Giant´s Causeway Visitor Facilities

International Architectural Design Competition

Mitarbeit im Büro STATION C23, Leipzig
Auslober: Departement of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
2005

site plan

visitors movement

floor plans

perspectives

Approaching the area of “Giant´s Causeway”, the route takes a certain disruption just before the descend to the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean – the place of the new visitor facilities complex. A building defined by the movement of its visitors, resembling a “causeway” itself, merged into the landscape.

Movement: The route to the basalt-formations of the Giant´s Causeway approaches the cliff, the car-traffic is forced to turn right into the parking space. From there, a footpath on top of what becomes the roof-scape of the new building, ascends towards the entrance of the visitor centre. The internal logic of the building results in the visitor arriving on the 0-level on the exit, here getting back on the “natural” path to the Giant´s causeway.

Built Landscape: The building itself is shaped into the hilly surrounding of the site, the ground becomes roof, paths and picnic-areas are situated on top of the building respectively are crossing it. Building and landscape are emerging from one basic shape folded into the landscape and making use of the existing topographical features.

Built into landscape: Thus, the building itself in a way resembles the appearance of a cliff-landscape. Seen from a distance, it merges with the immediate surroundings whilst showing similar geometrical shape and structuring as the natural formations of the land. The building unfolds in a tectonic way out of the land.