Interior Architecture- Year 3
SHOPPING - The Demise of Urban Public Space Semi-permanent infiltrations in the folds of the Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford Students selected particular shops in the Westgate Centre, and redefined the conditions of participation and interaction among shoppers. The projects took a critical position in relation to the host shops, either by adding to the original remit, or by suggesting alternatives to compensate for their shortcomings. A series of new façades placed in the public areas turned into furnitecture inside/outside of the existing shops, with the modified layout allowing for the display of merchandise, production and modification of products, and hosting discussions on the addictive consequences of shopping. Moving away from the Gruen Effect that accounts for most of the psychological dimension in modern shopping’s experience (dominated by global brands), students were required to formulate ethical and socially conductive affordances within their design. Thus the shopping strategies formulated by the students questioned the products and services that were exchanged, and how they were produced. The focus of the design studio was on sustainable activities that promoted local resources and competences, aiming to involve a broader socio-demographic spectrum. This meant that the scope of the design proposals was not limited to the appearances or financial benefits for the proposed interventions, but required an understanding of the conscious/subconscious processes necessary to achieve a positive change of attitude.
Unit Tutors: Andrea Placidi, Helene Gullaksen, Michael Spooner
Guest Tutors: Paolo Procesi, Orit Sarfatti, Theo Manzaroli, Sophie Grant
Students: Adiva Alam, Angela Appleby, Sia Baid, Cassiane Bolonhese, Annabel Cartwright, Buey Cole, Elena Crawford, Maria D'Onofrio, Sam Dyer, Oli Fulford, Zsofi Jaszberenyi, Daniella Le Roux, Chico Masethla, Riley Murphy, Ece Ozmen, Maisie Russo, Maria Sanabria De Felipe, Olga Stankovic
Featured Student work:
Name: Elena Crawford
Project Title: Re:Pair
Themes: Environment, Sustainability, Experimentation, Undergraduate
Description: Cycling Affordance in Oxford - Westgate Centre
Re:Pair is a temporary scheme in Oxford providing the community with agency over repairing their bikes and belongings, as well as bringing people together. The heart of the project is located in Westgate shopping centre, spreading through the city with smaller Re:Pair centres and bike lanes to improve cycling infrastructure, and connecting the projects together as a form of wayfinding.
The project aims to impact on many levels including, bringing together people in the community, providing cycling affordance in a city with inadequate infrastructure, sharing knowledge and breaking down barriers to repair, improving sustainability of the city and the planet by reducing throwaway culture, as well as providing a sense of playfulness in an otherwise controlled semi-public space. Ultimately, Re:Pair aims to be a place for belonging, friendship, contemplation and exploration.
Name: Oliver Fulford
Project: WestGen XChange
Themes: Sustainability, Innovation, Experimentation, Undergraduate
The project in Oxford’s Westgate Shopping Centre seeks to redefine materialistic values amongst the general public, by encouraging appreciation for what they already own. It promotes empowerment through creative upcycling, challenging fast fashion by advocating for a shift to circular slow fashion. Embracing sustainable practices like repairing and choosing pre-loved garments, it not only lessens environmental harm but also fosters community engagement, creativity, and mindful consumption. This approach encourages a more fulfilling and cost-effective attitude towards clothing. Architectural the design concept focuses on light tunnels and viewing apertures to entice users into the overlooked space that is underutilised within the Westgate. With a means in manipulating subconscious user engagement whilst creating a sense of curiosity amongst passive users.
“A people centric community project, fostering collaborative change in attitude towards upcycling old clothes and sustainable fashion choices.”
Design Theory Collage
Name: Daniella Jeanne Le Roux
Project: Community Chronicles
Themes: Environment, Sustainability, Social justice, Experimentation, Undergraduate
Through a communal design within Westgate, the outstanding citizens of Oxford are publicly displayed through a series of murals, to help in curating and refreshing the narrative construction process for members of the community in Oxford who visit the site, and feel inspired to spark social change from their encounter there.
Oxford hosts a vibrant demographic of diverse communities where nearly 28% of the population is of an ethnic minority, and a harmonious environment fosters strong communities and a sense of belonging. However, narratives of marginalized groups and local citizens have been often overlooked for a city so strongly integrated by community spirit. This oversight diminishes their valuable contributions and fosters disconnection among community members. Amidst the most globalized location of Oxford, Westgate, athenticity and localism risk being eclipsed, leaving a void in understanding what truly makes the city thrive. The opportunity to amplify the voices and stories while nurturing spaces which celebrate authentic interactions and local culture, which can help to reclaim Oxford’s identity and foster a deeper sense of belonging for citizens.
The facade acts as a space inserted into the Westgate, to bridge the gap between the private and public realm. The structure serves as a meeting point for discussions and learning, in order to encourage others to actively participate in the community more effectively like the unsung heroes presented. The multi-functionality of the space, with an incorporation of furnitecture and delicate structural arches creates a harmonious space, fit to host collaborative and individualistic spaces.
The design infiltrates the westgate, residing but also merging into different spaces of residence, creating its own subspaces. A space redefining the conditions of public participation through an interactive and multi- functional space. It acts as an intervention into Westgate, including levels and functional furnitecture to assist in the curation of a public display and user experience. The atmospheric qualities and flow within spaces is vital for the impact of the project to be carried through. The decision to create a linear approach to the design, inserting it within the most narrow space of the front of Westgate to create optimal semi-enclosed spaces and generate a series of transitory spaces, merging public and semi-private realms through the incorporation of furnitecture and public participation is able to be realized within the multi-functional spaces created on all levels. A sustainability commitment can be seen through the intricate glum lattice structure arches, which are CNC routed, and material usage minimised through production and pre-fabrication of all design elements. This modular structure ensures structural integrity and reusability.
By celebrating oxfords’ local unsung hero community members, this proposed intervention acts as an insertion point where the most authentic parts of the local community is injected into Westgate.
