Architectural graveyard Part 1 Project 1999 Miguel Kalyan University of Liverpool | UK Runcorn, Liverpool 1999en tierra muerta….. la resurrecion de terrenoAs canvases are to painters, sites are a fundamental aspect to architects. As breathing entities they seem to grasp a whole unique language of their own. However there is one aspect of sites which have always seemed to be overlooked. The unretrievable site. Dead ground …… polluted, isolated, battered and bruised, the scars of a cultures waste. South West of Runcorn geographically placed by Manchester ship canal and Fordsdam Marsh, lies a site such as so. On first impressions all the negativities which surround the site become the forum for discussion and mask the true beauty beneath its rouged layers. The interesting aspect of this scheme was the influential role of the landscape to the program of the design. Negatives such as pollution, water logged marshland, and the isolation of the site were all used to set up characteristics and certain agendas for the program. The main feature through analysis of the site was to create an architecture which was not only sensitive, but vulnerable to the terrain …….. to create an architectural graveyard. Miguel is an excellent student who is very clear about what he wants to achieve with a project and the direction he will take along the route – every drawn line means something. He articulates well, is intelligent and receptive and is extremely focused on seeing his ideas through to fruition – whether large or small.His approach to his final year degree project is site based and involves layering building and site in a series of connections whereby they become one. The concept of crematorium as a holding/reflective place is dealt with in a fresh manner – the ashes become the powerful dominant structure in the quagmire of the site as the buildings concrete raft foundations slowly sink - extremely strong imagery in relation to its geographical position. The scheme is a very mature piece of work and he has handled what could be seen as a delicate subject with immense clarity of purpose.