Located in Blackpool, the Winter Gardens complex hosts the Pavilion Theatre alongside a variety of other significant buildings. The site should aim to provide a contemporary solution to a dissipating culture: Theatre.
Originally, the chosen typologies included free trade zones and food trucks, however, after further research into the site, it became apparent that every prime minister since WWII had addressed an audience at the venue. Due to this, conference centres have become the main typology whereby free trade and food could become integrated as a secondary element.
The Winter Gardens presents an abundance of activities and possibilities with its rich historic value, but subsequently encourages the interjection of a new typology to provide purpose to the site, of which is now a collection of confusing and clashing buildings with no inclusion of physical winter gardens.
By re-purposing the theatre to hold a debating chamber, the public can view this from above, resulting in a power play. The focus of the ‘conference centre’ is to discuss sustainability issues, therefore, plants will surround the areas for not just aesthetic reasons, but also providing purpose to plant production (milk thistle) and offering jobs for the residents of Blackpool.
As the majority of the buildings in the complex do not need re-building, the main areas of renovation and intervention include: The pavilion theatre, open courtyard space, and meeting/ conference rooms.
Seaweed bio-plastic will provide alternative materiality to encourage sustainability and calmness will assist the narrative of the project as an ‘urban oasis’.