# SEA /// WWII Mulberry Harbour in Arromanches

Mulberry Harbours were unfoldable harbours developed during the Second World War in order for the allies to constitute a basis able to make all the cargo land in Arromanches (Normandy). Apart from the bridges and piers, what is very interesting here is the constitution of a seawall in order to break the waves that could have -and that actually had- avoid the harbour to function. This seawall was composed by ships in the surface and enormous concrete caissons (called Phoenix) that was filled with water or sand and sank in order to break the deeper currents.

If you are interested to know more I recommend this US Navy's history's website.

This article seemed relevant within the frame of Transit-City's next workshop in Paris on February 19th which will discuss about the military understanding of urban issues and design.

# HETEROTOPIAS IN CINEMA /// The secret life of words by Isabel Coixet

The secret life of words by Isabel Coixet is a beautiful film that take place on a offshore oil rig situated in the West of Ireland. The rig's characteristic is to combine the ship's language with an obvious link to the ground and therefore the island's static aspect. Foucault's favorite example of heterotopia is the one of the ship probably in a historicist concern, nevertheless the rig has the advantage not to imply any arrival that would not depend on the human when the oil rig implies an entrance and an exist that are absolutely dependent to the considered character.
The small basketball field and the swings on the deck definitely participates to the sedentary aspect of the territory itself.

Thanks Ethel !

# SEA /// Offshore city on BLDG BLOG

Still in our thematic SEA, you can read BLDG BLOG article about the offshore city of Oil Rock in Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea.

# SEA /// Jacques Rougerie

An obvious reference linking architecture and the sea comes from Jacques Rougerie's work since the beginning of the 70's. Rougerie did invent a lot of boats, submarines and subaquatic villages and farms and keep creating some of them nowadays. He works on a barge on the Seine in Paris and owns an amphibian car to link his passion to his working environment...

# SEA /// Atlantikwall

Atlantikwall/ mur de l'Atlantique/ Atlantic wall was the german sea side protection from allied attack from 1941 to 1945.( more here )

Following I'll show you some of the amazing concrete bunkers/blochaus that have been built by the german Army to protect the coast from Norway to France.
Today most of this buildings are crumbling into parts, or sinking in the beach sand...
-I made a special SEA thematic selection with only sinking bunkers.

More here, here and here
The best book ever about those bunkers is famous Bunker archeology of Paul Virilio.

the map of the Atlantic wall

# SEA /// NDLR's Endless waves

NDLR decided to surf the same wave than us and is providing a SEA article called Endless Waves.

picture: Dustin Hemphrey for INSIGHT

# SEA /// the jetty /the pier between Earth and Sea

Malibu pier (CA)




The jetty/ the pier between earth and sea is an architectural icone.
Following is a serie of pictures of pier, jetty, warf that are pretty impressive.

Those examples are mostly in Califonia, France or England. Those construction are made of wood, steel , cast iron or concrete they have been build for fishing, leisure, or promenade and each of it is carrying by his style and his materiality the memory of his time.
(any other proposition of cool piers are welcome to enlarge this post!)


here you can see "La jetée", the short movie of Chris Marker

more about UK's pier

Santa monica Pier. (CA)



Hermosa beach's pier (CA)


Manhattan beach's Pier.

Fécamp (FR)

Brighton west pier (UK)


Brighton Palace Pier (UK) the last of the three Pier of brighton still standing over the water.


Blankenberge (BE)

Trouville (FR)



St Annes pier, (UK)


Clevedon Pier (UK)

Ostend (BE)



Imperial Beach Pier in San Diego (US)