Gowanus Notebook

7/28/2019 Gowanus Notebook

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Streets of Ambivalence The Streets of Ambivalence project takes the Streetscape TerritoriesResearch theme as a starting point and focuses on the notion of ambivalence. Ambivalence is a concept too often related with negativeconnotations. However its a concept strongly related to ourcontemporary society.Our environments, cities and lives are becoming ever more complex andlayered. Complexity is strongly related to the concept of ambivalence. Inhis doctoral thesis Depth Configurations, Kris Scheerlinck refers to the

work of Warren Weaver to describe three types of complexity: simplecomplexity, disorganized complexity and organized complexity. Simple

complexity, on the one extreme end, consis ts of only two or three variable problems, disorganized complexity, on the other end, areproblems characterized by millions and millions of variables that canonly be statistically approached, like for example behavior of moleculesin a gas. Organized complexity however, is the middle region betweenthe two extremes that involves billions of variables. And to quote W.

Weaver: Much more important than the mere number of variables is the fact that these variables are all interrelated... These problems, as contrasted with the disorganized situations with which statistics can cope, show the essential feature organization. 1

By focussing more on the middle region between simple anddisorganized complexity in architecture we are able to enrich our urbanfabric in ways that are much more related to our own human behaviorand intentions. A more ambiguous architecture that makes us questionour environments, that alienates and familiarizes at the same time, thatmakes us feel at home but distant as well. Architecture with a borderlinecharacteristic that makes us feel safe and scared. An uncertainarchitecture. Human architecture.

Jeremy Till illustrates the possibilities of ambivalent architecture with ananecdote in his book Architecture Depends 2 , when he describes thelow-fi side of architecture.In one of the last chapters Till talks about how Elvis Costello would ask his technicians during the recording of an album to play the recordings

through a cheap transistor radio because this would be how most people would experience his music. Till argues that architects should have asimilar attitude, keeping in mind the low-fi while designing a project.

And while Till is right to point out that the distance between designerand end-user is too large, Till forgets to incorporate an important

1 W. Weaver, " Science and Complexity" in American Scientist, n36, 1948, p 5362 Till, J. (2009) Architecture depends . Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.


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element. We all have ambivalent feelings. Not everybody still listens tothe cheap transistor radio. Theres people listening to cheap mp3 players,theres people who still love the sound of the good old LPs, but theresalso a growing number of audiophiles with hi-tech equipment that wantto hear the sound of Costellos fingers gently touching the microphone.

And above all theres people who listen to the radio in the morning during a traffic jam in the car, and enjoy Costello in the evening on theirDolby Surround installation at home.

We are ambivalent beings. We love to be able to enjoy both extremes andeverything in between. Architecture needs this ambivalence in order tokeep up with an ever faster changing and transforming society as our

options of listening, to remain in the same terminology, keep ongrowing.One of the most interesting concepts is the notion of depth within astreetscape. To research how deep collective spaces penetrate into certainbuilding blocks could help to discover how different types adjacent tothese spaces work on a social or cultural level.If we are to combine this with the notion of ambivalence, one can arguethat spaces that arent immediately clear in terms of depthness could bespaces that allow for multiple interpretations. Take for instance, theexample of the network of little alleyways in Venice. You experiencesome alleys as being more collective than others. Visitors are oftenconfronted with a hesitation of going into certain alleyways, regularinhabitants make other decisions in terms of which routes and alleysthey follow. This all adds up to a multitude of ways to experience anurban streetscape.

We need more of these ambiguous spaces also in terms of permeability of the urban fabric. Permeability is another concept that is used withinthe ST research project. In the Streets of Ambivalence project the ideaof permeability questions how clear the line between permeable and notpermeable should be. Does the level of permeability influence the way

we engage with others? Are we actively invited to participate in thestreetscape? An ambivalent relationship between permeable and closedoff elements in a streetscape again offers multiple interpretations and

makes the urban fabric more complex and thus more closely related tohuman life.

Streets of Ambivalence in Gowanus, NYC. The Gowanus neighborhood is in a way defined and characterized by thehistory and future of the Gowanus Canal. This former tidal creek thathas been turned into a canal in 1869, lies at the lowest point between thesurrounding neighborhoods of Park Slope, Carroll Gardens and Boerum


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Hill. As a result of its topography, the Gowanus is subject to regularfloods caused by storm surges.

The Gowanus Canal was built to accommodate maritime industrialactivities penetrating deep into Brooklyn. The mainly service orientedbusinesses located along its banks included chemical factories,Manufactured Gas Plants and cement factories, amongst others. As aresult, the canal and adjacent lots are highly chemically contaminated. In2010, the EPA placed the Canal on its Superfund Priority List, a federalprogram subsidizing its cleanup.

The Canal also holds 11 Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) outlets, andas heavy rain and snowfall are common in the New York area theres

regular outfalls causing raw sewage to enter the Canal. These chemicaland biological contaminations lead to a decline in activity in the mainly manufacturing zoned area. Pressure on the real estate market is rising asthe need for more housing increases. Mayor Bloombergs plaNYC2030outlines the goal to provide housing for an additional one millionresidents. Gowanus, mainly zoned manufacturing and surrounded by highly gentrified residential neighborhoods, is consequently a primelocation for developers. Keeping manufacturing alive and active in theGowanus area is a viable argument in the light of a growing demand forlocal manufacturing and the necessity of service oriented industries andemerging markets close to residential areas and Manhattan.But we cant deny the rising need for housing in New York and thepotential Gowanus offers to provide additional residential opportunities.

A strong balance between the retention and creation of manufacturing activities and new intelligent ways of housing is needed in the Gowanusarea.

