Galleface Pier

Liverpool John Moores University, Faculty of Media, Arts and Social Science Liverpool

Project idea

This thesis design project is deriving from an urban design proposal implemented in slave island, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The submission demonstrate the research, origination and resolution of the end part of this particular proposal in a gradual manner which manifest a development of a 400m long seaside pier running towards the west horizon of Colombo. The embarkment point of the pier is the Galle face green area which is a current open recreational realm in a hectic city. The design explores and questions the architecture of piers through research and precedence while imagining new design possibilities.

Colombo as a city is going through many urban issues. The disturbing gentrification projects established as High rise buildings are major one to be considered. The dominating effect of these projects on the city life is quite critical. Major Lack of response to an overall urban master plan is evident when investigating the allocation of these projects. For the past ten years local urban dwellers are often threatened with these projects which forces them to move from their native context to another as the commercial development is the only goal behind it. Many people half refuse it by leaving first and return with unauthorized and unorganized settlements in every corner of the city they may find as long as it is close to their area.

In this scenario the cultural and historical heritage of people and the existing buildings are often neglected and as a result we see a chaotic and an unpleasant urban fabric has formed as the city of Colombo. Colombo does not need more of this vertical architecture rather it is craving for horizontal recreational spaces and platforms which would create meaningful connections between the places throughout the city. The city should be more permeable to the public and less hectic, chaotic, and insecure which are caused by increased fragility of the urban fabric.

This thesis project is a part of such a proposal which is planned to uplift the cultural and historical values of the city while providing with a meaningful route that would start from the lotus tower premises and end at the west seaside of Colombo. The route indicated three main zones which provides peculiar solutions for urban issues in each passing sector . The wetland and the urban village in the Beira lake, the incremental housing in the slave island area were the first two and an enhanced recreational realm in Galle face green area that brought the seaside pier would be the third and the final part which is the beautiful west climax of the journey.

With the introduction of this seaside pier, the urban necklace was completed providing a great extent of a permeability and a meaningful journey to the urban dweller while catering to the well identified urban issues .

Project description

Pier is the ultimate promenade of recreation and leisure. The Galleface pier was designed with carefully selected functions not harming the progression of it as a whole while keeping the promenade and the pleasure aspect of the pier separately. Through research and reviews, it was evident that many piers have failed to adopt both mentioned realms together successfully.

A modern seafood restaurant as an extension to the Galle face hotel was established on the pier as the main building. Apart from it, an Open-air amphitheater, pier garden, a wedding hall, and a wet zone for Colombo were introduced as meaningful functions and developed to a great extent during the progression of the thesis project. These functions were rigorously thought to be as contextual as possible.

The enriching colonial architectural heritage manifested by the Galle face hotel will be an empowering feature to the embarkment of the pier. As the subject of the pier itself runs back to the beautiful era of Victorian architecture, the story of the Galle face hotel and the new pier has an intangible bond from the start. As a summary, the design intents of this thesis project can be listed as Enhancing recreational space in Colombo, Bringing solutions to the Urban heat crisis in Colombo, Reprogramming Galle face green area, Contrasting and celebrating the exiting colonial architecture, Complimenting the old heritage with the new, Allow adaptability, Making a more meaningful destination for the urban proposal “Tower to the pier”, Rethinking the Architecture of piers and Saving Galle face green from any possible isolation due to the upcoming port city development in Colombo.

Seafood restaurant -

The seafood restaurant is an intangible part of the Galle face hotel located on the pier starting point in Colombo seaside. It would hold the classic nature yet bearing a slightly dynamic,crustacean-like, and modern character which will help towards breaking the rigidity of the colonial Galle Face Hotel building which is historically reminiscent of Dutch Architecture. The intention was to contrast and compliment the Architecture between the two buildings, the old and the new.

As the restaurant roof breaks down with the identified concept, the end part of the restaurant represents a possibility of a viewing amphitheater that might also be granted a part of some outdoor dining experiences and other recreational activities for the public. The hand-drawn sections represent a phase of design struggle to find out the potential functional applications that may suit the immediate context and also briefing of the structural framework that may tally with the overall essence of the restaurant and the seaside pier.

The idea was to make the restaurant a sole part of the pier structure rather than making it a mere object on the pier. The concrete materiality of the pier gradually turning into the wood through the restaurant interiors until it reaches tropical timber roof can be seen here as a relevance to the Sri Lankan context while also running back to the victorian era of the wooden pier architecture where the pleasure and the promenade piers were originated.

