Molly Walden
InteriorArchitectureandDesign



Dreamland
The town of Margate is located in the South-East of England on the North Kent coast. It was once a town, which was visited by many as a popular holiday destination. It is now currently in decline and needs to be regenerated. One of the main attractions was Dreamland amusement park where the site included a zoo and miniature railway, 2,200-seat purpose built Cinema, cafés, restaurants, bars, shops and a 2,000-capacity ballroom.
The idea is to design a public interior inside part of Dreamland, which could be used as a place for performance amongst other activities. The concept of the proposal is focused on the existing cinema foyer and staircase, which is located in dreamland but currently inaccessible. The proposal aims to bring the form of this into light and reeducated the user of what it feels like to be in that space without having to be in it.
The spaces are arranged to make the most of the position where dreamland is situated right by the seafront and the façade acts as a mediator by using pivoting glass panels so the user can rotate these in order to view the performance without actually crossing the threshold. When the user enters through the pivoting glass doors into a light spacious interior a circular void enables the performances to be viewed. Also on this floor, tiered seating is arranged so the audience can view a smaller performance space where refreshments can be provided from when required also down through to the back of the space is a small intimate performance area.
To get to the basement level the user descends down the helical staircase and gets guided through into the larger performance space, rows of seating are situated in a circular form where the light shines down from the void above. When performances are not taking place, the space can be used for rehearsals and somewhere were to socialise and work.
Glass is one of the materials selected as it has qualities which is needed in order for light to get in through to the rest of the building and stretched canvas panels with foam inside put onto a timber framework will be used to line the rest of the existing building, also the acoustic properties of this material is useful to help with the sound quality. The panels are appropriate to a meanwhile project because after it use in the scheme it is going to be donated to a charity gallery in Margate where disabled people create artwork.