Ella Gauci Seddon DRC [re]adaptation by RMIT Landscape Architecture

[RE] ADAPTATION

______designing for a strange new natural

Ella Gauci-Seddon

Ella Gauci-Seddon S3234430 [RE]ADAPTATION Designing for a New Natural

The following research was undertaken under the guidance of the following tutors

Special thanks also to

Charles Anderson Craig Douglas Jock Gilbert Elizabeth Herbert Marieluise Jonas Rosalea Monacella Natasha Morgan

Simon Eales Neha Juddoo Gail Gauci-Sedon Manny Gauci-Seddon Jon Kaitler Tendai Krohn Ben Kronenberg Nicholas Rosetti

I would like to thank them for their support and patience throughout the project.

for their assistance and tolerance during this year.

[RE] ADAPTATION

______designing for a strange new natural

How can an understanding of the altered systems of mined landscapes and their strange spatial potentials allow for human interaction and experience?

ABSTRACT

The gold mining industry is one of Australia’s largest industrial practices valued at AUD $15.0 billion and accounting for 6.5% of total merchandise exports (Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, 2011). Vast areas of the Australian landscape have therefore been subject to the extensive ore excavation and chemical refinement involved in gold extraction. These processes alter the site’s chemical, physical, and ecological conditions beyond the limits restoration. Paradoxically, then, current legislation requires mine ‘closure plans’ – a necessary part of all new mine proposals – to guarantee the site’s return to its previous use (Binks, 2011). This project proposes that a less myopic approach to mine-site restoration is both necessary and possible. It argues that anthropogenic modifications to landscape are not necessarily a threat to nature. Rather, with astute management, new and ecologically diverse environments can thrive in these ‘residual landscapes.’ The constant renewal of legislation outlining conditions for mine ‘closure plans’ provides the opportunity to constantly update best practice. Debates surrounding the economic and environmental impacts of mining have increased attention on the industry highlighting importance of management strategies. This project acknowledges the responsibility for the proposed closure plan to respond to the current, and compelling, developments in environmental theory relating to residual landscapes. For example Koert Van Mensvoorts ‘Next Nature’, Gilles Clement’s ‘Third Landscape and Tim Low’s ‘New Nature’. Most importantly, [Re]adaptation aims to reaffirm the importance of ‘site specific’ responses within the discourse and practice of landscape architecture. Sitespecificity holds the capacity to avoid the selective prejudice involved in returning a site to its previous state, which may have been that of an equally ‘unnatural’ industrial practice.

This project offers a case study of, and closure plan design for, Fosterville Gold Mine, near Bendigo in Victoria, which is expected to cease excavation activity in 2020. In order to emphasise the importance of site-specificity, the design focuses on creating diverse opportunities to experience the unique attributes and conditions of the site. A conceptual interest in ‘strangeness’ is the driving force behind its attempt to offer new perspectives on anthropogenic intervention, definitions of nature, and closure plan legislature. The design is based around a path that traces one of the existing fault lines within the mine. This fault line is the catalyst for the sites existing conditions, which is why it has also become the centre of the design. The path provides contrasting and amplified experiences of the particular characteristics of Fosterville, these are: vastness, enclosure, depth, toxicity and elevation. Intrusion and extrusion of the path and amplification of the strange conditions such as the presence of pelican, bat and turtle habitats, the extra-terrestrial landscape, and the toxicity of the ground, seek to provide an empirical understanding of the sites operations and mutations.

Binks, F 2011, Northgate Minerals Fosterville Goldmine Closure Plan Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) 2011, Australia’s gold industry trade and production outlook, viewed 1 October 2011, http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/stats-pubs/ australias-gold-industry-trade-production-and-outlook.pdf, Van Mensvoort, 2011, ‘Nature is Dead, Long Live Nature!’, Kerb Journal of Landscape Architecture, vol. 19, pp. 10-11

CONTENTS

Ella Gauci-Seddon DRC_MLA

01_NEO-NATURES.....................................................................................................................................................12 Residual Landscapes Precedents Theoretical Framework Projects Mining Fosterville Gold Mine Site Testing and Explorations Water Vegetation Soil Characteristics Vastness Depth Enclosure Toxicity Elevation Project Diagram Glossary

02_FAULT LINE...........................................................................................................................................................48 HORIZON..................................................................................................................................................................................62 INTRUSION..............................................................................................................................................................................68 CONTRAST...............................................................................................................................................................................96 REFINEMENT............................................................................................................................................................................114 EXTRUSION.............................................................................................................................................................................134

03_STRANGENESS....................................................................................................................................................154 04_BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................................156 7

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rather than linger in the illusion of control, we must embrace complexity and develop fitting design methodologies to guide the growth of the intricate processes in our surroundings.â&#x20AC;? - Van Mensvoort 2011

01_NEO NATURES

RESIDUAL LANDSCAPES

Kalgoorlie Gold Mine, WA, Australia

Tree Farm, Macon, Georgia

Landscapes that have had their natural state chemically, physically, or ecologically modified through human intervention are scattered throughout the world. Largescale industrial development has seen a wide variety of environments turned into farmlands, tree plantations, fishing ports, and quarries. Such radical alterations are currently perceived as a threat to nature. This perception comes from the current understanding of nature which stems from the Latin word natura meaning “everything born” (Van Mensvoort 2011, p.10) and implies that nature as a static entity requiring protection. In contradistinction to this outdated mode of thinking, this project suggests that such landscapes and their ecologies can, and do, adapt to the residual effects of their anthropogenic modification. Borrowing from the theories of Gilles Clement, Koert Van Mensvoort, and Tim Low, [Re]adaptation contends that the afterlife of these ‘residual landscapes’ can be positively affected through imagining new ways to understand nature. [Re]adaptation hinges its imagining of new natural states on embracing strangeness. These residual landscapes constantly reveal how strange they are compared to other landscapes in similar environments, and to their own pre-modified states. For example, it is strange that they find new functions even after they are declared useless by industry; it is strange that they have the potential for self-remediation despite decades of toxic abuse; their visual appearance can be extra-terrestrial; they can support an ecosystem vastly different, often more diverse, than that which they supported before their employment as gigantic organic machines.

Port City, Cedros Island, Baja, California

By embracing strangeness, this project renders the modes attempting to return a landscape to its ‘natural state,’ or ‘fencing and forgetting’ it as a deceased ecology as anachronistic, ineffectual, unhealthy, and unnecessary. Instead it acknowledges that ‘nature’ possesses the capacity to reclaim these residual landscapes and does not discriminate against how strange they seem to have become.

Argicultural Land, Gridding the Landscape - Taking Measures Across the American Landscape

To test these ideas this project has focused on the residual landscapes of mining. Capitalising on its extensive natural mineral and ore deposits, Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy centres itself on the mining industry. Hundreds of mines, operating at varying scales of production, take up a considerable percentage of the land. The extensive and highly intrusive extraction and refinement processes used in mining dramatically alter the chemical, physical, and ecological conditions of the landscape. Therefore, sensitive and responsible management of these landscapes during and after production is crucial if they are to evolve into new phases of life. Current legislation requires mining companies to return excavation sites to their previous use (Binks, 2011). This project argues that this is a myopic approach. What it fails to acknowledge is that during operation these residual landscapes have become intertwine with wider ecological systems and that embracing these systems has the potential to generate a new kind of natural.

Through these characteristics, interventions have been made that allow for human interaction, as well as support these mutated ecosystems. This project does not seek to question whether or not mining is a sustainable industrial practice. It does understand that mining is ingrained in the economic life of this country and that reducing Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reliance on mining is a long-term project. Rather, this project offers a new way of understanding and operating within miningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residual landscapes.

