Activating Traces: Reconnecting Tidal Flows and Past Landscapes Through the Reuse of a Post-Industrial Textile Mill

Abstract

This thesis investigates an adaptive reuse of a former textile mill, a post-industrial ruin built in 1884 in the town of Windsor, Nova Scotia. Natural tidal waters once acted as a means of distribution for the town and mill, fostering economic opportunities. Today, a causeway chokes the adjacent river creating a disconnect between the town, the mill, and the natural landscape. This thesis reengages the natural and cultural histories embedded with place, while reconnecting the natural and anthropic traces of an abandoned mill and its surrounding landscape with the community it once served. New architectural interventions are woven into the existing traces, highlighting and forming a dialogue between past, present and future. The mill, a symbol of a local renaissance, brings together ecological, horticultural and creative programs that foster engagement and learning, while revealing the past and present layers of building and landscape.