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Dale Leith       2019       

Stenness Archaeology Research & Education Centre

Stromness is noticeably split into two sides, the main town position to the east and the ever-growing developments on the over side facing the west. Between each half a high school sits central at the peak of the unsheltered bay. The master plan introduces many new designs that will help improve Stromness immensely, particularly a sports centre, business hubs and affordable housing. These designs are predominantly situated along the shoreline to help create a visible connection between the two sides and to increase the amount of sheltered space within the town. All aspect of this proposal aims to renew the strong sense of community that is so apparent throughout the island of Orkney.

 

The bridge if a fundamental part of the whole master plan as it creates a direct link between both sides. Literally reconnecting the route to complete the community and providing a new direction of access round thru town. The main low road in Stromness connect to the bridge at the point where the old ferry terminal was located; on the west side the bridge join to the new road and provides access to the new ferry terminal and the proposed public sports sports centre. At each end the bridge meets a different functional space. This design aims to encourage and promote a safe, healthier method of transport and a direct route across to the other side of the town. It will also enable easy access for the exportation and importation of products and encourage the expansion and raise the tourist appeal of the island.

 

In order to accommodate for the continuous movement of boats through the bay one section of the bridge will open to create an entrance and help to control the flow of marine traffic. This mechanism will be one of the main focal points and will allow visitors and pedestrians to watch the boat pass through from the restaurant and the viewpoint on the walkway. Splitting diagonally the two raised halves will symbolise the sails of boats once opened and aesthetically will create a significantly stroking feature.

Krasmir Banchev         2020       

Krasmir Banchev         2020       

Krasmir Banchev         2020       

A new European epicentre for Archaeology research and education at Stenness. This thesis deeply questions the sustainability of global tourism; specifically looking to make a positive impact out of some of the negative aspects’ tourism is bringing to the remote island community of Orkney, the cruise ship capital of the UK.

Following extensive research, I designed a facility that follows the notion of a contemporary caravanserai, a romanticised staging post that attempts to respond to the dilemma of superficial mass tourism. A building that aims to nurture seasonal fragility of a Northern place and become a vessel where some form of authentic cultural exchange can happen between the visitors and the resident.

A muted yet powerful monolithic centre lies in the UNESCO world heritage site of Stenness where it attempts to make meaningful mark in the austere Orcadian landscape. Symbolically the centre tries to continue a historical pilgrimage that has been happening for the last seven thousand years to this place, known as the Heartland, by drawing on themes of the remarkable Neolithic cairns, burial chambers and ambiguous Standing Stones that the visitors from across the globe flock to see and the island community cherish as an identity.

Stenness Archaeology Research & Education Centre

Dale Leith        2019       

Stenness Archaeology Research & Education Centre

Dale Leith         2019      

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