My family has naturally been drawn to water; my dad's parents were founding members of Thorpe Bay Yacht Club and naturally my father was on the water from a young age. This probably influenced his decision to join the Navy where he met my mother, and somewhere along the line married and moved into a house on the Norfolk Broads. Nine months later, my mum’s waters broke with my eldest sister during a sailing race (my other sister and I were alas born with much less drama). You would assume, like the rest of the family, I took just as naturally to sailing? Of course not, I rebelled! Although not too far off the beaten track: I managed to get into flat water kayaking and over the years turned my whole family around to the sport, so much so that our main family holiday in centred around the International Descent of the River Sella in Northern Spain and racing weekends all over England.
Through paddling and racing I was able to explore the rivers and waterways of Norfolk and England. Something which always fascinated and excited me were the industrial buildings which lined the rivers and canals of cities. Their bold man-made forms gave me a warm sense of familiarity, but up close they were an intimidating reminder of the power of industry. From then my dream was to convert one of these buildings into a house, whilst preserving the essence of what the building was and meant.
For my final project I want to take this interest further and find out more about the history behind the relationship with industry and the water and how it shaped towns and cities and in turn their relationship with urban growth and decay. I will be exploring these elements in a number of ways, through internet and reading sources as well as interviews and case studies.
Through paddling and racing I was able to explore the rivers and waterways of Norfolk and England. Something which always fascinated and excited me were the industrial buildings which lined the rivers and canals of cities. Their bold man-made forms gave me a warm sense of familiarity, but up close they were an intimidating reminder of the power of industry. From then my dream was to convert one of these buildings into a house, whilst preserving the essence of what the building was and meant.
For my final project I want to take this interest further and find out more about the history behind the relationship with industry and the water and how it shaped towns and cities and in turn their relationship with urban growth and decay. I will be exploring these elements in a number of ways, through internet and reading sources as well as interviews and case studies.