The Drowned World

Two projects, completed years apart and on different continents, show deep similarities in philosophy and design resolution. They are two of my favourite architectural projects because they are landscape architecturally driven, to the point of the building being totally subsumed by it's surroundings.

The now defunct Paisajes Emergentes' first project, the Medellin Aquatic Centre, Medellin Colombia. Taking the local wetland typology and site conditions (remnant wetlands along the Qubrada La Hueso) into account the team proposed an open air swimming pool connected by wetland gardens. The proposal was a non conforming bid in the sense that the architects proposed an open aired swimming complex rather than a building which the brief called for. Using landscape as the driving element in the design the office produced not only a more site specific response but also challenged the role  of architecture when making public, transparent and open community infrastructure.

Another project is the highly publicised Gunyama Park Swimming Pool in Sydney Australia. Though the winning project was less than inspiring, many of the contending proposals were architecturally daring. Of these, CHOFRI & McGregor Coxall's proposal, was the best. Taking the same conceptual approach as Paisajes Emergentes, a rediscovery of the site's previous landscape, the team sunk the architectural program underground. In the place of a standard architectural form a fully functioning wetland environment was to be designed bringing the site to resemble more closely to its previous landscape. Though it is not explicitly stated, I think in a way, this project, and so many others in Australia, is a healing process or a psychological method in dealing with irreparable damages of colonialism. In this project, re-instating a landscape similar to pre-European Australia is a gesture, apologising for the strange new uses we demand from the land.

Taking landscape as the driving element in the design process and not as factor, or an ingredient, pushed architecture in strange directions. Saying this as a compliment, I almost think that the designers took the idea too far! It is not a surprise why they didn't beat their glossy architecturally driven competitors. The total sublimation of the architectural statement does not ally well with the political point scoring and ribbon cutting needed for re-election.

What this proposal does show however, is the alternative. An alternative vision where architects, rather than being concerned with buildings, are more importantly inspired by processe that have previously not been key parts of the architectural methodology.