The Reimagined Shorebase by Elliot Manuel

The Reimagined Shorebase LSU School of Architecture // Chevron [Spring 2014] Venice, LA

TABLE OF [CONTENTS] I. Introductions [2-45] Part One Condition Players Question Part Two Program Field Excursion Symbiotic Corpse II. Student Projects [46-137] Elemental Amy Gemelli, Brian Lucke, Victor Erwin Environmental Matthew McKeever, Robert Ketner, Ju Liu Infra-structural Tyler Brandis, Alex Klingsporn, Elliot Manuel Mobile Katie Pitre, Alyce Howe, Dean Kelly III. Conclusion [138-143] Professor’s Closing Letter Participants’ Acknowledgements Notes and Bibliography

A. Architecture students sketching in Chauvin, Louisiana B. View of vegetation and water in a canal near Rockefeller Refuge C. Corner of Fort Pike in the Rigolets near New Orleans, Louisiana D. Landscape in Grand Isle, Louisiana with dune in foreground

Introduction and Conditions symbiosis [n] - the relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other

INTRODUCTION TO THE [CONDITION] Synopsis The Louisiana Coast and the adjacent Gulf of Mexico are intrinsically linked by the mighty Mississippi River. The river and its deposits over thousands of years created the coast and also the oil found offshore. 65-2.5 million years before the present" the tertiary period, the great river carried large volumes of sediment towards the Gulf and created a major sedimentary basin, and many subsurface deposits. These subsurface deposits were composed of dead organisms that were buried before they could oxidize or burn up or decay. These non-decayed dead things become the major requirement for making oil long into the future especially those that formed in localized centers of deposition. Faulting of these Tertiary sediments led to the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in massive fields below the coast, especially along the flanks of salt domes that were forced up through the sediments from the underlying rock strata (Roberts et al. 1989). In more recent geologic time, the ecosystems of coastal Louisiana have gone through more rapid changes driven by low topographic relief, geological processes, and climate. The River, as it changed course to the sea, created multiple delta lobes that presently are in various states of degradation/formation. These lobes formed the eastern half of the state (the deltaic plain) while the western half of the state (the Chenier plain) was constructed during the glacial melt as layers of sediments were deposited on the eroded Pleistocene surface from the Gulf. Presently, the Louisiana coast exists in a fragile state: the river that fed it has been bound, the sea is rising, and the climate creates more erosive storms. The physical health of the coast is poor yet it is critical to the state and country and environment. The coast serves as a protective barrier to the largest populations in the state, as the operations base for more than a quarter of US energy resources, and forty percent of the continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wetland environment. If the coast is to continue to serve and thrive, its relationship with its inhabitants and the oil and gas industry must become more symbiotic. This semester, The Chevron Shore Base project will investigate symbiotic design queries in the unique Louisiana condition.

E. Typical offshore production platform in Terrebonne Bay F. Typical view of canal and surrounding vegetation in coastal Louisiana

INTRODUCTION TO THE [PLAYERS] The Coast And Its Inhabitants Many argue that the only way to have a healthy Louisiana Coast is for all humans and human activities to be removed. It is important to remember that even though humans clearly have an affect on the natural world, they are also part of the natural world. The studio this semester will question this relationship and ask for resolutions that do not prioritize one over the other but instead create a more symbiotic relationship. Presently one could argue that our environmental relationship is in synnecrosis: a relationship between symbionts that is mutually detrimental. As this is destructive, the relationship must change. Our relationship with the coast is obligate (meaning that all symbionts depend on each other for survival.) For the design investigations you will make this semester, you must counteract the synnecrosis relationship and try to find a more symbiotic one. This may be a mutualistic or commensal. It cannot be one of parasitism, amensalism, or synnecrosis. The technological and scientific capabilities in the contemporary era present opportunities for humankind to now assume the creativity and responsibility for maintaining the environment. The natural world before the industrial revolution seemed omnipresent and merely required negotiation and manipulation; now, humankindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more equal presence demands the natural world to be tectonically re-envisioned, replicated, and nurtured. Nature is an infrastructure that supports the larger biosphere and is undoubtedly more critical to our survival than anything else. The Chevron Shore Base design project will participate in this responsibility and initiative while maintaining the requisites of contemporary life. It will investigate what a healthy relationship is between disparate symbionts and how design can be transformative at its best. The Industry The oil and gas industry is as omnipresent in Louisiana as is the coastal environment. As previously stated, energy resources are plentiful for the same reason our wetlands were. One only has to look at a map of the industry to see its relative scale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Louisiana has the greatest concentration of crude oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and petrochemical production facilities in the Western Hemisphere.â&#x20AC;? (LA Division of Administration)

G. Camps along the water near Grand Isle, Louisiana H. Example of industry producing unique architectural forms

Continued [PLAYERS] The Industry The industry employs thousands of humans who need to live along the coast to access their work environment. The industry also must occupy the coast as it serves as its BASE for operations for its shoreline and off-shore components. Without these bases, the industry could not subsist. The bases provide the necessary link between land and sea, humankind and livelihood, country and economy, supply and distribution. Unfortunately where these bases need to occupy exists in the dynamic and eroding coastal condition and paradoxically demand a place of permanence. This is especially true in Venice, LA where annual inundation and erosion occurs with or without storm action. Like humans, the industry has contributed to the degradation of the coast. Yet also, the oil and gas industry are part of humanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s means of existence. Industry + Humans + Coast = Symbiotic Environment This studio demands that the industry be the third symbiont in the symbiotic relationship. At its best can the industry be similar to the bee, nurturing and contributing to the health and welfare of the humans and the coast? True, the Chevron Shore Base at Venice is just a small component of the overall industry but it serves as a relative test project for issues faced by all the players. As Joan Ockman stated in a recent issue of the Journal of Architectural Education: The very act of designing and building is by definition an affirmative one. Today, an architecture that inquires deeply and radically into the relationship between itself and society, itself and the world, is more resonant and relevant than ever. The complexities of contemporary practice demand not only strategic realism but also critical discernment and conscience. Indeed, while architects have a minimal responsibility to do no harm, they may also aspire to do some good.

I. Louisiana alligator eating a piece of chicken from a lure J. Example of Louisiana Brown Pelicans perched upon a wooden pile

INTRODUCTION TO THE [PROGRAM] Ship Slips

1 Heavy Lift Slip - 120’ by 625’ (51,000 s.f. of staging area) 2 Regular Slips - 120’ by 475’ (32,000 s.f. of staging area) Exterior Slip Storage 1500 excess l.f. of Bulkhead (ship waiting area)

237,600 s.f.

Per Slip - 100,000 SF min

Control Center Office Pool 5 Private Offices Flex Space/Training room Communications Closet Shipping and Receiving Office Kitchen and Break Area Storage Janitor Closet Bathrooms (3 total, 1M, 1F, and 1 Unisex - All ADA Compliant)

1200 SF 120 SF each 1450 SF 50 SF 105 SF 192 SF 230 SF 15 SF >220 SF

Bunkhouse/Pilot Bunks

Single Bunks (10) - double bed, desk, closet, bathroom with shower Double Bunks (14) - 2 double beds, desk, 2 closets, bathroom with shower Private Bunks (2- ADA Compliant) 1 double bed, desk, closet, bathroom

each @ 220 s.f. each @ 310 s.f. each @ 255 s.f.

K. New construction of C-PORT 3 at Port Fourchon L. Oil derrick at Hercules Offshore in Houma, Louisiana

Continued [PROGRAM] Bunkhouse/Pilot Bunks cont. Dining Hall Kitchen Laundry - 5 washer/dryers, utility sink, ironing board, folding table Fitness Center Recreation Hall Outdoor Space Gross Spaces (6 utility/janitor closets, 4 storage closets) Mechanical Space (> 10%) Circulation Space (>15%)

1460 SF 900 SF 650 SF 290 SF 1400 SF 1400 SF Min. 350 SF

Heliport Facility (8 landing pads-size TBD to helicopter type)

3 Offices/control spaces Entry/Waiting Room Safety Training Room Storage Closet Bathrooms (2 total - ADAAG Compliant)

285 SF each 500 SF 250 SF

Shore Base Site Operations

TBD

90 SF

Guard Shack/Controlled entry Parking (no less than 800 spaces, btw 300 and 350s.f. per spot) Septic System Fuel/Water tank Hazardous Storage/Radiation Testing

20,000 gallons 2,300 SF

M. Abandoned production platform in Terrebonne Bay N. Grain silo near the Port of Lake Charles

Continued [PROGRAM] Requisites for Chevron Shorebase and Venice Site Variables 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

The major components of the program can and should be combined uniquely. A position fixed or not for the base must be determined. Efficiency of services and environmental health are to be prioritized. There are ships, semi-trucks, cars, cranes, and people all moving about on site: a clear design system must be articulated for this myriad of transport. Safety between the moving objects is to be prioritized. Keep in mind this is a dynamic site from what it does to where it lies. All three symbionts are moving. The multiple occupancies/programs that occur on the Shorebase will demand thresholds/transition points: between types, between scales, between actions, between amounts of action. This is a design opportunity. Continuing to address transitions there are also multiple thresholds between public and private: outside site and inside site, work and rest, group and individual, The thresholds between public spaces and private spaces are critical. The Shorebase presents a face of company, it presents its identity to land and sea. It presents its position regarding how to operate for land and sea. How does the company present its symbiotic position? The joint between land and sea and sea and land is a critical juncture. It is at the origin of what a Shorebase is. It will be detailed in this project. Think outside the box. What you witnessed at C-PORT 3 is proprietary so you cannot copy it. Erosion and flooding must be designed for as an existing and continuous condition. Base Flood Elevation for Venice is 15 feet. The act of construction is destructive. This is not an option at Venice. What is constructed must make

O. Mississippi River Delta in the year 1937 P. Cypress tree dying due to salt water exposure Q. Mississippi River Delta in the year 2000

up for its destruction and actively rectify any destruction it causes daily. This site is to be one of positive healthy growth for all symbionts. (industrial efficiency, healthy wetlands, protected habitation etc.) 14. Drainage is a major issue in Venice. Hard surfaces have nowhere to drain as it is so flat and low. Drainage from industrial sites often carries impurities. What to do with water where water is not required must be addressed. 15. Because of its flatness, Venice is exposed. All symbionts exist in rawness. The weather and the water take advantage of this rawness and wreak havoc on industry, people, and the environment. A position on how to negotiate exposure must be taken.