Pier end -

The end part of the pier is starting with the open-air cinema/theater which comes after the pier neck, the zone of street food(crunchy Sri Lankan seafood), or the temporary market zone. The design intention was to create the theatre in a way that it would seem like a sole part of the pier. In this case, a sunken theatre that transforms the form of the pier was proposed. With this implementation the pier formed in several depths creating interesting functions such as the pier garden that would end with the proposed sunset lounge at the end. Pier garden would be a green ramp leading to the top part of the pier which would be the ultimate viewing point of two directions. One is the Colombo city, and the other is the infinite west horizon. These two directions were acting as two theaters of their own kind. One could experience both directions as two contemplative and entertaining scenarios from the top of the pier. The beautiful city life and beautiful nothingness could be witnessed in one place.

One of the aspects to be considered was how to make the end part of the pier a remarkable experience and create an urge for someone to progress from the embarkment until the end. The intention of creating a wet zone at the end emerged with this.

Open-air theatre -

Theatre reformed as three sectors of seating orientations. This application put more definition to it. Theatre is for entertainment with an endless backdrop of the southern ocean. It could be a place to watch new movies, old movies according to a majority's choice. It could be the ultimate platform to celebrate the cricket season. It could be the stage for local drama and everlasting cultural events. It is a space of observance, glory, pride, joy, and happiness. An evening with a beautiful horizon with family on the Galle face pier theater would be a memorable event.

The enclosed routes through the pier thickets are also a part of the experience. One will escape from the Urban vibes of Colombo and reach the ultimate solitude they need at an end of a hectic day. This is how the pier is always ideally close as a getaway to the urban dweller.


Wedding Hall -

Below the pier garden, there is a space that would be a potential wedding hall/exhibition hall or an adaptable space for occasions. This particular wedding hall can be an asset that can be hired from the Galle face hotel for weddings. A wedding on the pier would be something beautiful that has not been held in a Sri Lankan context before. A delightful event that could be arranged on the waters would be an ideal setting and will have great value when receiving bookings in the seasons. Currently, the Galle face hotel provides space for weddings and occasions as such. So, this might be a revolutionary extension for that need. Apart from the wedding hall, below the pier garden and the sunset lounge, facing the northwest, there would be a small Bar and a café. It is always pleasant to have your drink at the end of a seaside pier while watching the sunset.

Wet - Zone

The wet zone consists of a – 4000 mm level deck area that provides washrooms and locker facilities for bathing purposes. Furthermore, a fishing equipment store for recreational fishing and a ticket counter for the wet zone were also recognized. If there are water activities there is always a risk, therefore a watchtower with a lifeguard would be proposed.
Even though it can be called a summer bath, in the Sri Lankan context there is no such thing as a summer season. Every day seems to be a summer day. What we have as a seasonal change is rainy days and it is mostly sunny days throughout the year. So, it is unlikely to always get a feeling that you don’t need a sea bath on a normal day near Colombo. This wet zone was the ultimate solution for the people traveling all the way back to the southern province of the country to get a proper sea bath during holidays.

An isolated diving zone and a seawater swimming pool (not so deep) are provided. One may arrive at the wet zone level through a staircase and a ramp connecting the two major levels. A sea organ or a seawater meeting point was created for the people who would like to connect with the water rather than bathing at the pier end.

Technical information

Use of Concrete -

Marine environments carry out rigorous and unique demands on the main structural material of the pier deck structure. High chloride levels in seawater, forceful action of waves and currents tend to push structural reliability to its limits. Also, these structures expected to have higher durability since it only gives a fleeting opportunity for repair and refurbishment. The Structure itself needs to withstand the extreme loading variations from wind and water movement.

Even though there are many marine structures fulfilling similar functions in different parts of the world, the main structural material may differ considerably because of the local material preferences and variations in construction costs depending on the locality. Therefore, considering all the requirements, the most suitable structural material to build the pier is Reinforced concrete. Since the structure will be protected against corrosion by the inherently acidic environment of the coastal area, the durability of the structure will also be higher compared to other structural materials. In this case, making the use of concrete as sustainable as possible was a structural goal in the thesis design. For this as a sustainable alternative LC3 were used over portland cement to make concrete.

Structural Notes -

The wedding hall is underneath the pier garden. It had its own peculiarity to it. The column structure was the same as the seafood restaurant where the ‘V’ columns were extended up until the beams of the roof. Dissimilar to the restaurant’s wooden roof structure, the wedding hall consists of a concrete waffle slab which was the ideal structural solution for such a span and to sustain such a load on the roof as the roof itself was a public green ramp garden. The waffle slab may also create a beautiful ambiance to the wedding hall providing a pleasant and unique square-like ceiling whilst complimenting the dynamics of the slanted ‘V’ columns in interiors.

Other specifications are elaborated in the drawings.