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Project: Youth Shelter
Location: Wolverhampton, UK
Architects: Sjölander da Cruz Architects
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Sjölander da Cruz Architects have completed this design for an innovative youth shelter located adjacent to a skate park in the heart of Wolverhampton as part of an initiative organised by MADE (Midlands Architecture + The Designed Environment). The project was designed in partnership with artist Gwen Heeney after close consultation with the users of the skate park and draws inspiration from the movement of the human body.
The site for the youth shelter is located in the centre of an inner-city traffic island that for many years was deserted and empty, but since 2003 has been home to a local council run skate park. With the addition of the skate park and subsequently the youth shelter, the site has been rejuvenated and is now a vibrant addition to the city centre.
The design process took place during a number of workshops held on site with the youth who use the skate park, during the workshops the practice worked with the young people, investigating the individual qualities, associations and features of the site and the identities, activities and ideas of the young people. The architects explored the movement of the skaters, bmxers and b laders when skating and performing tricks, large canvases were spread across the skate ramps and sculptures were formed from willow, clay and wire to capture and interpret the movement of the activities taking place on site.
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The final design takes its inspiration from these sketches, models and sculptures produced during the workshops and seeks to capture the form of the human body in movement. The design consists of two primary elements, firstly the base is a robust undulating form that provides a surface for sitting, relaxing and even skating on. Secondly a dynamic free form steel canopy cantilevers over the base providing an element of shelter.
The workshops culminated in an event held during Architecture Week where a local skate competition was combined with workshops within which the youths were given disposal cameras and asked to capture images of the skate park, textures of the urban environment and things that were important to them. The resultant collection of photographs was hugely successful and were featured in an exhibition in the towns new art gallery.
The young people from the skate park were encouraged to maintain their involvement with the project right through the process and they were able to participate in the construction of the shelter, carving the brick base and imprinting its surface with relief artworks. Their continued involvement helped to develop a sense of ownership of the project within the local community and has contributed to its success and popularity with the local young people.
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