Choreographing Heritage
Reimagining heritage through movement.
Set in Crewe, a railway town shaped by industrial motion yet fractured in identity, this project confronts the` invisibility of its existing heritage centre and the disconnection between town, station, and community. My proposal introduces a new ballroom as an anchor, reviving Crewe’s legacy of social gathering spaces like dance halls and cinemas. Rather than replicating the past, the project reframes heritage through shared memory and movement, with architectural forms inspired by Crewe’s archetypes: the house, the tower, the block, and the factory.
The design follows an atrium-to-ballroom sequence, choreographing a journey of transition and connection. U-channel glazing and stone cladding express a tension between lightness and permanence, echoing themes of movement and memory.
From detail to massing, every decision reflects a human-centred approach, guided by technical strategies like structural legibility, reuse, and environmental performance. This project is ultimately about designing space as experience, where people gather, move, and belong.