INTRODUCTION TO THE [FIELD EXCURSION] Day 1 [1/21] - Drive West Follow coast stopping at Cypremort, Holly Beach, Rockefeller Refuge along Highway 82 to Cameron Day 2 [1/22] - Lake Charles // Tour of LNG Turning Basin, LEEVAC Vessel Repair, and L.C. Seaport Authority Day 3 [1/23] - Jennings // Tour of LEEVAC Shipyards Day 4 [1/24] - Lafayette and Morgan City // Tour of Gulf Land Structures and International Petroleum Museum Day 5 [1/25] - Chauvin // Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Gulf & Barrier Island Excursion Day 6 [1/26] - Chauvin // Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Marsh Excursion Day 7 [1/27] - Houma // Tour of Hercules Offshore and journey to camp in Grand Isle Day 8 [1/28] - Port Fourchon // Tour of Port and Airport and tour of Chevron C-PORT 1 Day 9 [1/29] - Port Fourchon // Tour of Edison Chouest C-PORT 3 Day 10 [1/30] - Venice // Tour of Chevron Project Site Day 11 [1/31] - The Rigolets // Tour of Fort Pike

R. Map showing the stops of the LSU Architecture Studio across southern Louisiana

1 10

11 19

8 7

5 2

4 3

12 13 15 18 16

14 17

[FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 1 [I-10 & LA 82] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 On day 1, the studio travels west through the Port Allen delta, across the Atchafalaya Basin, and then down in the Chenier Plain. At each ecosystem adjustment, the section through the landscape from water to land is constructed. The water starts off fresh (taste tested) and culminates in salt. Multiple stops, pink flamingos, a 50 cent car ferry ride adjacent a quebecois fiat, and an onslaught of beach mosquitoes, the studio stands on a pier in the middle of the Sabine pass, between LA and TX in the shadow of twinkling lights of LNG.

S. Boat dock at Butte La Rose on the Atchafalaya Basin T. Architectural construction approaching Rockefeller Refuge U. View of marshland near Rockefeller Refuge

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 2 [Port of Lake Charles]

Day 2 presented the opposite landscape to the studio. From the man-made, dredged sixty-eight mile Calcasieu channel lined with spoil landscapes to the 150 feet span warehouses and 160 feet tall stainless steel lined, concrete grain elevators, the constructed landscape is monumental both in scale and effort. It is also rich in texture and material. These images provide only a small sampling of all the studio witnessed. The last stop of the day, the casino – a massive barge disguised as a building and made by LEEVAC. Student quote for the day “WHAT?”

V. Port of Lake Charles rail line W. Exterior view of dry dock and container yard at LEEVAC X. Grain silos at the Port of Lake Charles

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 3 [LEEVAC Ship Yards]

Day 3 is spent in the LEEVAC Shipyard. “Super Mike” and his fellow engineers provide the class with an incredible tour that begins with the design process, goes through the modular assembly floor, out into the yard for steel erection, and then into the belly of the beast. The craft and precision at such a large scale is inspiring. The seams are beautiful, the bends are fluid, and the one inch plates are massive. The myriad of systems, both active (plumbing, liquid storage, mechanical, electrical) passive (sea water cooling) and technological (computer operated DPS, etc.) are threaded so tightly, even the smallest must yield to the complexity. Student quote of the day “I am not going down there.”

Y. Exterior construction of double hull on ship Z. Interior of LEEVAC ship yards with ship hull in foreground AA. Interior of LEEVAC ship yard with section of hull about to be lifted

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 4 [Gulf Land Structures and International Petroleum Museum]

11 12

On day 4, the studio experiences life on the rig. Beginning at Gulf Land Structures, the students fill-up a prefabricated twelve man sleeping pod. Four bunks and eight bunks, divided by a bathroom suite, clad in a pristine, 21,000 pounds taut, white, fiberglass shell, the quarters are tight and efficient. Two and half icy hours later, Mr. Virgil has the class skate out on Mr. Charlie. From 1954 to 1986, this rig drilled hundreds of offshore wells off the coast of Morgan City. He was the first transportable, submersible drilling rig and represents the springboard to the current offshore rig technology, both shallow and deep. Intrepidly, out on the icy drill deck, Mr. Virgil explains how the entire platform works to support a single five inch pipe, one that now can travel over seven miles below the surface of the earth. Finally, it all ends in a rig repair yard, where the scale of all it takes to drill a five inch pipe comes to fruition. Wow!

BB. Exterior view of IPM showing entrance stair CC. Foundation piers that support IPM in open water DD. Fiberglass spray gun used to coat portable buildings from weather and fire

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 5 & 6 [Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium]

13 14

The studio now ventures in situ of the industry and landscape. Braving the icy wind and bone-crunching swells, the intrepid students and LUMCON guides take off into the bay. As the fog lifts, and the sun shines white on the surface, the water-world of industry infrastructure is revealed. The boat travels from East to West in Terrebonne Bay, approaching each production platform, pressure valve, and observation stations for photo opportunities and a respite from the icy wind. Skirting behind the barrier islands (the North wind pushing too much water out of the bay to allow the group to disembark) the boat traverses from Timbalier Bay to Lake Pelto and then up the bayou. The excursion concludes at the newly minted “Bubba Dove” in the warmth and stillness of the saltwater marsh. The rest of the day is spent accruing warmth and peacefully tracing the environment from the constructed base of the research facility. One beautiful sunset, thirteen servings of devil’s food cake, and a twelve sketchbook throw down, the weather worn explorers fall into their bunks. Sunday is a day of rest. Leisurely we ate breakfast at seven followed by some morning work and then out to explore the invaluable salt water marsh. It is quiet and peaceful out on the water (quite a contrast from Day 5.) The students return exercised and sweaty. Following, the studio packs up and heads to Cecil Lapyrouse Grocery for snacks to hold them over through their sketch exercises. As the caravan heads north, the students disembark multiple times to capture the complexity of the environmental section. At first glance it seems low and flat, but upon closer observation, the dynamic variation of the terrain is revealed. At stop two, nine changes occur in less than 200 yards between the bayou and Lake Boudreaux. It may not have the elevation of the Rocky Mountains, but it is as craggy and variable.

EE. Abandoned production warehouse in Terrebonne Bay FF. Typical production platform in Terrebonne Bay GG. Typical natural gas production platform in Terrebonne Bay

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 7 [Hercules Offshore]

Day 7 begins at Hercules Offshore where Instructor Shane Mendel provides the studio with the 101 on offshore drilling. For more than two hours, the students listen in rapt attention to the complexity and simplicity of drilling pipe into the sea floor. From gumbo to possum belly, hydrostatic pressure (HP) to formation fluid pressure (FFP), true vertical depth (TVD) and measured depth (MD), the physical science of extraction is presented. The inclass lesson ends with rigs larger than the Sears Tower being hauled out into the ocean and erected. Once again AWE abounds. With those images testing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imagination, lunch is served on the rig and another saturated tour commences. The sun is shining, the paint is vivid; one might argue it is warm. As the group heads to the southernmost point of the tour, Grand Isle/Port Fourchon, Winter Storm Leon is fast approaching. The bridge to the end of the world and potential entrapment is more monumental and awe inspiring then ever. Not to worry, the ocean provides, and the group drenches themselves with its bounty.

