Tidal Tower- Node for Decentralized Resources by the Power of Water
Team
Name: Alyson Demskie
Nationality: USA
Institution / Company: SCAPE Landscape Architects
Name: Evan Wagner
Nationality: USA
Institution / Company: Kellenyi Johnson Wagner Architects
-EDITORIAL PICK of Manhattan Wildscraper Competition
The proposal prepares for the challenges of rising sea levels and increasing storm severity by employing the skyscraper as decentralized infrastructure for its surrounding community. The building perches on the edge of the East River, and imagines this threshold – rather than the street front – as the center of urban engagement and resource capture. On the waterfront of the Tidal Tower a terraced park anticipates water level rise using shoreline stabilization techniques to step down from the building into the tidal zone, where it supports a rich native ecosystem visible from the ferry pier above. Turbines below harness energy from the river, while water treatment facilities capture, store, and redistribute storm water from the neighborhood. The facade offers opportunities to collect and filter rainwater, and grow algae for biofuel production. Interior labs, public education facilities, and an aquaponic farm-market-restaurant collaboration celebrate water as an abundant resource for the community and blur the water-urban edge condition. Renegotiating the relationship New Yorkers currently have with water in both public and private spaces serves as a template to foster a more resilient community.
#Ecosystem Restoration #Agriculture & Farming #Beautification & Public Space #Biotechnologies #Terraces & Gardens
