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The Salvaged City

Part 1 Project 2013
Matthew Bloomfield
 University of Lincoln Lincoln | UK
With less than 40 years worth of oil reserves remaining, it is clear that we are facing a difficult transition to a post-oil society. One which will be marred by social, environmental and economic troubles. So far, viable alternatives to oil infrastructure have not materialised and the clock is ticking on finding a replacement.
If we do not modify our reliance on fossil fuels we will be confronted with a situation where transport and logistics break down, spawning civil unrest. Without infrastructure, authority will fail as there is no way of enforcing rule.

This scenario is speculated upon within Nottingham, a typical British city. By the year 2052, with oil stocks long depleted, society has fractured into small communities led by self-interest. With anarchic conditions these communities need to protect themselves as well as meet their needs for food and fuel. While many groups will leave the city to find agrarian lifestyles, some will remain out of stubbornness or opportunism.

The choice of Nottingham Castle as a development site stemmed from its defensive and symbolic location. The brief developed in response to the site, and the needs of the community housed there.

A bio-ethanol plant could sustainably provide fuel for a small population while the crops needed for making the fuel also provide sustenance.

The influences of site and process research were combined with another investigation into a novel called "House of Leaves". This source provided an architectural language based on domestic vernacular architecture. The resulting combination provided recognisable building forms with an industrial capacity.

Once projected onto the site, this language and the requirements of the brief were formulated into a series of structures and interventions. These house the linear production process from the entry of unprocessed crops via canal to the distribution of pure bio-ethanol from the ruins of Nottingham Castle.

The design interacts with the challenging topography of the site. The way that the buildings overcome the difficulties of Castle Rock is symbolic of the struggle of the people in the face of adversity. Necessity remains the mother of invention.

Tutor(s)
James Dale
2013
Without oil based infrastructure, society fractures into self-serving communities
Nottingham Castle holds a defensive and symbolic position over the City
03- The “House of Leaves” provides imagery of vernacular architecture marred by uncertainty and the unheimlich
Bio-Ethanol can provide the community with fuel for heating and electricity generation
Combining the imagery of the House with the industrial equipment required by the brief, a composite architectural language is reached
The production process is housed in 4 buildings that occupy the site from the canal to the top of Castle Rock
A concrete framed office block is stripped out for use as a malthouse
The crops are processed, and fermented within a new cave excavated into the cliff-face. The thermal mass of rock regulates the fermenters
09- Low strength alcohol is evaporated by biomass boilers. The gasses rise up Castle Rock in a distillation column
10- The buildings within Brewhouse Yard form a courtyard space with a sheltered atmosphere
11- After falling into disrepair, Nottingham Castle is reclaimed by a series of interventions within the ruin
12- A series of domestically scaled huts inhabit the space; having developed over time these structures are constructed wherever there is room
13- The construction relies on salvaged materials and avoids the need for specialist trades
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