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Design inspiration:

A major transport bridge, highway overpass, shipping cranes and train tracks enclose the site.  These structures act as both physical and mental constraints on the site.  They collectively were the symbols that were used to destroy and divide the Africville community. In many cases they now oversee or divide the site.  The cranes represent the perceived need to industrialize the area. The train tracks were used to literally and physically divide the community. The bridge and overpass were used as an excuse to finally disperse the community.  These structures become an important element in telling the story of Africville and the site. That is why I feel that it is important for the museum to engage these structures either visually or physically. 

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Site:

The railway that was used to divide the community is now used to reunite it. The train tracks that now exist as a ghost on the site, are unearthed and used as part of the museums narrative. The museum uses these tracks as a guide interacting with it as it memory moves across the site.

The Africville community that once existed will be represented by an outline. These outlines take the forms of the buildings that use to exist on the site.  The outlines interact and overlay any object that comes in contact with it.  Some of the outline will have electrical outlets to be used by park visitors and especially during the annual Africville festival.  The museum and festival will work together by sharing the site and museum facilities.  The museum seamlessly integrates itself into the landscape; by placing most of the building underground I hoped by doing this to preserve many of the beautiful views of the basin.

Sound Garden:

These structures will be used to help deal with some of the sound and wind issues on the site. The base of the structures provides an inlet for an earthtube ventilation system.  The top part of the structure has a series of various sized metal lined holes.  When the wind blows over them it will create a hollow sound.  These structures will act as a monument to represent the slaves that lost their life during the struggle of slavery. The wind will help these structures to speak so that their stories can be told. 

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Overall sequence of spaces:

The museum is organized into three exhibition pavilions all connected by a central path. The main pavilions are: Africa, Slavery and New World. The museum visitors follow a narrative that takes visitors from freedom in Africa to becoming a slave to eventually becoming free in the New world. Each pavilion forces visitors to confront the truths of slavery and allow for an open and honest discussion about slavery.

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At Grade

After the long dark decent into the building the visitor are greeted with a view of the basin. This entrance pavilion was design to heighten the experience by lowering the visitors view plane before they entered the space and then exaggerate it by extending the view plane skyward. The first space that the visitors enter in is a public space. It has the entrance to the museum, administrative offices, library and café.

The first pavilion deals with life in Africa. You enter into a large glass space that has smaller pavilions within it. The exhibition space has two floors connected by a ramp and a bridge that leads to the underground exhibition spaces. This space is the closes to the basin and boardwalk. Africa was the starting point for slavery and at this point the visitor is the closes to the water and freedom. The exhibition space is also grounded and more about experiencing the site and museum at ground level.



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Entrance:

The entrance is used as a maker for the site and the building.  It provides a beacon for visitors while also marking the beginning of the story of slavery.  When slaves were captured they were stripped of not only their possessions and clothing they were also stripped of their humanity.  Once captured slaves were sorted, branded and prepared for sale and export.  The entrance attempts to do the same for the visitors.  It sorts them from the regular park visitors and forces them into a new understanding of the site.  While walking through the structure it restricts the visitors field of vision forcing them to move down the path. Natural sunlight penetrates the structure bathing the visitors in intense light branding them and preparing them for the downward decent into the building

Capture:

This space is comprised of a ramp that wraps around a room.  The further you go down the tighter and more constricted the room gets.  Windows punctuate the space and shows glimpse of the outside world. This space systematically takes these peeks of freedom away.



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Below Grade

The second pavilion acts as an underground passage and represents life as a slave. It is dark with low lighting and acts as a link to the other main exhibition pavilions.  Since this passage is about constraints it has four contemplation spaces that engage the site. Two of the spaces are about visual exhibitions and gaze at the bridge and shipping cranes. The other two spaces are acoustic exhibitions and engage the existing train tracks and basin.

The third pavilion represents life in the new world. It has six floors and reaches skyward from the depths of the underground passage. It is accessed through the darkness of slavery but eventually breaks free into a glass-enclosed space of freedom. Stairs replace ramps as visitors ascend to the glass top.  This signifies the change of attitudes that it took to abolish slavery and subsequent conflicts that emerged because of it.  It overlooks the basin as the tallest building on the site but is closer to the train tracks than the other pavilions.  In the new world slaves, were eventually freed but forever changed. These changes still reside in the generations that came after.  In this space the visitors view is unobstructed and they are able to see the site and the constraints that bind it together.



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Escape:

When developing this space I thought about how it would feel to be a runaway slave.  Trying to survive when you know you are being hunted.  If you are captured you might die or worse go back to the plantation. This space is comprised of an elevated walkway with large tree like columns.  Below the walkway there is a man made river. The water provides a surface for natural and artificial light to bounce off of while also provides the space with some of the sounds of the outdoors.

Slave Ship:

This space evokes the feelings of being on a slave ship.  This cut-out section has the same dimensions of a typical slave hold.  Each metal rod represents one foot of a slave.  Some rods are missing to denote the slaves that were lost during the voyage.  Lighting in the space will be diffused with skylights strategically placed to highlight key moments in the space.



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Contemplation space:

Four contemplation spaces are spread throughout the site.  Each space relates to one of the existing site constrains.  This one in particular is about viewing and experiencing the bridge.  The bridge was a very powerfully and overbearing element on the site.  It was the excuse that the city used to evict the Africville residents.  This metal drum is only accessed through the underground passage.  This space is about experiencing the site and the museum.  Other than a few openings there is no element in this space that tells the visitor what the purpose of the space is.  This was done so that the visitors could make their own relationships of its intention.



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Church Void:

This void is part exhibition space and part memorial.  It sits where the original church existed and is the reverse negative of the church.  The Africville Seaview Church was an important element in the lives of the Africville residents.  It was the town meeting hall, school and religious worship space in one building.  I feel its destruction was one of the key elements in the displacement of the community.  Of all the concessions that the city promised the fact that it never rebuilt the church is still a very contentious issue with the Africville decedents.  Rebuilding a replica of the church would be wrong and would not properly represent what this church meant to the community.  This church void not only commemorates the community but also brings awareness to its destruction.  This void is to be experienced by everyone on the site.  Museum visitors access the void through the underground passage.  Park visitors access the void at grade with the rest of the park.