MA Interior Architecture
SHOPPING - Marketplace / Sustainable and Ethical Social Interactions Master Plan redevelopment of the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford The purpose of the brief was to produce programmatic design strategies elaborated in the first semester by the Master students to transform the Westgate Oxford into a more sustainable and ethical community hub. In the second semester, the Master students worked in pairs with MArchD students to expand their strategies into complex master plans, transforming the entire shopping centre into a modern version of a marketplace with the purpose to reverse the current banality of offering and lack of social affordances. The proposed redevelopments of the existing building structure aimed at improving the relationship with the immediate and adjacent urban contexts, and forge better synergies between local communities, temporary participants, and available semi-public spaces. The design portfolios on display contain the arguments and the theoretical framework sustaining the design proposals, centred on sustainable activities using local renewable resources and competences to involve a broader spectrum of social and demographic categories. The brief required the students to shift their focus from built propositions to actual people participating, with attention placed on the necessary activities and experiential qualities that could trigger positive behavioural changes to provide a comprehensive furnitecture strategy that demonstrate an understanding of practical and psychological requirements necessary for the creation of a human-centred social environment. In particular, they considered Proxemics, Wayfinding, and Material Phenomenology that influence the sensorial and psychological dimensions of the experience of participants.
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Andrea Placidi, Daria Ricchi, Fiammetta Buckley, Annabel Knightely
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Regina Lim, Karl Kropf, Melanie Nowicki, Orit Sarfatti, Helene Gullaksen, Michael Sponner
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Ines Barbosa, Sakshi Gupta, Tejaswi Harsha, Ming Sze Heng, Irfan Mohammed, Eesha Sharma, Alex Burns, Alexandria Casemore, Ayush Chandorkar, Tharim Kazi, Sophie Martin, Pranjali Mhase, Hector Sanchez Reynosa, Paige Tay, Melanie Valvin
Pranjali Mhase
The design brief aims to develop an Innovative Market City for Oxford by redeveloping the Westgate Shopping Center. The goal is fostering community engagement and innovation. It integrates human-centric principles, sustainable practices, and contextual sensitivity to promote social interaction, support local businesses, and enhance resident well-being. Inspired from the works of Jan Ghel following his concept of “life”in urban spaces the development enculcates the idea of place making. Gehl argues that vibrant cities are characterized by a palpable sense of activity and vitality, where people feel connected to their surroundings and to one another. This emphasis on human activity underscores the importance of designing spaces that accommodate a variety of social interactions, from casual encounters to organized gatherings. As a collaborative space for both groups and individuals, Westgate will blur the Boundaries between disciplines and encourage interdisciplinary exchange. Postmodernism celebrates the fluidity of knowledge and rejects the rigid categorizations often imposed by modernist ideologies. Therefore, Westgate will serve as a melting pot of ideas, where individuals from diverse backgrounds can come together to share insights, foster innovation, and co-create new possibilities and employement opportunities maintaining the ethos of how a city centre should be.
Theme: Environment, Sustainability, Innovation, Experimentation, Postgraduate, Place Making
