Project description

Lus, Gaelic for plant, is a centre for growing, cooking and eating plants in Edinburgh. It nurtures indoor and outdoor growing facilities, offers cooking and nutrition classes and has a plant-based, self-service restaurant. 

The aim is to teach children, teenagers and undergraduate university students how to cook fruit and vegetables to make them more enjoyable, whilst learning about the life-cycle of the plants with gardening activities. The hope is to encourage inter-generational interaction with volunteering opportunities for retired people, in both the growing and educational spaces. 

Site - McDonald Road Fire Station

The site is McDonald Road Fire Station in Leith, Edinburgh. There are many schools nearby as well as student accommodation, homes for the elderly and a relatively diverse demographic of ethnicities, making this a suitable location for the project’s stakeholders. Below is more information about the site:

Name: McDonald Road Fire Station and the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage 

Address: 93 McDonald Road, Leith, Edinburgh, EH7 4NS 

Use: Fire Station and Museum 

Year Built: 1967 

Architect: Bamber & Hall 

Year of Refurbishment: 2021 

Architect of Refurbishment: Smith Scott Mullan 

Associates 

3D Visual of Existing Building
Design Development

The design process for this project involved an initial esquisse week, exploring the building's desired atmosphere then continuing to generate rough layout iterations. 

These iterations the developed into more concrete ideas within the space, which also underwent a series of alterations over the weeks. 

The images below illustrate the process I went through to come to my resolved design, and I have also included several diagramatic images - which display my approach.

Concept Diagram
Final Design

The images below display my final design of Lus.

I have included my 3D visuals to get the clearest sense of how it feels to be in the space, then my isometric digital model, explaining how each of the zones relates to each other, and then my technical drawings describe in depth the general arrangement and design of my project.

On the right is the key image of my project. This brings to life the main space of my proposal, which is the double-height greenhouse room.

3D Visual of the Greenhouse Room
Details

As part of the project I generated a series of drawings for two of my chosen details - my planter and staircase designs.

The planters feature a lowered section for children and a raised section for older people. I created a digital model to explain the idea.

Furthermore, the staircase was designed as a spiral around the two existing fireman's poles. This was to highlight the site's history and create a focal point within the building. 

Planter Digital Model
Bio

I am a self-motivated interior designer with an interest in sustainable design that has a positive impact on human well-being. I have harnessed my creativity skills to complete a wide range of community-focused projects. When faced with design challenges, I take a conscientious approach and respond to feedback accordingly. I have worked as the production designer on a number of student films, all of which required adaptability, budgeting and teamwork. 

Skills & Experience
  • Work Experience: Haworth Tompkins, London - August 2019
  • Work Experience: Studio Moren, London - July 2019
  • Foundation Diploma in Art & Design - University of the Arts London, 2020/21
  • Architectural Drawing Course: New London Architecture, 2018
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Interior Design - BA (Hons)
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