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The Restoration Workshop

Part 2 Project 2024
Jordan Taggart
Ulster University | UK
This project explores the question ‘How can a community timber workshop address the mental health crisis in Belfast?’.

Largely inspired by Men’s Sheds, I aimed to design a building which would have a positive impact on the Short Strand area by offering practical help with the ever-growing mental health crisis in Belfast. This would be achieved through the proposal of a building which would offer the opportunity for like-minded people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and share skills, experiences and conversation, ultimately providing a safe space in which the two communities which have remained largely segregated from one another due to the Troubles, to begin to build relationships.

The structure serves as a celebration of timber, demonstrating the architectural versatility of the material and providing a source of inspiration to those who utilize the building. The proposed building consists of two tower-like structures, connected through a shared basement. The exterior of the timber towers is clad in polycarbonate, which when illuminated at night appears as a beacon stretching high into the city skyline. The Restoration Workshop provides a safe space in which people can escape feelings of loneliness and despair through companionship.


Tutor(s)

2024
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