber but also beyond. The idea of coming home, of leaving home, perhaps as a traveller, or as one in more unfortunate circumstances, displaced by economics, social upheaval, climate change, or war. The idea of feeling at home in a city or neighbourhood. The idea of being welcomed home. Each student looked at imaginative architectural solutions to problems identified through group explorations surrounding the provision of homes. Topics investigated included; globalisation, legislative barriers, affordability, transport, density, and the impact of extreme weather driven by a changing climate. Then addressing the question of how these homes might make good neighbours and how they might contribute to the life of cities. While grappling with these difficult issues we were keen to cultivate architecture that understands the importance of designing for human beings, their quirks, obsessions, and above all else their desire to have a suitable home. Tim Bayman
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Unit 2: Housing
“Can architects solve the housing crisis?�
Unit 2: Home
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“Quality or Quantity?� The starting point for our individual housing projects was a semester of group research into the issues facing housing today and the role architects can play in solving those issues. The starting point for this was the question: Can architects solve the housing crisis? Whilst that question is brief, it requires an extreme depth of knowledge in order to even begin to answer and over the course of the semester our research tackled a wide range of issues. Each of our projects are a response to these issues both in terms of the brief but also the location. The approach of focusing on a particular typology over a particular site has led to a diverse mix of proposals across the world. This semester of research culminated in a number of outputs such as: a zine featuring opinion pieces on the state of housing: a database of exemplar
housing projects; case study models of housing types across Scotland and most notably an exhibition that was featured at the 2018 RIAS Convention. The exhibition acted as the forum for all of our research to come together into a cohesive whole, that gives a wider picture of the issues and opportunities in mass housing.
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Unit 2: Home
The research covered a wide range of issues, beginning with the history of mass housing in the UK. We each took individual topics of interest and produced art pieces based on our research. This ranged from a poem on the state of housing in the UK, posters on soviet housing and the Greek idea of polykatoikia, as well as paintings on housing policy and a textile piece on sustainability. As we undertook this myriad of research, we kept in focus how this research would spur on a design project. That as we studied the complexities of how community is developed in a slum, or how our changing climate requires change in how we build, we looked for the things we could learn from the issues that we researched.
residences). Influenced by the Domino System, the multi-storey reinforced concrete construction, represents a rigid model of Greek housing. Having the construction industry as a major economic source, with the system of ‘antiparochi’ (1959) the land owners were able to turn their plot into a construction area, and in return get a certain amount of flats from the newly constructed block of apartments. As Greece did not have a working housing system, ‘antiparochi’ was the appropriate tool to tackle the problem of homelessness. The quick reconstruction of the country resulted in the formation of an uncontrolled ‘chaos’ with lack of consistency in volume and appearance . The Polykatoikia was not ugly as a creation, but as execution, however it is still considered as a big part of the countries culture.
Unit 2: Home
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“Uncontrolled chaos in terms of Greek city planning and organisation - cities drowned in concrete”
“The housing crisis in Post Revolution Russia became an issue of quality rather than quantity, due to worsening living and social conditions.”
“ ‘po volume o will obv But if y different love it. ‘antipa has b
Th
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Unit 2: Home
“The favelas of Rio de Janeiro are a product of mass migration from rural areas of Brazil to the city. The result is lots of large informal settlements, built on hazardous land, the hills surrounding the city. Although the favelas are over crowded, have poor sanitation facilities and little natu-ral light, only 15% of inhabitants are unsatisfied with life there.“
Unit 2: Home
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Although we each determined our own site, this semester of research made us deeply aware of the context that we were working in. Not just locally, but on a larger scale, that our projects didn’t just speak to the site itself but also to the wider issues facing housing and society as a whole today, never forgetting the importance of the individual residents we design for and their neighbourhoods. As we conclude our two years of masters and our research-based housing projects, it is no longer simply a question of can architects play a role in solving the housing crisis. Owen Clark
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Unit 2: Home
Granton’s Artist Hub Alaa Beruwien a.beruwien@rgu.ac.uk I have always had an affection for historic buildings and structures; and housing is what motivated me to study architecture in the first place. Rather than just exploring new ways in which designers and the public see and approach these past structures and give them a relevance and meaning in symbiosis with the current issues of today. We must look at them more than just a habitable space but how does the architecture contribute to the city as a whole and what will become of it in years to come.
