MArch 01
Leeds School of Architecture 2020 - 2021
Cinematic Commons
Cinematic Commons, our architectural design studio, is a unique hub that seamlessly blends the realms of cinema and architecture. At Cinematic Commons, we understand that both these disciplines share a common language: the art of storytelling. Our studio aims to portray the perfect harmony between form and function, intertwining the captivating elements of film with the practicality of architectural design. Drawing inspiration from the precedence of cinematic history, we evoke a powerful agenda for our architectural interventions. The initial starting point is to create a film portraying the world whilst studying during a global pandemic.
Inward / Outward
Humanity has managed to come together and take what little positives the year 2020 had to offer. These shorts are an expression of the time lost and spent isolated inside our homes, living entire life cycles through the confines of our four walls. How monotonous routine can have large effects on the human psyche, the desires to form personal connections with those around us, as well as reminiscing on what came before and look forward to the future.
Perennial Space:
The Kouta Centre for Rehabilitation
This escapism evokes a proposition as to how the architectural intervention can detach the individual from social injustices and reclaim a sense of health and wellbeing, the centre invites the patient on a journey of both spiritual and physical reclamation and enlightenment, following a labyrinth of atmospheric spaces which will rehabilitate the subject and allow them to return to society. The city ward of Shibuya is the location for this proposal, situated due West nearby the famous Shibuya crossing on a boulevard named Douganzaka.
The premise of Perennial Space focuses toward a futuristic Tokyo in the year 2035. This theoretical proposal emphasises the use of escaping within architecture. Japanese society has developed a culture in which work is everything, you live and breathe your job, this study investigates how this dangerously high working mentality can affect people’s thoughts, feelings and actions. The Kouta Centre for Rehabilitation derives from the need to escape the everyday working machine, get away from the noise and the stresses of the city whilst remaining inside it.
A Glitch in the System
The project concludes with a short animation film, taking precedent from anime ‘Ghost in the Shell’ and ‘Invincible’. The story follows four protagonists based on the ethos of the Cinematic Commons design studio. Implementing these characters within the final architectural intervention, the proposal was designed to counteract an unhealthy working agenda in Japan as demonstrated within the film, and the proposed scheme aims to be the solution for the community of Shibuya.