David Harris Salkin Portfolio

PROJECT 1NEW ORLEANS. PROFESSOR ALAN LEWIS. 2007

*THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM

30’X30’ parcels.multi-family, multi-income, multi-height,

raised mat housing scheme.

aggregation

air-right morphology;access network

section

PROJECT: 1DAVID HARRIS SALKIN

metal screen derivation: river gabions

sealed- projected usage-

opened-

hanging-gardens aerial

x-ray interior

integration into masterplan

PROJECT 2A PREPERATORY ASSEMBLAGE FOR A DYING CITYNEW ORLEANS. PROFESSOR IRENE KEIL. 2008

(HURRICANE KATRINA WAS THE GREATEST POSSIBLE CLUE THAT THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW. THE GLOBAL MEAN SEA LEVEL DEPENDENT ACCESS CONDITIONS IS EXPONENTIALLY RISING; A MINIMUM OF 3 FEET IS PROJECTED OVER THE NEXT CENTURY. IMBALANCES ARE INTENSIFYING OR ALTER-ING TYPICAL WEATHER PATTERNS AND EVENTS. THE WA-TER SUPPLIES IN MANY OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST CITIES ARE DISAPPEARING, ETC. NEW ORLEANS IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE. THE SOFT ALLUVIUM ON WHICH THE CITY IS BUILT IS EXPECTED TO SUBSIDE AN ADDITIONAL 3 FEET OVER THE NEXT CENTURY. THE PROTECTIVE DELTAIC LAND-SCAPE IS RAPIDLY DISAPPEARING; THE DESIRE TO DOMI-NATE WHAT IS PERHAPS THE MOST VOLATILE LANDSCAPE ON EARTH HAS EXPEDITED EXISTING RISKS AND ALLOWED US TO DEVISE UNNATURAL SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN WHICH WE ARE COMFORTABLE TO LEAVE UNMODIFIED. IF WE ARE TO PROJECT OUR CURRENT COMPLANCY AND UNPRECEDENT CRI-SES ONTO OUR CITY’S FUTURE, WE MAY ACKNOWLEDGE NEW ORLEANS’ BLEAK FUTURE. LIKE WE MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DEATH OF A RELATIVE OR TO OURSELVES, LET US DO THE SAME FOR OUR CITY.LET US CONSTRUCT A MONUMENT THAT IS TO BE USED BY US IN THE PRESENT AND NEAR FUTURE, AS A PLACE WHERE THE FATE OF THE CITY WILL BE DECIDED, BOTH BY THE LEADERS IN THEIR OFFICES, AND BY THE PEOPLE IN THEIR FORUMS. LET US CONTRUCT A MONUMENT THAT WILL ALSO BE USED WELL INTO THE IN-DEFINITE FUTURE, AS A SYNTHETIC RUIN THAT, THROUGH FORM, WILL INFORM THE FUNDAMENTAL FALL OF THE CITY, AND THROUGH CONTENTS, WILL ALLOW FOR PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE MEMORIES AND ARTIFACTS TO BE PRESERVED AND DISCOVERED.)

HOW DOES ONE ANSWER THE QUESTION “WHAT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF A CITY’S MEMO-RY THROUGH AN ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENT?”

MONTHS OF FAILED ATTEMPTS RESULTS IN A COLLAPSE IN THE PROCESS, IN WHICH THE SCRAPS OF LITERAL PHYSICAL REPRESENTATIONS, CONCEPTUAL PROJE TIONS, AND INVEN-TIVE PROGRAMS ORGANIZE THEMSELVES INTO 10 PROGRAMMED 20’ BANDS SEPARATED AND ACCESSED BY 11 SERVICE (LAND-SCAPE) BANDS, REFLECTING THE UBIQUITOUS 30 CADASTER CONDITION. THE RESULT IS A SYNTHESIS OF WHAT CAN BE VIEWED AS 10 COMPETITION ENTRIES ATTEMPTING TO ANSWER THIS ANSWER-LESS DILEMMA. PROGRAMS ARE AS-SIGNED IN A COMPLEMENTARY DIALOGUE WITH THE PRESBY-TERE, CATHEDRAL, AND CABILDO FACING OPP0- SITE JACK-SON SQUARE. SPIRITUAL AND GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTIONS ARE LOOSELY SEPARATED BY THE ALLOWANCE OF THE MISSIS-SIPPI RIVER TO, DURING STABLE LOW-WATER CONDITIONS, REACH TO DECATUR STREET, FORMING A ‘WET BASIN’. THE UNIQUE PHYSICAL QUALITIES OF THE BANDS ARE ARRANGED TO ALLOW UNIQUE ACCESS CONDITIONS TO THE BANDS OF INHABITABLE, AND OFFICIALLY PROGRAMMED SPACE. MANY SURFACES ARE LEFT UNADORNED AND UNPROGRAMMED; THEY CAN PROVIDE USEFUL GATHERING SPACES FOR TOURISTS, FESTIVALS, QUIET MOMENTS. THE ‘DRY BASIN’ IS DESIGNED TO HOUSE THE ANTICIPATED PROGRAM OF ‘AGORA’, WHERE THOUSANDS CAN MEET. THE SPACE IS OVERLOOKED BY THE HIGHEST RANKING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND MULTIPLE ‘BALCONY’ CONDITIONS FOR THE PUBLIC.

*ESCHATOLOGICAL MONUMENTALITY

PROJECT 3RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, MASTER-PLAN STRATEGYNEW ORLEANS. PROFESSOR ILA BERMAN. 2006

*URBAN FABRIC