Forgotton Space

FORGOTTEN SPACE

The initial phase of the SenseMOD brief required the selection of a forgotten space around Bute Building, home of the Welsh School of Architecture. The aim was to reactivate this space using our responsive design proposal.

Gaston Bachelard suggested that lived-in space can reject, restrain or hide life, however forgotten spaces, such as corners, radiate a sense of immobility and are perceived as negative spaces, which allow us to become the space that therefore come to be living organically.

Our forgotten space lies in plain sight behind and between the columns at the entrance of Bute Building, which is passed everyday by hundreds of students. By inserting a dynamic mass, which responds to the movement of these students in and out of the building, into the forgotten space that exerts a sense of immobility, we believed a striking contrast could be created. The combination of the classical building’s ornate detailing and a contemporary proposal would also offer an engaging juxtaposition.

As the inflatable design would cover the windows of the library on the second floor when inflated, the light emitted from the building’s interior would illuminate the dynamic mass on the building’s exterior, especially at night, informing onlookers of the nocturnal activity within Bute Building and adding to the design’s visual impact.