Natalia Mokras

The concept for my final project was based on a collection of thoughts and observations which developed and evolved from my own way of working over both semesters in the WaterLands studio.

For project one Look Out/Look In I used my hands to explain the concept of my design in gathering and holding water. For Strangely Familiar I investigated the Ruthin Craft centre by Sergison Bates which would inform and inspire my own project.

The Newcastle Art and Crafts centre is situated on a site which is ‘an island that is not an island’ which was part of the studio theme. It is not fully surrounded by water but due to its location it is prone to flooding and often not accessible as it is at certain times of the year. As a student in the WaterLands Studio flooding is something I didn’t want to shy away from but rather embrace and work with the landscape especially in our current changing climate. 

I was inspired by David Chipperfield’s Rowing Museum in how it deals with flooding, and the sequence of spaces in Alvar Aalto’s Säynätsalo Town Hall. My project has a hybrid structure of raft and timber super structure which is elevated off the ground by 1.5m allowing flooding to occur while allowing easily accessibility via the bridge, the lower ramps and the exterior landscape space which forms steps to connect the levels, like an external theatre. The building programme includes workshops, lecture spaces, a flexible auditorium as well as a number of gallery spaces all ranging in size. The building proposes a new intergenerational facility to celebrate craft and the need for the expression of the handmade.

I am currently in placement and looking forward to returning in the future to complete my masters degree at the university.