HIDDEN N A R R AT I V E OF A BA N D O N M E N T
hidden narrative of abandonment tee ru hang richelle
Department of Architecture
Declaration
AB 964 Design Studies 2019/20 BSc Honours Architectural Studies BSc Honours Architectural Studies with International Study MArch/Pg Dip Advanced Architectural Design MArch Architectural Design International
Declaration
“I hereby declare that this dissertation submission is my own work and has been composed by myself. It contains no unacknowledged text and has not been submitted in any previous context. All quotations have been distinguished by quotation marks and all sources of information, text, illustration, tables, images etc. have been specifically acknowledged. I accept that if having signed this Declaration my work should be found at Examination to show evidence of academic dishonesty the work will fail and I will be liable to face the University Senate Discipline Committee.�
Richelletee Name Tee Ru Hang Date 18 November 2019
T A B L E OF CONTENT MIND MAP
project initial idea development
MANIFESTO redefine the declaimation of abandonment
01 WHAT
the abandonment
architecture and infrastructure
02 WHERE
the London underground system the abandoned stations
03 WHY
the unseen potential and opportunity
04 WHO
the people of London the daily lifestyle
05 HOW
redemption and reclaimation
the food, the farm and the market
END MATTER
references and picture credits
P . 1
MIND MAP
MIND MAP
P . 2
MIND MAP
ANTHROPOCENE DESTRUCTION banishment of natural world deterioration of environment abolishment of habitat degradation ofv ecosystem failure of agriculture instability of social and political urban decay
ABANDONMENT place city land environment culture history people creepy, undesired, left behind, depressing, dark, eerie, discarded, forgotten, ruin, haunting, deserted etc.
ABANDONMENT OF ARCHITECTURE theme park cooling tower mining town power station industrial factory wind farm oympic village military facility oil rig
ABANDONMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE hospital airport water dam school bridge road and highway transport station
TRANSFORMATION redemption reimagination reactivation revitalization rejevnation
SOCIAL SPACE
GATHER AND CONNECT
infrastructure facilities and services health and safety greenery shether society and community neighborhood people
P . 3
MANIFESTO
MANIFESTO R EDE FIN E DE CLA MAT IO N O F A BA N DO NME NT
P . 4
MANIFESTO
Abandoned architecture hang in a shadowy liminal state between destruction and the possibility of revival. It’s up to the people to discover and understand the narrative of their past, up to the people to imagine and determine the potentiality of their future. With the debatable existence of abandonment, these most ruinous spaces thrum with boundless possibility and potential. As our world becomes damaged with diminishing land, reclamation of dilapidated spaces become a necessity. The sense of nostalgia may draw the attention upon preservation and conservation, but human’s urgent need is what really inspires the revitalisation of abandonments. This projects sets a framework to redeem and reimagine the railway abandonment. Looking at the industrial revolution that we’ve imposed on railway network system, the catastrophic damage will continue exponentially. Abandonments tend to be such an abstract and distant problem to most of the people as they are always isolated and secluded. At some point, we must accept that the fact that we can’t eliminate all the traces of dilapidated space, and so we need to be better at adapting to life with those abandonments. We usually separate the abandonment and the city, with liminality between them yet both are inter-reliant. Every space in the city seems to have its reason to be there, yet, there are literally many forgotten spaces have been overlooked. Abandonments lure the people to adore them in some mysterious yet fascinating ways. By reclaiming those abandonments inside the city, it aims to reflect and remind the people who live inside of the fact of their paralleling existence. The vibrant life of city and the quietness of abandonment are in juxtaposition situation of separation and an intimate connection to the each other. Those deserted spaces in the city are abundant resources and have the ability to contribute to the people’s utmost need through the decrepit forgotten walls. By utilising the bones and exoskeletons of abandonments, we will be reclaiming them, revitalising them, animating them,and giving them a new lease of life.
P . 5
01
WHAT the abandonment
01 WHAT:
THE ABANDONMENT
P . 6
01 WHAT:
THE ABANDONMENT
ABANDONMENT Abandonment is the act of giving up on an idea or stopping an activity with no intention of returning to it (Oxford, 2005). Abandonment is likely to be situated at undesired and unattainable location. The description words for abandonment is always negative; creepy, undesired, left behind, depressing, dark, eerie, discarded, forgotten, ruin, haunting, deserted etc. Perhaps the abandonment doesn’t have to be negative, their existence represents technology advancement, new invention and the opportunity of reactivation. From mining towns, transport stations, farmhouses, mills, theme parks, military facilities, power stations, cooling towers to oil rigs, abandonment is happening all over the world. They are once filled with human existence, functioning, interacting and serve as a purpose but are now devoid of life. What make them left behind? The shifting of economic, natural disasters, wars, government changes, industrial revolution, technological advancement, humanmade disasters and utter incompetence.
Spaces are abandoned all the times. Continuously, human beings construct shelters, infrastructures, facilities and cities, sprawling out across the land and going upward to the sky to keep up with the growing population and industries. Structures built during the wartime, with the purpose to defend the cities, turn into eerie ghosts after a conflict is over. Despite the initial significant function, when a space or place fall out of favour and lost its initial function, it became useless and left to waste away. The abandonment tends to appear physically, yet it can also be intangible. The abandonment of architecture, such as place, land, town and city, always being emphasised more than the abandonment of cultural and historical.
P . 7
A BA N D O N M E N T OF ARCHITECTURE
01 WHAT:
THE ABANDONMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
P . 8
01 WHAT:
THE ABANDONMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
P . 9
A BA N D O N M E N T O F R A I LWAY INFRASTRUCTURE
01 WHAT:
THE ABANDONMENT OF RAILWAY INFRASTURTURE
P . 10
01 WHAT:
THE ABANDONMENT OF RAILWAY INFRASTURTURE
P . 11
01 WHAT:
THE BRITAIN’S ABANDONMENT
A B A N D O N M E N T R A I LW A Y I N F R A In the year 1830, the first modern steam locomotive railway network was opened, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, to connect and transport the people and cargos. Initially, the railway was expecting 250 commutes each day, but the number of passengers outgrew to 1200. The railway’s demand increased much more than the expectation and the facilities were not sufficient. The network was expanded and linked to each other. The success of railways were seen as a great opportunity to gain a big money. Within 10 years, from 1825 to 1835, 54 new rail lines were invested. In year 1837, another 39 new lines were purposed. The railway network in Britain transformed tremendously over the years, by year 1870, Britain constructed a total of 21,700 km of railway track. The railway’s expansion continue to grow rapidly and hit the peak, in the early twentieth century, Britain had a dozen of companies to run 32,000 km of rail roads. [7] In 1923, all the companies were reorganised into the “Big Four”, the the Great Western Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway. [8] In 1939, when the World War II started, the Britain government began to take over the authority of railways. The Transport Act 1947 were set up after the end of the war, the establishment of British Railways by British Transport Commission nationalised the railway network. During the 1960s, despite the process of modernisation, the railway
industry in Britain was losing millions of pounds for every year. On the beginning of year 1963, Dr Richard Beeching, who was the chairman of British Transport Commission, was assigned the role of chairman of British Railways Board. In the same year, with the aim to generate a profitable system, the Britain’s railways went through an extensive transformation. The report “The Reshaping of British Railways” was released. The British Railways Board pointed up one third of the network, 8,000 km carried just one percent of the traffic and half of them did not generate enough profit to sustain their own maintenance costs. [9] Hundreds of money losing branches lines and 2,350 stations were closed to concentrate the resources in providing an efficient service. From 1963 to 1975, in 12 period of years, the overall British’s rail lines had reduced from 32,000 km to 17,000 km and 225,000 people lost their jobs. [10] The closure of remote rural stations, freight depots and track lines produces abandonment of railway infrastructure abundantly. The left figure on the next page, is showing an article from The Times with the tittle of “Beeching Report Proposes Closing Nearly a Third of Britain’s 7,000 Railway Stations”. The right figure on the next page, the map of Britain’s railway network recommended by Beeching in bold lines.
