RESEARCH: WETLAND LANDSCAPES OF HABITATION AND EXTRACTION
Gulf Coast USA 

Southeastern Louisiana is a region defined by its symbiotic relationship with the natural environment. This low, flat terrain is defined by a continuous horizon; water and land — constantly fluctuating and often indistinguishable from one another — weave together to form the landscape. This territory has provided a seemingly infinite bounty of resources — from renowned fisheries to some of the world’s most prolific oil and gas reserves. As a consequence, the region supports both a concentration of people with rich cultural ties to the land and an industrial infrastructure adapted-to and enmeshed-in the fabric of the communities and the environment.

This landscape faces an uncertain future. Land loss, hyper-industrial development and the rising sea challenge prospects for the region’s continued inhabitation. A paradoxical struggle — to maintain an association with the natural while the landscape and economy continue to bend to the resource extraction industry — defines contemporary Southeastern Louisiana. Tension between allegiance to environmental and economic drivers has created a contradictory condition of life where both inhabitants and the mythology of the place rely equally on opposing forces.

The goal of this project, a yearlong investigation conducted by Tulane School of Architecture, was to represent these potentials and advocate for the advantages of a reframed debate. The work presented here begins with a list of considered declarations — some provocative, others benign — that serve as the foundation for a series of visual explorations of an environment re-centered to give advantage to these realities. Research, in the form of pages from a compendium of the collected material, serves as both argument and representation of what makes this region a compelling place for habitation and investigation.

Research Team: Natan Diacon-Furtado, Rebecca Fitzgerald, Jessica O'Dell, Antonio Pacheco, Jonathan Tate, Neena Verma, Ann Yoachim

(text and images taken from http://officejt.com/wetland)