DISSOLVING THE CAROLINFJELLET FORMATION
LYR—220523
DATE: Fall, 2022
LOCATION: Longyearbyen
TYPE: Design
AHO Works Award Nominee for “Urban Ecology Design”LOCATION: Longyearbyen
TYPE: Design
Engaging and connecting to Svalbard’s geological processes,
this project mends the harbours disrupted relationship
between the sediments of the Carolinfjellet Formation and
Longyearbyen’s coastline.
As an Arctic Island, Svalbard’s landscapes exist in visibly
fluid states of being. This was apparent during the studio
trip to Longyearbyen, whereby the mountains dripped in
runoff, marking the sides of the slopes with hues of brown,
green, red, and black. These colours made visible geological prcesses such as erosion and land forming, shaping the landscape and shoreline.
To better understand the site’s processes I decided to emulate them as part of my site analysis through the creation of pigment dye made out of coal, slate, and siltstone collected from the site. Here I cracked, hammered, and pressed, visualizing and learning from geological processes which take place over centuries in a matter of minutes.
This method of understanding and relating to the site’s geology led to the the design of a channel, reconnecting the sediments to the shoreline. This pathway is complimented by a series of ‘dissolving’ gabion walls placed along the shoreline. As the sediments inside the walls are eroded they add to the shoreline growth, while also making apparent deep-time and the fluidity of the Carolinfjellet Formation.
this project mends the harbours disrupted relationship
between the sediments of the Carolinfjellet Formation and
Longyearbyen’s coastline.
As an Arctic Island, Svalbard’s landscapes exist in visibly
fluid states of being. This was apparent during the studio
trip to Longyearbyen, whereby the mountains dripped in
runoff, marking the sides of the slopes with hues of brown,
green, red, and black. These colours made visible geological prcesses such as erosion and land forming, shaping the landscape and shoreline.
To better understand the site’s processes I decided to emulate them as part of my site analysis through the creation of pigment dye made out of coal, slate, and siltstone collected from the site. Here I cracked, hammered, and pressed, visualizing and learning from geological processes which take place over centuries in a matter of minutes.
This method of understanding and relating to the site’s geology led to the the design of a channel, reconnecting the sediments to the shoreline. This pathway is complimented by a series of ‘dissolving’ gabion walls placed along the shoreline. As the sediments inside the walls are eroded they add to the shoreline growth, while also making apparent deep-time and the fluidity of the Carolinfjellet Formation.
