InterWoven Lives
InterWoven Lives explores how architecture can act as a framework for care, coexistence and social connection. Located in Old Trafford, Manchester, the project responds to the growing issue of homelessness and the exclusion of companion animals from many support services. Through research into hostile architecture, social stigma and pet ownership among vulnerable communities, the proposal reimagines housing and support spaces as environments that strengthen relationships between people, animals and the wider community existing in the youth centre under the KYLCC church.
The project combines temporary accommodation, a support centre and community facilities within a shared architectural landscape. Courtyards, communal gardens, animal-centred spaces and social gathering areas are carefully integrated to encourage everyday interaction, reduce isolation and create opportunities for mutual support. Rather than treating circulation as a purely functional requirement, spaces such as the Social Stair become places for exchange, play and collective occupation. The proposal explores how architecture can foster healing, dignity and social inclusion through a network of interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces of different typologies. Material explorations such as glass bricks and envrionmentally conscious structural strategies were carried out in this project, showing care for the environment and surrounding context.
My work is driven by an interest in socially responsive architecture that prioritises care, belonging and human experience. I am particularly interested in how architecture can support vulnerable communities while fostering meaningful relationships between people, animals and nature, challenging conventional design approaches to address social and environmental issues.. Through a combination of research-led design, technical resolution and visual storytelling, I explore how buildings can become active participants in creating healthier, more connected communities. My work seeks to balance conceptual thinking with practical design solutions, creating spaces that are not only functional and sustainable but also empathetic, inclusive and rooted in everyday life.
