UNTOLD STORIES | ENGAGING EDINBURGH THROUGH NARRATIVE

STORIES UNTOLD ENGAGING EDINBURGH THROUGH NARRATIVE

NAOMI WHITE | LUCY LUNDBERG FILM SUBMISSION: Animation: https://youtu.be/VKus65khyis

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CONTENTS PREFACE INTRODUCTION

BOOK I I

THE SETTING

II

METHODOLOGY CHARACTERS

III

THEMES

IV

DISCOVERING THE PLOT

V

Literature as education and therapy

BOOK II 7 23

INTRODUCING THE PROTAGONISTS UNDERSTANDING THE WRITER (Writers mind + design drivers)

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UNDERSTANDING THE DEAF (design requirements}

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THE MAP AND IDENTIFYING THE SITES

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DESIGN APPROACH

BOOK III | THE STORY 57 REPRESENTING THE STORY

BOOK IV 81 THE ARCHIVE | Tron Kirk To Remember

110 THE OLD DEAF SCHOOL | Chessels Court To Learn

122 THE STORYTELLING CENTRE To Translate and Inspire

202 THE PLATFORM | St. Giles To Perform

213 THE REFLECTION TOWER | Sir Basil Spence Stairs To Reflect

EPILOGUE BIBLIOGRAPHY

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THESIS INTRODUCTION

A book has a fabric, tactility and narrative, like a building. It contains a story, which has the single aim of connection with a reader or an audience to stir emotion, to educate, or to transport to another place or time. This allows the reader to become part of the narrative through the characters and connecting their own experiences to those they read. We do not interact with screens in the same way, which force information upon us visually, removing the need for the imagination and encoding processes. The telling of stories also gives individuals the power of being understood. For some, finding a voice and a platform from which to be heard and understood is a frequent struggle.

Our interest in Edinburgh has primarily focused on the literary attributes of the city given its extensive history in storytelling, prominent authors, education and culture, including many festivals. Edinburgh has so many layers of history, poetry and culture, evoking the feeling within the city itself in walking through it, that one is in the setting of a story.

The concept of narrative in architecture is intriguing, given a simple detail or tool can express a larger story. By investigating the narrative of Edinburgh, its key authors and poets, we have explored how architecture can engage with, and tell the story of, specific people groups in the city.

SETTING Researching the buildings of literary relevance, it became apparent that the Royal Mile has a rich past of heritage and legend, where literary greats have long lived and written about.

Our proposed architectural interventions are therefore located along this infamous and busy street, all on sites of heritage interest. The choices of existing structures were also driven by themes discovered from studying the area’s history and the stories of our key figures.

OUR STANCE | WHY This project began as an open-ended exploration into the roles that place and space have in storytelling. The thesis has been honed as we delved deeper into the narrative of Edinburgh, discovering and testing recurring themes which shape the city. To carry out this research, we outlined our own methodology based on literary processes and devices, examining the structure of stories, book-making and expression, leading us to perceive Edinburgh itself as a book. The wider themes relate to the city as the setting, the chosen authors as influencing characters and the plot emerging as the subsequent programme of our proposals.

INFLUENCES | CHARACTERS Key narratives in the city were identified, many of which are interlinked with literary figures. Due to their influence on the stories of Edinburgh and Scotland, as well as their own fascinating characters, we chose Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Daniel Defoe to investigate further. Their work encapsulates Edinburgh’s themes, giving insight into the lives and struggles of individuals and society.

METHODOLOGY | TOOLS The theory understood from the tools, themes and processes of the literary figures’ are manifested in the development of the protagonists, programme and architecture of our concluding proposals. To develop a more physical understanding of literature, we studied with professional bookbinders and printmakers, learning and practicing processes, as well as understanding the machine-like space they live and work in, appropriating with their own narrative. In our everyday working, we have used a writing bureau to organise our work and materials in a way similar to the bookbinder. In summary, literature has been a tool to understand the needs and stories of specific people to create unique and relevant designs.

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PROGRAMME | PLOT As our research developed, key themes emerged. These include; digging into the past, individuals’ isolation, ignorance, duality and mental health. They stem from centuries of influences and changes in the city and are therefore reflected in the work of the chosen authors who, themselves, have been molded by their surroundings. These themes and authors relate directly to demographics within Edinburgh. The proposals will therefore be aimed at providing young deaf people who are battling to be heard with a platform and education for others to understand them, as well as writing retreats for young people suffering from loneliness, anxiety and depression shaped by negative effects of social media. The issues faced by our chosen protagonists bridge between the research of historic Edinburgh and present-day. Both groups can experience isolation and loneliness, emotional states which are proven to be eased by the connections formed when reading fiction and expressing stories.

ARCHITECTURAL APPLICATION | HOW Focusing on the two protagonist groups, the programme and designs involve a play between introverted and extroverted spaces and characters. They weave memory, perception, imagination and duality through the understanding of the city, while enabling the expression of this narrative by those who are ignored or not understood. One group create and write their own stories, escaping reality in the process, while the other physically express them, finally being heard and understood by those also being educated in sign language as part of the programme. These concepts intertwine and complement each other by concluding two different strands taken from studying Scottish literature; the psychological qualities and the expression of stories. Stitching these overarching concepts together with a setting, plot and characters, we have realised an overall programme and designed interventions along the length of the Royal Mile.

The early research of our thesis concluded as fragments, including objects, devices, and an insight into history and specific individuals. Developing this into an architectural scheme was approached by drawing connections between places, stories and programmes. Five sites were identified, each with their own heritage to exhibit. We have treated our proposals as parasitic to these existing structures, considering materiality and mass, being sympathetic to historic features. Each intervention has been considered at varying levels of enquiry. Continuation of design languages are recognizable across the interventions. Representation and collaboration are key drivers in this project which have been developed and tested throughout, embracing storytelling at the core.

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“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.”

– Robert McKee

BOOK I

LINES OF ENQUIRY How can literature be expressed in the narrative of architecture?

Examining the history and storytelling of Edinburgh through the perspectives of authors; Stevenson, Burns Scott and Defoe.

Studying the palimpsest of narrative in the city, in book making, history and culture.

Exploring the positive influences the act of reading has on mental health, and giving isolated groups a voice through storytelling.

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I | THE SETTING A key to a successful story is an immersive setting, with its own personality and character. ‘Setting establishes the time, place, and environment in which the main characters or narrator operates’ (‘Understanding The 7 Key Elements of A Narrative’ 2018).

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ATHENS OF THE NORTH CONTEXT OF LEARNING

During the Enlightenment period, Edinburgh was a city acclaiming its many intellectuals in philosophy, literature, science, architecture and visual arts, bestowing upon it the name ‘Athens of the North’. Athenian culture celebrated linking learning to public life as the glory of the ancient world, as a substitute for sovereignty. Thus, intellectuals met in Old Town to discuss and write about learnings to help society, who ‘came to think of learning and letters as a machine for modernising an underdeveloped country’ (Phillipson 1992).

‘Humans can only find true happiness if outworn dogmas abandoned, if they learned to be adaptable and pragmatic in their outlook’ David Hume, Edinburgh philosopher (Phillipson 1992).

During Edinburgh’s Victorian age, before its establishment as a cultural city of festivals post World War 2, this dictum was forgotten, that ‘in the modern world, human happiness goes hand in hand with adaptability with progress depending on society’s ability to distance itself from tradition and to generate new cultures to articulate its rapidly-changing needs’ (Phillipson 1992) Today, Edinburgh as ‘Athens of the North’ relates more to arts and culture than to learning and literature as it did during the Enlightenment.

Perhaps an alternative schooling could bridge this gap between the Edinburgh’s current standing as a cultural city of arts and festivals and its historic reputation of being a centre of literary learning, considering again the importance of letters and learning being easily accessible to all and a tool for addressing particular issues within society.

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THE LITERARY HEART OF EDINBURGH The University of Edinburgh’s project ‘Palimpsest’ enables the exploration of ‘the dimensions of literary Edinburgh through encounters with geolocated extracts of literary works’ aiming to ‘newly engage scholars and the public with the urban environment and its literature’ (‘Palimpsest: Literary Edinburgh’ n.d.). The concentration of these located literary encounters is highest in the Old Town, with many works using the Royal Mile as settings.

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Map taken from ‘Lit Long’, showing locations in the city used as settings in novels.

Robert Burns

Robert Louis Stevenson Walter Scott John Knox

Map showing locations of importance to key literary figures, primarily along the Royal Mile xi

EDINBURGH CASTLE RAMSAY GARDEN

ROYAL MILE

LOCATION OF HISTORIC WALL

HOLYROOD ABBEY ARTHUR’S SEAT

EDINBURGH TUNNELS

OLD TOWN We have chosen Old Town as our area of study given its rich history and links to the narrative and literature of Edinburgh.

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HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN

MORAY HOUSE SCHOOL This building used to be an aristocratic house, in which the Scottish-Anglo union was plotted WORLD’S END CLOSE This used to be the site of the toll gate to the city, and therefore the ‘end of the world’ for those who could not afford to leave

HEAVE AWA’ HOUSE a building on this site in the 1800’s collapsed. The current building shows a carving of one of the survivors

HUNTLY HOUSE The house is decorated with latin motifs, chiding the neighbours for opposing the building of the house

GOLFER’S LAND This land was previously dedicated to golf for Royals MOORISH EFFIGY This effigy depicts the Moors who kidnapped one of the residents of this house on his travels

QUEENSBURY HOUSE The spit in this house was apparently used by a cannibal occupant for roasting a servant boy

ST PAUL’S WORK The ‘Work’ was previously a workhouse and voluntary hospital.

WHITE HORSE INN This was named due to its history as the start of messenger routes to London

HOLYROOD CASTLE This was the site of David Rizzio’s murder (Mary Queen of Scots’ aide)

NARRATIVE OF OLD TOWN & PRESENT DAY We are interested in how narrative can be demonstrated in Architecture and therefore convey a story without words. These are some examples in Old town which link to its history.