P . 12
01 WHAT:
THE BRITAIN’S ABANDONMENT
O F S T R U C T U R E
The Reshaping of British Railways (1963)
“The industry must be of a size and pattern suited to modern conditions and prospects. In particular, the railway system must be remodelled to meet current needs, and the modernisation plan must be adapted to this shape.” Harold Macmillan, 1960
P . 13
01 WHAT:
THE NEXT ABANDONMENT
THE NEXT UPCOMING ABANDONMENT NHS Wales has disclosed its extensive stockpile to minimise the disruption that might occur for a no-deal Brexit. Despite the government declared they have preparations in place to secure a continuous supply of medicines, yet, NHS is procuring extra warehouse spaces for stockpiled medical products. A cavernous ÂŁ11m warehouse stocked with ÂŁ5m of medical products and food has been set up on a business park in south Wales in readiness for a nodeal Brexit [1]. The Welsh Government mentioned the money spent on getting the warehouse could have bought seven MRI scanners for NHS in Wales. Other than the medicines, the operation of NHS depends on hundreds of thousands of stuffs in order to run smoothly. The warehouse is currently holding the medical products with the floor to ceiling storages, such as gloves, syringes, bandages, needles, dressings, tubes and much more. There are bunks of tinned food, baked beans, flour, sugar, tea and coffee in the storehouse as well. The stored products are estimated to last for two months in addition to what NHS usually keep. Can we
P . 14
foresee the future of these warehouses after eight week of Brexit? Abandonments. Throughout the Olympic history, abandonment of the venues is not an uncommon phenomenon, they often left unused. The 2004 Athens Olympic Villages showed a great example of what remains when the games ended and the athletes left for home: rust, weeds and graffitis. [2] They are not the only one, former host cities such as Rio, Beijing, Berlin, Sarajevo had face the same fate. Olympic venues are often built with the centre attention focused on impressing the worldwide visitors, instead of taking the local communities into consideration. Those places failed to generate an intimate and emotional attraction to pull the local people. Hence, the cities are usually left with the gargantuan sports infrastructure that are unlikely to be used after the games. [3] The debris of the Athens and Rio Olympic Games is a sign for the future host countries, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris and Los Angeles, demonstrating the fact of organising the three weeks event oftentimes leaves behind a graveyard of functionless stadiums and monumental waste. [4] With Tokyo 2020 around the corner, can we predict the upcoming abandonments after the games ended? There’s numerous of abandoned spaces in the world. Looking into these abandonments in the past, what did they tell us? It’s a place that used to host people but is now devoid of life, it can feel like a window into the past. Before the first drop of oil, we used to rely on coal as the main energy production. History of coal mining starts with stone age and reached the peak in 19 century as a fuel with 1.2 million of employment at that time. Soon, this figure declined to 2000 in year 2005. 21 April 2017, Britain went
01 WHAT:
THE NEXT ABANDONMENT
into one day without using coal power to generate electricity. Furthermore, in May 2019, Britain managed to record one week without using coal power. [5] Estimated by 2025, all coal power in the UK will be switched off. That’s the result of industrial revolution, abandonment of mining town. What is the next? The lesson we learned from the coal’s abandonments, push us to foresee the upcoming abandonment; the graveyard of oil rigs. As the world is moving toward renewable energy and low carbon sources, the life of oil is predicted to be ended in 100 years with thousand of oil rigs to be abandoned. Going all over the United Kingdom’s map are the abandoned transportation infrastructures which have been left to stand alone. Right before the First World War happened, British railway reached the peak with a network of 37,720 km recorded. [6] This network had covered most of the places in the whole country with some of badly sited rural stations were found to be unpopular and uneconomic to keep them operating. The process of modernisation and rationalisation premised that the railways system should be modelled to meet the demands and ensure a profitable return. From disused tracks and stations, to forgotten tramways and underground tubes, hundreds of railways have shut down across the United Kingdom. Abandonment of railway stations increased even more with the establishment of new bus services, the growing demand and popularity of automobile and the development of road infrastructure. Human’s need and demand keep changing as the advancement of technology and modern revolution is happening. What is the next transportation’s abandonment that coming up?
P . 15
01 WHAT:
THE NEXT ABANDONMENT
P . 16
01 WHAT:
CAN WE FORESEE THE ABANDONMENT OF NEXT GENERATION ?
THE NEXT ABANDONMENT
P . 17
02 WHERE:
02
WHERE the London underground system
THE LONDON UNDERGROUND SYSTEM
P . 18
02 WHERE:
THE LONDON UNDERGROUND SYSTEM
LONDON’S DISUSED U N D E R G R O U N D S TAT I O N S Being one of the world’s most important capital cities, London has been granted the tittle of the most influential, most tourist visited, most dynamic, most desirable and most powerful city. London is always congested, with green spaces full with festival density of people on balmy evenings or sunny days, shoppers stroll on the road instead of pedestrian pavement as it is overcrowded, most of the events being sold out and most of the restaurants being booked up. From rivers, parks, roads, infrastructures, industrial fields to residential areas, every space in London’s urban agglomerations has its significant value. It’s surprised that in such a hectic and buzzing city, there are many long forgotten spaces which have been under-utilised and eventually overlooked. London is a city that never sleep, as the last party animal is going home, the first workingman is travelling to work. Thousands of people travel on the tube system in London every day, but few of them actually conscious and aware of the hidden abandoned stations concealed along the way. There
are many dilapidated tube stations lie vacant under the city of London without much notice in day-today basic life. It’s hard to define the exact figure of abandoned tube stations in London. Looking back to the history, there are tube stations that being built yet never ever open, tube stations which tube was stopped operation and replaced by railways, tube stations that was shut down and replaced by a nearby new station, tube stations that was demolished with no sign of existence, tube stations that the platforms are still existing but no street level building remained and tube stations that both platforms and buildings are still existing but have been abandoned. In May 2018, the number of passengers commuting on the Tube - underground trains has dropped remarkably. Despite the growth of the population, the underground train’s demand has not increased as much as expected. If the figure of commuters keep falling, which station will become the next abandonment?
P . 19
02 WHERE:
HISTORY OF LONDON UNDERGROUND
P . 20
02 WHERE:
HISTORY OF LONDON UNDERGROUND
HISTORY OF LONDON UNDERGOUND With 275 stations running over 408km, the London Underground railway system that transforms London undoubtedly has a remarkable history. It is known as the oldest underground railway network in the world. year 1843
THE THAMES THUNNEL The world’s first underwater tunnel was built by Sir Mar Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel, with the construction started in year 1825. On 9 January 1843, this tunnel spans across the Thames River connecting Rotherhithe and Wapping was opened. The initial purpose was to promote the transfer of goods underneath the river. Due to the insufficient of funds, it was unaffordable to provide the facilities to transport the cargo into the tunnel. Hence, it was only available for pedestrians for the first few years. It marked a notable record as a million of pedestrians walked through the tunnel in the first three months since its opening. 22 years later, it was traded to the railways and turned into a part of London Underground system. year 1863
THE FIRST UNDERGROUND TRAIN The first passenger journey was travelled from Paddington station to Farringdon under the city of London. The underground network was constructed by the Metropolitan Railway with the motive to connect the city. The idea of underground railway was initiated by Solicitor of the city, Charles Pearson to bring the cargo and people into the centre of London as part of the city improvement. This three and half miles journey linked up six intermediate stations, Paddington, Edgware Road, Baker Street, Great Portland Street, Euston Road, King’s Cross and Farringdon. Over the years, many more stations and lines have introduced to the Underground network system. year 1869
THE FIRST TRAIN THROUGH THE THAMES By earning enough profits from the visitors, the Thames Tunnel realised its initial idea as a cargo transportation link underneath the river. In 1865, the tunnel had been purchased by the East London Railway Company with the primary aim to provide a rail connection. Following by the year 1869, the first steam locomotives which first used coke and later on coal, ran through the Thames tunnel. The sulphurous smokes were contaminated in the tunnel as the trains were pulled by the steam engine and ventilation shafts were not designed. Despite the hazardous environment, the line was quite a success. It served nine million five hundred thousand passengers in the first year operation.
