Charles egan u0851672

CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL)

Light. Death. - Shifting Sands變化的趨勢光死亡

光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterCONTENTS

- Brief

- Site Analysis

- Cockle Pickers Tragedy

- Precedence + Development of Ideas

- Final Concept

- Final Concept Ground Floor Plan

- Final Concept Section 01

- Final Concept Section 02

- Construction Details

- Final 1:20 Concept Model

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CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL)

光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterBrielf

Project : Location :

Design a small tower structure to stand in Morecambe Bay. It is to respond to a number of needs.

- It should provide refuge and shelter to anyone who might be out in the ba- It should provide refuge and shelter to anyone who might be out in the bay, and becomes cut off from the shore. - It should incorporate a method of signaling or emergency communication.- It can act as modest ‘bothy’ like accommodation for two (+2) people, equipped with back packing gear, perhaps for bird watching.- It incorporates an element of renewable energy generation: Wind power, tidal power, photo voltaic array; heat pump.- It will be a Memorial to one of the twenty three cockle pickers.- It will be a Memorial to one of the twenty three cockle pickers. There will be 23 memorials built in the bay, nominally along the route of the Morecambe bay walk.

Further: It should respond to the harsh environmental conditions possible in the baFurther: It should respond to the harsh environmental conditions possible in the bay. You may assume a piled foundation, and a depth of water over the sea bed of 2 metres at high tide. From the sea bed, to a level 3 metres above high water level, the structure should not protrude outside a 3 metre square in plan view. Above this level, within the bounds of reasonableness, the structure, equipment, accommodation may cantilever outwards. The shelter/accommodation should be accessible at any state of the tide. Monies generated from rental for the accommodation, and the renewables will provide an income stream to the families of the cockle pickers.of the cockle pickers.

For this design exercise, you will be working within the broad spectrum of ideas embodied by the term ‘tectonic culture’.

The lessons and principles of this proposal reside within both culture and technology in the broadest sense, encompassing socio-political issues; How ‘architecture’ can exploit and expresses tectonic ideals in a social/political/cultural fashion? The ideas embodied in the smallest detail of your tower should influence the whole. Remember also, that the materials you employ are an important starting point, and that ‘sustainability’ (in the use of materials, con-struction techniques and ‘building maintenance’) are an important factor to take into consider-ation.

You will start by exploring the interesting cultural history of the location, the issues and appro-priate precedents from a wide range of fields, and the way that even the simplest of structures can embody a strong sense of identity, aspiration and sophistication.

Develop your ideas mainly through models (both real and virtual), using 2 or 3 key materials.

Materials:

For the purposes of this project, there is no restriction on the use of materials (except the caveat on ‘sustainability’ referred-to above.)

Access and Services:

There is no provision for connection to any ‘services’ (electricity, water, gas or foul drainage). All provision will need to be autonomous. Occasional service and supply visits will be possible by vehicle.

Consideration should be given to means of prefabrication.

光死亡 - Light + Death - Shifting TidesMorecambe Bay, Lancaster, UK

CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) BREIF .00

光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterSite Background Location : Population :Notable features :

MorecambeMorecambe Bay is the UK’s largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand located in the North-west of England. The sands cover a total area of 310 km2 (120 sq mi) and lie just south of the Lake District National Park.

Historically known as a popular seaside town in the 18th and 19th centuries, Morecambe Bay enjoyed decades of prosperity from tourism and fishing. In the 20th century, large oil fields were found off shore. At its peak, Morecambe bay was producing 15% of the UK oil needs. Since the mid 1950’s, with the shift to more affordable air travel and popularity of holidaying abroad, More-cambe Bay has seen major decline in tourist and holiday makers. Also, the oil fields began to run out and were eventually mothballed in 2011.

The bay is made up of ever shifting peninsulas created by the five rivers that drain into the bay. The rivers Leven, Kent, Lune, Keer and Wyre drain into the bay from al over the north west of England. These rivers deposit silt and sediments that change the landscape of Morecambe bay on a daily basis.

MorecambeMorecambe Bay has rich and vibrant wildlife and marine habitats. In 1965 the Walney Bird Observatory was founded on Walney Island at the western end of the bay and is still popular with locals and tourists today. The mudflats also contain an abundant source of cockles. The More-cambe Bay cockle beds have been fished by local fishermen for generations.

As previously noted, Morecambe Bay is the UK’s largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sands. These tides come in and out twice a day, covering and uncovering the bay at immense speed. The tides approach and receded faster than a person can run and come in to depths of over 2 meters. Morecambe Bay has a Royal Charted Guide who is able to lead groups of people across the sands safely. The guide knows the sands better than any other and can read how the sands shift and when there is a window to cross the bay at low tide. Over Morecambe’s long history, there have been numerous cases of people being caught out in the tides with the most notablenotable in recent history being that of the 23 Chinese cockle pickers that died on the evening of the 5th February 2004.

