hinged waterfront
mindelo sao vicente cape verde
the proposed hinged waterfront confronts ocean-front privatization in mindelo. developers and architects cater to a growing tourist industry by constructing waterfront hotels, effectively cutting off the larger space of the city, and significant population of alta de bomba from the shore, a population that already lacks adequate resources or municipal support. city authorities maintain this increasingly private waterfront for the benefit of a transient tourist population at the expense of local interests.
hinged waterfront features free-standing columns to maintain an open ground plane and public access to a series of pools and plazas. operable doors facilitate localized points of privacy, dependent on the changing configuration. the uppermost level of the structure is open and accessible by public stair. an entwined double-helical private stair simultaneously provides second-floor access to a series of amenities including pharmacies and childcare centers exclusively for alta de bomba residents, providing both community space and tangible support for locals.
as an island nation of limited natural resources, cape verde experiences the ecological damage and economic hardship of resource depletion at a pronounced scale. hinged waterfront employs the design authority of existing construction practices in the cape verdean context, including cmu wall and column grid construction, employing local labor and using readily available imported materials, rather than local building materials that perpetuate extraction and destruction of the island's natural landscape.
cape verde is an island nation off the coast of senegal "90% water" as described by port authorities, based on the area of water between the ten island country. the waterfront holds both contemporary and historic significance for the shipping industry of sao vicente. cape verde imports 90% of food consumed nationally and sao vicente in particular trades coal and pozzolana, a volcanic ash used in cement production because it is an abundant resource on the island.
