AJ Student Prize 2024: University of Strathclyde

About

Undergraduate

Struan Morrison

Course BSc (Hons) Architectural Studies
Studio/unit brief Unit 1
Project title Leith Central Arts

Project description Neglected since the 1980s, the former Leith Central Train Station, once an inspiration for sets in the film Trainspotting, based on the Irvine Walsh novel, is now a shadow of its former self. The masterplan proposed here seeks to rejuvenate this area by transforming the station site into a community hub and further spaces for living, working and leisure. Central to the plan is a public building that reclaims the historic thoroughfare of Kirkgate as Leith’s focal point, catalysing regeneration and decentralising Edinburgh’s core. The Central Arts programme also suggests that art can be used for driving community cohesion, through diverse spaces for exhibitions, education, work, retail and dining. The main feature of the building is a circulation drum with central pool of water to symbolise its position in Leith.

Tutor citation Taking on a tricky site at the former Leith railway station, Struan’s masterplan proposes a series of subtle and innovative interventions that also retain and enhance the existing buildings. The design is ambitious and completely convincing in repairing a damaged urban area. Gordon McGregor

Postgraduate

Jakob Young

Course MArch in Advanced Architectural Design
Studio/unit brief Responsibility (Studio 06: Assembly)
Project title Beyond the School Gates: The High-Street School

Project description Education has a dilemma: reconciling the avant-garde ideas of ‘de-schoolers’ with parents’ expectations. Present trends show a shift to more equipped but isolated institutions. This thesis advocates for a transformation in secondary school design, challenging the notion of segregated institutions confined by gates, playgrounds and walls. It envisions educational spaces as a communal asset instead, through the concept of a ‘high-street’ school. Rooted in Colin Ward’s metaphor of nurturing children as flowers, the project is structured around nine chapters from ‘seed production’ to ‘cycle repeat,’ encouraging students to take control of their learning. The project is implemented in the economically deprived neighbourhood of Springburn, Glasgow, and the architect is reimagined as a ‘neighbourhood caretaker’ working hand-in-hand with the students. The thesis culminates in a manifesto: for student consultation, conceptual modular educational pavilions, a new school bus and ‘caretaker’s factory’.

Tutor citation This is a compelling project spanning radical pedagogy, architecture as a support structure and how we might better organise education. Jakob has created a project that explodes contemporary understandings of what a school is. Neil McGuire, Hazel Wallace