An Arts Centre For Hillsborough

Year | 2024

Location | Hillsborough, Sheffield

Client | RivelinCo

RivelinCo describes itself as an “arts centre without walls.” They are a community centre based in a high-street shop front, but they go out into the neighbourhood to run creative workshops, meaning that the walls of their building do not confine them. However, as RivelinCo has grown, it now needs a larger base to run its operations, one with a larger office and flexible community spaces.

Our work was divided into three main categories.

Community engagement was our priority from the start, informing every aspect of the project. We began by running a crochet workshop and joining the local singing group to initiate informal conversations. These conversations allowed us to create more tailored surveys and activities, giving us insight into people’s requirements for an arts centre and shaping the design work.

Mapping and research helped us to identify potential future sites for the arts centre. We located transport routes and community spaces to identify optimal locations for sites and researched potential opportunities in these areas, providing detailed information and contact details for each site. Our research also enabled us to create a detailed guidebook on obtaining a site and turning it into an arts centre.

Design enabled us to create a vision for RivelinCo’s future. We proposed a series of short-term interventions that can be implemented immediately and affordably and an adaptable design that can be moulded to any future site. Our vision, and the communities, is to see RivelinCo become a bustling community and cultural hub in the centre of Hillsborough, reaching out to neighbourhoods in the surrounding areas and drawing people in. This future space would be multifunctional, facilitating many activities and adapting to suit each one. It would be accessible and inclusive to all, encouraging engagement from various demographics and widening community networks. And finally, it would be playful, fostering fun and creativity within the community and bringing people together.

Credits

Student Team: 

Kelly Morris, Hyo Kim, Harrison Wade, Jiwon Choi, Areti Petoussi, Katie Lister, Hannah Graham, Yian Jiang, Samuel Lodder-Knowles, Esther Calinawan, Yan Shi

Mentor:

Liam Healy