Our urban and natural environments are defined by all manner of transitional elements. An arch, in stone, is one of the most elemental transitional shapes in human experience, a gateway, a doorway, a portal. Throughout our urban environment doorways of all kinds provide opportunities for retreat from the present state.
Our proposal is an elemental expression of this structure, weathered by modernism, a playful form fashioned in silhouette that defines a transitional moment within its urban landscape, an offer of retreat. The arch has been softened to reflect the effect that post modernism has had on our psyche, a collective softening of the edges.
To maintain the monumental nature of the form we have chosen to maintain a single material that creates the appearance that the arch has been moulded. The technique of layering and interlocking gives further reference to the varied textures of stone and the curved form together with the textural quality of carpet imparts an approachable character to the arch.
Contrasting the monolithic, uniform nature of the design is the insertion of elements with a finer grain that question one another and provide an interplay of colour, light, texture and detail. Using these insertions we hope to strengthen each element.