WantedDesign Schools Workshop 2021: Gowanus Marsh Cove
Workshop Brief
WantedDesign's Online Schools Workshop is produced in partnership with Art Center, led by faculty members James Meraz and Michael Neumayr, with the support of Core77, IIDA and Tarkett.
This workshop will consider issues of sustainability through the exploration and design of: public furnishings, objects, interactive installations, play equipment and experiences that have us re-thinking our fragile relationship with nature in the urban context.
The context of our exploration will be the urban condition. As we become more nomadic and social frameworks less structured we tend to spend more time in what is known as the contemporary agora. Currently 75% of the U.S. population lives in an urban environment. Within this context our relationship with the natural world has become increasingly minimal, particularly in large city centers. Workshop participants will be asked to re-examine and re-define our relationship with nature within the duel crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale climate change.
We will begin by creating a dialogue between the concepts of open space and urban space, their ecosystems and infrastructures. We will explore how design can be the catalyst for the creation of meaningful experiences and places that are ecologically conscious, accommodate social distancing and can facilitate community engagement and dialogue. Ultimately we are seeking to define the emerging new relationships between nature and the city, between nature and humankind and an emerging co-evolution.
The Site
Gowanus Canal is located in the Gowanus region of Brooklyn, NY. It was once part of a large marshland area, but after many years of industrial waste being dumped into it, it is now one of the most polluted bodies of water in the U.S. It was declared a Superfund site in 2010, and city resources have gone towards cleaning the canal. Even after dumping waste in the canal was banned, it continued to be polluted from sewage overflows due to storm water flooding the sewage system, so Gowanus Sponge Park was created at this site with the purpose of absorbing excess water and reducing the chances of sewage overflow.
The Gowanus Marsh Cove proposal draws on the past, present, and desired future environmental conditions of the canal to provide a space that addresses the needs of the community and the environment.
Gowanus Sponge Park in it's current form is functional in its goal of absorbing water, but does not encourage use by the surrounding community. We propose enhancing the space for community use, while also increasing it's positive environmental impact. The area surrounding the Gowanus Canal is evolving into a largely artistic and residential community, and locals have shown interest in using the Gowanus Sponge Park space for events, gatherings, and leisurely activities. The Gowanus Marsh Cove proposal draws on the past, present, and desired future environmental conditions of the canal to provide a space that addresses the needs of the community and the environment.
Vision
Our vision is to improve the social and ecological environment of the Gowanus Canal through community growth and learning.
Environmental Impact
In the past, before New York City was developed to the expansive concrete jungle that it is today, Gowanus Canal used to be part of a thriving marshland. Marshlands are a type of wet terrain that is high in nutrients, and grows a variety of plants that are beneficial to the environment. Because marshes are wetlands, plants that grow well in marshes also grow well directly in the water, and many even have purifying and detoxifying qualities. The Gowanus Marsh Cove houses multiple man-made marsh habitats, which are filled with these types of detoxifying plants such as Water Lilies, Soft Rush, and Water Mint.
These water garden habitats also serve the purpose of adding more nature and greenery to the cove for the enjoyment of visitors. They can be viewed and enjoyed close up using the net seating areas that extend out over the canal. Purifying plant-life has also been incorporated into the night-life of The Cove through moss covered buoy lights, which are solar powered and light up every night as the sun sets. These buoys are beautiful to observe bobbing in the water in the evening, and are covered in a type of peat moss that helps filter and detoxify the water that passes through it.
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In addition to detoxifying the water directly through the use of plant-life, The Cove aims to educate the local community about how they as humans might be impacting the environment of the canal, and what they and their community can do to decrease or reverse that impact. This is primarily communicated via the Eco-Stations set up at the main entrance of the The Cove. These interactive stations scattered throughout a grove of trees cover five topics, two address the history of the area (the industrialization of the canal and the accumulation of pollution over time), two address the current state of the canal (what pollutants are in the water and what is being done to clean up the canal), and one addresses the future of the canal (the role of the Marsh Cove and surrounding community).
Community Impact
The area surrounding Gowanus Canal used to be mostly industrial businesses, but has recently been developed to have residential areas and a variety of growing artists communities. With this change, the community has voiced hopes for what the area of the current Gowanus Sponge Park could be for them if it was developed, including wanting more community gathering space, more recreational activities, and incorporation of the thriving artistic heart of the community. The Gowanus Marsh Grove proposes to address all of these desires, in parallel with the eco-positive features of the space.
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The central space of the Gowanus Marsh Grove houses a greenery amphitheater overlooking a water-level floating stage, where abundant activities can be held including plays, concerts, and ceremonies. Along the backside of the stage is a patterned screen which casts shadows at night onto the moving moss wall positioned across the water. The path down to the stage is partially submerged, putting visitors at water level with the canal, allowing them to immerse themselves in the environment and view the plant-life up close.
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The amphitheater provides shade and seating for viewing activities on the stage, relaxing on the grass, or eating lunch with friends. The wall that runs along the backside of the amphitheater is utilized as a space for local artists to display their artwork, and is divided into a collage of varying canvas sizes. The artwork in this space cycles out on a regular interval to give many local artists an opportunity to display their work.
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Upriver from the amphitheater and stage is an area filled with raised tree beds, which provide comfortable space to sit on the grass and work, eat, or relax. Much of the ground in The Cove is paved with "permeable pavers", a type of path that allows grass to grow through the pavement. This increases the rainwater absorption capacity of the ground, and also creates a more welcoming and nature-filled atmosphere than traditional paving. Along the water by these tree beds is a dock area with canoe rentals and tours of the canal. These spaces encourage community activity and utilization of the canal to its fullest.
Team: Marsh Mallow
For this workshop I was part of Team Marsh Mallow which consisted of myself, Ashley Diltz (Interior Design Student at Rochester Institute of Technology), Kevin Evensen (Environmental Design Student at Art Center College of Design), and Margarita Zulueta (Products of Design Student at the School of Visual Arts).