A Manual of Cells : Architectural Trauma and Rewiring Meaning
Neagu, Filip-Lucian (2024)
2024
Arkkitehdin tutkinto-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Architecture
Rakennetun ympäristön tiedekunta - Faculty of Built Environment
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2024-05-22
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202405025175
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202405025175
Tiivistelmä
The Patarei Sea Fortress is a former coastal military fortification and prison, situated in Kalamaja, a subdistrict in Tallinn. The site carries a problematic role within the context of Estonian heritage, due to its activity as a political prison during the Soviet occupation. The last two decades of inactivity in a perpetually decaying Patarei have raised uncertainties regarding the building’s future, a projection often repressed due to the societal trauma and dark connotations linked to the fort’s past.
Following the sale of the Patarei complex from the Estonian government to a private developer, doubts about the manner in which the difficult legacy will be addressed have increased. Would the new use be able to engage the culturally diverse community in Kalamaja and contribute towards positively rewiring the meaning behind Patarei?
The research is a reimagination of the process in which the fortress can sensibly be reintroduced to the city, and serve the community that it has formerly persecuted and oppressed. Closely related themes of coping with architectural trauma through public space, participatory design and spatial justice, among others, are explored in depth in the thesis. Varying from a zoomed-out standpoint of a detailed urban planning strategy, to micro-scale guidelines referring to a manual of cells, the proposed project provides a comprehensive approach to the different architectural scales that can influence the meaning of Patarei.
The thesis first sets the tone for the architectural intervention, from urban as well as social and psychological points of view, by examining the timeline and complex historical implications in relation to Patarei. A functional urban analysis applied on the base of the granulation map, followed by a centralisation of the results into a diagram of functions, draws guiding conclusions regarding the challenges that Kalamaja is currently facing.
Next, the masterplan focuses on stimulating the Patarei Sea Fortress to act as a filter within a proposed promenade. The promenade consists of several city parks and buildings that foster a strong sense of community, aiming to positively influence Patarei and eventually transform it into a representative site for psychological liberation and artistic expression. The architectural project consists of an adaptive reuse approach, comprising landscape design, conversions of disused built environment, and functional reconfiguration of interior spaces.
In essence, the study aims to create an architectural mechanism for Patarei that would be apt to acknowledge and reconcile with the turbulent past, develop innovative correlations between the site and surrounding heritage elements, create a bridge between the multicultural groups residing in Kalamaja, and offer a democratic and inclusive public space for various types of cultural and recreational activities.
Following the sale of the Patarei complex from the Estonian government to a private developer, doubts about the manner in which the difficult legacy will be addressed have increased. Would the new use be able to engage the culturally diverse community in Kalamaja and contribute towards positively rewiring the meaning behind Patarei?
The research is a reimagination of the process in which the fortress can sensibly be reintroduced to the city, and serve the community that it has formerly persecuted and oppressed. Closely related themes of coping with architectural trauma through public space, participatory design and spatial justice, among others, are explored in depth in the thesis. Varying from a zoomed-out standpoint of a detailed urban planning strategy, to micro-scale guidelines referring to a manual of cells, the proposed project provides a comprehensive approach to the different architectural scales that can influence the meaning of Patarei.
The thesis first sets the tone for the architectural intervention, from urban as well as social and psychological points of view, by examining the timeline and complex historical implications in relation to Patarei. A functional urban analysis applied on the base of the granulation map, followed by a centralisation of the results into a diagram of functions, draws guiding conclusions regarding the challenges that Kalamaja is currently facing.
Next, the masterplan focuses on stimulating the Patarei Sea Fortress to act as a filter within a proposed promenade. The promenade consists of several city parks and buildings that foster a strong sense of community, aiming to positively influence Patarei and eventually transform it into a representative site for psychological liberation and artistic expression. The architectural project consists of an adaptive reuse approach, comprising landscape design, conversions of disused built environment, and functional reconfiguration of interior spaces.
In essence, the study aims to create an architectural mechanism for Patarei that would be apt to acknowledge and reconcile with the turbulent past, develop innovative correlations between the site and surrounding heritage elements, create a bridge between the multicultural groups residing in Kalamaja, and offer a democratic and inclusive public space for various types of cultural and recreational activities.