Introduction

At first blush it is difficult to appreciate and understand the significance of Caribou Harbour. Personally it has developed from something very vague into something very specific and symbolic of many dear things to me. The process of thesis making is itself somewhat of an illusive process where attempts are made to draw a picture of something and then needing to remake the picture when seen under a different light. Much like the site itself this thesis has seen many different iterations as time has passed by. This latest iteration is one that draws hopefully on the success of past attempts while portraying a clearer image of the significance of this small harbour to a larger community than outside the small boundaries of its shoreline.

What will follow is a desire to create a timeline with the different faces that this place has held and with a hope to interpolate a future timeline based on a series of observations and extended conversations with the current land owners of 81 Simpson Drive, the lot adjacent to current identity of the harbour as a home to retirees and provincial park goers.

As it has been stated in the abstract, this thesis seeks to create an awareness of place through history and architecture. It will examine the existing local context it is situated within and surrounded by. In addition to its physical location on a map the thesis will attempt to situate itself temporally by examining the many different inhabitants of this place over the past four hundred years. While this will be done it is understood that the thesis is not a historical essay on this place and that the recollection of histories is to help the readers situate themselves temporally only. The intent is to review possible narratives that have occurred culturally within the limits of this physical space bounded by water and greater surrounding landmasses.

Having situated oneself spatially and temporally, the task of this thesis will be to examine closely the contemporary conditions of social forces that help to shape the face of this place today. It is understood that any architectural undertaking should only be done after an effort has been made to understand not only the individual desires of the architect, but as well has partial responsibility to the public to convey an accurate image of future possibilities. For in reality when architecture is constructed it will, by definition be a futuristic undertaking, as its end product is to materialize something that is not currently there.

With the use of imagination and education, the architect becomes entitled to proposing a future, based on an understanding of the past and present context of this place. The final iteration of this thesis then will be a design essay within the physical location of current day Caribou Harbour, Nova Scotia (Acadie). A place that can adopt the past as a new mythical narrative that will help carry its identity into the future possibilities that lay ahead. This place will become a gathering place for travellers looking for refuge, as the ancient Arcadia was to Greece, so too can this place be a place of refuge and contemplation in an idyllic setting.

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Je suis né a Richmond Hill, Ontario juste a côté de Toronto, mais le fait que je suis né là n’a pas grand rapport avec la manière dont j’ai grandi, sauve qu’elle illustre bien le fait que ma famille n’a pas encore retourner a ces racines. Mon père est né a Jonquière, Québec et son père est né a Moncton, Nouveau Brunswick. Le centre culturelle de l’Acadie aujourd’hui. Dans une façon ou l’autre j’ai trouvé une identité spécifique en faisant cette thèse. Je crois fermement qu’il est important de savoir son propre histoire est d’être le plus conscient possible des effets de ces propres ancêtres sur nos vie quotidienne aujourd’hui.
Dans ce thèse je vais essayer d’utiliser les histoire du peuple qui se trouve sur une morceaux de terre qui se trouve a l’intersection des eaux de la mer rouge et en face de L’ile St.-Jean. Une petite havre pas trop connu mais qui a une importance fondamental a mon histoire et mon patrimonage. C’est là que mon quatrième enfant est venu à la monde et que nous nous souviendrons toujours de son immense influence dans notre vie bien qu’il n’a jamais pu vivre avec nous pour plus longtemps que les six mois dans la ventre de son maman. C’est les influence que nous nous reconnaitrons le moins dans nos vie qui on le pouvoir de changer nos vie dans une manière incroyable.