Steel Sanctums: The adaptive reuse of a derelict cargo ship

This Master of Interior Architecture design research project proposes that a derelict cargo ship within one of the ship breaking yards of Chittagong, Bangladesh can be reused to accommodate the sites workers and act as a vehicle through which an interior intervention can be used to explore the significance and value of a derelict cargo ship. A design response that acknowledges the context of the site will allow for the exploration of the derelict cargo ship as a viable space for reuse and interior intervention.  As relevant case studies suggest there is a contemporary trend to reuse abandoned and derelict spaces. The implementation of derelict cargo ships as a viable spaces could provide a new perspective on the contemporary tendency to adaptively reuse these types of structures. This speculative research project explores ways in which one such structure could be investigated for interior intervention.   A derelict ship in the shipbreaking yards of Chittagong will become the shell in which a speculative, interior design solution will be explored. This will investigate the viability and significance of the adaptive reuse of cargo ships for the site’s context and the wider built environment. It will allow for a deeper understanding of the implications of inhabiting cargo ships.