PATH CONCEPTS

The project emphasises a sense of journey. The buildings act both as a destination and as a starting point for adventures beyond. The incorporated walkways connect the different buildings and allow people to explore the boundary where water meets land.

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SITE PLAN

This most recent project as part of Stage 3, is a music retreat fro children and community performance hall in Balloch, for the music charity Sistema. The proposal uses active and passive systems that utilise the environmental nature of the site which include the bank of the River Leven just before it joins Loch Lomond, and an island facing the bank. The retreat is on stilts which straddles the boundary between the island and the water. The island provides seclusion whilst still engaging with the town. It takes precedent from ancient Crannogs once found on the loch often built for defensive purposes.

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AXONOMETRIC

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GROUND + 1ST FLOOR PLANS

An island denotes isolation. The water acts as a defensive barrier and gives the retreat a sense of protection, in a location that is open and public. The client expressed that the trip was equally an opportunity for the children to get out of the city and be in nature as it was about learning music. I wanted to foster this. The island allows for the children to have space to explore freely without any interaction with the public.

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DETAILED SECTION

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MODELS

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SITING AND FORM CONCEPT

The offsite Brettstaple construction allow for easy and sustainable deconstruction as the panels can be readily reused. All that is left is the recycled aggregate concrete foundation, which creates a platform for new interventions or a simple public space. This was to mimic the man-made islands, which is all that is left behind from the ancient Crannog structures. The temporary nature of the retreat suggests the island is only borrowed and what is left is a space for the community to inhabit.

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MUSIC RETREAT + COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE HALL

The community performance hall acts as front door to the music retreat. This is to encourage chance happenings as well as organised engagement between the community, visitors and those on the music retreat.

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Zoë Hyatt is a RIBA part 1 graduate of The Mackintosh School of Architecture. She approaches every project with empathy and care and is concerned with community empowerment and site specific sensitivity. Zoë’s projects often reference the vernacular with particular emphasis on Scottish heritage.

Zoë prioritises the needs of the client and skilfully combines efficient design with creative solutions for social sustainability.

Growing up in Glasgow she is passionate about giving communities a voice and has been involved with community engagement throughout Scotland. When working with WAVEparticle she helped with workshops and a series of government-supported charrettes. Being part of the arts organisation taught her to approach her own projects more creatively and with an open mind.
She prioritises context specific design and tailors each project to the specific needs of the local community. She believes sustainable architecture should empower and celebrate the community in which it is sited.

She is interested in the use of traditional craft and knowledge in a contemporary context. She has taken part in 1:1 builds including a Lime burning ‘working party’ with The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Through practical experience she seeks to gain a better understanding of the materials and construction and is eager to build upon this skill set.

Zoë has a pragmatic approach to design and has fostered a practice based on investigation and understanding. She is compassionate and navigates her work in order to enrich people’s experience of landscape, culture and community.