Public Creative Space

In response to the brief of designing a public creative space that would provide a catalyst of change to the town of Usk, I designed a Pottery Studio that would host both a professional potter and groups of learners, as well as a cafe and display space to be enjoyed by the public.

I was inspired to do this as Usk has a predominantly aging population and my site was located between two care homes which means, as pottery is evidenced as being a successful form of art therapy for the elderly, specifically those suffering from dementia, it would provide a beneficial resource to the community.

My concept to achieve the “catalyst for change” was to provide facilities in the design to host an artist residency, as this would create a competitive and marketable new feature of Usk by providing a unique attraction; people could travel to Usk for lessons, as well as looking at, and buying, the art on display. As the site is located in one of the more historical parts of Usk, surrounded by multiple listed buildings, I didn’t want to encroach on the heritage, therefore the scheme sits in a modest courtyard space behind three terraced houses. One of these houses would be renovated to host the artist residency, whilst the other two would be combined and retrofitted to house the cafe space and exhibition. Then, the studio spaces would infill the courtyard space. The design concept was inspired by traditional “brick bottle” kilns, which I mimicked in form despite them now being obsolete due to the advancement of the kiln. But instead, I used the large brick masses to anchor the lightweight timber and polycarbonate studios around. I chose polycarbonate as my main material due to its translucent properties, which allowed the studios to have ideal lighting conditions.

There are two defined studios, one for the professional and one which would host the group sessions - but the design encourages interactions between both, as well as the cafe to create a culture of sharing and learning in the community.