architecture pro tem: What does David Byrne have to do with temporary architecture?

I've always admired the subtle genius of the song `Nothing But Flowers' by the Talking Heads. It has, in my own personal interpretation, a post-apocalyptic ambivalence toward nature commandeering the remnants of industrial society. In a time when we work so hard to resurrect a healthy balance between ourselves and nature's suppressed ecological systems, Byrne created a funny sort of 'ode to the excesses,' and also to the architecture we surround ourselves with. Or was he being sarcastic? That's the beauty of the song, I suppose.

Why is this relevant?

All things decay over time. The speed with which nature can reclaim a man-made space is surprisingly swift, when left to its own devices. It wasn't that long ago, relatively speaking, that European settlers crawled west across North America, making plans to develop everything in sight. The Jeffersonian grid, part of the Land Ordinance of 1785, was an attempt to place a visible design on untouched landscape, and organize the chaos of nature into identifiable, profitable lots.

Patterns of growth, decay, and human attempts at the organization of nature are the subjects of Byrne's commentary and are also prominent qualities of urban sites I have identified in Providence, Rhode Island. Last week, with the launching of this blog, I set out to define the `starting line' intention for my architectural thesis:

To explore the potential of temporary architectural installations on identified sites; a juxtaposition that poses questions about the nature of site, the role and definition of architecture, and the use of constructs as a tool for social change.

There are three fundamental topics in this statement:

1. What is temporary architecture?
2. What are the qualities of a potential site?
3. What/how can constructs be used to enact social change?

While looking at work such as: http://www.icebergproject.org/, http://cca-actions.org/, and others to find inspiration for engaging responses to site, I set out to identify sites (topic #2) in Providence. Sites that have- in my estimation- potential, and to talk about why I think they do. Site #1 will serve as a test example of this potential:

Site #1 Gano Street Train Tunnel & Vicinity

The East Side Railroad Tunnel was opened in 1908 and was built to replace another track at Fox Point. It originally ran two tracks, one for an electric car system and the one you see pictured above (the two photos were taken from the top of the tunnel mouth, roughly a year apart- Spring 2010 and Winter 2011)- a traditional freight train. Only 73 years later, in 1981, it was closed.

From the opening of the tunnel to the Crook Point Bascule Bridge that spans the Seekonk River, nature has aggressively reclaimed the space, with species of trees, vines, and a weed-like bamboo variety clogging the once-noisy tracks. All varieties of birds now occupy the span from the water to the tunnel's now steel-covered mouth.

The space has taken on a very pedestrian life, too. This site is on the outskirts of a residential sector and is the remnant of an industrial age. Because of it's abandonment and potential for adventure on the margins of society it attracts young people looking for a thrill (me, if I qualify as young) and displaced people looking for shelter or anonymity (me, when I want to be left alone). It is part dumping ground, part alternative recreation space, and part empty canvas. The tunnel itself- 22 feet high, 31 feet wide, and 5080 feet long- is the like the den of a sleeping dragon- full of intrigue and danger. It is so intriguing, in fact, that someone has taken a cutting torch and cut a small doorway into the thick steel cover.

The land, still owned by the City of Providence, is a narrow strip of property leading from the tunnel to the Seekonk River. On the west side is the local grocer Eastside Market and a new condominium complex, and on the east side are neighborhood ball fields. The track sits twenty-five feet below busy Gano Street. Most cars pass over this tunnel with no knowledge of its existence but for the behemoth frozen, rusting bridge just a quarter mile away.

What is the life of this space now? What is its potential?

Site #1 provides an introduction, or character sketch, of the kind of sites I'll be working with. Each of the places listed have an element of intrigue for me, as the East Side Railway does. During three years of living and working in Providence, these places have aroused emotions leading to questions about their undefined state.

For instance, each time I drive into Providence I am conscious of the North Burial Ground. I notice its well-groomed campus with a variety of trees and memorials, and I remind myself to try and visit it before too long. But unlike Swan Point Cemetery, I resist actually visiting it because there is a conflict in my mind with it's situation along the highway. The noise, the exposure to the wind, and the lack of tranquil privacy makes me think it's the last place I would want to be buried, to place a loved one, or to visit. I'm reminded of the slow march of time and development, and wonder when the peaceful lawn of final repose became a buffer zone between the highway and a residential neighborhood. Although the North Burial Ground is not listed as one of my sites, it helped articulate those qualities that cause me to reflect each time I see it or others. Those qualities have become the foundation for my selections.

The sites are on the urban fringe.
They lack a formal identity.
They are sometimes abandoned or isolated.
They seem to simultaneously attract and repel particular human activity.
They are like a hanging question, as yet, unspoken:

Site #2 Epoch Assisted Living Shoreline