Inuvik’s Port The port acts as the end point to the utilidor where it connects to the transport and waterfront of the city at the MacKenzie River.The utilidor supports inputs and outputs of goods and services, providing fuel to boats, electricity and service for the port to function, and the opportunity for both industry and local boating to meet in a mixed- use program ‘shed’ that can provide shelter and closure in the harsh winter climate.
Because this food network is created along the barge and highway line, each hub and supporting city must have a framework that supports business and has a positive impact on the community. The necessity for industry, processing and access at a city scale in the region is what drives the design for the Cooperative Utilidor. The term ‘utilidor’ speaks to a pipeline that carries utilities and provides the necessities for living. Inuvik already has a utilidor in the midst of the city, but it is poorly maintained, runs over and around buildings haphazardly, and provides only the basic utilities to the citizens. The Cooperative Utilidor is a redesign of this system; a utility corridor that runs underneath a public pathway that is designed as collective space. Market Shed Surfaces, sheds, shacks and pathways make up the public component of the utilidor.The market shed in Inuvik, one of several social condensers, is located next to the main grocery and provides a platform for individuals to ‘plug in’ to the utilidor in order to set up a market and create personal business year- round.
At a local scale, the processing infrastructure, the port, and community programs become hubs through the city, and the utilidor, acting as a spine, works with the already established urban plan and connects them. The Utilidor not only provides access to hot water, sewage lines, electricity and heat, but also has congregation points where these utilities can be used uniquely and easily to the benefit of the community. There are ‘pathways’, ‘surfaces’, ‘sheds’ and ‘shacks’ that all encourage citizens to ‘plug-in’ and use the public programs or space for personal business or industry support. The Cooperative Utilidor pathway has a subtle presence and can be used year round; providing heat and light in the winter, and platforms and shade in the summer. From city to city, the layout of the pathway will change to suit the surroundings, but will always connect the port to the industry and then out to the local natural resources, creating a loop that feeds back into the city and brings people to the centre.
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bernbaum + plaxton
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