Regenerating the Post-Industrial Void

Abstract

Man emerged from the caves, to today, where he extracts the same material residing in the cavernous mountains to inhabit space in the plains. Stone is displaced from grounds below to build architecture and infrastructure above it, but one forgets the void and scars it leaves behind. A quarry stands as a monument that exhibits the memory of the landscape. The extraction processes leave exposed layers of cut stone revealing the geological formation and layers of the earth. Material extraction is an ignored reality of architecture. An intervention is needed in an otherwise deserted void to heal the landscape and revive the identity of place. The project aims to explore the abandoned quarry site as an industrial infrastructure that is curates the void to serve as a forum for the integration of man, materials, and nature. According to Robert Smithson: "A dialectic between land reclamation andmining usage must be established (...) The world needs coal and highways, but we do not need the results ofstrip-mining or highway trusts. (...) Art can become a resource thatmediates between the ecology and industry." The quarry is an event-less volume. The role of architecture is the manifestation of event in space. The project explores spatial concepts that mimic the characteristics of a quarry by reflecting them in the design. This results in an architectural narrative which is derived from the site and creates a journey of reflection and curiosity for the visitor. The thesis proposes a model for regeneration of an abandoned quarry through an ecology+ industrial hybrid that rejuvenates the manufactured landform of industrial past to a productive landform, celebrates the heritage of stone in Taxila, allows research and education of the extracted materials and connects local communities to the industrial context.