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EDINBURGH CASTLE

WRITER’S MUSEUM

MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD STORYTELLING CENTRE

THE PEOPLE’S STORY

OLD CANNONGATE THEATRE

SCOTTISH POETRY LIBRARY

NARRATING BUILDINGS These buildings all show or document the methods of narrative, storytelling and literature, alongside the authors and stories themselves in relation to Edinburgh.

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“Narrativity is always thinking and imagining in the realm of time” (Bleeckere & Gerards).

A good narrative appeals to all senses, written with a purpose, for example, a lesson, enlightenment, reflection. Threads of narrative exist throughout Edinburgh’s Old Town, in its fiction, history and buildings, hidden within the stones which enclose them.

We intend to further explore the concept of narrative, considering the ways in which individuals and authors create them, as well as the interrelations between narrative, space and emotive response.

‘Narrative is crucial to the ways that humans understand or make sense of their world, and it is a spatiotemporal world, to be sure’ (Fredric Jameson).

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II | METHODOLOGY The methodology derives from the path of research; analyising Edinburgh as a setting, key literary figures as characters and themes of their works as motivations for the resulting plots. The plots shape programmes for architectural interventions endeavoring to support specific people groups, the choice of which influenced by the literary characters.

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PATH OF RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

WRITING METHODOLOGY NARRATIVE OF ARCHITECTURE

EDINBURGH LITERATURE

HISTORIC

INDIVIDUAL

BOOK MAKING

TECTONIC STRUCTURE + USE OF SPACE

BURNS

DEFOE

STEVENSON

PEOPLE GROUPS

METHODOLOGY TRAITS

EDINBURGH OLD TOWN

SCOTT

THEMES

ACT OF READING

HOW THE NARRATIVE IS READ THROUGH ARCHITECTURE

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THE TECTONIC If the imagination and pen are a writer’s tools, the bureau is their workshop.

Like those of Edinburgh’s literary figures, our bureau has become our own device for making and binding books as well as storing all materials and tools. Throughout the thesis project it is being adapted to display and develop architectural manifestations of our themes, narratives and discoveries.

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DINING/LINO-CUTTING SPACE

BOOK BINDING DESK

BEDROOM STORAGE

BOOK BINDING DRAWER

This 1:20 model explored the appropriation of space in the bookmakers house and the patterns of usage xx

Similar to the style of Sarah Wigglesworth, this drawing tracks the movement throughout the flat to investigate the appropriation of space by individuals who both live and work in this flat, informing their own narrative. It is printed onto perspex and fits into the drawer to be read in conjunction with the model.

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“Memory is the seamstress, and a capricious one at that. Memory runs her needle in and out, up and down, hither and thither. We know not what comes next, or what follows after. Thus, the most ordinary movement in the world, such as sitting down at a table and pulling the inkstand towards one, may agitate a thousand odd, disconnected fragments, now bright, now dim, hanging and bobbing and dipping and flaunting, like the underlinen of a family of fourteen on a line in a gale of wind� (Woolf 1995).

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CHAPTER:

NARRATIVE ARCHITECTURE THE STORYTELLING CENTRE

Considering the book as a device of knowledge and understanding, the first in a series of ‘chapters’ employs the method of collage to take the reader through a building abstractly, demonstrating architecture’s narrating ability. Hand-making books allows layering of understanding, a narrative process in itself. The tactility of the materials allows for a further personal connection and an interpretation which is not entirely pre-planned but develops as the work is created.

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Front faรงade: This demonstrates the materiality of the faรงade, the integration of old and new construction and the prominent view through the building

Multi functional space: This galley is a flexible story telling space which frames the view of Edinburgh

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Theatre: The storytelling space is designed to be simple in order to allow the mind to be the creative input, overlaying stories onto the scene. The space looks outside in order to have a connection with nature.

Back bookcase: This is a scale model of the dividing bookcase wall in the multi-functional space. This exhibits the storytelling centre’s origins whilst providing privacy.

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III |CHARACTERS Fiction ‘is a meld between the mind of the reader and the writer, and the minds of reader and character.’(Frankman 2017)

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ROBERT BURNS THE POET

Burns is a character significant to the whole of Scotland, a representative of Scottish culture, known for his poems and songs, so famous that a day celebration, ‘Burns night’, exists in his name. As well as the famous songs and poems marking celebration and occasion,

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DRINK Burns’ death was apparently brought about by his love of drink

WRITER’S CLOSE Burns stayed opposite here on his frist visit to Edinburgh

MARGARET CHALMERS JOHNNIE DOWIE’S TAVERN Burns frequented many of the taverns of Old town

CROCHALLEN FENCIBLES A convival club which Burns was part of, on Anchors Close

MEG CAMERON Burns frequented many of the taverns of Old town

CANNONGATE KIRK GRAVEYARD The resting place of many of his heroes and lovers, including Robert Fergusson and Agnes Maclehose MRS LOVE’S OYSTER CELLAR This was where Burns courted many women

WOMEN OF OLD TOWN Burns’ love interests included lady Agnes Maclehose, her maid Jenny Clow

THEMES Duality of character, a chameleon Believed in equality, wrote about ignorance of society Used nature as constant, as therapy Unusual education Personal interpretation of the city xxix

CHAPTER:

REFLECTIVE BURNS Collaging the Burn’s education, character and ‘To a Mouse’, concluding in architectural translation his poetry and character in a site significant to the research and analysis.

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The famous Scottish poet came from humble beginnings.

He did not receive the level of education available to most of his contemporaries.

A symbol of Scottish culture, Burns influenced many with his works and themes of ignorance, equality, love and nature he expressed.

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RHYME SCHEME

POETIC STRUCTURE TO A MOUSE

Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie, O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!

Thou need na start awa sae hasty, Wi’ bickering brattle!

I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee, Wi’ murdering pattle!

STANZAS

A A A B A B

+ + + +

-

8 1

SITE

ESCAPSIM, TAKING INDIVIDUAL TO ANOTHER PLACE: elevated above the urban landscape, removal from reality and current setting to feel emotional connection with another.

FURTHER PERSONAL CONTEXT: Height just above the roof level of the church opposite, reflecting Burns’ mocking of preachers for false piety.

Obvious gap in street facade.

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2

NATURAL LANDSCAPE: view to Aurthur’s Seat and Carlton Hill, reflecting Burns’ use of nature. He saw it as a constant, while life was chaotic.

REFLECTION OF RELATIONSHIPS & WORKS: overlooking Cannongate churchyard, where Agnes MacLehose (which ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ is written about), and Robert Furgeson are buried.

Translated to spacial plan, by making turns:

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+

5 3

6

4

7

5

4

Movement pattern

+

8

+

3

+

2 Translated to elevation by number of storeys:

1

Viewing platform

BURNS’ CHAMELEON CHARICTERISTIC IAMBIC PENTAMETER Overlapping pattern from next stanza/ storey

Wee, SLEEkit, COWrin, TIM’rous BEAstie

Viewing platform

Wee

Placement of walls forcing the movement according to the rhyme

SLEE

kit COW

rin

TIM

rous

BEA

Length of syllable pronounced by depth of step or amount of effort needed for each step

Vernacular stone

Steel frame

Timber elements

Demonstrated in materials, juxtaposing and natural materals in conjuction with vernacular.

TRANSLATION OF POEM ‘TO A MOUSE’ xxxiii

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON THE AUTHOR

Stevenson was a writer whose work was bathed in the architecture of Edinburgh around him. His work was based a lot on observations and inspired by the events of Edinburgh. His Jekyll and Hyde book for example is said to have been inspired by the duality of Edinburgh’s New and Old town, alongside the actions of criminal’s Burke and Hare.

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BURKE & HARE These two body snatchers apparently inspired his character of Jekyll and Hyde

TRON KIRK An effigy of Stevenson is here

DR. JOHN KNOX Burke and Hare’s patron also inspired the book

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY Stevenson appeased his father by training to be a lawyer in order to support his passion of writing

WRITER’S MUSEUM

DEACON BRODIE This man inspired Stevenson’s themes of duality

RUTHERFORD’S BAR Stevenson often here

LORD BRAXFIELD This judge inspired the character of the judge in Stevenson’s book; Weir of Hermiston

drank

THEMES Isolated and lonely childhood with unusual education Duality of character, place and society Memories of place and emotions influenced his narratives Methodology: began process of writing Treasure Island by imagining a place, drawing a map - architectural xxxv

WALTER SCOTT

POET, HISTORIAN AUTHOR Walter Scott is a classic example of how Edinburgh has built itself around the literature written about itself. Waverley station and Scott’s monument commemorate his work as well as his use of the city as the setting for much of his work and root of his ideas. Scott was a keen historian, grounding his stories in Edinburgh’s rich history. This is an approach we have included in our methodology to fully incorporate the depth and wealth of understanding.

Scott was the father of the historic novel - a novel which was defined by its deep roots in the past, strong plots and perception of human psychology.

Edinburgh and Scotland set a background to his tales of normal people. He used a world of contrasting demographics and classes to propose mediating solutions and engage with the specific problems of individuals. xxxvi

COLLEGE WYND HOUSE Walter Scott was born here on the Royal mile. This was the family home until he moved to Abbotsford due to his poor health

WRITTEN FOLKLORE Scott was the first primary author to write down the folklore which had previously only been passed down through oral tradition.

Therefore making it more accessible to the masses

25 GEORGE SQUARE Scott settled here after marrying his wife. This house was on the outskirts of old town and close to the University campus

THE INDIVIDUAL Scott’s writing went against the common writing of the times by focusing on the tales of normal individuals as opposed generic people in privileged positions BRIDGING Scott aimed to use his work as a mediator in issues of debate and create an understanding between different groups

ABBOTSFORD Scott was sent here (his grandfather’s house) where he was told many of the folktales of Scotland which inspired his writing.

DIGGING UP THE PAST Scott was fascinated by the history of Scotland and carried out in depth historical research into every element of his novels. This methodology was groundbreaking in comparison to previous novels.

THEMES Use of the Scottish dialect The lives of Individuals Historic research Mediating divides Making education accessible for all xxxvii

THE

DANIEL DEFOE

AUTHOR, PAMPHLETEER, JOURNALIST AND SPY

Defoe lived in Edinburgh for six key years of his literary career. A time during which he acclimatised to Edinburgh and Scottish culture and wrote Robinson Crusoe amongst other texts.

