How can architecture embody the culture of a traditional marketplace, in a way that incorporates identity, diversity and integration?
Croydon is acknowledged as a new city business centre, called a “vision of the future” by Croydon Vision 2020 and Croydon‘s Supplementary planning document 2016. This town has been designated for development as a new commercial area to attract large investors and developers, such as Stanhope, Westfield and Hammersfield. Although both projects have played a key role in the shaping of the town, as well as the urban social fabric and context, it is not widely acknowledged that these diverse and traditional local street stalls and shops can be poorly integrated. This project endeavours to embrace this diversity, as well as value the past.
By focusing on the traditional street-market culture in Croydon, this project is both locally contextual and globally relevant due to the diverse international cultural background of Croydon, London. Understanding and developing a model by which anyone can make a contribution to street-market culture, while retaining local heritage and traditions, is becoming increasingly important in today’s society.
In creating a hub that facilitates cultural exchange, the proposal looks to build upon Croydon’s existing diverse community, and regenerate and celebrate the commercial context that makes a traditional street market possible.
This project aims to alter the current plan for Ruskin Square in East Croydon for one to three floors of offices and restaurants to a 24 hours open local market as a micro-circular economy world.. This will provide the local communities with a space for trade and leisure over time. This market will be a public space that encourages local residents to buy local products and goods. This is a strategy intended to reduce the demand for food from outside Croydon, further encouraging the establishment of small local enterprises.
This project allows for a social value a social value in Ruskin Square whereby organizations meet the needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole-life basis, generating benefits to society and the economy while minimizing idle space.
This document reports on the speculative management for the design and construction of “a new mall,” which is intended to create a new business model incorporating traditional street markets. It explores the evolving role of the architect and the relationships with the different stakeholders, which depend on the procurement route.
Design concepts:
According to my investigation, there are many local communities and institutions surrounded this site location, where include transport facilities, schools, department stores, office buildings, government agencies, churches and other local infrastructure.
Therefore, the main design concepts for this project is “being a connection”. Through the uniqueness of the site itself opens its accessibilities for people in order to drive the whole area of liquidity.
In addition, using the existing transports facilities near the site, such as: roads, railway station, tram, bus station link external institutions and other cities to became a central hub. It might stimulate the activities of local communities and improve local micro-business meanwhile shop owners can deliver conveniently for goods into this market.
Strategy:
The strategy of project is to respect the current architectural planning of Ruskin Square in East Croydon by Forster and the Partners. This project slightly modify the original plan of one to three office floors, using these three floors change into an open the local market as a public space.
