Post-Industrial infrastructure: re-imagined spaces of form

Thesis project; 'Post-Industrial infrastructure: re-imagined spaces of form' revolves around several important issues regarding the treatment, appreciation/non-appreciation and architectural qualities of abandon Post-Industrial sites. As many of these types of sites offer many fine qualities that I find valuable within the architectural construct. Furthermore, Post-Industrial sites offer an array of established infrastructure(s) e..g buildings, lots of space, high ceilings, lots of windows, natural light as well as connectivity and accessibility to the urban environment. I decided to study an abandoned site in Newark, New Jersey USA. The site had be shuttered since 1990 and is/was in very poor condition. A formal chemical company that was owned an operated by Maas & Waldstein Chemical Company. The main theme of the thesis was to remediate the contaminated site as well as re-purposed three remaining brick structures. As to re-imagine and re-generate the entire site with pathways, flower gardens, Zen-huts for sitting, relaxing and contemplation. There is also a tree mall with a walking paths that guide you around the site, lots of trees and a bee-coup area to help with the pollination of the large array of flowerbeds, a Post-Industrial walking park. As for the structures, each structure was designated in accordance with its condition. All three of the structures were salvageable, the Enamel building is to become an exhibition/gallery space with artisan lofts on the second and third floors. The Laboratory building will house a café with a nice sized sitting area as well as a small seminar area opposite the café. The second floor will become an office space for the administrators of the site. The third and final building is called the Lacquer building which is in very poor condition but it was saved and converted into a ruin-park. I kept the integrity of the 'ruin' as natural as possible. As for the interior, an array of flowerbeds, sitting benches and a small sitting/tea-room to enjoy a tea/coffee etc. is an excellent addition to the structure. Of note, the entire roof infrastructure had been totally destroyed over time, creating prefect conditions for the inner-park concept. The structure also needed to be stabilized with an iron exo-structure which has a two-fold design element, one being to stabilize the integrity of brickwork and the second being to create open air canopy, giving the inner space a more comfortable, dynamic atmosphere, additionally it also adds and architectural element and quality to the existing structure. To summarize, the project became very complex due to discovery and complexities of the contamination which added a fair amount dedicated research time to the project. The highlights of the project are the very detailed site plan as wells as the Lacquer building i.e. Ruin-Park and exo-structure as well as the Thinner building park (see the site plan) wooden planked pathway through the remediation flowerbeds. Over the course of the project, all three designs became the flagship(s) of the project.