The ruins of Aden Park Mansion House located near Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire offers a wonderful opportunity to bring people together to experience and be a part of the Doric culture of the North-East of Scotland. The Doric Dialect and the culture that developed alongside it is a integral part of Scottish heritage but is still thriving today and yet often forgotten about; this is the aim of the Doric Cultural Centre, to bring light to, and celebrate the amazing works and dialect of the Doric Culture. The design for the archive space of this new centre aims, not only, to archive Doric works into an accessible and open space but also to bring people together and nurture a sense of inclusiveness for all guests to the centre. To this aim, the design proposes a network of nooks within the south half of the ruined mansion. This network of nooks provides a place for people to read, study and relax all whilst being immersed in the Doric Dialect.
The brick walls of the nooks create an earthly and warm atmosphere hailing back to the rural and trading origins of the Doric culture. Patterned Perforations in the walls and the openness of the nooks allows the Dialect to travel through the walls creating a private space with a vibrant community feeling. The perforations reflect a sense of rhythm that is characteristic of the dialect itself. The nooks aligned to existing windows aim to create a calming atmosphere and offer a connection to the outside nature beneficial to positive mental health and well-being. Each nook, individual and unique, offers and yearns for people to not only explore the Doric culture but also the space itself adding to the immersive sense of the cultural discovery. This, along with warm lighting integrated freely into the brickwork and nooks creates a friendly and inviting atmosphere perfect for experiencing the culture or even just taking it in with a coffee and a friend. This space is not designed to be just another archive or museum but a space where people should feel invited to come, to experience and to take part in the Doric culture of today.
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