Degree Show 2024

To begin this project, I reflected on the experience I had on my trip to Fort William. What I saw, how it felt to be in the landscape and what potential the space had. I enjoy the ability to roam in the countryside, the lack of rigid infrastructure that the natural world presents us. This contrasts with the hard boundaries in Fort William, the A82 especially, and how this impacts movement through the town and its connection with the wider landscape. Going forward with the design, I wanted to create a space that could reconnect people with Loch Linnhe, bringing the potential for greater development within the town. Another way of recognising the importance of the landscape through the design would be to reference the vast contrasting scales that you experience in the area, for example, looking at the size of buildings compared to the mountains helps to reinforce the point of importance that the hills surrounding have. Therefore, I want to take this effect and use it in the design. Creating a design that emphasises the large scale of a solid structure and the littleness of the people using it. Encouraging an urge to roam through the building as if it is a new rural landscape waiting to be explored.

I chose this site as it gave me an opportunity to explore an adaptive re-use method by using an existing structure, which also set some guidelines for my design initially. The site also has an uninterrupted view of Loch Linnhe on the North-West facing façade and meets the pedestrianised High Street on the South-East facing façade, which means that there was an opportunity to reconnect the community with the dramatic landscape using views and natural light.

The function of this building is a Dry-Stone Walling workshop which is a traditional skill that has been used for hundreds of years in rural parts of the UK. This workshop would be important in restoring culture in the area as Dry-Stone Walling is a dying craft due to more efficient building methods.This workshop also wouldn’t need any machinery meaning the operational energy of the building will be reduced. This building will be open to both visitors and local people, providing apprenticeship opportunities for this traditional craft to ensure the knowledge is being shared with the local community, boosting their economy and landscape.

In conclusion, I think this project balances the private and public spaces well with a journey through the building that simulates climbing a man-made mountain. I think the design provides opportunities for tourism to grow but also provides growth in the community, increasing economy and knowledge. I think this is more important that the residential retreat in the building, as local will be living with this building and should be able to use it in numerous ways throughout the year, meaning the building never needs to have an off season and due to loose-fit design the spaces are easily adaptable, giving opportunities for the locals to use the design to their needs. This ‘free to roam’ design encompasses the attitudes of rural communities, sharing and learning about their environment to respect their surroundings and each other.