Re-imaging the Rocky Banks: Creating porous frontage at Fidi’s River’s Edge
What does it mean for a community to engage with its waterfront ? How can we look to the natural history of the east river coastline to provide porous frontage ?
SeharBajwa
Spring 2024 Degree Project ARCH 503.17 -.18
Profs. Lori Gibbs, Philip Lee, Eliza Schrader
ABSTRACT
This project is a visionary design proposal aimed at rejuvenating Lower Manhattan’s neglected seaport waterfront, once a thriving hub of commerce anchored by the renowned Fulton fish market. Despite its storied past, the area has suffered from urbanization, landfills, and highway construction, resulting in a dearth of infrastructure for community engagement with the waterfront. Situated in the financial district, the proposed design challenges Manhattan’s prevailing orthogonal monotony by creating fluid spaces that encourage interaction and leisurely exploration, featuring amenities such as seafood vendors, farmers markets, and recreational zones like protected kayaking and swimming areas to rekindle the lost vibrancy of the Fulton market era.
Central to the design concept is the notion of porosity, manifesting both spatially and materially, fostering immersive experiences for visitors through fluid movement in and out of spaces, as well as above and below water levels. Inspired by the area’s geological past, the project’s form resembles the historic landmarks while also serving as a contemporary symbol of resilience, elevated to withstand projected sea level rise and climate change impacts.
Project Vizualisation (Sehar and Daniel 2024) Section (West - East) (Sehar and Daniel 2024)
In the heart of Manhattan, where the relentless pace of human ambition meets the serene flow of the East River, there exists a narrative as enduring as the rocks that line its banks. Ancient sentinels, known colloquially as the pot rocks and flood rocks carry stories etched by time and the relentless lapping of waters.
After moving to the seaport district last year, I became both more aware of and intrigued by the rich history of the area. Walking down the preserved cobbled streets of Seaport that are lined by old brick buildings that lead to a large ship (now part of Seaport Museum) docked at the coast, I was instantly overcome with a sense of reminiscence and mystery about the past of this area that is so different from the glass highrises mere blocks away. This curiosity led me to dig deeper into Manhattan’s relationship with its waterfront over the years.
Delving deeper into the historical fabric of seaport in the financial district reveals it is synonymous with the history of New York City itself, as Financial District, formerly New Amsterdam, is the oldest part of the city (From New Amsterdam to Financial District 2017) . Historically, Seaport district thrived as a bustling trade hub, where fishermen and traders converged, and the community came together to buy fresh produce. It boasted the renowned Fulton Fisher Market, a celebrated destination for oyster aficionados.
South Street and Brooklyn Bridge (c. 1900) (A photochrom postcard published by the Detroit Photographic Company), edited.
Although Seaport has been deemed a historic district, allowing for most of its architecture, such as the brick buildings to be preserved, the district feels isolated and out of place amidst all the modern and often alienating development that surrounds it. Over the decades, the area has been shaped by development initiatives like the FDR highway that functions as a concrete barrier to the waterfront that prevents people from gathering and interacting in the area. It is important to understand that this present reality wasn’t just suddenly realized. It did not just come to be. It is the outcome of systemic decision making over decades by those with power. One such person was Robert Moses (1888-1981), a highly influential figure in the development of New York City’s urban landscape during the 20th century, who famously prioritized infrastructure growth over community spaces. His infrastructural moves have significantly altered the landscape of present-day Manhattan. Robert Caro, in his comprehensive biography of Moses, The Power Broker, notes, “Moses’ vision was of cities where people drove, and parks were approached by car rather than foot.” (Caro, 1974) This perspective often sidelined community engagement in urban planning.
To revive community engagement at Seaport’s water’s edge it is therefore important to ask the question: What does it mean for a community to engage with its waterfront?
