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Quarrying Fluidity investigates river valley quarrying. More than 40% of construction aggregates come from quarrying river valleys - an act very damaging to the ecosystem of a river. This is becoming a global issue as there is an increased need for extraction of aggregates for construction worldwide. At the same time, quarrying gives us a rare opportunity to create new modes of inhabitation in a wetland setting.
The project is located in a currently operating sand and gravel quarry on the Great Ouse River in Milton Keynes. It proposes a new quarrying technique through which an inhabited hydrocommon is constructed over time. Quarrying Fluidity proposes a new model of inhabiting a ground of wetness which brings human and ‘more-than-human’ inhabitation together. Programmatically, the proposal begins its life as a sand and gravel quarry, supplying Milton Keynes with new aggregates.
Through the quarrying activity, large water basins are created which are then used as water purification and storage facilities. Multiple wetland gardens are constructed, where new habitats are to be created - for humans, wildlife, and their entangled futures.
These sand box models explore the complex geometry of quarrying a large landscape. A quarrying script diagram of intersecting circles was derived from these experiments.
This drawing shows the hydrocommon in year 23 - calthemites are beginning to form in phase I, the landscape around phase II is being quarried and mounds with raw material emerge, while columns are being 3D printed in phase III.
Large water reservoirs are surrounded by inhabitable units connected by water gardens.
The hydrocommon is a quiet place - it serves as a backdrop for all types of entanglements of life to happen around it.
Each garden is inhabited by a specific plant species, giving the residents a way to locate themselves within the hydrocommon village.