A collection of work from my second year of my MArch RIBA Part 2 at the University of Westminster_DS22_
The Isle of Wight was chosen for its physical, economic and social isolation from the mainland, in an effort to highlight its importance and celebrate
its uniqueness.
its uniqueness.
It became apparent that the Island should acknowledge its isolation from the UK in a time of future uncertainty, allowing for the formation of the Free State of the Isle of Wight. The Island will act as a threshold for those looking to gain entry to both the UK and Europe.
By mapping a selection of unique attractions across the Isle of Wight, I created a series of routes that will provide an experience for those travelling across the Island.
Those passing across the Isle of Wight can experience individual routes in order to gain an appreciation for the island and its heritage, spending as little or as much time at each attraction.
Once presented with a matrix of existing activities, I chose the most direct route across the Island from East Cowes to Ventnor, creating the ‘Exploratory Pilgrimage’. As travellers reach the end of the Pilgrimage, they will have gained an insight into the richness that the Isle of Wight has to offer – the experience of people and places allows freedom from the current absurdities faced across the globe.
Upon creating the Pilgrimage, I looked to create a conceptual interpretation of the route to provide a theoretical basis for the site strategy within Ventnor. Using the idea of ‘invisible visibility’, I looked to weave the pilgrimage within the existing activities and urban fabric of the Free State.
In order to address the issue of migration in a post-Brexit state, I explored the current airport typology.
Today, airports are the size of megacities, offering accommodation, leisure and many other services to those passing through. These liminal, borderless spaces are vast in scale and conform to the commercialised world we live in.
The introduction of the Free State of the Isle of Wight will challenge the current airport typology, by encouraging domesticity in travel through the redistribution and reinterpretation of the existing components of the airport.
For those leaving the UK, the Pilgrimage concludes in Ventnor. Following the same principle of ‘invisible visibility’, the architectural interventions at a wider site level also appear subservient to the existing urban fabric.
Ventnor comprises of a series of terraces built into the steep cliffside, forming an amphitheatre arrangement of dwellings with the sea as the stage.
The town has a rich history, with overall development taking place between 1830 and 1870 – many Victorians visited due to its unique microclimate and renowned remedial qualities.
By the mid 20th century, Ventnor entered a period of economic and therefore social decline due to the reduction in tourism.
I highlighted the seasonality of both tourism and nature through the architectural interventions within my site strategy.
In summer months, those completing the Pilgrimage descend through Ventnor via a series of walkways, before reaching the seafront. Visitors of the Free State will then access the Seed Terminal and travel to their destination.
During winter, the town enters a state of hibernation. Those finishing the Pilgrimage will enter the subterranean community in the south of Ventnor and begin their own process of hibernation. In this community, they will have access to a macroalgae biorefinery, allowing them to assist in the production of biofuel.
The biorefinery focuses on the anaerobic digestion (AD) of macroalgae in the bay.
Ventnor Town Council currently spend £75,000 per year on the collection and removal of seaweed from the bay. By utilising the seaweed as a sustainable fuel source, the biorefinery will produce heat and electricity through AD.
The byproduct of the process, digestate, will be used as a natural fertiliser across the Island, therefore encouraging further biodiversity.
By challenging the strict regulations associated with migration (from the movement of people between countries to the items they are allowed to carry), I produced a narrative within Ventnor focusing on the arrival of people and biodiversity.
As people arrive to the free state of the isle of Wight, instead of gaining entrance using a passport, they are only allowed entry through the offering of seeds from their home country.
By providing seeds instead of formal documentation, the process of migration becomes one of improving natural habitats, transforming the Free State into a microcosm of ecological activity, resulting in a harmonious functionality between human and nature.
This point of arrival is the Seed Terminal.
Both users of the Seed Terminal, travellers and seeds, would embark on a journey, each synonymous with the idea of improvement. Whether it be through the acquisition of knowledge or the germination of the seed, the pier acts as a point of transience in form and information.
I took the shape of a fennel seed as an inspiration for various elements of the Seed Terminal, using separate materiality treatments to differentiate them.
Visitors arrive to the Free State via boat and enter the Seed Depository.
The Seed Depository structure is constructed using a masonry product I developed using macroalgae. Instead of disposing of the waste ash from the gasification process, I propose to recycle it and enhance the fabric of the building.
As seeds are brought to the free state of the Isle of Wight, they enter a process of germination. This process follows the spine of the Seed Terminal, giving travellers a clear route to follow as they pass through the building.
The germination process incubates the seeds that are brought to the terminal and carries them through the building.
Travellers follow the process through the building, observing the various stages of germination. At the end of the process, successfully germinated and suitable seeds are given to those arriving to plant across the Free State.
Suitable species for the Free State are offered to travellers, allowing them to spread biodiversity across the Island and enrich the landscape.
Germinated seeds that are unsuitable for the island remain in the germination process, travel back through the Seed Terminal and are given to those departing.
Those departing the Free State of the Isle of Wight can do so via the Seed Pods. I again used the aesthetic of a seed to inform the design of
the Seed Pod.
the Seed Pod.
The Future of the Free State of the Isle of Wight is contentious. The impact of Coronavirus on the world has been unfathomable, forcing movement of people to come to a standstill.
With the trial of the Covid-19 tracing app taking place on the Island, what will this mean for migration? Will the Free State be independent from the virus through innovation, allowing it to further become a microcosm of migratory activity and biodiversity? Or perhaps the tracing app will highlight the Island’s necessity to remain isolated?
Perspective Section
Second Floor Plan
West Elevation
Long Section