Unit 2: Home
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Unit 2: Home
“Landscape is the rug, architecture is the picnic�
Unit 2: Home
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“Flora, fauna and fungi”
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Unit 2: Home
Thinking Outside the Bloc Stuart Campbell s.d.campbell@rgu.ac.uk Bringing together the skills and methods of designing developed over six years in a way that is personal has been an absolute pleasure. This project has allowed me to develop my hand drawing abilities and also further explore my love of modelmaking and design. My Communal Timber Tower project was never intended to be the ideal solution to the Unit 2 brief of “solving the housing crisis� but instead proposes that we need to care less about protecting the existing and instead try to add to and enhance it in accordance with our current needs.
Unit 2: Home
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“Forward thinking construction for progressive living�
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Unit 2: Home
Unit 2: Home
“Designing for the needs of the future, not the wants of today�
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Unit 2: Home
“Prejudice can only bring more problems” Utopia Debora Dimitrova d.dimitrova@rgu.ac.uk Bulgaria’s increasing need for affordable housing has greatly informed my project’s brief and the design decisions I’ve taken throughout the last two years. My proposal is about people, regardless of their race, colour or age, it is about being more tolerant with each other and respecting our differences. The two main objectives of my design were to break the stigma that social housing is cheap, unpleasant and depressing, and also to show how architects can successfully integrate nature into their designs. In my mind, human beings are part of the natural world and should be exposed to it as much as possible.
Unit 2: Housing
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Unit 2: Home
Unit 2: Home
“People are instinctively seeking connection with nature�
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Unit 2: Home
Woolmanhill Hospital Owen Clark o.clark@rgu.ac.uk This adaptive reuse of a derelict Victorian Hospital into mixed-use housing counters the current state of Housing Policy. Taking a long term view, using an existing public asset to cater to a current public need, containing a mix of old and new united by the courtyard structure. My thesis is a broader strategy representing an alternative approach to urbanism. Working on the small scale through a zoning and policy decision; allowing the ground floor properties to become mixed use and take up the shared garden, in exchange providing outdoor space back to the upper floors as balconies or winter gardens. KEY:
1. Supermarket 2. Studio Space 3. Storage 4. Plant Room 5. Bin Store 6. Kitchen Kitc 7. Cafe/Restaurant 8. Reception 9. Community Space 10. Parking
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Unit 2: Home
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Spa Street Elevation
“A new civic landmark”
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Unit 2: Home
Unit 2: Home
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“United by the courtyard”
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Unit 2: Home
An Invitation to Garden Hugh Fish h.s.fish@rgu.ac.uk As cities become increasingly hectic, it is more important than ever before that people who reside in the city should have a place where they can retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Somewhere pleasurable where they can reconnect with the natural environment. The benefits of having a garden are vast and multifaceted, yet much of the UK’s current inner-city housing stock does not provide any opportunity for gardening, let alone having access to a garden. Almshouse is designed for people with a local connection and it invites residents to garden in the heart of the city.
Unit 2: Housing
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Unit 2: Home
“It stems from a need to build more homes for the elderly�
Unit 2: Home
“A project which digs to the root of the issue”
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Unit 2: Home
Govan Docks Homes Dele Fisher d.fisher2@rgu.ac.uk The past two years of masters have been interesting, as they forced me to see architecture as a tool for tackling real-life issues. Attempting to tackle the housing crisis in the UK has been an engaging topic for masters, as it made me produce and develop refreshing ideas to different aspects of the housing crisis. Flooding has been a recent problem for the housing crisis, as standard houses aren’t necessarily designed to survive floods, designing homes that not only withstand flooding, but also thrive in such conditions was the main goal of the project.
