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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.
Located next to the bustling Brixton tube station, this project proposes a material research facility that aims to address the issue of post-demolition construction materials ending up in landfills.
By fostering collaboration between scientists, craftsmen and artisans, the building plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of material development.
The project aims to redefine the traditional form of a research facility by providing an openness to the research and craft processes.
The boundaries between public and private spaces, as well as between research and display, would become intertwined.
Astoria Walk, once a street fronted by backyards, has been haphazardly filled.
Extensions piled up, slotted together and squeezed in, crowded the site to meet the ever-growing spatial demands of its occupants, acting as an informal landfill for the community and filling its voids with waste.
The Salvage Yard questions this normative standpoint: instead of eradicating the function the community has carved for this site, how can we incorporate it into its design?
Designed with a dual programme consisting of a beauty parlour and training school, this project explores the key concepts of publicity and privacy.
The building is inhabited by two types of users: clients and artists/students - those who provide and receive services. As a result, the building aims to celebrate the work of the artists while also protecting the privacy of the clients.