[re]constructing nobbys

This project is a critique on the way we are currently constructing modern architecture.

Newcastle wants for a world class performance space, however the city cannot afford to build one.

[Re]constructing Nobbys proposes a potential solution for this situation through the exploration of ideas of congealed construction as an economic, social and time dependant alternative mode of design and construction.

The frustration caused by the failure of many much needed cultural projects throughout Newcastle in the past 5 years is the motivation for the city to establish a different process of constructing the facilities it requires. Rather than waiting for unlikely money to be given to the city to create great cultural projects, the project just starts with the small amount of money that is readily available

Positioned alongside Newcastle’s most prominent site, Nobbys, the project provides a speculative commentary in order to develop new understandings on how the city can construct great buildings. Nobbys has a rich and diverse history. Once a stand-alone island and a natural landmark, it was destructively cut down and attached to the mainland in order to provide a safer entry to the harbour in the early 1800s. The original construction of the breakwall that joined and reformed Nobbys took over 30 decades for convict labour to complete.

Over a 30 year period, acting as a “self constructing machine” the project uses infrastructure from nearby industrial sites, waste materials and unused buildings to create a sequential process of inhabitation and reuse, leading to the eventual construction of the desired performance space