CHALMERS | GOTHENBURG + STRATHCLYDE | GLASGOW
(un)CERTAIN FUTURES
F R O M T H E WAT E R // FORMING MARITIME CONNECTIONS
Catriona Macdonald + Tom Smith YEAR 05 THESIS DESIGN STUDIO 5A Research Document
REASSESS Investigating context from macro and micro levels to asses the needs and requirements of the local community.
REINTERPRET Looking at the Outer Hebrides as a series of networks and connections rather than a number of segregated communites.
RECLAIM Identifying the requirements within the public domain and reclaiming it for the people.
58.2159° N, 6.3865°
FOREWORD 01. GLOBALISATION + IDENTITY
In an age of rapid globalisation there is an to move back to regionalism and remember the importance of heritage and cultural identity. “Western urbanities are increasingly adopting strategies of branding, promotion, and privatisation of public spaces. The construction of a staged official identity, the choreographing / adjusting of the urban image has had an extensive physical impact, affecting, displacing and dislocating local identities and urban life. Urban models of regeneration, using culture and architecture’s emblematic power as catalysts in the branding and regeneration of the urban- is not a new phenomenon. It is a model that has been reproduced and developed in several European cities in the past twenty years, one-off cultural events. These regeneration projects have encompassed large-scale demolitions and insertions of interventions that have resulted in the displacement of local communities, homogenisation, and privatisation.” Urban Architecture Studio, Chalmers, 2012
02. ARCHIPELAGOS
The aim is to reinterpret the notion of an archipelago; from the physical to the meta-physical. Through reworking the disconnections, whether as islands in real terms or identifying the social, cultural and religious divides within, an approach may be achieve to instill confidence, unity, a sense of place and a strong identity for the islanders.
KEY THEMES FOR INVESTIGATION: _Re-assessing the site specific Rediscovering and challenging traditions _Reinterpreting community The notion of roots and culture in a global age and as a possible driver for development _Reclaiming the public realm Giving the people back their identity. Creating a sense of ownership. Maintaining a sense of place
CONTENTS 01. FOREWORD
On the Edge - Map of Scotland - Map of Outer Hebrides -Historical timeline
02. REASSESSING THE SITE SPECIFIC -Outer Hebrides overview
The Outer Hebrides as a network - Economy - Indigenous industries - Language - Religion - Tourism - Stornoway Leverhulme’s Lewis + Harris: An industrial network - Lord Leverhulme overview - Leverhulme and Stornoway - Port Sunlight
03. REINTERPRETING COMMUNITY
- The divide The Outer Hebrides as a cultural / economic network - Connections - Ports and Harbours - Harbour (Stornoway) - Fishing (Stornoway) - Timeline (Fishing on the west coast) - Fishing decline - Craftsmanship - Symbolic Identity -Education
04. FORMING NETWORKS -National maritime network - Ports and harbours - Yacht moorings -Port and harbour facilities - Tourist network - Marine activities - Possible sites
APPENDIX 01
- Stornoway - Actors -Brief development - Urban archipelago: islands - Proposed outcomes
ESSAYS
- Identity: Catriona Macdonald - Identity: Tom Smith
ON THE EDGE “of the world� of forgetting its past of economic strife of cultural change of disconnection
The Outer Hebrides Innse Gall (Foreign Isles) Na h-Eileanan Siar The Western Isles
Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
0878 Norse invasion of the Hebrides
Norse permanent settlements came into being following years of raids. Development of architecture from historical circular pattern to more Nordic rectangular construction (e.g. blackhouses)
1066
1200
Godfrey Crobhan, vassal for the King of Norway escaped slaughter and extended his reign from the Butt of Lewis to the Isle of Man.
Norse warrior chief, Nicol Hasson, built fortified citadel on bay islet.
1265 Death of the Norwegian King and the end of Norse supremacy.
1266 Treaty of Perth, the Isle of Lewis was ceded to the Scots by the Norwegian King
1594
1844
1918
First recorded visit of Dutch fishermen to Stornoway
James Matheson purchases Lewis
Lord Leverhulme buys Isle of Lewis
1865
1925
Constitution of the Stornoway Pier and Harbour Commission
Isle of Lewis purchased by conglomerate
Consideration of place may be manifest in a number of ways: in terms of layered, physical landscape; but, also as social and mental processes. (New Nordic, 2012)
REASSESSING THE SITE SPECIFIC
THE OUTER HEBRIDES AS A NETWORK
Strengths - Excellent soft infrastructure characterised by low crime rates; high educational attainment rates; a high environment and excellent public services - Community land ownership - Abundant renewable energy resource - T ourism - Harris Tweed - Heritage and Culture - Media and creative assets - UHI (if it remains as originally envisaged) - Defence sector (Hebrides Range) - Community facilities - Marine environment
Weaknesses - Population loss and demographic imbalance - Connectivity – electricity networks, transport, broadband - Structural balance – public v private / third sector - Contraction of traditional sectors - Restrictions caused by designations - Lack of clear area branding - Fuel costs - Fuel poverty - Ferry capacity and pricing
Opportunities - Super-fast / Next-Generation Broadband - Energy – Renewable and non-renewable - T ourism Development - Harris Tweed - Defence industries - Land-resources - specialisation, diversification, addingvalue - Cost of recruiting - Islands diaspora - Lower costs of renting commercial property - Achieving equivalence / parity - Development of local quality products - Export growth to new markets outside Europe - Jobs dispersal (government decentralisation) - Community and social enterprises
OUTER HEBRIDES INNSE GALL
The islanders of the Outer Hebrides feel, in many ways, a disconnect from mainland Scotland: Historically being refered to as, na Gall Gaidheil, or The Foreign Gaels. An archipelago spanning 130 miles, from the Butt of Lewis to the southerly Barra Head, the Outer Hebrides are a chain of islands lying west of the Scottish mainland. This collection of islands acts as a buffer, protecting the mainland from the severe wind and wave conditions rolling in from the expansive Atlantic Ocean. Although most notably recognised for its rugged landscape and remote location, the Western Isles also boasts a strong cultural background. Gaelic integration within Islanders’ rural communities illustrates its inhabitants’ pride in their heritage. Close proximity to sea and fresh water throughout the Outer Hebrides meant the Islanders an intrinsic and undeniable connection with the marine environment, with the opportunity fish freely and prosper from their catch. Crofting has endured to an extend within the rural communities, enabling the inhabitants ‘to live off the land’. Stornoway, population 9000, located on the east coast of Lewis, is the islands’ capital. It is the urban centre of the Western Isles, and the third largest urban area in the Highland region.
Threats – Limited understanding of local circumstances at national level - Fear of change / development - Continuing population decline - Access to private sector credit / finance - Reduction in public sector funding - Environmental designations / restrictions - Fuel and general living costs - Centralised UHI - Access to credit / finance - Reduction in traditional markets - Constitutional change - Risk averse as a community - Lack of confidence, aspiration and ambition
KEY CHALLENGES - Peripherality - Insularity - Sparseness of population - Lack of confidence
Callanish Stones, Isle of Lewis
Luskentyre beach, Isle of Harris
Looking south, North Uist
Runway, Balivanich, Benbecula
Our Lady of the Isles, South Uist
Kismul Castle, Castlebay, Barra
FABACEAE Ulex europaeus GORSE
POLYGALACEAE Polygala vulgaris COMMON MILKWORT
MYROCACEAE Myrica gale BOG MYRTLE
A tough, spiny shrub with bright golden- yellow flowers that give off a powerful scent. Common on moorland edges and road sides.
The commonest Milkwort of the machair.
A species of wet boggy terrain. A clump forming shrub.
Flowering
Flowering
Flowering
Flowering
COMMON / GREY SEAL
BUZZARD
COMMON TERN
REDSHANK
Any time of year
May to September
April to May
CYPERACEAE Eriophorum angustifolium COMMON COTTONGRASS Common in damp boggy ground.
April to May
ERICACEAE Erica cinerea BELL HEATHER
FABACEAE Cytisus scoparius BROOM
ASTERACEAE Cirsium vulgare SPEAR THISTLE
ERICACEAE Calluna vulgaris HEATHER
Bright reddish flowers. A subshrub of dryer upland areas.
Scarce. An introduced plant found in cultivated areas and gardens.
Common on open ground and roadsides. Tall plant with spiny stems and leaves with large purple flower heads.
Carpeting sub-shrub characteristic of acid soils and can form large colonies on moorlands and bogs.
Flowering
Flowering April to June
Flowering July to September
OYSTER CATCHER
RED DEER
EAGLE
May to September
Flowering July to September
OTTER
EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR 2008 Outer Hebrides Energy, water + manufacturing
Agriculture fishing
+
Construction
Distribution, hotels + restaurants
H+ I Region
Outer Hebrides Outer Hebrides Transport + communications
Banking, finance + insurance, etc.