P . 21
02 WHERE:
HISTORY OF LONDON UNDERGROUND
P . 22
02 WHERE:
HISTORY OF LONDON UNDERGROUND
HISTORY OF LONDON UNDERGOUND year 1890
THE FIRST UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC TRAIN By the 1880s, over fifty thousands of horse drawn transportations and the people were fighting for the street spaces in London which worsen the traffic congestion in the city. In the same year, a sustainable and efficient method to run the railway system was discovered, the power that generated by electricity. In 1890, the Prince of Wales, Edward officially opened the world’s first deep level underground and electrified railway system, The City and South London Railway which travels between King William Street and Stockwell under the Thames river and London city. The railway network run across 3.2 miles with a set of two tunnels through soft and blue clay beneath the city. Throughout the years, this railway line extended, reconstructed and integrated with the other railways to have 13.4 miles of track and 22 stations serving the city now. year 1908
THE FIRST UNDERGROUND TRAIN 1908 marked a significant milestone for the development of underground system. The first “Underground” lettering was introduced to the people and the Britain’s most iconic bar and circle symbol was appeared as logo for the Tube. Over the years, the famous logo is not just an commercial transport logo but it becomes the graphic identity and cultural icon of London’s transit system. The network had grown so well over the years to an extend that they had to develop a map to navigate the whole system. In year 1933, the first version of Tube map is produced. Instead of the station’s geographical locations, the colourful map was designed based on the relative positions of the stops, lines and their connective link. The map has been amended over the time in order to adapt to the development of system. year 1940
T H E W O R L D WA R T W O During the Second World War started from 1939 to 1945, when Britain declared the war, the Underground played an important role in many ways. It was transformed into air raid shelter to protect the people, to provide a base of operations for leaders, to produce the weapons for the nation to defend and to hold the precious British Museum’s items. Hundred thousand of people spent countless nights to hide in the underground stations and sleep on the crowded platforms. Sheltering in the tube station to escape from the bomb became so regular as the bombing intensified and the underground conditions were much better than the surface.
P . 23
02 WHERE:
THE UNDERGROUND TUBE OF TODAY
THE UNDERGROUND TUBE OF T O D AY
P . 24
02 WHERE:
THE UNDERGROUND TUBE OF TODAY
In the early 1900s, with the booming population, travelling around London without bus and underground network was a challenging task as the people were competing with old transports such as horses drawn carts and traditional automobiles for the street spaces on the city. An underground railway from east to west under the ground, with eight stations that linking Paddington and Whitechapel, solved the hassle of moving around the city. Regardless of the increasing number of passengers, many stations never lived up to their expectations and forced to face the closures. Since then, the underground system has developed into 402 km of tracks with 11 lines and 270 stations running around the city. It carries five millions passengers journeys each day with the peak 543 trains travelling around the London (Transport for London). The underground system is known as the Tube because of the shape of the tunnel. Throughout these years, the Tube has undoubtedly transform the urban fabric of city and the life of people. Most of the people in London rely on this oldest underground service to travel into the urban centre. Along the rapid expansion, there are station had abandoned, relocated, renamed and integrated with the others. Those dilapidated stations are literally sitting along the route of the current running lines with the trains continue to travel pass by.
P . 25
03 WHY:
03
WHY the potential and opportunity
THE POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY
P . 26
03 WHY:
THE POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY
“And only footsteps in a lane, and birdsong broke the silence sound and chuffs of the Great Northern train for Alexandra Palace bound” John Betjemen, 1955
P . 27
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
“The Northern line is London’s busiest tube line, with 294m
journeys made on it during the past year.”
City Am, The Londonist
“At approximately 400km, what is commonly known as the Tube is one of the longest metros in the world.” The Railway Technology
P . 28
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
THE NORTHERN LINE A BA N D O N E D S TAT I O N S Most of the people will not realise the secret spaces which hide underneath London when they are walking on the street or the long forgotten abandoned tube stations when they are on their daily commute journey. In years since the opening of the first underground line, many passenger stations and lines have been closing. Being the oldest metro system in the world, the Northern Line is well-known as one of the longest metros in the world. [15] The City & South London Railway, refers as C&SLR, was constructed and started to operate in year 1890. It was the world first deep below the surface tube railway to run electric traction trains. It first started with tracks running between Stockwell and King William Street which now is an abandoned station. In 1900, a new direction toward Moorgate was builded. After 7 years, the line was further extended from both of the ends to run from Clapham Common to Euston. The Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway was started in the same year, 1970. CCE&HR run the services from Charing Cross to Camden Town. From Camden Town, the line break into two directions toward Golders Green and Highgate. In 1920, the C&SLR was merged
with CCE&HR. A few tunnels was constructed to connect both of railways. Along with the merging, the line extended further toward the North to Edgware and toward the South to Morden. In 1935, the line further extended from Highgate to both High Barnet and Mill Hill East. In year 1937, the line was named as the Northern Line until now. Nowadays, the line is running along 50km tracks and serving 50 stations with 36 of them located under the ground. The north end stations are Edgware and Mill Hall East and the south end station is Morden. The line branches out at the central of city, which running through either of Bank or Charing Cross. The Northern line is ranked as the busiest tube line among the eleven lines on the London Underground system. It now serving more than nine hundreds thousand of commuters each day and more than two hundreds million of passengers each year. Throughout the early years, some stations were shuttled down due to the low amount of passengers, some became badly located as the line were redirected and substitute stations were builded, and some closed down for Underground system but continue to operate for National Rail.
