Urban Lighthouse

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Lost space is not necessarily defined as the empty void between walls.  Lost spaces are disconnected from our collective realm and do not contribute positively to the urban fabric.  To reclaim these spaces our values and traditions must be projected into the space, be subservient to the public, and connect people to the space.

 

The flood of 2013 left an impression, both physically and emotionally, on the city of Calgary.  The centre city reach of the Bow River shapes and divides Calgary's urban core.  Physically, the accumulation of sediment from the flood formed new islands and peninsulas in the Bow River.  The addition of these new landforms in the centre of the city provides opportunities for designers to integrate these spaces into the urban context, which will create richness, variety, and benefit for the public.

 

To link these new landforms to our collective urban consciousness as well as merge historical significance, we are proposing the creation of Urban Lighthouses on the new islands and peninsulas.  These structures will have the potential to measure and communicate the Bow River's fluctuating water level to the public.

 

Much like the temporal nature of the islands, the lighthouses are ephemeral in structure.  The Urban Lighthouses will become beacons that will illuminate these lost spaces.  They will serve as a monument to our cities' past and will serve as a reminder to the public that spaces are temporary and ever fluctuating.

 

(A collaboration between Twobytwo and Marcus Patterson)