Billy Swindell

Master Bakers

INTRA CHATHAM

Chatham Intra Highstreet Action Zone (CIHAZ)

Research concerning the future of Chatham Intra led by the

Kent School of Architecture and Planning, University of Kent

In association with Medway Council and Historic England

Biography

I have always loved designing and building things. During my childhood I became fascinated by anything mechanical, K’nex nurtured my fascination with construction, with my creations often taking up the entire living room. This early fascination was pivotal for my development into design, and naturally led me into the industry of architecture. It is within architecture that I have had the creative freedom to express and develop ideas into convincing propositions. My aim as a designer is to create ambitious proposals by speculating on, questioning, proposing, and bringing to life innovative ideas. I consistently critically self-reflect on my work asking myself how and why my proposition has been imagined as a way of development. My objective – no matter what the subject – remains the same: to surprise and delight the viewer! My immediate plan after completing my master’s in architecture is to spend the next year working remotely touring Europe in my self-converted van, completed as part of my dissertation.  

Master Bakers

Synopsis

My thesis project proceeds on early studies into Chatham Intra that reimagine the high street and riverfront as the place-to-be for hospitality. Both ends of Intra are identifiable by a set of ‘portal gates’. Once passed through, the visitor becomes immersed in all things theatre, food, and drink. My proposition for a new Bakehouse specialising in artisan sourdough and viennoiserie sits at the heart of Chatham Intra, and is imagined as a linear stage set backing off the Highstreet. The project is an intense inquiry into the production of baked goods. A series of mechanised devices each with their own specific characteristics adds to the theatre of production and consumption in a carefully choreographed service. The aroma of freshly baked bread is collected in a giant canvas bag and injected into the high street via perfume bulbs at daily intervals, enticing passers-by.

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