Jiyoon Bae
Woojong Kim
United Kingdom
Forgotten City of the Abandoned Ship, Nouadhibou, West Africa
The project is aim to regenerate forgotten town ‘Nouadhibou’ in West Africa from abandoned ship wrecks along the coastal area with the amount of over 300 rusted ship. The region’s economic capital, Nouadhibou holds less illustrious titles as well: it is also home to the largest ship graveyard in the world.
Financial hardships led to authorities turning a blind eye to ship owners who offered bribes to dump used vessels in the harbor. After nearly three decades of this practice, Nouadhibou’s coastline is a unique landscape of over 300 rotting ships. By the 1980s, the frequency with which abandoned ships were appearing in Nouadhibou’s bay increased dramatically. In addition, As of mid-2013, the numbers continue to grow. Shippers from around the world are still sending old ships on their final voyage to Mauritania.
In this sense, this project is aim to research sustainable regeneration method of the town with eco-friendly using of rusting ship and revitalizing old building with sustainable strategy in the coastal area. Overall master plan including traditional market, refurbished residential and panoramic museum have been set up based on the research of the existing urban fabric of the town. Fish market has been refurbished with regenerating old market’s timber louvre to avoid scorching summer heat, so the shades will provide proper market space between old residential towns. In addition, Panoramic museum in the sea provides ‘seascape’ providing the beautiful scenery of the flock of sunken ship wreck under the sea, and this sunken ship with sustainable lighting system has been shown as fish house as well.