P . 29
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
ABANDONED UNDERGOUND METROPOLITAN LINE
BAKERLOO LINE CENTAL LINE
JUBILEE LINE
Hillingdon Preston Road
Uxbridge
North End
South Harrow
Swiss Cottage Marlborough Road Lord’s Park Royal & Twyford
Westborne
CIRCLE LINE
White City
DISTRICT LINE
Wood Lane
Shepherd’s Bush
Uxbridge Road Down Street Hyde Park Corner Knightbidge
South Acton Grove Road North Fields & Little Osterley Park & Spring Hounslow West Hounslow Town
HAMMERSMITH AND CITY LINE Fulham Broadway
Brompton Road Earl’s Court
P . 30
03 WHY:
T U B E S TAT I O N S
THE NORTHERN LINE
Ongar Blake Hall North Weald
PICCADILLY LINE
Highgate
VICTORIA LINE
South Kentish Town Drayton Park
York Road Euston
Highbury & Islington
Angel King’s Cross
City Road Shoreditch
British Museum
Aldgate East
Chancery Road
Aldwych
Charing Cross
St Mary’s
Holborn
Mark
Tower of London
King William Street
abandoned station
the building and/or platforms of a former station still remain
abandoned platform
the platforms of a former station still exist but no street level building remains
demolished station
LONDON OVERGROUND
a station used to be on the site but very little or nothing remained
replaced station
Stockwell
LEGEND
a station used to exist on the site or nearby to the current station but nothing remained
disused station building
a station that functioning with a previous street level building that is abandoned
P . 31
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
N O RT H E R N L I N E High Barnet Totteridge & Whetstone Woodside Park
Mill Hill East
Edgware
West Finchley
Burnt Oak
Finchley Central
Colindale
East Finchley
Hendon Central
Highgate
Brent Cross Golders Green
North End
Archway
Hampstead
Tufnell Park Kentish Town
Belslze Park
South Kentish Town
Chalk Farm
Drayton Park
Camden Town
Mornington Crescent Euston
Warren Street
THE DISUSED STATIONS NORTHERN LINE Highgate South Kentish Town North End City Road King William Street
King’s Cross St. Pancras
Goodge Street
Angel Old Street
City Road
Moorgate
Tottenham Court Road
Surface Deep level Deep level Deep level Deep level
Bank
Leicester Square
Charing Cross
London Bridge
King William Street
Embankment
NORTHERN CITY LINE
Drayton Sub-surface Highbury & Islington Deep Level
Waterloo Borough
DEEP LEVEL SHELTER Stockwell Clapham North Clapham South
Highbury & Islington
Deep level Deep Level Deep Level
Elephant & Castle
Kennington Oval
Stockwell
Clapham North
Clapham Common
Clapham South
Balham Tooting Bec Tooting Broadway Colliers Wood South Wimbledon Morden Depot
P . 32
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
THE NORTHERN LINE A BA N D O N E D S TAT I O N S
P . 33
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
H I G H G AT E station The beautiful country around Finchley, Hendon, Mill-hill, Edgware and Stanmore, has hitherto been practically a remote and inaccessible region. One or two vehicular enormities in the shape of ‘busses’ and the ‘carriers cart’, with its incurable jog-trot have literally been the only means of transit for passengers, goods and parcels between London and a large, healthy, and populous district within five to twelve miles of the Bank! Now, however, smart, roomy carriages, lighted with gas, and ‘tooled’ into the City in less than half the time formerly occupied, will no doubt, draw out the travelling capacities of our secluded friends; while the household requisites and numerous articles of merchandise necessary to the existence of a modern civilised community will be scattered by a beneficent goods-train in rich profusion over a district contented till lately, with the mere beauties of nature.” [16]
Opening year: 1867 Closing year: 1954 Location: Surface The people who used the Highgate tube service everyday, barely realised there’s an dilapidated station sitting right above the underground system. The train service stopped and closed to commuter service in 1954, but it continued to serve the freight service until 1962. Before the final closure, the railway line was transformed into a public pedestrian walkway, The Parkland Walk, which excluded the abandoned station. The station house that builded in year 1860 has turned into a residential building while the side platforms and central island of the station still sitting on the site. The new station that constructed in year 1940 still existing.
P . 34
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
SOUTH KENTISH TOWN station ‘South Kentish Town’ by Sir John Betjeman (1951) All you noticed as you rolled by in a tramcar down the Kentish Town Road was something that looked like an Underground station, but when you looked again it was two shops, a tobacconist’s and a coal-merchant’s. Down below they switched off the lights on the platforms and in the passages leading to the lifts, and then they left the station to itself. The only way you could know, if you were in an Underground train, that theWre had ever been a South Kentish Town Station, was that the train made a different noise as it rushed through the dark and empty platform. It went through the dark and empty platform. It went quieter with a sort of swoosh instead of a roar and if you looked out of the window you could see the lights of the carriages reflected in the white tiles of the station wall. Opening year: 1907 Closing year: 1924 Location: Deep Level The station opened along with Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway. The entrance’s elevation was furbished with red terra cotta as the symbolic of CCE&HR. In year 1924, the station stopped to run the service due to the low amount of commuter use. After 16 years of abandonment, the station converted into an air raid shelter to provide the bed bunks and first aid during the World War Two. All the equipments, facilities and trace of living were removed right after the war. Throughout the years, there are few ideas were generated to repurpose the station, but, none of them were successfully realised. Today, the station is still sitting in the dark.
P . 35
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
NORTH END station Constructing year: Opening year: Location:
1903 Never opened Deep Level
Most of the passengers will not notice the existence of the North End station when they are travelling between Hampstead and Golders Green. If you look out the train window on this journey, you will see the widening tube channel with the built platform and no furbishment on the wall. If you pay more attention, you can literally see the staircase heading up from the platform. North End was builded on Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway in 1903. It was now commonly refer as “Bull and Bush�, which taken from a pub located quarter mile away, named The Old Bull and Bush. It was designed to be the deepest station at 60m below the ground level. [17] There are few problems occurred during the stage of planning. Firstly, the proposal site for station street building was sitting in conservation area. Secondly, the land surrounding the station was low populated. Before the station was completed, the construction was stopped. It became an underground station that was abandoned and never completed. During the period of World War Two, this station gained a new role to store the archives, which only accessible by the passing trains. In 1956, this derelict space that laying in the deepest point under the surface became significant as it turned into the operational control centre of the underground system. [18] Access to the station from the ground, with a low-capacity lift and a spiral staircase leading down to the incomplete station, were being provided. The new function maintained for 28 years and now the platform becomes the storage space for the elements of railway lines.
P . 36
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
CITY ROAD station Opening year: 1901 Closing year: 1922 Location: Deep Level City Road was opened along with the extension of City & South London Railway in 1901. The location of the entrance was at the junction of City Road and Moorland Street. There were two platforms provided at the station which accessible from the main street by the lifts. Due to the badly situated location, as it was within the walking distance from Old Street station and Angel Station, it never generated a profitable service because of the low commuters use. In 1913, when the C&SLR merged with CCE&HR, the enlargement of tunnels was required to fulfil the modern standard of tunnel measurement. The reconstruction of tunnel work was started in 1922 and the line reopened in 1924. This station was not re-opened as the others stations, as it was
uneconomical to upgrade and expand the station because of the low demand of train service. It became the only station that did not went through the reconstruction with twin tunnel remained. During World War Two, just like the other abandoned underground stations, the City Road station was transformed into an air raid shelter for 500 people. A tall brick wall was builded to protect the shelters from the rail tracks where the train was still running through. A canteen, new staircase, toilet cubicles and first aid post was being installed. All the trace and evidence of shelter were removed immediately right after the war. The abandoned station building on the street remained completely until 1960, where it was demolished with only ventilation tower remained. Nowadays, the platform still visible by the passing trains.
P . 37
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
P . 38
03 WHY:
THE NORTHERN LINE
KING WILLIAM STREET station Opening year: 1890 Closing year: 1900 Location: Deep Level This station was opened as the first electric underground railway in the world. It was the north end station of City & South London Railway. This newly opened line was successful since its first day, yet, the station layout with single rail track and two platforms aside were not inefficient to cope with the number of passengers. To reduce the congestion issue, the facilities were provided in the existing building on the street level, such as toilet rooms, baggage office and parcels office. The line was doing well with fifteen thousand of people commuting the train every day, the upgrade of the platform were desperately needed. In 1895, the layout was rearranged with an island platform and two tracks
running by the the sides. Within a decade of time, the line was extended toward the north to Moorgate Street. Along with the extension of work, new tunnels were constructed from Borough and the initial station and tunnels were abandoned due to its not strategic location. The street building on site were replaced by Regis House and the station was still accessible from the basement of Regis House. In early 1901, new ideas was purposed to reuse the abandoned station, such as bonded warehouse or mushroom harvesting. Yet, none of them came true, its tunnels turned out to carry the electrical and telephone cables. During World War Two, the tunnels were transformed into an air raid shelter. In 1940, more than thousands of people were spending their nights in the tunnels. Today, there is no public access to the abandoned space, with only a blue plaque left on the wall of the building in Monument Street to memorialise the old station.
