” LIFE BETWEEN THE MARGINS IN KOCHI “
The project aims to address the issue of biodiversity loss in Kochi’s urban areas and to create a symbiotic relationship at the fringes where human and animal habitats meet. Biodiversity loss is contributing to the fragmentation of species which deliver key ecosystem services to humans and other partnering species, mitigating against the damaging effects of coastal erosion, pollution and water contamination. The Integrated Mangrove Fishery Research Centre, built next to a former railway yard, will bring together fragmented research groups in Kochi in an effort to observe biodiversity loss in the city region. The approach to the building will be across the old railway lines connecting the once destructive timber tramway to the centre for the purposes of transporting mangrove saplings across the city region. Tall bamboo columns will rise like tree trunks from the ground guiding the the visitor through the building along a bio-corridor enveloped in the growth of the forest canopy. The corridor will lead out towards a restored wetland where research pods will exist between an inhabited boundary that will be intermittently open to the public for exploration, providing young people the opportunity to encounter nature in a biodiverse biome. The centre will have an innovative water filtration device that will clean the backwaters of human debris, providing a better environment for the Mangroves to flourish. The hope is that the site can become a symbol of post-industrial healing through the remediation of natural agents with the railways taking a new performative role in realising ecological change.
A bio-corridor will lead out into a series of research pods, existing between an inhabited boundary intermittently open to the public for exploration.
The Integrated Mangrove Fishery Research Centre will bring together fragmented research groups in Kochi to observe biodiversity loss in the city region.
The approach to the building will be across the old railway lines so that the visitor can experience the railway tracks and get a sense for the heritage of the site.
The research pods will be intermittently open to the public for exploration providing young people the opportunity to encounter nature in a biodiverse biome.
WEBSITE: https://kristanlacy.myportfolio.com
CONTACT EMAIL: kristanjlacy@gmail.com
LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/kristan-lacy
Curated By Shannan Kamalaneson