The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
About the Graduate School of the Environment
Location Machynlleth, Powys • Course MArch Sustainable Architecture • Head of school Adrian Watson • Full-time tutors 2 • Part-time tutors 4 • Students 48 • Staff to student ratio 1:12
Postgraduate
Collective
Course MArch Sustainable Architecture
Unit Build
Project The Habit to Inhabit
Project description This is a live collective project that has resulted in three physical artefacts, comprising habitable space where they can be used by CAT’s transient communities. The small-scale buildings have been inspired by poetry, play and the body and have been designed to transform, be transformed and transported. The structures were born from an architectural and cultural gathering process. They weave together a richness of historical narrative, cultural patterns and site conditions with sustainable materials and processes suitable for an exposed marine environment. Materials are easily separated and can be put back into their own circular systems of recycling, reuse or repair, for sustainability. The three built forms are: The Storytelling house, for CATkins (0-10 group who meet on site); Educate, Agitate, Activate, for playing and creating music; and a transportable composting toilet. All three can be put together to form a streetscape at CAT in an area of the visitors’ circuit that is being repurposed. The toilet will be taken to Bardsey Island to be used by visitors to the nature sanctuary. The projects were designed online (due to Covid) and then constructed over five days at CAT.
Tutor citation As a collective, this work represents collaboration through design, construction, and response to the brief. While this is not a conventional submission, it represents the work of a final year rather than the work of one student, as our students have not yet completed their individual projects. In many ways this work is more representative of the profession. By submitting this project we want to celebrate with peers and colleagues in architectural education the work of an entire cohort, completed in a year of adversity and uncertainty. John Carter, Pat Borer, Elinor Gray-Williams and Gwyn Stacey
