The Hereford School of Arts - Pottery school

Monmouth is small Welsh town historically rich in culture and architecture. Through this project I have tried to relate to the context in terms of society, history, and existing forms prevalent in the town. The scheme consists of three buildings which are segregated on site based on the occupancy and the flow of a design process (thinking, making, selling).

The thinking space consists of a library and café with multiple seating areas (public), the making space is primarily the studio/workshop space with seminar and staff rooms (private) and market space is a place for the locals and students to sell/exhibit their craft (public). The form of the roof relates directly to the arches under the Wye bridge on site forming a flow between the arches and indirectly to the arches present throughout the town.

The aim of this project is to integrate the proposed form and landscape with the site to create a university complex which is accessible at both private and public levels. Based on analysis the public library/café is at a closer proximity to the town centre to encourage the public to utilize the space whereas the studio and market spaces are on the other side of the river i.e., closer to the residential area to encourage local students and locals to work on the craft and exhibit their work. A pedestrian bridge has been proposed as well to facilitate easy movement across the river. This project complies with the environmental, sustainability, space standards and fire safety requirements making it ideal as an organised public space. I tried to achieve an atmosphere which is welcoming to all and by segregating the buildings on site it will encourage the users to engage with the surroundings rather than be confined in an enclosed space.

The riverside site has several opportunities and constraints which have been incorporated in the scheme. The riverside steps could be an ideal communal space for public engagement which have been replicated within the library space as an alternative to cope with the external rainfall. Keeping the negatives in mind several strategies to overcome the river flooding have been incorporated.