Cardiff University, Fourth Year, 2016
Through Cardiff University’s efforts in developing community engagement initiatives in Grangetown, the proposed client, Well-Grangetown, have acknowledged the need to drive social and economic developments in the area. A new facility in Grangetown needs to engage the entire demographic of all ethnic and social backgrounds, specifically young families, and provide a service for the well-being of the Grangetown community.
Northern Park Access Route
Well Grangetown has identified two sites that could be developed for a community engagement hub that promotes well-being and focuses on preventative care and complements nearby existing medical facilities, like the new Grangetown Medical Centre. This new hub should provide areas that can accommodate health services and provide a base for external health visits from local practitioners without being their permanent base.
Public Cafe and Gallery Link
The facility should provide core public services. The facility should also provide public health education through short courses and educational health-related events provided in a flexible environment that can evolve and develop in response to the needs of the community.
Long Section Through the Multi-function Hall
An important strength of this new centre would be its potential for self-sufficiency and the manner in which the community engages with the new facility. This will aim to be through temporary, ‘pop-up’ events designed to accommodate health promotion events and activities. The pop up events space’s attraction is similar to the attraction of a German market in a town or a small festival in a park but the aim in Pop Grangetown is to attract local attention to ‘good health’ through interactive events among Grangetown residents.
Multi-function Hall
The events aim to attract people of all backgrounds in Grangetown and therefore the range of events needs to be versatile. The pop-up events can be anything from extensions of the existing gallery link to individual stands or visiting donation vans or book buses.
Grangepark Well-being Centre Site Model
As a development from the atmospheric studies of the gallery I have started to explore the use of the gallery wall as a component of my architectural promenade.
An experimental exercise investigating lighting options that can be integrated within the wall has started to develop this transitional space. This model uses a light emitting polymer that absorbs natural light from the roof and emits it into the gallery space. The polymer will sit in between a thin larch cladding system and sit flush with the wall. The polymer will however provide depth and texture to the facade as well as providing natural and potentially artificial lighting through the same system.
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