Unit 2: Home
“Designing homes that not only withstand flooding, but also thrive in such conditions�
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Unit 2: Home
“Flooding is part of the masterplan”
Unit 2: Home
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“The water is the greenfield site”
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Unit 2: Home
City in a Forest Nikos Nempis n.nempis@rgu.ac.uk As the issue of refugees throughout Europe continues and constantly increases, Greece has been found in the middle of these events creating a bridge between the countries in crisis and the rest of Europe. Taking this into consideration, I dedicated my masters project to the development of refugee housing which will help those in need to rebuild their lives and incorporate into their new society. The approach of the project has been developed in a way for creating a place which will be welcoming for all despite ethnicity and religion, creating an area where everyone is equal to the rest.
Unit 2: Home
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Unit 2: Home
“We need to bring communities together through our design�
Unit 2: Housing
“It’s important for the design to be approachable to the public”
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Unit 2: Home
Workers’ Housing Wuraola Olalere Aina w.olalere@rgu.ac.uk The architecture of housing has been of interest to me and this two year masters has served as an adventurous platform for learning the art and science of designing a place that can be called home. Like an allegory, each process of the design is laden with a wealth of knowledge, opening doors for several perceptions and the exploration of design possibilities through theoretical approach. These possibilities are not only applicable in the context of housing design but also in other design which serves as a pattern, a language applicable regardless of contextual differences.
Unit 2: Home
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“Each process of the design is laden with wealth of knowledge�
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Unit 2: Home
“a language applicable regardless of contextual differences�
Unit 2: Home
“The art and science of designing a place that can be called home�
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Unit 2: Home
Redhall Homes Eilidh Smith e.smith8@rgu.ac.uk As the need for housing in the UK increases, the standard developer housing model continues to be regurgitated onto suburban greenfield sites. The result - small numbers of new build houses that are out of reach for buyers. Taking precedent from the slum areas of India and Brazil, I began my masters project by exploring the idea of density in relation to UK housing, whether a housing development with similar ideas to an informal settlement could be successful in today’s climate. The project identifies key design principles which, when applied, create a new type of development for the UK housing market.
Unit 2: Housing
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Unit 2: Home
“The concept of developer housing needs to change�
Unit 2: Home
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Unit 3
Over the course of a two-year master’s investigation a series of architectural interventions have been proposed with the aim to enhance the experience for visitors whilst maintaining the everyday intimacy of the island community, culture and place. The projects are based on an exploration of the poetic through careful observation and reflection on space, materials, landscape and light; aiming to celebrate the real, the everyday and the quotidian. Refining and completing the work commenced last year, Stage 6 have given full form to proposals that take their cue from the influx of tourists that visit the islands; they have fleshed out their ideas for places of cultural exchange, their caravanserai of music and history, craft, archaeology and storytelling. These and other varied and careful thoughts make up this Unit’s work in Orkney. Considerabit feliciter. Unit 3 is led by Professor Neil Gillespie and David Vila Domini. David Vila Domini
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Unit 3: Orkney
Orcadian Caravanserai
Unit 3: Orkney
Traditionally Unit 3 has looked at sites around Aberdeen (including the eastern seaboard, the old town and the AWPR area) to explore its key themes of the peripheral, the everyday and the poetic reflection of space, materials, landscapes and light. In 2017 they shifted their gaze northward to the bleak and beautiful Orkney Islands. The Robert Gordon University is developing its links with Orkney across a number of disciplines within many of the university’s faculties. So Unit 3’s project ties into this wider ambition of the university and the work produced has been made suitable for public consideration. Orkney is unique, rich in its archaeology, geography, history and culture. The archipelago is located off the Northernmost tip of Scotland where the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea meet in the
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Pentland Firth. The Island community displays a unique Orcadian character, a blend arising from the relatively recent (15th century) connections with Scotland and the more ancient associations with Scandinavia. The residents have a strong sense of their identity thanks to the Islands’remote location. Meanwhile, the seasonal visitor population has increased greatly, consistently breaking volume tourism records for Orkney year on year. This added another theme of ‘tourism’ to be explored throughout this project - as it is an area of charged debate not only for Orkney but globally too.
