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Diploma 3

The project is not attempting to complete Beauvais Cathedral, as the brief demanded, but complete Beauvais itself. During WW2, the town was heavily bombed and the medieval part of Beauvais surrounding the cathedral was completely destroyed. Hastily re-planned and rebuilt afterward in modern architectural styles, the area had been completely changed. The cathedral was left standing like a lost old man in the middle of the new development - the relationship between the medieval monument and the medieval context had been ruined. By completing, or re-designing parts of Beauvais surrounding the cathedral using their historical references to create a "medieval environment", I would be able to restore the relationship of the monument and the city, the sublime effect of the cathedral to its surrounding, and the way the context enhances this sublimity.

Using Camillo Sitte's artistic principles of town planning to determine the city's setback from the cathedral.Designing a group of linking plazas to connect the space and circulation between different monuments of the city using Sitte's picturesque arrangement.Studying the elevations of building surrounding the plazas - their height, depth and typology, in order to design the 'medieval environment' in response to specific conditions of the surrounding context.The context elevation then informs the plan of the 'medieval environment' surrounding the cathedral - its setback and maximum height.Similarly to medieval plazas surrounding cathedrals which were filled with public activities, programs are inserted into the 'medieval environment' to create the atmosphere and physical attributes of the old town.One of the programs, a public performance space, is placed right up against the cathedral, and the view from the seats and the streets beyond informs the height and roof inclination of the walls forming the 'medieval environment'.Another essential component of medieval plazas, the fountain, in relation to the cathedral.A raised path providing a complete view towards the cathedral over the rooftops of Beauvais.A sea of layering rooftops, the muted colour palette of old materials, the framing of the monument - recreating the medieval conditions of the town and restoring the sublimity of the Cathedral.