The Photographer's Bunker

A bunker: a place of safety and seclusion. For a young, female user, this bunker is a place for protection from the elements and from the general public. Given the user is an analogue photographer, it also happens to provide the perfect natural darkroom. Nestled between the trees of Bute Park, a discreet hatch opens up to a spiral staircase that tunnels into the earth. Vaulted chambers are placed incrementally down the central cylinder, each volume dedicated to a different function.

A small kitchen/living space is closest to the ground level above, so that light may enter through a skylight. The ceilings are slightly higher in the living space helping to avoid a feeling of claustrophobia after long periods spent in this underground setting. This space is bright enough for her to carry out simple tasks such as making drinks and food, and to take a break from the laborious and time-consuming process of developing analogue film. A toilet room is placed further down the staircase. A darkroom is found at the very bottom of the stairs.

The photographer’s gradual journey downwards into the dark, means finding isolation from the outside world, and true focus on her artwork. Here, she is completely cut off from the outside world, rendering her perception of the artwork that much more sensitive. The earth excavated by digging down into the ground is reused to construct rammed-earth walls. This contributes significantly to the sustainability of the project, especially due to the self-insulating properties that the walls attain once they are a certain thickness.
In 2014, on Zurich’s ETH campus, Martin Rauch and a team of 26 students expanded the range of design options for rammed earth by creating vaults and arches. The project was the first time that load-bearing rammed-earth vaulting was constructed using prefabricated elements.

Utilizing rammed earth vaulting for the chambers’ ceilings provides the strength needed to withstand earth pressing down from above. This vaulting also removes dark corners from the room to produce a more intimate and embracing feel. The young female photographer can feel comfortable and safe and can focus on her film for hours at a time.