OLIVER BURTON.
INCIDENTS OF AN ARCHITECTURE STUDENT.
 

Urban Micro Vintner.

September 2013.
 

ARC 550 Dialogues with urban context proposes a brief outlining a curiosity shop located on Poole high street, an urban environment that has faced decline and access to the high-street from residential areas is diluted. This is to say that Poole lacks sufficient access to what limited public spaces there are, within which there is almost no activity to suggest arrest.

 

A curiosity shop can be defined as an outlet capable of manufacturing and retailing its product on site. The structure is to be no larger than 60sqm and must offer a 24 hour aspect to the proposal. 

 

Whilst celebrating and exhibiting a places heritage, it must be ensured that its past doesn’t hold a vice like grip on its future.
Encompassing concepts surrounding urban design and integration my choice was too approach the project in a sympathetic manner within the sensitive context, retaining heritage whilst thrusting the design into modernity through dynamic application. 

The design aims to fulfil the brief requirements and addresses societal issues within the high street simultaneously.  The design is focused around a singular idea to retain Poole’s heritage whilst looking to engage the public concern with the historical architecture. In turn allowing for the building to become a catalyst for education and awareness regarding heritage and appropriation. It’s about creating a communication between Poole’s cultural value, and its inhabitants.

 

To do this, the design very much considers the Beech Hurst as a setting for the structure, the visceral building emanates authority and presence, it is then therefore that the design adopts the Beech Hurst currently used as an office for accounting.

The programme locates itself within the walls of the pre existing structure revealing itself to the public only through the use of discreet glulam rafters that begin to suggest the architecture intruding upon the high-street in an attempt to create an environment which stimulates the user to engage and arrest on the high-street itself.  As with the writers retreat the programmatic requirements are largely simplified affording the public an intimate look at the processes associated with the vintner whilst providing the adequate seclusion to complete the necessary work.