MATTHEW BUTCHER
FLOOD HOUSE
Methodology 1. Field-based research to develop a structure in response to the architectural vernacular of the Thames Estuary
To develop Flood House’s form, certain estuarial-vernacular architectural forms and materials were referenced to create a hybrid design, including fishing sheds, decommissioned boats and Second World War pillboxes. To find these vernaculars, Butcher utilised local knowledge of the area from individuals and institutions in and around Canvey Island and Southend. This included conversations with the curators at the Bay Museum and Research Centre on Canvey Island and correspondents with Beyond the Point, a local amateur organisation seeking to map and record forgotten or hidden structures. Butcher personally visited the coastline around Canvey Island, photographing and surveying specific sites of interest that could be considered as estuary vernaculars. The purpose of the exercise was to generate a formal and material logic for the structure, reminiscent of the estuary but unusual enough to generate intrigue.
19 Beached and rusted boat on the River Roach.
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