Jingjing Mao

alUmni Centre

Interior, Architectural and Spatial Design - MA

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alUmni Centre in the Old College for Univeristy Alumnus

Project description

Increasing the sense of belonging for graduates who have been influenced during the pandemic and alumni who stay in Edinburgh are the aim of the project. ‘alUmni Centre’ is a brand new alumni space located in the Playfair Library in the Old College. The name represents that alumnus are the important bookshelf ‘U’, which is missing in current the historical library.

By adaptive reusing of the interior architecture, a flexible work and social for alumni community is created. Then the installation frame makes a pop-up hub used during a proposed alumni festival becomes a highlight for graduates who miss the graduation or want to enhance their campus belongings. Flexible rooms enables various events. Alumni unions at the alumna-built campus and library make this place legendary.

The Memory Interior

The alUmni Centre is designed for enhancing the sense of belonging of alumni, even in this travel limited time with many students and alumnus’s back to campus plan have been influenced. I reexamined Playfair Library and was touched by its history of being built by alumni and how it is not being used effectively today. After a deeper study of the history of Playfair Library, I had a preliminary understanding of its internal structure through the only opportunity of an internal field visit. This field visit updated the interior space scale and interior architectural details of Playfair Library in my mind. I was inspired by the concept of "memory landscape" by these overlapping experiences. I hope that this alUmni Centre can become a part of memory interior and make alumni a full sensors immersion experience.