Clay Mines

We are designing a ‘civic baths house’ for Nottingham to encourage social interaction within the city. A place for both physical and physiological healing and connection through the atmosphere and phenomenological features. The site contains a large clay deposit from less than one metre down. Any development of the site would require significant excavation and this material would be disposed of. Instead, we have allowed the mining of the site to remove significant levels of clay before we develop into the baths. The eccentric patterns seen in clay mines create an accidental architectural journey and this is something we want to harness. The project aims to reignite memories of the site and visitors through the use of materiality, texture, lighting, and water.