Project Description
Embedded in the walls of Lowell’s dormant canals is evidence of 19th century American ingenuity. How can we honor these artifacts in a contemporary commuter town? Drain the canals, dredge new ones, break the monotony of the mill facades. Build in, on, and below the current level of Lowell, revealing its hidden section and redefining an architecture that mediates land and water. New infrastructure is buried underground, courtyard housing aggregates around canal pooling, sliver buildings inhabit the boundary between the road and the canal, reinvigorating the edge and inviting pedestrians below grade to enjoy Lowell’s newly submerged main street.