The laboratory site for this project is Fosterville Gold Mine. In many ways, Fosterville is a typical mining site. Excavation and refinement processes implemented by mining companies have mutated the surface, vegetation, geology, hydrology and ecology of the landscape. However, these mutations have resulted in five particular conditions unique to Fosterville Gold Mine. These are: - vastness - depth - enclosure - toxicity - elevation These five characteristics constitute the strange and peculiarly beautiful new landscape that this project seeks to enhance. Fosterville Gold Mine has been structured around a series of fault lines. It is along these geological fractures that gold is formed. It is these fault lines that are the reason that the Fosterville has become the mutated landscape that exists today. Therefore this design is centred around a chosen fault line that intersects the above mentioned characteristics.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

[RE]ADAPTATION Instead of drawing connections between ‘nature’ and ‘normal,’ [Re]adaptation is suggests an understanding that nature is often strange. It finds value in the adaptive nature generated through residual, anthropogenicly modified landscapes and attributes importance to site specific approaches to design that acknowledge the mutations of these lanscapes.

NEXT NATURE - VAN MENSVOORT Next Nature is Koert Van Mensvoort’s theory that suggests a redefinition in the understanding of nature. It states that we must shift our definition of nature from its alliance with the Latin word natura to the Greek equivalent physis. The term natura relates to everything born and is how we currently understand nature. It leads to a perception that if nature it that which is born then culture is necessarily everything that is made. Van Mensvoort suggests that this definition results in the understanding that ‘nature’ is a static entity that must be protected from ‘culture’ and it’s affects. Instead he suggests a reliance of our definition with the Greek term physis, where physis is understood as ‘growth’. In this definition he believes nature can be understood as a flexible and adaptive concept. Included in this definition would be man made systems such as the internet and financial system - things that have the ability to grow beyond human control.

Adaptive connections

NEW NATURE - TIM LOW

THIRD LANDSCAPE - GILES CELEMENT

Tim Low’s book ‘New Nature’ “attempts to redefine that difficult word ‘nature’ by putting people in the picture and taking wilderness out.” In the book Low speaks of the dynamic and opportunistic relationship between humans and nature. He explains that the traditional view that animals prefer their natural habitat does not always stand true, and that in fact in some cases anthropogenic modifications are helping species to thrive. ‘Nature’ is not and should not be seen as static, and so in the cases where species are adapting to new conditions they cannot be called ‘unnatural’. Instead Low says this should be seen as a part of the progression and treated as such. The shifts and adaptations should become a part of the way we manage land and understand ‘nature’. New Nature advocates for a new approach to nature within man-made environments, where these spaces should be shared. Where animal species should not only be tolerated but actually accommodated for.

Gilles Clement’s theory of the Third Landscape finds value in the spaces left over after anthropogenic interventions. It redefines these abandoned spaces as zones of refuge for ecological evolution and the conservation of our biological future. “It is the spaces of indecision, and the living things that occupy them freely” (Clement, plantetary gardens). The Third Landscape examines the relationship between man and environment, redefining the spaces that are generates by man and usually seen to be wastelands as some of the most important integral landscapes for ecologies. He observes that ‘in between’ or neglected areas are the places where nature takes over, thriving in undesirable landscapes, and generating unique emergent ecosystems that only occur due to the overlap of particular condition not found elsewhere. Clement understands this phenomenon as one that should be preserved as it is instrumental for the future of biodiversity.

Flexible adaptation

Flexible registration

SCAPE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS - Oystertecture Oystertecture proposes a new constructed edge condition for Brooklyn. It is a useful precedent for this project as reconsidered the way ‘nature’ is deployed, using the process of cleaning water as the driver of the design. Oysters are employed as both inspiration for the operative process of the project, as well as active elements within the process. Oystertecutre responds specifically to the conditions of the site, understanding it’s particularities and addressing them with an appropriate method. This project aims to similarly respond to the unique conditions of the mine. The new edge also proposes a new kind of public space that reconnects people with the water. This is something this project will also aim to reconnect people with the site in an interesting, productive and dynamic manner.

FIELD OPERATIONS - Fresh Kills Park Fresh Kills Park on Staten Island in New York is transforming a rubbish tip into an energy producing park. The processes of the Fresh Kills design are relevant to this projects research. Firrsty the design utilises the otherwise detrimental conditions of the site as the basis for it’s transformation. Secondly time is an important factor within the design. The park is implemented in stages in relation to the needs of the project at that time. This is something that must be considered in the redesign of the mine. Finally, the tools used to measure the success of the park are useful precedents for this projects research. One aspect of the parks design that differs from this projects views is the final outcome. While the park will continue to use the emissions from the break down of rubbish to produce energy, that will be the only remnant of rubbish tip. Where Fresh Kills aims to cover up the sites history, this project intends to celebrate it.

TCL

R&SIE - Mosquito Bottleneck Mosquito bottleneck is a proposal for a house that both protects the human inhabitants and allows a living space for mosquitos with potentially deadly stings. The project “embraces the metaphor of the insect as a new type of experience.” (Gissen, 2009 p.177) Similarly to Mosquito bottleneck this project aims to embrace the potentially toxic conditions of site as a new type of experience.

Taylor Cullity Lethlean’s practice will be used as a precedent for their narrative based approach to landscape architecture. The Australian Garden and Kata-Tjuta National Park are particularly useful as they choreograph an experience through the site, as this project

THUPDI - Quarry Garden in Shanghai Botanical Garden The quarry garden has reprogrammed a decommissioned quarry as a botanic garden. This project returns the site to use and celebrates the new qualities created though the excavation processes. This project will be used as a formal precedent. The quarry does not address the sites complexity, where this project will aim to do so.

EMF - Tudela (Club Med) Restoration Cao de Creus The Tudela (Club Med) Restoration project responds in a considered and subtle manner to the ex site of club med in Cao de Creus. Intimate, respectful interventions have been made in order to heighten the users awareness of their surroundings. This project will be used as a reminder that small interventions can have large impact.

GILLES CLEMENT - Park Matisse Gilles Clement’s project ‘Park Matisse’ is a test site for his theory of the Third Landscape. An island with an extruded rock face sits within the middle of the park seven meters above ground. This island is called the Ile Derborence. On top of the island a forest has been planted over 3500 square meters. The island is inaccessable, serving as a biological conservation area. Park Matisse serves as a precedent to the projects ambition for the conservation of ecological diversity.

CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE - The Gates The Gates was a temporary art installation in Central Park, New York. The project consisted of 7,503 orange ‘gates’ that framed the pathways throughout central park. This installation changed the way the park was experienced, choreographing a new understanding of the landscape. Similarly this project aims to use landscape tools to draw attention to particular qualities of the mine.

RICHARD SERRA Richard Serra’s sculptures will be used as a formal precedent.

MINING

WOORNACK, ROWNACK AND PIRRO

STAWELL

FOSTERVILLE AXEDALE COSTERFIELD

MADDINGLEY

ANGLESEA

YALLOURN HAZELWOOD

LOY YANG

ACTIVE MINES IN VICTORIA Gold Mineral Sands Coal 23

FOSTERVILLE GOLD MINE The laboratory for this project is Fosterville gold mine. Fosterville spans approximately 9km in length and 2km in width making it larger in overall area than the Kalgoorlie super pit (Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest open cut gold mine). The mine is located in Central Victoria, within the City of Greater Bendigo Municipality approximately 20 km east of Bendigo. There are two rural towns located close by, Goornong lies10km to the North and Axedale 10km to the south. Directly surrounding the mine is the Wellsford State Box Ironbark Forest, agricultural land, the Sugarloaf Range and the Campaspe River (approximately 1km to the east). Fosterville gold mine has been operating on and off since 1894. While it was initially a below ground operation, in 1992 further explorations revealed new opportunities and resulted in the development of 21 open pits over the following decades. In 2006 underground development commenced and is now the primary source of ore extraction. There are currently 15 open pits, two of which provide access to underground tunnels. The remaining 13 are used for storing water and waste. Currently the mining lease is due to expire in August 2020.

