attitude

absorb where distant from canal and desire for experience; channel where depression, it is too close to water table

full circle

its funny that the original stainer, vehicle, receiver, weathering diagram is coming back into play

either way, its scary

i described the water as the color of coffee, they said chocolate milk

safe for swimming

if entirely channeling, then storm water runoff and other pollutants that collect on the street will end up in the lake despite the cattails

the cycle

the bayou floods, drains into drainage canal, pumped out of canal, pumped into underground drainage canal, pumped back north to another station to be pumped into the lake

filtration

cattails are the first filtering plant that come to mind; their length, height and appearance is all wrong though

replenishing

if absorption, then only returns to the water table quicker

seeps

seep into earth, seep into wood, seep into porous concrete, seep into sponge

versatility

it can be absorbed or channeled

staining

the droplets will find their way through the perforations, gather the stain en route and fall through to land on the surface below

observation

education of water through ability to flow down a decline, a collection & drinkability

healthy?

rainwater can be drunk if collected cleanly
let's keep it for dogs

collection

collect rainwater to remove or to reuse or both

flexability

water takes the form of anything its released into

reactivating the Carondelet Walk

These images of the past depict the vibrant, activated space of the turning basin at the foot of the canal. The Carondelet Walk which culminated here, at the waterfront, was a populated area for townspeople to stroll and witness or be involved in the daily merchant shipping industry.

Can this vibrancy be reactivated on the plot of greenspace adjacent to the last remaining remnants of the once prosperous canal?

possibly my final statement? yeah right...

How can architecture still define space for inhabitation, and

simultaneously embrace the effects of environmental processes?

All materials are impressionable, preserving environmental and human traces.

Water is the largest contributor to weathering - staining, decay, and

horizontal datum lines left by floods and canal tides. It is the discovery

of prior occurrences in a space that create intrigue and desire for interaction.

Weathered surfaces are defined through particular orientations and layers of materials.

Levels of porosity and degrees of repetition determine the preserving of more or less traces

on a material. Existing surfaces already containing traces are incorporated with new surfaces

to offer the understanding and education of the effects of water. Like the time sensitive effects of water, a place of temporal leisure and travel is created in the exterior environment.

New Orleans clearly retains a rich history and revolves around water: the Mississippi River

to the south, Lake Pontchartrain to the north, the connecting canal and endless bayous

and streams (all of which flooded during Katrina). And walking through the city,

water is almost a constant visibility and when not a visibility, certainly a presence.

The site exists on the former Carondelet Canal which was about 3 miles long spanning from the connection point of Bayou St. John all the way down to the "back of the city" or the back of downtown and the French Quarter. This canal was used as drainage as well as shipping, bringing goods from the lake down the bayou then down to the city via the canal. The canal was about 30 feet wide and was flanked by a large pedestrian walk, the Carondelet Walk, 64 feet in width. The narrowness of the canal forced an 80,000 sq. ft. turning basin at the foot, which was the site of Storeyville and is now bordered by St. Louis cemetary and Congo Square. The canal was constructed in 1794 and was used up until the beginning of the 20th century when another canal parallel to it and a few blocks to the west was built. It was called the New Basin Canal, after this one which was known as the Old Basin Canal. The New Basin Canal became more successful and along with the addition of railroad, the Old Basin Canal was deemed unnavigable, especially due to its narrow width and shallow depth. In 1927 it was filled in and now remains as a strip of green space. At one point the trip turned into a railroad track, perfect location for another route of transportation. But today, the strip remains empty. It presents an ideal location for a pedestrian route from Mid-City to downtown & the French Quarter...

elevation/natural levee & artificial levees

red lines = artificial levees & or flood walls
the whiter the higher elevation
the darker the lower elevation
blue dots = pumping stations

the list

maps

detail aerial

zoom out aerial

pencils

2h

hb

2b

mechanical

pens

gel roll

ball point

red

faber-castell M

faber-castell S

watercolors

brushes

thin

medium

camera

camera charger

ipod touch

ipod charger

headphones

computer?

phone charger!

summer weather clothes

skirt

shorts

tanks/camis

t shirts

dress

pjs

nice clothes?

sweatshirt

sunglasses

sandals

sneakers

toiletries

deodorant

toothbrush

toothpaste

hairbrush

leave in conditioner

make up

cash money

sketchbook

normal

painting

books?

Geographies of New Orleans

An Unnatural Metropolis

Invisible cities

backpack or purse

research

levees

comparisons

site ideas

final ideas

transverse sections

MESSAGE FRANCES

snacks?