Baird’s Brae is a site that has undergone an amazing transformation from dense urban block to ‘re-wilded’ woodland with barely a visible trace of its historic buildings. What is special and particular within this site and how can architecture simultaneously make this legible whilst enabling an entirely new occupation of this place? We will explore this question by ‘constructing’ our analysis to transform an aspect of the site into a spatial experience.
The original corner entrance of the ‘Old Basin Tavern’ used to be a prominent building on this key canal gateway site. The concept of ‘Ghost Wall’ was to recreate the presence of this prominent corner, while adhering to the archaeological restrictions – without making any permanent fixings into the existing stone structure or digging into the ground. This structure then allowed members of the public to walk through the ‘ghost’ of the wall by creating a laddered pathway, and visual presence from the canal tow path and new entrance that invited people onto the site again.