River Respirator

Breathing is the process of moving air into and from the lungs to sustain life. Human and non-human beings need to breathe. Nature breathes, and every factory and home also breathes as part of the urban metabolism. But what happens when a river can no longer take a breath?
The Detroit River has long been shaped by industry and infrastructure, but at a steep cost. First, industrial and chemical pollution has filled its waters with toxins, from oil spills to sewage and heavy metals, suffocating aquatic life. Second, habitat degradation and loss of biodiversity have silenced its once-thriving ecosystems—fish populations plummet, birds disappear, and wetlands vanish. Finally, inaccessible and disconnected waterfronts have cut people off from their river, leaving polluted edges and abandoned infrastructure that discourage public engagement. Together, these issues mean the Detroit River has been forced to hold its breath for far too long.
“DETROIT RIVER CANNOT BREATHE !!!” This is both a warning and an invitation. The urgent question becomes: how can the river breathe again, and how can design transform this industrial scar into a living system for both humans and nature?
The River Respirator is a regenerative system that addresses all three challenges. It purifies water through physical filtering, biological absorption, and chemical neutralization. It restores life by creating habitats that welcome fish, birds, and wildlife back into the river’s ecology. And it reclaims infrastructure, transforming piers, edges, and industrial sites into spaces where people can gather, learn, and reconnect with water.
More than a machine, the River Respirator is a landscape. Its wetlands, treatment hubs, and living corridors double as public parks and educational spaces. Walkways, terraces, and observation decks invite people to witness purification in action. Here, infrastructure is not hidden—it is celebrated as an active partner in ecological recovery. By merging technology, ecology, and community, the Detroit River can once again breathe, and with it, a new relationship between city and nature emerges.