Reckoning with Decay: The Hidden Cost of Neglect
A Regional Framework to Establish Optimal Building End of Life Practices for Institutional Architecture in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada: A Case Study Examining the Waterford Hospital
A. Halleran (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
R.V.M. Peeters – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / A)
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Abstract
At the edge of North America lies St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, one of the oldest cities on the continent (Newfoundland & Labrador, Most easterly point in north america, n.d.). In recent decades, this historic city has seen a prevalent trend of institutional architecture within St. John’s being abandoned or demolished with little consideration for alternative building end of life practices. This leads to the loss of history and contributes to unsustainable practices. Through the use of qualitative and quantitative metrics, a regional systematic framework is established to be applied to future institutional buildings in St. John’s. This will assure that careful deliberation is taken when making decisions regarding future planning of institutional buildings upon their decommissioning. The Waterford Hospital will become unoccupied in late 2024 to early 2025; it is both a historic and complex example of an institutional building in St. John’s. It serves as a strong case study for the development and application of this framework. The results of applying the established framework to the hospital lead to the recommendation of partial to significant demolition; a new program is proposed for the site which integrates remaining building elements into the design. Moving forward, the provincial government can utilise the established framework from this study to ensure that thoughtful institutional building end of life planning is performed, preserving the culture of St. John’s.