I am a diligent architecture graduate from Nottingham Trent University, dedicated to merging creativity with sustainable design solutions. I believe sustainability can be seamlessly integrated into architecture, enhancing aesthetics without feeling overt or intrusive. My approach focuses on balancing innovative, environmentally responsible design with subtle elegance, ensuring that sustainability and beauty coexist harmoniously. Thriving in collaborative environments, I am committed to exploring forward-thinking solutions that leave a lasting impact. Passionate about shaping spaces that inspire and serve communities, I embrace every opportunity to push boundaries and evolve as future architect.
After establishing a design thesis for the Museum of Tranquility, I progressed onto the design development stage. Drawing inspiration from Chinese courtyard design, Peter Zumthor’s atmospheric approach, and other architectural influences, I crafted a museum where Eastern and Western tranquility rituals converged. This museum was not just a place of observation but one of experiential learning, where visitors engaged with tranquility through immersive exhibitions and hands-on workshops. By harmonizing tradition with contemporary design, the museum created a refuge where visitors could explore diverse cultural perspectives on tranquility while finding their own moments of stillness.
The Site
53°04’39”N 0°48’46”W
NG24 1AZ
The site is situated directly within the Castle Grounds in Newarkon-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England. It features the historic ruins of Newark Castle, perched along the River Trent, offering a picturesque setting while enriching the area with its profound historical significance.
The site offers an extensive network of pedestrian pathways and cycling routes, thoughtfully designed to provide visitors with uninterrupted views of the River Trent and its surrounding landscape.
Ariel View of digital model
The Museum is designed as an experiential sanctuary, guiding visitors from the chaos of the outside world into a realm of serenity and introspection. More than a building, it is a journey, bridging the external environment with peaceful, immersive experiences. Respecting its heritage context, the design frames rather than overshadows the historic structure, integrating courtyards that preserve sight lines while enhancing light, ventilation, and tranquility. Spatially, the museum unfolds as a path of discovery, where sensory-driven spaces—from the Labyrinth Walking Garden to the Sound Bath Amphitheater—invite visitors into deeper reflection, forming a continuous narrative of peace and learning.
Concept Collage
The Museum of Tranquility is shaped by the interplay of individuality, storytelling, community, and reflection, creating a sanctuary where visitors can explore tranquility on multiple levels. At its heart, the museum will allow each individual to experience and interpret tranquility in their own way, with secluded, personal spaces that encourage introspection, self-discovery, and mindful observation, alongside flexible, customizable exhibits that engage the senses through art, sound, scent, and light. Storytelling will serve as a core design concept, guiding visitors on a serene, immersive journey through spatial sequences, natural light, and material choices that narrate unique aspects of tranquility, much like chapters in a story. These narratives will also highlight how diverse cultures perceive and achieve tranquility, expressed through curated exhibits, immersive installations, and thoughtful spatial design. While supporting individuality, the museum will also foster connection among likeminded individuals through open, communal spaces that encourage gathering, conversation, and shared experiences, creating a serene environment for both engagement and belonging. Reflection will be woven throughout, with natural light, tranquil landscapes, quiet zones, and peaceful pathways designed to prompt personal contemplation, while even interactive exhibitions will invite moments of pause and mindfulness. Together, these elements will transform the museum into a place where solitude and connection, personal journeys and shared experiences, coexist harmoniously within a tranquil architectural narrative.
I chose the perimeter courtyard approach, which frames the castle as the focal point and forms a transitional space that respects and enhances its historic character. Unlike the internal courtyard approach—which risks overshadowing the original structure—this strategy ensures a cohesive design. My decision was inspired by David Chipperfield’s sensitive restoration of the Neues Museum, prioritizing preservation through subtle integration
Design Strategy Massing
The site plan illustrates how the massing strategy integrates seamlessly with the existing context, fostering a harmonious relationship with Newark Castle. By positioning the museum to embrace rather than dominate the historic structure, the design ensures that the castle remains a central, celebrated element of the experience.
Careful courtyard placement enhances natural light and spatial flow, creating a series of dynamic yet tranquil spaces that respond to the site’s orientation. Additionally, the museum is thoughtfully positioned to respect the prominence of the Gilstrap Library to the east, maintaining a sensitive balance between old and new.
Development
One key design feature is the anti-space hallway, where the roof’s dramatic curvature defines a high, expansive volume that contrasts with the museum’s more intimate courtyards. This transitional space serves as a threshold, emphasizing movement and anticipation before entering the museum’s core. The interplay of light, scale, and materiality in this space heightens its impact, making it a powerful moment of pause and reflection within the architectural journey.
End Result
The curvature of the museum’s roof was shaped in direct response to Newark’s landscape and urban character. Its gentle sweep mirrors the undulating lines of the surrounding terrain and the meandering flow of the River Trent, anchoring the building within its natural setting. The form subtly rises and falls to frame key sightlines toward Newark Castle and the historic skyline, ensuring the architecture maintains a dialogue with the town’s heritage. At the same time, the roof’s aerodynamic profile channels prevailing winds and maximizes daylight penetration, creating sheltered, softly lit interior spaces that echo the museum’s theme of tranquility.