P u b l i c administration, education + health
Other services
H+H+ I Region I Region
MOTIVATIONS IDENTIFIED FOR LEAVING
MOTIVATING FACTORS IDENTIFIED AS VERY IMPORTANT BY IN-MIGRANTS
IMPACT / (un)CERTAINTY MATRIX
THE INDUSTRIES WEAVING There has been marked revitalisation of the Harris Tweed industry in the last decade with increasing popularity among famous fashion houses: Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Dries van Noten etc. and familiar brands such as Nike.
_CROFTING As a result of persistant absenteeism, growing levels of neglect and continuing removal and development of land from crofting tenure; there are only around 6,000 active crofting households, and the average age of a crofter is over 55.
_PHARMACEUTICALS Based in Breasclete. Company taken over by German research firm Equateq in May 2012 Research into fatty acids, making lipids- source of Omega 3 and used in many pharmaceutical applications and dietary supplements. Minister for Enterprise Fergus Ewing said: ‘This is a major and very welcome development for the Western Isles, securing investment and high quality jobs for the Isle of Lewis. ‘Equateq is a great example of a Scottish success story, using a highly skilled team of experts and Scotland’s marine and biological natural resources to produce and manufacture concentrated omega-3 fatty acids.”
_KELP HARVESTING http://www.hebrideanseaweed.co.uk/ Hebridean Seaweed Company Ltd manufactures organic seaweed products for use in the animal feed supplement, soil enhancement, alginate, cosmetics and nutraceutical industries.
_ICE PRODUCTION A critical facilty based at Stornoway Harbour, ice production allows the harbour to become a base point for the transportation of aquaculture.
INDIGENOUS INDUSTRIES “At the end of the 19th century, Lewis exported, “through the commercial hands of Stornoway, a million-and-a-half eggs a year from those crofts; 90 tons of wool; 400 sheep and lambs and almost 2000 cattle. The island’s fishermen, most of whom worked in small sailing boats in hazardous Atlantic seas out of such ramshackle jetty complexes as were to be found at Port of Ness , sent to the mainland through Stornoway as many as 40000 barrels of herring a year. At 30 shillings a barrel this haul earned for Lewis some £60000 per annum (which would be worth £4million today). Substantial quantities of cod, ling, salmon and lobster were also carted to Stornoway, boxed and shipped to the mainland.” (Hutchinson: 2005: 13)
Scottish Gaelic is offically recognised as a language of Scotland, but not of the United Kingdom. During the 2001 census, there were 58 552 native gaelic speakers in Scotland. The Outer Hebrides remains the stronghold of the language with an overall proporation of speakers at 61.1%. No parish in Scotland has a proportion of Gaelic speakers greater than 75% (the closest being the parish of Barvas in lewis, 74.7%) Census results report a decline of almost 7 300 gaelic speakers in the decade between 1991 and 2001. The modern Scottish Gaelic alphabet has 18 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U.
YEAR No. Students in GME
%Students
2005 2,480 0.35% 2006 2,535 0.36% 2007 2,601 0.38% 2008 2,766 Âą 0.4% 2009 2,638 0.39% 2010 2,647 0.39% 2011 2,929 0.43% (GME = Gaelic Medium Education)
Proportion Gaelic speakers
LANGUAGE
Above - Gaelic road signs, South Uist
“The Free Church…adhered since the Disruption of 1843…generally unsympathetic to innovation. It preached a rigid form of Puritanism, denouncing music, dancing, drinking…” Nicolson, 1960
RELIGION
DENOMINATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Relgion has always played an intergral and crucial role in island life for thousands of years.
Free Church + Free Presbyterian Church are condsidered religious traditionalists: metric psalms are sung with no musical accompaniment; hymns are considered inappropriate; women must be dressed appropriately in modest, femine clothing.
From pagan worship, illustrated by the numerous ritualistic standing stone formations scattering the archipelago’s landscape, to the iron grip of staunch Calvinist Protestantism still prevalent throughout the northern islands today.
EQUALITY + DISCRIMINATION Outer Hebrides is considered one of the last refuges of religious conservatism in the country. This has causes a number of issues with regard to recent Equality and Discrimination laws.
Unusually, there is a strong religious divide between the islands: - the northern islands of Lewis, Harris and North Uist tend to practise Protestantism - the southern islands of Benbecula, South Uist and Barra are strongholds of Catholicism. Christian Sabbath is observed- more so in Lewis and Harris, generally services will be closed. Since 2002, pro-Christian groups such as the Lord’s Day Observance Society have protested at the commencement of Sunday ferries and flights to the mainland.
Church service, Crossbost, Isle of Lewis
Marine leisure industry The Outer Hebrides’ unique and attractive environment offers tremendous potential for tourists and visitors. The total annual number of visitors to the Western Isles is estimated to be around 180,000 contributing some £40m to the local economy. The sector of the leisure industry using the coastal and marine environment of the islands is expanding and now offers a range of facilities and activities for visitors and local residents which include sea angling, canoeing, cruising, diving, sailing, surfing, etc. The potential exists for the development of a network of marinas and this is currently being researched.
TOURISM Tourism is a significant economic factor throughout the Outer Hebrides. The Scottish Natural Heritage statistics indicate15% of the area’s Gross Regional Domestic Product was generated by the tourist industry in 2007. Visitor numbers and spending have been a continuously increasing since the Millenium. Sightseeing and walking continue to dominate activities pursured by foreign and mainland visitors. The outstanding beauty of these isles, perhaps, draws up to 70% of the current tourist populous. 50% increase in overseas visitors to Scotland between 2001-2005
Seasonal Tourism Statistics
Value of Tourism to Outer Hebrides, 2007
LEVERHULME’S LEWIS + HARRIS / AN INDUSTRIAL NETWORK
_INDUSTRIAL MAGNATE Raised in a typically lower middle-class mid-Victorian home environment, Lever inherited his cultural ideals of respectability, hard work non-conformist religious practice. in 1867, he took up his apprenticeship in the family trading business. From an early age, Lever received a strict and disciplined grounding in business. Identifying a gap in the market following the rapid growth of industry and the rising standards of living in towns and cities, Lever invested in the production of basic goods and soap products under the name, ‘Sunlight’; innovating the soap industry, using vegetable oils instead of traditional tallow, and later establishing the large and prosperous company, Lever Brothers (now UniLever).
_PORT SUNLIGHT “...His guiding philosophy was that all men could improve themselves given a fair chance, in decent conditions.” (http://www.portsunlight.org.uk/) In an era of industrial and social reformists such as, Benjamin Disraeli and Robert Owen; and the formation of the Garden Suburbs Movement, Lever was the product of an age of, “social inequality, self-interest and free enterprise balanced by philanthropists, social reformers and self-help moralists.” (http://www. portsunlight.org.uk/) But, there is a curious dichotomy with regards Lever’s apparent philanthropic nature. Admirably, he strove to provide decent living conditions for his workers: a good quality of life; the opportunity for education and self-improvement. However, he applied various stringent conditions on his workforce, in the manner of a, “ benevolent dictatorship.” (Hutchinson: 2005) In 1888, construction began on the new industrial town of, ‘Port Sunlight”. Lever envisaged an utopian ideal and a precedent for workers’ living for the future, nestled between the banks of the Mersey river, and the Birkenhead/London railway line.
