The drawings that I've begun to work on again. Elevation to come.

Some Thoughts on Context

One of the important issues that Patrick and I discussed today is the challenge of the project to connect back to the city and its immediate surroundings besides the railway. I took some time to think about this idea. While I am / was hesitant at first to try and focus on externalizing the project - as the nature of a bathhouse is inherently a very internal programme - I realized that there is a very appropriate activity which takes place around the site to begin to exploit. In the 1990's the area surrounding the CN Wellington was redeveloped into a leisure circuit upon which people run, job, walk, cycle, rollerskate, etc. What happens when people do these various types of exercise? A number of things, actually.

1. They sweat. What do people do when they are sweaty? Most people shower.
2. They become thirsty. People usually replenish themselves when they become thirsty.
3. They rest or relax afterwards.

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself with this. But I believe that this is a very interesting and appropriate avenue to investigate as it would really tie the history of the site (a gay cruising area) together with the existing context (a leisure area).

Some restrictions could come out of this. How would I negotiate between the gay bath and a shower room for exercisers? Between a rest area for the two users? The exercisers would also need a place to store their bicycles, roller-blades, and potentially their valuables while they shower or relax.

Revision

After speaking with Patrick, we've agreed that the process needs to evolve from simply an interpretation or re-interpretation of the narrative into a type of consequential process involving a lot of re-editing. The narrative will remain as my starting point and the notion of the gay bathhouse will be the initial programme. But inevitably the building will have to take on a life of its own, by reaching out to the city and weaving it together with the idea of the bath. This will happen through the gradual layering of both the existing narrative with my own interjections regarding the site and the city. The idea is to force myself to have to negotiate between the gay bathhouse and other contextual issues (for example a public bath).

New Wellington Baths - Narrative

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