End Result
Despite the museum’s substantial scale, the external façade that greets the public as they cross through the site is designed to feel approachable rather than imposing. Its curvature softens the building’s mass, while the interplay of light, shadow, and natural materials creates a human-scale rhythm along its surface. Subtle recesses and strategically framed views offer only partial glimpses of the interior, inviting passers-by to imagine what lies beyond without fully revealing it. This balance between openness and mystery not only draws people in but also mirrors the museum’s ethos — a place where tranquility is discovered through gradual exploration and quiet moments of curiosity.
Gong Tower In the Museum of Tranquility, the Gong Tower will serve as both a symbolic and sensory focal point, embodying the museum’s ethos of mindfulness and inner calm. Rising gracefully within the site, it will house a large, resonant gong whose deep, harmonious tones will mark moments of transition throughout the day, gently calling visitors to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the present. Architecturally, the tower will act as a vertical landmark, visible from various points within the museum grounds, guiding visitors much like a beacon of serenity. Its design will harness natural acoustics to allow the gong’s vibrations to ripple softly through the surrounding spaces, blending with the ambient sounds of nature. The gong tower will not only be a striking visual element, but also an experiential one which invites moments of contemplation and shared stillness, reinforcing the museum’s role as a sanctuary for peace and reflection.`
Air and water tightness: Damp proof membrane laid beneath insulation and heating pipes.
Service distribution: 75mm underfloor heating pipes embedded beneath finishing screed.
Additional system: Gravel drainage layer integrated below foundation level for rainwater collection and harvesting.
Technology & Environment
This section explores the integration of sustainable technologies and environmental strategies within the design of the Museum of Tranquility. From passive systems such as stack ventilation and daylighting to active innovations like rainwater harvesting and UV window cells for renewable energy, each element is carefully considered to enhance comfort, reduce environmental impact, and support the museum’s tranquil ethos. By harmonising architecture with natural processes, the building not only minimises its ecological footprint but also creates a serene, restorative environment that reflects its core values of mindfulness, sustainability, and respect for nature.
Stack Ventilation Daylighting
Stack ventilation will draw cool air through the mezzanine floors into the central hallway, where it naturally rises and escapes through a curved roof opening. This passive system enhances airflow, maintains comfortable indoor temperatures, and reduces reliance on mechanical cooling, aligning with the museum’s sustainable and serene design principles.
The Museum of Tranquility will maximise daylighting through strategically placed openings, reducing the need for artificial lighting and creating a warm, natural ambiance. Integrated UV window cells will harness sunlight to generate renewable energy, allowing the building to produce clean power while maintaining its serene atmosphere and commitment to sustainability.
Location: Ilkeston, United Kingdom
Hybrid Housing
For this project, I designed a mixed-use building that incorporated both commercial and residential units on a site in Ilkeston, United Kingdom, slated for regeneration. In the initial phase, my team developed a comprehensive master plan that balanced sustainability with creativity. In the later phase, each of us designed a hybrid housing proposal within the framework of the master plan. The proposal required us to accommodate one of three creative uses—art, film, or music—at street level to activate the frontage, with residential units placed alongside, behind, and above.
Development
My hybrid housing scheme has been thoughtfully developed by integrating soft city design principles, emphasizing human-scale environments, adaptability, and community interaction. Drawing inspiration from the concept of a ‘soft city,’ the design prioritizes flexible spaces that encourage social cohesion and pedestrian-friendly layouts over rigid urban forms.
The strategic use of courtyards serves as the heart of the scheme, seamlessly blending these ideas together—offering residents communal areas that foster connection, provide natural light and ventilation, and create a sense of intimacy within the larger urban context. This approach not only enhances livability but also balances private and shared spaces, embodying the essence of soft city ideals in a cohesive, functional design.
Concept Collage
This collage captures the essence of the hybrid housing project, embodying connectivity, community, and sustainability. These core principles are reflected in every design decision, shaping a cohesive and thoughtful scheme.
The section and elevation drawings illustrate the principles of a “soft city” by showcasing a design that fosters vibrant, human-scaled urban environments. The concept of a soft city emphasizes walkability, mixed-use development, and active street life, creating dynamic, engaging neighborhoods. In the visuals, the active frontages at street level are achieved through thoughtfully integrated retail units, which enhance public interaction and community vitality. These commercial spaces encourage foot traffic, promote social encounters, and contribute to a lively streetscape.
Above the retail units, residential units are strategically positioned, maintaining a clear visual connection to the street while preserving privacy. This vertical layering of functions maximizes land use and ensures that the area remains animated throughout the day and evening. By placing residences above active commercial spaces, the design creates a natural surveillance system known as “eyes on the street,” enhancing neighborhood safety and fostering a sense of community security.
