Outer Hebrides Maritime Network

Harbour guiding lights

Adaptable community space

P T N 2 0 1 3 Port of Ness Harbour, Isle of Lewis Cala Port Nis 58º 29’N 06º 13’W Port of Ness harbour, built c.1800 and rebuilt c.1885 is located strategically on the most northerly point of the Outer Hebrides archipelago.

The large, irregularly-shaped, cellular dock, illustrates the significance of seafaring tradition to the local community. which have sadly been eroded over the last few decades: with once legendary fishing and boat-building skills having been forgotten. An imposing sea-wall shelters the harbour from the often strong south, south-west and weterly prevailing winds.

Once a year, a group of 14 lccal men set sail for the rocky outcrop of Sula Sgeir, 40 miles from the coast.

Hunting guga (gannet) from the precarious cliffs.

NORTHERN EXPLORERS Light towers illuminate the harbour and shine out to sea - a safe mooring place. Each tower will accommodate facilities for various sailing demographics: from the recreational fisherman to the intrepid explorer: supplies and chandlery, wifi connection and safety equipment, and harbour master’s office.

Port of Ness harbour is the last point of connection to land for sailors before they set sail for the north Atlantic.

The harbour has geographical and cultural potential to strengthen links between the Outer Hebrides and islands in the north: Orkney, Shetland, Faroe Isles and Iceland.

F R O M T H E W AT E R :

FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Floating, anchored interventions

Tide out: Current / pattern change

C A L 2 0 1 3 Callanish jetty, Isle of Lewis Lamhraig Chalanais 58º 12’N 06º 43’W Callanish jetty, on the shores of Loch Roag, acts as a landing point for, possibly, the most well known of Hebridean landmarks, the Callanish Stones.

Said to be used by the ancients to determine the passing of time and seasons, the site has held significance for around 4500 years. However, Callanish jetty is wholly disconnected from its famous neighbour and acts, only intermittently, as a landing point for local fishermen.

Meanwhile, Loch Roag and the wider area provide a necessary safe, clean and sheltered harbour along the Atlantic-battered western coastline.

WATER CLOCK New development at the jetty attracts visitors via land and sea. This small intervention reinterprets the Stones’ past use. Varying tides dictated by the lunar season shift the shingle coastline to create distinct patterns along the shores of Loch Ceann Hulabhaig.

Floating platforms, placed strategically in the water, allow themselves to change with the varying tide. The continuous change in formation represents the passing of time.

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FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Tide in: Current / pattern change

Closed loop production system

Linear production system

T A R 2 0 1 3 East + West Loch Tarbert piers Cidhean Lochan an Tairbeirt 57º 53’N 06º 47’W Tarbert, the ‘second town’ of the Hebrides is home to approximately 550 hearachs. The narrow neck of land separates the Minch sea (East Loch Tarbert) on the east, from the Atlantic Ocean on the west (West Loch Tarbert). Relatively sheltered, the ‘fjord’ comprises sea lochs with steep hills on either coast, dominating the landscape.

MARITIME FABRICATION Tarbert becomes the focal point for maritime fabrication and launch in the islands. Materials are imported here, and landed at West Loch. The fabrication process begins on the Old Pier, before the finished boat is carried by rail system through the village, along Old Pier Road, and launched at East Loch.

The name ‘Tarbert’ derives from the Norse for ‘drawboat’, isthmus, or, a narrow neck of land joining two larger areas, flanked by water on either side. The name, common across Scotland, often indicates a ‘portage’, and it is said the Vikings carried their longboats over Tarbert to avoid sailing around the Sound of Harris.

The configuration of the Maritime Fabrication Centre follows Hebridean communitarian traditidions, with an interactive and open ethos.

