Tropical House

Fig: 1 - Michael Jackson- a global icon, performer and musician

MUSIC DIVERSITY

Music is an indispensable part of our lives. Whether it's the beatbox in someone's car, the coffee house you going to, the mall, the road - it's everywhere.

So, every possible culture has something like music. A platform that connects a community of people and binds them through their shared experiences, even if there is nothing common at an individual level. A sense of homogeneity prevails among the diverse class of individuals and with time, becomes synonymous with their identity.

Music is universal. Despite its diversity influenced by countless cultures, human nature underlies basic musical structures. (Source) It is a language that transcends all barriers of caste, class, or color. 

That’s how Montserrat, a small island in the seas of the Caribbean looked like in the 1970s.

Fig: 2 - Right - Building in Plymouth. Left - Hi-Tech Air Studios in Raymond Road. Source: Shane Thomas

LOSING SIGNIFICANCE

Montserrat, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom is a small island in the seas of the Caribbean. In 1970, George Martin (The Fifth Beatle) commissioned a studio. It later became the epicenter of the international music scene where musicians like Michael Jackson, and Paul McCartney used to record their albums. Music manoeuvred a communal experience and an unspoken bonding between the artists and locals. 

But what happens when a place accidentally losses its status symbol? 
On July 18, 1995, Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat erupted after 1500 years. In 1997 the southern portion of the island including the Georgian-era capital Plymouth was evacuated and labelled as an exclusion zone. The music studio, once a landmark, lies abandoned as a ruin being swooped by vegetation.

Fig 3: Small scale music performance being held for local community, Source: Source

BRIEF OF THE COMPETITION

After 20 years, things are changing for Montserrat. With the tropical island of 11km being inhabited by its locals again, the government is busy planning ways of turning ‘ash into cash’. Plans are afoot to explore the potential of the volcano value chain. Drilling of three geothermal wells, animal husbandry, increase in population by 6.2%, and several business enterprises investing for a property - the place is slowly being revived.

With Montserrat finding its ground, can the culture of music, once a landmark, be resurrected?

Challenge is to design a music retreat center that functions as a studio for artists.

Also creating a public platform for local community activities. The aim is to revive the ‘status symbol’ in a different language that promotes the culture of music, an element the place was once associated with.

OBJECTIVES

Precaution: Though the volcano is in an excluded zone, it is active. Design for a possible uncertainty.

Nature: Respond to the nature and fabric of context. Design should be part of it, rather than overwhelm it.

Adaptive: Spaces that can be used for a variety of activities beyond performances.

Inclusivity: Enabling dialogue between locals and artists coming to Montserrat to record, stay or perform.

SITE

The design site is right near the Belham river in Weekes, Montserrat. Weekes is a small, abandoned village in a valley between Garibaldi Hill and Richmond Hill, in the St Anthony Region of Montserrat. As the crow flies, it is 2.46 kilometres (1.53 mi) from Plymouth - the ruined capital of Montserrat. It is abandoned because it lies in the 'uninhabitable zone' surrounding the Soufrière Hills volcano after the 1997 eruption of Chances Peak. 

For design purposes, the site can be considered empty and data can be assumed wherever necessary. 

• Site coordinates: 16.731095, -62.216383
• Site Area: 43069.68 sqm
• Ground coverage (Built-up area): 20%
• Height limit - 15m

 
Setbacks as per CAD plan
 
Ground Coverage refers to the ratio of maximum allowed solid/permanent footprint on the site to balance the built and unbuilt spaces. You can utilize the other 80% of the site for any temporary intervention/recreation.