ARCH-4980.1 | Ted Ngai, Lecturer

NON-PERMANENCE A Rhizomatic Architecture

CAITLIN TOCZKO

As a culture, we have been evolving toward what we had believed to be a rather catalytic future, one in which an action between two forces is initiated by an agent which remains unaffected itself. In the recent past, we have slowly begun to reconcile with ourselves that this is not the case: we, as the third party agent, will not be left unaffected by these rapid changes. Motivated by research into symbiosis and the Earth’s cycles, a line of interrogation was opened regarding specific instances of natural cycles and the resilience in their ability to maintain a necessary position within symbiotic relationships when manipulated.

During recent periods of extreme rainfall, the Mississippi River has become too shallow to contain the water running its course, resulting in extreme conditions of severe flooding along the southern-most regions of the river. These floods are ruining neighborhoods, towns, and cities while causing collapses in economy as well as the livelihood of many who reside along the river. Because the waters are rising, they are also becoming contaminated with various pollutants which were previously contained along the riverside. These factors result in problematic situations for the plants and animals which call the river and its riparian zone home. Many of these contaminants cannot decompose or combust thoroughly within the natural environment. We must be aware of man-made materials and their decomposition as we cannot always control where they end up. They cannot simply be thrown away because “there is no such place as away.”

Mycelium, natural fibers which act as roots within the fungi kingdom, naturally forms an organic polymer similar to plastic when grown densely. Through the use of this rhizomatic system, an architecture can be developed which will naturally decompose. The occupants of the space must keep up minimal maintenance in order to prolong the life of the structure; but once they move on, the architecture will simply fade back into the symbiotic landscape and act as a “seed” waiting for another piece of architecture to grow.