A piece of writing.

Well, I thought it would be fun and beneficial to the world if I published a paper I wrote for my theory class in my blog. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, considering I'm sure I wrote it in a mere one evening. Ah, school... I miss you.

Here it is:

RE_TAIN: Maintaining Environment, Community, and Culture
Through Red River College and Landschaftspark

“Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” This Kenyan proverb is a powerful statement which is increasingly relevant in contemporary society. Sustainability of this planet for future generations is a topic which has recently become popular in the public eye. Of course, the thought of sustainability immediately conjures up images of ecological systems and energy efficiency, but it can embody a much broader scope of ideas. The sustainability of our communities and culture is also a necessity to the livelihood of the human race. Architectonic constructs are tools which shape our ecology, communities and culture in various ways. The Red River College building in Winnipeg’s Exchange District and Duisburg-Nord, Germany’s Landschaftspark have vastly different scalar qualities and programs, yet they share the common focus of fulfilling various aspects of global and local sustainability.

Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District is teeming with traces of the beginnings of the city and the industry which flourished there, beginning in the nineteenth century. It is a setting of past and present cultures, and an area of the city which has recently become the focus of urban revival. In 1997 the Exchange District was named a national historic site, and since that time the efforts to bring life back into the area have been accelerated. Of the existing 149 buildings, 117 were constructed before the first world war, and 62 are considered to be heritage structures. (Love, 27) This sense of history in a location so close to Winnipeg’s downtown is reason to celebrate the past development of the city.

Nestled among the existing buildings and bordered by Princess and Adelaide Streets and William and Elgin Avenues, The Red River College building coexists with these buildings in this historic setting. Designed by Corbett Cibinel Architects in 2003, the building functions as a new hub for the college’s multimedia and information technology education. The structure was built within and around six historic buildings which, since the 1970’s had been owned by the city and largely ignored and forgotten. The five buildings along Princess Street were retrofitted, retaining their original facades, and the six level warehouse building bordering William Avenue was also redesigned to incorporate new academic spaces for the college (Kopelow, 20). Ideas of environmentally sustainable technologies are extremely visible throughout the building, as is the essence of the former industrial site.

Across the globe in Duisburg-Nord, Germany, another brownfield redevelopment project seeks to breathe new life into a forgotten area. Landschaftspark is designer Peter Latz’s vision of a twenty-first century landscape park. The site, situated in an urban industrial setting, was once home to coal mining and steel making operations which originated in the middle ages. These operations gradually slowed down throughout the twentieth century and were finally ceased in 1985 with the closing of the final steelworks. The park is located in close proximity to the Emscher River and the Autobahn #42 highway and is part of an extensive riverbank park renewal project that is currently ongoing (Tate, 115). The most unique feature of the park is the fact that all of the existing infrastructure was kept intact at the onset of the project. Blast furnaces, massive gas tanks, ore bunkers, a power station and miles of abandoned railway track have not only been preserved, but have been given new life. The site has been transformed into a nature preserve which is also a destination for various recreational activities. The gas tank was cleaned and transformed into an artificial reef, acting as the new home for a scuba diving club. Repellers actively use the sides of the blast furnaces, and many elevated walkways were installed to provide interesting vistas for visitors. (

Latz’s ambition with the design was to capitalize on the filth of the industrial history of the place, rather than try to hide it. “Any changes that obscured Duisburg-Nord’s gritty history would be repugnant, amoral and aesthetic violation” (Lubow, 52). The park is a landscape which retains the aesthetic qualities of the old industrial buildings, while splashing a fresh coat of “green” on the surface, making it an inviting atmosphere.

These two examples of brownfield redevelopment design are similar in the fact that they have each reclaimed a parcel of land which had been previously forgotten. As well, each example exhibits a sensitivity to the local context and to the needs of the existing community. However, each architect’s perception of how ecological sustainability would be achieved was slightly different.

The aim of the Red River College building is to create a more environmentally sustainable site by cutting down on the amount of energy that is consumed and utilizing current green technologies to harvest energy. A $235,000 photovoltaic array is attached boldly to the south facade of the building and collects enough energy to support five average households over the course of one year (Kopelow, 20). A green roof is incorporated, as well as water conservation and treatment technologies. Materials for the building were also recovered from the existing buildings on site. This not only lowers the embodied energy of the structure, but also places an even greater emphasis on the historical buildings that exist. The emphasis is on being environmental while still being very urban (Kopelow, 21).

Landschaftspark approaches ecological sustainability in a much different way. Where Red River College is meant to be an energy efficient building, Latz’s creation is meant to be an industrial rebirth to natural systems. Visitors to the park do not completely lose the traces of the mechanical past, but they are confronted with the gesture that the natural environment has returned to its original position as the dominant force in the landscape. This project is more obviously about mending a wound, while still leaving a scar as evidence that the land was overused and polluted. Although the buildings are celebrated for their industrial aesthetic qualities, even to the point where they are illuminated in colourful light at night, they are most certainly dormant and decaying. It is a visible stillness which is in drastic contrast to the new activity and growth in and around the buildings. The turbines do not spin, the tanks have all been emptied and no smoke billows from the stacks. Natural order is restored.