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MOUBRAY HOUSE Defoe lived here whilst writing his famous works

ALEXANDER SELKIRK This Scottish castaway inspired Defoe’s story of Robinson Crusoe

LITERATURE Defoe’s most famous works were written and inspired by his time in Edinburgh

LITERATURE His book ‘Walking tour through Great Britain’ is an indepth documentation of the life of Old Town

HAND SIGNING Defoe was the first author to formally document and develop the early forms of British Sign Language

THEMES Hidden existence Duality Unity Representation of deaf community xxxix

IV | THEMES From studying the literature and history of Old Town Edinburgh, we conclude that the following themes of philanthropy, ignorance and duality are core to its culture and identity. Stevenson references the duality in throughout his work. He was inspired by criminal protagonists of the Old Town’s past, as well as the contrasting light and dark characteristics experienced within the city itself. The ignorance relates to equality and mental health issues within society. Referenced by Robert Burns in poems such as ‘To a Mouse’, and deeply-rooted in the city’s history. The philanthropy relates to the provision of resources for those affected by the ignorance e.g. Defoe’s book on signing.

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I

A

D

P

H

B E

Q

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K J

N

F C

P

L

M

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PHILANTHROPY A | George Heriot School B | James Gillespie School C | Braidwood deaf School D | Edinburgh blind School E | Elsie Inglis dispensary F | St Paul’s Work G | St Saviour’s children garden

IGNORANCE H I J K L

| | | | |

Edinburgh AIDS epidemic Edinburgh witch hunt Poor + Rich divide Edinburgh Bedlam Disability discrimination

DUALITY M N O P Q P

| | | | | |

Protestants v. Catholics Jekyll + Hyde Mountains + Valleys Scottish v. English Rich v. Poor Old town v. New town

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Robert Burns is Born | 1759

Anglo-Scottish Union | 1707

Daniel Defoe publishes signing book | 1720

Daniel Defoe’s death | 1731 Defoe’s Tour through GB | 1724-7 Robinson Crusoe written based on Sottish castaway Alexander Selkirk | 1719

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Dean & Cauvin Young People’s trust established | 1733 Edinburgh witch trials | 1597-1728

George Heriot Ragged school | 1628

George Heriot Ragged school | 1628

45 | 16

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St Paul’s Work voluntary hospitalformed in the 15th C

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t nmen ghte Enli The thC 9 1 C 18th

t is Scot o Angl 1544 ng | oi h Wo Roug The

Daniel Defoe sent to Edinburgh | 1706

Princess Joanna of Scotland is the first recorded example of a form of sign language | 1428-86

URGH B N I F ED O TERS C E A N R A LI D CH TIME N A IVE T A R NAR

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Daniel Defoe Born | 1659

hes blis esta 1124 d I y | e b Davi b A rood Holy

BSL is formally named at Moray house | 1975

Deaf Children’s education Act | 1944

The Scottish Council on deafness formed | 1927

Stevenson dies| 1894 Stevenson moves to Samoa| 1890 Stevenson produces famous novels Treasure Island and Jekyll and Hyde | 1880-1886

results in AIDS epidemic

| 1980’s8

Debtor’s sanctuary at Holyrood Abbey comes to an end|1880

Thomas Guthrie Ragged school | 1847

Scott goes to nEdiburgh for private educaiton | 1778

xliii Blind poet Thomas Blacklock forced to leave post as church minister due to discriminiation | 1762

Walter Scott is born and inspired by the folklores of his granparent’s home Sandyknowes | 1771-1773

James Gillespie’s Ragged school| 1800

Edinburgh Blind school established with the support of Thomas Blackwood | 1764

Poet Robert Fergusson is locked up in Ediburgh Bedlam for psychiatric issues and eventually dies | 150-1774

Walter Scott starts writing | 1796

Scott becomes a Freemason 1801

Scott hunts for crown jewels | 1817

Walter Scott’s death | 1832

Patrick Geddes proposes town pocket gardens and revitalisation of Old Town through small insertions in order to improve quality of life for resdients | 1880

St Saviour’s first free Kindergarten on Cannongate | 1903

Elsie Inglis opens the first free clinic + dispensary on High Street for Women | 1925

Edinburgh crack down on hyperdemic syringes

The Milan congress declares sign lanugage inferior to oral communication,and therefore should be banned.

Stevenson meets wife Fanny | 1876 THis results in the closure of deaf schools | 1880-1893 Stevenson’s LJR club | 1873 Follows Walter Scott’s journey for the ‘Pirate’ Decides to be a poet instead of an Engineer | 1870 Enrolls at Edinburgh University | 1867

Stevenson’s Birth. His childhood was plagued by Bronchial issues | 1850

Burn’s death | 1796

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Robert Burns left his father’s farm | 1766

Robert Burns moves to Mauchline where he meets his future wife Jean Armour and many other women who inspire his poetry | 1770

Burns leaves Edinburgh | 1788 Burns arrives in Edinburgh | 1786

t Grea

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Stevenson starts at Edinburgh Academy | 1861

Burns is popular in the many salons and bars of Old Town, meeting Scott and Blacklock in this period | 1786-8

THe first school for the deaf, Thomas Braidwood institute of the deaf and dumb is opened | 1760

07

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1824 gh |

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50 19 ur dinb of E Fire

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V | DISCOVERING THE PLOT READING AS THERAPY Using literary imagination as a generator to appeal to senses, ‘to understand and implement a literary imagination at the roots of an architecture capable of producing communicative atmospheres, both emotive and cognitive, for embodied human action, conveying its meanings in a multisensory way’ (Alberto Perez-Gomez 2018).

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PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITIES OF STORIES Books of fiction “disengage us from ourselves”, ‘from the self to the other, crossing a boundary’ Robert Louis Stevenson.

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PHYSICAL EXPRESSION OF STORIES Benefits of performance include ‘emotional expression, self-affirmation, and catharsis’ alongside ‘the ability to see one’s individual challenges as a reflection of socially-constructed and politically-reinforced norms’ (Sajnani 2013). xlvii

BOOK II

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VI | INTRODUCING THE PROTAGONISTS We have depicted young people as our characters due to them themselves already being in a transitional state, between adulthood and childhood which already bring about many interesting factors regarding imagination, memory and perception as well as a will to be heard and understood.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITIES

LITERA

PROTAGONISTS

PROPO

PROPO

8

ATURE

PHYSICAL EXPRESSION

PROTAGONISTS

OSAL

OSAL

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LITERA PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITIES INTERNALISED

THERAPY & LEARNING

ROBERT LOUIS

- Reading as t - Escapism by - Work, idlene

HISTORY OF EDINBURGH - Women with mental health issues accused of being witches and burnt/drowned/hanged - Poet Robert Ferguson in Edinburgh asylum - Edinburgh architecture telling stories, providing certain form of intellectual interaction - Stevenson’s novel ‘The Misadventures of John Nicholson’ involves a character suffering from mental illness who is taken to Morningside Asylum.

PROTAGONISTS

Teenagers suffering with anxiety, depression and loneliness, influenced by social media. Difficult transitional period of life, struggling to take authorship of themselves, in need of escape

ROBERT BURNS - bipolar - used poetry to express emotions - providing escapism from oneself and one’s environment

LITERARY (ALTERNATIVE) EDUCATION CENTRE & RETREAT

Temporary escape in order to disconnect with the online world to connect with the literary to learn how to have more successful connections with others.

Perception vs. reality / imagined vs reality

- Giving isolated young people/introverts a voice - Duality in society, character and place - Relation to own character and childhood

Use literature as alternate way of learning and developing emotional intelligence, involving screen-less education (a regression in technology). A place young people can escape, crossing boundaries between self and fiction, regain authorship of their own narratives. A place aiding the understanding the duality of social media, the human character and society while connecting to literary characters, plots and settings to understand the importance of connections outside a screen.

Architectural manifestation their charact

PROPO

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ATURE PHYSICAL EXPRESSION EXTERNALISED

THERAPY & LEARNING

S STEVENSON HISTORY OF EDINBURGH

therapy reading fiction ess and pleasure - Isolated, lonely childhood with limited access to education, like deaf children - Fascination with theatres and set design as a child - Translation of folktales into written format

DANIEL DEFOE - 1720 Wrote and developed the first book of finger signing (however Defoe is the only author linked to Edinburgh to acknowledge deaf needs in literature.

- Robinson Crusoe - Escapism story

l n of themes of ters and works

PROTAGONISTS Deaf teenagers of Edinburgh have been ignored and excluded from Scottish society through the oral tradition of storytelling and lack of involvement in literature

- 1428 Princess Joanna is one of the first documented examples of sign language - In 1760 Thomes Braidwood established the World’s first educational institution for Deaf and mute adults at what is now Dumbiedykes, teaching the first recognised form of BSL. - British Sign Language was first coined at Moray house in 1975 - 1927 - Present Day: Scottish Council on Deafness and Deaf Action both originate and advocate on behalf of Deaf people

LITERARY (ALTERNATIVE) EDUCATION & THEATRE CENTRE - Use deaf performance and expressions of literature as alternative way of changing the current accepted way of conveying literature.

-Create an accessible portal for Deaf users into Scottish literature culture - Reinstall the Dumbiedykes School - Perform tales of the literature education centre and Stevenson and Crusoe

- Give the voiceless a voice - Oppose the phonocentric ways of creative culture which box deaf people as cultural and linguistic minorities, given language and culture are inextricable..

OSAL

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PROTAGONIST Life revolving around perfect little squares.

Valuing ‘likes’ based on image rather than genuine connections with depth.

12

13

A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health found ‘Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness’ in 14-24 year olds.

14

PROPOSAL As a society we have become in need of constant stimulation from excessive time looking at screens, exacerbating feelings of loneliness, boredom and mental illness.

The design outcomes aim to, like a book, provide an escape for an individual from their current situation, emotionally and physically, removing them from their environment, providing interaction to occupy the mind and scope for the imagination to remove them to somewhere entirely different.

15

PROTAGONIST The Deaf community.

