THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF ARCHITECT, UCL
UNIT 5
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IOANA PETRE
2019-2020
Risking Everything
In the context of climatic changes, this project aims to bring awareness to the impact of the Anthropocene on the Baltic Sea, while adjusting to the site and local activities. The southwest of Finland, where the building is situated, is a popular summer destination among residents of urban Finland. The building proposal consists of a sea safety training centre, a library focusing on issues of climate change and a café connecting the two. It responds to the numerous water related activities occurring around the site, the lack of public space for the island community and the need to educate the public about environmental changes.
The building acts as a weathering and measuring instrument. The predominant building materials are timber and thatch, both prone to weathering in various ways. The building tackles two damaging issues for the Baltic Sea: the decrease in salinity and eutrophication (algae blooms). As such, the project includes a series of algae pools for low-visibility diving, which adjust the programme of sea safety to the changing aquatic environment. It also involves three salt water enclosures, with ropes for salt crystallisation and pulley systems that allow people to interact with the ropes and witness the change in salt levels.