HH. Bottom of Hercules rig showing opening to top deck II. Different components of oil drilling around Hercules Offshore shipping yard JJ. Connection of derrick with platform structure

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 8 [Port Fourchon Drive-By]

Winter storm Leon fast approaches but if the studio can go boating in freezing temperatures than driving through a Port should be no problem. The day commences early with a presentation by Chett Chiasson, Director of Port Fourchon. A proud graduate of LSU (both undergrad and grad) he speaks articulately and passionately about the symbiotic relationship the Port has between the community, industry, and mother nature. The students now armed with knowledge fire questions at him right and left but he and his staff are poised with answers. By the end of the discussion/debate, the studio is impressed with the Port’s efforts and somewhat depressed with the federal government. Moira Crone’s The Not Yet seems more foretelling than ever. Following the lesson, the studio takes off to the Galliano Airport to drive over the pipeline for 20% of the federal nation’s domestic and imported oil supply and then on to the Port. It is getting darker, colder, wetter, and the windows steam-up on the bus, but our Harbor Patrol driver does not desist. The studio is not allowed to disembark and so with rapid fire, high technology they attempt to capture what they see through the small operable air vents in the bus. The day ends early standing on one of the Port’s project’s (a giant tube of sand forming a dune) staring out at the industry’s water world with our tour guide, Davie Breaux. Then, back to the Isle before the bridges close at the end of the world and leave us stranded on the boundary between land and sea. Two quotes for the day: “I think we have come to the land of GIANTS!” and from Mr. Breaux, “We want to be Cajun, we want our seafood and to enjoy our estuaries.”

KK. Production rigs from the beach LL. Companies operating between land and sea at Port Fourchon MM. OSV with heliport at Port Fourchon

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 9 [Not Leaving The Not Yet]

There is no departure from Grand Isle. The bridge between and the bridge off are ice bound. So work it is. Not a bad time to sit and reflect on all that has been seen in the last 208 hours. Thank goodness everyone is stranded so no tour is lost, just rescheduled. Tomorrow will be the quote of the day â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Day Ever.â&#x20AC;?

NN. The pier at Grand Isle State Park OO. Frozen floor joists in Grand Isle during ice storm PP. Labyrinth constructed from bottles, decoys, buoys and other coastal objects

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 10 [Port Fourchon, C-PORT 1, and C-PORT 3]

After a full day of confinement, the students are eager to explore a new venue. Off to the Port the studio descends on C-PORT 1 where Chevron occupies three slips. After meeting with Mr. Taylor, he takes us out onto the Alyssa Chouest, an OSV leased from Chouest. Once on board, the students roam about exploring the ROV unit, the pilot house, and bright orange metal hull. High above the bayou, the students fill the captainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s area, admiring the high-tech digital screens and the sophistication it requires to man the vessel. From there the studio ventures out into the large scale yard of the dry dock and then the construction site of C-PORT 3. The constructions are massive, dwarfing all, and reminding those who studied in Rome of the power man possesses over space. The ships are grand, the cranes gargantuan, the volume endless. As they roam about the sheet piles of C-PORT 3, crawling on the piles, lying on the gravel, and balancing on the four inch tieback cables, the exposed framing of the new slips presents a clear diagram of construction. At thirteen hundred hours, the group departs for Venice suitably impressed by the efficiency of the C-PORT structure and possessive of a clearer understanding of the shorebase operation.

QQ. Interior of C-PORT3 looking towards the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge RR. View of sister ship Kobe Chouest docked at C-PORT1 SS. Remote operated vehicle on the ship Alyssa Chouest

Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]

Day 11 [Chevron Project Site and Fort Pike]

The last day has arrived. Even with time lost, the studio will reach the eastern border by dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end. To complete the excursion, the group departs early for their site, Venice, Louisiana. After passing through another Marine Corps threshold, all arrive a bit early at the Chevron Shore Base. It is not hard to see the site is exposed to the weather and the river. The Chevron team is ready and waiting for the group. Each expert on the operations of the base presents in detail the daily activities and the dilemmas. By the time the tour of the facility is complete and all have sat down to enjoy one last meal together, the students have a thorough knowledge foundation to begin the project. From Venice, the most southeast point of the excursion, the caravan takes off for the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eastern border and the last sampling of the coastal environment, the Rigolets. The group descends on Fort Pike, built in 1818 to protect the eight mile strait, by 3:30 armed with cameras and sketchbooks. The western sunlight makes the fort glow, the water glisten, and the burning marsh simmer in the distance. The students scramble about for one last photo, one last sketch, one last moment in the not yet.

TT. Image of Chevron Site UU. Interior of Fort Pike with afternoon light coming through a wall opening VV. View of Fort Pike looking Northeast

INTRODUCTION TO THE [EXQUISITE CORPSE] Student Requirements As stated, as you traverse your field you will be drawing and photographing your world. The world you will be witnessing will be both wild and woolly (nature) and constructed and tempered (industry). You must use your methods of media to capture the field so that it is always accessible, even when not physically present. You will use this documentation to create 2@24”X 36” world image views of both the natural environment and the industrial environment. These “world images” must be collaged and constructed from the data you collected along the way to present your vision of the whole excursion. Each image created must present a NEW world tectonically constructed from all that you have observed. They must be thoughtful, analytical, IMAGINATIVE, and conscientiously constructed. They must be a composition of your reading of the SITE (made from many layers). Site for this project is much greater than just the point the shoreBASE physically occupies. The shoreBASE is a network point connecting, affecting, and occupying a global network. Your “world images” must try to parse the site into its two major symbionts so that you can see them as their separate entities. Secondly, you will participate in an “exquisite corpse” with classmates. You will exchange a percentage (less than 50% and to be confirmed with your instructor) of each image with a classmate. You will turn off layers in your image and save a new file to hand over. Then armed with new files from your peers, you will “exquisite corpse,” each file with the opposite symbiont: Nature + Industry, Industry + Nature. These new “SYMBIOTIC CORPSE” images will be presented in 24”X 36” high quality prints. The Exquisite Corpse (Rubin) Among Surrealist techniques exploiting the mystique of accident was a kind of collective collage of words or images called the cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse). Based on an old parlor game, it was played by several people, each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal part of it, and pass it on to the next player for his contribution.

WW. Exquisite Corpse by Andre Breton, Jacqueline Lamba and Yves Tanguy XX. Exquisite Corpse by Andre Breton, Jacqueline Lamba and Yves Tanguy YY. Factory, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Zeche Germania, Dortmund, D 1971

The technique got its name from results obtained in initial playing, “Le cadavre / exquis / boira / le vin / nouveau” (The exquisite corpse will drink the young wine). Other examples are: “The dormitory of friable little girls puts the odious box right” and “The Senegal oyster will eat the tricolor bread.” These poetic fragments were felt to reveal what Nicolas Calas characterized as the “unconscious reality in the personality of the group” resulting from a process of what Ernst called “mental contagion.” At the same time, they represented the transposition of Lautréamont’s classic verbal collage to a collective level, in effect fulfilling his injunction-- frequently cited in Surrealist texts--that “poetry must be made by all and not by one.” It was natural that such oracular truths should be similarly sought through images, and the game was immediately adapted to drawing, producing a series of hybrids the first reproductions of which are to be found in No. 9-10 of La Révolution surrealiste (October, 1927) without identification of their creators. The game was adapted to the possibilities of drawing, and even collage, by assigning a section of a body to each player, though the Surrealist principle of metaphoric displacement led to images that only vaguely resembled the human form.

Exquisite Corpse [STUDENT WORK]

Left Exquisite corpse by Elliot Manuel Right Exquisite corpse by Katie Pitre

Top Left Exquisite corpse by Alyce Howe Top Right Exquisite corpse by Katie Pitre Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Dean Kelly Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Robert Ketner

Top Left Exquisite corpse by Matthew Mckeever Top Right Exquisite corpse by Brian Lucke Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Ju Liu Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Alex Klingsporn

Top Left Exquisite corpse by Elliot Manuel Top Right Exquisite corpse by Robert Ketner Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Alex Klingsporn Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Robert Ketner

Top Left Exquisite corpse by Matthew McKeever Top Right Exquisite corpse by Alyce Howe Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Brian Lucke Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Dean Kelly

The Symbiotic Shorebase Industry + Humans + Coast = Symbiotic Environment

environment [n] - the action of circumnavigating, encompassing, or surrounding something; the state of being encompassed or surrounded.

Right Primary perspective displaying overall structure of Pipes and Parcels in water

Amy Gemelli [Pipes and Parcels] For those companies in the oil and gas industry, a shore base functions as the connection to land for the transfer of people, goods, and supplies moving on and offshore. The current 40-acre site of the Chevron shore base in Venice, Louisiana exists in a harsh and ever-changing environment. Besides the issues of flooding, hot and humid temperatures, and hurricanes, the shore base faces the threat of Tiger Pass, the part of the Mississippi River which large ships use to reach the shore base, filling with sediment due to the ever-changing course of the Mississippi River and becoming unnavigable within 20 years. Steel drill pipes, a major component in extracting oil offshore, may seem insignificant individually, but they have established a sense of permanence in the oil and gas industry with their strength and their ability to be connected to one another to form a continuous underwater chain. They are constantly being relocated and reused. By constructing the shore base from a series of barges which can be added to and rearranged and eventually relocated where needed by tugboat, the shore base will be able to achieve the same sense of permanence in the industry as the steel drill pipe. Using recycled steel drill pipe to set up a grid system which varies amongst the structures helps to define program, aids in the efficiency of the shore base, and creates a unique atmosphere for those navigating the operations of the shore base. As the barges become an alternative ground upon which the shore base can operate, the industrial landscape will operate independently of the natural land, allowing the site to return to its natural state. 52

BARGE LEVEL PLAN

Scale: 1/32”=1’-0”

VIEW OF SHORE BASE FROM TIGER PASS

PROGRAM KEY HELIPORT OPERATIONS

CONTROL CENTER OPERATIONS

BUNKHOUSES BUNKHOUSE SUPPORT

KITCHEN, DINING, & REC

STORAGE

NON-POTABLE WATER

FUEL

POTABLE WATER STORAGE SHIP SUPPORT MATERIALS

CIRCULATION KEY DRILLING MUD

REGULAR SLIP

DRILLING MUD

REGULAR SLIP

PEOPLE

HEAVY LIFT SLIP

CARGO/GOODS DRILLING MUD

DRILLING MUD

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES CARS

BARITE

HELICOPTERS

D A

SHIPS

CRANES

1 2

POTABLE WATER

STORAGE

POTABLE WATER

3 4

30’ grid for living/office barge as there is less weight for the steel drill pipes to support

STORAGE

A tighter grid of 10’ supports large cranes above

CAR LIFT

OFFICE R.R.