LORD LEVERHULME William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851-1925) English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. ‘...there can be no reason why man should not make towns liveable and healthy . . . just as much subject to the beneficent influence of bright sunshine, fresh air, flowers, and plants, as the country.’ (W.H.Lever: Land For Houses: 1898: 2)
_LEWIS + HARRIS “We have here in the island of Lewis surrounding us wealth beyond the dreams of avarice...It is only a question of dealing with this matter on the lines that will enable every inhabitant of Lewis to become better off than at present” (Hutchinson: 2005: 82) Lever first set eyes on the ‘Long Island’, in 1884 on a cruise organised to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his wedding. There he found, “a place of ‘natural beauty and variety of scenery’ inhabited by people of ‘charm and attraction.” (Hutchinson: 2005: 11) In 1918, Lever purchased the islands of Lewis and Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, for £150 000. Despite owning the land for just seven years, The Soap Man left a profound and lasting impression on the islands. Lews Castle became home, perched on the most prominent position over-looking Stornoway harbour. Using both his philanthropic and business experience and acumen, Lever set out to revolutionise the industrial landscape of Lewis and Harris, and in turn, the lives of its inhabitants. Much of his plans envisioned little more than a Port Sunlight of the north
Plans for the Isle of Lewis icluded: - The Bridge to Nowhere (Tolsta-Ness infrastructure) - Stornoway Town Improvement Plan - Carloway - Sty railway/ Port of Ness- Sty railway/ Loch Seaforth - Sty railway. Pentland Road - Improvement of road network - Basket-making (planting white willow) - Overhauling the Harris Tweed Industry - Kelp Industry - Ice factories / cold storage / canneries - Conversion of moorland into cultivated soil - Forestry (5 000 000 young trees each year, Menzies Spruce and Scotch Firs) - Housing for employees (Anderson Rd examples) Plans for the Isle of Harris: - Obbe/An t-Òb- Leverburgh - Bun Abhainn Eadar Whaling Station
Leverhulme’s proposed industrial interventions on Lewis and Harris
Leverhulme’s proposed industrial interventions on Lewis and Harris: Above- Pentland road
Leverhulme’s proposed industrial interventions on Lewis and Harris: LeftWhaling Bunavoneadar
Station,
Above- Houses Rd, Stornoway
Anderson
“There is something in the Lewisman’s temperament that prevents him from making the most of his opportunities and intelligence. It may be nothing more than Celtic pessimism. He expects the worst to happen; it so often has before. Shipwreck, famine, sickness, blight, accident, war, have inured him to disaster…Life is hard, so keep it simple: there will be less to lose, fewer disappointments. This was the philosophy which Leverhulme found so difficult to understand.” Nicolson; 1960; 36
OBSTACLES: According to some, Leverhulme was,“the right man, at the wrong time.” arnish.islandblogging. Following the end of World War I - government promised land to the men returning home after four arduous years at war. What Lord Leverhulme could not have foreseen were the events unfolding as the bells tolled signalling a new year, 1 January 1919. Former leisure cruiser, the Iolaire (the eagle, gaelic), commissioned by the Royal Navy, set off from Kyle of Lochalsh in time to allow the 208 Lewismen on board to bring in the New Year in their homes for the first time following four years on war in continental Europe. As the liner neared the shores of Stornoway, many of the passengers could identify the glowing lights of their own homes on the shore. Around an area known locally as, the Beasts of Holm, the Iolaire ran aground. Iolaire disaster is held with Titanic and Norge, as one of the most tragic peace-time maritime disasters the British Isles has ever seen. Many Hebridean War Memorials refer to the war of 1914-1919, as tragedy for them, did not end at the declaration of peace.
S T O R N O WAY + LEVERHULME “...a need to combine commerce and beauty in the redevelopment of Stornoway...” (Hutchinson: 2005: 88) “Leverhulme’s impact on Lewis and harris in the first quarter of the twentieth century can still be felt today, and will resonate into the future.” (Hutchinson: 2005: ix)
_UNREST : The Land Raiders WHY was the islanders’ reaction so starkly in contrast to that of the workers of Port Sunlight? Despite his apparent philanthropic intentions, many of the islanders viewed Lever’s plans with scepticism and wariness. Was he the charitable man he portrayed or, in fact, a ruthless capitalist business man, who only saw the island as a means to another fortune? Lever’s radical plans for the island imagined a second utopian industrial destination: a Port Sunlight of the north. However, what he failed to realise was that despite the relatively underdeveloped infrastructure available to manipulate and control, the political and social structures on Lewis were in complete contrast to those on the Mersey. The influence of the church was strong and the peoples’ sense of belonging to the land was immoveable. The crofting practices of the archipelago, that Lever felt uneconomical and impractical, were deeply entrenched as a way of life. Those men returning from the foreign battlegrounds of the First World War held a deep mistrust for the englishman, believing he intended to take away their crofts. On his visit in 1884, Lever could never have sense
that, “A land war was simmering in this island where the sense of land and place was absolute.” (Hutchinson: 2005: 14) “Leverhulme’s revolution needed the people of Bolton. It got the Leodhasaich.” (Hutchinson: 2005: 86) MacLeod, in reply to Lord Leverhulme’s speech to the islanders, “Lord Leverhulme, you have bought this island. But you have not bought us. We refuse to be the bondslaves of any man. We want to live our own lives in our own way, poor in material things it may be, but at least it will be clear of the fear of the factory bell; it will be free and independent” (Hutchinson: 2005)
The Scottish Islands are a rotten deal, Those Celts are terribly difficult, We find them unwilling to pull their weight When we let them in at the Golden Gate. They’ve no team spirit, they won’t take part In our study circles and community art And at garden parties they won’t concur In speaking English- which is de rigger.
Above1918 impression of intentions
Artist’s Lever’s
So welcome now to the realm of the divine And sign your name on the dotted line You’ll find life up here a spree For Heaven is a joint-stock company. But far below in the Western Seas The moors were quiet in the Hebrides, The crofters gossiped in Gaelic speech And the waves crept over the lonely beach. From: The Ballad of Lord Leverhulme, Louis MacNeice
Lord Leverhulme’s model village developed for the entrepreneur’s rapidly expanding workforce within his company, Lever Brothers, and began construction in 1888. Derived from UniLever’s most popular cleaning brand, Sunlight, the town was named Port Sunlight, and built to accommodate a population of 3 500. Each housing block was designed by a different architect, each of whom created various schemes. Factory workers in Lever’s development promoted after work recreational activities in an attempt to maintain a high moral within the workforce. Port Sunlight remained a home strictly for the UniLever Working Community until the 1980’s.
PORT SUNLIGHT The shining star of the Lever brand, Port Sunlight was the embodiment of Lever’s vision for utopian working towns.
“...Christianise business relations and get back to that close family brotherhood that existed in the good old days of hand labour. “ Lever Many of the utopian ideals portrayed in the Port Sunlight model are reflected in Lever’s proposal for the redevelopment of Stornoway. Today, 900 of its buildings are Grade 2 Listed buildings, whilst the town itself was declared a Conservation Area in 1978. Additionally, Port Sunlight has formally been put forward as a proposed World Heritage Site.
“...his guiding philosophy was that all men could improve themselves given a fair chance, in decent conditions.” (http://www.portsunlight.org.uk/) In an era of industrial and social reformists such as, Benjamin Disraeli and Robert Owen; and the formation of the Garden Suburbs Movement, Lever was the product of an age of, “social inequality, self-interest and free enterprise balanced by philanthropists, social reformers and self-help moralists.” (http://www. portsunlight.org.uk/) But, there is a curious dichotomy with regards Lever’s apparent philanthropic nature. Admirably, he strove to provide decent living conditions for his workers: a good quality of life; the opportunity for education and self-improvement. However, he applied various stringent conditions on his workforce, in the manner of a, “ benevolent dictatorship.” (Hutchinson: 2005) In 1888, construction began on the new industrial town of, ‘Port Sunlight”. Lever envisaged an utopian ideal and a precedent for workers’ living for the future, nestled between the banks of the Mersey river, and the Birkenhead/London railway line.
Above- Map illustrating Lever’s Port Sunlight, Mersey
_STORNOWAY The appearance of the capital of the Western Isles today owes much to the vast wealth of its 19th and early 20th century proprietors. They transformed the lively little town into a relatively prosperous fishing port. As a modern ferry port Stornoway celebrates little of its legacy. Stornoway’ s status as a royal burgh from 1628 In 1653, Cromwellian troops constructed a fort on Goat Island and a fortress or citadel in what is now the Point Street area Martin Martin noted in 1695 that the town which hadbegun to develop on a small peninsula between the inner and outer harbour known as the Point “consists of about sixty families; there are some houses of entertainment in it, as also a church [St. Lennan] and a school, in which Latin and English are taught.” Historically, the main axis was Point Street, where the houses originally looked inwards with their backs to the water. since many Dutchmen were granted fishing rights and settled here in the 17th century. By 1773, Kenneth Street had opened up as a new thoroughfare, Cromwell Street was well established and a pier was under construction. In the late 18th century, J. L. Buchanan portrayed the by now well-established fishing port of Stornoway, as a cosmopolitan place. The geometrical plan of Georgian Stornoway is shown clearly in John Wood’s survey of 1821 . By the mid-19th century there were three mills (one for carding wool), a distillery, five schools, `respectable looking shops, 18 pubs and a bank. Sir James Matheson also provided drinking fountains and, in 1849, a gasworks which lit the streets. Lord Leverhulme’s vision for a model town, as illustrated by J. Raffles Davison in his bird’s eye view of 1920, Venice of the North, was refined and developed by Thomas Mawson and J. Lomax-Simpson. But the failure of his dream for the once cosmopolitan burgh, whose population had more than doubled during the late 19th century herring boom, coincided with depression and stagnation on the island. - “Western Seaboard: An Illustrated Architectural Guide”, by Mary Miers, 2008.
S T O R N O WAY 58°11’.50N 006°22’.00W Gaelic: Steornabhagh Icelandic (Old Norse): Stjorna Vagr (anchor bay) POPULATION: 9000 Notable Designers: James Lomax-Simpson Architect 1920 Thomas Hayton Mawson Garden designer, Landscape architect Thomas Raffles Davison Architect, Artist 1920
Above- Aerial view of Stornoway harbour, 1980
Leverhulme’s proposed industrial interventions on Lewis and Harris: LeftWhaling Bunavoneadar
Station,
Above- Pentland road
AboveCromwell Stornoway
St,
Aerial View 01, Stornoway The Scotsman, 1959 scran
Aerial View 02, Stornoway The Scotsman, 1959 scran
My Surroundings: Stornoway Harbour, Fiona Rennie, 2012
Surroundings: Stornoway Town Centre, Fiona Rennie, 2012
Streetscape and Materials Study
What influence have various social factors had on the architectural landscape of the place? How have traditional culture and ideals transcended into modern life? How may traditional typologies be manipulated to facilitate the contemporary needs of the people of Stornoway?
