Project with the mental health and wellbeing of Edinburgh University students in mind, 40 George Square has been designed as a de-institutionalised mental health centre. The adaptive reuse of the building aims to encourage students to actively engage with people, the street, and the city and to talk openly about mental health topics.
'Portal' project focuses on the basement and ground floor of 40 George Square, which are the transitional spaces connecting the interior to the exterior. The aim is to explore the connections between the interior, the university community, and the city of Edinburgh. To consider the health and wellbeing of university students in the context of broader urban engagement and to rethink the future of public health infrastructure on campus and in the city.
Interior design allows us to find close links between architecture and the natural world as it occurs in time and space and with human activity.
The interior is present in different forms, prompting us to consider its relationship with people and society.
Interior design can never be separated from its context.
Interior design has the 'scale' of the city and the subtlety of the individual.
Interior design can be influenced by the city and the interior simultaneously, and we can call such spaces 'public interior'.
Public interior design is the transition between the interior and the exterior, the " Portal " between the interior and the city.
Interior design can provide a sense of community to enclosed spaces.
Interior design brings together the contemporary city's civic, architectural, urban and morphological richness in the interior. Architect Manuel de Solà-Morales refers to these spaces as not being strictly public or private but both simultaneously.
As a part of the portal for the wellness centre, this area allows all University of Edinburgh students to enter and relax after school hours. There are two entrances located at the front and back of the building. The rear entrance connects to the external seating area of the café, increasing the mobility of people on the ground floor of the building.
The main part of the wellness centre's portal brings foot traffic from the ground level into the basement.
The food hall consists of several different food retailers and pop-up restaurants and has a communal dining area.
The outdoor courtyard, located in the basement, is an area for social events and can be used for small gatherings or as a relaxation area.
