Showcase 2024 Student Spotlight: Elliot Tiney
Student Spotlight featuring BArch (Hons) Architecture, Elliot Tiney, and his project, 'Carpentry as the Catalyst; The Sustainable Future of Nottingham'.
By Antonio Cuyas | Published on 17 May 2024
Categories: Student Showcase; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment;
The project
The facility focuses on enhancing the traditional carpentry craft with biomaterials to provide sustainable alternatives for the future. Nottingham will be opened up for a sustainable future, bringing back what was once there: a booming industry. From the lace industry to the biomaterial industry, this transformation aims to knit the community back together for the future.
The main concept is centered around the idea of "attachment"—how the architecture can serve as a bridge between past and present communities, moving into the future through an educational process. With a biophilic enhancement to carpentry, the local communities will be educated on sustainability, ensuring that future generations understand how to address it.
Historic elements of the site have been revived to connect with the past. Areas of the site have been preserved, working together to provide for the future. This future is embodied in the education facility and the educational outcomes it will achieve.
Within the building, a new learning technique is employed: the idea of "Learning by Doing." This creative approach to learning allows for collaborative, wellbeing, and inclusive benefits for students. This strategy is implemented within the "Open Space Learning" areas for the Carpentry and Biomaterial departments. Additional facilities are provided to knit the community together, including an exhibition space, a café, and a large community atrium.
The facility adopts a constant recycling process. Students can grow biomaterials on-site for use in carpentry and construction, which can then be distributed to the local community. Renewable materials are incorporated into the construction, with a strong emphasis on timber revival. This approach positions the building itself as an educator, promoting a sustainable future!
Inspiration behind the project
The inspiration behind this concept of ‘attachment’ has stemmed from Elliot's interest in history. How he can use his interests in a conceptual form. This aims to attach past communities to the present ones, with the aim to re-attach for the future.
With architecture being constantly affected by sustainability, Elliot was inspired to produce a project that tackles sustainability in an innovative way. Through researching biomaterials and how this can be the future to sustainability, he was really inspired to progress with this theme to not only produce sustainable architecture but to educate and inspire himself and others to design with greater awareness and detail toward this.
The idea of sustainable technology and reviving timber construction within Nottingham inspired Elliot. Key buildings I was inspired by are; Tamedia Office Building - Shigeru Ban Architects, The Black & White Building – Waugh Thistleton Architects, The Carbon Neutral Laboratory - Fairhursts Design Group and Rebel – Studioninedots.
Being Part of NTU
Studying Architecture at NTU has allowed Elliot to express his personal interests and ideas into his work, whilst providing him with new skills he never knew he had both in technology and communication skills. The facilities and services the university provided have been exceptional. The tutors have supported Elliot throughout his time at NTU and have given them excellent opportunities as a year group, his two favourites being their second year trip to Bristol and their third year study trip to Venice and Verona.
Closing Remarks
Architecture is known to be one of the most challenging degrees to take. However, when times get tough be sure to think of the end goal and the self-achievements this will bring, it’s all worth it in the end when you see what you’ve achieved! One of the things I enjoy most about this degree is seeing the end product after months of work, from an initial concept phase to a final design!
Want to find out more?
Visit the Student Showcase website and follow our Instagram account for more student features.