URBAN BIOTOPES

• SITE // Jackson Barracks, New Orleans

• PROGRAM // bird observatory

• SEMESTER // spring 2018

  • STUDIO ADVISOR // Scott Wall

PROJECT STATEMENT

URBAN BIOTOPES explores the neighborhood of Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. The area, located close in proximity to Lower Ninth Ward, builds upon principles of resilient architecture learned in prior project “Aurora” and seeks to unite it with architectural intervention for animals, the environment, and people. The result is a site and program that was personally chosen based on historical, logical, and metaphorical factors. Understanding the importance of New Orleans both as a system of migration crossroads and as an ecosystem that is diverse in flora and fauna is essential to investigating the fragility of the natural environment in the context of the built environment. Through the analysis of migratory bird patterns of the brown pelican, great egrets, osprey, and additional waterfowl, it is possible it postulate that coastal US waters are pivotal to the development of the species due to its geographic location. Considering the implications that such an ecosystem can have on an entire population of people and place, it is then possible to postulate that architecture built with direct relationship and mindfulness of the natural environment is the bridge that connects the natural ecosystem with human intervention.

Likewise, the brown pelican, as a staple bird of the city of New Orleans, is easily recognizable. The species has a storied history as one that was saved from endangerment, a story of successful conservation efforts and ecosystem rescue. Birdwatchers flock to New Orleans, ranked one of the best places in the world to watch birds of all species inhabit the urban condition. Among the birds lie a plethora of biological consequences and ecological systems that ultimately play a role in the urban fabric of the city as a whole. Consequently, Jackson Barracks serves as a biotope of the brown pelican, among other species of birds.

The creation of the urban biotope, or urban habitat, revolves around the ecosystem in the context of the city of New Orleans as a natural wetland environment that teems with life, consequently giving the place its own localized life. The site engages the shoreline and the water through a concrete seawall and an observatory made entirely of timber with the exception of joinery. Sub-observatories dot the shoreline and provide opportunity for those with boats to have a private viewing platform.

The project proposes a bird observatory that is designed to be destroyed in the event of a severe flood event. Over the years, and especially if another one-hundred-year storm were to take place, the intent is for the observatory to slowly reject the idea of permanence and let water reclaim it and become a breeding ground for the birds and fish that New Orleans is a habitat for.