daria-shabalina__unknown__ual__2025

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School: RCA
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Year: 2025
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Source: https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/635403/cover

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# Project Description

Transforming the Landscape

Daria Shabalina

Summary

Final work

I view architecture as an opportunity to reshape existing standards in response to emerging environmental and social challenges, fostering a connection between humans and nature. My projects focus on passive design and biophilic principles that explore a symbiosis between natural settings and urban landscapes. I believe a sensitive approach to people's needs and a dialogue with the surrounding context have the power to contribute to a sustainable framework of architectural practice.

I view architecture as an opportunity to reshape existing standards in response to emerging envir...

College Central Saint Martins

Course BA (Hons) Architecture

Graduation year 2025

Lewisham Creative Hub is a civic centre for knowledge exchange and creative development, where all activities are connected through the urban landscape - an internal street, an open courtyard, and other enclosed common spaces. It aims to establish an alternative way of learning for young adults, local artists, and the general public through circular education, which will support young creators and welcome graduates to teach and share their experiences with all interested in art and culture. The programme of the hub is centred around three major themes: Making, Moving, and Thinking. Each section is supported by specific activities: drawing and sculpting in the art studio, dancing and acting in repetition classrooms, and learning and reading in a lectorium. A number of axillary communal spaces, such as a concert hall, a library, a cafe, and a gallery have been created for users’ collaboration and ideas exchange.

The site of Cornmill Gardens is revitalised to connect the natural topography and the built environment through the sustainable design of green roofs, which enrich biodiversity, an elevated structure that preserves the existing natural habitat, and open terraces, providing a wide spectrum of opportunities for socialization to support public mental well-being, encourage play and nature exploration, and allow flexibility of space use to conduct educational and cultural events that will bring the entire community together.

Final work

Transforming the landscape of Cornmill Gardens

The Hub takes advantage of its location: a café and a gallery terrace overlooking River Mill Park are situated on the southeast corner, which is highly exposed to the public, welcoming all passers-by. The preserved tree hedge on the south and east sides works as a natural sound buffer from the adjoining playground and road noise. The height of the building is conditioned by the surrounding buildings: it does not exceed 7 meters in height in respect to the privacy of the residential block that has the first two floors public on the north border and merging with the low-rise houses around.

1:200 Landscape plan. Watercolour drawing collage

As part of the landscape strategy, the site is divided equally between the built enclosed and the outdoor ‘planted’ environments. To preserve the presence of nature and the public aspect of the existing site a garden that invites exploration, play, relaxation, and reflection is created with elements of urban design to provide a wide spectrum of opportunities for sociability.

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# Links

## Official page
- https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/635403/cover

## External
- https://www.instagram.com/_daspe
- mailto:dsh237110@gmail.com
- https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F635403%2Fcover&text=Transforming+the+Landscape
- https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F635403%2Fcover&media=https%3A%2F%2Fportfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2F02164628%2FExterior.-compressed.png&description=Transforming+the+Landscape