REINTERPRETING COMMUNITY
“...summary of the island’s character has been full of contradiction. (The Outer Hebridean) is alert, yet given to indolence; welcoming to strangers, yet resentful of any trespass on his privacy; the most home-loving of men, yet prepared to take up his roots and re-plant them in the furthest corners of the world. The ugliness of his possessions and the complete lack of any visual taste in the layout of his croft and village are in curious contrast to his responsiveness to literature and music. He admires leadership, but takes a perverse pleasure in its failure. Deeply angered by any wrong done to himself, he will nevertheless try to outsmart his neighbour or his benefactor. He is extraordinarily cautious even for a Scotsman, for he fears ridicule even more than he desires success.� Nicolson, 1960
THE OUTER HEBRIDES AS A C U LT U R A L / ECONOMIC NETWORK
Over the past 20 years, much has been invested in the infrastructure to and throughout the Outer Hebrides. 1990s EU investment via Objective 1 allowed major developments to be realised such as: - Eriskay causeway - Berneray causeway - Scalpay Bridge - Pier No. 03 (Passenger ferry) Road Equivalent Tariff, increased passenger numbers by 31% in 2011 (heraldscotland) - supports local businesses and increases employment opportunities - encourages sustainability through tourism - provides better access for passengers and freight Air Discount Scheme - allows islands 40% discount on air travel to and from mainland Scotland (although not inter-island travel).
PORTS HARBOURS
+
There are 41 port and harbour facilities throughout the Outer Hebrides, from Port of Ness harbour in the north, to Vatersay Causeway in the south. PORT OF NESS, LEWIS
SCALPAY, HARRIS
Facilities include: - Ferry terminals - fishing piers - Pontoons - Slipways - Cranes - Fuel - Water - Power - Payphone - W.C. - Shower - Ice - Trailier launching - Waste oil reception Viisitor yacht moorings: - Rodel, Harris (3) - Berneray (3) - Lochmaddy, North Uist (9) - Loch Carnan, South Uist (1) - Lochboisdale, South Uist (6) - Acarsaid, Eriskay (2) - Castlebay, Barra (12)
LOCHMADDY, NORTH UIST
LOCHBOISDALE, SOUTH UIST
A Q U A C U LT U R E
MOORINGS Leisure
Development of Stornoway Harbour Stornoway Bay recognised as a natural, safe, anchorage point, protected by the penninsula, Point, in the north, an the Lewis mainland. In south and westerly directions. These conditions encourage a prosperous, well conditioned harbour. Pre 1785, small stone jetties on the Inner Harbour, where fishermen offloaded their catch onto the beach. The majority of Stornoway harbour remained in its natural, undeveloped state. (Human activity was essentially driven away by Sir James Matheson, where the landowner denied the local people from undertaking fish curing developments on the harbourside. The development of Stornoway harbour wa the key factor in the expansion of the town over the past two centuries. At one time, 300-400 vessels landed thousands of herring catches per week were accommodated on the harbourfront through organisation and routine. Now commercial port, including one of the leading slipway facilities on the West Coast and islands. The Port is the main entry/exit point for all goods imported to and exported from the island. Over 1000 vessel movements are recorded annually comprising of commercial vessels, daily car passenger and freight ferries, cruise liners and many other vessel types. The Outer Hebrides attracts visitors from around the world. Stornoway is becoming a popular stop over for cruise liners and visiting yachts. “Combined with the facilities provided for the fishing industry and the business opportunities within the town, it is apparent that Stornoway is well placed for commerce and tourism in the 21st century. -Stornoway Port Authority, 2009
HARBOUR Stornoway Stornoway is situated 30 miles off the north west coast of Scotland it is the main seaport of the Hebridean Island chain and provides a vital link to mainland Britain.
THE FISH MART Interestingly, when Lord Leverhulme proposed to change the face of Stornoway with an ambitious plan to cut a swathe from South Beach to Goathill Crescent, the Fish Mart was to be left alone as a special ‘feature’.
Above- Herring Drifters at Stornoway, 1920s-40s
Stornoway Harbour berths West No 1 Pier: Ro/Ro Berth, Length: 128.0 metres Depth: 7.6 metres to 4.5 metres. East No 1 Pier : Length: 130.0 metres Depth: 7.3 metres to 1.0 metre Esplanade Quay : Length: 122.0 metres Depth: 5.2 metres to 4.5 metre
HARBOUR Stornoway Stornoway’s safe natural harbour allows access to vessels up to 6.5 metres draft in all weather conditions. Deeper draughted vessels can be accommodated under certain tidal conditions.
East Pier No 2: Length: Tanker Berth Length 70.0 metres Depth: 5.2 metres to 1.0 metre West Side No 2: Dry Bulk 80.0metres Depth 5.2 to1.0 metre West No 3 Pier: Ro/Ro Berth, Length: 140.00 metres Depth: 6.5 metres East No 3 Pier: Length: 140.0 metres Depth: 6.5 metres North Beach Quay: Length: 175.0 metres Depth: 4.0 metres to 2.4 metres. Cromwell Street Quay: Length: 259.0 metres Depth 2.4 metres. Arnish Pier: Length: 100.0 metres Depth: 6.5 metres. (Pier extended 2004).
Channel Approaches One channel entrance to Harbour 4 cable width, least depth 12 metres. Further in channel least depth 6.5 metres, 4 cables width all the way. Communications Stornoway Harbour Radio. Working Channel 12. Tidal Range 5m at springs, 2m at neaps. Maximum Size of Vessel Alongside: 140m length. Inner Anchorage: 165m length, 18,000 GT, depth 7m. Outer Anchorage: No limit to size depth 17m
01. No. 01 Pier 02. No. 02 Pier 03. No. 03 Pier 04. Slipway 05. Arnish Pier 06. Esplanade Quay 07. Pontoons
SCOTTISH FISHING BOAT REGISTRATION A: Aberdeen AA: Alloa AH: Arbroath AD: Ardrossan AR: Ayr BA: Ballantrae BF: Banff BO: Bo’ness BRD: Broadford BCK: Buckie BU: Burntisland CN: Campbeltown CY: Castlebay DE: Dundee DS: Dumfries FR: Fraserburgh GH: Grangemouth GN: Granton GW: Glasgow GK: Greenock INS: Inverness IE: Irvine K: Kirkwall KY: Kirkcaldy LH: Leith LK: Lerwick ML: Methil OB: Oban ME: Montrose PD: Peterhead RO: Rothesay SR: Stranraer SY: Stornoway TN: Troon TT: Tarbert, Loch Fyne UL: Ullapool WK: Wick WN: Wigtown
FISHING Stornoway Stornoway historically supported a significant fishing fleet with large numbers of boats targeting demersal and pelagic fish stocks. The herring fishery was particularly important; at its peak (around 1900) more than 900 boats fished for herring from Stornoway, supporting nearly 9000 people in jobs including fishing, gutting, packing, curing and barrel making34. Many of these workers, most famously the “herring girls”, were itinerant, following the fleet from port to port. HERRING Sgadan MACKEREL Rionnach SALMON Bradan COD Trosg HADDOCK Adag HAKE Cromag FLATFISH Leobag PRAWNS Muasgan-caol CRABS Crubagan LOBSTERS Giomaich CARRAGEEN Carragean (seaweed as food and medicine) SEABIRDS Eoin Mara FISH OIL
Ola
In 2009, the value of landings into Outer Hebrides is in the region of €16 million, with Nephrops accounting for 63% of total landed value. The main shellfish species by value landed in the area are Nephrops, scallops, lobster, brown crab and velvet crab. This strong reliance on the Nephrops fishery makes the sector vulnerable to any change in fishing opportunities and prices. There is substantial vivier storage on the islands to hold live shellfish prior to export and some shellfish processing capacity (Youngs in Stornoway and Barratlantic Ltd in Barra processing mainly Nephrops; Kallin Shellfish Ltd mainly processing scallops). Other smaller-scale fisheries include the crawfish fishery (up to 20 vessels targeting crawfish April to August), the razorfish fishery (targeted by a handful of boat divers) and the cockle fishery (currently undertaken by 25 hand gatherers in Barra and 6 in Harris). - EU Commission 2006
Above- Whitefish, South Beach (Pier No. 02), 1906
WEST COAST FISHERIES Development
PERIOD
PRE 1790 Subsistence era
AUTHORITIES INVOLVED
SPECIES TARGETED
NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT
Chiefs, monarchs, landlords, RFCs
Fin fish, molluscs, seaweed, seabirds
Primitive subsistence fishery, poor quality boats and gear. Several failed attempts to establish a Dutch style drift net herry fishery.
