Annihilation

This project aims to create a building for Philadelphia's arts community that combines research, archives, and a performing arts center. It will explore transactional space, responsiveness, and new media and materials. In terms of space and construction, I focus on how to construct a meaningful understanding based on the concept of "a strange object in a big box." Architectural design can offer a fresh perspective on the sociopolitical and ecological pressures of the Anthropocene. Situated inside a construction and demolition waste recycling company in northeast Philadelphia, RAIR(RECYCLED ARTIST IN RESIDENCY)’s mission is to challenge the perception of waste culture by providing a unique platform for artists at the intersection of art and industry. By facilitating artists’ direct engagement with the waste stream, RAIR encourages residents to consider their studio practice through the lens of sustainability and to thoughtfully reassess their processes of material sourcing and waste disposal. RAIR collaborates with community groups, arts organizations, and waste industry partners, extending its reach beyond its residencies through a program of recycling facility tours, classroom demonstrations, public events, and exhibitions that illuminate the connections between art, industry, and sustainability. RAIR assists with material sourcing, planning, design, and fabrication for a range of interdisciplinary projects, working with partners to maximize the creative potential of waste. The design embraces the ecologically revitalized Superfund site and draws on vernacular terminology for coastal infrastructure: the pier and the ship. The "dock," serving as a viewing platform, is rooted in the site and serves as an anchoring mechanism for the "ship," a more flexible, mobile, and scalable project. Each project engages artists, the site, and the public through unique yet complementary spatial and material characteristics. The resulting design extends from the dumping site to the landscape and city skyline beyond, establishing RAIR's new home.