Excluded from Scottish culture, seen and not heard A strong root in Edinburgh but not yet fully acknowledged

16

17

Scottish Culture is intrinsically linked with literature, given its rich history of folk tales through music, spoken word, dance which have been the primary format of passing on history and therefore the traditions revolve around speaking and hearing. For example Scots language, Burns night etc.

This means that the deaf commun Scottish literature but also Sc inserting them back in Given being deaf is not always be a very isolating an

Almost all early deaf therapy was based on the assumption of the deaf community lacking intelligence. This belittling presumption was only due to the fact that they were not given a form of communication, therefore their intelligence could not be heard.

As a result, speaking groups wh the deaf community’s best inte community did not need their o instead should conform to the wa BSL and deaf schools were there deaf education has since be rein fully been recognis

HOW HAS THE DEAF COM FROM SCOTTISH CUL TRADI

‘Van Cleve continues, ‘as thou people grew up, married, worke their children was somehow unr habited by people who hear.’ T lives throughout history, and half of the 19th century, can histories of other minorities, lising details hidden in the h late a wider picture from thes

finding-deaf-lives-in-the-statistical-accounts-of-

https://era.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handl

18

nity are not just excluded from cottish culture. The key way of is through literature. visible to the public, it can nd lonely experience.

Throughout history there has been almost no acknowledgment of the deaf community in Scottish literature. The only forms of communication have been Defoe’s finger signing book, Scott’s transcribing of folktales into a written form, Braidwood’s school and Stevenson’s writings on loneliness.

ho thought they were acting in erest, decided that the deaf own form of communication but ays of the speaking community. efore removed in 1893. BSL and nstituted, but it is still not sed as a language.

The proposal aims to tackle this entrenched attitude of ignorance through gathering up the fragments of relevant Edinburgh literature and history and educating the community through narrative and BSL. It also aims to create awareness of the possibilities of storytelling through bodylangauge, lip reading, drawings, models etc. and therefore create a dialogue.

MMUNITY BEEN EXCLUDED LTURE THROUGH ORAL ITIONS?

ugh the world in which deaf ed, procreated, and educated related to the larger world inTrying to find evidence of deaf especially before the second be a challenge; as with the , we often have to seek tantahistorical record and extrapose.’http://statacc.blogs.edina.ac.uk/2015/10/28/

-scotland-1791-1845/

le/1842/23449/Leith2016.pdf?sequence=2

19

EXCLUSION OF THE DEAF For centuries the literature was only accessible through oral tradition, this therefore significantly excluded the deaf community from apsects of Edinburgh culture, alongside basic education and company.

The work of Walter Scott, transcribing the spoken tales into written format was the only access deaf communities initially had to this literature, and they continued still to face ignorance. For example, deaf communities used to be presumed as dumb given they hadn’t been taught to speak. This programme intends to challenge the ingrained society of ignorance and place the deaf community of Edinburgh at the forefront of storytelling.

20

PROPOSAL The proposal aims to fracture the historic foundations of oral tradition and ignorance in Old Town by teaching the speaking community to be inclusive to those who communicate differently, forming a deaf theatre school incorporated into the storytelling centre, a deaf education installation and a public performance space. Works of Edinburgh authors will be incorporated and expressed in a way which is accessible to the deaf community along the Royal Mile with the backdrop of historic Dumbiedykes.

21

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VIII | UNDERSTANDING THE WRITER

23

IMAGINATION

DUALITY

PERCEPTION

LONG-TERM MEMORY

THOUGHT

THE WRITER’S MIND

ENCODER

To visualise the cognitive processes important to writing and connecting to stories in a more tangible way, this drawing communicates the mind as an architectural space. The bureau in the centre is encodes the memories, perceptions, thoughts and influence of imagination and duality.

24

OUTPUT

25

WRITING PROCESS

Archive of narrative

LONG-TERM MEMORY

READING PROCESS

IDENTIFYING CONGNITIVE PROCESSES TO INFORM THE PROGRAMME

Library spaces to escape reality and enter the fictional world

IMAGINATION

26

Disc inspir thought

TH

cussion, ration and t provoker

HOUGHT

Creative escape spaces to write and produce

Library spaces to exhibit and discuss work

ENCODER

OUTPUT

Escape spaces to reflect on the crossing between fiction and reality

Therapeutic effect on loneliness, anxiety and depression, enhancing emotional intelligence and reconnecting the mind with personal narrative, imagination and reality.

REFLECTION

RECONNECTION

27

LONG-TERM MEMORY

2020 SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICT

Becoming more detached from personal narrative and negatively impacting memory ability

PERCEPTION

IMAGINA

Becoming more detached from reality, with more focus on perceptions

Expressed his views on religion in Scotland

JOHN KNOX

Jou Nev lea ent

J.M. BARRIES’ WENDY DARLING

As a poet, he describes emotions and how he sees the world subjectively

ROBERT BURNS

Memories from childhood to inspire his stories

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

28

Scr the ima the rem nee ima

Perceptions of real places and people inspire his literary settings and characters.

ATION

reens plant eir own ages in e mind, moving the ed for agination

DUALITY

ENCODER

OUTPUT

Increased levels of lonliness, anxiety and depression

Views of religion at the time were opposing and conflicting

Vocalised and wrote views

Between child and adult, expressing importance of connection to childhood and imagination

urneys to verland, aving reality tirely behind

Undiagnosed bipolar sufferer, his moods fluctuated.

Chameleon, fitting into any social situation.

Obsession with the light and dark in all people and places, expressed in his characters

Published poetry and songs

Published novels

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30

VII | UNDERSTANDING THE DEAF

31

WAVERLEY

ROB ROY

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN

CRUSADES + THE SAXON/NORMAN DIVIDE

KING RICHARD IS IMPRISONED AND THE NORMANS ARE ABUSING THE SAXONS

JACOBITE UPRISING

JACOBITE UPRISING BASED ON THE REAL ROBERT ROY MACGREGOR PORTEOUS UPRISING

A TIME OF RIOTS AND ATTEMPTS TO RESTORE JAMES II

INTRODUCTION OF THE SETTING OF OLD TOLBOOTH JAIL

DILEMMA

KEY PROTAGONIST INTRODUCED

HISTORICAL SETTING TO HOST THE PARASITIC PLOT

IVANHOE

IVANHOE AND HIS FATHER ARE INTRODUCED. IVANHOE HAS BEEN DISOWNED DUE TO ROLE IN THE CRUSADES

JOURNEY BACK TO ENGLAND UNDER DISGUISE

EDWARD WAVERLEY

JOURNEY NORTH WAVER EMBRA TO SCOTTISH THE W HIGHLANDS THE H LANDE

JOUR TO E UNDE DISG

FRANK IS INTRODUCED

JOURNEY TO JACOBITE UNCLE

IMPOR FAMIL DOCUM ARE S AND F IS AC

JEANIE DEANS INTRODUCED

HER YOUNGER SISTER EFFIE DEANS IS INTRODUCED

EFFI CHAR KILL OWN

JOURNEY OF OVERCOMING THE EXCLUSIVE ORAL NATURE OF SCOTTISH S

PROPOSAL

AUTHORS AND ROOTING IN OLD TOWN

DEAF STUDENT PROTAGONISTS ROOTED IN EDINURGH HISTORY

ORAL TION SCOT LITE HAS THE COMM THER FROM CULT

SCOTT’S PLO

Producing a building inkeeping autho Scott’s plots always followed a clear j

a weaving of disparate threa

32

RESOLUTION

CONFLICT

RNEY BACK ENGLAND ER GUISE

RLEY ACES WAYS OF HIGHERS

EDWARD IS DISMISSED FROM THE REGIMENT

JOINS THE JACOBITES ONLY TO FAIL

WAVERLEY IS PARDONED

MARRIES ROSE TO SYMBOLISE UNITY OF POST_UNION SCOTLAND

RTANT LY MENTS STOLEN FRANK CCUSED

PURSUES THE THIEF WHO IS HIS COUSIN RASHLEIGH

JACOBITE BATTLE INVOLVES ROB ROY KILLING RASHLEIGH

FRANK RESCUES HIS RELATIVES WHO ARE IN HIDING

MARRIES HIS FEMALE COUSIN AND INHERITS THE ESTATE, UNIFYING RELIGIOUS DIVIDES

JEANIE TRAVELS TO LONDON TO BEG PARDON

JEANIE IS ATTACKED BY THE WOMAN WHO KILLED EFFIE’S BABY

JEANIE EVENTUALLY MAKES IT TO THE DUKE OF ARGYLL

IE IS RGED WITH LING HER BABY

JEANIE GAINS THE PARDON AND MARRIES HER CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART, UNIFYING THE FAMILY

STORYTELLING CULTURE

L TRADIN AND TTISH ERATURE EXCLUDED DEAF MUNITY REFORE M SCOTTISH TURE

CONSISTENT FIGHT WITH GOVERNMENTS TO RECOGNISE BSL

OWNERSHIP OF LITERATURE THROUGH THE CREATION OF A DEAF HEATRE WHICH PRESENTS STORIES IN AN ACCESSIBLE WAY

KEY HISTORICAL FRAGMENTS WOVEN IN

OT PATTERNS

g with the work of Edinburgh’s ors. a certain pattern was one of a journey

ads into homogeneous picture

PHYSCIAL JOURNEY JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY PLOT MARKERS

33

HISTORIC FRAGMENNT HISTORIC FRAGMENNT

HISTORIC FRAGMENNT

HISTORIC FRAGMENNT

HISTORIC FRAGMENNT

JOURNEY

HISTORIC FRAGMENNT

BIGGER PICTURE

UNDERSTANDING THE BIGGER PICTURE A series of fragments which do not make sense on their own however are crucial to explaining the final narrative.

DESIGNING IN LITERARY FRAGMENTS

34

HISTORIC FRAGMENNT

HISTORIC FRAGMENT LITERATURE FRAGMENT

JOURNEY

LITERATURE FRAGMENT

DEAF FRAGMENT

THEATRE FRAGMENT

OF NARRATIVE

LITERATURE EDUCATION

BSL EDUCATION

DEAF STORYTELLING

IN CONTEXT The proposal only makes sense in the context of the other fragments. The journey through the narrative educates those involved, preparing them for the concluding element of the theatre.

