Unit 09: Let the Tide do the Work: A Peoples Palace

Tutors: William Beeston, Barnaby Hughes and Hamish Warren

This unit focused on the idea of working publicly and affecting positive public change. The explorations were based around Swansea and the proposed tidal lagoon which is a huge artificial sea wall, that will harvest energy from the motion of the tide. Swansea is a formerly industrial coastline that is overlooked by Port Talbot and it’s steelworks which are clinging onto existence in the increasingly automated world. We also considered the ideas of different utopic visions relating to work and leisure. These include the idea that there will be more leisure time in the future after the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ and the contrasting view that society will invent more work where there is space to do so. As per the title of the unit, consideration was given also to Mark Pimlott’s idea of a ‘People’s Palace’ which is an idea of looking at the public interior, not necessarily in terms ownership but places for people to be.

Our projects all took different explorations, interpretations and stances on site and what we imagine the future will be, and how our proposals can sit within and enhance them, which has led to a diverse range of projects in location, form and function.

WSA Exhibitions

Unit 09: Let the Tide do the Work: A Peoples Palace

Let the Tide do the Work: A People’s Palace

Oliver Knightley

Luxmi Nanthakumar

Rose Nicholson

Ida Robler

William Sayers

Ffion Taylor

Harry Watkin