Why has the seaside town of Margate attracted attention from final year students at two architecture schools in London – Central St Martins, whose degree show opened on the 22nd of June, and now the MA Interior Design at the Royal College of Art (RCA).
With a recorded history going back over 750 years, Margate’s history is intimately connected with the sea, having been a “limb” of the Cinque Port, Dover, and a leading seaside resort for at least 250 years, with a major rail station for the crowds of holdaymakers who came down from London. A reflection of the power of the sea and of climatic change, its Victorian Pier was destroyed in a storm in 1978 and was never rebuilt, perhaps reflecting the decline of Margate as a seaside resort.
With the arrival of Turner Contemporary five years ago, Margate has built a new identity as a centre for artists and galleries such as the Vortigen Gallery. The Interior Design Students from the RCA have proposed a number of projects, which move into from interior design into architecture and urban regeneration.
Katelin Kristof proposes Climatic Baths built in the sea as a public amenity to give people a deeper understanding of the changing relationship with nature, celebrating the long relationship between Margate and the sea, while Takuma-yoshimi proposes “Learning, Meaking Breaking” a new inspirational educational destination for Margate,
The future of Arlington House in Margate is examined in a number of projects including “Tasty Home: We Invite You” which proposes residential apartments and community spaces to be run by the diverse immigrant communities within Margate with a focus on food and cooking, and is proposed to include a project where the occupants open their kitchens once a month to celebrate their own international food and recipes . Meanwhile, Cassie Buckhart brings Margate into the 21st century with a new “Data Farm”
Other students looked at opportunities within existing buildings in London, including “Inspire” by Eve Hoffman which considers how to create therapeutic “escape spaces” within empty church spires in London and Zara Ashby’s “Nation 25: Embassy for the Transient” which proposes taking 94 Piccadilly, currently proposed to be redeveloped as one of the most exclusive and expensive houses in London, and giving it a new use as a showcase into other cultures in London and across the world – a highly relevant project in this post-BREXIT week where London is seeking to redefine its international identity.
Interior design and social responsibility combine together in these projects which show the imagination of students that the UK needs to harness for the future development of places such as Margate and London.
