Case Study: Architecture to Connect The Harris Museum- Year 1 Architecture Students Re-imagining the Architectural Role for Improving Community Connection

Abstract

The Twenty-First Century witnessed a significant shift in museums’ nature and definition, but the most important thing to mark is the rise in awareness of, particularly local, museums’ role towards their local community, and their responsibility to ‘CONNECT’ to their audience on various levels. Generally, it is important to acknowledge that museums, as cultural institutions, represent a very important architectural typology; museums contribute to the definition and celebration of cities’ identities; probably replacing the ancient domination of religious/spiritual buildings, to identify the shift from religious to cultural representation as one of the major ‘place’ characteristic.

This paper documents a semi-life project experience for Year One BSc Architecture Design Studio. The demonstrated design project intended to introduce Level 4 architecture students to an approach for perceiving architecture as a connecting catalyst within its context; where they were asked to study, analyse, and resolve their design proposals as ‘a layer that connects …’.

The paper demonstrates the collaboration between the design studio and The Harris Museum, Library and Art Gallery (1882-93), which is currently searching for new ideas for engagement with the public; Re-imagining the Harris is a new project through which The Harris actively opens the doors for discussions, particularly with young generations, to know more about what the people of Preston, as well as the wider Lancashire, actually expect and require from The Harris as a cultural hub.

Not only the paper would present the contribution of this project to the overall year pedagogical objectives and learning outcomes, but would mainly demonstrate a classification to the students’ design proposals in regards to their analysis of various special challenges of The Harris and its connection to the public.

The project received good feedback from the museum’s leading team, where a sample of the students’ design proposals were displayed at The Harris for raising public awareness of the museum’s engagement. The display period also witnessed the Heritage Lottery Fund’s visit to the museum, as part of The Harris’ £10M bid application discussion.