In stark contrast to Moses’ approach, Jane Jacobs advocates for urban spaces designed with the community in mind. In her seminal work, she argues, “Lowly, unpurposeful, and random as they may appear, sidewalk contacts are the small change from which a city’s wealth of public life may grow.” (Jacobs, 1961) Jacobs highlights the significance of casual interactions that occur in public spaces, suggesting that these are fundamental to fostering a vibrant community life. Jacobs’ opinion is echoed by urban planning expert William H. Whyte, who emphasizes the importance of accessible spaces, saying “The street is the river of life of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the center.” (Whyte, 1980)
To create space for such casual interactions to occur and people to come together, I established a central idea that would guide my design for an architectural intervention at the waterfront: it must have porous circulation. It should function like the sidewalk and street that Jacobs and Whyte discuss, thereby prioritizing pedestrians and their access to the space.
Circulation, however, cannot be isolated from the program it aims to connect or the frontage that it stitches together. As a resident of Seaport, observing a waterfront that lacks communal engagement, I notice how the area is predominantly open-air with limited access to sheltered spaces, remaining deserted for large parts of the year. The only enclosed space is the newly developed tin building; however, its interior is completely sealed away from the outdoor circulation that surrounds it. Exploring the relationship between architecture and human experience, emphasizing how spaces can be designed to enhance the connection between interior and exterior environments, in his book Body, Memory, and Architecture, Charles Moore emphasizes “The seamless flow between indoors and outdoors transforms mere buildings into environments that live and breathe with their inhabitants.” (Moore, 1977)
To enhance circulation, functionality, and waterfront engagement so that the project may transcend the typical indoor-outdoor dichotomy, a powerful architecture tool that presents itself is Form. One of my favorite architects, Louis Khan, in his book Form and Design captures this notion: “Form is not a design, form is the essence of a design.”(Kahn, 1961) And while the age old debate of form vs function has merit on both ends, using form especially in the case of Seaport offers assistance in creating a departure from Manhattan’s conventional linear, square building typology towards a design that blurs the boundaries between “inside” and “outside.”
Starchitect Zaha Hadid elaborates on the role of form, stating, “Form in architecture is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as to best accomplish a particular purpose. It is the expression of fluidity and movement, creating possibilities that are not just aesthetic but deeply interconnected with the urban fabric.” (Hadid, 2011) Inspired by the city’s historical connection to the water, the architectural form of East river’s edge could imitate natural forms and processes.
The concept of “rock-like architecture” emerges from this thinking. By adopting structures that mimic the natural wave-dissipating properties of shoreline rocks, this design could build a resilient waterfront that not only withstands sealevel rise and storm surges but also integrates harmoniously with the landscape. This approach unites the robustness of natural rock formations with the adaptability of modern design, crafting spaces that are protective yet integrated with their surroundings.
By leveraging form as both a barrier and a connector, this architectural strategy actively engages with the environmental and social context. This reimagined interface between the built and natural environments enhances urban resilience and livability, fostering a sustainable and cohesive urban future.
Working with From and Circulation - Process Work (Sehar 2024) Visualization - Rock-Like forms at Waterfront (Sehar 2024)
SITE ANALYSIS
Investigating the financial district and delving deep into the proposed conditions of the prospective big u construction led us to identify sites with three different types of vacancies that were all located on south street, at the water’s edge. The sites consisted of an unused parking lot, an empty construction site and the open acre of 55 water that rests upon a parking lot with no frontage or street access.
55 Water epitomizes modern architecture and corporate dominance, as the building comprises only office spaces with no community engagement. As one nears, instead of a grand entrance, they are met with a facade that appears almost aloof. Rising effortlessly, the building’s sleek glass exterior mirrors the bustling cityscape, passively reflecting its vibrancy without extending an invitation. It stands detached, a silent observer of the urban rhythm, engaged yet removed from the surrounding life.
The open acre that is part of 55 Water Street, intended for public enjoyment, is paradoxically hidden, with access made challenging and inconspicuous. Despite its purpose as a communal space, the area is tucked away, subtly deterring visitors with its lessthan-welcoming approach. This secluded green space mirrors the building’s own reserved demeanor, offering solitude and a quiet escape amidst the urban rush, yet remaining elusive to the uninitiated passerby.
