RIBA Silver Medal: The Grand Domestic – The London School of Architecture

RIBA Silver Medal Commendation: The Grand Domestic, Elliott Wang

We are incredibly proud to announce that our 2023 graduate Elliott Wang has been awarded a RIBA Silver Medal Commendation. To learn more about his project, hear what his tutors have to say and to read an interview with Elliott, see below.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Grand Domestic presents a new form of domestic life driven by the recognition and revaluation of reproductive labour.

The proposal turns away from a capitalist agenda of consumerism and its associated tropes of individualism, quasi-efficiency – represented here by housework – and an exacerbation of gender inequalities. It presents a new form of collective living enabled by a tenancy agreement that equates reproductive labour to market labour, challenging domestic dogmas.

An analogous map examining the current conditions, requirements and outcomes of reproductive labour within the home and the potential for the utilisation of these to break the glass ceiling surrounding value and gender within the domestic space.

The project adopts a nuanced form of the hotel-apartment typology, separating out domestic processes from the dwelling. It celebrates all forms of reproductive work in grand spaces furnished with new forms of shared equipment that operate as social mechanisms to playfully engage in domestic work. The private dwelling is subsequently reduced and refined, forming the once theorised respite from the surrounding world of work.

The project presents a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable mode of living with reproductive labour at its core.

SPACES OF PROCESS - THE IRONING HALL Spaces of process are filled with all forms of domestic labour found throughout the proposal. All these spaces theatrically and playfully express the processes taking place, imbuing them with the grandeur and volume that would normally be associated with the most important spaces of the domestic sphere.
SPACES OF PROCESS - A MACHINE HALL These would not only facilitate further interaction and collaboration between residents, but this machinery would also lead to increased time, energy and cost efficiency subsequently lowering environmental impact.
SPACES OF PROCESS - A COMMUNAL KITCHEN The material choices of the spaces further play on this idea. The services that enable these processes are treated as celebrated elements adopting the material language of valuable decorative features traditionally placed throughout a household as symbols of wealth, shifting the idea of value to the machinery and items collectively used and thus their process.
SPACES OF INACTIVITY - THE LOUNGE ROOM The lounge rooms forms the largest gathering space for the whole community and the main focal point of the floor. Above it, a chandelier of hanging washing draws attention to the processes above, whilst being symbolic of their value and the presence of reproductive labour within the proposal.
SPACES OF INTIMACY - A PRIVATE BATHING SPACE Thermal baths and private bathing spaces relate natural elements, vital mentally and physically for the reproductive processes, to the dweller and to the body.
SPACES OF INTIMACY - A (WITH)DRAWING ROOM Within the Collective, there are also spaces for the individual. Smaller ancillary spaces known as (with) drawing rooms for more personal and private use are found throughout the floors, providing quiet separations form the surrounding processes and community
REDUCED AND REFINED - THE PORTEGO (TYPOLOGY B) The dwellings are designed to allow the dweller to relinquish most of the typical reproductive labour within the domestic sphere, creating spaces focused on the self, deliberately opposing our current systems of domestic design which maintains an environment of work throughout the home that is undervalued and unrecognised.
REDUCED AND REFINED - THE GARDEN LEVEL Portegos, cleaning cupboards and garden floors all act as mechanisms for the forming of a community of residents who not only share spaces but also processes of labour.
REDUCED AND REFINED - THE PORTEGO (TYPOLOGY A) The dwelling acts as an escape, devoid of these spaces of labour. Other than unavoidable forms of work (cleaning) that are encouraged to be shared across floors and made obvious by central cleaning cupboards, the majority of spaces become about unproductive time - true escapes from the surrounding world of all forms of labour.

Driven by reproductive labour, the pandemic, and alignment with feminist campaigns, the project hypothesizes that the City of London chooses to retrofit and extend the Museum of London site, including Bastion House, thereby circumventing the controversial demolition of the landmark – a symbolic act for reproductive labour and retrofitting first.

