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Sited within the yearly theme of 'Cultural Understanding,' this year, Year 1 MSci students have embarked on a journey of exploration and discovery in the London neighbourhood of Brixton. In response to the year building brief of London Local/e, the students were tasked with critically contemplating the essence of 'locality' and unraveling the spatial and urban characteristics that define a 'locale.'
Throughout the year, the students have studied and responded to a series of complex site conditions, addressing the intricate interplay of social, historical, technological, political and cultural narratives that shape the fabric of Brixton. With a firm understanding of the site and a unique and original personal lens, each student has crafted a building project that reflects their individual perspectives.
Guided by structural and digital skills classes, the projects showcase an ambitious investigation into locality and 'local elements' as key drivers of the project's programme and narrative. They offer a unique reflection on what it means to create an insertion in a part of the city of London that has experienced significant transformations in recent years.
The proposal serves as a space for the Brixton community to exchange seeds, fostering a platform for the unspoken plant culture that thrives within the community.
The architectural design takes the wall as its starting point, imbuing it with a range of functions that seamlessly blend with nature and the cultivation of plants.
The walls serve the purpose of guiding and concealing views, creating a captivating circulation experience within the building. They also act as frames, highlighting the growth and beauty of nature.
Destructive Regeneration is a food hall located in Brixton with a focus on night-time activities. The building draws inspiration from decay, embodying both generative and destructive processes that are intentionally fabricated and planned for.
From the exterior, the abstract form rises as a patchwork of new and weathering steel and copper panels, ranging from gleaming silver to tarnished grey, and from reddish-brown to shimmering bronze, murky greens, and bright turquoise hues.
Sheltering these weathering pieces, a composite of decay found in Brixton is sandwiched between glass in shining copper, all of which patina over time, giving the building an ever-changing and unique appearance.