55 Water Continuous Ground Drawing (Bhopaul, Bajwa 2023) Building Facade Analysis (Bhopaul, 2024)
PROPOSAL
To counter the detached nature of 55 Water Street, we conceived a waterfront project designed to draw people towards the water. Featuring an entrance that is welcoming and open, inviting the public in and leading them directly to the water’s edge. Here, they are encouraged to interact closely with the aquatic environment. This project envisions a space where barriers are dissolved, fostering a genuine connection between the community and the waterfront, turning the area into a vibrant hub of activity and engagement.
The project, while rooted locally, extends its relevance to the broader waterfronts of New York City. Selecting the East River as our site, we acknowledge our dual responsibility to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We approached the project with an intentionality that recognizes that we are not only designing for the above water condition that would be occupied by humans but also the underwater condition that interacts with marine life. Michael Marrella of NYC Department of City Planning explains in his interview with Scienceline that the best way to restore the East River’s ecosystem and allow it to host the marine life it once did is to create a “new ecological niche”: “Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the wetlands that have been created as portions of those shorelines, or further north at Randall’s Island and similar projects, where the city has intentionally taken down some of the hardened structures that were built in the past. I wouldn’t say restoring, I would say creating a new ecological niche.” (Scienceline, 2021) Our project partakes in this vision of substituting the hardened façade with a porous one that would mimic coral reefs and provide shelter to oysters and starfish, allowing marine diversity to flourish in the east river.
(Google Maps, 2023) and (Dan Howarth, 2018) Low density and lack of fontage High density and no commercial interaction High density and interactive fontage Section Percepective - Space Use (Sehar, Daniel 2024)
Idea Matrix showing our project’s emphasis on porosity, community and commercial Space (Sehar, 2023)
Section Percepective (Sehar, Daniel 2024)
Our project creates a “porous” frontage that allows users to weave in and out of the project’s ground floor level without being obstructed – softening the boundaries of what is inside and what is outside. In doing so we hope to create an engaging social atmosphere that draws the community and revitalizes commerce in the area. The additional benefit of this frontage in the is that it will make the space usable throughout the year by providing a sheltered indoor layer – the use of which is less susceptible to weather changes. These rock-like structures will provide what Oldenberg refers to in his book ‘The Great Good Place’ as “third places” . He describes how integral third places can be to a community by saying “The leveling, primacy conversation, certainty of meeting friends, looseness of structure, and eternal reign of the imp of fun all combine to set the stage for experiences unlikely to be found elsewhere.” (Oldenburg, 1999) To provide zones that would serve as these third places the project houses spaces such as larger community workspaces, indoor dining, open plan terraces and more intimate meeting workshop rooms, all of which have open plans, providing flexibility to be used as the community deems necessary.
The project not only serves as a source of fresh, locally sourced seafood but also incorporates farmers markets and storefronts showcasing a variety of marine products. Recreational spaces and amenities are designed to celebrate the maritime lifestyle, fostering a connection between the community and the waterfront. It provides a dynamic environment where residents and visitors can engage with the waterfront through activities like underwater viewing, kayaking in wave-protected zones, and swimming in safely enclosed areas. This waterfront project strives to redefine the waterfront by promoting environmental sustainability, economic vitality, and a unique blend of recreational and commercial experiences that reflect the essence of New York’s coastal identity.
CONTEXT
The architectural form of our project is deeply influenced by the historical context of the East River. In 1885, the river was cluttered with numerous rock obstructions in areas known as Hell’s Gate—a perilous zone due to the conflicting tides of the Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. Notable obstructions that consisted of large rocky outcroppings included Bald-headed Billy, Hens and Chickens, the Pot and the Frying Pan, Bread and Cheese, the Hog’s Back, Mill Rock, and Rat Island, with the latter two still present today. To make navigation safer, New York City undertook a massive clearance project, using 300,000 pounds of dynamite to remove Flood Rock and other obstacles.
