Inclination for Disquiet

Abstract

This thesis explores the transformation of the Luck Stone Quarry, in Richmond, Virginia, which is an active industrial landscape that is situated along the James River. The transformation of the space seeks to see the quarry evolved into a multi-functional landscape that merges ecological, cultural and civic function. As an expansive void that has been shaped by industry, the quarry sits at the intersection of ecological disruption, industrial heritage and spatial disconnection. The research investigates how its transformation can be a framework for utilizing the inherent characteristic and affinities of industrial landscapes, so that they may fit into the urban fabric. In doing this, they may engage with potential greenway systems, in order to form a more cohesive connection between the river, city and industry.

The projects essence stems from post-industrial typologies, especially Meltem Erdem Kaya's ideology, where industrial spaces are meant to be interpreted within our urban settings, instead of erased. Building upon these typologies, this thesis introduces the dissonant landscape, spaces where the sublime interacts with the realities of industrial disruption and erasure. This typology speaks to human sensory emotion, allowing them to experience the raw, unfiltered affinities of industrial landscapes in their unresolved forms. These human experiences give the landscape agency, and purpose to exist within the urban fabric, and become part of greenway systems within infrastructure.

Drawing from Robert Searns work on how greenways have evolved, the Luck Stone Quarry can fit into the system due to how greenways take form based on urban stressors and requirements. The thesis explores how the industrial corridor of Richmond can be adapted for reuse with stormwater mitigation systems, and explores how post-industrial landscapes have the potential to be multi-faceted in this manner. Through stormwater retention and public interpretation, the quarry is reframed as a functional green infrastructure system, and a repository for cultural memory.

Ultimately, the thesis positions the Luck Stone Quarry as a model for industrial landscapes, and how they can be used as cultural pieces of greater systems. The Luck Stone Quarry in particular does not resolve the existing tensions or environmental trauma that it has caused, but instead reveals it and reframes it. By doing this, this thesis can broaden discourse on climate resilience, urban repair and the role that landscape architecture has in interpreting dissonant, damaged and sublime landscapes.