The humble-looking car park in the photograph below has been the focus of my attention for several weeks now. Not for its current purpose, but because it stands on the site where I have been briefed to design an art-house cinema as part of a contextual project. The site is in Lincoln in the centre of the cultural hub in Danesgate (just off Steep Hill), and was one of three options students could individually choose for the project.
The site visit was an early part of the project and there was no protocol for how we should go about it. I decided to work in a group with two others also working with this site and we started planning how to make the best assessment of the space. This is a crucial part of a contextual project as it is important for any building to fit into its surroundings with harmony and avoid any 'international style'. The key aspects we considered (and should always be considered), were- history, climate, geometry, materials, views, surrounding buildings, local culture, local people and function for a building in this location. We carried out research and tests into all these and then had to go through the awkward task of measuring out the site by hand. All stressful work but its amazing how much information can be gathered for such small, quiet bit of land.
Above: Fellow site-visitors with the neighbouring Collection Museum in the background.
