The following are excerpts from my graduate body of work, Harwood Community Centre. This project proposal aims to emphasise the role of buildings as social communicators and cultural hearts as well as their importance in fostering continuous and cohesive urban environments.
Harwood Community Centre is designed as an extension of the Goods Line, Powerhouse Museum and the University of Technology Sydney. This democratic and inclusive space encourages encounters and interactions among people, providing services like a general practitioner and legal aid, alongside public and private areas for work, study and play. It includes a community garden and ample restrooms, emphasising wellbeing for both adults and children.
I am an Estonian-born Australian architect, working from a fine arts background. Having grown up in a very small community, I often find my designs attempt to construct space in a way that fosters interactions between individuals. Within my work, this is often achieved by rendering the space in a functional, accessible and cohesive fashion with careful consideration of the influence and heritage of the natural environment.
Architecture is a vital tool to achieve community cohesion and interaction. This sentiment is important to my practice and is emulated within my designs.
