“The Delight of the Unknown" is about the relationship between time, use and form, It is focused on the idea of embracing uncertainty and taking delight in what is here today and gone again tomorrow: the architecture of a fleeting moment.
This work establishes a position against the prevailing sentimentality for material permanence and instead is focused on the joy of the temporary.
The aim of the project is to address the problem of the centreless, developer-driven suburbia of West Dublin.
This Project is a mobile metropolis, a spontaneous city in a constant state of flux. it makes use of the under-used Royal Canal infrastructure between Locks 13 Lexlip, and 12 Castleknock. The canal counter sprawl is imagined in a familiar future of a vast, densely developed suburbia.
The floating city of shared resources serves existing suburbs but has the potential to spread throughout the country in a joyous state of harmony with the sprawl.
This project is a suburban counter-sprawl based on a modified royal canal infrastructure.
Royal Canal
Dublin 15
2018
This thesis was done under the broader theme of the year “Utilitas”
“Utilitas” or usefulness is always addressed within the context of time in this thesis.
Use and its subsequent states of itself (disuse, misuse, overuse underuse... etc.) are expressed as forms that are capable of embracing, encouraging and provoking uses.
Rather than denying the fleeting nature of use, this work is a celebration of its volatile nature.
Making the case for a mobile suburban centre
As the Suburban Sprawl is continuing to spread further and further beyond the city. Many new towns such as Carpenterstown, Porterstown and Hansfield have been consumed by houses, due to their rapid growth, they lack many basic amenities associated with towns.
As this problem prevails it seems only right to try to improve this situation.
However, although many of these suburbs are “complete” it is more efficient, not to build more, but build less.
The Royal canal built in the 18th Century connects many of the centre-less suburbs of west Dublin. Originally a major trade route, it is largely in disuse today, making it an ideal location for a suburban centre.
A shared floating suburban centre could provide the public functions of a town, while the private functions remain static(houses). This strategy would be resilient to the rapid change of the post suburban city. A city, no longer at the mercy of time, supporting suburbia past, present and future.
Site - The Royal Canal
Although capable of travelling from Longford to Dublin, Floating buildings will operate between locks 12 and 13 daily.
Due to the nature of the canal, a slow speed limit is imposed for fear of displacement of water created from the wake of the barges.
The buildings embark on short term adventures, at the discretion of their users. Some find the most lucrative locations and stay put, others remain in a desirable state of flux.
A - Cloondara, Longford
B - Royal Canal Dock Dublin
Site - The Royal Canal
Hubs, Catalysts and Grid LogicHubs, Catalysts and Grid Logic
Most access point to the canal is situated at the bridges, where level crossings occur at the train line,
These existing access points, where existing infrastructure is situated could be seen as the first catalysts for the future use of the canal.
These points are imagined as the “hubs” or stops for the floating suburban centre as they are already established social hubs at the raised level, in the course of the sprawl.
grid logic
A grid system is derived from minimum clearance distances of existing RoyalCanal Obstacles including bridges and locks. Puddle areas are roughly based on this grid system, and tuning circles for floating building
The City Scale - in years
The project is imagined at different scales at scaling intervals of time. The possible post suburban situations that might occur are a reaction to the Sprawl City canal intervention and its reaction to them.
The city-scale- in years
The site scale – in seasons, days and hours
Scheme scale as moments at a human/personal scale
City Scale:
The harmonious sprawl of suburbia and a growing, sprawling canal are imagined over large intervals of time. The canal bleeds into existing suburbs as “puddles” and new “puddles” emerge as liquid market squares that the suburbs of the future evolve with, from ar around in familiar sprawl patters
(side note- By-Product suburbia is depicted in red)
The site scale – in seasons, days & hours
seasons:
days & hours
6:30 AM
“Le stoop” the floating patisserie, made its way from its home dock of Barberstown along the canal towards its first stop of Coolmine.
7:00 AM Morning Business:
The journey of 6kms took the boat 30 minutes, The bakers greeted the morning walkers and commuters. The fresh smell of croissants filled the air as the ovens burned.
9:00 AM
The building moves up the canal to Castleknock, where it greets those on the way to school
10: AM
The building begins its journey back to Barberstown, where it stays docked till the next morning!
9:00 AM
School opens in Porterstown
4:00 PM
School stats moving towards Castleknock, some students who live in Castleknock stay on the building for a lift home!
6:00 PM
The floating building is used for band practice by the community.
Scheme Scale - Moments
The Invisible Architecture of a Spontaneous Fleeting Moment
The architecture of a moment deals with two situations.
The first is the spontaneous fleeting moment, as seen in the gif below.
The explored example illustrates a brief moment where two buildings cross paths.
" when a floating park passes a floating playground on the royal canal a momentary bridge across the canal is available to the brave user who wishes to seize this opportunity to cross"
This invisible bridge exists only as a moment in time.
The Invisible Architecture of a Co-ordinated
Fleeting Moment
The second is the co-ordinated moment
an imagined example of a temporary supermarket (2 hour Tesco) is illustrated below.
"where a group of local shop-keepers work together to create a supermarket. As they work together they use the roofs of their floating shops to form a car park.
Like the bridge, this car park only exists as a moment in time and then quickly disappears. This is the invisible architecture of a co-ordinated moment.
