Shared territories

The west coast of Ireland is a space with an elemental pull that attracts people to this territory. Each successive generation has reimagined its relationship with the coast, from intensely controlled and surveyed militarized space, controlling access to and from the sea, to physically engaging with the raw power of the Atlantic ocean. The coast has become a space for invention and development, expressing an evolution in coastal culture and the needs of urban centres for recreational space. Through active engagement with the coast my own understanding of this landscape has evolved, the tidal zone now representing to me a territory for shared experience and spectacle. My territory is a challenging one, a space without architects, and the architecture I do find is subordinate to the fluid mechanics of water. This thesis sets out to explore how our interaction with the coast is an ever evolving process of re-imagining it spatially and physically. Through focusing on a research territory located on the Iveragh peninsula in south Kerry I hope to establish an architectural methodology which develops from a deep understanding of this dynamic environment. Solid footing needs to be found when exploring ways in which architecture can provide spaces which work to engage the body and create a deeper awareness of the landscapes we inhabit.