Drawing inspiration from this historical interaction with the river’s rocky terrain, our design seeks to acknowledge and incorporate these geological markers. These rocks not only narrate the history of our coastline but also symbolize the potential for future resilience against climate change. Urban historian Dolores Hayden, in her book ‘The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History’, asserts that urban landscapes are historic texts filled with stories of past struggles (Hayden, 1995). According to Hayden, it is imperative that we engage with these spaces not just as physical entities but as historical narratives that require careful preservation and thoughtful reinterpretation.
Lower Manhattan’s seaport waterfront was once a bustling port with traders and vendors and the famous Fulton fish market. However, over years of development, landfill and the construction of highways. Lower Manhattan’s waterfront, once dominated by the Fulton Fish Market, traders, and vendors that played a vital role in the city’s economic and social life.
Hells Gate Explosion (Clark Museum, Charles Graham 1885) (Situated Objects and Program, Stan Allen)
DESIGN METHOD
Identifying and Navigating Problems
We started the semester by identifying the problem to be the dark zone under the fdr that at sites like 55 water acts as a barrier to the waterfront. We worked on project proposals first to bridge over the barrier that is the fdr and subsequently to activate the space underneath it space.
However, while engaging in this, we came to understand the site specific plan of the big u was a deployable wall, that was not architectural nor did it allow for a connection with the water front. Through sectional studies of the site from the buildings to the waters edge we engaged in ideas of a landscape solution using a berm that could be inhabitable, creating frontage. As we moved forward with this concept we tried to embed the wall required to protect against storm water surge within the new architectural intervention. This resulted in a thick poche plan that prioritized protection against water surge over interaction with the water. To navigate this dilemma, I looked at precedents like The International Center of Visigoth Culture, in Toledo, Spain, designed by Mansilla + Tuñón Arquitectos and Timayui Kindergarten by Giancarlo Mazzanti, and began to analyze the forms of our rock like structures and think about how best to aggregate them to maintain a sort of “porosity”.
Process Work - Community Intervention under FDR Sehar 2024) Process Work - Berm addition and Circulation (Sehar 2024) (Mansilla + Tuñón Architects) (Giancarlo Mazzanti)
Layering Spaces
The four layers of space of the site were identified as the open acre of 55 water, followed by south street, followed by the fdr and then the east river. We worked with abstracted models to think about how to weave between these layers. We also carried out section studies along the site and created surfaces by lofting these sections to further understand how to connect the city scape to the waterfront. I also analyzed sections of the site by adding the foldable wall from the prospective plans of the big u and my own possibilities of an accessible berm.
Form Study
Inspired by both the history of the flood rocks of the east river as well as the use of the rocks to create interesting forms at the waterfront that would break away from the orthogonal monotony of the high-rises of the Financial district I modeled and 3d printed three types of “rock like structures” inspired by the works of . As I began to place them to create views of the waterfront that would frame the skyline of Brooklyn across the river from seaport, I noticed that the walls of the forms I had created were still very orthogonal. This led me to create a new family of “rock like structures” with much more jagged edges and less controlled volumes, this resulted in an interesting spatial condition that was provocative in how those inhabiting the space would experience these edges.
Clustering
Once we had a set of rocks that provided these interesting conditions, as a next step I 3d printed them so I could adjust their orientation and create aggregations that were porous to the waterfront and allowed users to circulate through them weaving between what is inside and outside and what is above and below water level. This process was particularly fruitful as orienting the rocks also helped understand what would be most structurally stable and what might require extra supports, this led me to think about how the structure meets the ground and create supports that the rocks could be nested into that would anchor the project to the riverbed.
Booleaning
Finally, to be able to make the waterfront truly accessible and bring users closer to the water, we moved our focus to creating circulation paths. We focused on enhancing accessibility to the water by designing pathways that weave through space. Inspired by Zaha Hadid Architects’ design for the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre, which features curves and flowing volumes inspired by the Jinghe River, we booleaned out curved forms to create engaging paths, walkways, and elevated courtyards, thereby softening the interaction between the harsh structural edges and the users. This approach not only made the waterfront more accessible but also enriched the spatial quality of the area, inviting users to engage more deeply with their surroundings.
