Connection

Connections. Connecting the past, present, and future through education, the Resolven Miners' Welfare Centre.
Resolven Miners' Welfare Centre will nurture, establish, and celebrate talent across generations. The experiential image orchestrates a moment of activity, narrating how the everyday creates an inclusive environment, grounding a performance of knowledge celebrated in the restored theatre above.
To focus in on the performative experience the sense of sound has been explored. The design demonstrates the opportunity for intelligent acoustic design to drive innovative spatial qualities. This is focused particularly on acoustic separation between spaces; however, the same principles can be applied to other elements and senses to further the sensory consideration of

Connection between existing and new fabric will expand the design’s motive into the physical construction process. A key focal point of this investigation surrounds the relationship between the levels and adjacencies. Detailing moments of technical connection considers the programmatic schedule of the building in alignment with its defined form. The meeting point of old and new became a focus to draw out the programmatic and spatial strategy and led to a technical investigation considering how acoustic interventions can establish the RMW as a Welsh landmark for performance, creating a community home for everyday connections.

To understand the application of acoustics in different spaces and research the impact of openness. A test was conducted to measure the amount of sound travelling out of a room. The test measured a recording from outside a room with 3 degrees of openness. A door open, half-open and closed.
Although the numerical tests were restrained, the research, precedents and information gathered have indicated that a doorway can be an effective and simple method to control acoustics. It is an accessible means of adaptation, making it ideal for a multigenerational building design. Through acoustically investigating the ‘pod’, it is clear sound is vital tool for establishing flexible spaces with distinct atmospheric qualities. The tests undertaken considered material and spatial methods of control which can be applied further across the scheme to enable simultaneous activities in neighbouring building zones. This was vital to consider as the building needs to undertake multiple functions simultaneously and must blend differing acoustic needs alongside a door system to ensure it achieves its full potential.

In response, a partially arched pod was designed to achieve the desired acoustic control. This has a vaulted, semi-circular structure with inbuilt informal fabric seating integrated to be removable for small-scale performative moments. It has been detached from the external form and contains a double door system to allow the practice pod to maximise sound absorbed when desired. For the walls of the space to act as an additional sound absorbing material for practice, formed of removable informal seating for performance moments.