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Unit 3: Orkney
Unit 3’s studio design project seeks to bridge the two distinct populations with an architectural intervention. In-depth research and analysis was conducted into the possibility of a contemporary ‘Orcadian caravanserai’ – a place to generate mutually beneficial exchange between cultures. The core questions raised during the research phase encapsulate the social, cultural, environmental and historic elements of the Orkney Islands and provided a focus to direct design intent:
Unit 3: Orkney
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“a place to generate mutually beneficial exchange between cultures” • What are the social and cultural connotations of an evergrowing tourist industry, in which the artificial and superficial take precedence over the authentic? • How can an architectural intervention enhance the experience for visitors whilst maintaining the everyday intimacy of an island community?
In November 2017 the unit visited Orkney over three days, exploring the ancient sites, the dramatic coastlines and the nature of its towns and communities today. This provided valuable personal experiences of place and began to answer the questions set. The findings of the research and memories from the group trip are detailled in Unit 3’s comprehensive ‘Orkney book’ which has been a valuable reference tool for their individual projects.
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Unit 3: Orkney
“A strong sense of identity”
Unit 3: Orkney
“Connecting the Orcadian’s culture and hospitality with the visitor’s brought energy and curiosity through an architectural intervention.”
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Project Axonometric
Unit 3: Orkney
Kirkwall Traditional Craft Centre Andrew McKinnon a.mckinnon1@rgu.ac.uk
Over the past six years, I have been able to develop an approach to architecture that I enjoy. An understanding of the ordinary, the everyday, highlights the importance of designing for place, use and form. The form should reflect the place, the place has its own inherent character and the use reflects the previous two. There is an exchange, a give and take between the coherence of materials. The way the surfaces are dull or sparkle or have their own depth. The idea that a series of individual parts form a complete piece. Designing a Craft Centre within Kirkwall aims to distil the ideas I’ve formed through my studies.
Unit 3: Orkney
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Unit 3: Orkney
“A new public space within a town context that acts as an area for social interaction”
Unit 3: Orkney
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Unit 3: Orkney
Orkney Storytelling Centre Ben MacFarlane b.macfarlane@rgu.ac.uk Designing in Orkney has distilled in me the importance of designing for the local community – understanding their identity and culture yet bringing innovation and progression through sensitive design. This project seeks to breathe new life into the storytelling heritage of Orkney and become a vessel for the art to continue, bringing the local and tourist together to share in the wonder and mystery of the Island’s ancestral imagination. The centre is to be a place where an authentic experience is available and give insight into what life was like gathered around the fire in ancient Orcadian family homes.
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“A modern Broch, rising out from the water.�
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“The perimeter wall provides protection, enclosure and intimacy.�
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Virtual Orkney: A New Destination Sarah Broadhurst s.broadhurstl@rgu.ac.uk Practicing architects have repeatedly encouraged me to have fun, be creative and explore my interests. To make the most of the only time we get to design constraint free. This advice, combined with my desire to protect Orkney’s Neolithic monuments, has undoubtedly inspired me to push the boat out during masters – quite literally! The end result has been two years spent learning how to design and build in the sea – an opportunity unlikely to arise again. In doing so, I have devised an innovative solution dealing with issues arising from mass tourism and created a new type of tourist destination.
