Rob Vinall
MA work
MA work
My Beautiful Launderette
'She sits quietly, seemingly mesmerised by the gentle revolving drum…'
The Aylesbury Estate, like many in London, has been branded a failure by Southwark council, developers and successive governments. The lifespan of the original architecture has only 15 years remaining, with the redevelopment of the estate already in progress.Â
Like many post-war estates in London, the architecture was not only radical but forward thinking in its design and approach to living. When compared with their previous housing, residents’ standards of living were greatly improved and the architecture reflected this in the form, materiality and construction of the buildings. The reality however, is that the life of this estate has been extremely short.Â
The design of social housing is a complex topic that is political and contentious. To be forward thinking is to instantly be quashed by figures, opinion and rhetoric. It is easier to say no. I cannot save these buildings. I cannot rectify decades of disastrous policy-making and the destruction of the welfare state. It is fucked. What I can offer is the last bastion of social space that exists in every community.Â
The Launderette
Seen as a social space, it survives the decades, with most still retaining the aesthetic of the past. They are the last champions of cheap, functional social space. They are places that allow for chance meetings, solitude and reflection. Waiting, watching, observing, soaking, revolving. These spaces tell stories, they hold memory, they collect thought. Familiar in their aesthetic, practical in their service, valuable in their societal potential.
This project is not only a comment on the difficulties and finite situation currently facing social housing, but how spatial design can, and does, play a beneficial role in the integration and cohesion of a community. These are modest spaces that work on a deeper level than perhaps we realise. It might all be over, but the launderette still retains the legacy of community.Â
Info
Info
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MA Degree
School
School of Architecture
Programme
MA Interior Design, 2014
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Contact
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07709 817619
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My work seeks to find the surprise in the unassuming, and the participation of the body. Sense of place, familiarity and experience are themes that run through much of my work. There is an emphasis on the importance of spatial design not purely being about materiality, texture and colour, but a process that has conceptual rigour, suggestion and intuition. For the last year I have been researching political implications of space and how this effects not just design, but society as a whole.Â
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Degrees
- BA (Hons) Interior Architecture, University of Brighton, 2011; BA (Hons) Set Design for Stage & Screen, 2006 (deferred second year)
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Experience
- Designer, Universaldesignstudio, London; Guest critic, Westminster University, London; Designer, Topshop/Arcadia, London
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Awards
- University of Brighton Academic Scholarship 2009; University of Brighton Academic Scholarship 2010; Santander Award, Excellence & Achievement in Art & Design, 2011