Mollie Beresford

Project Description

The Rev is a home from home for Edinburgh College of Art students; a social space supporting creation and collaboration. The project intends to encourage interactions between the different disciplines and schools within ECA.

Inspired by the historic ECA Revels, the design aims to capture the community spirit demonstrated in these large, extravagant parties thrown by the students and staff of ECA for the art college community. 

One of the two key concepts which drove the project forward was the idea of the space becoming a home from home for students, a facility that would enrich and support their studies here at ECA. The other key concept informing my project are the principles of biophilic design. This would allow students to be exposed to natural and organic references and thus benefit from the associated health and well-being properties.

Project Site

The Rev is located within the North East Studio Building, formerly known as the Architecture Building, on ECA's Lauriston Campus. Construction began in 1961 and the building was completed in 1964. It was designed by Ralph Cowan, a former student, then professor, at the college. Originally built to house the Architecture and Town Planning Schools, it provided studio spaces and dining and common room facilities. In 2016, the building ceased to be home to the School of Architecture when they relocated to Chamber’s Street, thus provoking its name change to the North East Studio Building. It now houses studios and offices for other programmes such as Film and TV, Interior Design and Animation.

The decision was made to house The Rev in the North East Studio Building as being located on the art college’s main campus meant that it was a good central hub for student traffic. It is also a building that the schools across ECA will be familiar with, as is currently home to facilities such as the ECA Shop; Reprographics Department and the iconic Wee Red Bar. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic there were proposals to develop this area of the campus, however the uncertainty thrown up by the outbreak halted these plans. This building being prime for redevelopment prompted the following design proposals.

The Revels

As mentioned previously, the spirit of the ECA Revels inspired the project, from its name, to its very purpose. The extravagant and elaborate events organised by the staff and students, showcased an astounding collaborative effort, demonstrating a great sense of community and the strong identity of ECA. The project aims to provide a space to promote this sense of community and encourage the collaborations across disciplines seen in the ECA Revels of days gone by.