Sonya Falkovskaia

The Wall and the Wave

University of Bath, 2018
Professors: Robert Grover, Martin Gledhill

A proposal for a wave power station at the Isle of Portland peninsula, UK. The wall and the wave is an exploration into the ability for architecture to incite environmental agency into its visitors by inviting the public to engage with this new type of renewable energy. The design is orientated around the visitors experience. Playing with boundaries creates new spatial experiences allowing visitors to gain a new appreciation for the sea and its sheer power. Putting visitors in new scenarios gives them a feeling of agency that then can transcend into action towards the environment. The project celebrates the machine and the industrial sublime. Such infrastructures are usually hidden from public view, leading to a detachment of understanding and appreciation for where energy comes from. The proposed power station becomes this link and allows the public to understand and ultimately appreciate the force of nature and how we can utilise rather than abuse it.  

left: Greater Weymouth site plan

right: Portland Bill site plan

Formal development

Precedent study

Mechanism study

left: Wave receptor. The curve is also a receptor for the waves. It channels the force further towards the centre of the curve, amplifying the energy available for the turbines. A curve in plan also allows the structure in all its size to become more structurally sound.

right: A network of paths.  The paths that connect the three elements contain their own network to create the division between public and private without cutting one off from the other. The private route is intertwined with the public whilst maintaining the integrity of the power station’s security.

left: Natural entasis. The site in all its ruggedness contains an elegant overall form. The plateau connecting to the sea has a gentle curve, most likely created from consistent and unrelenting wave impact. The wall emulates this curve, reflecting the site whilst contrasting with the rough and raw appearance of the coast line and protecting the shore behind.

right: The scheme is of three distinct parts, which combine through a network of paths. The wall acts as the receptor, the pier as the link from land to sea, and the tower as a beacon.

A series of boundaries

Our experience of the environment is greatly affected by the boundaries that surround us, often going unnoticed. This analysis looks at how - with minimal intervention - the natural elements can be altered or emphasised, to generate a specific experience of the environment.

The prominent elements of the site are of course wind, sea and sound. These excite our sense of sound, touch and temperature. Other senses such as balance, smell and taste can be brought into play by exposing oneself to the salty spray of the sea.

Our sense of enclosure, security and comfort also play a part in our ability - or inability - to experience our surroundings. Emphasising the elements by creating unusual spatial scenarios awakens our ability to sense our surroundings, and as a result generates a new environmental and spatial experience for the visitor. 

A journey of boundaries

The ideas of how to emphasis the elements has been constructed into a sequence of events through the network of paths. The visitor experiences the site in a different way through each part of the scheme.

These different spaces create a unique experience of the sea, emphasising its power and abilities to sustain our energy needs. These interventions are designed to create a sense of illumination and transformation both physically and metaphorically for the station itself and its visitors.

left: the beast within

right: wall path detail

left: bird's eye view of overarching path

right: exploded isometric

left: 1:100 model

right: tower and pier section