What inspired you to create your proposal?

Working in the Masters masterplan unit we were tasked with redesigning the Aberdeen harbour, with the first part being a unit project where we collaborated as a hole to propose and design ideas into out finished masterplan. Part of this was splitting the masterplan into sections of different scale and density giving the new harbour a zones that greatly differed from each other.  While working on the masterplan in a big group we were thinking what we would design after as our individual projects and how they responded to the site and greater environment of the masterplan.  It was through this design process with other that lead me towards healthcare and thinking of a building that would be most beneficial to the greater Aberdeen city and not just the New Harbour.

Thus, the idea Mental Health Centre was thought off.  The building was created from an existing listed schoolhouse which formed a open doors drop-in mental health centre much like the Maggie’s Centre functions for cancer care, with appointment based care and to form a drop-in hub for people to use.  The building responded to the direct community of the New Harbour by housing a GP surgery in one of the new wings, with the addition of a new dementia respite wing on the other side of the schoolhouse.

 

What is your architectural philosophy?

“Creating a space for the user”

This is something that took me far too long to understand fully and ended up being the sole focus on my Masters design.  To really understand how to create a space for people takes more than making it look right and be ‘designed’.  Every room, threshold, turn of a corner and open space should have something that makes its own space.  It’s still ap art of the greater building but feels like its own element.  In my Masters proposal I did this taking inspiration from two particulate building that merge indoor and outdoor spaces, through circulation and light.  It meant that each room had a direct connection to light and flora, all circulation spaces had changing light and the opportunity to pause in the corridors with integrated seating.  All of these elements helped me to better understand how to create a space for the users, were every element was designed to enhance the users experience.

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Who inspired you to become an architect?

Nobody, and I think that is important.

I didn’t grow up wanting to be an Architect all my life, I always wanted to do something I enjoyed.  At school I was good at design and art, and I grew up around construction and liked tv shows about design and architecture, so over year architecture found me.

By the time I went to Uni had a great interest in learning about architecture and though the idea of designing houses or posh office tower blocks was what I wanted to do when I eventually graduated.  But over 6 years of education I learned about design, architectural trends and technologies but most importantly I had lecturers who helped me understand how to design for people.  By the time I graduated I found my self applying to practices that work in the type of design I had no interest in going into Uni.  This all came because I had no individual that inspired me, only the juvenile idea of doing something id enjoy.