MSA Stage 5 School of Architecture
Alan Tennant
23 – MSA Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) Graduate
MSA Stage 5 2023/24 Student
I am very interested in the relationship between architecture and user wellbeing. In stage 5, I have worked in alignment with this interest to develop a proposal that provides users with respite from the dense and dilapidated urban environment surrounding my site, which is located in Noailles, Marseille.
I have drawn purpose in my project from the housing collapse that occurred on the 5th November 2018 on Rue d’Aubagne, which is very close to my site, in the sense that my project could act as a aid or balm to soothe the high levels of anxiety felt by residents in the area following the housing disaster.
My 5th year project aims to serve as a sanctuary or safe-haven for all residents of Noailles to enjoy, providing natural landscaping, contrasts in material, and divergences in form that give users a break from the trials and tribulations of fast-paced city life.
The project initially invites users who suffer from more severe stress and anxiety in a gentle way, providing safe, protected, private, and user control-oriented spaces (with a multitude of available uses), and then gradually introduces elements of unpredictability, communion, sharing, and social interaction in order to help residents become more socially-oriented or socially available people as a result of their experience with the architecture, if they so wish.
This gradual guidance through the scheme, from private towards public, culminates in the most community-oriented space of the design proposal, the Église conventuelle des Bénédictins, which has been repurposed as a centre for social engagement that houses open public gatherings and community art workshops.
Outwith my 5th year efforts, my own architectural leanings are directed towards a keen interest in mental health, biophilic design, and material choice. My stage 4 Research Project, which achieved an A4 grade, focused on how biophilic design and colour strategies can be used in buildings to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in long-term city dwellers. This is still an area of great interest to me, and is where I would ideally like to contribute through my work and architectural roles. In the future, I am very interested in the prospect of potentially working within the healthcare sector as an architect, or developing my interests into areas of personal expertise I can offer to a practice. My passion is architectural research, but I am very excited about the range of responsibilities I will be able to fulfil as part of my role as a practicing architect.
First-Person Perspective of Scheme fro Within Community Courtyard
Outdoor Community Courtyard Within Site Proposal
Gradual Overall Isometric Showing the Graduation from Private Towards Public Within the Scheme
Nature-Focused Private Spaces Shared Exterior Courtyard
Resident Using one of the Private Calm Rooms In the Scheme to Help Soothe their Panic Attack or Anxiety Experience
Multifunctional User Control-Focused Private Spaces of the Scheme
Stage 5 Studio and Architectural Technology Work
Alan Tennant
(He/Him/His)
23 – MSA Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) GraduateMSA Stage 5 2023/24 Student
I am very interested in the relationship between architecture and user wellbeing. In stage 5, I have worked in alignment with this interest to develop a proposal that provides users with respite from the dense and dilapidated urban environment surrounding my site, which is located in Noailles, Marseille.
I have drawn purpose in my project from the housing collapse that occurred on the 5th November 2018 on Rue d’Aubagne, which is very close to my site, in the sense that my project could act as a aid or balm to soothe the high levels of anxiety felt by residents in the area following the housing disaster.
My 5th year project aims to serve as a sanctuary or safe-haven for all residents of Noailles to enjoy, providing natural landscaping, contrasts in material, and divergences in form that give users a break from the trials and tribulations of fast-paced city life.
The project initially invites users who suffer from more severe stress and anxiety in a gentle way, providing safe, protected, private, and user control-oriented spaces (with a multitude of available uses), and then gradually introduces elements of unpredictability, communion, sharing, and social interaction in order to help residents become more socially-oriented or socially available people as a result of their experience with the architecture, if they so wish.
This gradual guidance through the scheme, from private towards public, culminates in the most community-oriented space of the design proposal, the Église conventuelle des Bénédictins, which has been repurposed as a centre for social engagement that houses open public gatherings and community art workshops.
Outwith my 5th year efforts, my own architectural leanings are directed towards a keen interest in mental health, biophilic design, and material choice. My stage 4 Research Project, which achieved an A4 grade, focused on how biophilic design and colour strategies can be used in buildings to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in long-term city dwellers. This is still an area of great interest to me, and is where I would ideally like to contribute through my work and architectural roles. In the future, I am very interested in the prospect of potentially working within the healthcare sector as an architect, or developing my interests into areas of personal expertise I can offer to a practice. My passion is architectural research, but I am very excited about the range of responsibilities I will be able to fulfil as part of my role as a practicing architect.
Contact
alantennant500@gmail.com
A.Tennant1@student.gsa.ac.ukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanctennant/