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FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Phase 01: Rail track supporting mussel farming

Phase 02: Moveable / Amphibious teaching platforms

R D L 2 0 1 3 Rodel harbour, Isle of Harris Cala Roghadail 57º 44’N 06º 58’W

At the end of the ‘Golden Road’ and dating from c. 1785, Rodel harbour preceeded Tarbert as the principle setllement and landing place on the Isle of Harris. Captain Alexander Macleod (1716-90) built boathouses, storehouses, manufacturing building, a mill, plantings and a cart track, and the township became the epicentre of a thriving fishing and kelp industry The quays and original buildings, constructed by Captain A Macleod are now Grade B Listed.

Development at Rodel will proceed in 2 phases: first, timber bouchots will be set into the foreshore to facilitate cultivation of Mussels.

The second phase adopts the bouchots as pilotis, as moveable classrooms and amphibious external teaching platforms associated with the Sailing School inhabit the pier.

Primarily, the configuration of the forms should expand and contract with the seasons and tides.

Rodel, as one of the safest anchorages in the Hebrides.

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FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Nucleus of Puffin colonies

Addressing wind load and exposure

S N T 2 0 1 3 Shiant Isles Na h-Eileanan Seunta 57º 53’N 6º 21’W

Isolated 5 miles south of Lewis and east of Harris, the Shiant Isles are a group of privately owned islands.

Shiant, meaning “enchanted” or “holy”.

Cliffs measuring over 120m tall, similar to those at Staffa and the Giant’s Causeway, dominate the north side of Garbh Eilean.

The rocky outcrop is home to the densest colony of breeding Atlantic Puffins in the Outer Hebrides, numbering the tens of thousands on the steep slopes of Garbh Eilean

BIRD HIDE / SHELTER An aerial bird hide facilitates undisturbed viewing of the substantial Puffin colony on Garbh Eilean and demarcates a secure place to land small craft.

Retaining an open structure, high wind loads- common to these exposed islands- should be relieved.

The wild Shiant Isles’ untouched nature is one its most alluring qualities. Choosing an appropriately sympathetic intervention is fundamental: one that touches the land gently and does little to impede any views.

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FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Tide out: fragmented islands

Tide in: Monachs spinal route

MON2013 Monach Isles Eileanan Heisgeir 57º 48’N 7º 15’W

5 miles to the west of North Uist lie the Monach Isles, designated a National Nature Reserve due to its undisturbed machair land and the second largest Grey Seal colony in the world.

Uninhabited since 1942, the isles were said to have been populated for centuries, possibly even thousands of years before.

A small township existed on Ceann Ear, supporting but, following migration, the abandoned buildings were reused as bothies for passing fishermen, before falling into disrepair.

The Monach Lighthouse, on Shillay, was refurbished in 1997 and allows safe passage along the western coast.

MARINERS’ SHELTER Reworking the notion of the island bothy, the amphibious shelter may be used as both a place to sleep, and also a means of crossing the Sound of Shillay- linking the archipelago.

Three of the island chain, Ceann Ear, Ceann Iar and Shivinish all become physically connected at low tide via a sand bank. The new route allows mariners to berth at the only jetty in the chain, on Shillay, and explore the islands safely.

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FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Floating recreational route

Strategic placement

C Y 2 0 1 3 Castlebay slipway, Isle of Barra Cidhe Bagh a’ Chaisteal 56º 57’N 07º 28’W

Castlebay, the southern gateway to the Outer Hebrides, becomes a playground for recreational watersports enthusiasts. Being the population hub on the Isle of Barra, the village is capable of facilitating visitors, while the northern side of the island remains the industrial zone.

Daily ferry services to Lochboisdale, Oban and Tiree provide national connections to the Outer Hebrides. But, Castlebay is perfect as a launchpad for local exploration: neighbouring Eriskay, Vatersay and Mingulay- remote caves, cliffs and beachs for kayakers, canoeists and divers.

PLAYGROUND A series of floating platforms interconnected via a water bus system form a ‘watersports activity hub’.

Platforms are transportable during seasonal changes and outstanding events. Diving, coral explorations and platform fishing are all incorporated within the main activity zone spanning between the Castlebay township and Kisimul Castle. The platform elements are also amphibious objects that can be hoisted ashore where the function of space is again adaptable.

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FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS

Seasonal / climatic contraction