DESIGNING IN LITERARY FRAGMENTS

35

IDENTIFY STORY

TRAN

DEAF STORYTELLI

Deaf theatre is alre beautiful performance acknowledged in Edinbu centre has performed som not en

https://www.deafinit

36

NSLATE

EYE CONTACT & SPACE

ING IN THEATRES

eady a prominent and however it is not as urgh. The Storytelling me workshops before but nough.

telytheatre.co.uk/

37

SPACE & PROXIMITY

LIGHT & COLOUR

VIBRATIONS

SENSOR

SEEN AND NO

Deaf design re

https://www.curbed.com/2016/3/2/1 washingto

38

& ACOUSTICS

RY REACH

MOBILITY & PROXIMITY

OT HEARD

equirements

11140210/gallaudet-deafspaceon-dc

39

AUTHOR SITE REQUIREMENTS • Parasitic • Attached to building of significance • Footprints of history • Links to multiple elements of Old Town • Domestic scale surroundings • busy crowd • parasitic • mediate • narrative • Materiality

40

DEAF THEATRE SITE REQUIREMENTS • Prominent position in Old Town with views onto main streets • Division of Public and private space • Elevated views • Private entrance to educational elements • Views of Arthur’s Seat and Dumbiedykes • Public area can be overlooked • Easy access • Close to Old Town centre • Good lines of site • Nature access

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IX | THE MAP AND IDENTIFYING THE SITES

43

Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘TREASURE ISLAND MAP’

Following earlier research, Robert Louis Stevenson’s approach of drawing a fictional map to create his story’s setting was adopted.

This map of Edinburgh incorporates areas identified as having geographical, historical, symbolic and literary importance.

44

45

M

S

U

DEAF A | Deaf Support Services B | Deaf and Dumb institute C | Deaf Action D | Dumbiedykes MUSEUMS/PUBLIC BUILDINGS E | St Giles Church F | Museum of Childhood G | Storytelling museum H | Poetry library I | The people’s story J | Writer’s museum K | National museum of Scotland

X

JY REF L O

Z

THEATRE L | Bedlam theatre M | The Lyceum N | The Space

EDUCATION O | George Heriot P | Edinburgh Scho

DANIEL DEFOE Q | Daniel Defoe’s

BUILDINGS OF

46

C N

F

T

QG

P

K

I W

B

H

D

Z

e

School ool of English

s house

A WALTER SCOTT R | Heart of Midlothian S | Edinburgh Castle T | College Wynd U | Scotts Monument ROBERT STEVENSON W | Burke and Hare X | Doctor Knox Y | Deacon Brodie Z | Edinburgh University

SIGNIFICANCE

47

TRON KIRK

CHESSEL’S COURT

JOHN KNOX HOUS

CHOSEN HERITA THE ROYA 48

& MOUBRAY USES

ST. GILES

SIR BASIL SPENCE STAIRS

AGE SITES ON AL MILE 49

X | DESIGN APPROACH

50

All the sites and proposals involve parasitic structures attaching to existing heritage structures. Choice and detailing of materials ensures definition and clarity between existing and new, protecting the integrity of the architectural heritage.

51

BOOKCASES WITH MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS E.G STAIRS & SEATS

LEVELS IN THE BUILDING WHICH MIRROR THE TOPOGRAPHY OF EDINBURGH

ARCHITECTUR

52

PARASITIC INTERVENTIONS

HIDDEN NOOKS

RAL MOTIFS

53

INTERCON

54

The proposal aims to in world of the writer wi of the deaf performer, public. The scheme crea of creativity in which t work of the writers who the performance

NNECTION

nterconnect the introvert ith the extrovert world , intermingled with the ates a continusuous cycle the performers act out the o are in turn inspired by es of the actors.

55

BOOK III

56

XI | REPRESENTING THE STORY

57

57

58

Of the five proposed interventions along the Royal Mile, each of the two protagonists visits three, travelling in opposite directions but meeting to interact in the central storytelling centre.

59

LUCY

EXHIBITION I

We had envisioned our submission as a phys research work in the devices Representation has been a key driver in

Beginning by experimenting with collagi

sequences to navigate through a b

60

NAOMI

INTENTIONS

sical exhibition, surrounded by all our of books and the bureau. our process and thesis development.

ing techniques, designing narrative

book as you would a building.

61

Perception

Memory

ANIMATION AS A TOOL

We had envisioned our submission as a phys research work in the devices Representation has been a key driver in

Beginning by experimenting with collagi

sequences to navigate through a b

62

Imagination

Encoding

OF REPRESENTATION

sical exhibition, surrounded by all our of books and the bureau. our process and thesis development.

ing techniques, designing narrative

book as you would a building.

63

CHARACTER DE

We developed the charact

artists such as Rebecca

The figures allow for flexi

animation process whils

the storybook na

64

ESIGN PROCESS

ters based on the work of

a Green and Clover Robin.

ibility in the stop motion

st also clearly conveying

ature of the film.

65

CHARACTER CO

It was important to te

character in order to m against the background

well with the blue and g

as suggested by Deaf des

66

skin tone t

OLOUR PROCESS

est the colouring of the

make sure they stood out of the film. This worked

green architectural tones

sign, which allows for the

to stand out.

67

STORYBO

68

OARDING

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

BOOK IV

79

80

XII | THE ARCHIVE | Tron Kirk To Remember Representing the long-term memory of the writer, the vaults beneath the South Bridge house artefacts of importance to the city and its people. They inspire the writer, reconnecting them with the past of the place and their own personal memories.

81

Located at the ‘ruins’ and ‘caves’

82

THE ARCHIVE IN LITERARY CONTEXT The vaults beneath the South bridge are full of legend and secrets. The notorious Burke and Hare are said to have hidden bodies beneath the busy city centre street, and they are home to many tourist haunted tours, embodying the memory and duality concepts from the ‘writer’s mind’ drawing.

83

EAST ELEVATION

WEST ELEVATION

SITE MAT

The materiality of the

arches are continued in t

84

NORTH ELEVATION

SOUTH ELEVATION

TERIALITY

e church and underground

the parasitic intervention

85

86

Section through archive intervention, in the context of the Royal Mile

87

Sketch Plans

Public urban garden Mezz

Reception

Mezz Shelving/ seating

Mezz

Shelving/ seating/ stairs

Shelving/ seating

-2 Level

-1 Level

ARCHIV

88

WC

Marlin’s Wynd

Framed view

Entrance from Royal Mile

Shelving structures above ruin foundations WC

Set display

Set store

-1 Level

0 Level

VE PLAN

89

Shelving structures a ruin foundat

‘Cave’ archive

Transnational space

ARCHIVE

90

g above tions

Framed view Royal Mile

‘Ruins’ archive

Sketch Section

SECTION

91

92

The vaults beneath the South bridge provide the long-term memory archives, storing and displaying the oldest artefacts and curiosities.

93

Perspective view inside archive ‘cave’

94

1 Existing stone walls 2

2 Existing vaulted stone ceiling 3 Existing uneven stone floor surface

4 Framed view to activity below 5

5

1

3

Design allows person to sit within the structure increase physical contact with archive

4 New timber frame structure, partitioning the cavernous volumees into more personal spaces and displaying arhive curiosities 5 New smoothsurfaced stone forming transitions between spaces withing the heavy rough walls

95

96

The area of the archive between the cave and kirk is a transitional space between these two historic sites. The ground level is lowered significantly to mediate the great difference in levels.

97

This transitional space aims to intrigue the public, providing passers by with a space to pause an sit in the urban garden environment, drawing them into the archives.

98

99

100

Concrete arches provide partial covering for the urban garden area

Timber frame structures provide display shelves and public seating

The architectural language further connects the two archive buildings by continuing the arched geometry, seemingly growing from the ‘cave’ Steps are constructed from stone to continue the historic materiality

and

parasitic timber

structures from the kirk, as they meld together.

101

Use of the Trok Kirk has been turbulent, most recently it has been transformed from a market to an heritage exhibition. However, beneath the floor of this exhibition lies ruins and foundations of historic tenements, wynds and the High Street itself.

102

The proposal inside the kirk is to lift the floor to expose these ruins and use timber frame structures to structures display curiosities which seemlingly grow from these foundations. They encompassing the historic spacial arrangement in a tectonic manner, giving a more authentic interaction with the site’s heritage.

103

4

g din l i Bu C

1& 2

Wy nd

Plan as existing, showing layout of historic fabric beneath the Kirk floor

104

Mi le Ro ya l

St re et Hi gh

Bu il di ng

B

In du s ar tria ea l

Ma rl in ’s

3

Co ur ty ar d

Bu il di ng

D

Ce ll ar

Ce ll ar s

Ce ll ar

Mi le Ro ya l

Hi st or wh ic t ee he at co led r ur i nt e se ty o ar ol ts d d si te

Axonometric sketch demonstrating spacial arrangement of parasitic structures within the kirk

105

3

1

2

1 Martin’s Wynd route reestablished as primary route through kirk

106

2 Raised timber platforms to protect archaeological importance of foundations

3 Structure at entrance to frame view through kirk upon arrival

4 New timber frame curiosities, arr to appropriate s

4

4

e structures to display archive ranged above the historic foundations some of their past spacial qualities.

A 200mm gap is left between the new timber platform flooring and the foundations, to further define new fabric from the historic.

Raised timber platforms allow the visitor to walk the same routes as those five Centuries before, while preserving the building fabric.

107

The Tron Kirk has recently been adapted to accommodate the Edinburgh World Heritage Exhibition. Rather than merely educating visitors through posters, this proposal reinstates an experience and understanding of the site as it was before the kirk was built in the 17th Century. The archives continue into the kirk, representing more recent memory and thought. Historic stage sets are exhibited in the old courtyard, to further inspire the writer with stories which have come before.

