Culture of wilderness retreat in the Algoma region: decompostable architecture along the Agawa River

The Candian Wilderness has the potential
\nto create social, mental, spiritual and
\nphysical advantages within modern
\nculture. The study of these advantages
\nassociated with the context of the
\nWilderness and the city has led to a
\nproposal that explores the habitable space
\nin between. This thesis proposes a better
\nbalance between the Wilderness and
\nthe City. With the creation of a retreat; a
\nplace to escape the city and live simply in
\nthe landscape. Inhabiting the Wilderness
\nwithout the distractions of technological
\ncommunication will allow the inhabitants
\nto “enjoy the freedom from the grip of
\nthe external world,”
\n1
\n a necessary step to
\nbetter establish a relationship with the
\nlandscape. The Retreat is a place that is
\nsituated deep in the Wilderness in order
\nto gain the benefits from its context until
\nthe inhabitant’s eventual return to the city.
\nProgrammatic characters are meshed
\ntogether informing habitation, form,
\nmaterial and construction. Creating a
\nspace that is directly shaped by the flora
\nand topography and satisfies the essential
\nelements of survival. Camps or in-between
\nspaces are part of Canadian culture and
\nact as a resource for rest, creation and
\nexploration, rather than a resource for
\neconomic growth. This change can be
\nseen in the Algoma region of Ontario
\nw here infrastructure built for resource
\nextraction and transportation has been
\ntransformed to include opportunities for
\nWilderness exploration, interpretation and
\nescape. Communities of people living and
\nworking in the Wilderness of Algoma as well as Canadian artists have created
\nspaces in between for themselves,
\nin doing so, they created a culture of
\nWilderness habitation.
\nThe Agawa Retreat is an exploration in
\nWilderness habitation. Situated along the
\nAgawa River the Agawa Retreat acts as
\na prototype where human occupants and
\nthe Wilderness interact on a personal level.
\nThis is achieved with the use of modern
\nmapping and modeling techniques and a
\nunique approach to material selection. The
\nWilderness acts as both the site context
\nand occupant, resulting in an approach
\nto a building life-cycle that considers
\nhabitation one phase of decomposition
\nand renewal. The Agawa Retreat is a
\nunique building typology that is adaptable
\nand repeatable in almost any Wilderness
\nsetting. Its site placement, material
\nchoice and construction procedure all
\nconsider the Wilderness as a character
\nthat inhabits the proposal alongside and
\nhuman occupants. Doing so creates a
\nspace in between the Wilderness and
\nthe city where occupants can escape,
\ncreate and live simply surrounded by the
\nCanadian landscape

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