Coast (blurred) line: when productive activity meets spectacle at the coast

Through investigations of local vernacular and historical building along the coast of Ireland, I’ve sought to add new value along the coastal edge. The thesis explores the impact of the natural condition on how manmade structures are constructed at the coastal edge. It investigates flora and fauna indigenous to the coastline whose metaphysics are influenced by the changes in the tide. The area about the coastline has been referred to as an in-between space as it neither belongs to land nor sea and I’ve used architectural precedents of in-between spaces, be they on the coastline or not, to explore this. As the tide moves in and moves out spectacular events occur on large and small scales that draw people to the seashore-this is where man can explore ocean life. The research suggests that by dealing very carefully with a specific natural situation and cultural condition, the identity of a place can be strengthened. The outcome of the thesis is to produce an architectural project particular to a degenerate area along the coastline of Galway City; Lough Atalia. Inspired by a history of harvesting seaweed and an abundance of it on the west coast of Ireland, I seek to enhance an area polluted by poor, stagnant water quality which historically has always been inhabited by those rejected by society.