An explorative studio in which I participated during my Msc. 2 exchange semester in Melbourne in 2018.

The Princess Pier is an open public space with significant historical value. As one of the oldest piers of Melbourne, this was the place where Melbourne's large immigrant population first set foot ashore in the late 19th century. The growth threshold of Australia's second-largest city. During both world wars, the pier was also the point of departure for Australian soldiers that were sent to war. Not all of them returned..

The pier bears the symbolic value of starting stories and ending stories of Melbournians. Sadly, the pier  burned down in the late 1990's. The only surviving elements were field of fire-eaten poles and the old immigration gatehouse. Although pier was partially restored in 2012, its significance as a cultural site should further be emphasized which was the aim of this design.

With the seemingly simple gesture of 'lifting' the existing pier's surface, the surviving poles are revealed and allow the visitor to experience and explore the poles from different levels, as a stepped landscape descends into the ocean. With a secret staircase, an underwater chamber can be found in which the visitor can walk through and touch the poles that had been underwater for over a century. Eroded by saltwater and covered by algae and clams, these poles are cast in 20mm resin to preserve the poles and make them look like they are still wet. Above, a thick glass roof under the ocean surface on its lowest tide, lets in the daylight with ever-changing moods and light.