“The project seeks to redefine the politics, culture and economics of the home at a time when we are experiencing a housing and environmental crisis… [creating] a disruptive and impactful collective housing proposal at the heart the London and proving the viability of the existing Museum of London to support this future use”
– Matthew Whittaker and Esther Escribano, LSA Design Tutors

A STATEMENT IN THE CITY The Grand Domestic - the white plinth base of the Museum of London, retained Bastion House and the new Rotunda House all form a symbol of reproductive labour in the city. The building becomes an icon of the new, radical typology of living within the city.
UTILISING THE EXISTING - THE MUSEUM OF LONDON The proposal, with the existing Museum of London and Bastion House retained, and new Rotunda House rising above the demolished rotunda and road.
UTILISING THE EXISTING - THE MUSEUM OF LONDON This project scraps the controversial demolition of the Museum of London, saving the landmark. The proposal retains the distinct volumes of the existing building, with the Museum on the lower floors and Bastion House above. The New massing splits the 'collective' and the 'dwelling' an in the Hotel-Apartment.
THE COLLECTIVE - COMMUNAL LANDSCAPES The collective spaces are programmatically split into spaces of inactivity and spaces of process. Spaces of process revolve around reproductive labour whereas inactivity forms spaces for unproductive time, or relaxation and 'the self'.
SERVICES AND SEPARATION - USING VERTICALITY Services become key components in the reproductive processes which take place. Service nodes form totems to the revaluation of labour throughout the collective, adopting the delicate, decorative material qualities used for domestic equipment.
THE CHAMBER, PARLOUR AND PORTEGO Above the collective spaces, the scheme houses 500 dwellers, split across two towers. The dwellings are paired back. Now devoid of most reproductive processes that typically fill a domestic space.
THE CHAMBER, PARLOUR AND PORTEGO The layering of the dwellings advances this concept by using storage and bathrooms as buffers from the shared spaces. The dwellings also challenge our preconceptions of labour by placing the washing basket as the most prominent element.
THE CHAMBER, PARLOUR AND PORTEGO The flexible spatial design of the chambers creates spaces that are deliberately minimal, permitting multifunctional use through the ability to fold away all furniture.

Our Academic Director, Samantha Hardingham writes:

“Elliott’s work is a particularly fine example of the LSA MArch programme as it draws on all aspects that the two-year programme offers, comprising practice placement and studio-based learning. Elliott has used his time to build-up extensive knowledge in the field of housing, drawing on best practice globally, as well as digging deep into local cultural and historical sources”.

AN INTERVIEW WITH ELLIOTT WANG

Elliott, congratulations on receiving a Commendation! How does it feel for your work to be recognised in this way?

Receiving this commendation is of course an honour. Personally, it is an opportunity to reflect on my time at the LSA and the research and work that has driven the project. Throughout my two years at the school, my work across our modules has in one way or another fed into my final thesis. So I don’t just see this as a culmination and celebration of a singular design project but rather my education at the LSA.

Elliott, and fellow 2023 graduate Semi Han, discussing their Design Thesis work

Do you have any plans to take the project further?

I would love to take it further. The research that I did throughout my time at the LSA has the potential to be applied and expanded on in so many ways. I would be annoyed to not build on it, both in an academic and professional setting.

If anyone would like to get in touch with any ideas, please do!

This is the first year someone from the LSA has ever won or got a commendation for the Silver Medal. Can you tell us a bit about how you think the LSA supported you throughout your Master’s, to help you get to this point?

I believe that my time at the LSA has allowed me to develop as an independent thinker. The LSA’s model of student-driven projects, as opposed to a typical unit-based system, fosters an environment that allows students to develop and challenge their personal interests and aims, whilst maintaining an academically questioning and rigorous nature.

Simply put, I believe the independent system at the LSA allows students to find something that they are truly interested in and their projects to flourish.

At the LSA you work with two Design Tutors throughout Second Year and you worked with Matthew Whittaker (Director at Whittaker Parsons) and Esther Escribano (Senior Architect at Studio Weave). What was it like working with them?

Through my time at the LSA, my tutors were incredibly helpful, always offering supportive and challenging voices. The interest, excitement, and questioning attitude they brought to all of our tutorials enabled the project to become what it is. Their expertise in practice, education and general academia allowed my design to go down so many avenues, which was always followed by their support in refining and defining the outcome.

This award I feel not only represents my efforts but also the support that I received throughout my time at the school. My tutors across the two years have had such a substantial impact on my work and I am very grateful for that.

Elliott, Ellie and the LSA team at the Silver Medal ceremony

And finally, Elliott, tell us about something you are working on know, that you’d like people to know about!

At the start of next year, my ongoing panel ‘Pathways’ will have a new fortnightly series. They are open panel events so all are welcome! Keep your eyes peeled.

RIBA SILVER MEDAL WINNER, 'NOBODY WANTS TO LIVE IN A CARE HOME', ELLIE HARDING

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