Visual
Location: Ilkeston, United Kingdom
Sustainability Exploration
In my previous project, I designed a mixed-use building balancing commercial and residential spaces while ensuring Part L compliance. I further refined a section of the housing scheme to meet PassivHaus standards. PassivHaus establishes rigorous standards for low-energy performance. However, implementing these standards without careful consideration can result in buildings that fail to harmonize with their surroundings or lack aesthetic appeal.
Digital tools enable us to assess the impact of energy-saving strategies on both energy use and daylighting performance during the early design stages. The insights gained from these assessments can inform the creative process and integrate seamlessly into future
The Sefaira model by SketchUp is an invaluable tool that should be utilized by architectural firms on a daily basis due to its powerful capabilities in performancedriven design. It can allow designers to quickly analyze and optimize key factors like energy efficiency, daylighting, thermal performance, and solar gain during the early stages of a project.
By integrating real-time performance analysis with the design process, Sefaira enables firms to make informed, data-driven decisions that enhance the sustainability and comfort of a building. Its intuitive interface, coupled with the ability to simulate multiple scenarios, ensures architects can balance aesthetics with functionality, saving time and resources while achieving environmentally conscious and cost-effective outcomes. This tool empowers firms to create highperformance buildings, improving both the design quality and overall impact of their projects.
Overheating is a factor that can compromise the indoor comfort and energy efficiency of a PassivHaus. As designers, we must address this challenge in our approach. To mitigate overheating, I explored various strategies such as optimal window placement, external shading devices, and natural ventilation to ensure the comfort of occupants while maintaining energy efficiency.
Ultimately, based on the data gathered from the Sefaira program and a comparative analysis of the various tested strategies, horizontal louvres emerged as the most effective solution. This approach not only maximized energy efficiency but also provided significant cost savings, demonstrating its superiority in both thermal performance and annual net energy conservation. By optimizing solar control and shading, the louvres effectively mitigated overheating, contributing to a more sustainable and comfortable interior environment.
Passive Shading
Shading
Analysis
Reducing the U-value, resulted in the building’s overall energy consumption is lowered because less heat is transmitted through the material. As a result, this leads to decreased reliance on alternative heating and cooling systems, such as air conditioning and radiators.
Based on the research gathered during this exploration, I revised the component details of the building using more sustainable materials and structural systems. This adjustment not only enhanced energy efficiency but also contributed to a reduced environmental impact, as verified by the Sefaira program.
This project allowed me to discover that a thorough comparison between my original Part L compliant scheme and the Passive House scheme revealed a significant improvement in energy efficiency. The Energy Use Intensity (EUI) decreased by an impressive 91.92%, accompanied by an 80.65% reduction in annual energy costs. These reductions clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating Passive House design principles into my scheme, resulting in a substantially more energy-efficient building.
Location: Ilkeston, United Kingdom
Digital Model Case Study
I produced a comprehensive set of architectural drawings using industry-standard CAD software, demonstrating technical precision and attention to detail. Utilizing Revit, I generated coordinated construction documents, ensuring accuracy across plans, sections, elevations, and details while leveraging parametric tools for material specifications and building integration.
Additionally, I created an axonometric illustration using Rhino and Adobe Illustrator, effectively communicating spatial composition and structural logic. This experience reinforced my ability to seamlessly integrate 3D modeling, graphic design, and technical documentation to produce precise and visually compelling
By documenting the rendering and visualization process, I was able to think critically about material choices, textures, and their interplay with the building’s form. This reflection allowed me to refine how materials respond to light, weathering, and human interaction, ensuring they not only enhance the aesthetic but also support the functionality and atmosphere of the space. Additionally, this process deepened my understanding of how materiality shapes spatial experience, reinforcing the importance of tactility, contrast, and cohesion in architectural storytelling.
Sketch Up & Vray
The renderings highlight the architectural language, materiality, and spatial composition, reflecting a modern yet contextually sensitive approach that resonates with the surrounding urban fabric of Ilkeston. Floor plans and sectional drawings provide detailed insights into the spatial layout and functionality, ensuring a seamless blend of commercial vibrancy and residential tranquility. Through these visuals, the project’s innovative approach to urban regeneration and mixed-use development is effectively communicated, showcasing a thoughtful balance between functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability.
I decided to enhance my skills in Revit by modeling the Rudin House, which allowed me to explore the program’s numerous benefits. Revit’s intuitive interface and parametric modeling streamlined the design workflow, enabling quick adjustments and efficient documentation with automatically generated floor plans, sections, and elevations. Its 3D visualization capabilities improved spatial understanding and design decision-making, while collaborative tools facilitated seamless coordination between building systems.
Additionally, Revit enabled precise material quantification, cost estimation, and building performance analysis, supporting more sustainable design choices. This exercise not only improved my proficiency with Revit but also highlighted its value in creating accurate, efficient, and cohesive architectural designs.
Revit & Rhino
Thank you.
For any enquiries or follow-up questions, please feel free to get in touch. I’d be happy to discuss my work further.
