Remembering the future
By reconstructing the juxtaposition of urban context and time-event passage of the Industrial Site, this project challenges the process of Urban Design through several scales and time frames, recreating the access to the site both visibly and invisibly.
Project strategy
The history of the Grumman site has been affected by world events, especially World War II. Its fate has risen and suffered through time. The war industry, acting as a "hyperactive wartime engine", drove Nassau county's economy to a peak and a downfall. Its promise has been raised and defeated several times.
The physical and conceptual inaccessibility of the site creates disconnection between it and its neighbours. By establishing open access at local, metropolitan and regional scales, the project juxtaposes traces of time-events and urban contexts, creating a visible/invisible"gate" to the site.
The series of important events in the site's history are revealed as traces of site memories overlapping with the urban context to create "lines of juxtaposition" (matrix). These lines of juxtaposition are woven throughout the entire site, establishing three different groups of armatures, each linked with the existing urban context.
The main armature works as a core (first and second probe), containing the community living room and connections to the Long Island Rail Road and local institutions. The second group of armatures connect existing urban context to the main armatures. The third group connects currently disconnected pieces of local context across the width of the site.
Context of Probe/Relevance of Probe to Overall Urban Strategy
The two Probes develop two different areas. The first lies at the junction of the main armature and rail-road, providing the "community living room" (farmer market,exhibition space,cutural space) and opening to the local, metropolitan and regional scales. The second probe relates to local institutions adjacent to the site; the community park and school. A new play-ground enhances the existing park activity. It contains space for roller blading, slides, and a jogging track to join the landscape of the existing park with the site.The first and second probe support each other by containing the flow of different activities.
Effects of Urban Strategy
The project effects future development at different scales. Establishing access to the once unreachable area removes the "mystery". By transforming the space and revealing its history, people can begin to understand and connect to the site physically and conceptually. The new program of the project promotes the area as a new interesting stop along the Long Island Rail Road.
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"war itself, accounted for an almost total breakdown of the moral standard of prewar U.S. living. and nothing would ever quite be the same again".