Morecambe Bay, Lancaster, UK319,100 (circa June 2009)Largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom

CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) SITE ANALYSIS .01

光死亡 Morecambe Bay, Lancaster




光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterCockle Pickers Tragedy Location : Date :Nationality :No. Pickers :Survivors :Survivors :

On the evening of 5th February 2004, 38 illegal Chinese cockle pickers from the Fujian province of China, went out onto the cockle beds of Morecambe Bay to gather cockles for and organised Chinese gang of illegal immigrants. The 38 Chinese men and women had traveled to Morecambe with money given to them by the criminal gangs on the promise of great riches in the UK to send home to their families in China. On their arrival they were enslaved and forced to gather cockles for a merger £5 per 25kg.

TheThe criminal gangs sent the 38 out onto the sands on the evening of the 5th February 2004 to collect cockles from the cockle beds. Only 15 of them survived the night. Survivors of the tragedy recount how one of the slave masters had miss timed the window between high and low tide. At approximately 9:30pm the group were cut of by the fast moving tides. 14 members of the group managed to make it to shore before the tide came in but 24 became stranded out on the bay. The remaining 24 tried to swim back to shore but due to the strong currents from Keer channel could not make it to shore. One of the cockle pickers was able to call 999 to raise the alarm but due to poorpoor english skills, was unable to accurately direct search and rescue to their position. All but one of the 24 succumbed to hypothermia and subsequently drowned. The one survivor was taken into witness protection and testified against the criminal gangs and the local fishermen who bought their cockles.

Only 22 remains of the 23 cockle pickers have been found. One as recent as 2010. As the sands shift with time more of the bodies have been uncovered. The truck the cockle pickers drove out in is frequently covered and uncovered in the bay as the sands shift with he tide.

To this day the families of the 23 are still having to pay the debts to the criminal gangs who brought the cockle pickers to the UK. The tragedy falls into a political grey area between the UK and China with both sides refusing to accept responsibility of the financial impact on the families of the dead.

Morecambe Bay, Lancaster, UK5th February 2004Fujian Province, China3815 Survivors, 23 Victims

CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) COCKLE PICKERS TRAGEDY .04


CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) PRECEDENCE + DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS .05

Precedence + Development of Ideas

MyMy initial reaction to the brief was to create a direct response to the cockle pickers tragedy. I wanted to create a haunting space that gave the visitor a sense of anxiety and claustrophobia to connect with how the cockle picker will have felt on the night they died. I decided to have two distinct elements to my narrative. The first would be a spartan space designed intentionally to be a place of emergency refuge in the event of difficulty. Comfort is not the primary concern and would hark back to the traditional definition of what a mountain bothy. A place that gets you out of danger to relative safety where you have a chance of surviving till morning or until search and rescuerescue come to find you. The second element, an artistic installation to evoke the memory of the tragedy. To remind all that visit the dangers of venturing to far from the shore. An installation that does not directly reference the tragedy but still clearly gives a strong warning of the dangers.

Anthony Gormley -

Jason deCaires Taylor -

I wanted to create and installation that evoked the same feelings as Jason deCaires Taylor, and the clear narrative of Anthony Gormley. The instalation should have a clear relationship and nar-rative to the bothy and the occupants inside.

I began by researching various marine sculptures and art installations to inform how I wanted to create a sense of memorial.I looked at Anthony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ at Crosby Beach and could immediately relate the scattered nature of the human figures scattered all over the beach and how it resonated with the the tragedy at Morecambe Bay. Gormley has scattered the sculptures over a 2 mile stretch of Crosby Beach, each at a different height sinking into the sands (or raising out depending on your point of view).

AnotherAnother artist that I discovered during my research was Jason deCaires Taylor. He has created a number of underwater sculptures designed for scuba divers and the recreation of marine coral life. His sculptures are dark and haunting in equal amounts. He is able to create sculptures and installations that make you feel as though you have found an ancient society wiped out by great tragedy.

光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterPrecedence + Development of Ideas

MyMy aspirations for a haunting and unnerving place lead my research to look at precedence that while not in itself unnerving, were places to clear your mind of all other thoughts and focus the mind introspectively. A place of worship? A place a sanctity? I began to research chapels and places of meditation. Much of my research was focused on Peter Zumthor, Tado Ando and John Pawson. All of the above have the ability to creates space that through their use of materials, the way they play with light and the way floors, walls, windows, ceilings are detailed give the occupant the ability to reflect upon life and the world in a way like no other.

TheThe poignant use of light and dark in their architecture is something the resonated deeply with me. The idea that out of the dark is a beam of light and safety. This metaphor is frequently used in religion to represent hope, afterlife, safety etc. even in dark places.

