The Road

the road

Spatial Practices Live Project | M ARCH Architecture | Takeshi Hayatsu & Gregory Ross Construction in Detail 2017 | Methodologies of Engagement

The Road In 2017, M Arch Architecture Unit 3 design studio collaborated on the design and fabrication of two timber structures – an information kiosk and a community bread oven.

A workshop was set up over the summer at Central Saint Martins to carry out the build ready for planning approval. The structures were installed at the Ruskin Museum and the Coniston Institute in October 2017.

Project Lead: M Arch Architecture Project Directors: Gregory Ross, Takeshi Hayatsu and Carlotta Novella

Client: Ruskin Museum and the Coniston Institute Design & Fabrication: Unit 3 Students: Constructing in Detail, Summer Workshop 2017

The Road

The information kiosk tells the story of the copper mines and is situated in front of the Ruskin Museum, whilst the community bread oven is used by local people for events at the Coniston Institute.

These contemporary structures pay tribute to their context with a cladding of handcrafted copper shingles and charred timber roofing made in collaboration with local community groups.

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A couple of freestanding steel frame archways bookend the site, which are topped by the project’s name in red block lettering.

The Road

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The Road

The project’s ambition is for small manufacturing and making to take place directly on site and bring production back to the place and its inhabitants once again.

These elements together will form a pedestrian route and make external social use on the doorstep of the Museum and Institute possible, bringing existing activities and events outside.

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The Road Spatial Practices

In the spirit of collective making and the meaning of place and material, The Road brings together local people alongside established craftsmen and historians as well as M Arch Architecture students from Central Saint Martins to create these structures and, hopefully, a lasting sense of co-ownership.

The Road The Road

The Road brings together local people alongside established craft workers and historians, M ARCH Architecture students and staff from Central Saint Martins to create these structures and, hopefully, a lasting sense of co-ownership.

The project was also shorlisted for the annual AJ Small Projects Awards. Now in their 23rd year, the awards celebrate that ‘small’ scale of design which forms the core practice for many architects, as well as projects that allow practicioners to innovate and experiment, all with a budget of under £250,000.

The Heritage Lottery Fund project and The Road are partnerships between the Lake District National Park, land owners, Ruskin Museum, YHA Coniston, Grizedale Arts, Central Saint Martins, UAL and Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society. The larch timber was generously donated by the Scottish sawmill and timber distributor James Jones & Sons from their sustainably harvested forests in Scotland.

Special Thanks: Central Saint Martins staff who helped to make this project possible: Pete Smithson and his team in 3D Large workshops, in particular Mark Laban and Savvas Papasavva in the wood workshops; David Stewart and Rachel Mandley in the metal workshops; Ricky Brawn in the 3D Small metal workshop. Thanks also to: Giles Last from BA Jewellery Design for specialist copper working and repousse advice; Hayatsu Architects for photography; and Karina Lee for administrative support.

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