RCH4956— Playing in the Meadow(lands)
University of Oklahoma, Division of Architecture, Undergraduate Studio (5th year)
A few miles west of New York City, the Hackensack Meadowlands in New Jersey remains the largest remaining wetland system in the region, despite decades of neglect and overdevelopment. It is also likely
to be one of the first places to be permanently inundated from sea-level rise. Expecting a scenario where,
by the year 2,100 and as a result of climate change, six feet of rising waters will flood the low areas of
the Meadowlands producing an archipelago of islands. The immense concentration of infrastructure that
exists in the Meadowlands—warehousing and distribution facilities, commuter and intercity rail, roads and
bridges, energy transmission facilities—is vital to the economic and transportation needs of the tri-state
region, and indeed the entire Northeast. But by the end of this century, permanent flooding from sea-level
rise will likely displace between 4,000 and 8,000 Meadowlands residents, and cost 51,000 jobs (as defined
by today’s district). The lives of another 40,000 people will be disrupted by periodic flooding from increased
precipitation and storm surges, while infrastructure will be threatened by more frequent flooding and
saltwater intrusion—a particularly vexing problem given the area’s concentration of hazardous-waste sites.
Fall 2024 Students:
Daxton Crawford, Sarah Garashi, Matthew Tyler Grace, Dylen Skillings, Joseph Stiles, Isac Valenciano, Talor Young
Studio underway - check back soon for more information!
Ex01: Place
Mapping
In the first exercise of the semester, students created dozens of maps using publicly available data from a variety of sources at the municipal, state, and national
levels.
The maps were viewed in the studio as a proposition rather than fact, requiring additional levels of scrutiny and analysis to confirm their assertions about the infrastructures of the town.
Ex02: Potential Futures
Layering Narratives
Armed with an extensive archive of maps, students began a process of layering and superimposition to uncover/highlight underlying narratives of Kearny. In an attempt to contextualize the cartographic image of the maps, their presentation was interspersed with additional documentation from online forums, town-hall reports, current photography, and historical images.
Several collages were
created by the students as supplementary visual documentation of the past, present, and potential futures of Kearny; using collage to explore the juxtapositions, visual imagery, overlaps, and
potential relations between elements. Additionally students included ongoing developments in Kearny, such as the Kearny Point Project and the Essex-Hudson Greenway.
Project Proposals
In response to their constructed potential futures narrative, students developed three complimentary project proposals addressing different aspects of Kearny that were revealed in their research. The three topics were expanded where students provided context, a statement of purpose, precedent images, and potential project requirements for development for the rest of the semester.
Selected Topics of Study
1. Environment-Parks-Toxics
2. Transit-Parking-Street
3. Housing-Culture-Community
Ex03: Play
Project Fragments
Collected here are pieces of the studio’s architectural proposals.
Full documentation of the student’s work will be posted in the coming weeks!