This project questions whether tourist development is still sufficient and able to regenerate Essex’s riverside towns, with the chosen site of investigation being in Tilbury. After examining the existing environmental and social problems, such as vulnerability to flooding and chronic unemployment, the project started with conceiving a major masterplan for Tilbury’s dockside district. In doing so, the programme sought to create a thriving post-industrial community as well as a flood-resistant townscape which could guard against future climate-related problems.

The design conceives solutions at two different scales: firstly, as an urban masterplan for this whole area of Tilbury, and secondly, at the level of a new multi-level cruise terminal that will sit along the riverfront. The cruise terminal also operates as a community centre and produces its own energy through a bank of specially designed water turbines. This creates a dramatic architectural image which will welcome boats arriving at the terminal, allowing them to act as tourist attractions in themselves. Another crucial feature of the proposed scheme is sacrificial, with parts of the timber-frame structure being designed so that they will collapse during extreme storms and yet will be able to be easily rebuilt afterwards.