WOORNACK, ROWNACK AND PIRRO

BENDIGO

STAWELL

FOSTERVILLE GOLD MINE

FOSTERVILLE AXEDALE COSTERFIELD

MADDINGLEY

MELBOURNE YALLOURN HAZELWOOD

LOY YANG

ANGLESEA

Map Area

Context Map

Fosterville Gold Mine 25

SITE CONDITIONS

FARMS GRAZING PASTURES

FOSTERVILLE GOLD MINE

CAMPASPE RIVER

The extraction processes performed by Fosterville Gold Mine have mutated the landscape. The mutations have effected both the areas that have been physically manipulated as well as the wider context. Fosterville’s existing closure plan does not consider how the mined landscape has become an active part within the surrounding systems. Considering this this project of the propses that the redesign of the mine should acknowledge it’s place within the greater system and address this as a part of the approach. It seeks to do more than pack up the mine and attempt to ‘undo’ the alterations. Instead it aims to understand the entropic potential of the new conditions and their potential to be used in a beneficial manner for both the mine site and it’s surroundings.

SUGARLOAF RANGE

WELLSFORD STATE BOX IRONBARK FOREST

@ A2

Initial testing of the site revealed information about the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conditions and operations. These tested focused on the hydrology, geology and vegetation of the site.

SITE TESTING AND EXPLORATIONS WATER A design intervention testing the operation of water within the mine revealed how the processes of mining have altered the hydrological systems of the site. Completely new bodies of water have been created through open pits and waster storage facilities. The design proposed that the site be considered as an entire system working as a whole. Each water body played a role within this system. It also tested ideas of implementation over time as the mine gradual closed down. This test revealed how the physical alterations of the operations of the processes of mining have mutated the systems within the mine.

STRATEGY

00 YEARS

25 YEARS

50 YEARS

water channels redirect some water from Campaspe river into the mines water system

once the mine has closed and water is no longer being pumped to the dam in will dry out and allow for the area to be used for other purposes such as a lookout point

walkways follow the channels that move water around the mine

at some point walkways will cut across open water

75 YEARS

100 YEARS

VEGETATION The second intervention tested how vegetation could be used to remove contaminants from the environment. This design revealed how the mining processes have altered the chemical conditions of the site. This design proposed to systematically re-vegetate the site with hyper accumulators (plants that remove containments from the environment). Each area would be treated with a plant species specific to their condition. The design would be deployed over time as areas of the mine were decommissioned. This iteration addressed the site through isolated parts acknowledging that the site has many different typologies with unique conditions requiring specific approaches in the way they are addressed.

STRATEGY

00 YEARS

25 YEARS

50 YEARS

dried out water channels become pathways to navigate throughout forest huts are placed throughout forest as a part of an ecoretreat

topography of the elevated dam provides ideal location for huts

trees + other vegetation with phytoremediation qualities are planted to absorb toxins in soil, improving soil + air quality

forest will be farmed in zones to provide economic gain for the community, while still improving soil + air quality

water based plants are used in and around water bodies to improve water quality

75 YEARS

100 YEARS

SOIL The third iteration explored how cattle could be used to promote re-vegetation at Fostervile Gold Mine. This design tested Allan Savory theory of holistic management in which cattles grazing patterns are choreographed to mimic the patterns of herds. It proposed to incrementally reprogram the mine as grazing land. This strategy was useful as it highlights the importance of considering the mine within the larger context. It started to explore ideas of reciprocal benefit - that is, how the mine can contribute to the context, but also how the context can start to provide for the redesign. However the idea of implementing grazing land ignores the fact that the mine has become integrated within greater systems. By transforming the landscape into grazing land the design denies the systems that have come to rely on the mine. STRATEGY

00 YEARS

25 YEARS

50 YEARS

water from mine would be improved to a quality that could be used in surrounding agriculture

channels redirect water from mine into surrounding agriculture

cattle grazing patterns are choreographed to mimic grazing patterns of herds to compress + fertilize soils to improve soil quality + decrease impacts of desertification within + surrounding the mine

75 YEARS

100 YEARS

CHARACTERISTICS Basic mining processes used at Fosterville are similar to those used in other open cut gold mines. Excavation and refinement inevitably impact the chemical, physical and ecological conditions of the landscape. However within the particular conditions of site the mining processes have resulted in a mutated landscape unique to Fosterville. Most open cut gold mine operates around one fault line through one pit. Fosterville gold mine lies over seven staggered fault lines resulting in an elongated site made up of 15 comparatively small open pits. These pits are spread out in an area spanning 9km in length and 2km in width. The sparse arrangement and scale of the site results in large expanses of underutilized space existing between the active excavation sites not usually found in gold mines. Throughout some of these spaces the Box Ironbark Forest that initially occupied the site remains. Box Ironbark Forests are found only in Victoria and are under threat of extinction. The water table is one other condition particular to Fosterville. Throughout most of the site the level of the water table sits above the deepest point of the open pits meaning that the majority of the pits will flood after being decommissioned. The combination of these conditions and the mining processes has resulted in the generation of a combination of new characteristics particular to Fosterville Gold Mine. These characteristics are:

• Vastness • Depth • Enclosure • Toxicity • Elevation

While the combination of these characteristics is unique to Fosterville separately they may be found in other residual landscapes.

Vastness

Toxicity

Human alteration: Refinement Type of alteration: Chemical Key words: Product | Chemical Alteration | Mutation

“An empty space is not the same thing as an empty place. An empty place is filled with space, as if space were the negative void that rushes in when a place is vacated.” (Mitchell – in exposure Murray Fredericks) Vastness can be defined as an immensity of space. As the openness that continues beyond the conceivable surroundings. Within Fosterville Gold Mine the condition of vastness occurs where forest has been cleared to make way for the operation of the mine. Vastness has also been created as a result of the surrounding agricultural land. The adjacency of these spaces creates an expansive horizon interrupted at points by the forms of the mine. Within the mine vastness offers a ground plane against which the impact of other landscape features may be understood. Only through an experiential understanding of this vastness as ‘zero’ does it become possible to understand the intensities of the ground plane’s mutations. Vastness is the measure.

Depth Human alteration: Extraction Type of alteration: Physical | Ecological | Chemical Key words: Mined | Excavation | Intrusion | Underneath | Vertical | Depression Depth, “a dimension taken through an object or body of material, usually downward from an upper surface, horizontally inward from an outer surface, or from top to bottom of something regarded as one of several layers” (Stephanie Carlisle and Nicholas Pevzner). Within Fosterville, depth has been created through the first stage in the mining process – the extraction of ore. Intrusions into the surface create a thickened ground condition and expose the geology bellow. Where vastness is understood as the ground plane, depth can now be understood as a depression within the landscape.

Enclosure Human alteration: Removal Type of alteration: Physical Key words: Context | Contrast To be enclosed is to be encompassed within a defined area. Within Fosterville, copses of Box Ironbark Forest create this enclosure. The trees’ foliage forms a canopy, creating an experience of envelopment and containment. These forested areas contrast to the openness experienced when exposed to vastness in other areas of the site. In contrast to the horizon of vastness, enclosure can be read as an extrusion from the ground plane.

Toxicity is defined as the degree to which a substance has infected an organism. Toxicity at Fosterville is a consequence of mining’s refinement process. Chemicals used to separate the gold from the ‘waste rock’ have been distributed across the site in open storage facilities. The contact between these toxins and the environment radically affects the natural chemical composition of the soil and therefore altering the site’s ground condition.

