This project was recognised with the 2025 RIBA Student Award & nominated for the Bronze RIBA President’s Medal 2025

The Art of Continuity

2024 - 2025

The Living Museum

Concept

Reviving Tradition, Shaping the Future

Introduction

This project involved designing a multifunctional, sustainable, and resilient building responding to an ambiguous territory in Ipswich: A former industrial site. It was to accommodate social, public, and commercial uses, promoting inclusivity, community engagement and appropriate long-term sustainability goals, supporting a variety of user needs. The proposal would prioritise sustainability through passive systems, environmentally considerate materials and innovative systems.

Proposal

‘The Art of Continuity’ envisions an academy dedicated to preserving traditional craftsmanship while pioneering sustainable yacht production. Located at the intersection of heritage and innovation, this project celebrates the timeless artistry of yacht design by nurturing the next generation of master craftsmen/women. By redefining tradition with a contemporary, eco-conscious approach, the design weaves cultural continuity into the fabric of a sustainable future.

Three major sustainability strategies implemented were: The planted intervention with courtyards and gardens to dilute urbanisation, renewable energy integration with south facing solar panels and the adaptive reuse of existing, disused industrial structures.

Building on Heritage

Adaptive Reuse

Built in the late 19th Century, Public Warehouse No.1 is of historical importance, recognised for its industrial heritage value. Originally used as a grain store for the port of Ipswich, this is re-purposed with three individual workshops, a space centralised within the campus.

Providing a clean and safe environment - both the painting and varnishing workshops are fitted with vertical exhausts for clean air circulation. The space is redefined as a circulation hub, moving students, workers, staff and the public between public, educational and fabrication zones.

Building on Heritage to Secure a Sustainable Future

Damp-proof Layer

Aluminium Plate

Head Fixing Joint

Timber Fixing Beam

Channel Glass

Steel Column

Weatherproof Sealant

Foundation

Corrugated Copper

Sheet Copper

Thermal Break Insulation Fixing

Foil-Backed Rigid Insulation

Galvanised Metal Deck

Aluminium Glazing Frame

Wall Fixing Joint

Steel Structure

Triple Glazing

Gasket

Polished Steel Sheet Wrap

Retaining Face Plate

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Project Two