REPAIR

Situated in Stockport’s historic centre, this building aims to provide small scale rehabilitation to the town’s once booming productive capacity through the celebration of its industrial heritage. This will be achieved through providing a space for and the proliferation of knowledge surrounding piano repair, production and performance.

Whilst technological advances allowed the electronic keyboard make pianism more accessible, they also disrupted the somewhat cyclical lifespan of ageing pianos. With the average piano being playable for 30-50 years, regular servicing would allow it to pass through the ownership of at least 2 households. However, the digital piano’s cheaper price and zero maintenance costs threatens to make this sustainable cycle obsolete.

This scheme hopes to keep this cycle competitive, by producing repair technicians through apprenticeship schemes and stoking excitement towards acoustic pianos through live performances and community practice rooms. This building will therefore function like a productive machine, outputting pianos, knowledge and experiences. Each aspect of its program will feed and support the next.