Elevation Human alteration: Overburden Type of alteration: Physical | Chemical Key words: Mound | Vertical | Extrusion Elevation can be defined as the height above a specific reference point. Within the mine elevation is created from the waste of the mining process. Mounds remain scattered around the site from the historic heap leaching mining method. Overburden or waste rock is discarded in the search for gold ore and piled up to create hillocks. Tailings (the slurry separated from the gold in the final stages of refinement) are stored to dry in elevated tailings damns built from overburden. In this condition vastness becomes the reference point from which the height of the elevation can be measure

These defininitions outline the characteristics of the site as they are identified within the residual mined landscape. Within the design found in this design reseach catalogue actions upon these characteristics redefine their operation. The altered understandings are as follows: SITE READING Vastness Depth Enclosure Toxicity Elevation

- - - - - -

ACTION Horizon Intrusion Contrast Refinement Extrusion

PROJECT DIAGRAM

STRANGENESS

HORIZON

VASTNESS

FAULT LINE

DEPTH

INTRUSION

EXTRUSION

CONTRAST

ELEVATION

ENCLOSURE

TOXICITY

REFINEMENT

GLOSSARY

ADAPTATION verb [with object]: 1. make (something) suitable for a new use or purpose; modify [RE] ADAPTATION verb [with object]: 1. to change (something) as a result of new or different conditions

ENCLOSURE noun: 1. to be encompassed within a boundary area

PRETERNATURAL LANDSCAPES adj: 1. out of or being beyond the normal course of nature; differing from the natural

TOXICITY noun: 1. the degree to which a substance has infected an organism

RESIDUAL adj: 1. the matter which remains at the end of a process after the removal of parts

ELEVATION noun: 1. the height above a specified reference point

EMPIRICAL adj: 1. derived from sensorial experience EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE adj: 1. understanding acquired experience

through

STRANGE adj: 1. unusual, out of the ordinary 2. differing from the normal condition VASTNESS noun: 1. immensity in area 2. the space that exists between places 42

DEPTH noun: 1. a dimension taken through an object or body of material, usually downward from an upper surface, horizontally

sensory

HORIZON noun: 1. the ground plane against which the impact on other landscapes can be measured 2. the line at which the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface and the sky appear to meet. INTRUSION noun: 1. to interpose in a situation where one is not expected 2. to be forced or thrust into CONTRAST noun: 1. the state of being strikingly different from another condition in juxtaposition or close association

REFINEMENT noun: 1. the process of removing unwanted elements from a substance EXTRUSION noun: 1. the act of extending something outwards 2. the act of shaping something by force NATURE noun: 1. the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations

ECOSYSTEMS noun: 1. a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment functioning as an ecological unit BIODIVERSITY noun: 1. the variety of life in an environment (eg. the world, a particular habitat or ecosystem)

SYSTEMS noun: 1. a set of connected parts forming a complex whole MINING noun: 1. the practice of extracting materials from the earths crust ANTHROPOGENIC adjective: 1. originating in human activity ECOLOGY noun: 1. the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment

SALINITY (EC) SALINE 60,000 55,000

54,000 EC - SEAWATER

50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000

> 8000 SALINE

30,000 25,000 20,000

20,993 EC -ROBBIN’S HILL

15,000

13,176 EC - JOHN’S 12,233 EC - HARRINGTON’S HILL 10, 245 EC - DALEY’S HILL

10,000

5,703 EC - FARLEY’S

5,000 0

15 EC - RAIN WATER

FRESH

2400-8000 BRACKISH 800-2400 MARGINAL < 800 FRESH WATER

pH LEVELS ALKALINE 14 13 12 11 8.8 FARLEYS + JOHN’S

8.5 ROBINS HILL

9 8

8.4 DALEY’S HILL

8.1 HARRINGTON’S HILL

6 5

5.4 EPA STANDARD FOR DRINKING WATER

4 3 2 1

ACIDIC

CHARACTERISTICS DEPTH

This plan of Fosterville Gold Mine explains how the mining process has altered the physical, chemical and ecological conditions of the landscape. Through extraction of rock large open pits have exposed immense quantities of ground water. Ground water has high levels of salinity releasing salt into the atmosphere. The disturbance of the ground has also altered the pH levels within the pits. The water within the pits is alkaline, while the surrounding conditions tend to be more acidic. The plan also shows where the previously identified site characteristics (vastness, depth, enclosure, toxicity and elevation) occur within the mine. Finally the plan identifies where fauna species have started to invade the mine. Pelicans are now evident on site as they are attracted to the large saline water bodies. Bats are taking refuge in the protection provided by the open pits as their native habitat is continually being cleared. Plovers are attracted to the marshlike conditions of the damns that store waste from the mine. Turtles have also inhabited the water in the open pits.

ELEVATION TOXICITY ENCLOSURE VASTNESS

SPECIES

5 x BOX IRON BARK FOREST BAT SPECIES

Pe PELECANUS CONSPICILLATUS

Pl VANELLUS MILES

CHELODINA LONGICOLLIS

03_FAULT LINE

Below the surface of Fosterville Gold Mine movement of the earth has resulted in a geological fracture known as a fault line. This disturbance of the ground has caused friction within the ore and resulted in the generation of gold. It is this particular condition of the site has defined itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. The following design is centred around one of these fault lines. A path is created that traces the 2.3km trajectory of the fault line as a physical and experiential manifestation. This path makes visible the invisible condition that defines the landscape. It guides the user along, under, through and over the strange qualities of the site composing a particular experience and interaction with the landscape. Through contrasted experience the user gains an empirical understanding of the operations and conditions of site. 49

METHODOLOGY CRITERIA

1. Humans

2. Ecological

a. Interaction through access with invasive species b. Interaction through access with open pits c. Interaction through access with forest d. Interaction through access with chemical alterations e. Interaction through access with scale f. Interaction through access with effects of overburden

Invasive Species a. Create habitats Forest b. Increase biodiversity Soil b. Improve quality Water d. Improve quality

3. Experiential Provide empirical understanding of the site and its processes though a systematic relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

APPROACH The research employs an approach that aims to understand and responds to the particular conditions of the landscape. The primary aim of this design therefore is to provide access to the unique qualities of the residual landscape to allow for contrasting experiences that provide empirical understanding of the processes and alterations of the gold mine. Within the design access is provided through formal intervention. Throughout the different characteristics of the mine form must provide for experience, ecology or both.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

ECOLOGICAL

PRECEDENTS This diagrams shows how precedents have been used within the fault line design. The precedents may inform the operation, form and/or experience created withing the fault line path to inform the desing to address the criteria.

ECOLOGICAL

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

3 1

100

200

1 VASTNESS | HORIZON

2 ELEVATION | EXTRUSION

3 TOXICITY | REFINEMENT

The chosen fault line cuts through each of the identified site characteristics. This allows for a journey that contrasts The experience of each of the characteristics. By experiencing each of the conditions as they relate to one another the understanding of each condition is intensified. The fault line path aims to provide the visitor with an empirical understanding of the scale and operations of the mine site. The plan on the opposite page shows the trajectory of the path as it cuts through each condition. This design allows for human interaction of the site through amplification of the strange conditions. This experience also promotes an altered perception of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;naturalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

4 DEPTH | INTRUSION

5 ENCLOSURE | CONTRAST

SPECIES

PLANTING

PATH

OVERALL SITE

BOX IRONBARK FOREST

FAULT LINE PATH TRAJECTORY

INTRUSIONS/EXTRUSIONS

WATER 56

FRESH KILLS AXONOMETRIC

This drawing shows the existing and proposed conditions through an exploded axonometric drawing style. This style has been used to in order to show each of the existing and proposed layers separately. Each element is connected to the others however it is also important to show how each of the layers exist in isolation. This technique was used by Field Operations in their project Fresh Kills to show each layer of information and how they relate to one another. Each layer relates to the other however their separate operations were also key to understanding the project.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;An empty space is not the same thing as an empty place. An empty place is filled with space, as if space were the negative void that rushed in when a place is vacated.â&#x20AC;? - W.J.T. Mitchell

This section cuts through the length of the fault line path showing the dramatic contrast that exists between each of the characteristics. The drawing shows how the vertical ground plane has been exaggerated through the mining process. It also shows the contrast between the conditions of enclosure and vastness.

