Emily Ireland (She/Her )
I am a Stage 4 architecture student at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art. This educational experience has provided an opportunity to learn, analyse and evaluate theories and ideologies of architecture. Through this teaching, I have formed an understanding of placemaking and explored varying scales of civic and rural projects.
Between Autumn 2020 and Summer 2021 I worked as a Part I Architectural Assistant, at Allison Architects, Glasgow. During this time, I worked on a vast number of residential projects at varying stages.
I have developed a passion for architecture that responds to the social and economic pressures on communities. This has pushed me to design spaces for control, opportunity, and purpose. These themes are further explored in the Urban Building project.
Works
Carlton Refectory
The civic society in Carlton has faced a decline in the last century, with the gaps in the urban landscape and lack of pedestrian access. Alongside the physical decay, the neighborhood has poor demographics – in the form of a lack of higher education, high unemployment rates, and families on the poverty line. These are necessities to live, however for people to thrive they need a sense of belonging, trust, and control over their own life
In addressing the issues mentioned I have proposed a community dining hall available to all residents in the community. It provides free meals for families on low incomes, a cooking school, an adult learning hub, and support services. At the centre of these facilities is a public courtyard that accommodates a community garden.
The main spaces in the proposal are the dining hall and courtyard. These spaces are connected through the extended steel structure. The lightweight CLT quality of the dining hall conveys a comfortable and welcoming space. While the contrasting exterior advertises the building to the community, tying in the materiality of the surrounding buildings.
Table types organise the large open space of the dining hall. These tables provide different experiences of the space, allowing all members of Carlton to use the space. The courtyard is split into two levels, soft and hard, connected by a central path with the same texture as the existing pavement.
The existing buildings that are to remain on the site accommodate the additional facticity of the proposal. The repurposing of these buildings will enrich this block, along with the pedestrian access.