P . 39
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
Inside the trains, shine disoriented faces; Bodies usually squeezed into tight spaces; Please stand clear of the door; It is an advice not yet a law; Stations by station, trains pass by; Stuck in a tunnel, let out a sigh; Train timetables from my perception; Is regularity, and a common deception Lovina Sylvia Chidi, 2005
P . 40
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
THE CENTRAL ZONE A BA N D O N E D S TAT I O N S Have you ever travelling from London’s busiest tube station and squeezing into the carriage at peak hour? London is divided into 9 zones with Zone 1 is the central zone of London. It contains all the central district, major tourist attractions, vital railway terminals, the city of London and the West End. [19] Among 270 stations on the underground system, King’s Cross St. Pancras was ranked as the busiest station with 97 million commuters, following by Waterloo with 91 million passengers, Oxford Circus with 84 million passengers, Victoria with 79 million and London Bridge with 69 million passengers. [20] The underground stations located within the central zone are generally close to each other, such as Covent Garden and Leicester recorded the shortest distance between two stations with only 300 meters away. [21] Battling over the spaces is constantly happening in London. Scarcity of land space is a continuos problem as the city keeps growing. Nowadays, the city has hit the peak of the population. With the abandoned spaces laying underneath London, we should explore their possibility and amplify their potential in contributing to the the need of Londoners. The stations under consideration are Down Street, Aldwych and British Museum which laying right below the most bustling and lively land of London. Those abandoned underground spaces are untapped resources which do not compete for the land.
P . 41
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
THE CENTRAL ZONE ABANDONED NORTHERN LINE
MORNINGTON CRESCENT
KING’S CROSS ST. PANCRAS
EUSTON METROPOLITAN LINE
GREAT PORTLAND STREET
BAKER STREET JUBILEE LINE
EUSTON SQUARE RUSSELL SQUARE
WARREN STREET BAKERLOO LINE
REGENTS PARK
BOND STREET
MARBLE ARCH
GOODGE STREET
OXFORD CIRCUS
HOLBORN
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
CENTAL LINE
CHANCERY LANE
BRITISH MUSEUM COVENT GARDEN
ALDWYCH
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
LEICESTER SQUARE EMBANKMENT
GREEN PARK CHARING CROSS
DOWN STREET HYDE PARK CORNER
WATERLOO
WESTMINSTER
KNIGHTSBRIDGE ST JAMES’S PARK PICCADILLY LINE
VICTORIA DISTRICT LINE
SLOANE SQUARE
VICTORIA LINE
P . 42
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
U N D E R G R O U N D T U B E S TAT I O N S ANGEL
HOXTON
CITY ROAD GLOBE ROAD SHOREDITCH HIGH STREET
OLD STREET
FARRING DON
BARBICAN
SHOREDITCH
MOORGATE
LUDGATE HILL TEMPLE
STEPNEY GREEN
WHITECHAPEL
SNOW HILL CITY THAMESLINK
BETHNAL GREEN
LIVERPOOL STREET
ST MARY’S
ST PAUL’S ALGATE EAST
HOLBORN
MANSION HOUSE
BANK
ALDGATE
MONUMENT BLACKFRIARS
CANNON STREET
TOWER GATEWAY SHADWELL
KING WILLIAM MARK TOWER HILL STREET LANE LONDON BRIDGE
WAPPING
SOUTHWARK
ROTHERHITHE
BOROUGH LAMBETH NORTH
BERMONDSEY CANADA WATER ELEPHANT CASTLE
CIRCLE LINE
P . 43
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
THE POTENTIAL ABANDONED MORNINGTON CRESCENT
KING’S CROSS ST. PANCRAS
EUSTON
GREAT PORTLAND STREET
BAKER STREET
EUSTON SQUARE RUSSELL SQUARE
WARREN STREET REGENTS PARK
MARBLE ARCH
BOND STREET
GOODGE STREET
OXFORD CIRCUS
HOLBORN
TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
COVENT GARDEN
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
ALDWYCH
LEICESTER SQUARE
EMBANKMENT
GREEN PARK CHARING CROSS
DOWN STREET HYDE PARK CORNER
WATERLOO
WESTMINSTER
KNIGHTSBRIDGE ST JAMES’S PARK VICTORIA
SLOANE SQUARE
CHANCERY LANE
BRITISH MUSEUM
P . 44
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
S TAT I O N S A N D T U N N E L S ANGEL
HOXTON
CITY ROAD GLOBE ROAD SHOREDITCH HIGH STREET
OLD STREET
FARRING DON
BARBICAN
SHOREDITCH
MOORGATE
LUDGATE HILL TEMPLE
LIVERPOOL STREET
ST MARY’S
ST PAUL’S ALGATE EAST
HOLBORN
MANSION HOUSE
BANK
ALDGATE
MONUMENT BLACKFRIARS
STEPNEY GREEN
WHITECHAPEL
SNOW HILL CITY THAMESLINK
BETHNAL GREEN
CANNON STREET
TOWER GATEWAY SHADWELL
KING WILLIAM MARK TOWER HILL STREET LANE LONDON BRIDGE
WAPPING
SOUTHWARK
ROTHERHITHE
BOROUGH LAMBETH NORTH
BERMONDSEY CANADA WATER ELEPHANT CASTLE
THE EXISTING STATION THE BUSIEST EXISTING STATION
THE ABANDONED STATION THE POTENTIAL ABANDONED STATION THE POTENTIAL TUNNELS
LEGEND
P . 45
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
DOWN STREET station Opening year: 1907 Closing year: 1932 Location: Deep Level This construction of this station started in 1902 and the station started to operate in 1907. There was only one entrance on the street level, sat on Down Street right next to Piccadilly. The station building on the ground was designed with steel frame and red coloured bricks. Two lifts and a spiral staircase were installed to ease the accessibility from the street to platform. Since its first day opening, this station was not able to generate a pro`fitable business due to the low demand of passengers. The location of the station was not strategic as it was out of the way from Piccadilly and sited too near the Hyde Park Corner station and Dover Street station. Another reason why this station was never on demand because it situated at the wealthy area, Mayfair where the people here were unlikely to commute on trains as they
owned their own transportations. In 1930, Down Street’s platforms were proposed to be demolished to make way for Piccadilly Line’s extension. The low traffic of passengers make it uneconomical to continue for operation, hence, the last train ran through the platform on 21st May 1932. Along with Down Street’s closure, Dover Street was changed name to Green Park and added a new entrance not far from Down Street. During World War Two, the station was converted into office space by building a wall off platforms. The station played a significant role at the war time as it was used as the headquarter and air raid shelter for Railway Executive Committee (REC), Winston Churchill and the War Cabinet. When the war ended, the station went back into darkness and remained buried under the ground. It is uncommon phenomenon for a station situated in central of city to be abandoned completely.
P . 46
03 WHY:
ALDWYCH station
Opening year: 1907 Closing year: 1994 Location: Deep Level The station was opened in 1907 as part of Great Northern and Strand Railway (GNSR) to reduce the congestion problem on the main line north of King Cross. The main entrance was facing the Strand while the other entrance located at the corner of Surrey Street. The elevation of entrances were designed with granite while the material for other parts of station were Portland stone. Two platforms were constructed at Holborn station on Piccadilly Line for this station but only one was used, while the other was dilapidated. As the Aldwych station was initially designed to run the short trains, the platforms were 30m shorter than the usual platforms on the other stations. In 1940, the commuter service at this station was stopped to use it for art storage. British Museum transported the famous Parthenon sculptures, oriental antiquities and library items by the railway wagons for safekeeping. In 1950, during the nuclear war, Tate Museum intended to use Aldwych or Piccadilly Circus for artworks keeping. During the war time, the abandoned platform of the station was transformed into offices and dormitories. It hosted 50 offices, toilet facilities, kitchen and canteen. After the war ended, the dormitories turned into the staff hostel to help those who lost their places. Now, this space has been utilised by London University as storage and workshop. The station was closed in 1994 because it was uneconomic to keep it running with only 450 passengers commuting per day. Although the station stopped to operate the train, it remained as an experimental site for other operating lines , to test out the lighting, paints, tiles or other finishes. The station has became one of the famous filming spot since its closure.
