Arch 202
Prof. Oliver
Principles of Architecture II: Assembly, Spring 2011

Celine Zhou
Industrial Nostalgia

This project explores the potential of long-span repetitive structural systems as principal definers of program and form; at the same time, it attempts to establish contemporary cultural identity in the puzzling, surrealistic urban context of Galveston Island. With its innovative structural design and use of rusted material, this open, public fish market intensifies the nostalgic sentiment embodied in the historical site, the nostalgia for the golden age of Galveston as a major port city.

The structural experiments start with the specific parallelogram from the shape of the site, which proceeds directly into the water. The entire system consists of 12 identical modules, whose shapes are determined by series of careful manipulations of geometry; each module has a strong inner skeleton concealed under a moiré patterned structural skin. Due to its extensive span, the canopy varies its thickness to maintain its strength, creating different spatial qualities in interior area.

Cor-Ten steel is the main material for the canopy structure, whose rusted materiality is a direct response to the industrial past of Galveston. Given the outrageously scaled infrastructures and cruise ships nearby, the comparatively undersized structure and its repetitive system indicate a de-monumentalization that intends to encourage the chaos of eclecticism into the structure. The “step” into water joins the formal interactions between the artificial creation and the natural waterfront, while it also functions programmatically as a quick loading area.The circulation is determined by the hybrid of two grid systems: one parallel grid from the structure and one orthogonal grid from the stall arrangement. Both are derived from the site geometry. The market structure is completely open and accessible from all sides, while major entrances for customers are located at the south and the east.