The Fired Plate

Fatma İbrahim

As observed on site, this part of Sauchiehall Street appears to be the most unique, funkiest, and playful. This can be found in the big graffiti wall, pops of colour on shop facades, the yellow car on the club’s façade, and the unique-shaped streetlights that change colour every night. My design approach aims to extend the dining entertainment on the street into my project while also relating to Glasgow’s art and creative scene and its rich ceramic history. The function of the project is a pizzeria and a pottery studio – a hybrid space titled “The Fired Plate”.

Unlike the entertainment options on Sauchiehall Street, which are centred around clubbing and alcohol consumption, this space is designed to offer an inclusive environment that welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds. The street is primarily home to international students, local couples, families, and elderly residents, making it a vibrant and diverse community. This project caters specifically to their varied interests and needs by creating a space that fosters creativity, relaxation, and connection. Whether someone is seeking a peaceful environment to unwind, a family friendly venue for an outing, or an engaging creative workshop, the space ensures everyone feels welcome. By blending the joy of dining with the enriching experience of artistic expression, this project aspires to become a community hub that breaks away from the conventional entertainment norms of the area. It offers a fresh alternative that celebrates inclusivity, creativity, and shared experiences.

Spectacle

Inspired by the book “The Society of The Spectacle” and “The Architecture of Phantasmagoria”, I aim to challenge the idea of the spectacle as a social relationship that alienates people from reality. I want to create a more thoughtful design where people actively engage with each other through an activity. Additionally, I would like people to engage in a creative activity where, as mentioned in the book “The Zen of Creativity”, people can enjoy the creative process rather than the end product.

Magic

Inspired by the book “The Eyes of The Skin,” where the tactile experience of the space is as important as the visual, I would like to introduce magic as a tactile transformative experience. This can be achieved through cooking, transforming raw ingredients into cohesive dishes, and making pottery, where fragile clay becomes a lasting piece. Both processes involve creativity, hands-on work, and a balance of artistry and technique to transform raw materials into something meaningful. Additionally, both processes have similar steps – starting with kneading the pizza dough and similarly wedging the clay, then shaping the dough, adding the toppings and firing in an oven. Similarly, in pottery, clay is shaped with different tools, including the wheel, and finally, fired in an oven.

Whimsical

I chose this word because I would like to bring the unique, playful character of the site into the interior. Inspired by the book “Extravagance: The World of Whimsical Interiors”, I want to introduce vibrant colours and different material textures to create a joyful environment. Whimsical designs to be also introduced in the ceramic plates/bowls/cutlery of the restaurant.

I visited two pottery studios to understand the layout and atmosphere of the spaces better. In Fireworks, a shopping area is designed at the entrance where all the ceramics created in the pottery are displayed. This inspires the entrance experience of my project. In the craft pottery studio, the wheels are laid out so that everyone can view the instructor’s wheel. This wheel layout and the different parts of the studio space are essential in designing my pottery studio.

Glasgow tiles often reflected natural scenes, such as landscapes, animals, and architecture, with artists drawing inspiration from Scotland’s scenic beauty, like the Isle of Skye or the rugged coastlines. The colours used were mostly greens and warm red and brown tones. Additionally, tiles often showed what the store is about, for instance, a cow painting inside a butcher’s shop. This inspires the idea of painting tiles with stories about the restaurant and displaying them on a wall. Glasgow tiles also have patterns ranging from Celtic, floral, art nouveau style, and geometric. These patterns inspire the tile designs used on my project’s floor. Additionally, tiles used in tenement closes inspire the use of tiles at the project’s entrance.

The façade is designed to stand out from the neighbouring buildings using a different colour. Display window and entry doors to the side are composed on the façade. Additionally, a seating bench integrated with the façade is preferred to allow people walking on the street to engage with the display window while offering a place to rest.