THE CENTRAL ZONE
P . 47
03 WHY:
THE CENTRAL ZONE
BRITISH MUSEUM station Opening year: 1900 Closing year: 1933 Location: Deep Level “Somehow, this was one oddity too many. He could accept “Mind the Gap” and the Earl’s Court, and even the strange library. But damn it, like all Londoners, he knew his Tube map, and this was going too far. “There isn’t a British Museum Station,” said Richard, firmly.” - Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere (1996) In 1900, British Museum was opened by Central London Railway (CLR). The name was derived from the close by British Museum. After 6 years, less than 100 metres aways, Holborn station was opened by Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR). Due to the different tunnel alignment, the integration between CLR and
GNP&BR was not be able to carry on. Hence, the interchange transfer between the lines was happened at street level. The proposal of underground pedestrian walkway was once raised, due to the difficulty and complexity of tunnels, the idea was deposed. The location of Holborn station was better as it had both subway and tram connection. In year 1930, the modernisation works were carried out at Holborn station. After 3 years, along with completion of the Holborn’s expansion, British Museum station was stopped operation. It was later on utilised as military administrative office and command post. In 1989, the street level building was removed, thus, the access from ground level to platform were demolished as well. A part of the station is used to keep the track maintenance’s material which still can be seen from the trains.
P . 48
04 WHO:
04
WH0 the Londoners
THE LONDONERS
P . 49
04 WHO:
THE LONDONERS
P . 50
04 WHO:
THE LONDONERS
LONDON POPULATION 9.2m
live in London, 13% of the UK’s population. London is growing at twice the rate of the UK as a whole.
LONDON
has a net migration inflow for ages 15 to 29, with an outflow for all older age groups.
41%
of Londoners are black and minority ethnic, compared to an average of 10% in the rest of England. According to Office for National Statistics’ data, the population recorded in London in year 2016 is 8,787,892. [11] In United Nations’ population division report, the population of London is approximately to reach 9.2 million. [12] The number increased 16% over the last decade, and the people in London accounts for 13% of the overall Britain’s population. 3.7 million people lived in Inner London, and 5.5 million lived in Outer London. Among the population, the people ages between 25 to 34 has the highest proportion as they comprise 24 %. London is a diverse city which only 69% of the population is white. Out of the 9.2 million, 37% of them were born outside of the Britain. The most common foreign born birth place for people of London is India. In year 2011, two hundred and sixty two thousand of people who residing in London were born in India.
P . 51
04 WHO:
THE LONDONERS
London, as the main driver for global economic, is one of the most lively, hectic and bustling city in the world. Along with its glaring prosperity and glory, the people in London is facing the significant challenges. Most of them are experiencing the impact of rapid population growth. Social problems such as poverty and wealth inequality are commonly happened here. 27% of the population, 2.3 million of people are living in poverty due to the high cost of housing. In term of the proportion of wealth distribution, the inequality’s gap in London is still large. The half bottom of population is retaining less than 6% of London’s wealth, while the 10% on the top is holding more than 50%. [13] What can we do to provide a satisfactory living standard for Londoners as the costs of living such as transport, healthcare, housing and education are much more expansive? London has a high rate of health problems,
P . 52
04 WHO:
THE LONDONERS
THE PEOPLE OF LONDON such as obesity, wellbeing and mental health. 20% of population were rated as obese and 38.5% were classified as overweight. [14] London has the most working population, with hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the densely city every day. High pressure working environment, lengthy working hours and competitive working culture lead to the instability of mental health, which cause depression, anxiety, alcohol addictive and drug abuse. The fact of high living expense and low wages in London are threatening people’s life security.
This project sets out some guidances as the objectives, which aim to help the people of London by:
Despite the tough living condition, London offers many notable opportunities with the rapidly growing economy, the outstanding improvement in education, development of technology advancement and establishment of health care.
- Ensuring the provision of green spaces which offer a good quality of environment
- Providing a decent, sustainable and better living standards for all the people in London - Tackling the high expense, deprivation and inequality issue by providing an affordable option - Building a strong and accessible neighbourhood which create a sense of belonging
- Protecting and preserving the culture and heritage of the city - Improving the health, wellbeing and personal development of the Londoners
P . 53
05 HOW:
05
HOW redemption and reimagination
REDEMPTION AND REIMAGINATION
P . 54
05 HOW:
REDEMPTION AND REIMAGINATION
REDEMPTION AND R E I M A G I N AT I O N I N ABANDONMENT The abandonment of space happens all the time. It happens in the most populated city, London as well. In this busy and hectic city where every piece of land is desired and claimed, there are a lot of dilapidated spaces decaying underneath London. They were once part of the bustling network that connect and transport the people. There are disused spaces around the world that successfully adopt the new ideas and find a new life. This project intends to reclaim the forgotten space under the city to help the most vulnerable population, the people of London. By redeeming, repurposing, reimagining, rejuvenating and revitalising those abandoned spaces, we can contribute to the Londoners’ utmost need without taking over any bit of their precious and expensive land. The population of London is predicted to continue growing and the demand for food will be growing along with this. These are putting pressure and strain on food security and land space in the city. The limitless potential and possibility of the historic disused underground stations and tunnels could be the solution for the food of London.
P . 55
05 HOW:
REDEMPTION
THE REDEMPTION
P . 56
05 HOW:
before
THE REDEMPTION
P . 57
05 HOW:
now
Cement Factory, Spain [1968] La Fabrica Ricardo Bofill [1975]
Sugar Mill, Guangxi China [2002] Alila Hotel Vector Architects [2017]
Bankside Power Station, London [1981] Tate Modern Herzog & de Meuron [2000]
De Zwarte Silo Deventer, Netherlands [1990] Fooddock Wenink Holtkamp [2015]
THE REDEMPTION
P . 58
05 HOW:
R E I M A G I N AT I O N
THE REIMAGINATION
P . 59
05 HOW:
before
THE REIMAGINATION
P . 60
05 HOW:
now
Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal [1948] Underground Park [2011]
St Peter’s Seminary, Scotland [1987] St Peter’s Community Centre [2006]
11th Street Bridge, Washington [2012] 11th Street Bridge Park [2016]
Prussian Navy Bunker, Germany [1945] World Heritage Partnership Centre [2018]
THE REIMAGINATION
P . 61
05 HOW:
THE FOOD
P . 62
05 HOW:
THE FOOD
FOOD OF LONDON There are more than 9 million of mouths need to be fed in London each day. That would be 27 million meals in a day, how does the city deal with it? How do we support the constantly growing population in a sustainable approach? Nowadays, 50% of the population is living in the cities, and the number is expected to rise to 70% in next few decades. Soon, feeding the city will be a challenging task. Living in London makes the eating process to be accessed easily and conveniently. Everywhere in London is packed with shops, markets, supermarkets, cafes, food stores and restaurants. Everyday in London, twenty seven million of meals will have to be produced, processed, transported, sold, bought, prepared, cooked, consumed and disposed. How does this process goes? Where does these foods supply from? Back in old days, the cows and goats were brought through the street to the markets, the chickens and ducks waddled into the city and the tea ships occupied the river. However, things work on the other way these days. Foods are not arriving the city lively, the delivery of food happens quietly at night from the outskirts area. The markets in old London played a vital role as they offered the spaces and opportunities for all the social interaction to happen in city. Imagine that when you want to cook and eat at home now, the first thing that you would do definitely is going to a supermarket and grab the ingredients. From entering the supermarket, grabbing the ingredients that you need to paying the bill at self service kiosk, there is no social interaction in the whole process. The people in London are generally too busy to even bother the food that they are eating, where did it come from, who produced it, and what made it. Today, the corporate operating supermarkets
such as Tesco, Sainsbury, Mark and Spencer, Morrisons and others are slowly taking over the control of our food. The cheap food that we are getting from the supermarkets are actually contributing to the enormous issues such as climate change, deforestation, soil erosion, obesity and unhealthy diet. Throughout the whole process from farming to food production, distribution, trading and cooking, food miles contributed to one-third of carbon footprint in the world. Each year, we are losing some part of the forests to agriculture. More than half of the fishes are not sustainably harvesting. In 2016, two billion of people was identified as overweight and eight hundred million of people was in hunger. [22][23] In the metropolitan city, the effort and consequence that it takes to supply the city abundant amount of food seems to be so abstract. Before the industrialisation happened, the city was always builded with food supply as the main concern. Most of the food were grown within the city due to the transportation limitations; vegetables, fruits, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese and much more. “Sitopia”, a word formed by the Greek “sitos” means food and topos means a place, was used to describe a food place. [24] The relationship between food and city is vitally important to the extend that food shapes the life of the people. Land is scarce and unaffordable in London, hence, farming is definitely not the most lucrative way of exploiting it. By reclaiming the abandoned spaces beneath the city, they provide an instantly available and accessible piece of land to redefine the way of London feeds the people.