ABBREVIATIONS RFCs BFS FBS HIB WFA SFIA HIDB EU HIE SOAFD
Royal Fishing Companies; British Fisheries Society; Fisheries Board of Scotland; Herring Industry Board; White Fish Authority; Sea Fish Industry Authority; Highlands and Islands Development Board; European Union; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Scottish Office, Agriculture, Environment, & Fisheries Depts.
1930
1965
1985
Early developments
Technological change and east coast influence
Investment expansion
BFS and merchants, Leverhulme
FBS, HIB, WFA
HIDB, WFA, HIB
EU HIE, SOAEFD
Mainly herring
White fish, herring, lobster, prawns
White fish, herring, lobster, prawns, crabs, scallop.
Prawns, scallops, crabs. white fish & pelagics taken offshore by east coast and continental vessels
Model fishing villages built. Curing stations established. Some improved vessels and harbours. Railway links to the west coast.
Growing influence of the east coast boats. Development of Lochinver and Oban as white fish ports, and of Mallaig and Ullapool as pelagic ports. Herring, cod and whiting still taken by Campbelltown fleet.
Major growth of local fleets as the HIDB helps fishermen to acquire vessels. HIDB also supports establishment of fish farms, processing plants, and boatyards. Kinlochbervie port developed.
Effort controls by licences and quotas cause fleet reductions. Local fish stocks depleted and landings decline. Fishery employment and economic contribution decline.
private Lord
and
2000
Retrenchment
SFIA,
WHERE IS THE LEGACY OF A GREAT INDUSTRY? The fishing industry in the Outer Hebrides has historically been a key factor in the economic conditions affecting Stornoway harbour and town. Upwards of 300 vessels systematically landing their catch, consisting thousands of herring barrels, was normality during Stornoway’s peak fishing period at the turn of the 20th century. Landing fish, gutting and curing brought a frenzy of human activity to the harbour front throughout the year, proving to be the major employer for the local people. Statistics in 1906 indicate Stornoway’s harbour was the commercial hub for 2000 local fishermen and 2300 women, who were employed on a seasonal basis. The town’s prosperous fishing legacy has been in steady decline since, and now represents only a shadow of the former economic driving force of the Island it once was. Nationally, the impact has been harshly demonstrated in the viability of the modern Scottish fishing industry. Scottish Fishing Federation figures indicate fishermen, fishing vessels, quantity of sea fish and shellfish caught are at a record low. Evidently, these continual declines in fish stock need addressing within the political arena. A reduction in fish stock, alongside strict government regulations, restricted the fishermen of the Outer Hebrides from the abundant catches once seen. Additionally, ever increasing fuel costs have further affected the number of vessels fishing in both the Minch and Atlantic. Foreign vessels netting fish in local waters and landing catches in countries such as Spain, Norway and England are, perhaps, widely regarded as the biggest detriment to Stornoway’s fishermen. The indigenous west coast fleet currently net less than 3% of the overall stock harvested in the region. Fish caught by EU fishing fleets represent twelve times the number caught by local fishermen; whilst UK and EU fish discards are three times the harvesting capability of the Hebrides fishermen.
FISHING Decline
Harvested fish stock, 2006
Fishing Vessel decline, Outer Hebrides, CNES
MEDIA
Photograph- Murdo Macleod, The Guardian
NESS, ISLE OF LEWIS The community of Ness has a long standing seafaring tradition. Based at Port of Ness, the Macleods were master craftsmen, in particular an Sgoth Nisich (pl, pronounced “sgo nees-eech”), which in Gaelic means “Ness-type skiff”. Although Sgoth type boats of about 20 or 21 foot keel were being built as early as the 1850s, it was in the latter half of the 19th century that the classic sgoth Niseach design was finally arrived at. The size of sgoth most favoured by the fishermen of Ness towards the beginning of the 20th century were boats with a keel length of around 21 feet. However, due to the vessel’s pointed stem and stern profile, the overall length of these boats were typically over 30 feet, with about an 11 foot beam. Of 237 boats registered in Ness between 1868 and 1901, all but 32 followed this standard. During the 19th century, the clinker-built sgoth were usually assembled outdoors and within easy access of the shore. The ‘planks’ (shell) of the boats were traditionally constructed from imported larch, which was relatively pliable and offered the desired combination of strength and lightness. The keel, stem and outside gunwale were fashioned from ash. The floor of the boat was typically oak, with the internal gunwale and oars formed from white pine. These boats were single masted, sporting large though uncomplicated rigging. During the latter half of the 19th century, a local fisherman reputedly developed the form of rigging which is now traditionally associated with the sgoth Niseach, incorporating a large single dipping lug sail that ran along the length of the boat; rather than across it’s beam. The boom was fastened to the sternpost, which meant that the procedure of “tacking” (changing the sail’s attitude to accommodate the wind) was carried out from the bows, rather than the stern. This unusual arrangement resulted in the sgoth being able to sail very close to the wind, which greatly reduced sailing times and further added to the vessels all-round capability. Sail makers in Stornoway usually made the sgoth sails with the fastenings (bolts, nails etc.) being imported from Birmingham, where they were hand-made by craftsmen working in small industrial workshops within that city. - falamadair
THE CRAFT Boat building GRIMSAY, NORTH UIST The story goes, a Grimsay boat “never has been broken in a sea,” due to its strength and design. Grimsay boats have been crafted by three generations of the Stewart family, over 150 years, taking between 5 to 9 weeks to complete each. “The Grimsay boats were clinker-built of larch strakes on steam-bent oak ribs and if in comparison with contemporary craft they appear at first sight to be less robust, a closer inspection reveals a constructional ingenuity which combines maximum strength with the most economic use of material. Like the majority of Scottish coastal and island boats.” - visit-uist
SULA SGEIR - THE GANNET HUNT Scottish Gaelic name based on the Old Norse: súla, “gannet” and sker, “skerry”. One of the most remote islands of the British Isles, Sula Sgeir lies 40 miles to the north of Lewis. In the autumn each year, a group of around 10 men from Ness set sail for the small, uninhabited island. With license granted by the government, 2000 young gannet are caught by scaling down the sheer cliff faces, plucked and salt preserved, left exposed to the elements, returning home after 2 weeks to a crowd of hungry customers. The guga as it is known in gaelic, is most definitely an acquired taste, with a strong, pungent smell and a texture and taste that is neither fowl now fish. The earliest record of the Guga hunt is Dean Munro’s account of the Western Isles from 1549.
IOLAIRE - MARITIME DISASTER The First World War armistice came to an end November 1918. Many island men had sacrificed four long, hard year to fight for their country without a glimpse of home. On 31st December 1918, around (officially) 280 passengers on the dangerously overcrowded Iolaire (gaelic for eagle) set out from Kyle of Lochalsh to cross the Minch, home to Stornoway. As she approached the mouth of Stornoway harbour at around 2.30am New Year’s Day, she struck rocks known locally as ‘the Beasts of Holm.’ Official records state 205 passengers perished that night, although the actual number may be higher. The tragedy was a sorrowful time for the islanders of Lewis and Harris, but also a time that illustrated human resilience in the face of adversity. Nessman, John F Macleod, became a symbol of heroism, as he managed to swim ashore despite the treacherous conditions, along with a heaving line, and saved the lifes of 40 men who clung onto the rope. The effect and legacy of the Iolaire tragedy remains with the island communities to this day. New Year, throughout Scotland regarded as a time for raucous exuberance, is little celebrated.
SYMBOLIC IDENTITY With such strong history of unique cultural traditions borne out of necessity, there is ever more pressing cause to remember the past in an age of rapid globalisation. One issue frequently discussed in local development plans, is the inherent lack of confidence inherent within the local population. With appropriate remembrance and acknowledgement of past ways, perhaps a stronger sense of identity may be instilled.
There is a strong maritime influence in the courses offered through UHI in the islands.
MARITIME QUALIFICATIONS UHI, OUTER HEBRIDES CAMPUSES: - Access to Merchant Navy NQ - Global Maritime distress safety system - Firefighting at Sea Certificate - Efficient Deck Hand (EDH) Certificate - Marine Engineering HNC - Port Operatives Course Certificate - Radar RYA Certificate - RYA Coastal Skipper - RYA Day Skipper - RYA Powerboat A high number of school leavers also pursue maritime related training, attending, for example, Glasgow Nautical College. Many join the Merchant Navy or are employed by various shipping companies.