108

109

XIII | THE OLD DEAF SCHOOL | Chessels Court To Learn

110

Located at the ‘old school’

111

CHESSELS COURT

DEAF AND DUMB I

SITE AN

• Accessible but also • Links to Midlothian • Patrick Geddes hist • Deaf history • Site of Brodie crim capture • Inspiration for Ste

112

INSTITUTE | 1817

BRAIDWOOD ACADEMY | 1817

NALYSIS

o private n tory

me which lead to his

evenson

113

PROPOSAL

An extension of o facades which extend Patrick Geddes. A sm install

114

COLLAGE

one the historic ds into the work of mall educational BSL lation

115

VIEW OF INSTA CANNONGATE THR COURT A

116

ALLATION FROM ROUGH CHESSELS ARCHES

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

117

INTERACTIVE

• Documenting • Vertical panels h obscuring communic a glimpse into lif • Educate

118

E FURNITURE

g deaf history hide eyes or mouth, cation and providing fe as a deaf citizen es on bsl

119

EXPLODED INSTALL 120

EXPLODED AXO WITH ROOF ON

D AXO OF LATION 121

XIV | THE STORYTELLING CENTRE To Translate and Inspire

122

Located at the ‘walls’ and ‘gateway’

123

SITE IN LITE

Depicted as the wall a

this site lies on a hi dual nature, which also boundaries

124

ERARY CONTEXT

and gateway on the map,

istoric city boundary of signifies the crossing of into fiction.

125

STORYTELLING CENTRE

18

WHY CHOOSE THI

The Storytelling Centre is an the hub of our interventions with history and material ch Following Stevenson’s theme of spreads over the old city wa the old Flodden wall. The are changed often, for example a hurch. The building line on has been pushed ba Our decision to replace the own building is a result of storytelling design requireme centre does not acknowledge the façade is uninspiring and based on a bothy, however th piece. We intend to maintain incorporating bot Similarly to much of the arch intend to leave and celebrat on the site (including the J history, literatur

126

• • • • • •

Links to Defoe Links to John Knox Accessible Prominent Links to Nature Avoid Jury Inn, due to too small a programme • Occupation of the streets • Already taps into deaf community • Current proposal has a limited function

869

IS AS A SITE?

appropriate choice of site for as it is a site which is laced hanges, many of them visible. f crossing boundaries, the site all and is located just inside ea next to John Knox house has accommodating tenements and a the eastern end of this block ack over the years. storytelling centre with our f examining and assessing the ents. The existing storytelling the site’s important history, the bookshop area is apparently his is not evident in the final n the design intentions whilst th of our programme hitecture on the Royal Mile, we te historic material elements John Knox house), intertwining re and storytelling.

127

HISTORIC SITE OF NETHERBOW PORT

WORLD’S END

SOUTH SIDE

LOCATION OF THE COLLAPSE OF TENEMENT HOUSING IN 17TH C

NORTH SIDE CARRUBERS CHRISTIAN CENTRE

SITE MATE

HIGH STREET AT THE S

128

MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD

ACCOMODATION OF AUTHOR OF SIGN LANGUAGE BOOKS, DANIEL DEFOE ACCOMODATION OF JOHN KNOX, KEY FIGURE IN

LOCATION OF HISTORIC JOHN KNOX CHURCH

THE REFORMATION

MOUBRAY HOUSE

JOHN KNOX HOUSE

STORYTELLING CENTRE SITE OF HISTORIC KING’S WALL

ERIALITY

STORYTELLING CENTRE

129

COBBLES

SLATE TILES

RANDOM RUBBLE STONE

SITE MATE

THE MATERIAL PALETTE TAKE FRO

130

SHUTTERED CONCRETE

TIMBER

RENDER

ERIALITY

FOR THE PROPOSAL IS OM THESE

131

STORYTELLING CENTRE MOUBRAY HOUSE

E

JOHN KNOX

L MI AL

Y RO

REMOVAL OF EXISTING STORYTELLING CENTRE

RETAIN ‘THE WALL’ & HISTORIC

THE CURRENT STORYTELLING CENTRE DOES NOT FUFIL THE REQUIRED NEEDS

JOHN KNOX AND MOUBRAY HOUSE HOLD

FOR STORYTELLING AND CAN BE REBUILT FOR MORE PURPOSE

WILL THEREFORE BE RETAINED. THE ‘

CENTRE WILL ALSO BE RETAINED GIVE THE HISTORIC KINGS WALL ON SITE

NATURE

INTERACTION OF OLD AND NEW

INTROVERT & EXTROVERT ENTRAN

THE HISTORIC WALL WILL FORM A DIVIDE OF OLD AND NEW IN ARCHITECTURE

THE DEAF EDUCATION ENTRANCE WILL

HOWEVER THE PROGRAMMES WILL BREACH THE DIVIDE. IN ADDITION THE

DIRECTION OF THE ROYAL MILE, WHER

SCHEME WILL REACH OUT TO THE EXISTING NATURE, WHICH IS A KEY PART

ENTRANCE WILL BE ORIENTATED TOWAR

OF STORYTELLING.

SITE MA

132

C BUILDINGS SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL VALUE AND

‘WALL’ FEATURE OF THE STORYTELLING

THE CORE THE PROGRAMME CONSISTS OF TWO SEPARATE YET INTERTWINING SCHEMES. ONE WILL FORM A CORE WHILT THE OTHER REVOLVES AROUND IT

EN IT IS A SIGNIFICANT REFERENCE TO

NCE BE PROMINENT AND FACE THE BUSY

SOLAR GAINS GIVEN THE STREET FACADE IS RELATIVELY HIGH, THE BUILDING IS BROKEN

REAS THE MORE INTORVERTED WRITER’S

UP AND STEPPED DOWN TO THE GARDEN IN ORDER TO CAST MINIMAL SHADOW

RDS CCANNONGATE AND LESS OBVIOUS

ON THOSE IN THE NATURE

ASSING

133

NARRATIVE | DEAF THEATRE

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Cafe foyer theatre wings central stage shop gallery viewing tower toilets exhibition space makeup and hair exhibition space clothes making sound effects props dressing rooms box offic cloakroom maitenance offices meeting room stage door carpenting workshop stage lighting nature

FRAGMENTS | STOR THEATRE

• • • • • • •

Workships books WC mpitheatre Private Discussion education

PROGRAMME

134

RYTELLING OUTLETS | PRODUCTION

BRIDGE GAPS | DEAF EDUCATION

• • • • • • •

Books storytelling workshops read discussion space storage WC

PROPOSAL

135

POP-UP PAPER | FLW The concept of pop-up books and cards inspired us to create a pop-up set

TARA THEATRE | AEDAS Parasitic Foyer extension on to John Knox house

WHITE HORSE INN The faรงades aim to architecture of Ed

PRECED

136

o mimic the jumbled dinburgh

YUE LIBRARY | BEIJING SPACE DESIGN The bookcase have mulitple functions such as tables and stairs

O’DONNELL & TUOMEY Perforated views throughout building and layers of interaction

DENTS

137

FLIPBOARD CAFE| BROLLY DESIGN Rehearsal room bookcases act as stalls for those viewing from above

YUE LIBRARY | BEIJING SPACE DESIGN Stepped rooms with strong visual connections

JANE EYRE SET | NA Simple yet multi-f

PRECED

138

ATIONAL THEATRE functioning stage

BRISTOL OLD VIC | HAWORTH TOMPKINS Perforated viewing wall into theatre from all aspects of production

SWAN THEATRE Public entrance to stage doubles up to be actors entrance

DENTS

139

Insertion into facade from access and insertions into the Royal mile for reading. Visual facade which to allow passers-by to view connection building without actualand access internal activity therefore create a Visual

more inclusive programme

The stage moves vertically, similarly to the ‘Swan Theatre props to precedent, the auditoriumconnecting similar to the Swan the theat to the introvert of the Theatre precedent.

This would part link the building where sets are built.

A stage which moves vertically from stage

introverted manufacturing part of the centre with the extroverted performance space

RYTELLING CETNRE

ecting moments (so far...)

DESIGN P INTERNAL

140

Writer’s visualbetween connection to Visual connections the writers deaf theatre - interesting opportunity for interpretation theatre performs their writings whilst also and inspiration and the deaf theatre, in which the deaf

Insertion into facade from Writ Royal mile for reading. Visual to storyboard area dea connection to building without oppor actual access

Deafconnection visual connection DEAF visual to storyboarding area

inspiring other scripts with their acting

STORYTELLING CETNRE

Inter-connecting moments (so far...)

PROCESS CONCEPTS

Auditorium summarising internal concepts

141

Publishing Studio

Reading nooks

Book Binding

Discussion points More solid barrier

WRITERS + READERS

Storytelli

Programming

DESIGN P

PROGRAMME A

142

Nature

View through

DEAF

ing Centre

g Exercise

PROCESS

ARRANGMENT

143

Views to hil skies (imagi View

skies

Visual connection between writing spaces and theatre Visual connection between storyboard space and theatre/ rehearsal

DESIGN PROGRAMME

S t

SHOWING INTER-WEAVING NA

PROGRESSIONS. THROUGH T

CONNECTIONS BE

144

ills and ination) ws to hills and

Views to hills and skies (imagination)

s (imagination)

DEAF USER WRITER/ READER

STORYTELLING CETNRE

Sketch Sectional Diagram

Showing inter-weaving nature of separate users’ progressions PROCESS through the building and visual connections between the two.

ARRANGMENT

ATURE OF SEPARATE USERS’

THE BUILDING AND VISUAL

ETWEEN THE TWO.

145

DESIGN P

EXTERNAL ENT

146

The design of the parasitic entrance aims to create a more prominent feature on the Royal mile whilst uniting the two historic structures of Moubray house and John Knox house. This entrance is for the use of deaf education staff and visitors to the theatre.

The

design

features

are

a

contemporary

amalgamation of the surrounding architectural features, aiming to complement the existing structures.

