COOP COAST is a design & research unit within the graduate diploma school of CSA*. Over the course of the academic year 2010/11 the studio is investigating the political, socioeconomic and spatial realities of coastal towns, both in Kent and across the English Channel. Oscillating between macro and micro scales, between urban and rural, temporal and typological conditions, the studio embraces strategic and activist design practices alike; and will explore the potential for cooperative action within the realms of regional design, programmatic urbanism and performative architecture.

Studio: Pauline Harris, Alasdair McNab, Joao Neves, Sarjay Patel, Benjamin Reay, Sara Resende, Migle Saltynite, Richard Saunders, Rhea Shepherd, Lawrence Sherwood, Hannah Wyatt & Gabor Stark

* Canterbury School of Architecture | University for the Creative Arts. www.cantarch.com

Monday, 13 December 2010

Port City

The UK is predominated by seaside.  It produces much of the country's wealth and in one way or another, affects every non-domestic relationship and transaction that takes place on the Islands that make it up...  Those areas which would appear to benefit most from the maritime necessities of such a place are often those most by-passed with regard the commerce of international trade and shipping.  The proximity of people to the coast often has a diametric effect to that which one might expect - coastal towns are frequently left below average for UK income and life-expectancy, especially with the reduction in industrial endeavours in such places.  Conversely, ports and their governing authorities (often in direct impingement of their 'namesakes') can have multi-million pound turnovers and incredibly high commercial value.

 
The below images are an exercise in mapping the energy production that affects the coastal towns in question.






































My aims within the context of co-op coast are to investigate and discuss the relationship between ports, their authorities and needs, with those of the towns they are attached to.  Focussing on the 'Channel' ports, the investigation will produce mappings, diagrams and eventually a proposal in built form based on the relationship that is uncovered.

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