UK/CoD, Dean Michael Speaks, will give a lecture on "River Cities," a ten year design, research and development project launched two years ago by the UK/CoD. The lecture will discuss work the CoD has done in Henderson, Louisville and the ongoing work of Professor Gary Rohrbacher's graduate studio in Paducah, KY. Professor Rohrbacher will also present the research his studio has conducted this semester (see below for more information about the studio).

Artist Co-Op Gallery, 355 North 5th Street / Paducah, KY
Saturday, April 16 @ 2 PM

The Manhattan Redux graduate research and design studio is considering the site of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in Paducah Kentucky. 

The Studio has been asked by The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), and The Kentucky Research Consortium on Energy and Environment (KRCEE) to construct physical models of ground concentrations present at the site, propose a hundred-year strategy for the environmental, economic, and spatial evolution of the plant - and Paducah in general, and propose possible futures for the enormous building present on the site.

The PGDP was built over half a century ago as a cornerstone to the Manhattan Project and has been a vital part of the economic growth and stability of the region. The studio is preparing models of ground concentrations that can serve as both tools to the scientific community, and for public outreach; The studio is generating their hundred year plan under the assumption that the successful clean-up of the site could provide numerous jobs in the near-term, while generating exportable, valuable intellectual property to McCracken County and the City of Paducah for the long term.

Finally, the studio is implicating four extraordinary buildings on the site in their strategy for the Plant's hopeful future, and the regions long-term economic success.

Underpinning the studio's efforts is the same belief that fueled the Manhattan Project, that through research, teamwork and design, anything can be possible. However, this time we're imagining a very different outcome.