On Limestone and the Mediterranean

"The calcium in limestone makes it water-soluble and easily eroded, yet limestone builds up over eons, a stratum at a time, out of organic matter, recalling the stratified history of Mediterranean civilization"

France, Alan W. (1990). Gothic North and the Mezzogiorno in Auden's 'In Praise of Limestone'.

In Praise of Limestone

"If it form the one landscape that we, the inconstant ones,
Are consistently homesick for, this is chiefly
Because it dissolves in water. Mark these rounded slopes
With their surface fragrance of thyme and, beneath,
A secret system of caves and conduits; hear the springs
That spurt out everywhere with a chuckle,
Each filling a private pool for its fish and carving
Its own little ravine whose cliffs entertain
The butterfly and the lizard"

Extract from In Praise of Limestone by W.H. Auden. May 1948.

Textures on Site

The site is full of textural inspiration. And in the bright Maltese sun it is easy to capture the shadows created and the textural qualities present in the materials (concrete, rusty metal, limestone, gravel, water,...) and typologies (flats, bars, clubs, cranes, containers, cars, boats,...)

(click on the image to view a larger version)

Summer Houses

An Island in the Sea

In a crit it was said that Malta has a very strong identity, that of being an island surrounded by sea. The identity of the rock, the land, that is so recognizable. The fact of having very definite borders, that are not shared with other countries.
These are things that are often taken so for granted.

Approach

1. Memories and nostalgias of Malta will be recorded as a starting point to the project. This stage must be completed before returning to Malta in December, and before getting too absorbed in the project.

2. Research into traditional materials, crafts and building techniques.
Limestone; its material properties, the ways in which it could be adapted and the quarries that its extraction leaves behind will be studied. Traditional tile making techniques will also be researched.

3. Observations on Maltese identity and architecture will be recorded and made public on a Blog and by publication in a Maltese magazine, with the aim of getting feedback which will inform the project.

4. The memories, research, observations and feedback will inform design proposals, in varying scales, of several public spaces. These might incorporate some or all of the following; a promenade, swimming lido, public toilets, park, boat houses,...

5. Finally the project will be concluded through a public forum or exhibition.