March Atelier: CiA

From: Penang, Malaysia

BA: University of Edinburgh

Interests: Outdoor Sports / Music / Food

Skills: Lumion / Illustrator / Photoshop

About:
During my year out, I have participated in several medium to large-scale commercial and residential projects. I am always intrigued by how architecture embodies a larger civic role of enriching community. Rochdale Revival allows me to explore this and search for design solutions that could anchor a vibrant public life.

The church sits in an area that has become almost clotted. Tram stops almost obscuring the building and high level of boundary of gates makes it difficult to register its presence. Nevertheless, St John’s central dome is a wayfinding device for people negotiating their way through the town center. However, the functionality of the building is often obscured that the legacy of mosaic hall remains hidden from the public.

In hopes for the mosaic to have a wider appreciation for art, the proposal would define ways for this essential element of the church to be displayed to the public, in the form of temporary or physical art. By rendering it visible, the mosaic with its historical and cultural value would enjoy the level of appreciation it deserves.

The meet with our collaborators included representatives from Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Heritage School Programme (HE) and St John Baptist Church (SJBC). The collaborators provided key insights and information that aided our understanding of both the church and Rochdale.

St John Baptist church has always been active in community engagement, organizing events in collaboration with local schools and hosting social events throughout the year. Apart from social initiatives, they aimed to establish heritage presence to a wider crowd, particularly the large modern mosaic hall. Therefore, they seek for ideas or intervention that could promote its heritage significance.

The final design output could be any form of creative solution. On top of that, they are looking to integrate key parts of the proposal in the future regeneration plan. Thus, the proposal is part of a place making strategy that could impact both the church and Rochdale all together.

Today, we run a photoshop workshop to demonstrate basic techniques and steps for image creation. Students are tasked to curate 3 images or collages that communicate their design strategy in both macro and microscale. The exercise allows students to revisit their design strategy and compose these in visual form. Throughout the process, composition, colours, scale and hierarchy of elements were explored for the communication of work.

Community

The proposed pavilion functions as a shelter for the public. It considers the circulation axis to the church and addresses the arrival from the metro link. The symmetrical language established by the structure celebrates the church as the focal point of the square. During the day, pavilion shelters people from rain and allows for market stalls to operate. At night, the space is catered for mass events such as projection show or film screening. The scheme enhances the dynamics of the square and accommodates for multiple uses while paying homage to the church.

The team is tasked to select and reinterpret elements from the previous photomontage into loose line drawings. The hand drawing exercise prompts students to think about the relationship between form and geometry.