P . 63
05 HOW:
THE FARM
P . 64
05 HOW:
THE FARM
FA R M O F L O N D O N London is never the important site to support Britain’s agriculture production. Although there are a few urban farming going around in London, but they are mainly focusing on arable and livestock production instead of vegetable and fruit growing. Food growing activities happen in the city through commercial farming, community farming or home gardening. In London, there are 135 kilometre square of land contributing to farming, from greenbelt to allotments, parks and gardens, but only 5 kilometre square are growing fruit and vegetable. [25] What food does London produce? Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, eggplants and cabbages, fruits such as apples and grapes, meat such as beef, pork, lamb and chicken and others like honey, milk and eggs as well. Today, the people of London’s dependence on commercialised food is rapidly increasing, thus, the markets for urban farming are restricted to expand. Fast food restaurants are cheap and easily to get in London. Supermarkets are everywhere, on every high streets and at every corner. The unhealthy food system is undoubtedly responsible for the health problems of Londoners. Urban farming plays a significant role in providing healthy and affordable food to help the city dwellers achieve a well balanced diet.
Have you ever thought about the question, how far had your plate of food travelled? The food transport from farmer to producer, from the producer to retailer and from the retailer to people in London. Every 1 kcal of energy that we consumed required 10 kcal of fossil fuel energy in the food transportation. [26] For every meal that each Londoner take, 500 kcal of food requires 5000 kcal of fossil fuel energy. Many researches proved that urban farming can significantly reduce food’s carbon footprint. In London, the food that we consume travelled over a long distance to reach us. Despite the proposal of urban farming is ideal for London, it never come to action because the land is limited and highly cost. With the abundance of underground abandoned spaces, can we rebuild the food system? The potential for London to grow part of the food the Londoners consume tackles the problem of food security and sustainability. By bringing food system and urban life together, it can change the diet and health of the city and remind the people of the value of food.
P . 65
05 HOW:
THE FARM
P . 66
05 HOW:
THE FARM
D A M P, D A R K A N D COOL The condition of underground is described as the suitable and perfect environment to grow food, for instance vegetables, herbs and fungus. The humidity in the underground space are constant and the temperature will never go below 10 degree. Unlike the surface agriculture, this characteristic make the abandoned underground spaces suitable for food growing because it is not affect by the season, climate and weather throughout the year. The underground stations and tunnels in London will use less energy than the greenhouses on the surface which require heating. The idea of food growing under the city will undoubtedly reduce the carbon footprint caused by food miles. Energy that needed to power the light electricity is a debatable overhead, as renewable energy is sustainable and affordable now. Furthermore, some of the food could produce without using light, such as mushroom. The environment of underground perfectly suitable for mushroom, damp, dark and cool. Plants are growing through the process of photosynthesis, which requires light energy source while mushrooms grow through the process of decomposition which doesn’t require the light. They can survive the extreme environment and grow rapidly. Some researches stated mushroom cultivation in the indoor space is faster and better than the outdoor. In the future of London, the abandoned underground spaces are seen as an opportunity to adapt the decay and transform into a productive, healthy and fruitful place.
P . 67
05 HOW:
THE MARKET
“Despite a downturn in many markets from the 1980s to the turn of the millennium, there’s been a resurgence in overall market activity in the last 15 years. Many of the new initiatives are run in novel and different ways – and while some sectors are still suffering, the growth in different kinds of markets has been really good to see.” said John Burton, Urban Space Management markets consultant Today, there are 280 markets in London [27], from general market to hot food market, fresh product market, farmer market and speciality market. They exist in different forms such as outdoor markets, indoor covered markets and streets market. Some of them open everyday while some only operate on a certain day, for instance, Brockley Market, Notting Hill Farmer Market and Pimlico Road Farmer Market open on every Saturday. The history of markets in London dated back in the middle ages, where they were developed and became the focal attention of the town where people would gather together to trade. Back in old London days, once the centre of Roman London, today’s Leadenhall Market was one of the most important places where the people can get meat, poultry, fish and game. Throughout the years, some developed into wholesale markets where they sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, meat or fish. With the process of urbanisation in 1700s, the street markets were developed to fit in the new urban fabric. In 1860, markets were moved into bystreets or relocated to a new space in order to
P . 68
05 HOW:
THE MARKET
MARKET OF LONDON make way for with the operation of tram system on the streets of London. Over time, markets have shaped the life of London as they are historic and at the heart of local community, such as Portobello market, New Covent Garden market, Borough market, Camden Lock market and others. Those markets are often described as the backbone of their neighbourhoods. Other than offering the food and goods to the people, markets provide a distinctive character to the local and create a sense of identity. Over the past thirty years, the booming supermarket culture in London has been taking over the characteristic of market. The supermarkets are springing up like mushrooms after the rain in city centre, with they located at literally every corner of the street where the distances between the supermarkets are usually not more than one stone’s throw away. The combination of cheapness, convenience, variety and cleanliness intensifies the dominance of supermarkets affecting the life in London. Their revolution is taking over the control of the food and the way people live. Old markets used to be a place where the interactions of people are the daily performance, each of them is unique with their own behaviour, language and character, depending on what kind of trade, what time of the day, where the location and how much the transaction. The markets play a vital role in providing the space and opportunity for social integration in the city.
As the enterprise supermarket offers non social interaction, in comparison, the atmosphere in market is more friendly, delightful and precious. Markets offers Londoners extensive social benefits in providing the rare food that is hard to get, creating a vibrant atmosphere, promoting the conversation in community and establishing a strong social bond. The cheap and fast food that we are getting from the supermarkets and fast food restaurants has become a way of feeding. Due to the hectic lifestyle of Londoners, most of their meals are convenience-driven food which usually has poor nutritional value. The old London markets used to be the most important source to provide fresh and healthy food for the city. Markets can vitally enhance the wellbeing of Londoners as they strengthen the opportunity to obtain healthy food and prevent starvation by provide the most affordable fresh products in London. By utilising the abandoned underground stations along the existing underground network system, we can turn those stations into an everyday space. Some of the stations were left behind due to the low amount of passengers use, by creating food stations , market where people will travel to get fresh food everyday, it offers a convenient, social, affordable and lively experience for the Londoners.
