Imagined in the heart of Brixton, nestled between the towering railway viaducts and surrounded by vibrant creative and cultural layers of significance, there stands a School for Arts and Culture, implicitly intended for local artists, makers, traders— but most emphatically, intended for the passer-by or commuter on foot. After all, the building was not designed with function in mind, not in the conventional sense, but rather with the aim of evoking enchantment and identity in a world that is sorely lacking in both.

Spaces are loaded with an intended atmosphere, almost like designing a set of empty buildings with no purpose, like temples found among urban woods shaped like brick arcades, or a monastery on a mountain-top — where the absence of functional information sparks the imagination, as opposed to arresting it. A formal artefact, which has a continued use that is indeterminate, where, much like a serpentine pavilion, the Abrahamic Family House, or a London warehouse, the sheer consideration of space and form fosters a destination where local identities and narratives can grow and evolve.

Architectural practice has long been preoccupied with rationality and function, but today’s world calls for something different. Renowned thinkers and practitioners across disciplines have called for a shift that recognises the existential commonalities that unite us all, beyond crucial yet conflicting concerns that distract us from one of the most basic and human factors — how a space makes us feel. This thesis proposes a design process that places experience as function in itself — with the aim to facilitate the design and communication of a relatable architecture that we will want to preserve.

This building stands as a testament to this philosophy and process, seeking to create a space that engenders what I call resonance; a subconscious dialogue between our emotions, sensations, and memories, and the stimulation and fascination of our minds.

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This research has very contemporary implications: for a start, the process and principles are scalable and adaptable to diverse contexts. Furthermore, the variety of processes, theories, and emerging technologies such as AI bring forward the relevance of an architectural language that is necessary to navigate an increasingly lexical world of design and production.

Additionally, community engagement is more widespread, and having the tools to exchange the information that is valuable for our stakeholders, including experiential, subjective information, is a crucial necessity for design.

It is now time for architects to step up our game, and develop a reliable design philosophies and principles that will help us filter through the noise with conviction and decision, to facilitate the design of resonant spaces instead. Not everything that looks like a building is fit for life, but we can begin fostering an education and practice that brings about a world that engages our spirit, nourishes our imagination and elevates our communities for generations to come.

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