"The Post-Industrial Chicago River: A Social, Productive, and Ecological Urban Structure": thesis project by Tulane University M.Arch graduate Evan Warder. Image courtesy of Evan Warder

Thesis projects provide architecture students with a gateway into further exploring, questioning, and postulating design solutions. According to Tulane School of Architecture M.Arch graduate Evan Warder, thesis not only serves as a "one-dimensional" variable within an architecture education. It also serves as a "feedback loop on its contribution to the field and the outside world." 

With this in mind, Warder decided to use his thesis as an avenue to explore architecture and its interplay between the disciplines of aquatic biology, landscape architecture, urban planning, and social work. In his thesis project, "The Post-Industrial Chicago River: A Social, Productive, and Ecological Urban Structure," Warder uses the Chicago River as a place to explore future infrastructures within industrial areas. He shares: "Chicago presents the opportunity to create a comprehensive solution through reinvestment in productivity, which provides jobs and needed food through high-density vertical farming and aquaculture." His research hopes to improve the relationship between "industry and the river" by enhancing ecological restoration, increasing public space, and fostering community engagement.

As we continue to feature recent students and graduates in our ongoing Thesis Review series, we strive to connect with graduates to amplify their voices as they share their experiences and final thesis projects. This week, we discuss Evan Warder's thesis and how the city of Chicago drove his research. We also discuss the concept of thesis, steering clear of "false narratives" in architecture, and how the pandemic has influenced his post-graduate experience. 

Archinect's Spotlight on 2021 Thesis Projects: Archinect's commitment to highlighting student work doesn't stop at simply sharing projects. Our editorial team focuses on connecting with students and asking questions to learn their process, architectural perspectives, and their take on the industry as young designers. 2020/21 has been a challenging year for all architecture graduates; to support the class of 2021, we've launched our summer series iteration of Archinect's Thesis Review to highlight the work of thesis students during this unique time of remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Be sure to follow our 2021 thesis tag to stay up to date as we release new project highlights.

Chicago presents the opportunity to create a comprehensive solution through reinvestment in productivity [...] By connecting the community to the river through an extensive public space with ecological restoration, a sustainable relationship can be established between industry and the river. 

Please provide a brief summary of your thesis/final project. 

Urban centers around the world have witnessed the disappearance of the industry that once defined their livelihood. Chicago’s Fisk Generating Plant, a defining object on the city’s Southwest skyline, is a lasting scar of a former polluting industry. As the citizens fight against gentrification today, the need for new jobs is exacerbated by growing populations and declining productivity. Chicago presents the opportunity to create a comprehensive solution through reinvestment in productivity, which provides jobs and needed food through high-density vertical farming and aquaculture. Productive space combined with a school, market, café, shared kitchen, and restaurant, provides extensive value to the communities without risking their ability to continue to inhabit their neighborhood. By connecting the community to the river through an extensive public space with ecological restoration, a sustainable relationship can be established between industry and the river. This radical model of the redevelopment of industrial zones could become a model for cities of the future to address their post-industrial riverfronts.

My thesis uses the constructs of architecture with its formal relationships and experiential qualities while incorporating elements from aquatic biology, landscape architecture, urban planning, and social work.

How does your thesis fit within OR challenge the discipline of architecture?

As issues around the world continue to grow at exponential rates, the discipline of architecture has been conflicted on how far it wants to extend into other fields to address these problems. I propose that architects must use their expertise as coordinators and creative problem solvers to bring together experts from other fields to radically evolve our built environment. My thesis uses the constructs of architecture with its formal relationships and experiential qualities while incorporating elements from aquatic biology, landscape architecture, urban planning, and social work. This proposal shows the capability of architecture to solve complex problems through a greater relationship with other fields.

Did your thesis change during the pandemic? What difficulties did you face? How did your thesis advisors help you during this time?

The pandemic significantly influenced how I physically worked as well as how I viewed the goals of my thesis. The dramatic shift, in reality, forced me to consider communities and their urgent needs instead of creating a false narrative of what they may want in the future. While developing my thesis, the pandemic limited face-to-face feedback with my advisor early in the process, but also allowed me to broaden my informational outreach. I was able to connect with several experts and advisors in various fields who would have been entirely inaccessible previously due to their locations around the world. I was fortunate to be at an institution like Tulane University because their fast adaptation to spaces and workflows alongside frequent testing meant that I could return to the studio spaces and continue to develop my work alongside my colleagues. 

The Pandemic [...] forced me to consider communities and their urgent needs instead of creating a false narrative of what they may want in the future.

What do you think the current state of "Thesis" is within architecture and how can it be improved?

Due to the redundant nature of self-fulfilling design explorations, the concept of “Thesis” seems to be fading across architectural schools. In my opinion, the thesis has an opportunity to be renewed as a way to solve critical problems and expand the field of architectural knowledge. A critical foundation does not mean that the thesis is one-dimensional, but has a constant feedback loop on its contribution to the field and the outside world. My colleagues this last year have proven that rigorous examination of the possible outcomes of the thesis can result in a wide variety of ideas that further expand the field of architecture.

What are your next steps academically? Professionally?

Architecture is one of the few fields that allows for the blending of the academic and professional realms, and I hope to continue along that line. My thesis allows me to continue to build on my research and grow the work while I begin my professional career with work that sees projects from start to finish. 

As a recent graduate experiencing the direct effects of the pandemic, how do you feel about the architecture industry right now?

The architecture industry is making a major comeback in many parts of the country, but that has not made the field any less competitive as many graduates in 2020 were forced to delay their job process for a year. The industry has shifted in the wake of the pandemic as the whole world has reassessed what is truly needed in the built environment. An important outcome of the last year has been the discussion around equity in our field and providing more opportunities to a much more diverse group of architects. I think this will have a great effect on the impact that the field of architecture can have as it begins to understand the diverse set of problems it must face.

The industry has shifted in the wake of the pandemic as the whole world has reassessed what is truly needed in the built environment. An important outcome of the last year has been the discussion around equity in our field and providing more opportunities to a much more diverse group of architects.

What has helped prepare you for the workforce?

The faculty at both of my previous institutions, Miami University and Tulane University, has repeatedly instilled in me a level of confidence to tackle any problems ahead of me. My professors have not only taught me the crucial theoretical frameworks and technical knowledge of the field but have given me the mental tools to face challenges that I don’t already have the answers to yet. I have also been taught that no idea is too large or too small to address in the design process, from large-scale planning to minuscule details, every aspect of design matters. With a wide range of experiences in my education and rigorous problem solving within teams, the workforce becomes just another aspect of my learning process.