ARCH-4980.6 | Chris Perry, Assistant Professor

Archipelago

ALYSSA JOHNSON

In the postwar period the architecture experienced vast innovations of both form and usage. These changes, drawn from the space and aircraft industries and represented the life support system. Key to this system was its ability to support the user with an absolute minimum of waste and to maximize efficiency. This was transferred to architecture in the form of feedback houses, and futuristic projects from groups such as Archigram and Buckminster Fuller.

The Archipelago draws from these systems at a variety of levels to create a harmonic relationship between the Hudson river and the new bridges that will span it. At one level these bridges function as power plants, drawing from the unique tidal currents of the Hudson and the the power of the sun for energy. At another level, they are a destination: an incubator for clean industries, a place to live, a wildlife habitat, and a place to explore the Hudson. At another level they connect the disparate sides of the river, connecting and expanding communities simply through the act of crossing the river. At the macro scale these bridges act as a balance for the flux that has long occurred along the Hudson river.

From the time it was discovered to the present day the Hudson has experienced change in a way which puts the environment at odds with man made structures. Though both have been glorified separately, via the industrial period and the Hudson River School of painting these goals have never been combined in a way which acknowledges the scenic value and the industrial catalyst that is the Hudson River.

The Archipelago seeks to do this by proposing a network of towers spanning the length and breadth of the Hudson. By acting as self sufficient structures they do not impose upon the land, and in fact have the power to help remediate the river. They also serve as nodes of human activity and industry, anchoring the economy of the river and creating a stable, sustainable environment which has the power to equalize the massive swings of industry experienced in the past. By utilizing elements of the life support system and the legacy of the Hudson river, the Archipelago serves to mediate between man and the environment in a way that is vastly beneficial to both.