The project focuses on creating a historical corridor providing architectural ‘Time Capsules’ to immerse the user in a celebration of a historical story. Providing community buildings that perpetuate the identity of the local area. This is important because throughout Glasgow and the wider Clyde area there is a loss of history, the things that have been key factors in an area’s development and continuation. Along with a loss of community which causes greater isolation and a rise in mental health issues. This is seen not only in the region but also across the country as a whole. These two issues are intertwined as the loss of history causes a lack of identity and belonging within the wider scope of an area contributing to a lack of community and the absence of a support system for people within the neighbourhood.

To provide this, I intended to utilise the River Clyde, a prominent feature of the natural landscape that has be vital in the development and perpetuation of many settlements throughout time. From the worship of the Prehistoric era to its participation in trans-Atlantic trade along with being the means that allowed for the creation of many shipbuilding phenomena. The river is rich in embodied uncelebrated history.

The project provides a master plan combing both the told and untold stories of communities along the River Clyde along with a framework of how to analyse these stories to provide an architectural time capsule. Finally focusing in on one story, providing an example of how these can be manifested in the built environment. The master plan is intended to provide a historical corridor though the west of Scotland, creating a journey of stories, that can be added to as history unfolds. Although the sites and stories are linked along a common theme and route each one can stand alone as an intervention that tells a story and celebrates a community and their role within the wider environment.

Manifesto: 

The River Clyde flows through the west of Scotland carving a path in the natural landscape. It is a prominent feature in all the areas it flows through and is rich in embodied uncelebrated history. The river has been the catalyst for the development and perpetuation of settlements throughout time. It was worshiped in the prehistoric era, participated as a key player in  trans-Atlantic trade and allowed for the creation of ship building icons.  But much of this history has been lost to time, areas that once held key elements of a communities identity have been left to nature. Currently, the existing celebrations of history along the river Clyde barely scratch the surface of what has been.

By looking at the river I will be able to produce a successful scheme that connects areas of historical and cultural significance forming a corridor that celebrates lost history and tradition through the west of Scotland. Providing individual interventions for each story that create an architectural time capsule to immerse the user in a celebration of history and identity. All the stories and memories are connected and linked along a common theme and route but each one will stand  alone as an individual intervention that manifests the story in the built environment, celebrating a community and its identity in the wider locale.

Within each individual intervention I will immerse the user in the story of that area. To do this is will look at how to story tell within architecture, focusing on building journey and creating atmosphere that evokes emotion. I will investigate how using different techniques such as, shadow creation, connection to nature and building scale stimulates the senses in order to fully immerse the user and evoke emotion.

By providing a frame work on how to analyse each individual story, memory or tradition I will provide the structure for this scheme to be implemented in different areas and along different paths. Along with this it allows for further stories to be added to while history unfolds as history is never ending.