REVIVE THE COURTYARD VENNELS
Community Center + Care Home Design
Year: 2023-2024
Type: Academic Project
Site: Stirling, Scotland, UK
Program: Community center design
Role: Individual Work
Inspired by Herzberger, I strive to explore a systematic architectural approach, incorporating it into the nuanced operations of the ancient site; seeking coexistence between old and new, while carefully designing based on human behavior and experience. The idea of this “structure” comes directly from the vennels on the site. A series of walls are generated alongside some divisions of ancient territories as a historic call back to Stirling.
A typical layout of medieval age can be found somewhere in Scottish cities and towns. A plan originating from the reign of King David I, 1124-1153, who viewed the planning of burghs as a way of gaining control. As the same as Edinburgh and St Andrews, the “Royal Burgh” in Stirling developed on the steep slopes below the castle before the 19th century, with a medieval layout in which land was divided in long narrow plots, which are called “vennels” in Scottish word.
The characteristic division of the territory causes each building around the courtyard to extend inward along the direction of the vennel, creating a series of nearly parallel spatial boundaries in today's urban maps.
Behind the bustling high street, the semi-public space between public and private appears to be a neglected area. Instead of fostering neighborhood interactions, these spaces not only block connections between different corners of the courtyard (due to geographical factors) but also become chaotic places where nobody wishes to linger.
In this situation, an architecture system can be a catalyst to revive the courtyard space. It will create new functions that bringing people together, relink the circulation around courtyards, reorganize the space to avoid the mess, and increase the diversity of life.
