Dalton, Huddersfield

Dalton Health and Community Centre

Human health is defined as a state of physical, mental and social well being. Dalton surgery, as a local health centre aims to provide physical health to its patients whilst the inclusion of  a community centre could be the answer to challenges of social wellness.

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The concept of the project was based on the understanding that life begins and generally ends in health centres. Life therefore can be seen as a circle whose start and end are the same point. A full round of the circle represents a life and the circle itself is called the circle of life.

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The starting/ending point could be anywhere on the perimeter of the circle. Every single person has its own circle of life and it is different to the others. The circles differ in terms of the starting/ending point and the perimeter; a bigger circle, thus perimeter means a longer life.

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What happens in a community when the circles meet each other? Circles often meet and share parts of their perimeters. Some of the circles entirely exist inside of others. Some people get in our life in some point, while other people exist in our entire life.

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The brief foresaw an outdoor space intended as a community garden. The old forgotten community garden located in one of site's corner is now centered and re-appropriated into a space that expresses life. It is an alive space so as to this as well as to its natural element with trees. This life expression of the community garden connected the space with the concept and determined its circular shape which referred to the circle of life.