Katie Bell

The Dias Collective is a reimagined multifunctional, multidisciplinary and collaborative centre for Art and Design. Taking form in the iconic St Peters Seminary originally designed by Gillespie Kidd and Coia, located west of Glasgow. The redesign of this post war brutalist building will enable a rebirth of an icon in a way that will encourage and educate designers and artists of this generation. It will be open to all, creatives and non-creatives alike, the focus being to create a new designer-based exhibition space in Scotland.

The design creates a safe and open environment, prioritising inclusivity and communication between the designers and artists and the public. A main priority of the design will be the therapy spaces, which will focus on the use of art therapy and how it can benefit those working within the creative industry. It will help promote a positive, healthy and creative working environment.

The building in its decay, is given a new life through graffiti and the natural elements. One focal point of the project was derived from a painting on one of the main structures in the building, of a poem by Dylan Thomas, titled ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’. The poem speaks of death and regret, which correlates with the symbolism of the decayed building and how, through this design, it can be reborn.