HELICOPTER HANGAR

LANDING PAD 8

LANDING PAD 6

LANDING PAD 7

LANDING PAD 5

30’ spacing to allow for large commercial vehicles

CAR LIFT

HELICOPTER TAXI AREA

CAR LIFT

HELICOPTER TAXI AREA

15’ spacing along each side of barge joints allows for one-way passage in and out

PARKING

Barge Key

LANDING PAD 4

LANDING PAD 2

A Parking/Heliport Barge LANDING PAD 3

B Storage Barge C Office/Living Barge

LANDING PAD 1

HELIPORT

D Slip Support Barge E Staging Barge

20’ column grid for parking garage and heliport

PARKING

CAR LIFT

GUARD SHACK

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL STORAGE

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL STORAGE RADIATION TESTING

Left Assembled layout of overall barge components

FIFTH FLOOR PLAN Scale: 1/32”=1’-0”

G H

BARGE LEVEL PLAN Scale: 1/32”=1’-0”

Right Programmatic layout of overall structure with circulation paths diagrammed into plan

G H

JAN. COARSE GRAVEL

COARSE GRAVEL

JAN. R.R.

FINE SAND

WATER

OFFICE

OFFICE TRAINING/FLEX SPACE

COMMUNICATIONS, STORAGE, & FLEX OFFICE OFFICE OFFICE

BUNKHOUSES BUNKHOUSES

REC SPACE

FITNESS CENTER

LAUNDRY ROOM

R.R. JAN.

STORAGE

MEN R.R.

WOMEN R.R.

CONTROL AREA

R.R. JAN.

REC HALL & DINING

MEN R.R.

WOMEN R.R.

OPEN STORAGE

OFFICE DINING

BUNKHOUSES

SAFETY TRAINING ROOM

BUNKHOUSES WAITING ROOM

R.R.

OFFICE

KITCHEN R.R. JAN.

PROGRAM KEY HELIPORT OPERATIONS JAN.

PEOPLE CARGO/GOODS

MEN R.R.

CONTROL CENTER OPERATIONS

WOMEN R.R.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

BUNKHOUSES

STORAGE

CIRCULATION KEY

OFFICE POOL & BREAK ROOM

BUNKHOUSES

CARS

BUNKHOUSE SUPPORT

HELICOPTERS

KITCHEN, DINING, & REC

SHIPS CRANES

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0”

STORAGE

POTABLE WATER STORAGE SHIP SUPPORT MATERIALS

Left Detail program arrangements for bunkhouses on barge

Left Standing within pipe structure on deck barge

Right Interior perspective displaying housing corridors for shorebase employees

Right Main perspective of Temporal Permanence displaying mobile ship slips and overall structural massing

Brian Lucke [Temporal Permanence] Temporal Permanence is a shore base designed to accommodate the needs of offshore oil industries in the Gulf of Mexico. The site is located in Venice, Louisiana, near the confluence of Tiger Pass and the Mississippi River. By virtue of controlling of the Mississippi River, the shore base site exists in a constant state of flux. Recent studies have revealed a concerning trend of sediment deposition in this stretch of the river. An increasing concentration of sediment deposits has begun to shift further inland each year because of slower river flow rates and rising sea levels. This has increased the amount of dredging required each year and could, in the near future, lead to a major diversion of the Mississippi River. The shore base must be designed to accommodate to its unpredictable daily conditions, as well as to its uncertain future. The design of Temporal Permanence seeks to not only optimize efficiency of shore base operations, but also contribute to the revitalization of the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. This cannot be achieved through the use of passive strategies alone; instead, a more proactive approach is required. The uncertainty of ground within the site is analogous to the paramount dilemma of the region. Instead of expending efforts on attempting to restrain the current conditions, Temporal Permanence is designed to allow the shore base to relocate to a variety of conditions: shallow draft pass, dredged river, along the coast, or offshore. Such mobility is made possible by assembling the shore base in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;kit of piecesâ&#x20AC;? manner, utilizing existing vessel/ oil rig mechanisms. The result is an amalgamation of components: Jack-Up Rig, Semi-Submersible Heavy Lift Ship (SSHLV), Liquid Storage Barge, Platform Barge, and Overhead Crane. Synthesis of the shore base is achieved with innovative techniques of combining/connecting the integral pieces in order to further enhance the overall efficiency of operations. To allow the shore base to attain a mobile existence, the program must be organized accordingly. Relocation of the base offshore will require a disassembly and re-assembly of the program into two separate complexes: offshore base and land base. 58

Below Final elevation of shorebase displaying ship slips and dwelling units relationships

SHOREBASE CONVEYANCE Left Section through foundation level of structure Left Below

SHORE DELIVERY

STAGING/STORAGE

BUNKHOUSE GATE (SLIP 1 BEYOND)

OPERATIONS CENTER

BUNKHOUSE GATE 2 (SLIP 2 BEYOND)

STAGING/STORAGE

GULF DELIVERY

Left Perspectival axonometric displaying structural arrangement of cargo bays for shorebase

Left Right Transverse section of dwelling units and floor plate details

Right Longitudinal section of dwelling units and movable windows to be used for shading

Left Night rendering of shorebase displaying lights of dwelling units

Left Below Individual dwelling unit with retractable window shades to aid in human comfort levels 64

Left Right Aerial perspective with orthographic drawings overlaid to display movements of shorebase

Right Interior perspective displaying worker quarters and shorebase structure

Right Main perspective with Shorebase 2050 overhangs for ships

Victor Erwin [Shorebase 2050] In numerous proposals regarding the future of the Mississippi River it is forecasted that the cost to dredge the southern-most portion of Mississippi River will grow to unreasonable levels, making it a more feasible choice to create shorter routes to deep water at some point downstream of New Orleans and upstream of Venice. Programmatically, the site has been divided into two transfer points; land to shallow water, and shallow water to deep water. This would allow the Venice site to work in an un-dredged condition, as the vessels serviced are deephulled and require a deep, navigable channel. As such, there are now two sites, a local site at Venice, and a remote site, the Flotilla. The needs of this site were made very clear: efficiency. The site in Venice, Louisiana is simply a transfer point, moving cargo - people, materials, and supplies - from land to water. As to the efficiency of the site, the specific needs are speed and the ability to work more hours without stopping for inclement weather. The solution is minimal, light, and efficient. It speaks directly to the needs of the site and to the directive of the project, creating a symbiotic relationship between the land, people, and the oil industry. A lightweight tensile fabric canopy provides shelter from weather and shade from the hot summer sun. Floatable pod barges provide all the necessary interior programs. They are stabilized with tripod feet that spread the loads on the soft surface when landed; they float away when they need to be transferred or the site floods. The parking deck is constructed of permeable grates. The water can come and go. The shorebase is a flotilla. It can be landed or mobile, whatever is necessary. 66

Left Plans of living capsules in Shorebase 2050

Left Below Transverse section of capsules for human occupation 68

Right Sections and axonometrics of structural and spatial details Right Below Transverse section through ship slips with mooring wall and human quarters in background

Left Perspective displaying frontside of ship slips and cantilever structure

Right Back side of ship slips with mooring wall

Right Primary perspective of The Matter of the Gift ship slip with structural mats at ground level

Matthew McKeever [The Matter of the Gift]

The ground is built. In South Louisiana, tracts of earth are moved, positioned, and compacted into aberrant configurations at vast scales outside of human range, which tests human comprehension. The ground is a composite. This act is necessary to achieve adequate elevation higher than the rising waters during a storm surge. It is an act of defiance. The site is unfavorable, so instead of embracing it, most fight it. Here arises the issue of actually two sites within one, removing earth from one area to build a composite of another. One site loses its place. Ground is stripped of its history; the work and time dedicated to build its infinitesimal elevation. The other site is a product - a product of layering land to form a base. Do these sites share a relationship greater than a simple transfusion? Does the sacrifice of one better the other? Does the built ground give back something in exchange for what it has taken? In the wake of making, the infant ground faces the issues of gage, extraction, and re-composition. The relationship between these two sites has two different scale implications: one in the now and immediate site boundary and the other in the greater landscape over a greater amount of time. Social anthropology has documented two types of exchange in human societies: commodity exchange and gift exchange. Commodity exchange is very familiar to capitalist societies. One exchanges a type of socially acceptable currency for a good or service. There is only a quantitative relationship between the exchangers, and the parties involved remain independent after the exchange. In a gift exchange, the relationship between the exchangers is qualitative, which makes them reciprocally dependent. One party is indebted to the other party after the transaction is completed. In the case of the oil and gas industry, the ground that bases their operations is a gift. By accepting the gift of ground, they are bound socially and morally to return that gift. Industry is indebted to nature. The giving and accepting solidifies a reciprocal relationship between industry and nature. 72

