Project Inspire

Location: Canterbury, Kent

Year: 2021

Description: Located on the Current Canterbury Bus Station, this proposal aimed to reintegrate the city’s youth and educational institutions by providing a place for social gathering and cultural exchange – thus attempting to address the current issue of today’s education system. By rejuvenating the historic city wall, the site becomes a place for active inspiration through diverse activities and community involvement.

Who?

By identifying the relevant stakeholders, key educational groups in Canterbury can be bought together within the context of the proposal.

What?

Using the club as a vehicle to boost future social and economic values of the community in a sustainable way.

The primary aim of this scheme was to break the barrier of learning within a traditional educational model in order to create knowledge-seeking platforms by forging relationships with local institutions.

This was done through localised workshops which aimed to provide skill-attaining opportunities and learning spaces for young people to transfer into the future through different sectors.

Why?

Developing models which can be used to shift educational culture in order to better cultivate desirable skills in a socially conscious context.

How?

Using a superblock to enable the proposal to be more effective in creating a collaborative educational infrastructure within Canterbury.

Scenario

Working through the context of growing issues such as climate change, a conceptual timeline was developed for The Young Animators to provide resource and skill cultivating methods in order to boost social vitality and confidence of local youth.

This was successful in establishing functional and collaborative learning environments which can be adopted by the organisation in a sequential way to optimise engagement of projects whilst meeting core social objectives.

Mapping

An important step of the initial research phase of the proposal was carrying out a mapping exercise to understand the educational context within which the site sits in. This was done by identifying key educational institutions within the city and its fringe belt, classifying them based on level of education and finding existing connections between them.

Longmarket Square

Prototype - The Inspiration Lab

The Inspiration Lab is a small-scale modular structure proposed in the centre of Canterbury. This intervention aims to serve as a vehicle for The Young Animators to inspire and educate its members through practical and physical experiences - both in cultivating resources for the community itself as well as production which benefits the activities of the organisation.

Site Sections

The upper Southeast block of the building is dedicated predominantly to facilities and amenities required by the client and its members to fulfil its educational and production needs by providing adequate resources and spaces such as digital workshops, learning spaces, and studios.

The ground floor and exterior landscape is dedicated predominantly to public access and gathering. Playscape elements were introduced to the site via a sunken plaza level in order to create greater social engagement within a new public realm whilst revitalising the historical significance of the Roman city walls.

Detail A: External Wall / Suspended Floor

Technical Detail

Vertical timber cladding is required to be attached to fixing and counter battens in order to create a ventilation cavity which improves airflow behind a timber rainscreen. A breather membrane and vapour control layer are also incorporated in order to prevent moisture absorption into the building.