A community art center that provides studios for artists and hosts public events.
Healing places through music. Tropical House - Result Story
Music is a language that transcends all barriers. A symphony that resonates among everyone irrespective of their caste, class, or color. The music encompasses cultural, political, social, and even spiritual connection. A center stage that connects a community of people and binds them through their shared experience, even if there is nothing that connects them at an individual level.
That’s how Montserrat, a small island in the seas of The Caribbean looked like in 1970. George Martin (The Fifth Beatle) set up a music studio that became the epicenter of the international music scene. Musicians like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Steve Wonder used to record their albums here. Music maneuvered a communal experience and an unspoken bonding between the celebrities and locals.
But what happens when a place accidentally loses it's landmark ‘status symbol’?
On July 18, 1995, after 1500 years, Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat erupted. In 1997 the southern portion of the island was evacuated, abandoned, and labeled as an exclusion zone after it was mostly buried in ash. The music studio, once a landmark, lies abandoned as a ruin being swooped by vegetation.
After 20 years, things are changing for Montserrat. With a population growth of 6.2%, people are slowly reclaiming their home. Alongside the government has laid out plans to revive the habitat. With Montserrat finding its ground, can the culture of music, once a status symbol, be resurrected?
Challenge was to design an artist retreat center that functions as a studio for artists. Also creating a public platform for local community activities. The aim is to revive the ‘status symbol’ in a different language that promotes the culture of music, an element the place was once associated with.
The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows:
Troy Schaum, Principal and Associate Professor, SCHAUM/SHIEH and Rice University, United States
César García Guerra, Director / Partner / Architect, FÜNDC Arquitectura, Spain
Some of the Best of competition projects are:
Winning Project: Small Houses Together
By: Feiyang Peng
Description: Provide accommodation & creation environment for everyone; Provide a performance platform for everyone and build an undifferentiated stage; Establish a social place where everyone can join.
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Runner - Up: Evergreen Montserrat
By: Aslı Altun
Description: The design creates a harmony between nature and architecture by preserving the tree population and using them as a design element. It aims to create a community united through music and to help to gain back its identity as "Epicenter of International Music".
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People’s Choice: PHOENIX: THE MUSICAL RETREAT
By: Gagandeep Singh, Aditi Gupta & Chetan Aggarwal
Description: A reincarnation of the musical identity of Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Devastated by Volcanic eruptions and Hurricanes, the aim of the project is to rebuild Montserrat's identity of a musical haven for top musical artists and aspirers, simultaneously extending the community welfare through a mixed spatial development.
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Editor’s Choice: Montserrat Musical Journey
By: Li Yuqian
Description: Regain the new island The end of the exhibition (meditation space) is on an arc-shaped rooftop, where plants spread along the walls. Different views of the island can be seen all around. At the same time, memories of the adventures of the island, music and volcano just passed by will also be recalled.
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Editor’s Choice: Second breath of Montserrat
By: Anna Pampushko
Description: Montserrat is a small island in the seas of The Caribbean with unique history, wild and primal nature and enormous potential for development. The project is conceived as a catalyst for positive changes in the region, an answer for current social and economic challenges.
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Editor’s Choice: Volcano Music Resort
By: Jorge Garcia
Description: This project, located in the Woodland area on the island of Montserrat, searches to provide the community and artists with a musical experience and comfort. Each sector is associated with the nature of the island. The main building reflects the landscape of the mountains, the room area, the tropical forest, and the concert area, the union between land and sea.
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Editor’s Choice: FOLDINGS
By: Mohamed Abdellatif
Description: A harmony between nature and architecture
Discover the design brief here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/tropical-house/info/about
Discover the full results here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/tropical-house/entries
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