Marsh

Ship Slip

10 Years 5 Years 1 Year

Staging Area

Expandability

Structural Mats

Left Section through typical storage tank Section B - Modular Unit Scale 1/4” = 1’-0”

World Image Scale 3/32”=1’0”

Left Below Transverse section through ship slips with mats and part of river

Right Detail of crane structural elements and operations center program 75

Left Constructed land following shorebaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s departure

Right Space between storage tanks and tank wheel systems

Right Perspective displaying shorebase structure of Repairian The Coast fully expanded for operations

Robert Ketner [Repairian The Coast] Since the discovery of oil in Louisiana, the transfer has been one-sided. Oil companies have excavated natural resources from the environment and transferred them into capital gain, leaving a thoughtless alteration to the natural environment. The imbalance is due to the two entities, the industry and the environment, operating in different ways lacking a common language. A metaphor a tool used in transferring an abstract idea between two or more parties, who do not share a common understanding or language. Not until man, who is the common denominator between industry and the environment comes to the understanding, becomes the metaphor that links the two can a symbiotic environment exist. As in the story of the Lorax, man is simultaneously the Lorax and the Once-ler. He must speak for the environment but needs industry to survive. In order to do this he must first become the transfer of the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monetary intent into environmental awareness. This must translate into a physical transfer that solidifies the symbiotic relationship between the once separated entities. The intention of this project is to create an architecture which brings together the systemic parts of the industrial to form their own operational landscape with minimal harm to the environment. This architectural landscape will aid in more efficient shore base operations and will consider the future relocation of operations should the site in Venice, Louisiana become affected by the changing landscape surrounding the Mississippi River. The design will also strive to celebrate the beneficial confluences brought together by the oil and gas industry: technology and industry, economic culture and industrial culture, and the built environment and the artificial natural condition. This alternative landscape will strive to redirect the relationship between the industry and the land by creating a positive confluence in which both the industry and the land benefit from the existence of the shore base. 78

Above Plan of recreation hall and shorebase operations in main vessel with landscape in background Left Bottom Sketch ideas of repairing the coast through silt collection

Left Catwalk above overall structure displaying ship slips

Right Condition of marsh after shorebase has used sediment to rebuild subsiding land

Right Below Collage of landscape of the future condition in Southern Louisiana 82

Ji Liu [Footprint FLOW] Shore base is the switching point from land to water, a transition node of the non-stop flow of energy and material exchange between the Mexico Gulf and the inland. Using Venice in Louisiana as a case study, this project reimagines the shore base as a lineal flow of material connecting the highway and the navigation route, leaving an infrastructure footprint of healing rather than dividing, and defining a wetland restoration zone and offshore operation zone. The Gulf of Mexico supplies 18% of US oil production, and 24% of US natural gas production. The crude oil and gas are transported inland along the pipelines and navigation lines. At the same time, the 24 hours non-stop flow of offshore supplement, including fresh water, drilling fluid, fuel, cement, people, and information are transferred from land to the Gulf. Shore base is where the highway network meets the navigation network. It gathers materials from inland and distributes them to the OSV (Offshore Supply Vessel). The footprint of this non-stop flow is a network of division cutting through the Louisiana coastal region. Numerous pipelines and canals are carved out and bayous are dredged. These divisions fragment wetlands and become barriers of water and sediment exchange. The width of the canal expands over time, and the divisions accelerate the erosion in the center part of wetland. Besides this visible division, the coastal region is subdivided into countless leasing blocks. Conceptually the coast is viewed as a subdivision of grids rather than integrity. This rigid infrastructure footprint divides the wetland system, leading to a high cost of dredging and negative effects from floods and subsidence. This construction method is unsustainable facing the frequent flooding and a subsidence rate of 6 centimeters per year in coastal Louisiana. This project redefines shore base as a lineal flow connecting the highway and the navigation route. Looking at marine engineering precedents, the multi-mooring system is chosen as the supporting structure of the shore base. This flexible foundation can adapt to dynamic water level while allowing water and sediment to pass through. A floating silt curtain web is attached to the mooring lines to capture sediment when crossing eroded wetland, creating a deposition pattern similar to that of a wetland restoration terrace. Because of the flexibility of the placement of mooring anchors, this mooring system can adapt to the terrain and wetland distribution site specifically. A shore base site at Venice LA is used as a case study. Layers of sediments are left on the existing shore base after frequent floods. First, the concrete part of the shore base surface will be scraped, allowing over flooding of the existing site. Then the mooring anchors will be located in the existing ship slips and the sediment capture web is attached. The mooring infrastructure and the floods will remap the landscape overtime as sediments layers cover the existing site. Wetland plants succession will start after the deposition reaches a certain height. As time goes by, the upstream of navigation route will be filled with sediment. And the shore base will extend to where the navigable deep water is, seamlessly connecting the navigation routes. While it extends further, this infrastructure leaves footprints of wetland, a footprint of healing, rather than dividing. At a coastal scale, the shore base infrastructure gathers and expedites the non-stop flow of freight, liquid, human and information, reducing the disturbance of navigation and pipeline activities, and defining a zone of coastal restoration. 84

Right Primary perspective overlooking Footprint Flowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organic structures that capture sediment

Non-stop Flow I 45

I 49

I 55

I 59

I 65

I 10

SHORE BASE

I 10

NAVIGATION NETWO Go into the deep sea

Gulf of Mexico Maximum Water Depth Drilled each Year

Water depth (ft) 0

47 50 53 56 59 62 65 68 71 74 77 80 83 86 89 92 95 98 01 04 07 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 20

2.000 4.000 6.000 8.000 10.000

Left Map analyzing diagrammatic layers of navigation and offshore connections in the Gulf of Mexico

A Landscape of Division Wetland Loss Pattern

EDGE erosion

canal erosion

200â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Right of way Marsh Spoil Berm Canal Pipe Ditch

Year0

60ft

Year5

393ft

Year30

553ft

CENTER erosion 1932

1983

2010

VISIBLE DIVISION 1,050 mi GULF INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY 14,554 mi OFFSHORE PIPELINE INVISIBLE DIVISION 5,715 active OFFSHORE LEASING BLOCKS Mississippi River

bird foot delta

Right Map analyzing underground network of pipelines that define the sea floor of the Gulf of Mexico

Left Cable/Silt Curtain network for remapping the wetlands Right Rendering of humans inhabiting structural members at water level

09 / 05 / 2013 10 / 05 / 2013 11 / 05 / 2013 12 / 05 / 2013 01 / 05 / 2014

Wetland Foot Print

Mooring Infrastructure

Venice, LA Mississippi River

02 / 05 / 2014 03/ 05 / 2014 04 / 05 / 2014 05 / 05 / 2014 06 / 05 / 2014 07 / 05 / 2014

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

08 / 05 / 2014 09 / 05 / 2014 10 / 05 / 2014 11 / 05 / 2014 12 / 05 / 2014 01 / 05 / 2014 03 / 05 / 2014 05 / 05 / 2014 07 / 05 / 2014 09 / 05 / 2014 11 / 05 / 2014 01 / 05 / 2015 03 / 05 / 2015 05 / 05 / 2015 07 / 05 / 2014 09 / 05 / 2014 11 / 05 / 2014 01 / 05 / 2015 03 / 05 / 2015 05 / 05 / 2015 07 / 05 / 2015

elevated highway

09 / 05 / 2015 11 / 05 / 2015 01 / 05 / 2016 03 / 05 / 2016 05 / 05 / 2016 07 / 05 / 2016 09 / 05 / 2016 11 / 05 / 2016 01 / 05 / 2017 03 / 05 / 2017 05 / 05 / 2017 07 / 05 / 2017 09 / 05 / 2017 11 / 05 / 2017 01 / 05 / 2018 03 / 05 / 2018 05 / 05 / 2018 07 / 05 / 2018 09 / 05 / 2018 11 / 05 / 2018 01 / 05 / 2019 03 / 05 / 2019 05 / 05 / 2019 07 / 05 / 2019 09 / 05 / 2019 11 / 05 / 2019 01 / 05 / 2020 03 / 05 / 2020 05 / 05 / 2020 07 / 05 / 2020 09 / 05 / 2020 11 / 05 / 2020 01 / 05 / 2021 03 / 05 / 2021 05 / 05 / 2021

navigation route

07 / 05 / 2021 09 / 05 / 2021 11 / 05 / 2021 05 / 05 / 2022 05 / 05 / 2023 05 / 05 / 2024 05 / 05 / 2025 05 / 05 / 2026 05 / 05 / 2027 05 / 05 / 2028 05 / 05 / 2029 05 / 05 / 2030 05 / 05 / 2031 05 / 05 / 2032 05 / 05 / 2033

