accomodation within the bunker cells

The new structures built within the existing concrete shells of K1,K2,and K3 would be of lightweight, precast, concrete-framed construction with a cladding skin. They would provide individual units of between 150 and 600 m2. Activities within these spaces would make use of borrowed light from the new roof openings. They would provide warm, dry, secure accommodation for those elements of the brief for which the existing bunker structures are unsuitable. Set at varying levels within the individual cells they would be accessed by means of bridges and ramps from the existing ground level (or quay level in the case of building K3). Translucent cladding materials would be used, giving a quality of luminescence to these 'buildings within buildings', setting them apart from the solid concrete mass which surrounds them. This strategy of insertion allows for further similar structures to be added as required over time.

bunker roofs

The roofs of the bunkers would be treated as wild gardens. A study of the existing vegetation of the roofs reveals a wide range of species of lichens, coastal grasses, and smaller flowering plants. These spaces would be managed to support these naturally colonising species. New planting media, gravels and sandy soils, would be laid out in carpets on the roofs of the bunkers, and conditions of moisture and exposure controlled to promote natural colonisation. These extensive dry gardens would be highly desirable as places in which to live or work. A series of relatively small buildings, one and two storeys, would be constructed on the roofs of each of the bunkers. K3 could support a heliport with it's associated service accommodation. The diving safety institute could also be ideally suited to this location. K2 with its public access ramp would provide a cafˇ/restaurant together with education rooms and public meeting rooms. These new roof buildings would use a similar range of materials to those of the new accommodation cells below, including translucent and highly coloured lightweight cladding materials. They should be easily recognised as new structures distinct from the monolithic masonry construction of the bunkers.