PROCESS

TRANCE FORM

147

DESIGN P

FOR

148

PROCESS

RM

149

Reading nook

Ticket check

Stairs

Seating

Foyer

Stage

Writer’s Library

Education on BSL

Reading nook

Backstage

Writing exhibition

Foyer

Stage Fitting

Rehearsal space WC

Reading nook

Ticket check

Stairs

Seating

Foyer

Stage

Writer’s Library

Education on BSL

Reading nook

Backstage

Writing exhibition

Foyer

Stage Fitting

Rehearsal space WC

STORYTELLING

Section (only GF a

Throughout the building we are between the users and space, m levels across the site and des meeting at half-storey

Childrens’ reading space

Extrovert entrance for deaf theatre Visual connection

More private entrance, drawing writer/reader down into the building

GF Plan

LF Plan

STORYTELLING CETNRE

Sketch plans (only GF and LG)

GF

DESIGN P

INITIAL SPATIA

150

DEAF EDUCATION WRITERS

G CETNRE

and LG so far)

playing with interractions making use of the changing signing two progressions, level boundaries.

Blue = Deaf, Orange = Writer/reader

Reading nook

Ticket check

Stairs

Seating

Foyer

Stage

Writer’s Library

Education on BSL

Reading nook

Backstage

Writing exhibition

Foyer

Stage Fitting

Rehearsal space

LGF

GF

STORYTELLING CETNRE

LGF

Sketch plans (only GF and LG) - explained Blue = Deaf, Orange = Writer/reader

WC

PROCESS

AL PROGRAMMING

151

DESIGN P

COLOUR T

152

PROCESS

TESTING

LIGHT & COLOUR IN DEAF DESIGN

153

A

154

B

BIRDS EYE VIEW A | DEAF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC ENTRANCE B | WRITER’S ENTRANCE

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

155

E

D

156

B

A

C

SECOND FLOOR AXONOMETRIC A B C D E

| | | | |

CORE STAIRCASE MEZZANINE OVERLOOKING STORYBOARDING WRITING NOOK SPIRAL STAIRCASE BOOKCASE MEZZANINE OVERLOOKING WRITING LOUNGE

157

L M

J H

K

I

158

G

F E

G B

A

C

D

FIRST FLOOR AXONOMETRIC A | CORE STAIRCASE B | MEZZANINE OVERLOOKING REHEARSAL SPACE C | WRITING NOOK OVERLOOKING REHEARSAL SPACE D | PUBLISHING OFFICE E | WRITING SNUG F | STORYBOARDING BOOKCASE DISPLAY STORIES TO REHEARSAL SPACE G |VIEW ON TO STAGE H | VIEW ON TO DEAF EDUCATION ROOM I | WRITING OFFICE J | WRITING LOUNGE K | W.C L | WRITING LIBRARY M | INTERNAL GARDEN

159

S

Q P

O

K

R J

N

I M L

D

B

A

160

G H E

F

S

GROUND FLOOR AXONOMETRIC

C

A | ENTRANCE B | RECEPTION TO PUBLIC & DEAF EDUCATION C | EXHIBITION SPACE ON HISTORY OF DEAF EDINBURGH D | DEAF EDUCATION E | REHEARSAL SPACE F | STREET SEAT WITH VIEW INTO REHEARSAL SPACE G | TRANSLATION SPACE H | STEPS DOWN TO DRESSING ROOM I | STAGE MAKE UP ROOM J | ACTOR’S STEPS ON TO STAGE K | SECONDARY ENTRANCE TO STAGE THROUGH PUBLIC STEPS L | W.C M | LIBRARY NOOK N | CAFE O | KITCHEN P | PUBLIC STEPS ON TO STAGE Q | STAGE R | INTERNAL COURTYARD 161 S | EXTERNAL STAGE

O

N

J

I K

162

D

L M

C E

F

A B

G H

BASEMENT AXONOMETRIC A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

ENTRANCE RECEPTION TO WRITERS EXHIBITION W.C OFFICE RECEPTION & ACCESS TO CORE STAIRS CORE STEPS WRITERS EXHIBITION ARCHIVE OF WRITER’S WORK WORKSHOP FOR SET PRODUCTION POP UP STAGE ON RAILS BASEMENT OF MOWBRAY HOUSE W.C LIBRARY NOOK STAGE EXTERNAL STAGE

163

164

PARASITIC PUBLIC & DEAF EDUCATION ENTRANCE The parasitic entrance to The Storytelling centre merges the two historic buildings of John Knox House and Mowbray house, combining their literary histories in the internal programme. The form of the enlarged entrance is an amalgamation of the adjacent jumbled architecture. The larger entrance aims to create a prominent feature for deaf education and history on the Royal mile.

KEY | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

165

K

E D

C A

B

PUBLIC & DEA ENTRA

166

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

F

A B C D E F G H I J

| | | | | | | | | |

DEAF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC ENTRANCE RECEPTION CAFE LIGHT POD VIEW FROM WRITER’S OFFICE INTO RECEPTION VIEWING WINDOW FROM PUBLISHERS INTO RECEPTION PUBLISHING SPACE STAIRCASE CONVERTED INTO BOOKCASE DEAF EDUCATION EXHIBITION BRIDGE TO REHEARSAL

G

H

I

J

AF EDUCATION ANCE GROUND FLOOR AXO 167

VIEW FROM DEAF HI INTO EDUCA

168

ISTORY EXHIBITION ATION ROOM

GROUND FLOOR AXO 169

VIEW FROM DEAF INTO CHILDREN’S RO 170

EDUCATION ROOM LIBRARY & MAKEUP OOM GROUND FLOOR AXO 171

A | DEAF EDUCATION B | WRITER’S PUBLIC LIBRARY C | WRITER’S EXHIBITION D | BRIDGE OVERLOOKING CORE STAIRCASE & WRITER’S EXHIBITION E | WRITER’S CORE STAIRCASE F | ENTRANCE TO WRITING NOOK G | SECOND FLOOR MEZZANINE OVERLOOKING REHEARSAL H | FIRST FLOOR MEZZANINE OVERLOOKING REHEARSAL I |VIEWING PLATFORMS BUILT INTO BOOKCASE J | STEPS FROM REHEARSAL INTO DRESSING ROOMS K | REHEARSAL L | RECEPTION TO WRITERS EXHIBITION M | PRIVATE ROUTE BEHIND RECEPTION TO ACCESS STAIR CASE N | PUBLIC STREET SEAT WITH VISUAL ACCESS TO REHEARSAL O | READING SNUG LIT FROM HIGHER WINDOW P | ALLEY TO BACK GARDEN

A

F

G

H E

D

B

J

L

C

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE

SECTION THROUGH

| EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

172

E

G O I

N

P

K

M

REHEARSAL SPACE

GROUND FLOOR AXO 173

REHEARSA

174

AL SPACE

GROUND FLOOR AXO 175

CHILDREN’

176

’S LIBRARY

GROUND FLOOR AXO 177

STORYBOARDING SECOND FLOO

178

LOOKING UP TO OR MEZZANINE

FIRST FLOOR AXO

179

F

E

B

G

D

C

H

I

A

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

180

WORKSHOP

M

N

J

S

O

R

Q K

P L

A | STORYTELLING GARDEN B | VIEW FROM TRANSLATION AREA TO STAGE C | AUDITORIUM SEATING D | TRANSLATION DESKS E | VIEW FROM STORYBOARDING F | VIEW FROM LANDING G | VIEW FROM DRESSING ROOMS H | POP UP STAGE PROPS I | INTERNAL COURTYARD FOR CONNECTION TO NATURE

J | AND K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S |

ENTRANCE TO LIBRARY POD INTERNAL COURTYARD MAKE UP PREP WORKSHOP WRITER’S NOOK WRITER’S LOUNGE CHILDREN’S LIBRARY CAFE STORE CUPBOARD CAFE W.C

P SECTION

GROUND FLOOR AXO 181

D

C

E

A

F

B

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

182

AUDITORIU

I

K

L

J

H

G

A | SEMI-CIRCULAR SEATING FOR VISUAL CONNECTION TO ACTORS B | TIERED STAGES TO ALLOW FOR ADAPTION BETWEEN DIFFERENT STORIES C | AUDITORIUM SEATING D | TRANSLATION DESKS E | STEPS TO STAGE F | AUDIENCE ENTER THEATRE VIA THE STAGE IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THE PLATFORM OF THE ACTOR G | STEPS DOWN FROM CAFE

H | ACTORS JOIN AUDIENCE ON THESE STEPS TO CREATE A SENSE OF UNITY I | WRITERS LIBRARY POD TRANSECTS THE OLD AND NEW BUILDING, GIVING A VIEW OF ALL ACTIVITY J | VIEWING WINDOW FROM CAFE ONTO STAGE K | CAFE L | KITCHEN M | WRITER’S NOOK

O

UM SECTION

GROUND FLOOR AXO 183

5 6

1

2

3 4

1 | FOLD OUT STAGE MECHANISM ON WHEELS

2 | RAILS

3 | STAGE

4 | FLOOR

5 | CONNECTION WITH NATURE

Hardwood timber flooring (22mm) Timber frame (75 x 50mm) and (150 x 75mm) Plasterboard (12.5mm) Timber beams 150 x 75mm

Solid wood flooring 22mm Screed 100m In-situ Concrete 250m Insulation 150mm Hardcore 300mm Pile cap dependent on ground conditions In-situ Retaining wall (150mm)

Green roof build up Solid wood flooring 22mm Rockwool acoustic 50mm Glulam 250 x 90mm battens 22 x 22mm Plasterboard 12.5mm

6 | RESTRICTIVE GAP

7 | SU TIMBER

Solid wo Rockwool Glulam 2 battens Plasterb

1.20 DETAIL DEMO STA

184

VIBRATIONS & ACOUSTICS

8

7 10 9

USPENDED R FLOOR

8 | MAKE UP ROOM - BUILT IN STORAGE

ood flooring 22mm l acoustic 50mm 250 x 90mm 22 x 22mm board 12.5mm

Timber frame 75 x 50mm Plasterboard (12.5mm) Rigid insulation (160mm) Stainless steel brackets In-situ shuttered reinforced concrete(200mm)

9 | WORKSHOP

10 | RETAINING WALL Solid wood flooring 22mm Screed 100m In-situ Concrete 250m Insulation 150mm Hardcore 300mm Pile cap dependent on ground conditions In-situ Retaining wall (150mm)

