AN ARCHITECTURE OF IMMINENCE
Death rituals reflect a society’s structure, perception of time, and the beliefs of the living culture. They are simultaneously abstract, functional, and pliable. While the death of an individual is addressed in every culture, the death of a population's meaningful enterprise is not. Change is an unavoidable part of our world, yet the capacity to accommodate social and environmental transformation is rarely reflected in architecture.
YEAR: 2016-2017 | DURATION: 8 months | ROLE: Research, Site Planning, Design, Drawings & Renderings | TEAM: Individual project
Native Americans have suffered centuries of genocide, human rights violations, and social marginalization. With climate change, even the limited land they have left is under threat. The Lummi Nation of the Puget Sound are deeply connected to the salmon population. However, this resource and cultural symbol faces extinction due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, as well as the loss of tribal land due to rising sea levels. The death of an old way of life is rapidly approaching.
However, in this death, there is a chance for new life. The continued agricultural use of the low lying land is possible through an expansion the saltmarsh, a natural salmon habitat. Allowing the leveed and drained farmlands to return to their historical marsh state creates new opportunities for both the tribe and the environment. On a larger scale, the new marsh is a memorial for the salmon. An integrated pathway through the marsh allows visitors to see both industries supporting one another. The path is composed of five closed loops, each archiving and embodying a particular trait or characteristic of the site’s history and context. These paths are designed to change and eventually disappear as the site changes and the original program becomes obsolete. Here emerges an architecture that accounts for life after its program death
Although they are historically a fishing tribe, the Lummi Nation is widely known for its art and artists. They have produced prominent athletes, carvers, painters, performing artists, traditional storytellers, weavers, and “farmers of the sea.” They are also known for their college, the Northwest Indian College, which is one of the largest tribal colleges in the region. As one of 29 federally-recognized American Indian tribes in Washington, the Lummi exercise cultural, environmental, and political influence throughout their historical territory. Even as the salmon population dwindles, the Lummi Nation is growing larger than it ever has been before. The need to establish a new industry is more pressing than ever to sustain the growing Lummi Nation and their land.
The materiality of the path is indicative of the story it represents and its relationship with the salt marsh. While the marsh will enlarge the habitat and prolong life as long as possible, rising sea temperature will continue to damage aquatic populations. The gravel will wash away over time as the salmon are no longer present and that loop dies.
Concrete paths are relatively more permanent and belong to both the industry and pedestrians. Agricultural buildings and equipment are located along these paths, their width and materiality indicating their use as more than walkways.
Other sections of the path react differently to the changing conditions with growth. The paths closest to the water have a mesh cover over the ground. These areas will be the first exposed to rising sea levels, and the mesh will become a framework for floating vegetation as it traps silt and allows roots to take hold. The resulting floating gardens leave an organic shadow of what once was there.