Aside from housing, New York City in general also faces another sharedchallenge with Gowanus; environmental issues. With only 15% in 2011,New York currently holds one of the lowest recycling rates in the nation(the nations average in 2010 was 34%). In comparison, San Franciscoachieved a record-setting 77% diversion rate in 2009. The city respondedto these numbers by devoting a chapter in its plaNYC2030 called Solid

Waste where it outlines a set of strategies and goals the city wants to

reach. An important part, thats often neglected or looked over in the waste management discussion are the so called canners. The term isused to described the estimated 5000 people that roam the streets of Brooklyn scavenging for empty plastic, metal or glass drink containers inorder to redeem them at 5cent a piece. They face difficulties redeeming because of daily arbitrary limits set by collection centers, have limitedoptions of storing their collected items and as some of them arehomeless, lack basic personal hygiene.


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The Streets of Ambivalence project proposes to construct a GowanusEnvironmental Center at a location on the head of the Canal wherethe two main CSO outlets are located alongside a flushing tunnel pumpstation. The program is comprised out of community based activitiesthat aim to raise awareness among local residents living in Gowanus andits surrounding neighborhoods. The container parkoffers members of thecommunity the opportunity to deposit waste that cannot be put out forcurbside collection. A container park, a mainly European concept is acity organized collection point for all kinds of waste open to members of the public. These parks greatly improved recycling rates across Europe,but, more importantly, raised awareness amongst local communities.

Theyre places where people have the opportunity to meet other localsand discard of their household waste. Unfortunately, most of thesecontainerparks are placed outside of city limits. The Streets of

Ambivalence clearly aims to position this activity in the heart of thecommunity, actively inviting citizens to participate. The urban gardening center,part of the container park, collects organic waste and resells it,among other materials, back to the community. Organic waste is one of the least recycled items in NYC. The center also provides workshops andinformation on urban gardening in general. The redemption center providesinfrastructure for canners to redeem collected drink containers andaims to relieve some of the hardships they currently face. The waste transfer station is a key part in optimizing the garbage collection routes.Collection trucks deposit waste at the Gowanus transfer station andfrom there on it is transported by barge to the recently constructedSouth Brooklyn Marine Terminal recycling facility. The last includedprogram is the cso retention facility, designed to retain 4 million gallonsof raw sewage during heavy rainfall and as a consequence avoiding further biological pollution.

All these functions are combined into the Gowanus EnvironmentalCenter. The center is an extension of the existing streetscape in ahorizontal and vertical sense. The heavy horizontal concrete floor slabsare in strong contrast with the intricate steel truss frames that carry theslabs and provide an ambiguous filter throughout the project. As with

the current existing surrounding streetscape, all infrastructure inside theproject is conceived as separate systems existing side by side. Thelighting fixtures remind us to a bygone time where electrical cables forthe trolley lines floated over our heads. Signage language is derived fromthe adjacent streets and safety infrastructure is designed as a separatesystem. Where the program requires protected areas such as thegardening center or the redemption center, ad-hoc lightweight structuresare placed in the projects streetscape. As mentioned before, flood


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mitigation is an important part of the design philosophy used in thisproject. The ground floor is raised 1.5meters (5feet) to prevent mostcategories of storm surges. As a secondary precaution, the lower floor isconceived as being as temporary as possible. In the event of a flood, allcontainers, machinery and equipment can be transported to higher levelsor can be loaded onto barges for safekeeping. The CSO retentionfacilitys pumps could afterwards be used to facilitate a quick cleanup of the site and pump excess water back to the sewage system.

The Environmental Center is above all city infrastructure. Its a flexibleand adaptable structure thats able to sustain and accommodate changesin demographics, zoning overlays and future climatological challenges.

The large open spaces allow for a multitude of different uses should theneed for some of the proposed programs disappear.In an uncertain landscape like the Gowanus is at the moment,ambiguous architecture like the Streets of Ambivalence project providesa platform to deal with these uncertainties. At the same time it tacklescurrent challenges by using the many opportunities the area offers.Environmental challenges, both locally and in a city wide context are metby lowering biological pollution of the canal through the CSO retentionfacility, construction of new bulkheads and removal of polluted soil andby activities organized within the Environmental Center. Containerparksoffer a community based participation within the waste managementchallenge and the urban gardening center offers members of the publicthe opportunity to actively engage in organic waste recycling. Theredemption center offers a means to help those who already play animportant part within the recycling chain.On a socio-economical level, the project offers direct manufacturing jobs, which could be useful to those unemployed, unschooled citizensliving in nearby social housing buildings. Waste transportation (exportout of city limits) and collection takes up one third of the annual wastemanagement budget of approximately 1 billion dollars. By organizing acollection point where trucks can transfer collected waste onto bargesthe costs of these operations can be greatly reduced.

Above all the project raises awareness within the community. The

Environmental Center is an infrastructure that is closely nested into theurban fabric of the city. It is not pushed out of sight. It is part of thestreetscape and is experienced in that way. The structure is a vibrant,productive extension of the existing surroundings where one can driveto by car to discard of household waste or by bike to buy gardenmaterials, or just go on foot to enjoy the rooftop view over the area or

visit a second hand market organized by local community organizations.


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Photo illustrating the ad-hoc placement of infrastructures.


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View on the main entrance.


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View showing people using the container park.


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View on the main entrance and urban gardening center.


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View on the urban gardening center and loading dock/waste transfer station.


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Overview of the containerpark and upper levels.


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View groundfloor and Gowanus Canal dockside.


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Documents

Gowanus Notebook