The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
About the Belfast School of Architecture and the Built Environment
Location Belfast BT15 | Courses BA (Hons) Architecture, MArch | Head of school Martina Murphy | Full-time tutors 5 | Part-time tutors 12 | Students 200 | Staff to student ratio 1:10
Postgraduate
Amar Chekchak
Course MArch
Studio/unit brief WaterLands V Studio Memory Works: Inishmurray the architecture of time
Project title Inishmurray A Palimpsest
Project description Inspired by Federica Goffi’s exploration of a building’s enduring presence in ruins and Sverre Fehn’s layered Hedmark Museum, this project investigates the concept of the palimpsest – a trace of previous writings – and its relevance to Inishmurray, an island rich in Irish Celtic heritage. It acknowledges key issues on the island: the lack of a safe landing point, the need to preserve its built environment and the importance of conserving archaeological artefacts within their original context. It also aims to preserve the island’s ecology. Oak timber is the primary material and, embracing Japanese timber architecture, the design incorporates wood-to-wood joinery for efficient construction.
Tutor citation Amar’s unique individual practice is focused on the craft of drawing. Deployed somewhere between cartography and archaeological surveying, there is an enriched sense of abstraction to draw out the register and medium of drawing, both analogue and digital. Paul Clarke