finish the tower

New project alert! For the second project of final year, we were tasked with finishing the incomplete tower of Logie and St John’s Cross Parish Church in the west end of Dundee. Beginning with a site visit, I took some photos of the current interior of the church to get a feel for the atmosphere of the existing space and what I wanted to continue into the tower. The main thing I noticed within the space was the light that spilled from the outside in. One thing about churches across the world is this aspect of light, dappling their floors with a kaleidoscope of colours through the stained glass windows.

so my final concept ended up being heavily influenced by this idea of light. titled ‘the candle’, the project is aimed to be a refuge from every day life.

“All too often we dedicate all of our time to the stresses of everyday life, sacrificing self care and taking the time out to refresh our  minds. The flame is  a contemplative space for the congregation of Logie and St Johns Parish Church to do just that, a beacon of light within the chaos of the city. Inspired by the dappled light that filters in through the windows of the existing church building, it is a space in which everyone has the opportunity to really focus on accepting and nuturing their inner light. The journey of the self is often one that can feel dark and daunting when standing at the threshold of accepting the light we already have inside of ourselves, and the space is one aimed at making taking those first few steps out of the darkness a little less blinding. As the individual ascends through the space, more and more natural light will filter through the windows onto the spiralling path of self discovery. These perforations in the building’s structures are places to stop and rest, points to reconnect with the city beyond on the journey upwards through the space. Upon reaching the top of the tower, visitors will discover the viewing platform, with views over the entire city. This is a place to stop a while, to remind yourself of your significance in the world and to contemplate your thoughts on the world around you. From here the building melts away, merely becoming a facilitator of your faith. In this vein, a hanging gold light installation descends through the centre of the space, melting into the stairwell and leading the eye upwards on the journey up to the viewing platform. At night, these elements come together to truly become a beacon of light in the darkness, a glowing candle in the night sky. “