ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION DRAWING TOGETHER
MAY 2020
On May 14th as part of the Architecture Foundation 100 day Studio NMLA hosted a collective drawing event. At a time where people are physically separate, we were delighted to bring a large group together to draw. The event allowed a new level of participation in our studio’s collective drawing practice.
Participants were split into a series of ‘breakout rooms’, each led by someone from NMLA. A journey was narrated that encouraged people to draw themselves in the windows of their homes, then come to the street to clap and interact with one another, and finally to collectively design a public space. This narrative created a series of detailed, imagined scenes that have been combined into one colourful tapestry.
The event finished in unison with Thursday’s Clap for Our Carers, with the drawing revealed alongside a soundtrack by composer Kevin Pollard.
To view the final drawing and watch the video please go to our Instagram feed here.
AYR MASTERPLAN
FEBRUARY 2017
In collaboration with acclaimed international land artist Charles Jencks the masterplan for Ayr has been given planning consent. The project has been conceived as an urban square next to the River Ayr that will be used for festivals and events.
The scheme, focuses around a new glazed structure, that will open up a number of views blocked by post-war development and includes commercial, cultural, leisure, community, hotel and residential buildings. South Ayrshire Council has already committed to building a new council office for 350 of its staff as part of the scheme.
Ayr Renaissance began purchasing the mainly 20th century buildings on the site almost four years ago with funding from the council and the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
Demolition will begin immediately on the buildings within the plot, which falls inside the Ayr Central Conservation, following the approval for the masterplan by South Ayrshire Council last week.
Archaeologists will work alongside the demolition contractors in preparation for a six-month dig.
James Knox, chairman of Ayr Renaissance, said: ‘This decision marks a turning point in the fortunes of Ayr. Decades of blight will be swept away, opening up the river to the town’s people for the first time in generations. ‘Our masterplan offers a humane and beautiful solution to the transformation of this key site, which will act as a magnet for visitors, office workers and inhabitants alike. It marks a sea change in the economy of the town.’