SGOIL LIONACLEIT - BOAT BUILDING A Skills for Work centre was opened at Sgoil Lionacleit in 2010, which included facilities for supporting vocational training in the traditional industries of crofting and boat building. Not only does this provide a platform for these industries of cultural significance that directly impact the local economy but allows students to build networks and connections with possible future employers in an apprenticeship manner. 2 year courses in boat building have been available for a short time at Sgoil Lionacleit in Benbecula, with the support of the Grimsay Boatshed Trust.
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT STUDENT EMPLOYER There is little reason why this venture may not be integrated throughout the Outer Hebrides.
E D U C AT I O N There are a number of education institutions throughout the Outer Hebrides, ranging from primary and two-year secondaries usually distributed by district, and four six year secondary schools: - Nicolson Institute, Lewis - Sir E Scott, Harris - Lionacleit, Benbecula - Castlebay. Barra Futhermore, the University of the Highlands and Islands incorporates a number of campuses throughout the archipelago: - Lews Castle College, Lewis - Taigh Cearsabhagh, North Uist - Benbecula Campus, Benbecula - Barra Learning Centre, Barra These provide nationally recognised and qualifications including Masters and PHds.
validated
R E - C E N T R A L I S AT I O N
SAILING ROUTE Combining port and harbour infrastructure with cultural / scenic highlights to create designated tourist sailing route along the Hebridean coastline.
STRENGTH
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
LOW CRIME RATE
ABUNDANT ENERGY RESOURCE HERITAGE AND CULTURE TOURISM CURRENT
UNIVERSITY OF HIGHLAND AND ISLANDS COMMUNITY LAND OWNERSHIP
EXPORTS MARINE ENVIRONMENT VUNERABILITY
OPPORTUNITY
LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF CIRCUMSTANCES AT NATIONAL LEVEL ACCESS TO PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDING
LACK OF CLEAR AREA BRANDING CONNECTIVITY
FEAR OF CHANGE CONTRACTION OF TRADITIONAL SECTORS FUEL COSTS FUEL POVERTY POPULATION LOSS
WEAKNESS
S W O T A N A LY S I S
A N A LY S I S
A new focus on public space, with particular attention to outdoor public space. How can the, oftentimes contrasting, values of the people be expressed in the way the town is arranged? This may be through temporary, experimental and new harbour-related urban spaces.
FORMING NETWORKS
SAILING NETWORK: SCOTLAND
PORTS + HARBOURS
YA C H T M O O R I N G S
PORTS + HARBOURS: FA C I L I T I E S
TOURIST NETWORK
MARINE ACTIVITIES
POSSIBLE SITES
APPENDIX
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT 1821 1875 2012
FIGURE GROUND PLAN
KEY PUBLIC BUILDINGS + INFRASTRUCTURE
EXISTING CONNECTIONS TO WATER
EXISTING PHYSICAL AND VISUAL AXIS
EXISTING PEDESTRIAN NODES
AUTHORITY SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT COMHAIRLE NAN EILEAN SIAR H + I ENTERPRISE WESTERN ISLES ENTERPRISE CREATIVE SCOTLAND SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE LAND OWNERS THE STORNOWAY TRUST STORNOWAY PORT AUTHORITY THE CROWN ESTATE MARITIME SCOTTISH FISHERIES PROTECTION AGENCY MARITIME HERITAGE TRUST OUTER HEBRIDES COASTAL MARINE PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION AGENCIES UNIVERSITY OF HIGHLANDS + ISLANDS NAUTICAL COLLEGE ARTS STORNOWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM NAN EILEAN AN LANNTAIR STORNOWAY SAW MILL FACLAN - BOOK FESTIVAL HEB CELTIC FESTIVAL MEDIA STORNOWAY GAZETTE EVENTS MAGAZINE BBC ALBA MG ALBA MAC TV
ACTORS Key shareholders, vested interests will halp stabilise the project: COMMUNITY GROUPS LOCAL AUTHORITY ENTERPRISE SECTOR MEDIA
Identifying the brief as a response to: - reduction in traditional industries - out-migration of younger demographics - focus on local economy - emphasis on tourism as vital to economy - weak identity
BRIEF RECLAIMING THE STORNOWAY.
PUBLIC
REALM
- Bringing human activity back to the harbour front - Reconsidering the sense of scale - Revitalising local economy through traditional means - Increasing aspiration and self-confidence - Reinstating Stornoway as the islands’ capital - Integrating higher education / vocational skill training / career opportunity in Stornoway - Increasing awareness of local maritime heritage - Homage to local maritime heritage - Creating new focal point for Stornoway Harbour - Stengthening identity - Remedying disconnect between town and waterfront - Providing balance between employment and recreation
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES: - UHI Campus in traditional maritime skills - Improved harbour access - Maritime heritage centre - Waterfront residential development - Recreational promenade - Fish Market - Public meeting place
IN
1.
01. EDUCATION - Lews Castle College 02. TOWN CENTRE 03. INDUSTRY - Goat Island
2.
3.
PROPOSED ISLAND ACTIVITIES
abc abc
IDENTITY _People + Place : Architecture as a means to regional identity THE NORDIC EXAMPLE The phenomenology of genius loci working with the socio-political-cultural manifestation, or a contradiction in terms? (With particular reference to the notion of genius loci, Christian Norberg-Schulz) Catriona Macdonald The Nordic region (comprising five countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland; and three autonomous regions: Greenland, Faroe Islands and Åland) harbours special relationships: shared history; political values; and economic and social models. These North(ern) lands of midnight sun and Aurora Borealis; of dense forest and rolling plane; lakes and fjords, provide a stunningly diverse physical context for architectural identity. Equally, its history: egalitarianism; democracy; popularity of the social-welfare state; and a successful co-operative movement, provides a strong social context for ‘Nordic identity’, that is, if onedoes indeed exist. “...the Nordic countries are seen as a cultural unity. The distance and overview must just be there.” (Lund:2008) EXTERNAL INFLUENCE “Northern forms of expression are not locally explicable but must instead be understood as the result of the encounter of the domestic and the imported.” (NorbergSchulz: 1996) Architecture in the Nordic region illustrates a mix of the vernacular and the foreign, with the International movement of the early 20th century heavily influencing the native nordic designers. Styles such as National Romanticism, NeoClassicism, and Modernism/ Functionalism have left their mark across the area, with regional differentiation in expression. Furthermore, there is a crucial difference between vernacular tectonic expression and international aesthetic impulse, as illustrated in the traditional construction techniques of the ‘Nordic’ countries. For example, Norway, Sweden and Finland display timber construction vernacular; whereas Denmark is one of masonry brick. Aesthetically, the regions also illustrate nuances, “Scandinavian Functionalism became light and sophisticated, whereas the German variety was heavy and sober.” (Lund: 2008)
NATURE VS CULTURE: PEOPLE OR PLACE? Identity may be described in terms of social science: “a person’s conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations (such as national identity and cultural identity)”. However, it is, possibly, much more than this: Perhaps it is often an emotive notion; one filled with pride, nostalgia and a familiar sense of belonging. Genius loci or ‘spirit of place’ within architecture, a concept derived from Roman times, is further developed by Norwegian architect and philosopher, Christian Norberg-Schulz. In, Nightlands: Nordic Building, Norberg-Schulz claims that to be rooted existentially, humans must increase their awareness of their vernacular and natural environment. He implores the importance of the ‘Nordic’ environment visualised in ‘Nordic’ architecture: Or, the aestheticisation of the natural environment.“...if we negate place, at the same time we negate architecture.” (Lund: 2008) He extolls the significance of visual order and meaning in form, explaining that these must be measures for “good” architecture. (Lund: 2008) Social significance is downplayed, despite the author’s earlier support of the Functionalist movement, (a movement that warmed pure utilitarianism with a touch of humanity, popular in the thirties, in the socially democratic Nordic countries). Possibly, Norberg-Schulz suggests that ‘Nordic Architecture’ seeks to justify itself through poetic reference to place, rather than tackle often less easily identifiable social meaning. “Culture is our flexible community and, as such, it is immaterial and in constant evolution.” (Hatrup: Andersen/Shelde: 2012) In contradiction, Nils-Ole Lund’s text, Nordic Architecture, illustrates a socio-political-cultural interpretation of ‘Nordic’, proposing a more anthropocentric ethos to ‘Nordic architecture’. Lund criticises Norberg-Schulz’ highly empirical method of analysing architecture, highlighting the omission of Functionalism’s, “...social message or its attempt at cultural emancipation.” (Lund: 2008) He finds Norberg-Schulz’hyper-rational strategy narrow and restrictive, and feels his methodology contradicts itself in many areas. COMMENTARY Perhaps, therefore, creation of identity is not something that can be manufactured, but is borne out of local place and circumstance. Through a quintessentially pragmatic ‘Nordic’ approach, could
