Next Project

The Marine Sanctum at Coire Glas

Part 2 Project 2024
Daniel Bunkham
University of Greenwich | UK
This project proposes a marine monument within the Coire Glas reservoir as part of SSE-Renewables' proposed pumped hydro storage scheme. A new reservoir in Northern Scotland is utilised for a marine network that aim to connect adventurers to the heart of the water volume itself. Visitors transition from a typical hike to an underwater pilgrimage as they descend into the reservoir, negotiating tunnels and 'Well' junctions that allow daylight to reach the sub-aquatic spaces. The climax of this journey is a dramatic central space known as 'The Sanctum'. Here visitors reach a centralised pool allowing them to ponder the importance of water and Scotland’s threated marine environment from an unprecedented perspective.

The scheme uses buoyancy and tension to suspend the architectures in marine space. Early experiments using a water tank explored the potential of buoyancy as a structural force for marine architecture. The results proved the potential of water as functional real-estate for a multi- dimensional site.

The scheme aims to be understated and mysterious from above the water, intriguing visitors to find their way to the glowing heart below the water’s surface. The reservoirs clear water reveals an otherworldly network of glowing structures that encircle the central sanctum.


Tutor(s)
Thomas Hillier
2024
• Page Hits: 308         • Entry Date: 16 August 2024         • Last Update: 11 September 2024