Cluster Aggregation Study Model - Process Work (Sehar 2024) Booleaning from cluster (Sehar, Daniel 2024) (Jinghe Culture Center, Zaha Hadid Architects)
PROJECT STATEMENT
Lower Manhattan’s seaport waterfront was once a bustling port with traders and vendors and the famous Fulton fish market. However, over years of development, landfill and the construction of highways . There exists very little infrastructure for the seaport community to engage with their waterfront. The only places that exist are either mostly indoor like the newly constructed tin building or completely outdoor like the piers.
Located in the financial district, despite its rich heritage, Seaport is ruled mostly by the monotony of the orthogonal buildings and grid circulation that is typical to Manhattan. Our design for a community waterfront challenges and attempts to depart from this orthogonal monotony. Our composition creates spaces that allow users to weave in and out of spaces, slowing down the fast-paced movement of office workers and New Yorkers that visit.
By providing community centric frontage our project brings the people of New York’s financial district to the water. The form and organization provide opportunities to truly interact with the waterfront with spaces such as underwater viewing spaces, a protected kayaking zone (waves are broken down by protective “arms” of project) and even more protected swimming zone. Providing space for seafood vendors and farmers markets, our project attempts to revive the lost history of the Fulton seafood and oyster market.
Plan showing organization and activities (Sehar, Daniel 2024) Isometric view with Circulation (Sehar, Daniel 2024)
Creating porosity is central to the idea of the project. While porosity in plan can be seen in circulation in and out as well as up and down (above and below water) another aspect of porosity is included in the materiality of the underside of these rock spaces. The part submerged under water is made of a porous material to allow wildlife to inhabit it (ref. Section). The smaller craggy rocks dispersed in the water protected zone too are made of this porous material to help facilitate marine biology to flourish in the east river.
The form draws from the “spectacle of pot rocks and flood rocks being blasted as part of hell’s gate in 1849” thereby the project not only brings back the form of the pot rocks but is a spectacle in and of its own. The thoughtful arrangement of the ‘rock structures ‘frames views of the water and the skyline beyond it as well as to other spaces within the project, creating a continuous visual connection The project is held up by pillars and elevated to respond to the predicted water level rise of the100 yr flood, adapting to foreseeable climate changes.
While the project does not safeguard from the predicted flood it is built to respond to the 100 yr flood that will cause sea level to rise up to 9ft above water level as it is lifted by stilts above this water level.
Space Visualization (Sehar, Daniel 2024)
Space Visualization (Sehar, Daniel 2024)
90 South Street Site Continuous Ground (Sehar and Daniel 2023)
301 Pearl Street Site Continuous Ground (Sehar and Daniel 2023)
Pedestrian Flow and Frontage Analysis (Sehar and Daniel 2023)
(Sehar and Daniel, 2023), (Google Maps, 2023)
Original and Predicted Waterfront Lines with Sanborn Map Overlays (Sehar and Daniel, 2023)
(Sehar and Daniel 2023)
(Sehar and Daniel 2023)
TRAFFIC BROUGHT TO WATERFFRONT
GREENERY FROM BIG U BROUGHT IN
Prospective Axon at 90 South Street - Connecting West of FDR to East River Waterfront (Sehar and Daniel 2023)
(Spivack, 2020), (A peaceful scene of once-bloodied wall street 2011), (Sehar and Daniel 2023)
(Spring, 2024) (Fall 2023)
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THANK YOU
A big thank you to my professors Lori Gibbs, Philip Lee and Eliza Schrader for their guidance and valuable feedback and my processors at Pratt over the last 5 years that have taught me so much. My friends and fellow students who made the learning experinece so enriching with their different and unique points of view. And finally my parents for their constant support and encouragement.
(An image where Fidi’s current skyline meets the historic harbour using DallE AI tool, 2023)