This Nursing Container project was designed in 2006 at the University of British Columbia. The project brief called for a temporary pavilion dedicated to highlighting a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Design parameters outlined that the pavilion fit inside one retired shipping container and might be engaged almost anywhere.
The design response was to the theme of Angkor Wat, a Cambodian UNESCO world heritage site. The pavilion draws attention to Angkor's history and link to the Cambodian water cycle - wet and dry seasons - the storage of water and the monument's eventual return and synthesis with nature following the civilization's collapse. The exhibit highlights the risks posed to Angkor's physical safety from falling water tables as a result of over-tourism and overall water conservation strategies.
The pavilion, originally conceived along a pathway of storm damaged forest in Stanley Park, Vancouver, is used as a tool to remediate damaged or contaminated landscapes. Inspired by the natural phenomenon of "nurse-logs" which contribute to the growth and re-generation of ancient forests, the pavilion acts as a temporary apparatus used to nourish and accelerate plant growth adjacent to the exhibition location. Once the pavilion site regenerates, the pavilion moves on to remediate its next venue.
