FOrREST: The Community FOrREST
Acting in dissent to the legacies of extraction, displacement, and intrusion towards social and ecological forms of life, the project provokes one to look towards nature and how it rests, grows and thrives.
‘FOrREST’ explains the act of ‘being for’ human and non-human rest, in order for us to express ourselves, and the fact that forests are a source for multiple life forms and habitats (For rest/Forest).
Located in the post-carbon and mining landscape of Bradford, Manchester, the existing site stands in a conflict of 'rested' and 'unrested': One half expresses the beauty and abundance of when nature is left to rest, but is home to unproductive social activity, while the other side has remained static unused carpark.
The project aims to create habitats and surfaces for rest at multiple scales. Inspired by the micro landscapes created by mosses and the diverse landscape of the existing site, the carpark in broken up into different regions.
Through its program of a community cafe, food forest, chapel, and gardens, the activities of resting, connecting, growing, and expressing both collectively and individually are engaged.
The Sunroom becomes a tranquil buffer space, creating an indoor-outdoor environment, with seating that wraps along the façade, naturally ventilated, and day-lit.
Earth has been used from the site to create a comforting monolithic structure, that contrasts with the lightness of glulam construction.
Over time the community ForREST will be overpowered by the natural, flourishing as time passes. Becoming a structure of ornament and social productivity for the locals.
By being immersed in nature, our sense of wonder and delight expands. We act in dissent to the cycle of unrest provoked by the world's Capitalist system. In order for both humans and non-humans to thrive, we need to be FOR REST.