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SCALE (M) 61

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is the first horizon you have seen, which enables you to locate yourself within the space and to understand the interrelations of the place with its immediate and more distant neighbourhoodsâ&#x20AC;? - Henri Bava, 2008

HORIZON

VASTNESS | HORIZON Clearing of vegetation and other landscape elements from the Fosterville landscape creates expansive space and generates a new horizon. In these areas the fault line path is used as a tool to elongate the horizon and amplify the feeling of vastness. Vastness is set up as the base condition against which other site characteristics can be measured and provides an experience of the sites immense scale. The intention behind extending the horizontal scale is to intensify this experience of the ground plane. Here the path remains a stripped back, simple slice in the landscape. Weathering steel defines the path with a hard edge against the ground. No other planting or infrastructure lies along these segments of the path. Its user is completely exposed and, subsequently, made hyperaware of the vast surrounding space.

1. Humans

2. Ecological

Invasive Species a. Create habitats Forest b. Increase biodiversity Soil b. Improve quality Water d. Improve quality

3. Experiential Provide empirical understanding of the site and its processes though a systematic relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

Within the fault line design the condition of VASTNESS becomes understood as the HORIZON from which the other conditions become measured.

In this condition the path is left exposed. Materiality reveals the course of the fault line. Distance travelled along this path, through space between places, elongates and extends time. An understanding of distance is amplified through the minimal intervention, with nothing but the surrounding conditions and visitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts to capture their attention. The lack of interruptions in this condition serves to amplify the intensity of activity within the other conditions.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

66 EMF -

Tudela (Club Med) Restoration Cao de Creus

ECOLOGICAL

From the instability of space (vastness) we are hyperaware of our position within the world. We are exposed to our surroundings, and open to our thoughts. Left defenceless to context, that which is and is beyond the vastness. From here we understand our place with acute perception.

Murray Fredericks - Salt

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To see the Third Landscape as a biological necessity that influences the future of living things modifies our interpretation of the territory, attributing value to places that are normally neglected.â&#x20AC;? Gilles Clement

INTRUSION

DEPTH | INTRUSION

860m

The depth created through the open pits provides a physical registration of the scale of the extraction needed within the process of gold mining. In these pits the fault line path is used to create an amplified experience of the depressions and mutated ecologies. The design also creates improved living conditions to promote the intrusive inhabitation by species that have already begun to take over these pits. Through the amplified experience of the depth the path provides an experiential understanding of the scale of extraction. Bodily experience reveals the immense volume of the ground that has been removed from these areas. By 85m providing for the new species the design intensifies the understanding of the extent to which the mine has become integrated within systems beyond itself. 85m 860m ground are used to Paths that sink into and pull out from the provide different experiences of the thickened ground. This infrastructure is also designed to provide improved habitats 860m for the pelicans, bats and turtles that have already taken refuge here. As in Gilles Clement’s ‘Third Landscape,’ these pits are understood as unique territories within which emergent 30m ecosystems can be preserved. 420m

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105m

2. Ecological

Invasive Species a. Create habitats Forest b. Increase biodiversity Soil b. Improve quality Water d. Improve quality

85m

3. Experiential

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30m 30m 268m

30m

Within the fault line design the condition of DEPTH becomes understood as INTRUSION as the design 268m provides for habitats for the invasive fauna species.

420m 530m

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EX HEAP LEEC

EX HEAP LEECH MOUNDS

90m

112m

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Provide empirical understanding of the site and its processes though a systematic relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

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530m

1. Humans

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CONDITIONS OF DEPTH Through the extraction process, depressions have been created within the ground plane. These open pits have mutated the conditions of the site and consequently included the mine within systems reaching far beyond its extents. New ecologies have responded to this mutated landscape, taking over the depressions as their new habitats. The pits are filled with enormous amounts of ground water that has attracted Australian Pelicans to the site as a resting place. The Eastern Long Neck Turtle has made these pits home, providing food for the pelicans. Finally, displaced bats from the Box Ironbark Forest have taken refuge within the intrusions due to the protection they provide. An understanding of these mutated conditions reveals the opportunity for the design to be both experiential (for humans) as well as operational (for the new ecologies).

Formally and systematically this condition offers opportunities to support the new ecologies as well as human interaction and experience. Surface and material manipulation through extrusion and intrusion provides access to allow for human interaction. Pathways cut into the ground on the approach to the pits to intensify experiences of being underneath. Bridges follow the fault lines flying over, cutting through and slicing into the pits, to offer multiple perceptions of depth. At other points within the pits platforms offer different vantage points. This infrastructure serves not only as an opportunity for human interaction, but also as habitats for the new species that have begun to take refuge in the depressions. The underside of the bridges and platforms create homes for bats that are already attracted to the protection offered by the depth. Platforms will provide roosting areas for the pelicans that have been attracted to the large expanses of saline ground water. Low bridges will provide dry zones for turtles to rest. Finally, new planting will wrap around pits in bands of species and colour to reflect the vertical scale of depth in the horizontal plane. This intervention will provide a visual registration of depth from vantage points in other areas of the mine. The height created from the planting will intensify the vertical plane creating a heightened feeling of being underneath within the pits. The planting will also attract new fauna providing further biodiversity on the site.

This section show the path as it passes through the pit. On the approach the path cuts into the ground sinking the visitor into the earth. As they exit the path incision they are immediately exposed to the depth of the open pit. The path then becomes a bridge taking the visitor into the heart of the pit. Upon exit the path slices into the other side of the pit and the visitor ascends back to ground level.

Through bands of colour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; purple, pink, yellow, red - we slope into the ground as the vegetation grows up around us. The strata of the ground are revealed around us as we descend further into the earth. Through the incision in front we see a glimpse of the pit and all of a sudden step out into the gaping hole that tells us there was gold here. Bridges extend out and over the water that has filled the open pit. Pelicans descend around us, diving in to fish out a turtle. Bats roost under the bridges waiting for the cover of darkness to fall. This is a world for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Third Landscapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Where, once no longer considered valuable, these pits are abandoned and left for opportunistic ecologies. Here the steel of the path has a thick coat of rust from constant exposure to the salinity of the ground water. Following over one of the bridges we have a feeling that we are being engulfed by the scale of the pit. Red trees extend to the sky and water lies below, the depth of the pit hidden. As we reach the other side the path slices into the pit wall, elevating back up to ground level and emerging back into the openness.

HIGH BRIDGE TYPOLOGY The high bridge typology is both experiential and ecological. This bridge extends from the ground plane out over the expanse of the pit. From this elevated vantage point the entire pit lie beneath you creating the experience of exposure. Here there would be an acute perception of the depth of the pit. The elevation combined with exposure would create a feeling of vulnerability and an acute awareness of the scale of the pit, and subsequently the scale of the mine. Below the walkway the underside of the bridge provides a roosting area for the bats. This design element aims to encourage the intrusion of the pit from the opportunistic species. FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

ECOLOGICAL

INITIAL TESTING OF HIGH BRIDGES

MID BRIDGE TYPOLOGY The mid bridge typology is both experiential and operational. This bridge extends out around the centre of the pit. While it still sits considerably higher than the water level this bridge is sunken somewhere between the water and the top of the pit. This creates a more enclosed feeling and a closer interaction with the water. This bridge also acts as a roosting areas for bats, providing appropriate infrastructure for their requirements.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

ECOLOGICAL

INITIAL TESTING OF MID BRIDGES

RAMPS TYPOLOGY The ramp typology is a solely experiential element of the design. Upon approach to the pit the fault line path beings to sink into the ground, amplifying the physical experience of depth. The geology is exposed around you as you descend further into the ground. The walls of the ramps frame the a view of the pit hinting at what lies ahead.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

ECOLOGICAL

PLATFORM TYPOLOGY The platform typology is both experiential and ecological. The platforms provide habitats for both bats and pelicans through their shelter. Bats can roost in the enclosed areas on the underside of the bridges, while pelicans are attracted to the shelter they provided while they roost. The platforms can be experiences from above or below. From above they provide a vantage point from which to view the mine. From below they provide an immersive experience within the bat or pelican roosts.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

