Preserving Soul: A New Hall for the Village of Prospect

Abstract

As global forces homogenize diverse places, rich local knowledge is eroding, prompting individuals to seek fulfillment beyond their rural communities. The solution lies in reconnecting people with their localities, fostering a sense of belonging and rootedness. To achieve this, the establishment of shared spaces that celebrate local idiosyncrasies is essential. A study of vernacular approaches to landscape and building becomes a guide in crafting a place-specific architecture, addressing the losses incurred by globalization. When the village of Prospect, Nova Scotia lost its church and church hall to private development, it disrupted the community cohesion and left residents with nowhere to gather as a community. A new community hall will be established that takes the essence of the church, Prospect’s former shared space, and shape it into an architecture that promotes a stewardship for the land and nourishes the village’s soul, thus reducing the need of travelling elsewhere to belong.