The Civic Threshold is a study into the civic face of the University of Birmingham campus setting. Historically developed to provide better accessibility and facilities to those who would otherwise find it difficult to attend higher education, the campus is now a closed off community segregated from its local place.
Taking the Edgbaston campus as my site, I have developed a project that aims to reinvent its inward looking image by opening the West Gate up to the public. This intervention will help reconnect the university to its local place and create opportunities for deeper engagement.
The first half of the programme is a civic hub that will provide spaces for the local community to attend lectures and activities, and for the institution to set up an active strategic civic team for collaboration with local leaders. These spaces will also act as the welcoming point for visitors as part of the ceremonious university route for events such as graduation. The second half of the programme is an archival gallery to primarily house the Metchley Roman Fort artefacts. It will also be open to the rest of the university archives as a public space of exhibition and knowledge sharing.