STAGE 3

05 / 05 / 2034 05 / 05 / 2035 05 / 05 / 2036

to offshore

Left Transverse section through one of tower structures Left Below Diagram displaying relationship between wetland footprint and infrastructure of shorebase

Right Series of drawings displaying structures and program of Footprint Flow 91

Right Perspective of Ouroboros during daytime with folded planes of concrete acting as structural members

Tyler Brandis [Ouroboros] The site is a shore base, a nesting place, for Chevronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deepwater operations. As an industry that relies heavily on earth and sea, their home base must sit at the juncture between land and water, nature and oil. Rooted in this condition, it is the responsibility of the site and its architecture to create a balance between industry and the environmentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it should become a machine for living. Flux, being the natural order of the world, needs to allow for the betterment of mankind and the environment. While the design of the site must improve the natural land, it also needs to harvest these same properties that enhance the landscape and used them for the betterment of human endeavors. Though it would often be the will of humanity to resist change and maintain the status quo, on this site it will be the goal to allow for the symbiotic development of both human and natural landscapes. While improving the natural environment through marsh restoration, the architecture of the base will also provide for the needs of the Chevron shore community. Assisting in dredge operations and providing easier access via water through the site, the systems will work together to guarantee an enriched quality of life for all. The Ouroboros symbolizes self-reflexivity and cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly recreating itself, working symbiotically to create a flux that begins anew as soon as it ends. This project takes this to a trichotomous approach with earth, sea, and air, creating a never-ending loop of movement and flow from one to the next, all while helping to create new life in a previously faltering environment. 94

Left Transverse section of shorebase tower displaying programmatic layout

Right Above Longitudinal section displaying ship slip with retaining walls and shorebase tower Right Below Transverse section displaying ship slip and opposite side of shorebase tower

Left Perspective during a rain storm Left Below Night rending of shorebase in surrounding landscape

Right Perspective of shorebase during day time Right Below T-Walls in foreground protecting shorebase structure

Alex Klingsporn [Sn@ke] Humans have conformed to water’s presence in different conditions that depend on how water has been utilized to complete certain objectives (i.e. shipping, shrimping, fishing). Man has altered the land and water condition through the use of canals and channels to divert water and by dredging to create “usable water,” or to use dredged material to build land where water once was. The constant manipulation of land has caused it to deteriorate, and subsidence has occurred as a result and will continue to occur. Because of this subsidence, water is beginning to dominate the landscape. If water is becoming the future of the landscape, then building into the water’s permanence is essential. Allowing man to adapt and move with the landscape is crucial to the future of occupying this environment. Since the landscape is changing rapidly, the idea that water and land are the same can be assumed. Man and nature has changed land and water presence by moving the substances from place to place. Rather than the negotiating between water and land, man will consider them as the same and build into them. Venice, Louisiana is located at the tip of the Mississippi River in the Louisiana coastal delta region. The Oil and Gas Industry is a major part of Louisiana’s history. Louisiana Delta is an ever changing environment. Human influences on the delta region have caused drastic changes to the delta. The building of levees and human occupation has overtime caused the killing of marsh, sediment deposition changes, and water level changes. Dredging of soil is a major reoccurring issue that the inhabitants have to pursue to use the waterways of the delta. This design focuses on the symbiotic relationship between the industry and the regions unique coastal environment. Rather than designing a structure that will have to negotiate between one environmental issue or another, the design of the shore base will allow for the land and water surrounding the structure to act naturally, and the structure and its program will live within that. Each section module will have its own structural system. It is important for the structure to span the full width of each section because the structure is supporting heavy loads from end to end and as the pieces of the shore base slide into each other, the structural systems will align and form a larger system. This is critical due to the longer height and shorter width ratio. The roof surface collects rain water for potable use at the shore base. As the rain drains down the curves of the roof, a gutter system collects the water and transports it towards the conditioned modular sections. The water is filtered and collected in a large tank located below the heliport hanger then is piped throughout the programmatic spaces. Brown water is also collected from the conditioned spaces and stored in a tank located under the heliport hanger until ready to be unloaded. The shore base structure has a large roof surface area. This surface area allows for a great opportunity to use photovoltaic panels to generate energy. The panels will be spaced on each modular section roof and attached to the exterior steel sheathing. Each section will have its own space for converting the electrical currents from DC to AC and supply its own occupancies with electricity. The panels are strategically placed on the surface to give an aesthetic of a shimmering skin. This aesthetic will elegantly contrast with the marine grade steel panels they are attached to. The panels will give the structure a supernatural armor skin to its roof. Sun panels will reduce solar gain by reflection, but maximizing solar production because of the large amount of exposed square footage. 100

Right Main perspective of Snake being assembled in structural sections along the Mississippi River

101

Above Part one of assembly shorebase structure, transport Top Longitudinal elevation of shorebase from water

102

Above Part two of assembly shorebase structure, flotilla

Above Part three of assembly shorebase structure, embed

Above Part four of assembly shorebase structure, fasten

Above Part five of assembly shorebase structure, assembly

Above Part six of shorebase assembly and completion of one unit Below Longitudinal elevation of shorebase structure from land

103

Left Section through main structural levels displaying scalar occupancy changes at each floor level 104

Right Transverse section of ship slips displaying fuel storage and other shorebase operational levels

Right Below Transverse section of structure displaying human scale operating inside shorebase

105

Left Perspective of spatial relationships between dwelling units and shorebase structure

106

Right Perspective of heliport located at top level of structure

Right Below Sectional perspective displaying scale of vessel with ships and semi-trucks throughout structure 107

Right Primary perspective of LA Rising tower located in the Mississippi River

Elliot Manuel [LA Rising] 1. What is the effect of large-scale industrial production and its connected systems of operation to the notion of cultural creation in a place? 2. What is the effect of living and making in a place where the physical notion of a place is eroded because of human intervention? 3. How does architecture respond to the preceding two conditions by accepting a future in which the physical place will no longer remain but attempt to create permanence for the future of a place, a people, and its history? The preceding questions are the foci of the project for a shore base in Venice, Louisiana. Each of these questions describes in some form the unique relationship of how humans occupy the coastal condition of Southern Louisiana. The residents of Venice occupy the visible realm of the Earth's surface, which places human occupation in the coast at a unique level. Residents in Venice experience the realities of environmental degradation and the effects of industrial production on the natural environment; however, oil operations in the Venice area are not concerned with the epithelial layer of the environment but seek to maintain economic derivatives much deeper in the strata. This condition of connection and disconnection between the strata's of the coastal condition is what defines the unique environment of Louisiana. For Louisiana, the sediment of the Mississippi River negotiates the entire operation of human life in this section of the state; insofar, that the architecture of a symbiotic shore base will frame the horizontal understanding of the coast's infrastructure and place it into a vertical condition, thereby increasing the efficiency of the shore base by industrial standards and intensifying natural processes that support the dynamics of coastal Louisiana. 108

109

Left Southeast elevation of tower displaying stair and highway superstructure

110

Right Southwest elevation of tower displaying interlocking of oil and residential layers

Left Northwest elevation displaying use of exterior pipes to connect lower oil levels with upper residential quarters

Right Northeast elevation displaying second stair and front garden for residences to utilize during extended stays

111

[Circulation]

Ancillary support for vessels occurs on outside edges of tower to increase efficiency

[Circulation]

Vertical shafts bring goods down to water and into upper floors of the tower

[Water Level]

Water of Mississippi River ranges from a depth of 15â&#x20AC;&#x2122; to 50â&#x20AC;&#x2122; at site

[Diagram]

Left Axonometric diagram displaying circulation and egress in tower structure

112

Right Axonometric diagram displaying goods processing for the tower

Shorebase Processing

[Circulation]

[Heliport]

Circulation tower to bring worker up and down tower

Landing pads for helicopters

[Living]

Residential spaces for shorebase workers

[Water Cisterns]

Cisterns located at top of tower to collect rain water for residences

[Heliport] Helicopters land on top of tower

[Louvers]

Horizontal louvers to protect works from solar radiation

[Heliport]

Landing pads for helicopters

[Louvers]

Corrugated steel panels enclose parking level and residential levels [Structure]

Structural attachment for residential louvers

[Garden]

Roof-top garden for nutrition and spatial qualities of shorebase workers [Circulation]

Circulation tower to bring workers up and down tower

[Circulation]

[Mega Highway]

Exterior stairway for human circulation

Highway connecting towers over Louisiana landscape [Solar Panels]

Denoted area for solar panels to generate power

[Mega Highway]

Highway connecting towers over Louisiana landscape

[Louvers]

Vertical louvers to protect workers from Southern solar radiation

[Prevailing Winds]

Winds coming from the eastern direction of the site

[Water Level]

Water of Mississippi River ranges from a depth of 15’ to 50’ at site

Left Axonometric diagram displaying structural systems and skins used[Diagram] in tower Structural Attachments

[Water Level]

