TRACES: UNCOVERING A MATERIAL MEMORY - REVEALING WATER, LAND AND TIME AT THE EDGE OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE by Berjoska Rajnis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia July 2010 © Copyright by Berjoska Rajnis, 2010 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your fila Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-68115-2 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-68115-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ¦+¦ Canada DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE The undersigned hereby certify that they have read a thesis entitled "TRACES: Uncovering a Material Memory- Revealing Water, Land and Time at the Edge of the Urban Landscape" by Berjoska Rajnis, and recommend it for acceptance to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture. Date: Catherine Venart, supervisor Ted Cavanagh, advisor Deborah Gans, external examiner Il DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY Author: Berjoska Rajnis Title: Traces: Uncovering a Material Memory - Revealing Water, Land and Time at the Edge of the Urban Landscape Department: School of Architecture Degree: Master of Architecture Convocation: October 201 0 Permission is herewith granted to Dalhousie University to circulate and to have copied for non-commercial purposes, at its discretion, the above title upon the request of individuals or institutions. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. The author attests that permission has been obtained for the use of any copyrighted material appearing in the thesis (other than brief excerpts requiring only proper acknowledgement in scholarly writing), and that all such use is clearly acknowledged. Signature of author Date: in to my city IV CONTENTS Abstract vi Acknowledgments vii INTRODUCTION 1 Thesis Question 1 Landscapes 1 Intent 3 Site 5 DESIGNAPPROACH 7 Trace Concepts 7 Landing 8 Grounding 13 Finding 34 Founding 41 DESIGN ELEMENTS 54 Uncovering the Form: Water as a Cellar 54 Directional Strategies 56 Edges: Walls 60 Movement: Ramps 65 Shafts: from Cellar to Garret 71 Physical Power of Water 72 Enclosed Spaces 73 CONCLUSION 75 REFERENCES 77 ? ABSTRACT The water's edge ¡? Halifax's South End is a layered one, comprised of the natural shifts and an accumu- lation of the built environment. When these layers are uncovered, the traces of geological and historical imprints are discovered, revealing the essence of a place and our existence within it. A brook, an esplanade, and inhabitable water's edge tells of the city's past, while a creek piped into the sewer system, and a large industrial area of infill, tell the story of this place today. Through a process of re-constructive analysis and excavation, various times and their enmeshed mate- rialities are revealed. The essence of the place - its waters, landforms and people - unfolds, revealing the site's connections and its material memory. In reconnecting the city to its water edges, this urban architectural intervention produces yet another ele- ment of grafting, embedding a stamp of our presence in an attempt to create new public space. Vl ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following organizations for their valuable help during this thesis research: Halifax Regional Water Commission, Halifax Port Authority, Pier 21 Museum - Research Centre, Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Dalhousie University School ofArchi- tecture Resource Centre. To my supervisor: Catherine Venait, thank you for your inspiring thoughts and encouragement. To my advisor: Ted Cavanagh, thank you for your valuable insights. To Steve Parcell: thank you for your effort in editing this report. Many thanks to Craig Rodmore for your continuing interest in this project and valuable suggestions. It is greatly appreciated. To the faculty and staff of Dalhousie University School of Architecture and to my classmates, many thanks. Most of all, I wish to thank my family, my husband Pre- drag and my daughter Una, for supporting me through this endeavour of the past four years. I love you. And to my mother for teaching me about courage and perseverance. Volim te. VII 1 INTRODUCTION In water lurk the mysteries of time. There is a kind of river of things, passing into being, and time is a violent torrent. For no sooner is each seen, then it has been carried away, and another is being carried by, and that, too, will be carried away. (Spellman, 2003, p. 79) Thesis Question How can the process of excavation of a marginai site reconnect the city to its water edge and create an architectural language that embeds the place's his- tory, meaning and essence in a new form of public realm? Landscapes By its own nature, the land shifts and changes over time and with it our built environment as well. The landscape that surrounds us is in a constant flux, and therefore it is a never-ending source of inspiration for our inventions, allowing us to interpret and experience our surroundings differently as time goes on. These daily and seasonal changes create shifting landscapes where nature and humans play equal roles in forming our surroundings. The activities of humans extend well beyond our day to day operations. These activities, overtime, through political, cultural, social and economic events shape our land, creating new landscapes and conditions. This phenomenon is a process rather than a product. 2 It is a condition that is characterized by movement, change, and evolution. The process of modernization has resulted in industrializing and functionalizing of our urban landscapes and daily lives, severing our connection to the "natural world". Sometimes newly-created land conditions defeat their own purpose, producing negative Impact on both the natural environment and the urban population. Conditions of urban segregations, lack of urban continuity, and a diminishment of quality of life within the city are results of this process. Interventions like these, created by humans, often lack sensitivity towards the land and the people who inhabit it, creating urban areas or edges that are characterized as difficult urban conditions. These edges, typically known as city fringes, or marginal sites, are seen as unfit for the urban context in terms of public life. However, a placement of industry and infrastructure at these sites is found suitable, as these elements are seen as by-products of marginalized sites. Very often, however, these city fringes possess richness and diversity: historical, geological, social, etc. As very dynamic and tectonic pieces of the urban setting, they create opportunities for reinventions, free play, and re-interpretation. We create a sense of place every time we inhabit the land. Through this process of habitation, the language of our own space is developed. In the same way, the built environment on a larger scale, such as the 3 city, assumes all of its past - cultural, political, and social - in creating a language of its own. Because of this, the intimacy of one's home and the intimacy of one's city hold the value of ownership, a sense of place and belonging. To a visitor, it is a place that has an identity. According to Aldo Rossi, the metaphor for the city is the one of a giant man-made house, where all parts come to life through the process of making and time. Rossi proposes a return to concepts of reason, logic, history and memory as these elements are fundamental for the development of the city (Rossi, 1982). Therefore, the city is a story comprised of many narratives, a layered element that extends to the horizons of our physical perception and goes beyond into memory of time. It is also a story that speaks about the ground and its multiple layers accumulated over time. In the city, these layers are stories about our place in this world, and they reveal the most fundamental reasons of our being. Intent This thesis builds an analysis on a condition imposed by the juxtaposition of geographical variables - water and land; the built environment - its infrastructure and connectivity; and social and cultural identities of past and present times, in an attempt to recover and reconnect the traces of nature and man-made 4 patterns and memories that are embedded into the essence of a place.