Oyster-tecture

MoMA Rising Currents Exhibition, 2010

We propose to nurture an active oyster culture that engages issues of water quality, rising tides, and community based development around Brooklyn's Red Hook and Gowanus Canal. An armature for the growth of native oysters and marine life is designed for the shallow waters of the Bay Ridge Flats just south of Red Hook. This living reef is constructed from a field of piles and a woven web of "fuzzy rope" that supports oyster growth and builds a rich three-dimensional landscape mosaic. A watery regional park for the New York Harbor emerges that prefigures the city's return to the waterfront in the next century. The reef attenuates waves and cleans millions of gallons of Harbor water through harnessing the biotic processes of oysters, mussels and eelgrass, and enables neighborhood fabrics that welcome the water to develop further inland.

Related Links:
See For Yourself! Oyster-tecture Mystery Revealed
MoMA Rising Currents team leader interview video - Kate Orff

Credits:
http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/rising-currents/scape-consultants/