Water of Mississippi River ranges from a depth of 15’ to 50’ at site

[Diagram] Right Axonometric diagram displaying sustainable systems in tower Structure and Sustainability

113

Left Perspective of mega-highway approach toward tower

114

Right Perspective of tower from northeast corner

115

Right Primary perspective of remaining housing after Littoral Layers has departed from shorebase site

Katie Pitre [Littoral Layers]

Louisiana and the oil field have had a parasitic, interwoven relationship beginning in the early days of exploration. With the expansion of the offshore oil industry and the continued drilling efforts in its littoral lands, Louisiana cannot anymore be the weaker symbiont with these industry giants. In order to tectonically and respectfully occupy this place, one must consider at once the simultaneous physical and temporal scales that define the environment, the history of the oil field, the stories of the peoples living there, and the layered and complex relationship between them. Only when these factors have been exposed and the connections between them understood can architecture fully participate in the continual (re)generation of the meaning of the littoral lands. Without the ability to embed itself in the cycles that already constitute the littoral, architecture leaves itself in the vulnerable position of becoming superfluous and evanescent: consumed by the “giant.” Neither the history of the oil field nor the history of Louisiana cannot be understood singularly, without reference to the other. Neither of these entities can divorce itself from the natural world. John Donne’s “no man is an [island]” can serve as a literary example that can be applied to experiencing the connectedness of the world. Every entity is connected to the environment and to the others inhabiting that same surround. The impact of every decision must be considered across temporal and spatial scales. Continued ignorance will seal Louisiana’s fate. The architectural conceptualization of the embedded temporal layers can generate volumetric space that simultaneously interprets the existing layers that constitute ground and adds to them. Architecture can unify man and nature; it provides a missing link that allows for architecture to participate in the generation of the connections which bind us to the earth but which have consequently been silenced. 116

117

Left Sectional axonometric displaying heating and cooling in tower

118

Right Sectional axonometric displaying energy generation in tower

Left Typical floor plan of tower with living and office quarters

119

Left Above Interior perspective of dwelling unit for offshore workers

Left Perspective of walking in between towers on main vessel

120

Right Experiential collage of truss system with entrance into tower

121

Left Perspective of mobile housing and shorebase during evening hours of operation

122

Right Experiential collage of walkway inside structural truss system

123

Right Out of Land, Out to Sea departing from previous location to new location

Alyce Howe [Out of Land, Out to Sea]

The final design of Chevron’s shorebase attempts to address the mitigation between environment, industry, and humans and create a solution that integrates the three efficiently, sustainably, and responsibly. Functioning as a shorebase and a vessel, the compression of Chevron’s original programmatic elements into one succinct unit addresses this mitigation by allowing all three to operate individually, yet integrally, within the specific context of Venice, Louisiana. Capable of accommodating offshore supply vessels, a variety of sites, Chevron’s needs, and the environment’s needs, the Chevron shorebase is a model of flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability. Between its ability to compress shut for transport to another site, and expand open to mitigate a variety of waterways, operate with speed and efficiency, service various vessels, and house its employees, its flexibility encompasses means of physical, operational, and programmatic compression. Its removal from the current Chevron site introduces a level of sustainability foreign to shorebases as a land operation that mitigates between the offshore world and the shore. This mitigation allows the base to double as an operational node while simultaneously detaching itself from permanent land use. Its programmatic compression from land to Tiger Pass allows the original site to function and respond to natural cycles by donating it back to the environment. Because efficiency is a primary priority to Chevron, this level of sustainability coupled with the base’s compressability optimizes efficiency by permitting the base to function independently of the grid and service ships quickly and efficiently. It is through these design tactics that the design of the base begins to responsibly mitigate the relationship between industry, humans, and environment by evaluating and addressing the needs of each. This evaluation must include the maintenance of the landscape or the Louisiana coast, and ultimately the oil industry, could be lost forever. 124

125

Left Compression diagram of program at Chevron site

126

Right Diagrams displaying the closing and opening of shorebase vessel

127

Left Elevation of main vessel with ship docking at base Left Below Aerial view of Shorebase fully deployed

128

Right Elevation of main vessel with ship docking at base Right Below View underneath Shorebase at loading docks

129

Left Perspective of structure expanding to accept ships for cargo exchange

130

Right Interior perspective where core programmatic elements are located to oversee shorebase operations

131

Dean Kelly [Aqua Dock]

AqueDOCK re-imagines the operation and function of a coastal energy shorebase, establishing a new typology that is informed by the flexibility of the landscape. The project site, Venice, Louisiana, is the last town accessible by road as the Mississippi approaches the Gulf of Mexico, the last connection to land before the landscape gives way to water. Here Venice occupies a tenuous position subject to flooding, erosion, land subsidence, and violent hurricanes. AqueDOCK replaces the existing, static, Chevron shorebase with a system that adapts to unstable conditions and embraces the flux inherent to the landscape. The shorebase is the programmatic manifestation of the transition from land to sea; the transfer point between land based goods and the ships and helicopters that support offshore oil operations. Employing a system of [connect // span // supply ], aqueDOCK embodies this transfer in its form and operation. A connection point intakes land based goods, the span structure conveys them across the river, and the floating slip structures act as supply hubs that feed the ships and helicopters. As a floating structure, aqueDOCK responds and adjusts to the fluctuations of the Mississippi, maintaining a clear and controlled operational datum. Where the existing shorebase is tethered to, and dependent on land, aqueDOCK requires land solely as a connection point. In a landscape where land is defined by uncertainty and change the aqueDOCK will remain viable by minimizing the importance of land and occupying the water. The connection point links the aqueDOCK to the highway and the trucks which supply the goods, equipment, and fuel the shorebase requires. The connection to land also serves as the transfer point for personnel. On-site parking in the form of temporary, modular, steel decks service the aqueDOCK’s employees while they are stationed on the shorebase. These connections are critical to the supply and operation of the aqueDOCK, but all other program is located at the centralized floating hub of the ship slips. The spanning structure, a telescoping arm that conveys goods, fuel, mud, water, and people across the Mississippi is comprised of two systems: the connection tube and superstructure supports. The connection tube, the artery through which all transit occurs, consists of suspension cables, tracks, and fuel hoses supported by intermediate steel collar braces. Through a combination of tube steel and suspension cables, the superstructure supports the load of the connection tube in a sculptural expression of the forces acting upon it. Suspension cables run through and off of the superstructure’s tube steel column cage, connecting to the collar braces of the connection tube. The cables act as pulleys, allowing the system to adjust itself against the undulations of the Mississippi and maintain a level connection. The tensile strength of the steel suspension cables allows the system to span long distances without supports. Resembling an inverted dry dock, the form of the ship slip creates the clear span required for massive offshore supply vessels to pull under the structure. From here goods are unloaded and received from an opening in the staging floor above while liquids and fuels are supplied from storage silos contained in the slip walls. Within the structure, a clear axis of operation is established with staging at one end of the slip, storage at the other, and the opening to the slips below in between. As industrial operations occupy the vast open space of the staging floor, the space between the double truss superstructure is reserved for human occupation. Floor plates with integral attachment slots are hung between the superstructure, allowing program to be inserted as needed. Each slip structure can exist as a stand-alone entity or be linked together as a series of structures. As configuration, staff demand, and scope of work vary, this framework provides the opportunity to expand, reconfigure, and reorient the programmatic layout of the aqueDOCK. Humans occupy the edge of the structure, which provides dramatic views of the river and formal separation from the structure’s industrial zones. 132

Right Primary perspective of three main vessels of Aqua Dock that define ship bays and other ancillary functions

133

TING EXIS REV

ETM

ENT

SITE

ZON E

PORT FOURCHON VENICE

CONTINENTAL SHELF

GULF

OIL PLATFORMS

1000’

ULF

GULF

1500’

RAPHY LINES

RE GE A ORA

TZ ON

ING

K PAR

ANC 5000’

7500’

SITE PERSPECTIVE

Left Regional site plan illustrating platform access from shorebase Right Aerial perspective of ship slips docked in Mississippi River

134

Left Structural Detail of land to water product supply tube Right Perspective inside employee transport in supply tube

135

5A // TS

5B // TS

5C // TS

5D // TS

HELICOPTER

285’

OUTGOING STORAGE

HELICOPTER REPAIR HANGER

HELIPORT INDUSTRIAL

230’ OUT

IN OUTGOING STORAGE

SHIP

DEAD STORAGE

STAGING FLOOR

STAGING QUEUE

UNLOADING 150’

HUMAN

LIVING

BUNKHOUSES

MARINA

55’

LONGITUDINAL SECTION 1” = 20’ - 0”

0’

Left Longitudinal section of one of Aqua Dock’s ship containers

HELICOPTER

285’

CONTROL OFFICES OUTGOING STORAGE

HELIPORT

SHIP

INDUSTRIAL

230’

STAGING FLOOR

150’

LIVING

DINING

HUMAN

BUNKHOUSES

REC HALL

MARINA

FUEL

FUEL FUEL

SUPPLY SYSTEMS 1/32” = 1’ - 0”

STORAGE

0’ BLACK WATER

-40’

136

FUEL

BARYTE

LIQUID MUD

DRILL WATER

POTABLE WATER

GREY WATER FILTRATION

55’

POTABLE WATER

BLACK WATER

GREY WATER

BLACK WATER

POTABLE WATER

Left Below Longitudinal section displaying supply systems operations and their layout within the vessel

OFFICE POOL

OFFICE DN

OFFICE

3C THIRTEENTH FLOOR: ADMIN

HELICOPTER HANGER BELOW

P Q

PUBLIC DECK

DOUBLE

SINGLE

HELI CONTROL

HELIPADS

5A // TS

FLEX

TRAINING

1” = 20’ - 0”

DOUBLE

3A SIXTH FLOOR: BUNKHOUSES

1” = 20’ - 0”

DECK

3B TWELFTH FLOOR: HELI CONTROL

HELICOPTER HANGER

5B // TS

1” = 20’ - 0”

5C // TS

5D // TS

SHIP CONTROL

STOR.

