This is a transformation project of the abandoned military swimming pool. By doing so this project aims to coordinate and balance people’s well-being by bringing them into the process of collective agriculture and cooking. At the end the project aims to create an entering point for the development of the entire military base and reactive the surrounding community.
Abstract
Situated in the abandoned military camp of North Zealand, “New Rhythm in Auderødlejren” is a transformation project of the old building into a collective agricultural and cooking program that responds to the newly development policy from local commune. This thesis project is proposing a reactivate entrance point for the local community as well as to re-image the options for people who need a get away from city life and dive into a territory that can offer the chance of novelty, fresh, enlighten experience.
Due to the large scale of the situated site, this project will focus on redesigning one building- the old training pool, with the collection of its existing atmosphere while the new program and intervention will be introduced. At the end the project intends to set up a potential development theme for the selected area.
The motivation for this project is also inspired by the local commune’s proposed vision in 2022 called “Halsnaes in Motion.” This vision sets the direction for Halsnaes Municipality until the year 2035 and focuses on developing the unique strengths of Halsnaes. The commune has identified three strategic benchmarks to achieve these goals:
1. Halsnaes aims to attract both citizens and visitors by creating vibrant urban environments, preserving its unique nature, and fostering a rich community life.
2. Halsnaes strives to enhance the opportunities available to its citizens through initiatives focused on health and education.
3. Halsnaes places great emphasis on protecting its raw and authentic natural landscapes while actively contributing to the ongoing green transition.
Considering the comprehensive context in the site-Nature, Agriculture, Community, the direction of the proposal becomes increasingly evident. This project seeks to maintain a harmonious and balanced sense of well-being by repurposing the abandoned military building. Its primary objective is to engage the locals and the visitors to utilize the space as a meeting point where the local community is willing to share their knowledge with the visitors when the visitors help to reactivate the area. This approach ensures a concentrated effort and allows for the exploration of a thematic framework that aligns with the project’s vision. By utilizing this anchor point, the project aims to create a transformative space that not only cultivates a strong connection to the land but also promotes a sense of collective participation and enjoyment in the agricultural and culinary processes.
This thesis draws inspiration from Henri Lefebvre’s theory of Rhythmanalysis. Lefebvre proposes that wherever there is an interaction between a place, time, and energy expenditure, rhythm emerges. He highlights the recurrence of movements and actions, as well as the intricate interplay between linear and cyclical rhythms and phases of growth and decline(Edensor,2016).Lefebvre’s perspective underscores the significance of rhythmanalysis in understanding spatial dynamics and how it can aid in exploring the concept that places are continually evolving, characterized by emergent properties. However, these places are often stabilized by regular patterns of flow that possess distinct rhythmic qualities, ranging from steady and intermittent to volatile and surging.(Edensor,2016)
To redesign this building, here are some of the questions that I am trying to answer.
Would it be better to keep the original structure?
What’s going to happen to the swimming pool?
What’s the diving tower going to be?
What kind of new program would fit into the context of the local community but also attract new visitors?
How to connect this building to its adjacent building?
Agriculture as Method
Agriculture has been recognized as beneficial for well-being due to several reasons. Firstly, engaging in agricultural activities provides individuals with opportunities for physical exercise and outdoor work, which contribute to improved physical health and fitness. Working in the fields, tending to crops, sweping the grass leading to increased strength, stamina, and overall well-being.
Agricultural activities also sent out a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Involving with plants and animals provides a sense of responsibility and achievement as individuals witness the fruits of their hard work and the growth and harvest their crops.
The next intervention was after the new sky light from the roof, there are much more sunlight caming in, which giving me the idea of what to do with the existing diving platform, so the idea is to turn the exsiting platform into a drying tower for the plants, during harvesting period the staff will put them on those drying rack, where they will dry naturally and can be process later into spices.
And the using of the drying tower is creating a movement of body moving up and down, following the growing rhythm of the herbs, and also getting involved into the changing process of the seasons, the achievement of taking care of plants, and physically transporting them something that wouldn’t be noticed before but now is being enlarge and highlight.
The next one is I want to make the indoor garden easy to access, and to be more inclusive and calming experience to going into the garden, I am also thought about the threashold of how to connect different change of level at this point. To looking at the light study through the plan. Because I want to maximize the sunlight for the herbs, the location of the threshold shall be attached under the most shadow side inside the garden. And a gentle, wooden ramp will be installed to guide all groups of people into the herbs area.
Cooking as Catalyst
The next intervention I focus on is related to the collective cooking experience, and to use a cooking table as the catalyst for the activities when the table has enough space for people to cook together, and enjoying the process of The preparation of ingredient, the sounds of watering, the chopping and mixing... all encounter the mobility of body while the physical sensation taking place. to bring in the cooking activity here is also to bring in the aspect of reimagining the everyday activities but also be apart from the everyday rhythm, so that people can also take a moment to just focus on the food and reset a little bit of their mind, just simply enjoying the moment of using the table.
The last intervention is a shelving system that I wasn’t initially focus on, but with all the new interventions and program that I have bring in, I found it would be interesting to have a spatial element that can function as a storage area but also display all different types of ingredients that are being introduced to the place.
And at the same time it can become one of the small steps that finishing the loop of all the activities in the area.
Vision to the future:
“New Rhythm in Auderødlejren” is seeking to create a dynamic and engaging space that encourage community interaction and embraces the essence of rural living. It envisions a place where individuals can reconnect with nature, explore agriculture practices, and savor the joys of communal cooking and shared experiences. Ultimately, “New Rhythm in Auderødlejren” aspires to breathe new life into the abandoned military camp, proposing an starting point, a possibility for the re-imaging of the future development of the local community.