ONSTRATING POP UP AGE GROUND FLOOR AXO

185

BASEMENT

GROUND

PLA

BROWN LINE IND BLACK LINE IND

186

FLOOR

FIRST FLOOR

ANS

DICATES EXISTING DICATE PROPOSED

187

WRITING NOOK REHEARSAL SPACE

A

EXTERNAL SEATING NOOK

STORYBOARDING

TRANSLATION

C

DRESSING ROOM WC

A | WRITER’S ENTRANCE LOOKING INTO WRITER’S EXHIBITION

OFFICE

B | BRIDGE TO REHEARSAL LOOKING OVER CORE STAIRCASE

C | VIEW INTO AUDIT SPACE

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE | EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

188

LONG SECTION TH AND STAGE

STAGE

E

TORIUM FROM REHEARSAL

HROUGH REHEARSAL E SEATING

SEATING TO EXTERNAL STAGE

GARDEN

D | VIEW FROM FIRST FLOOR INTO DEAF EDUCATION

E | WORKSHOP

E D

C B

A

GROUND FLOOR AXO 189

A | WRITER’S LOUNGE LOOKING UP TO SECOND FLOOR MEZZANINE

C | WRITER’S LIBRARY LOOKING OVER CAFE

EXPLAINING

190

B | CAFE THROUGH TO CHILDREN’S LIBRARY AND UP TO WRITER’S LOUNGE

C | WRITER’S LIBRARY LOOKING OVER CAFE

B C A

THE DESIGN

FIRST FLOOR AXO

191

ARENA

ENDSTAGE

• Easy to see and engage, but actor will always have back to an audience

• Never have back to audience • Less accessible • Less flexible/immersive

THRUST

THRUST/HORSESHOE

• Never have back to audience • More accessible • Less flexible/immersive

• This is most appropriate for deaf audiences given it allows constant eye contact with the actor and an immersible experience

THEATRE DESIGN Environmental theatre relies on the architecture of the theatre to aid the narrative

192

CONNECTION TO NATURE In storytelling communities, the connection to nature is imperative. This pocket courtyard is therefore placed directly behind the stage.

Even though there is not a huge amount of light accessible, it will be suitable with appropriate planting.

Environmental theatre relies on the architecture of the theatre to aid the narrative https://live.staticflickr.com/3050/2814775369_53617c6bb2_b.jpg

193

MATERI

194

SLATE TILES

SHUTTERED CONCRETE

TIMBER

IALITY

195

SE

CO

ND FL

OO

R

FI

RS

T FL

OO

R

GR

OU

ND FL

OO

R

BA

SE

ME

NT

ZONING NATURE

196

PUBLIC

DEAF

WRITER

SE

CO

ND FL

OO

R

FI

RS

T FL

OO

R

GR

OU

ND FL

OO

R

BA

SE

ME

NT

MOVEMENT

197

SE

CO

ND FL

OO

R

MOBILITY & PROXIMITY

FI

RS

T FL

OO

R

GR

OU

ND FL

OO

R

BA

SE

ME

NT

INTERACTION BETWEEN GROUPS 198

SE

CO

ND FL

OO

R

SENSORY REACH

FI

RS

T FL

OO

R

GR

OU

ND FL

OO

R

BA

SE

ME

NT

MOVEMENT VIEWS

199

INTERCON 200

NNECTION 201

XV | THE PLATFORM | St. Giles To Perform

202

203

ST GILES

St

• Memorials to Scot Burns • Heart of Midlothi • Old Tolbooth • Historic roots • Parasite to Scott • Stevenson trained south • Brodie hung at ol • Potential to brid religion

SITE AN 204

OLD TOLBOOTH | 1765

GILES

tt, Stevenson and

ian

tish religion d as a lawyer to the

ld tolbooth dge politics and

NALYSIS 205

PLATFORM COLLAGE Silent Theatre which performs an accessible interpretation of the stories of those in the Storytelling centre

206

VIEW FROM STREET WATCHING BRIDGE A bridging element which digs into the history of the site and mediates divides

207

KEY | WRITER’S USE | PUBLIC USE | DEAF EDUCATION USE

208 |

EXISTING BUILDING | PROPOSED BUILDING

ST GILES PERFORMANCE PLATFORM 209

BIRDS EYE VIE

210

EW OF PLATFORM

211

212

XVI | THE REFLECTION TOWER | Sir Basil Spence Stairs To Reflect The final destination in the writer character’s journey is reflection.

Influenced by Robert Burns’ draw to nature for therapeutic effect and his works, the tower removes the user from the busy High Street, elevating them to view the hills above the rooftops.

213

IDENTIFYING THE SITE An external staircase of the listed Sir Basil Spence housing complex is tucked away just behind the Royal mile, with many levels and turns, similarly to those experimented with in the poem translation earlier in the thesis process.

Identified as a key characteristic of Robert Burns, the stairs also has a chameleon-like quality in its materiality, with timber-cast concrete, suggesting a natural grain in an urban material.

INTENTIONS Provide spaces to escape from the world below, to reflect on the crossing between fiction and reality, considering connections made.

Identified as a key characteristic of Robert Burns, the stairs also has a chameleon-like quality in its materiality, with timber-cast concrete, suggesting a natural grain in an urban material.

Located at the ‘ruins’ and ‘caves’

214

215

CONNECTION TO BURNS MONUMENT

CONNECTION TO Natural landscape: Burns while life

216

ARTHUR’S SEAT used nature as a constant, was chaotic.

CONNECTION TO CANNONGATE CHURCH Reflection of personal relationships and individual works: view to church where Agnes MacLehose (which ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ is written about), and Robert Furgeson are buried.

217

DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES

218

The parasitic structure does not protrude further than the existing building, keeping it hidden from the activity on the Royal Mile. Similar to the bothy, there is a single heat source, a heated pipe which runs the height of the structure.

219

The tower design is based on the concepts of a traditional Scottish bothy. A bothy provides shelter of simple construction and extremely basic comfort so that the user, instead, looks out to their surrounding environment, with further appreciation for the internal comfort.

220

View to Authur’s Seat

Solid front facade as protective barrier, more open side elevation view views to nature

le Royal Mi

The parasitic structure does not protrude further than the existing building, keeping it hidden from the activity on the Royal Mile. Similar to the bothy, there is a single heat source, a heated pipe which runs the height of the structure.

221

222

Perspective view of parasitic tower in context

223

Section through tower showing parasitic structure on existing fabric

224

There is a transition point between opposing characteristics; old and new as well as urban and natural materials.

Where the concrete stair

and metal banisters run out they meet juxtaposing timber frame.

225

226

Perspective internal view showing view to Aurthur’s seat

227

Perspective demonstrating tectonic approach to design

228

Parasitic timber frame creating stairs and banisters

Heated pipe running height of structure

1 2 3 4

Composite flooring construction on steel beams

1 2 3 4

plywood battens concrete slab steel beams

229

Epilogue:

The process of working together on this project, has, in a way, become part of the thesis. Like our architectural proposals and the characters for whom they are designed, we have needed to interweave and streamline our ideas and methods, in order to successfully design and create together.

More recently, due to the challenges imposed by the Covid 19 pandemic, this collaboration has been remote from one another, consequentially altering how we were previously approaching some processes of the project.

However, our individual ideas, techniques and styles have remained sincere throughout and have been integral to the overall process and thesis outcome. Furthermore, they have been developed and enhanced through the collaboration as we have developed our styles to present one cohesive project.

The change in situation has impacted how we would have ideally presented this work, however, it present us with the opportunity to test other ways of telling the story, such as through animation. This decision led us to visualise the drawings we wanted to present in an alternative way, as scenes as opposed to more conventional drawings. Each image has been chosen for its narrative qualities. The way in which they were conceived has been more fluid, focussing on time and movement rather than static qualities. This allowed us more creative freedom when testing methods of representation.

Together, the interventions encompass a running thread of enquiry, incorporating playful interactive spaces designed at a human scale.

Extensive research established the foundations of this thesis, creating rich and complex contexts in both Edinburgh’s fiction and reality, a platform for the telling of stories untold.

230

BIBLIOGRAPHY Alberto Perez-Gomez. 2018. ‘Foreward’. In Reading Architecture - Literary Imagination and Architectural Experience. Routledge.

Bachelard, Gaston. 2014. The Poetics of Space. Revised ed. Penguin Classics.

Bleeckere, Sylvain De, and Sebastiaan Gerards. 2017. Narrative Architecture: A Designer’s Story. Taylor & Francis.

Hannah Frankman. 2017. ‘The Importance of Reading Fiction - Mission.Org - Medium’.

18 October 2017. https://medium.com/the-mission/the-importance-of-reading-fiction7f57546a229b.

Lehtinen, Heini. 2019. ‘Environments for a Happier Mind’. Environments for a Happier Mind (blog). 13 April 2019. https://medium.com/ravenandwood/environments-for-ahappier-mind-4c0e3fb3db55.

Menikoff, Barry. 2005. Narrating Scotland, the Imagination of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carloina Press.

‘Palimpsest: Literary Edinburgh’. n.d. The University of Edinburgh. Accessed 5 February 2020. https://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/english-literature/ research/palimpsest.

Phillipson, Nicholas. 1992. ‘The Athens of the North’. In Edinburgh A Celebration, 73–84. Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Ltd. & Bowman Associates Partnership.

Reclam, Hannah. n.d. ‘Performance as Therapy and Its Role in Community Healing: A Literature Review’, 34.

Sajnani, Nisha. 2013. ‘The Body Politic: The Relevance of an Intersectional Framework for Therapeutic Performance Research in Drama Therapy’. The Arts in Psychotherapy, Gender and the Creative Arts Therapies, 40 (4): 382–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. aip.2013.05.001.

Tally, Robert T. 2012. Spaciality (THe New Critical Idiom). 1st ed. Routledge.

———. 2017. The Routledge Handbook of Literature and Space. Routledge.

‘Understanding The 7 Key Elements of A Narrative’. 2018. An Arts & Literary Magazine.

From Whispers to Roars (blog). 16 January 2018. https://www.fromwhisperstoroars.com/ blog-1/2018/1/11/understanding-the-7-key-elements-of-a-narrative.

Woolf, Virginia. 1995. Orlando: A Biography. New edition edition. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions.

Artwork for collages: Rebecca Green Clover Robin Amanda White Marion Barraud

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