The Labyrinth and the Cocoon Part 1 Project 2023 Timothy Turner University of Hertfordshire | UK The project uses phenomenology to create an innovative learning environment, retrofitting a university building with a classical reinterpretation of the existing structure, juxtaposed against a sustainable, constructivist, cocooning auditorium.The parasite grew throughout the design process, its angular exoskeleton contrasting with the harmony and rhythm of the playful arches, their proportion and scale allowing the interior volumes to be read from the façade. This juxtaposition continues inside, with half of the building housing brightly lit modular, community study spaces, and half more intimate, private spaces, lit by a smaller atrium, with each room curated for its program.Natural, locally sourced materiality, solar panels and passive HVAC systems, combined with sustainable reuse of the building structure and biodiverse planting throughout combine to make a zero-carbon project.Phenomenology guided much of the design: each half has a separate light environment and volumes are carved out of the building. Beneath the auditorium, the timber supports delineate a semi-permeable, sheltered, modular space. Voids, compression and light guide visitors up the accessible path, a route designed for contemplation, using time and distance to create mental and physical separation between the campus and the lecture hall destination, preparing you to enter the relaxed, studious cocoon above. Tutor(s)