Laura Harris

The Centre for Scilly, a hub for locals, tourists and students. The project incorporates the conservation and reuse of the first school on Scilly, together with a new build development utilising locally sourced materials; seaweed thatch and sand lime bricks. Hosting the islands historic museum collection, a multi functional events space, research and workshop facilities and accommodation. A series of intimate spaces, humble facades and tropical gardens reflecting the islands existing typologies.

Laura’s approach attempts to reharness the humanistic element of architecture, from the drying of the seaweed to the thatching of the roofs, from the felling of the timber to the assembling of the frames. The islands lack of construction machinery calls for an organic procedure. She hopes that the ethical codes transmitted through the architecture create continuity for further creative developments within the community. It is a social space to revive lost industries and combine with industries of the future, allowing to reignite the skills and rituals that have been imbedded within the islands throughout history.