PAVILION | Tremenheere Art Park, Penzance | Unit 21 | 2013

CITY LIBRARY | Tangier, Morocco | Unit 21 | 2013

Pavilion

The project explores how historic events can be used as an inspiration for architectural design. The new pavilion at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens translates the past qualities of a 15th Century vineyard that previously existed on the site. Rosettes were designed based on vine-leaves that can be grown on site due to the unusual climate and soil conditions. Through physical and computer modeling, the rosettes were repeated and distorted such that spaces behind/beneath the rosette-skin will have the right qualities of light depending on their functions.

Tangier Library

Inspired by Islamic patterns and its relationships with modern technology, the design strategy for the library is based on the distortion of the hexagon grid (the basic grid of many Islamic patterns). Reflecting the different scales found within the Medina (human scale to monumental scale), the grid is distorted to a different size at different parts of the library depending on spatial functions. In order for the library to sit comfortably by the ancient Medina walls while reflecting the modernity of Tangier, the skin of the library is an extension of the medina wall, which fractures at regular intervals to reveal the digital grid hidden within. To hint at the internet culture of Tangier, this digital grid has subtle movements dictated by internet usage within library.