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“A virtual Orkney for tourists”
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“Exploring Orkney’s most famous monuments under one roof”
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“an innovative solution dealing issues arising from mass tourism�
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Cruise Liner Terminal: Hatston Pier Ross Hampton r.a.hampton@rgu.ac.uk The Hatston Pier was interpreted as a plinth for vessels to be placed, creating a piece of sculpture. The objects would be admired by the cruise ship’s passengers as it docks and by the islanders of Orkney from afar. The grouping of towers connected by a single floor level was inspired by Toyo Ito’s Sendai Mediatheque. The towers of the Mediatheque are clearly visible and this was the ambition for the new cruise liner terminal too. The tubular elements being read as individual objects, tied together by a glass ‘cloud’, for the tourists to experience the illusion of shopping in the sky.
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“A collection of vessels connected by one floor plate”
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“The tourists experience the illusion of shopping in the sky”
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Stenness Archaeology Centre Dale Leith d.r.leith@rgu.ac.uk I have explored many avenues as a student, always along the line of perusing theoretical ideas over practicality. The luxury of Scott’s School studio culture is that after six years I can confidently claim I have an approach to architecture that resonates with me. A conglomerate of things I do that make architecture make sense to me. A practice. Stenness Archaeology Centre is a depiction of this explorative architectural approach. Rurality and Northern culture have become my passion. I’m intrigued by the experience; relationships with art, landscape, material, light and dark as well as permanence in architecture.
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“Floating on the horizon”
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“Cutting and clearing, a shifting of mass”
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Stromness Museum Chester Kendell c.kendell@rgu.ac.uk The Stromness collection is dense and diverse, reflecting the wandering spirit of the historical Orcadian. The project explores creating a new home for this museum, trying to enhance the overall visitor experience whilst maintaining the intimacy of the original building. Over the years I became fascinated in the act of collecting vs that of curating, especially when, like the Stromness museum, the collection is idiosyncratic. This interest manifested itself as a Cabinet of Curiosities allowing for a vessel of discovery and development; becoming a deeply personal object, full and dense with ideas just like the original Stromness museum.
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“An Orcadian Cabinet of Curiosities”
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The Pier Pavilion Rachael Maclean r.maclean5@rgu.ac.uk The extreme changes in weather and daylight within the northern region in which Orkney is located has led to unique lighting situations, where lighter surfaces counterbalance the long and dark winter days. The low position of the sun in northern regions creates long shadows and therefore daylight enters the buildings from the side. The internal spaces are influenced by daylight, creating rhythm and momentum. Light is scarce in these northern territories and treated as such, the idea that light can give an indication and a specific atmosphere of being in a particular part of the world is influenced by this unique Orcadian calendar of light.
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“Bridging the connection between the resident and the visitor�
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“An animated waterfront providing the opportunity for chance interaction�
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World War Heritage Centre Kirsty Lucas k.lucas@rgu.ac.uk Can we design the desired emotions and feelings into architecture? This idea has particularly captivated me throughout the course of my studies and most importantly, how is it achieved? Critically for my Masters project I wanted to resolve; can architecture give place to something that has been lost? Therefore Stromness’s World War Heritage and Diving Centre, a glowing box placed at the far end of town, hosts some of the Orkney Island’s deepest historical archaism. This is a sanctuary for shipwrecks that once sat on the sea bed of Scapa Flow for 100 years.
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“The lighthouse of the town”
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“Scapa’s secrets revealed”
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Songs of Place Meg Watson-Foster m.watson-foster@rgu.ac.uk My Stromness music centre gently harmonises with the characterful texture of this Orcadian town. The prevailing motifs of the place, borne of the unique geography, history and people, are blended with valuable new ideas which enhance the ongoing story. In studio and in practice I seek out the underlying patterns and hints held in a place to complement these with the right design for the site and its time. This is so that even the newest design can assuredly speak of its place, its people and their lives; past and present.
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“A music school will encourage the sharing of culture between musicians�
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“A new pier is a fresh voice among the choir of Stromness’ waterfront”
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