TheThe materials used also have a brutal honesty about them. A gravity that again harks back to the idea of religion, timelessness, monument and everlasting. They all have a very minimalist style and this is expressed most prominently in the details. Faces of walls disappear into light wells with natural light streaming down the face of the wall. The shadow gaps where the floor meets the walls. Frameless, undisrupted glazing give a clarity and minimal distraction from the main function of the place. The inner meditation and worship.

II wanted to incorporate all of these factors into my design. The use of light, materials and the resolution of simple yet powerful details.




光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterNarrative

Project : Location : Brief :

The driving concept behind the design stems from the tragedy of the 23 Chinese cockle The driving concept behind the design stems from the tragedy of the 23 Chinese cockle pickers. The title of the project ‘Light + Death - Shifting Sands’ has poignant meaning and is at the heart of every area of the concept. There are two distinct parts that have a direct relation-ship on each other. The bothy and the light installation in the sands.

The bothy takes it roots from the traditional definition of a mountain bothy out in the most remote part of the bay. A place of last resort in the event of danger. A place of relative safety when all other means of safety have gone. The quality of materials, attention to details and mature approach to natural light are all basic principles interweaved into the scheme at concept level.

As the visitor approaches the bothAs the visitor approaches the bothy, they will see a humble stone box protruding/sinking into the sands. The intension is for the visitor to interpret wether the ‘gravestone’ looking mass is raising from the sands or sinking into it.

As the visitor tries to escape from the tide, they will approach the stairs inside from the direcAs the visitor tries to escape from the tide, they will approach the stairs inside from the direc-tion of the rising tide. The first 2 meters of stairs are external from the main mass of the bothy and do not have hand rails to assist in climbing the stairs. The idea for this came from the notion of the bothy being a cave up the side of a cliff. The visitor has to scramble up the mountain to reach the point of safety. As the visitor passes through the threshold of the stone opening there are further stairs leading up to the entrance door. The door is a 3 meter high 200mm thick oak door with an offset pivot hinge. The door is designed to be weighty. As the visitor pushes the door open, a sense of granger is apparent, almost like entering a chamber or visitor pushes the door open, a sense of granger is apparent, almost like entering a chamber or chapel. As the visitor looks back out of the door to the rapidly approaching tide, they can see the speed of the water rising as it creeps up the stairs one step at a time giving a sense of ever growing claustrophobia wondering if the water will stop before reaching the top step.

Once Inside they are faced with a dark, stone room with the back wall bathed in natural light. The light moves across the room as the sun sets out side. As the sunlight dims the visitors attention is brought to the lights in the water through the low level window running the length of the room.

The lights in the sand are oriented and relatively spaced to form a map showing where the The lights in the sand are oriented and relatively spaced to form a map showing where the bodies of each cockle picker was discovered. Each light represents a life lost. The lights will be covered and uncovered as the tides go in and out. Just as the bodies of the victims have been uncovered and found in the years since. When the tide comes in, the lights will glow under the water giving an eerie, haunting and unsettling atmosphere to the place. The idea that the water can claim life and that the souls are forever just below the surface.

光死亡 - Light + Death - Shifting TidesMorecambe Bay, Lancaster, UKProvide a refuge and shelter to anyone who might be out on Morecambe Bay

CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) FINAL CONCEPT .08

光死亡 Morecambe Bay, LancasterConstruction

Project : Location : Construction :Sustainability :

TheThe bothy is purposely constructed with a limited palate of materials. The idea of honesty and simplicity in the choice of materials leads to a simple, more efficient method of construction. This is inherently more sustainable than other complicated and wasteful construction methods.

TheThe foundation construction of the bothy will be concrete piled foundations with a concrete plinth 500mm below ground level to which the building is build off of. The walls are constructed using locally sourced dark, almost slate grey sandstone from the Cockerham Quarry just north of More-cambe. The floors will be constructed using pot and beam construction with a cement screed. The floor, ceiling and entrance steps will be tiled with a rough cut slate.

Within the negative void beneath the floor zone of the bothy, there will be gabions to reduce the positive pressure of the high tide on the relative low pressure of the empty void and the eventual decay of the masonry walls.

The use of solar PV’s on the roof collect enough solar energy to power the LED light installation in the sands below. The solar PV MEP unit will be located behind a hidden panel next to the entrance door for maintenance. The hidden panel also allows access to the rodding point for the rainwater down pipe.

光死亡 - Light + Death - Shifting TidesMorecambe Bay, Lancaster, UKGrey Sandstone, Stone, Oak, GlassSolar PV’s, Sourcing of materials

CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) FINAL CONCEPT GROUND FLOOR PLAN .09


CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) FINAL CONCEPT SECTION 01 .10


CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) FINAL CONCEPT SECTION 01 .11


CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) CONSTRUCTION DETAILS .12



CHARLES EGAN MArch MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (INTERNATIONAL) 1:20 PRESENTATION MODEL .13





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