The Urban Academy: A Learning Centre

The introduction of vocational spaces is informed by the site’s proximity to surrounding residential areas, where a large proportion of residents belong to the B40 income group. In response, the project proposes a vocational training platform that focuses on upskilling through recycled and low-cost materials. This strategy lowers the barrier to participation while equipping the community with practical, income-generating skills. By enabling residents to produce, reuse, and sell crafted products, the architecture supports economic empowerment through accessible and sustainable means.

The building is organised as a gradual spatial transition from public movement to private growth, reflecting the concept of Path to Place to Community. The ground and first floors function as highly public layers, accommodating kiosk shops and event spaces that extend surrounding pedestrian paths into the building. These levels transform circulation into activity, allowing people from different directions to enter, pause, and interact. As the building rises, the spaces become increasingly private and focused, housing vocational training areas that support concentrated learning and skill development. This vertical progression shifts the experience from passing through, to gathering, and finally to learning—establishing the building as both a connector and a platform for community development.