THE CRAFTSMAN CONSERVATORY

The proposal focuses on the preservation of traditional skills through the introduction of innovative materials, manifesting the ideas of The Craftsman by Richard Sennet. Located in Little Britain, adjacent to the City and Guilds Group, the school offers pottery and woodwork classes with access to an extensive material library, available to both students and visiting researchers. The studio spaces, experimentation lab and heritage studio promote inter-disciplinary craft practise with expertise from off-site material laboratories to teach students to craft using new mediums. The artists’ housing is adjacent to the workshops, and the idea of communal living allows a constant exchange of ideas among peers. The key entrance space of the observation tower looms over the school and offers multiple viewpoints over the city. Embedded within are exhibition spaces and studios, designed to pay homage to the craft of joinery.