Name: Giulia Ravanini
Track: Architecture
Studio: Architectural Design Crossovers
Year: MSc1 / 2023-2024
Type: Design project
Tutor: Agnes van der Meij
Description:
“The past does not come back, however, its continuity and the perfect knowledge of its history are important” Lina Bo Bardi
If the soil where the area of Convoy’s Wharf could talk, it would certainly tell a story that would reflects
the history of the British Empire: from fishing village, to Ship Construction Site, to Cattle Market, to Army Warehouse, to News Printing Depot. All the uses, created a separation of the site to the área which surrouds it, the thriving neighbourhood of
Deptford. And even though a brand new masterplan for a residential and commercial development in the área is on the way, the inhabitants of Deptford fear the gentrification that might come with it. Such separation is now visually marked by an extensive brick wall which separates the people and the site, creating two very different environments. What if it was possible to climb the wall and invite the community in? Is it possible to create a space that is inviting for both the newcomers and the pre-existing population? By demolishing the wall and reusing its bricks as paving, now an 190m long elevated street connects two landmarks of old and new Deptford: Pepy’s Park and the Olympia Basin. When thinking about an archive for the area, it is not only about proposing an archive about the population of Deptford, but also an infra-structure where the inhabitants can live, play, study, eat and produce, resulting in endless new activities, appropriations and perspectives. A place for life to keep thriving. The archive then is used as a place where memories of the changing faces of deptford are kept. The inhabitants of Deptford and invited to donate photographs, voice recordings and objects in order to preserve the memory of the area. The history of Deptford is always hoovering over the main street, which will be one of the main connections not only between new and old Deptford, but also with the whole city of London.