AFTERWORD
The thesis explored the concept of ‘artificial’ and ‘archaeology’ in correlation with one another through a series of diagrams related to the history of Edinburgh. In the project, the author is recognised as a mere narrator of archaeology who represents history through a diagrammatic understanding of the artifacts buried underneath the city where the archive itself is considered an artifact here which is to be lost in the current year (2020 A.D.) in Edinburgh’s ground and rediscovered in the year 2050 A.D. by the future city council. The archive is designed to help the future city to identify locations of archaeological excavations along the Cowgate. The methodology of urban design here also provides a guide for the future where the past, present, and their future can be built in correlation with one another, for example, in the Exhibition Centre located in Grassmarket (2050 A.D.), the ruin of the 18th century foundation and the 20th century walls are used to support the architecture of the future and the spaces underneath the ground are revitalised as habitable spaces. It also helps to expose these lost historical memories and the ecological memories in relation to the new ‘artificial’ man-made ground. The archive thus provides a plan for current excavations (2050 A.D.) where fragments of memories are discovered in 2020 A.D. and also identifies potential future sites where excavation might take place generating a PARA-situation of excavation in the city of Edinburgh. Peter Eisenman and his concept of ‘Artificial Excavation’ provided the necessary foundation and design methodology in generating my own concept of urban design in relation to archaeology. While his projects disjuncts the architecture from reality and the human proportion, my thesis intends to reintegrate the architecture to a human proportion as well to build in relation to the ecological layers that narrates an archaeological as well as the phenomenological experience of time, place, and the vegetal being. In summary, the overall idea of the programme and the thesis is to look at the city through a new urban design principle which disjuncts itself from the traditional design processes and methodologies. The thesis therefore provide an alternate narrative of a city that is enquired through history which influences the urban design techniques for the present city and also the city of the future building in equilibrium with those memories of the past.
96
