Maritime Energy Center of Australia
A hypothetical renewal of Warrnambool waterfront
Investigating new relationships between essential industry and civic space, the project imagines a wave energy and desalination facility utilising Carnegie’s ‘CETO’ undersea technology and Wavegen LIMPIT turbines. Where utilities are traditionally hidden, this project proposes and explores an active public engagement with the working industrial facility which forms the seed for renewing an unused port site in Warrnambool. Past and current ocean activities are embraced and embellished with the proposal of a new center for maritime education and engagement, providing facilities for swimming, diving, exhibition and education. Moving from a monumental statement of its presence to a submerged undersea aquarium, the project weaves an ambiguous line between civic space and industrial infrastructure to create an engaging architectural vision for the prosperous, sustainable future of the city and beyond.