ECOLOGICAL

INITIAL TESTING OF PLATFORMS

BATS

The under side of bridges provide roosting areas for the bats

The under side platforms can provide roosting areas for the bats

Vegetation attracts insects for the bats to feed on

vegetation for stabilisation of edges

5 X BOX IRON-BARK - BAT SPECIES Lesser Long Eared Bat Preferred Habitat: • hollows + fissures of old trees • under bark • caves Diet: • insects (in flight) South-eastern Freetail Bat Preferred Habitat: • hollows of old trees • roosts with narrow entrances + cavities Diet: • bugs • beetles • ants • moths

forest with trees that provide food + habitats for bats

walkways + platforms implimented to provide habitats for bats as well as access for humans

Inland Broad-Nosed Bat Preferred Habitat: • hollows of old trees Diet: • flying insects which they catch as they fly over water (eg mosquitos)

inside buildings

Large Forest Bat Preferred Habitat: • forests, woodlands + moors • hollows of old Eucalypts

tree hollows

Diet: • moths • beetles • flies • bugs • lacewings • termites • ants • spiders

caves

Bats preferred habitats

under bridges

protected areas with roofs

Bats adaptation to built conditions

underside of walkways + platform provide roosts for bats

replant native forest to provide food + habitat for bats

marshy vegetation to attract mosquitos and other insects for bats to feed on

PELICANS

The underside of platforms is used as protected area for roosting

Ground provides areas for nesting

Vegetation provides lining for nests

Open expanses of saline water attract pelicans

diverse range of vegetation to provide for other species for the pelican to feed on

PELECANUS CONSPICILLATUS - AUSTRALIAN PELICAN Pelican Preferred Habitat: • found in large water bodies without dense vegetation • nests in shallow depression in earth or sand, sometimes with some grass lining

dry zones for pelicans, as well as to attract + provide for other species eg turtles + birds

Diet: • fish • insects • aquatic crustateans (especially the common yabby and shrimp) • other birds (egg -> adult) • reptiles • amphibians Other: • travel large distances to find water + food • fish for food by plunging their bills into the water + using pouches as nets under jetties

mudflats/sandbars/beaches Pelican Roosting

experiential walkways to allow for closeness to water

use walkways to create sheltered areas for pelicans to roost

TURTLES

Turtles are found in the pits of the mine

Bridge provides dry zone for basking in the sun during the day

vegetation for turtles habitats

replant box iron-bark forest species to provide open canopy for turtles

relocated waste rock for turtle habitats

CHELODINA LONGICOLLIS - EASTERN LONG-NECKED TURTLE

Eastern Long-Necked Turtles Preferred Habitat: • swamps, dams and lakes • prefer soft, sandy bottom • bask on logs or rocks during the day • during summer the females will lay between 2-10 eggs on the • bank of their habitat Diet: • insects • worms • tadpoles • frogs • small fish • crustaceans • molluscs

wet + dry zones

continual wetness for burrowing etc

marshy/wetland environment

open canopy for sunlight exposure

Turtle preferred habitat

overburden + tailings mounds create habitats for turtles

This plan identifies where depth occurs throughout the site. The elements used within the design of the pit that falls along the fault line would be adjusted to fit each of the conditions of depth throughout the mine. By promoting the diverse ecologies found in the pits these ares of depth could become preservations of the unique biological conditions found in the mine.

CONTRAST

ENCLOSURE | CONTRAST In areas of the mine not needed for access Box Ironbark Forest remains, creating contrast to the openness of the surrounding site. Here the fault line takes advantage of the forests conditions, amplifying the feeling of enclosure created by the trees. By intensifying the enclosure the experiential contrast between the mutated landscape and forest is heightened. Through the experience of the transition from vastness to enclosure the visitor gains empirical understanding of the varying scale found in the site. The forest becomes a pause between the mutations of the landscape. A simple path weaves through the densest areas of the forest. Landscape elements from the forest as well as a gravel path are used to guide the visitor through the oldest remnant of the site.

1. Humans

2. Ecological

Invasive Species a. Create habitats Forest b. Increase biodiversity Soil b. Improve quality Water d. Improve quality

3. Experiential Provide empirical understanding of the site and its processes though a systematic relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

Within the fault line design the condition of ENCLOSURE becomes understood as CONTRAST as the forest provides a contrasting experience to the base condition of vastness.

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CONDITIONS OF ENCLOSURE Within the mine boundary areas of forest have been left where clearing has not been required. This forest lies within a completely changed landscape as a remnant of the oldest history of the site. The forest is a Box Ironbark Forest which is an endangered ecological vegetation classification. Within these forests the vegetation is sparsely dispersed with minimal ground cover. The trunks of the trees are visible to the horizon. This condition offers a contrast to the openness of the surrounding areas as well as standing as a monument to the adaptive nature of the site.

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Within the forest the fault line path almost disappears. The materiality changes from weathering steel to coloured gravel that softly registers a difference in ground. Rocks from the forest act as a guide, directing the visitor. The path navigates through the densest parts of the forest to amplify the contrast from the openness.

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This section shows the path as it moves from the pit, up through the vastness and into the forest. Upon exiting on the other side the path meet the planting from another pit moving through the layers of red and yellow. The path then spills back out into vastness.

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From exposure to enclosure. We have now reached â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Escaping the vast expanse of the in between we are engulfed by the forest, following the fault line path as it weaves amongst the trees. Aware of distance travelled our perception now changes, measured against each part of our surroundings. The paths materiality shifts here, still contrasting the ground so as to register difference, but soft against its context keeping our focus amongst the trees. Here our thoughts shift internally. We are relieved of the great openness and can register the details and small scales of change from one step to the next. Upon exit on the other side our perception of the vastness becomes intensified and again we are stunned by the immensity of the site.

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PATH TYPOLOGY The enclosure path is an experiential typology. The path leads us through dense areas of the forest. Landscape element such as rocks are also used as a navigations tool. This path is used to amplify the feeling of enclosure.

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EXPERIENTIAL

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107

SCALE (M)

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This plan shows how the path breaks the straight trajectory to navigate through the densest areas of the forest.

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The green areas is this plan identify where forest has been left between the operation of the site. Where the fault lines intersect with the remnant forest the path would adapt to each area of forest, guiding the visitor through the densest areas. The effect of this would be that each interaction with enclosure would be unique to the forest it passes through.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rather than perceiving ourselves as the anti-natural species that merely threatens and eliminates nature, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better understand ourselves as catalysts of evolutionâ&#x20AC;? - Van Mensvoort, 2011

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REFINEMENT

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TOXICITY | REFINEMENT Through the refinement processes involved in gold mining chemicals are used to separate the gold from the waste rock. These chemical are then stored in toxic waste pits around the site. Through this condition the fault line path allows for a close proximity experience with the toxicity and its byproducts. By allowing visitors a sensorial experience of the toxicity visitors become more aware of the chemical impact that the gold refining processes have on the site. The close proximity gives visitors an idea of how extensive the alterations to the site have been. Here the fault line path becomes a sunken glass bridge that cuts through the toxic waste. The visitor is surrounded by chemicals used in the mining process. Over time hyper accumulator vegetation is planted in the soil that has been infected by these chemicals. The chosen species feed on the chemicals found in the toxic waste refining the soil as well as physically manifesting the chemicals alterations to the site. Through physical interaction of the toxicity85mthe effects of the refinement processes in gold mining becomes understood.

