Rachel Crooks (She/Her)

The Barras Market in Calton, Glasgow is not just a place for buying and selling. It has become a culture in itself. A microcosm, separate from the centre of Glasgow, where the idea of the civic, of interaction and of story telling is almost more important than the physical aspects of the city itself.

Therefore, in recognition of this and to further my project three thesis which focused on passing knowledge down through the generations I have investigated this exchange of stories that accompanies the exchange of goods at the Barras Market through a proposal for a:

‘Barras Story Telling Archive’

This analyses the architectural interface of Performing, Exchanging and Memorialising stories.

The Concrete poetry ‘Archives’ by Edwin Morgan became integral to the concept of my building as the letters of Generation upon Generation, fade out in recognition of a forgetfulness that accompanies story telling by word of mouth. I propose to counteract this through my Barras Archives.

A proximity to Glasgow green saw the opportunity for a reintegration with the city. Upon tracing this route on an initial site visit, the lack of intent this connection currently has was made obvious at the corner of London Road and Bain Street. This is the first point of contact with the Barras upon emergence from the green, it is disheveled and off putting- making it clear that there is impetus for development here.

The green not only connects the Barras to the city physically but notionally through its centrality to Glasgow’s historic industries at the time of the highland clearances. It therefore layers a cross cultural and recreational story telling back onto the Barras via proximity. This layering of stories and connection to industry underpins the key concepts of my proposal.

As a working parent in the city finding a balance between work, life and parenting can prove hectic.

My proposal is therefore to investigate how you can design a space which can allow adults to CO-WORK/ CO-LIVE AND CO-PARENT.

The design should allow adults to be able to set up and work with the peace of mind that their child is safe in their environment and that they can check up on them at any given time.  I propose to investigate how I can reinstate the old-fashioned idea that children can roam away from their family dwelling during play- doing this safely through an enclosed courtyard which is constantly perceived through passive surveillance. This should encourage curiosity and the idea that children learn through independent play.

In order to bring a new perspective into the co-working spaces I will investigate how I can create an intentional community formed of families and people living alone. This combats the issue of the loneliness associated with single person households and creates an additional ‘village of people’ from which the children – and parents – can learn from and bounce ideas off of. This could be done through intergenerational living and utilising the single units so grandparents can live near their families. Combining intergenerational living with co working spaces creates the idea of building and sharing a wealth of knowledge and skills to pass on to future generations and between family units

As a whole the development should allow for the growth of intentional communities with a reliance on trust and shared responsibility to allow for a healthy balance between life, work and domestic labour.