THE PRUITT-IGOE SITE HAS BEEN ABANDONED AND NEGLECTED FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS BY A SOCIETY WHICH HAS SOUGHT TO FORGET ITS OWN MISTAKES AND FAILURES. WHILE WE WERE UNWILLING TO TOUCH THE SITE, NATURE FOUND A WAY TO HEAL IT AND LITERALLY COVER TO SCARS OF THE SITE’S PAST SINS. IT IS THIS PRODUCT OF HUMAN NEGLECT AND ECOLOGICAL OCCUPATON, THE URBAN FOREST, THAT IS THE SITE’S GREATEST RESOURCE. ALREADY NEW LIFE AND NEW LIGHT ARE COMING TO THE SITE WITH PROJECTS LIKE THE PRUITT-IGOE BEE SANCUTUARY AND THE PRUITT-IGOE MYTH DOCUMENTARY, WHICH BOTH CELEBRATE THE SITE’S NEW LIFE, AND PROUDLY FACE ITS PAST, DETERMINED TO GIVE IT JUSTICE. WE PROPOSE AN ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION AIMED AT SUPPORTING BOTH OF THESE GOALS WHILE TREADING LIGHLTY ON THE SITE AND MAINTAINING AS MUCH OF THE NEW ECOSYSTEM AND THE QUIET REMOVAL ONE FEELS WITHIN IT. THUS OUR PROGRAM INCLUDES A PRUITT-IGOE MEMORIAL MUSEUM SPACE TO INVESTIGATE THE PAST AND INFORM THE PUBLIC, A NATURE CENTER TO STUDY NATURE’S REGENERATION OF THE SITE, A QUIET REFLECTION SPACE FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY PRUITT-IGOE’S SILENT APARTNESS, AND AN ADULT TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION CENTER TO LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE AND ALLOW PRUITT-IGOE TO FULFILL ITS ORIGINAL GOAL OF HELPING THE LESS FORTUNATE AMONG US.
THE FORM OF OUR INTERVENTION WAS BASED ON THE SUBTLE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE SITE AND ITS HIGH POINTS AND VIEWS (FIG. A). EXTENDING THESE LINES OF INFLUENCE AND THE EXISTING ACCCESS PATHS (FIG. B AND C) WE CREATED A NETWORK ACROSS THE SITE. IN FIG. D WE CHOSE THE NETWORK PATHS WHICH BEST CONNECTED THE SITE AND GAVE THE USER THE EXPERIENCE WE DESIRED THEM TO HAVE, AND FINALLY IN FIG.E WE SITED THE FUTURE BUILDINGS.
Submitted by Emilio Markin, Project Manager at Cunningham|Quill Architects in Washington, D.C.
Partners: Oksana Ramos, Project Designer at Cunningham|Quill Architects in Washington, D.C.
Adviser: Monling M. Lee, Associate at Hunt Laudi Studio in Washington, D.C.