1. Humans

2. Ecological

Invasive Species a. Create habitats Forest b. Increase biodiversity Soil b. Improve quality Water d. Improve quality

3. Experiential Provide empirical understanding of the site and its processes though a systematic relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

85m

860m

85m

150m

Within the fault line design the condition of TOXICITY becomes understood as REFINEMENT the design implements measures to improve the quality of water and soil. 30m

30m

30m 105m

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EX HEAP LEECH

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CONDITIONS OF TOXICITY As a result of the final refining processes used to extract gold toxic waste is stored around the site in shallow open pits. The chemicals in these pits have infected the surrounding environment altering the chemical conditions of the ground. These areas are baron and restricted from human interaction. This condition offers an opportunity to render visible the drastic alterations to the chemical conditions of the site.

PRE-MINE

MINE

POST-MINE

119

Within the toxic condition the fault line design in implemented over time. Initially the hyper accumulator vegetation is planting around the edges of pit as the toxic waste is initially at a high level. The plant species are not water tolerant and therefore can only be used around the perimeter of the chemical waste. At this stage a glass bridge is implemented that flies over the top of the pit. The glass allows for the chemicals to be experienced from above while the hyper accumulators provide a bodily experience as the visitor moves through the perimeter planting. As the chemicals are absorbed by the hyper accumulators and the waste level is elevated more planting is implemented. At this point a new bridge is constructed. This bridge is also made of glass, however instead of flying over this bridge cuts into the pit immersing the visitor in the toxic waste with only the glass as protection. Now the planting and toxicity immerses the visitor drawing attention to the level of chemical alteration created by the mining process.

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This section shows the paths transition from vastness down into toxicity and up to extrusion.

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From openness we follow the path as it descends into the ground. As we sink down the earth moves up around us and we are engulfed by looming sunflowers. Unlike the mined pits, here there is a transparent barrier between us and the geology, protecting us from what is on the other side. The ground is a different colour. Dank and infected. We move forward, further into the ground, and suddenly the geology surrounding us disappears, replaced by a thick, luminous liquid. Toxic. We feel exposed and apprehensive. We become aware of the danger that this liquid poses to us. Only a layer of glass protects us from the toxic chemicals that have been used to strip away ore. We follow the path through the chemical pit, quickening our pace, watching of the liquid below and to the side of us. Finally the ground reappears around us. The path leads us up out of the pit and we are safe from the toxins below.

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LOW BRIDGE TYPOLOGY The low bridge in the toxicity condition is an experiential typology. Made from glass this path cuts into the toxic ground and water immersing the visitor physically and visually in the mines chemical waste. This path creates a feeling of unease as there is only a comparatively thin layer separating the visitor from the chemicals.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

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ECOLOGICAL

125

HIGH BRIDGE TYPOLOGY The high bridge in the toxicity condition is an experiential typology. Also made from glass this path extends over the toxic pit at ground level. The glass allows for visual interaction with the toxicity. While there is still a sense of apprehension when passing over the bridge the visitor feels safer when viewing the chemicals from above.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

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STAGE ONE The chemical storage pit is at capacity. Sunflowers are planted around the perimeter to remediate the soil. At this point a high bridge is implemented that allows for visual interaction with the toxicity.

STAGE TWO The toxic water level has decreased through hyperaccumulation and evaporation. The sunflowers have been absorbing the chemicals improving the environmental quality. A sunken bridge is now implemented at allow for visual and physical interaction with the toxicity.

STAGE THREE The chemical waste has been removed from the pit and soil. Sunflowers flood the area hinting at the toxicity that used to infect the pit.

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This master plan identifies where the toxic pits are located throughout the site. While there are no other chemical storage areas that intersect with fault line paths, all the toxic zones would be planted with hyper accumulator vegetation. This is to physically manifest the chemical alterations to the site, as well as to remediate the soil.

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EXTRUSION

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ELEVATION | EXTRUSION Through the process of extraction and refinement only the smallest amount of gold is produced from the tonnes of rock removed from the ground. The unwanted rock that is left over from this process is distributed around the site forming point of dramatic elevation. At these vertical exaggerations the design amplifies the experience of elevation and vastness. Here the design provides a vantage point from which to experience the site. This interaction provides an empirical understanding of the immensity of the mine, its processes and its overburden. The fault line path cuts into and over one of the mounds. Stairs slice the mound taking the visitor 30 meter above the ground. From here they can look back and see the path they have just followed as the horizon extrudes out across the landscape. The path then continues over the mound and descends down the other side back to ground level. 85m

1. Humans

2. Ecological

Invasive Species a. Create habitats Forest b. Increase biodiversity Soil b. Improve quality Water d. Improve quality

3. Experiential

85m

Provide empirical understanding of the site and its processes though a systematic relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

85m 85m

150m

860m

150m

860m

30m

30m 105m

Within the fault line design the condition of ELEVATION 268m 268m becomes understood as EXTRUSION as the design allows for a vantage point that extrudes the horizon line.

420m 530m 105m

WATER FILLED PIT TYPE 1 1:1,250

420m

EX HEAP LEECH MOUNDS/EVAPORATION ZONES 1:1,250

530m

90m

EX HEAP LE

90m

90m 112m 112m

470m

TAILINGS FILLED PITS 1:1,250

470m

20m

20m 85m

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590m TAILINGS DAM 1:1,250

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CONDITIONS OF ELEVATION At different point in the process of mining the waste (or overburden) takes a different form. From its rawest form disposed of as the top layer of rock that does not contain gold to slurry that is disposed of in the last stage of refinement. These different forms are stored in different storage typologies across the site, all creating mounds up to 30 meters high. The mound that falls on the fault line path is an old heap leach mound used in historical mining techniques. This method piled up ore that contained gold and leached cyanide through the mound. This would bond with the gold and be extracted from the base of the mound. While this technique is no longer used the mound now provides an area from which chemically infected water is sprayed into the air for evaporation. The result of these processes is that the mound is devoid of any vegetation leaving it as a raw element within the landscape.

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At this point the fault line path becomes stairs that cut into the side of the mound. At points along the ascent the stairs cut into the side of the mound revealing its geology. At other points they are exposed where they fly over the terracing. Upon reaching the top the elevation offers visitors a vantage point from which to view the path from which they have just come. Here perception is skewed. Visual illusions are created to draw the visitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention to the furthest point and outward along the extruded horizon. The path then continues over the mound and down the other side where the visitor is taken back to ground level.

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This section shows the paths transition as it ascends up the side of the elevation, over the top and down the other side.

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From the depths of toxicity we follow the path as it ascends the looming shape in front of us. Here the path becomes stairs made from the waste rock extracted from the ground. Cutting into the side of the mound we shrink under the immensity. As we climb the stairs emerge from the ground and lever over the terracing of the mound. Here we are exposed us to the vastness of the site. We continue, swallowed and revealed again by the path. Finally we reach the highest point. The horizon expands outwards in front of us, stretching over the mine, the paddocks and beyond. Turning around we can see back as far as we have come, a speck in the distance. Our eye is drawn to this point and then out along the extruded horizon. Turning again we continue along the path as it traces over the mound and descends down the other side back to ground level.

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STAIR TYPOLOGY The stairs in the elevation condition are an experiential typology. Cutting in and out of the side of the mound the stairs expose and reveal the visitor. These interactions with the ground provide contrast between enclosure and exposure, intensifying feelings of altered scale. When revealed at the top of the stairs the scale of the site washed over the user making them aware of the immensity of the processes required for the extraction of gold.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

144

ECOLOGICAL

INITIAL TESTING OF HEAP LEACH INTERVENTIONS

145

PATH TYPOLOGY The elevation path is an experiential typology. The simple steel path leaves the top of the mound exposed allowing for 360 degree views around the site. From this vantage point the immensity of the mine site is revealed.

