So let me tell you a little bit about what I am interested in architecturally and why the Stanley Dock area is so appealing to me.... something that the locals to the area seem to thing is a strange concept, 'why would anyone like that old, derelict, dirty building?' ... I hope I can change their minds about this!
I have always worked on projects (both during my degrees and whilst in industry) based in London or Nottingham or abroad (namely Dubai, Kolkata, Manila, Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City) which have all been interesting in their own way but which have always seemed a million miles from home. Whilst working on a project when I was studying abroad at Lund University earlier this year I was able to make a direct impact to people's lives. The project I worked on was to rehouse urban poor people in Metro Manila and it was during this time that I wanted to look further into this subject of 'giving someting back'.
Now, the obvious choice was to work in a developing country, but I wanted to look a bit closer to home. I am from the North West of England which has many former industrial cities and some of the most deprived areas in the UK and as such, I wanted to work within this area that I know and love oh so well.
One of my key architectural interests are projects concerning industrial adaptive reuse (think the Tate Modern in London or the Highline in New York) as these areas tend to be rich in cultural and historical value whilst providing monumental and inspiring structures. The materiality within these projects is often incredibly rich and yet it is these former industrial areas that are often left to ruin.
I want to combine these ideas of deprivation in society and dereliction within the city and see how the two problems can be revitalised simutaneously.
