Philip Humphrey
The Institution of Rising Currents
The thesis sets out to respond to the greatest threat the city of Manhattan faces,the threat of climate change which will cause rising sea levels and storm surges to flood and destroy much of the city
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As an island, Manhattan’s limits have been constantly challenged over time. Through reclamation, the island has extended itself into the sea to become 30% larger than its original landmass. Now, with climate change exacerbating rising sea levels and storm surges, much of this land is set to be lost back in the sea. The institute reconsiders the park to become a research platform, developing strategies for the city to reconstruct, reform and reinvent its waterfront. It is located on the site of Battery Park at the southern tip of the island, its most vulnerable point, to be at the forefront of the threat.
A series of breakwaters line the landscape, acting as both piers and groynes as well as a structure from which a storm shelter mesh is held from. Behind the shelter line, there are 2 clusters of vessels acting as 2 parliaments operating at a global scale and the other at a governmental scale for the island. These are flood resistant chambers where people gather to research, debate and plan from. Other architectures are developed from existing buildings caught within this landscape. A fortified sea wall protects the surrounding city for now, framing the garden.