IAN O'CAIN

architecture and design

WALKING MEMORY | 17TH ST. CANAL VIEWING PLATFORM

 

The program called for the design of an observation platform at the site of the break in the 17th Street Canal flood wall that caused flooding in a large portion of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The project approached the program as a direct reference to the break. The platform takes the shape of a broken wall behind which piled up water is rushing out towards the ramp. The ramp itself takes the form of the rushing water which spreads out as it leaves the break in the wall. The cladding of the platform forms the rails for the ramp and is formed using two different sized pieces of cladding. The cladding in direct contact with people suppoorting the hand rail is smaller and suggests the gentle nature of water that everyone experiences. The exterior cladding is larger and suggests the sheer mass and power of water in large amounts.

 

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