A rustic charm envelops visitors as they alight from a ferry and enter Easdale, an island in Scotland that exudes a rugged grace amidst the pleasing sight of nature’s vivid beauty. Being home to seven slate quarries, a tragic night in 1881 brought along with it a massive flood that ruined the quarries. Gradually reviving its glory, the island’s survival story is evident in the crystal blue water pools and the plethora of flora, fauna, and birdlife known to frequent the region.
Ferries being the only ultimate journey that takes visitors from Ellenabeich to Easdale, Terraviva, a platform organizing international Architectural Design Competitions, offered a brief inviting architectural firms all around the world to renovate the existing ferry hub at the island and propose new spaces that could create intriguing pause points for the tourists.
After carefully studying Easdale’s history and its evolution, our design reflected two triangular experiential pavilions seamlessly emerging from the ground, with their sharp, clean lines creating a pleasant countenance. A calming space that becomes a platform for resting and visually admiring the island’s natural landscape becomes the essence of both these structures, which have been crafted out of slate, the island’s trademark material.
A welcoming cafe, having glass walls, slate panels, and fresh green creepers, becomes the first triangular structure, which offers visitors aesthetic views of the scenery while they relish a hot cup of coffee. The space also becomes a protective shelter during the harsh weather phases of the island.
Rising smoothly from the earth, the second structure sits beside the cafe, offering a basement and an informal gathering space. The basement becomes a private space for the ferrymen to rest, change, and relax. The raised gathering space, accessible by stairs, hosts an information desk and two display arenas, giving the locals an opportunity to portray their history as per their own perception and creativity. This semi-open space becomes a vibrant zone where a visitor can co-relate the stunning surrounding views with the displayed artifacts and pictorials that showcase the history of Easdale.
Our design focuses on blending the structures seamlessly with the surrounding context, and hence the use of slate panels complement the slate roofs of the colourful cottages. The vision of our design revolved around creating warm and welcoming spaces that offer the tourists an opportunity to linger, admire, and take a calming breath on arriving at Easdale - an island that takes one on an enthralling journey of nature’s innate beauty.