In each case, it is easy to see that environmental sustainability was an obvious central intention in the process of design, but the outcome of each design is quite different in terms of the physical creation of a sustainable site. However, the most interesting aspect of these designs is not simply in their physical transformation of the environment, but in their deeper social underpinnings. The ability of the built environment to sustain community is another aspect which is seen within these constructs.

Red River College places itself within an old and historic sector of Winnipeg. The program of information technology and multimedia education is extremely suitable. This building is all about education. The obvious fact that it is a college is not its only embodied educational quality. The building reveals the history of the site, as well as the technologies of the future. The lessons learned from the integration of old and new systems would not be possible if the building had not been a revitalization project. Furthermore, Red River College is a central destination for people coming in from other areas of the city. It is the gathering point for a new community within the Exchange District. The addition of this space for collaborative work and a community of scholars brings a renewed sense of permanence to the area. With this new program the surrounding community is enabled to flourish.

Landschaftspark is also a centre for new community development. The site itself hosts a multitude of recreational subcultures which collaboratively use the space. This intermingling of unique users begins to construct an internal community which has as much diversity as the park lands themselves. Additionally, in terms of the site’s context, the design of the park has actually transformed its spatial quality. Once an industrial boundary between two residential communities, the area is now becoming a connection point (Tate, 119). It is not only creating a new central community within, but also helping to link others.

In these ways, each of these spaces foster sustainability in respect to community and context. Not only do they attract users from various outlying areas, they also catalyze community growth and collaboration through their specific selection of programmatic elements.

Besides the sustainability of ecological systems and local communities these two constructs both inform sustainability of a different, more theoretical makeup: the sustainability of culture. Both of these projects are extremely valuable in terms of historical significance. Not only historical in terms of the past, but in terms of present day techniques and the consideration of future generations. In each case, the formal intentions of the design are very much secondary to the creation of spaces which enhance the local community, and keep the original genius loci of the area alive in a contemporary environment. Red River College fits in where it can. It is not about taking over the space, or blocking the images of the past, and neither is Landschaftspark. In each of these situations, the design is intended as a tool for highlighting what used to be, what is, and what should be in the future.

Landschaftspark and Red River College are each influencing the future by preserving the past. Restoring and integrating heritage buildings in the exchange will keep memories of Winnipeg’s beginnings alive and may inspire a new generation. Landschaftspark’s decaying structures, illuminated like giant scars, will act as a constant reminder of years passed. The entire notion is not simply about the conservation of historical masonry or dilapidated steel structures, but about keeping past lessons of human activity apparent in our current built environment. The physical entity of a blast furnace in itself may not seem valuable to a particular community or the advancement of society, but the way in which such a structure influences the experience of a particular group of people is very important. A different perception of who we are and where we are going is gained by each and every person who experiences the design. Everything in our world comes from something else. The way in which we advance is a direct consequence of the way we learn from the things around us. Buildings can be teachers, and these two designs are great examples which reinforce the fact that the built environment is didactic.

Architecture, whether it be in the realm of buildings or landscapes, will always play an important role in the way we advance as a society. In the tactile environment we respond to things we can touch, see, or experience. History is alive in the structures of the past. Just as the pyramids at Giza remind us of the ancient civilization of the Egyptians, old industrial brownfield sites inform us of the powerful age of the Industrial Revolution and the times when mechanical systems and machinery were the dominant fixture in human society. Reminders of this period inform decisions and serve to inspire the development of new ideas in architecture as well as other disciplines.

Architecture may be defined as the planned construction of built forms and landscapes, but it is truly much more than that. It is not always about what we build, but what we leave behind. Sustainability is a topic of great importance and relevance in our current society. Contemporary design ventures have the opportunity to preserve not only our environment, but also our communal society and our cultural being. Landschaftspark and Red River College each respect and preserve the historical artifacts of their local context while setting an example of how humans should build in the future. They are less about the design of a particular construct, and more about the making of a new perception. Each acts as a window to observe the past, present, and future. This earth and culture that we have loaned from our children will not be handed down to them in the same condition as it was when we received it. The cultural evolutions we will go through will inevitably change the shape of our earth through our generation. Design which revitalizes a part of our history will always play an important role in ensuring that our culture continues to grow, and our earthly resources never diminish. Treat the earth well. Sustainability is our key to the future.

Bibliography

Love, Myron. “College Development Pumps New Life into Historic Winnipeg” Planning Feb. 2001: 27-28.

Tate, Alan. Great City Parks New York, New York. Spon Press, 2001.

Kopelow, Gerry. “Green Lantern” Canadian Architect Jan. 2004: 20-23.

McMinn, John. “Mainstreaming Green” Canadian Architect Jan. 2003: 14-19.

Lubow, Arthur. “The Anti-Olmsted” New York Times Magazine May 2004: 46-53.


Image Sources

Landschaftspark Photograph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickmann/393191040/
Red River College Photograph: personal photograph.
Red River College Sketch: personal interpretive sketch.