Bachelor of Architecture
Matthew Hargreaves
Chorlton for All Ages
This project began from an initial meeting I had with Valuing Older People, a division of Manchester City Council, as in 2010 they were successful in their application for Manchester to be granted Age Friendly City status and wished to collaborate with local partners, including architecture students, to develop an understanding of what an Age Friendly Manchester actually means, with the Manchester ward of Chorlton being chosen to develop these ideas further. This project has been to develop proposals for Chorlton District Centre focussing on the needs of age groups that are often excluded by design processes, i.e. older and younger people, to design a scheme that is as accessible as possible, with the aim of developing a better understanding of the Age-Friendly city concept for Manchester, and to help VOP in making a case for the Chorlton District Centre regeneration.
My design transforms the heart of Chorlton from an outdated 1970s shopping precinct and overbearing office block, into a vibrant mixed-use community function environment and public civic centre. Although the site still remains a predominantly retail environment, a number of additional buildings and spaces are provided in response to my initial site analysis and literature review to make it a more accessible environment for people of all ages. The interconnected nature of the internal and external spaces has been designed to promote the idea of Intergenerational Design, a concept that derives from analysis of my public consultation events, bringing generations together to create a more cohesive community.
m.j.hargreaves@hotmail.co.uk
www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=145140294&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro
Chorlton District Centre
Chorlton event space
Site section through central public space and 'hang-out' building
Section through typical shop unit
Chorlton Arts Hub
