Relating new school and retirement home within historic naval fort (Historic Reserve at Narrow Neck, Devonport)

Abstract

This thesis project investigates the development of physical linkages between educational and residential facilities and their potential to strengthen relationships between young and old people at the Fort Area Historic Reserve, Devonport. It explores the creation of heightened spatial experiences within the distinctive landscape settings of the area and how this could influence the design of a combined school and retirement home facility. The thought- provoking landscape features of the area with the underground fortifications partially exposed on the surface reveal a tight connection with the naval heritage of the area. The thesis proposal poses a question of how this unique landscape setting could influence people and architecture. This design of the new school and the retirement home requires exploration of the modifications of the landscape settings and the underground structures that have occurred as a result of the tradition of the architecture to change and adapt to a program suitable for a particular area. The physical features around the fortifications of the Historic Reserve are perceived as a fertile setting for developing an educational/living environment for the old and the young people of the area, because of their ability to be modified to better benefit the community at the area. This tension between the landscape settings and the inspirational history of the area gives opportunities for developing a design that allows a closer community spirit to develop between the elderly ex-navy people who live in the area and the young future generations willing to gain knowledge listening to the elderly people's stories while discovering the pathways of the integrated school and retirement home facilities. As a result, another layer is added to the site on top of the existing heritage and the new buildings at the area. The project investigates these transitional spaces between the original structures on the site and the newly added crisscrossings as well as between the educational units and the residential units. The design of the underground structures considers creating spaces by lightening up the underground areas.