P . 69
05 HOW:
THE MARKET
BRITISH MUSEUM
LEGEND ABANDONED STATIONS hot food market
ALDWYCH
farmer market ftesh product market general market speciality market DOWN STREET
P . 70
05 HOW:
THE MARKET
THE LONDON MARKETS CITY ROAD GLOBE ROAD
SHOREDITCH SNOW HILL
LUDGATE HILL
ST MARY’S
HOLBORN
KING WILLIAM MARK STREET LANE
P . 71
05 HOW:
Billingsgate Market,1900
Covent Garden Market,1910
Leadenhall Market, 1935
THE MARKET
P . 72
05 HOW:
THE MARKET
BOROUGH MARKET I didn’t come by for a coffee or a pie or the grumble of overhead carriages. To weave through the waft of grilling beef, paella, mulled wine and cheeses, to take it all in and still to keep moving ast the gawp of a monkfish, through the slow lunchtime crowds, just to meet you at one on a bench in the cathedral garden. Michael Shann (2017)
P . 73
END MATTER
END MATTER
P . 74
END MATTER:
REFERENCE
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P.15 https://www.theatlantic.com/international/ archive/2013/11/turner-field-latest-long-lineabandoned-olympic-stadiums/355107/ (top) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/winterolympics/picturegalleries/10660565/AbandonedOlympic-venues-in-pictures.html (second from top) https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ghost-towns-ofamerica-kennecott-alaska.html (third from top) https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/15/3648540/ skyfall-bond-villain-hashima-abandoned-island (bottom) P.18 https://uk.glbnews.com/09-2019/CAIiEN_ j6YR6IYCOUS3B/ P.19 h t t p s : / / w w w . h u f f i n g t o n p o s t . c o . u k / e n t r y / brunel-thames-tunnel-grand-entrance-hall-reopens_ uk_570e55b8e4b00ed33e06b703 (top) https://www.bbc.com/timelines/zxkrb82 (middle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Tunnel (bottom) P.21 https://gdomingos.wordpress.com/londonunderground/ (top) https://twitter.com/britishmuseum/ status/553853846322020353 (middle) https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/london-in-the-secondworld-war (bottom) P.24 https://fineartamerica.com/featured/bakerstreet-station-1863-wc--bodycolour-with-pen--ink-onpaper-samuel-john-hodson.html (top) https://www.locationscout.net/united-kingdom/527baker-street-tube-station (bottom) P.26 h t t p s : / / w w w . t h e g u a r d i a n . c o m / b o o k s / gallery/2013/feb/02/london-underground-by-designpictures P.28 h t t p s : / / w w w . t h e g u a r d i a n . c o m / u k - n e w s / gallery/2019/nov/08/on-the-tube-in-the-70s-in-pictures P.33 h t t p : / / w w w . d i s u s e d - s t a t i o n s . o r g . u k / h / highgate/ (top) http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/highgate/ (middle) https://alondoninheritance.com/london-transport/ highgate-station-a-hidden-london-tour/ (bottom) P.34 http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/South_ Kentish_Town_station.html (from top to bottom) P.35 http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/North_ End_station.html (from top to bottom) P.36 http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/City_ Road_station.html (top) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Road_tube_ station#/media/File:City_Road_tube_station_ map,_1915.jpg (middle) http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/City_Road_
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station.html (bottom) P.37 http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Angel_ station.html (top and bottom) P.38 https://londonist.com/2015/10/this-journey-sbeen-going-on-for-years-the-northern-line-turns-125 (top) http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/King_William_ Street_2.html (middle) http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/King_William_ Street_5.html (bottom) P.40 h t t p s : / / w w w . b u z z f e e d . c o m / a l a n w h i t e / 3 1 gorgeous-photos-of-the-london-underground-in-the-50sand?sub=3038976_2516304 P.45 https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/down-streetstation/ (top) https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/573566/ Abandoned-tube-station-to-open-again-for-business (middle) https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/down-street-station/ (bottom) P.46 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/ tour-the-abandoned-central-london-tube-stations-whichsurvive-to-this-day-a4007681.html (from top to bottom) P.47 https://londonist.com/london/best-of-london/ vintage-tube-stations (top) http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/British_Museum_ station.html (middle) https://www.guerrillaexploring.com/gesite/public_html/ index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=226: ges154-brtsh-museum-tube&catid=52:metro&Itemid=67 (bottom) P.49/P.50 https://www.vintag.es/2012/09/oldphotographs-of-london-from-1920-1933.html?m=1 P.51 h t t p s : / / w w w . v i n t a g . e s / 2 0 1 2 / 0 9 / o l d photographs-of-london-from-1920-1933.html?m=1 P.54 https://www.ai-architect.com/hufton-crowphotograph-heatherwicks-zeitz-mocaa-museum-in-capetown/ P.56 http://omgfacts.com/this-100-year-old-cementfactory-is-now-someones-home-and-its-gorgeous/ (top) https://www.dezeen.com/2017/12/06/vector-architectsalila-yangshuo-hotel-disuesed-sugar-mill-architecturechina/ (second from top) https://shadowvue.com/2014/03/ (third from top) http://www.grijzesilo.nl/geschiedenis/ (bottom) P.57 https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2017/02/ architect-ricardo-bofills-abandoned-cement-factoryresidence-and-studio/ (top) https://www.funwithcy.com/the-alila-yangshuo-hotel-
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the-swanky-resort-that-was-once-a-sugarmill/ (second from top) https://secretldn.com/tate-modern-uk-top-attraction/ (third from top) https://www.archdaily.com/787721/zwarte-silowenink-holtkamp-architecten (bottom) P.59 h t t p : / / w w w . c o l u m b i a . e d u / ~ b r e n n a n / abandoned/willb.html (top) https://www.apollo-magazine.com/st-peters-seminaryin-cardross-better-off-ruined/ (second from top) https://dbia.org/project/11th-street-bridges/ (third from top) https://baubible.ch/news/6-amazing-transformations-ofderelict-damaged-and-abandoned-buildings/ (bottom) P.60 https://thespaces.com/lowline-worlds-firstunderground-park-coming-new-york/ (top) https://mcginlaybell.com/work/kilmahew-st-peters/ (second from top) https://www.archdaily.com/557944/oma-olin-wincompetition-for-d-c-s-bridge-park (third from top) https://www.dezeen.com/2018/02/14/dorte-mandruptrilateral-wadden-sea-world-heritage-partner-centrearchitecture-second-world-war-bunker/ (bottom) P.61 https://www.purewow.com/food/meal-planoctober-22-28 P.63 https://hoommy.com/40-inspiring-verticalgarden-ideas-small-space/ (top) https://medium.com/swlh/the-urban-agriculture-startupfea29228b566 (middle) https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/ nation/2019/10/281_260247.html (bottom) P.65 h t t p s : / / g i z m o d o . c o m / w h y - a small-pennsylvania-town-is-the-mushroomcapital-o-1507494984 (top) https://www.flickr.com/photos/ beckersbert/5675941257/ (middle) https://gizmodo.com/why-a-small-pennsylvania-town-isthe-mushroom-capital-o-1507494984 (bottom) P.67 h t t p s : / / h a n d l u g g a g e o n l y . co.uk/2018/01/09/12-best-markets-london-visit/ (top) https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/ mar/06/brick-lane-exposed-impressions-east-endlondon-1980s-in-pictures#img-2 (bottom) P.71 h t t p s : / / w w w . t h e g u a r d i a n . c o m / c i t i e s / gallery/2017/oct/03/london-markets-100-years-agoarchives-in-pictures#img-3 (top) https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/ oct/03/london-markets-100-years-ago-archives-inpictures#img-14 (middle) https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/ oct/03/london-markets-100-years-ago-archives-inpictures#img-16 (bottom)
VOL 11.2019 Department of Architecture MARCH ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AB964: DESIGN STUDIES 5A to think + to sketch / to make
TEE RU HANG RICHELLE 201859255
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