architecture be the stage for both physical and cultural identity? It is irrefutable that vernacular architecture has developed in the Nordic region as a result of a combination of local customs, culture, traditions and the physical environment. Landscape, climate, cultural and social factors all influence what, when, where and why buildings are constructed. As Sverre Fehn proposed, “...building is a brutal confrontation of culture on nature, and in that confrontation you can find balance and beauty,” (Hvattum: 2012) It is conceivable that neither genius loci nor a socially oriented built-manifestation are, in themselves, exclusively tools to create identity and ‘meaningful’ architecture. Both must be optimised and handled expertly, optimally and appropriately to produce and achieve places and spaces that are sensitive to both the natural environment and human requirement, as evidenced at norwegian practice JVA’s Svalbard Science Museum. Norberg-Schulz has often been criticised for his promotion of genius loci theory: For trying to quantify and define architecture, something that is sometimes measurable, yet oftentimes has unbounded, immeasurable qualities. Mari Hvattum warns of the implications of misinterpreting this theory, ‘tyranny of place, (Hvattum:2012), where buildings become pastiches and weak metaphors for their landscapes without any deeper rationale, or, indeed, why ‘place’ must be referenced at all if it is not worthy of precedence. “...historical and regional motifs usually fail because of the one-dimensionally literal use of reference and a manipulation of motifs on the suface level.”(Pallasmaa: 1988) Neither does Norberg-Schulz take into account that there are some places that must be redefined, places that require transformation. The term ‘Nordic architecture’, ambiguous as it may be, encompasses these elements. The Nordic region harbours both unique environments (such as the fjords), and cultural movements (for example, the welfare state) and the history of Nordic Peoples is one of experiencing nature, ‘from the forest to the home’. (Caldenby: 2012) Genius loci lends itself to the physically experiential and existentialist aspects of identity: that of texture, form and physical context; the intense feelings and emotions that take hold in changes of light or atmosphere. But, ”...much of this fundamental Nordic Architectural DNA remains intact- both the strands responsive to the geographical peculiarities of the Nordic latitudes and those responsive to the society in which the architecture is situated.” (McKeith: 2012) The perception of any art form is very much subjective. Perceived ‘Nordic-ness’ may be from a subconscious, intuitive
interpretation and association, with characteristics unique to the region divulging its roots. True ‘Nordicness’ is, perhaps, something deeper than symbolism and motif. Could the landscape be a source of aesthetic inspiration and physical setting: while the sociopolitical climate a source of belonging? An analogy of this may be seen in the traditional vernacular of the Scottish Highlands and islands. Scotland and the Nordic region have shared a long and fraught connection. Surprisingly, the history of perceived ‘Highland and Island’ rural architecture, often lies in Norse roots; with techniques and idiosyncrasies immigrating with the Vikings in the ninth century. Shieling culture, inherent in the history of the Highlands and Islands, remained common practice until the last century. Landnám (from an Old Norse word roughly translated as “land take”), refers to the Viking style of land management practices. (http:// archaeology.about.com/odshthroughsiterms/qt/ Shieling.htm) Here, and in the Nordic region, ‘literal Functionalism’ was a way of life, with harsh climatic conditions making way for no frills living (Macdonald: 2012,) illustrated in the black-houses of typical of Hebridean Scotland and the equivalent Nordic longhouses. Conversely, religion, the driving force behind Hebridean culture, is not such a strong factor in the more secular Nordic area. Here, staunch Calvinist views have seeped into design mentality, “The idea of delighting the eye is an offence against modesty.” (Meades: 2009) This is in contrast to Aalto’s more anthropocentric approach, “...vernacular motifs give his buildings a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere.” (Pallasmaa:2012) In this instance, do the parallels with the ‘Nordic aesthetic’ make the architecture any less Scottish? Undeniably, it is confusing. But from similar landscapes and history, different social and political structures have evolved, creating a completely contrasting sentiment behind building. RELEVANCE OF IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY NORDIC ARCHITECTURE Identity is important, it is a natural constituent of the human psyche to yearn to be part of something. Identity makes us feel safe; identity is an attachment. But, as Mari Hvattum alluded to in her lecture on contemporary Norwegian architecture, there must be more than mere imitation, it may be a process
of re-inventing, reimagining or re-defining a place in addition to paying homage to its physical or historical roots. “Architecture is as much about ethics as aesthetics.” (Lund: 2008) Just as Nordic countries have struggled with their architectural identity, so too have they, beneath the surface, with their socio-political identities. Issues of social and racial segregation and inequality following decades of immigration have created much tension. There is a special relationship in the way people view the Nordic countries and, indeed, how Nordic people view themselves, as illustrated in the Jante Law, “You are not to think you’re anything special.” This Nordic ideology was interestingly portrayed in the Wall Street Journal article, ‘Modern Norsemen’, in discussion with contemporary Swedish designer Thomas Sandell, “Mr. Sandell says the emphasis on the collective has created a fear of the luxurious, in fashion as well as design. "You can spend a lot of money to look poor,’ he says of highend, ready-to-wear Scandinavian fashion labels. ‘In our tradition,’ he says. ‘You should never show off.’ During a recent conversation at his Stockholm studio, Mr. Sandell offered up a custom-made solution to the problem—his Rolex watch, from which he had carefully removed the bling-laden bracelet, replacing it with a humble leather band. ‘I'm not trying to be Nordic,’ he says. But admits, ‘I know I am." (Marcus: 2012) To conclude, physical context and culture are intrinsically and, oftentimes, inexplicably linked. It is evident that one must reinforce the other in the creation of architecture and the making of place. This can also be said for Nordic identity... “...The distance and overview must just be there.” (Lund: 2008) IMAGES 1. Knut Knutsen: Own summer house, Portør, 1949 # http:// www.perberntsen.com/thumb/arkitektur/trep1_knutsen.html 2. JVA Arkitektur: Svalbard Science Museum, Svalbard, 2005 http://www.archdaily.com/3506/svalbard-sciencecentre-jva/ 3. Traditional, vernacular dwelling, Eiriksstadir, Iceland http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/ Turf_Houses.htm 4. Airigh- Cuidhshiadar (Shieling- Cuidhshiadar, Scotland), Commun Eachdraidh Nis BIBLIOGRAPHY: Eriksson, Eva; International Impulses and National Tradition 1900-1915; 20th Century Architecture Sweden;1998
Eriksson, Eva: Rationalism and Classicism 19151930; 20th Century Architecture Sweden; 1998 Faber, Tobias; A Time of Transition; 250 Years of Danish Architecture Forster, Kurt W.; The Light goes on in the Nightlands;;New Nordic; 2012 Harlang, Christoffer; Modernism’s Breakthrough; 250 Years of Danish Architecture Hvattum, Mari; Making Place; Architecture and Identity; 2012
New
Nordic:
Kjeldsen, Kjeld, et al., eds.; New Nordic, Architecture and Identity; 2012 Lund, Nils-Ole; The Architectural Theories of the Period; Nordic Architecture; 2008 Lund, Nils-Ole; The Mutable and the Eternal; Nordic Architecture; 2008 Macdonald, Catriona; Aig an Airigh/People + Place; 2011 Nikalu, Riitta; The twentieth century; Architecture and Landscape: The building of Finland Norberg-Schulz, C.; The Nordic; Nightlands: Nordic Building; 1996 Norberg-Schulz, C.; The Post-war Years; Modern Nordwegian Architecture; 1986 Norberg-Schulz, C.; Optimism and Belief in Progress; Modern Norwegian Architecture; 1986 Pallasmaa, Juhani; Tradition and Modernity: The Feasibility of Regional Architecture in Post-Modern Society;1988 Sandemose, Aksel; A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks; 1936 Zettersten, Gerd Bloxham; Is there a Nordic Janusface?; Utzon Symposium Proceedings; 2003 LECTURES: Norwegian Architecture, Mari Hvattum, 3 October 2012 Is there a Nordic Architecture? Claes Caldenby, 4 October 2012
Nordic Architectural Theory, Michael Asgaard ___ 18 October 2012 WEBLINKS Marcus, J.S.; Modern Norsemen; The Wall Street Journal; 2012 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230364950 4577496653720403134.html Knut Knutsen: Own summer house, Portør, 1949 http:// www.perberntsen.com/thumb/arkitektur/trep1_knutsen.html Archdaily- Svalbard Science Centre http://www.archdaily. com/3506/svalbard-science-centre-jva/Architonic http://www.architonic.com/it/aisht/svalbard-science-centre78north-jarmund-vigsnaes-as-architects-mnal/5100611 Hurstwic, A Viking Age Living Historical Society http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/ Turf_Houses.htm DOCUMENTARY Off-Kilter: Isle of Rust, Jonathon Meades, BBC FOUR (2009)
IDENTITY Does Norway demonstrate a Nordic architecture? Tom Smith
When approaching the Nordic Regions, “another mood envelopes us, but we are not immediately aware of what has happened” (Norberg-Shulz, 1996:1). Nordic architecture is a term repeatedly acclaimed as honest and engaging within its relative context. This apparent collective identity is perhaps influenced by geographical boundaries alongside their similar qualities of diffused natural light throughout the region. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland all demonstrate varying architectural solutions within their respective Nordic conditions. This collaboration of countries received significant inspiration from international modernism during the early 20th Century. The international influence has alternated where transnational architects often draw inspiration from design within the Nordic Region. Contemporary Danish architects BIG perhaps exemplifies the modern generation of ‘Nordic designer’. It is conceivable this globally recognised practice demonstrates a revolutionary understanding of conceptual design. Is there an identifiable difference between ‘Nordic architecture’ and design in different geographical areas? The researcher will examine the qualities of the Norwegian landscape, culture and architectural theory, striving to understand the possible Nordic existence in design. Granted its independence from Sweden in 1905, Norway has constantly strived to create an identity for itself. Rugged mountain ranges, crystal clear fresh water rivers and delicate natural lighting are an instantly recognisable piece of the Norwegian identity. Inhabitants maintained a seafood orientated diet for generations due to close proximity of fresh and salt water. A high percentage of summer houses per family demonstrate the nation’s love and eagerness to explore the landscape. Additionally, the midsummer celebration emphasises Norway’s cultural connection with its climate and topography. The contemporary period in Norway stereotypically illustrates architects endeavour to represent and harmonise design within this inspiring landscape. Svalbard Science Centre critiqued and hailed as an, “architecture of the true