FORMAL

EXPERIENTIAL

146

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INITIAL TESTING OF HEAP LEACH INTERVENTIONS

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PLANTING PALLET

J Dianella revoluta1 Dampiera rosmarinifolia Hardenbergia comptoniana Hardenbergia violacea Lechenaultia biloba Epacris impressa Grevillea confertifolia Melaleuca wilsonii Tetratheca ciliata Stylidium graminifolium Acacia acinacea Banksia media Dryandra praemorsa Eucalyptus preissiana Viminaria juncea Eucalyptus torquata Eucalyptus leucoxylon

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Planting was chosen for their formal qualities as well as their ability to deal with the chemicals found on site. Planting is used to amplify qualities of depth and intensify perspectives of the horizon. In depth bands wrap around the pit reflecting the vertical scale in the horizontal plane. The purple ground covers make up the outer most ring, followed by pink shrubs, yellow bushes and red trees sit in the inner ring. The tallest species is up to 30 meters high intensifying the feeling of being underneath when in the pits. In elevation the planting is used to amplify perspective. Trees direct the viewers gaze to centre on the path the have just walked from which leads the eye to the horizon expanding their view outwards. The layers of planting taper out to the ground cover also guiding the viewers perspective to the central point. The species have been chosen to ensure each band of planting flowers the same or similar colour all year.

Ground Cover Shrub Bush/Small Tree Tall Tree 149

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Here the master plan identified the points of elevation throughout the site. The fault lines do not cross the elevations at any other points on the site. This provides an opportunity for these mound to become places for Celementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Third Landscapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Elevated refuges for the conservation of biological diversity.

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04_STRANGENESS

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The processes involved in industrial mining practices leave an irreversible mark on the landscape. The alterations caused through the immense excavation and chemical refinement leaves the conditions of the landscapes mutated. These mutations tie the mine-sites into new systems and provide conditions for opportunistic ecologies to inhabit the site. Existing closure plans deny the ecological systems that the mine has become intertwined in by requiring a return to premine program. This research suggests that a new approach that embraces these conditions can benefit the ecological diversity of these landscapes. The research has proposed a new type of closure plan for Fosterville Gold Mine. The design embraces the strange qualities produced as a result of mining and amplifies these through interventions that nurture new ecologies and allow for direct human interaction and experience. The proposed design has aimed to redefine the way residual landscapes are understood through these interactions. Experientially the design is successful in addressing the proposed criteria, allowing for closeness to the mutated landscapes and generating empirical understanding of the operations and conditions of site. There is potential for this research to further explore the relationships between materiality of intervention and the structure of the existing geology. Within this development there is opportunity for the design to provide more detailed interventions that would adaptively promote the new ecosystems that inhabit the site. This poses questions about how a focus on the specificity of detailing can begin to question the ‘formal’ as mere experience, pushing it further into the realm of structure. Here infrastructure may be privileged over experience, changing the hierarchy and resulting in the detail generating a shift in form and consequently producing new experiences. The focus on detailing may in fact require the approach to be more site-specific due to the level of interrogation required. These questions begin to address the realities that exist within landscape construction where the proposed design aims to address the levels of experience as equal if not more important. Considering the two as equal would suggest a new outcome based on the continual feedback between the experiential and the structural. It is important for the research to continually question the role of both of these factors within landscape architecture.

Instead of drawing connections between ‘nature’ and ‘normal,’ [Re]adaptation is committed to naturalising the perceptions of residual landscapes in the understanding that nature is often strange. If our definition of nature shifted away from its Latin definition as stasis (“everything born”), towards Greek, or Darwinian interpretations pertaining to nature’s growth and constant organic adaptation (Van Mensvoort, 2011) it would be possible to imagine the diverse value of these unwanted landscapes (Clement, 2008). Rather than bringing a preconceived idea to our understanding of site, this shift would allow landscape architecture to employ a more sitespecific approach that interrogates the particularities of each landscape.

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Agence Ter, 2008. Territories. 1 Edition. Birkh채user Architecture Alessandro Rocca, 2008. Planetary Gardens. 1 Edition. Birkh채user Architecture. ASLA. (2013). Quarry Garden in Shanghai Botanical Garden. Available: http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2013/02/ quarry-garden-in-shanghai-botanical-garden/. Last accessed 30 May 2013. ASLA. (2011). Tudela (Club Med) Restoration in Cap de Creus by EMF Landscape Architecture. Available: http:// www.landezine.com/index.php/2011/03/tudela-club-medrestoration-in-cap-de-creus-by-emf-landscape-architecture/. Last accessed 30 May 2013. Balmori, D 2010, A Lvnifesto, Topos, International Review of Landscape Architecture, vol. 73 pp. 98-102 Binks, F 2011, Northgate Minerals Fosterville Goldmine Closure Plan Buildings, O. (2010). Parque de la Gavia. Available: http://openbuildings.com/buildings/parque-de-la-gaviaprofile-2867. Last accessed 10th June 2013.

Low, T, 2002, The New Nature, Viking Australia Merriam-Webster, 2013, Definitions, viewed 30/05/2013, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary National Geographic. (2010). The Alhambra: Water. Available: http://natgeotv.com/ca/ancient-megastructures/ videos/the-alhambra-water. Last accessed 10th April 2013. Oxford Dictionary, 2013, Definitions, viewed 30/05/2013, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/dictionary Savoy, A. (2013). How to fight desertification and reverse climate change. Available: http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_ savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_ climate_change.html. Last accessed 30th March 2013 Scape Landscape Architecture . (2011). Oyster-tecture. Kerb Journal of Landscape Architecture. vol. 19, pp 88-91. Tzaros, C (2005). Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark Country. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. Van Mensvoort, K 2011, Nature is Dead, Long Live Nature!, Kerb Journal of Landscape Architecture, vol. 19, pp. 10-11

Field Operations (2006). Fresh Kills Park: Draft Master Plan. New York City: Field Operations. Force4. (2001). Boase. Available: http://www.force4.dk/index. php?id=144316. Last accessed 20 April 2013. Google. (2008). Fosterville. Available: googleearth.com. Last accessed 6th March 2012. JSA. (2008). Juvet Landscape Hotel / JSA. Available: http:// www.archdaily.com/8600/juvet-landscape-hotel-jsa/. Last accessed 20 April 2013. Jonas, M, Monacella, R, 2013, Exposure 00, Melbourne Books Lamp, C, 1989, Field Guide to Weeds in Australia, Inkata Press, Melbourne

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QUESTION DEVELOPMENT title_subtitle_question SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS 01_ T: ST: regenerating post-production mines Q: In a rapidly changing world that is seeing our environments put at risk, how can the site of that which created the problem, become the heart of the solution to that problem? How can we design a system that uses the existing infrastructure and environment to combat climate change? How can post-production mines become productive landscapes that contribute to the fight against climate change, while also becoming thriving cultural landscapes?

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02_ T: ST: Q:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines Faced with the imminent results of climate change, how can landscape architecture use existing systems and infrastructures in post production mines to transform these wastelands into environmentally productive and culturally thriving landscapes?

03_ T: ST: Q:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines How can [post-] industrial contribute to improving the ecological environment?

04_ T: ST: Q:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines How can the scientific requirements of the post industrial sites remediation inform the social design?

05_ T: ST: Q:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines How can a bottom up approach to [post-] industrial landscapes effect the social/cultural/economic value?

06_ T: ST: Q:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines How can the necessary processes of site inform their design?

07_ T: ST: Q:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines How can the processes of regeneration act as a driver for their design?

08_ T: ST:

SYSTEMATIC REMEDIATION//PRODUCTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS regenerating post-production mines

How can the infrastructure used in gold mining be used in a process based approach to regeneration and reclamation?

09_ T: ST: Q:

[RE] ADAPTATION

10_ T: ST: Q:

[RE] ADAPTATION rethinking closure plans How can an understanding of altered situations allow for continual adaptation to surrounding conditions?

11_ T: ST: Q:

[RE] ADAPTATION designing for a new natural How can an understanding of the altered systems of mined landscapes facilitate a transition into a next nature?

rethinking closure plans How can a process based approach to design better allow for continual adaptation to surrounding conditions?

[RE] ADAPTATION__designing for a new natural How can an understanding of the altered systems of mined landscapes and their strange potentials allow for human interaction and experience?

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