Para Architecture

CHOOSING A SITE The next intervention will leave the CBD and move toward the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

We are running on a bike ride beside the Yarra River. We travel east. I choose the bike path on the north side of the river. The cycling path is highly frequented by cyclists who are going home from work, joggers and people who taking a walk.

When we approach the second bridge at Punt road from the St. Kilda road turn off in the city, the cycling path maintains the level of the river but becomes briefly overshadowed by the upcoming highway next to it. The highway acts like a border on the city side, dominated by roads and traffic, whilst the southern side is green and picturesque. Across the river are spread highly prized residential buildings and apartments.

About 100 meters after the Punt road bridge the cycling path makes a small turn and leads onto a floating platform hugging the bank. At exactly this turn we notice a large space in-between the highway and the cycling path. The space is completely empty and tagged with some graffiti.

It’s an offer wanting to be taken further.

We stop and jump over the handrails and walk over to the door. It is unlocked. The space spans a length of 40 meters subdivided by columns every eight meters. It is 2 meters deep and decreases in height from left to right.

Between the cycling path and the space is a distance of 3 meters, the height difference measures the same.

The space is intriguing. It is framed by the columns and appears almost like a stage. The 3 meter height difference to the cycling platform lifts the space from the river and makes it distinctively visible from the other side of the river.

The next para()site had been discovered.

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