CivicSouth

A civic approach to building infrastructure

CivicSouth is a new strategy for creating civic space which bridge divisive infrastructural lines whilst providing a new platform for every day civic activities, functions and public services. The strategy will be rolled out in the London Borough of Southwark over the River Thames, Jamaica Road and Bermondsey Railway Viaduct as a series of armatures. These are bare non deterministic structures where new activities scenarios and possibilities can occur without physical hindrance. The new civic armatures will be balanced between provision of new civic space, a programmed insertion which would act as the armature’s activator and a council service to be used by residents and the community as an interaction point between the general public and social and institutional bodies.

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Bermondsey is a highly diverse zone and also a relatively untouched area which is beginning to be transformed and regenerated. This 1.5 km area is divided by three infrastructural lines which are the River Thames, the A200 Jamaica Road, and the Railway Viaduct.

In order to fulfil the civic strategy initially set out, it is important to imagine the way in which the CivicSouth armatures would be procured and shaped by the numerous stakeholders and community , and thus a process of consultation becomes important.

The civic armatures are located along the three lines, designed using simple structure and concepts such as floor, enclosure, shelter along these lines and figuring out how they insert into the city without a particular function in mind.