A.1 210’

A.2

ENTRY LANDING

BREAK

14 // LS

LOADED

14 // LS

HUMAN

DECK CONTROL CENTER UP DN

A.3 B.1

DEAD STORAGE

STAGING FLOOR

190’

UNLOADING

B.2

F G A H I J

160’

STAGING QUE

OPERABLE DOORS OPEN TO SHIPS BELOW

OUTGOING STORAGE

D E K L M N O

190’

4 // LS

INDUSTRIAL

A B C D E

C.1 EMPTY

210’

HUMAN

C.2 OPEN FLOOR

C.3 D.1 D.2

Right Plan drawing of Aqua Dock’s programmatic arrangement

5A // TS 1 //TS

5B // TS

5C // TS

5D // TS

3 ELEVENTH FLOOR: SHIP CONTROL 1” = 20’ - 0”

HELICOPTER

285’

HELIPORT

OUTGOING STORAGE CONTROL OFFICES

SHIP

INDUSTRIAL

230’

STAGING FLOOR

150’

DINING // REC DINING // REC

HUMAN

LIVING

BUNKHOUSES

MARINA

55’

PASSIVE + ACTIVE 0’

1/32” = 1’ - 0”

Right Below Longitudinal sectional displaying passive solar system design within one of the vessels.

137

11 PERMEABLE WALL ENVELOPE 138

Left Permeable wall envelope displaying structural scale of vessels and human scale that exists within structure

HELICOPTER HANGER

10 A B C D

CONTROL CENTER

STAGING FLOOR

A B C D E F G H

DINING // REC

6 6

BUNKHOUSES

10 10 10 10 10 10

6 6

25’

50’

GALVALUME SIP WALL PANEL 6”

7 SLIP STRUCTURE 100’

EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE SIP CORE GALVALUME SIP PANEL CLADDING

FLOOR ATTACHMENT ANGLE INTERIOR FLOOR TO WALL BOLTS

Right Exploded axonometric of boat slip structure with dwelling units and hangar in foreground A B C D E F

10’

TYP.

TEXTURED GALVALUME FLOOR CLADDING EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE SIP CORE

ALUMINUM FLOOR DECKING CORRUGATED METAL DECK

GALVALUME SIP 6” FLOOR PANEL FRAMEWORK FLOOR GRID

SIP WALL PANELS INSTALLED

FLOOR PANEL INSTALLED

1/4” ATTACHMENT BOLT 2” X 4” STL ANGLE 10 GUAGE STL ANCHOR PLATE FOR HURRICANE RATED ASSEMBLY 8" C CHANNEL LIGHT GAUGE JOIST AT 16" O.C. JOIST HANGER W18 x 76 STEEL BEAM AT 10' O.C.

GALVALUME SIP 6” CEILING PANEL INT. PARTITIONS + CEILING INSTALLED

9 SUPERSTRUCTURE PLAN 1/4” = 1’ - 0”

GALVALUME SIP PANEL CAP WALL SLEEVE INSERT PREFABRICATED WALL SLEEVE

10 UNIT ASSEMBLY SEQUENCE NTS

EXTERIOR PANELS ATTACHED

3 1/2" Z CLIP AT 16" O.C. ALUM CEILING PANEL 1/4” ATTACHMENT BOLT 2” X 4” STL ANGLE 10 GUAGE STL ANCHOR PLATE FOR HURRICANE RATED ASSEMBLY

REPEAT AS NEEDED

10 SIP PANEL CONNECTIONS 1 1/2” = 1’ - 0”

PREFABRICATED WALL SLEEVE GALVALUME SIP PANEL CAP

EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE SIP CORE GALVALUME SIP PANEL CLADDING

139

140

141

142

Conclusion

conclusion [n] - the end, close, finish, termination, ‘wind up’ (e.g. of a speech or writing)

143

Professor’s [CLOSING LETTER] The challenges of the LSU//Chevron Symbiotic Shorebase demanded the participants to utilize all of their skills and to find new ones. To create a symbiotic system between three parties that possess often violently disparate characteristics requires imagination, futurism, optimism, and open-mindedness. The Chevron Shorebase in Venice, Louisiana has many challenges. It suffers from extreme weather events that bring flooding waters and destructive winds. It sits on unstable ground that constantly requires maintenance and stability. It is exposed to extreme elements including brutal sun exposure. The shorebase slips must be dredged as theiy consistently fill with the silt riches of the Mississippi River which indicates only a bigger issue: The Mouth of the Mississippi River is leveling. These challenges are augmented by Chevron’s mission to work safely or not at all; with the environment and with their employees. To tackle all these challenges and the lack of predictability in a dynamic environment, the students developed flexible and adaptable systems for the occupation, production, and protection along the Louisiana Coastal Edge. Embracing the inventiveness of science fiction, the proposals for a Symbiotic Shorebase propose a myriad of design actions that can participate and thrive in healthy but volatile environments. To summarize, the major design resolutions that surfaced are as follows: • It is more sustainable for the industry, the environment, and the population to be mobile. Mobility protects. • Demountable and reusable building components provide flexibility and lessen catastrophic loss. • Silt is a given. Ship slips can be redesigned to handle the required dredging instead of hiring outside contractors. • The maintenance of the slips can contribute to the maintenance of the environment. • The scale, production, and ingenuity of extracting natural resources provides materials that can be utilized for much more than just mineral gain.

144

• Industry possesses the ability to simultaneously serve their corporation, their employees, and their economic resource; the natural environment. • The private shorebase has the potential to join with public infrastructure and in doing so, create a more stable occupation for all parties involved. In closing, the integrated aspirations of the studio came to fruition because of the integrated team of clients, consultants, researchers, and the imagineers (the studio.) The resolutions produced push all to think to the future yet simultaneously are based in the present. As the studio was constantly reminded and challenged, “if you can think of it, then it can be done. It may take time but once the idea is made, it exists.” Ursula Emery McClure

145

Participants’ [ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]

Chevron_Jose Abadin, Turner Burghart, Sandi Fury, Sarah Hughes, Gregg Jones, Gary Northington, Jason Reppel, Keith Smith, Nathan Taylor//Port Fourchon_Davey Breaux, Chett Chiasson, Leigh Guidry//Chouest_Blake Guidry, James Guidry//LEEVAC_Darren Guillory, Cory Barkman, “Big Mike” Jannise//Lake Charles Seaport Authority_Daniel Loughney, Derek Shierloh//Gulf Land Structures_Corey Guidry, Mark Landry//International Petroleum Museum//LUMCON_Nicole Cotton//Hercules Offshore_Shane Mendel//Studio 7006_Tyler Brandis, Victor Erwin, Amy Gemelli, Alyce Howe, Dean Kelly, Robert Ketner, Alex Klingsporn, Ju Liu, Brian Lucke, Elliot Manuel, Matthew McKeever, Katie Pitre//Special Thanks_This studio was sponsored and supported by the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio via a Small Projects Grant funded by Chevron. Science fiction author Moira Crone, LEEVAC engineer, Mike Jannise, Chevron engineer Jose Abadin, CSS Director Jeff Carney, and CSS Board members Jori Erdman and Clint Willson provided invaluable advice and encouragement to the project.

146

Left Below Abandoned home near Grand Isle, Louisiana Right Below LSU Architecture students after field trip in Terrebonne Bay

147

Documentation [BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Notes [Text] pg. 6 Roberts, H. R., R. Sassen, and R. Carney.“Geological and geochemical process structuring of hydrocarbon seep community environments.” Oceans proceedings. Marine Technology Society, Washington, D.C., and New York, (1989), 63-66. print. pg. 8 Louisiana Department of Administration Website. Education, Just for Students-Industry Facts. Louisiana Government. Web. Jan 2014. pg. 9 Joan Ockman, “One for the Sandpile.” Journal of Architectural Education 62, n.3 (2009), 26-27. print. pg. 38-39 Rubin, William S. “Dada & Surrealist Art.” Chief Curator of the Painting and Sculpture Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York 1968.

148

Notes [Images] All images unless otherwise noted, are products of the studio. The photographs were taken by the students, the professor, or Chevron. The projects are the sole products of the authors. Graphic Design and book development authored by Elliot Manuel, LSU BArch 2014 Honors College Graduate and enthusiastic participant of the LSU//Chevron Studio 2014.

149