Isles of Mud - work sample

isles of mud.

leif estrada + matthew gindlesperger

typical coastal armoring strategy; levees and floodwalls

local resistance of the reliance on infrastructure

existing dredge movement 1:100,000

existing jamaica bay dredging operations

Hurricane Sandy’s devastating effects in 2012 on Jamaica Bay have proliferated public discussion on the creation of infrastructures that would protect the islands from future storm surges. Since the occurrence of the natural disaster, coastal resilience has become a forefront issue for habitation along water edges. Since an estimate of 123.3 million people live along coastal cities around the world, inundation from storm surges, flood plains and global climate change raised the question on how to build, not only resilient urban forms, but also one that could potentially respond to the rising water.

Looking at Jamaica Bay as a site of intervention, its current 3-year dredge cycle was used as a hingepoint in the creation of islands that anticipates the projective growth of population and density. The current dredge processes employed by the US Army Corps of Engineers ships the dredge 15 miles outside of Jamaica Bay to be deposited onto the ocean floor.

Instead, the proposed strategy, suggests the local deposition of dredge within the Bay and be used for the creation of islands. The varying scales of water transit, which would serve as the islands’ infrastructure, determine the depths of dredging.

Through the process of cut and fill, the subtraction that occurs underwater would inform the deposition build up of the existing island’s projective expansion. These expanded land areas occur predominantly perpendicular to the dredged channel, as it would face the strongest currents coming from the mouth of the Bay. Over time, groves of varying tree species will be planted to create a barrier forest that would serve as an armor from future surges.

barrier forest strategy 1:13,000

barrier forest composition 1:100

urban form: design and aggregation NTS

hydrological performance NTS

typical island plan 1:2,500

retention pond [typical wet + dry] 1:20 view from barrier forest to urban development and retention pond

green roof 1:20

rain garden bio-swale 1:20

serial section model showing island topography, high points in pink, and low points in white.

model depicting urban form transitioning from island highland to harbor.

illuminated model depicting urban form, areas of moisture retention (shown in pink), and subterranean cistern.

thank you.