North, so shaped by climate, light, material sources, and our sublime perceptions of the arctic latitudes as to constitute its own regional construct” (Mackeith, 2006) indicate the architects intention to design in accordance with the landscape. Norberg-Shulz also indicated experiencing the Nordic Regions shows, “nature, life and architecture are insolubly bound” (Norberg-Shulz 1996:22). This clichéd analysis of ‘Nordic design’ is a common misrepresentation of the architect’s proposal. This piece attempts to establish a comparison between Nordic tourist routes and Scottish design philosophy in order to discover if there truly is a Nordic architecture. Scottish and Norwegian landscapes Scotland shares a series of similar social and geological characteristics with Norway. Significant numbers of island inhabitants in Scotland today are directly descended from peoples of the Nordic Regions. “Almost half of all people on Shetland today have Viking ancestry” (Boyle, 2011). The vast coastline, mountainous regions, population and climatic conditions are comparable between Nations. Furthermore, ancient Scottish and Gaelic and the Norwegian language also demonstrate a series of key similarities. Although Scotland’s fishing industry has seen difficult times in recent years it also remains culturally significant within coastal regions. Do these cultural and ecological similarities reflect in the design values of architects in the Nations compared? Norwegian Tourist Routes The Norwegian Public Roads Administration provided an opportunity for young architects to establish themselves. The Government invited designers to enhance the already impressive Norwegian landscape. A series of sculptural forms are located from Jaeren in the South, travelling along the Norwegian coastline until reaching the Arctic Circle and Varanger. Professor Mari Hvattum identified Norwegian tourist routes which, “seem to corroborate the intimate link between nature, place and Nordic architecture” (Hvattum, 2012:113). This innovative scheme directed itself towards tourists attempting to explore the scenery in a different way. Contemporary viewing podiums and sculptural forms encouraged visitors to engage with the landscape and appreciate the built form. Scotland on the other hand, demonstrates minimal contemporary architectural interest throughout its most impressive tourist routes. Journeys spanning the length of the country often boast the presence of an ancient monument or castle. Picturesque villages, sombre war memorials and stunning scenery continually draw visitors from their vehicles into the
landscape. These scenic locations are often of great visual and historic interest but nevertheless often display standard viewing points. On the other hand, Scotland’s historic landmarks and views generate a considerable portion of the 200,000 jobs within the country’s tourism sector. The fantastic view may suffice, but could contemporary architectural works somehow enhance the visitors’ experience of a lake, valley or mountainside? Reiulf Ramstad Architects indicate, “clarity of thought engenders bold design” (Ramstad Architects). Ramstad demonstrates this powerful design philosophy in buildings such as the Norwegian Mountaineering Centre and the Trollstigen tourist route. Trollstigen viewing platform is perhaps the most internationally recognised tourist route project among both architects and visitors. The freedom to design a bold and interesting structure within the spectacular surrounding landscape indicates both an inspirational and aspirational outlook within Norwegian design. In addition, various promotional campaigns funded by the Government highlight the country’s enthusiastic philosophy in respect of innovative design. The heavy corten steel sheets and angular form of the walking route is representative of the surrounding mountains dominating the landscape. The structure gently tip toes along the surrounding hard rock surface then forcefully projects out above the valley. A delicate sheet of glass is inserted at the route’s climax, emphasising and enhancing the fantastic view available to visitors. The Trollstigen viewing platform is recognised as a resounding success and has attracted numerous visitors since its completion. Is it therefore problematic to only design aesthetically and in line with the ‘picture postcard’ type scenario in mind? Michael Asguaard Andersen and Jeanne Rank Schelde believe the architectural language of a building, “lies not only in what we see but also in what we do not see” (Andersen, Schelde, 2012:33). This statement suggests other qualities including tactility, cultural involvement and indication of place are important throughout the design process. Jarmund Vigsnags Architects developed a route with an entirely contrasting approach to Reuilf Ramstad’s viewing platform. This relatively new practice established itself in 1996. The directors firmly believe, “Architecture should be exciting, not just satisfying” (Jarmund Visgnaes Architects). This refreshing approach displays the designers desire to create innovatively and improve user experience. The Nappskaret path developed in 2002 encouraged the visitor to acknowledge the whole journey from exiting the vehicle to appreciating the final vista. The architect utilised unusual materials, including scaffolding pipes for the handrail. Several of the designer’s techniques have been described as, “crude in detail, industrial in character” (Hvattum, 2012:113). The vibrant yellow of the scaffold pipe handrail appears foreign in its context but is, in fact, an identical colour match to the beak of the Black Laced Gull, local to the area. The minimal use of material throughout this scheme willingly guides the visitor along an unusual route whilst
experiencing the immediate context. This scheme may not use the strongly expressive and abstract aesthetic qualities of the Trollstigen viewing platform, but instead establishes a deeper layer of thought and contextual understanding. Development is proposed on further tourist route attractions until 2018, allowing opportunities for other young architects to produce inventive and exciting design. Perhaps contemporary Nordic architecture is not just design integration with context, facilitating framing of a beautiful view. It is also the layers of thought behind the design; the experience of the place from arrival to departure; subtle contextual analysis; and often the alternative or unanticipated view. Furthermore, Nordic design is specific to the individual designer. An architect’s understanding and appreciation of a specific context may vary enormously and therefore influence the design process. Variation between Scottish and Norwegian visitor attractions within similar landscapes further strengthens the ideology of Nordic architecture’s existence. The individual and unique form of these sculptures, routes and platforms demonstrates design commonly associated with the Nordic Regions. This variety of design showcased by the routes highlights no consistent pattern. However, each piece achieves a contemporary Nordic style. Moreover, the Norwegian Tourist Routes’ collaboration of culture, government promotion and integration of landscape within its varying designs are all significant within Nordic architecture philosophy. This therefore suggests it is difficult to identify or isolate one particular style of design within the Nordic architecture spectrum. A collaboration of these strategies does however indicate a strong and recognisable Nordic architecture style.
Identity (p100-115) Humlebaek. Louisiana Lund, Nils-ole. 2008 Nordic Architecture Danish Architectural press. Copenhagen MacKeith, Peter 2012 New Nordic Architecture and Identity Humlebaek. Louisiana Museum Norberg-Shulz. 1996 Nightlands MIT press. Cambridge Online Articles/ Sources Boyle 2011, The Guardian ‘Scotland and Norway: A special relationship?’ Available online at: http://www.guardian. co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/04/scotland-norway-specialrelationship (Date Accessed 18/10/2012) Jarmund Vigsnags Architects website. Available online at: http://www.jva.no/profile.aspx (Date accessed 19/10/2012) MacKeith, Peter, 2006. Architectural Record. ‘Svalbard Research Centre’. Available online at: http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/ archives/0603SvalbardResearch.asp Reuilf Ramstad Architects Website. Available online at: http://www.reiulframstadarkitekter.no/ (Date Accessed 18/10/2012) Images Available at the following websites: 1. http://www.dailytonic.com/the-national-touristroute-trollstigen-norway-by-reiulf-ramstadarkitekter/ 2. http://americancity.org/daily/entry/a-detour-thoughnorways-tourist-roads 3. http://blog.awaystay.com/tag/eilean-donan/ 4. http://www.edinburghdaysout.com/heritage/default. html
Images: 1. Trollstigen, Reiulf Ramstad 2. Nappskaret, JVA 3. Eilan Donan Castle, near Skye 4. Edinburgh Castle Bibliography Andersen Michael, Schelde. 2012 New Nordic Architecture and Identity (p32-55) Humlebaek Hvattum Mari. 2012 New Nordic Architecture and