Portfolio
From the Valley to the Moors
Home of Storytelling
Housing for the Many
From the Valley to the Moors
Todmorden, West Yorkshire
From the Valley to the Moors is a series of six interventions in Todmorden, which connects the town’s centre to its natural features. By experiencing each of the structures, the visitor enters a state of self-discovery as the urban landscape gradually changes.
Starting from the Todmorden Market Hall, the Society intervention takes the traveller through a narrow structure, in which they are able to observe the nearby trading activities. Proceeding towards a residential area, the Home intervention is reflective of its surroundings, allowing the explorer to interact with fellow visitors through storytelling. The trail continues with Countryside, an intervention that eases the transition from the town to the hills for the hikers. Arriving closer to the moors, Reflection offers a space where the traveller can pause and look back on their experience. The explorer is then diverted from the
Cultural Installations
obvious path, passing through the Transformation intervention, completing the cycle of understanding oneself.
The final destination, Creation, leads the visitors to the Bridestones, a site dotted with unusually dotted boulders, which invite towards the contemplation of a distant past. This intervention is a reinterpretation of the Fast Ends House, a wooden structure that was connected between two large rocks by beams. Through Creation, the explorers can gather and marvel at the trail that they have just climbed. On the first floor, a studio can be found, the travellers being able to share their own version of the journey. The wood frame along with the polycarbonate sheets cladding contribute to the creative process. These materials are used throughout all of the interventions, being a sustainable choice by embracing the landscape.
Todmorden, West Yorkshire
The Home of Storytelling is the continuation of From the Valley to the Moors, being located on the s ite of the second intervention, namely Home. The large scheme takes inspiration from the mentioned project by creating an imaginary procession through the three main characters, or buildings. It also puts emphasis on social resilience and seeks to make a positive impact on Todmorden by creating a central cultural hub with spaces in which both locals and visitors can express themselves creatively. The project also transforms and gives importance to the unused site of the demolished Adamroyd Mill by reinventing its architectural language. Therefore, the three buildings are designed to communicate with each other, the explorers being able to enter from the main streets through either Characters 1 or 3, the final destination being Character 2 and the courtyard, where an outdoor performance space is situated.
Mixed Use & Commercial
The three buildings occupy a total area of approximately 2000 square meters. Entering Character 1, the visitors can explore the winter garden, cafe and upper floor mezzanine which can be seen from the exhibition located on the other side of the building. The journey continues with Character 2, which incorporates a theatre on the ground floor and is connected with Character 3, these buildings becoming one. The feature staircase leading to the first floor creates an atrium space, where creative rooms can be found. The next area is a glazed lounge, which overlooks the ground floor theatre and guides the explorers towards the events space.
The exposed steel structure, containing EPS insulation blocks, becomes a frame for storytelling, onto which infill panels are mounted. An extra facade layer made out of polycarbonate sheets is placed on the west side to provide solar shading.
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