Aiman Bin Azman

A Self-Building Community anchors itself to Granton’s iconic Gasholder, establishing a new community hub that integrates both working & living together to address the concerns of a productive city.

School/Level

• University of Edinburgh
• Part 1 (Architecture)

Category

• Community and Culture

Year

• 2020

By anchoring itself to Granton’s industrial place identity of its iconic Gasholder, A Self-Building Community establishes a new community hub that integrates /Working and /Living through the juxtaposition of a self-build manufacturing business, residential units and leisure facilities within one architectural complex. Ultimately, A Self-Building Community would transform Granton, a neglected part of Edinburgh, into a productive and lively area whilst enhancing circulation towards its Waterfront.

This self-build manufacturing business is a productive activity that manufactures modular timber components for self-building furniture and pods. Utilising digital fabrication, the service allows mass customisation for individuals, allowing them to create their own furniture/ pods. The integrated living units would be furnished by the self-build products, directly benefiting from the productive activity itself.

In terms of the productive activity’s impact to the wider context of Granton, its people and the public, the self-build pods are to be utilised for /Leisure uses alongside the roads towards the waterfront. As these self-build pods and furniture are easily dismantled, the pods can be customised, assembled and disassembled by anyone. This allows the Granton community to create their own unique community hub, through pop-up retail booths, gaming pods, playgrounds, meeting pods, garden houses, etc. These pods will also be used for events like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August and for Christmas markets, marking Granton’s Waterfront as a new, productive leisure spot within the city of Edinburgh.