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Contents

3 - Project Introduction & Brief Outline4 - Site Analysis Introduction5 - Site Map6 - Photographic Analysis - Fireworks Site - Water Damn Site - Geological Site - Orchard Site10 - Surrounding Influences - Exploding Shed - Geological Fault Lines - River Bank Re-Enforcement14 - Historic Site Data - Fireworks Site - River Darrent16 - Bathymetry17 - Crytical Analysis of the site

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Project Introduction & Brief Outline

“The global issue of ‘urban compression’ in the future of our cities has led us to investigate new interventions that operate through intuitionism and novel methodologies of practicing ar- chitectural design in our built environment. Cities are the ab- sence of physical space between people and technology. They enable us to work and play together, and their success depends on the demand for physical connection.”

Based in Dartford Marshes our project focuses in on developing a new form of architecture that will be able to out live all of the buildings that have been placed here before, using new and

sustainable methods.Currently eveything that has ever been built on this desolate

land has ended up as an eroded structure that can no longer be put to a good use.

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Site Analysis Introduction

Dartford Marshes used to be filled with activity between 1914 and 1960 as it was home to Well’s Firework Factory, the largest in the UK, a general hospital and the Orchard Military Hospital, to help with causalities during both World War’s and also multiple Battery’s to protect London from incoming German ships and aircraft. Nowadays all of these sites have just wasted away leaving a Clay pigeon shooting range for hobbyists and two separated motor-cross courses.

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Site MapScale:1:10,000

Motor Cross

Clay Pigeon Shooting

Fireworks Site

WW2 Anti-Aircraft

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Photographic Analysis - Fireworks Site

The Fireworks Site consists of 42 sheds all built as workshops for producing the fireworks, each shed is positioned on the site so that should any one of them ignite with black powder inside its explosive radius will not reach the next shed.

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Photographic Analysis - Water DamnScale: 1:200

The Water Damn is positioned at the mouth of the River Darrent, where it connects to the Thames Estuary. It consists of two 5m x 30m Steel barriers that can be lowered quickly during a flood to protect the whole of dartford from flooding. The Damn can offer a 10m tall barrier, which is the same height as the walls of the thames.

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Photographic Analysis - Geological Site

The Geological site is on the edge of the Thames Estuary overlooking the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, this site is special because of the two geological fault lines that run about 35m below the surface.

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Photographic Analysis - Orchard Site

The Orchard site was built before 1914 ready to deal with the casualties of the first world war, it was connected to the Thames via a narrow brick road with a tram way running to a dock on the river. Its construction was simple and quick allowing them to increase capacity quickly within the walls of the Orchard.

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Surrounding Influences - FIrework Black Powder Sheds

From studying the Fortuitous Trjectories on the Firework Site it is im-portant to understand the trajrectories generated by and exploding shed as this was a key aspect considered when designing these sheds.

I can consider trajectories in two different trajectories with this drawing. The third dimension of the paths generated by the components of the shed and also the fourth dimension of time by generating a drawing the plays with the time scale of the explosion.

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Surrounding Influences - Geological Shift

beneath the south bank of the river thames is a geological fault line that stretches for miles along the bank. the fault line runs at a southward angle seperating the Upper Chalk from the Lower Chalk which is believed to run for miles below ground.

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Surrounding Influences - Dartford Flood Planes

As the Dartford marshes only sit 1 metre above sea level during abnormally high tides they are open to flooding, the risk follows along all the rivers and through the town centre for dartford. Flood protection measures include re-inforced river banks running allong the thames as well as flood barriers at the mouth of the larger rivers, like the river darrent.

Diagrams from RIPARIAN VEGETATION AND WATERCOURSE MANAGEMENT (msmam.com)

Shallow Incline River Bank

Bio-Reinforced Embankment Reinforced Earth Propietary Embankment

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Historic Site Data - Fireworks Site

Founded in 1837, Well’s was the leading firework factory in the UK producing the majority of it products at the Joyce Green Lane Site in Dartford. It closed in the late 1970’s when Chinese imports crippled all the competition.

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Historic Site Data - River Darrent

The river Darrent travels from the Thames through to all major parts of Dartford and so has always been one of the quickest ways to get products imported to Dartford.With the fast flowing current as the tide raises and lowers the river bed has shifted and simplified itself over time as shown below. Nowadays the river is only used for pleasure cruises and sailing boats.

Image from Dartford, Crayford and Erith Marshes - Heritage Review - March 2006

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Bathymetry - River Thames & River Darrent

The river Thames has a depth averaging 10-13.5m deep along the shipping channel which runs down the center and is dredged regularly to ensure ships always have access to London even at a Spring Low Tide. The river bed then slopes up to the banks with parts that have been dredged to allow boats to dock at certain parts.

The River Darrent averages 3m at the mouth and shallows out slowly along the rest of the river.

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Environmental Analysis

Dartford in its current state is a desolate stretch of boggy marshes that has consumed every building that has tried to sustain itself. So only temporary structures made from timber with a thin cladding have been able to survive a short lifetime with any large brick or concrete structures being consumed by the soft alluvium mud.

In order to design a productive and sustainable architecture on this land requires either great cost in building a foundation that can float on the land or that is light enough to work in harmony with the soft mud and sands.

Fortuitous Trajectories in TimeFrom studying my main site mappings i have discoverer a relationship between trajectories and time. Therefore as a base to my architecture I will design on three sites that will project into the future when sustainability is a must. Each building will give a new experience that manipulates time scales allowing us to experience geological shifts that have been amplified or a flash flood impact that can be slowed down.