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Can negotiation be productive? Venetian Gowanus is an attempt to answer this by suggesting that through spontaneous and controlled interventions of other elements, the “space in between“ can be activated and become socially and ideologically generative, therefore encourage new programs, interactions, and spatial realms.
My project consists of three main components: two levels of living units above and a semi-underground water park that expands to the exterior landscape in the North. Considering the uncertainty of water quality on the site, I decided to turn the structure against the canal, blocking visual and physical connection with the currently toxic water body. The one-hundred years timeline is another exciting variable, to which I responded with a water management system that organically links time to water on the site - the water is only welcomed into the site when it is friendly enough for the community. As a result, the water body becomes a vitally present, constantly changing, yet highly controllable element that is capable of activating the public realm. As the residential units articulate an oscillating “light tunnel“ through spatial negotiation, light from above and water running below unfold the various conditions of the public space, encouraging new possibilities for this community.
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