Ireland’s damp climate is conducive for creating ruins. Timber quickly rots away, masonry is soon overgrown. Landscapes, once razed to make way for human consumption are re-colonized, becoming denser and richer than before. The process of re-colonization is slow and unassuming.
This thesis explores and evaluates the ecological significance of decay by conducting deep surveys of the Portlaw Cotton Mill through a variety of scales and mediums.
The resultant project is a collection of ideas, culminating in a series of interventions which offer an an alternative approach to re-use, rather than a singular designed piece of architecture. These provocations examine the relationship between new and old, testing the possibilities of constructing within a biodiverse landscape.
This thesis re-frames the process of dereliction and decay as an opportunity for ecological growth, and a way to find new narratives and meaning in our historical fabric.
