This thesis project analyses and proposes - the regeneration of an existing square, the demolition and redesign of existing buildings with no architectural heritage, and the re-introduction of a lost market space. The thesis work researches into how we could sensitively, and playfully bring back Bradford’s rich history into the neglected ‘Top of Town' area. By stripping back some of the modern interventions around the site, we could begin to uncover the rich layers of history embedded in the urban grain of Bradford. Through uncovering these elements that had been undermined or demolished, we could begin to reimagine them by bringing their memory back to life within a contemporary context.
“Remodelling is a process of providing a balance between the past and the future. In the process of remodelling, the past takes on a greater significance because it, itself, is the material to be altered and reshaped. The past provides the already written, the marked ‘canvas’ on which each successive remodelling will find its own place. Thus the past becomes a ‘package of sense’ of built-up meaning to be accepted (maintained, transformed or suppressed (refused).” (Machado, 1976)
