Brickin' it
From my time in the CPU atelier, I found the intersection of advanced computational design and traditional skills to be greatly interesting. My early research uncovered the fact that a lot of what we consider "high-tech" architecture is meerly a modern technique of rediscovering and recreating ancient construction methods. This formed the basis of my design thesis and became "Brickin' it." - an exploration of how to merge the two worlds of advanced digital design and traditional construction techniques.
‘Brickin’ it.’ is a design proposal aimed at alleviating job loss from automation by redefining the factory typology. By blending technological innovation with traditional skills, the site becomes a melting pot of serendipitous collaboration and skill sharing, helping vocational workers gain experience with digital technologies, and providing digital technicians with hands-on experience of material processing. The architecture forms a semi-permeable membrane, uniting specialized program areas with strong visual connections and communal spaces that encourage conversations between site users. Through this osmosis, knowledge is shared and skills develop naturally over time, fostering a culture of symbiosis that helps the collective to achieve more than they could individually.
The concept reimagines Stockport by shaking off the title of the “10 minute commuter town” and embracing its identity as an industrial hub once more. Currently there’s a global conversation about the future of robotics, 3D printed construction and their impact on human development both on earth and beyond. ‘Brickin’ it.’ seeks to envision Stockport at the centre of this conversation and poses the question “what can we learn from the past to help us build a better future?”
