Archiculture

David and I were able to get a personal, though brief, tour of the tunnel which laid unknown for 100 of its 150+ years of existence this past Sunday. The history of this urban infrastructural relic is so layered and phenomenal it is almost to amazing to begin or attempt to convey. We first heard about the 1,600 foot long intact void, which is officially the world’s oldest subway tunnel, through a friend of ours. We quickly dug up anything we could find. A website by the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association which runs the tours was the jump off point with tons of amazing information, photos, old drawings, video, etc. There is even a movie (great trailer up now) being made about the stoic and resilient finder of the tunnel Bob Diamond. For a kid who studied architecture and urban planning, this is the closest thing to crack that I have tried. Further research revealed a depth of new coverage by such sites as Curious Expeditions and last week by the New York Times.  As most things go in this world, via a friend of a friend and few weeks later, we were crawling down a manhole in the middle of a busy 6 lane road.

We went for a broad range of reasons - to put the stories to visual reality, to personally feel and walk amongst this void below the bustling street above, to get a physical sense of the tunnel’s spatial qualities, and make a personal connection to the people responsible for its care. As architects we automatically, almost subconsciously start evolving scenarios and ideas for how to use a space so dynamic and rare. It is to early to expand upon our immediate vision for a use but by the measure of our brief discussion with Brian, one of the organizers, we may have a great opportunity in the not so far off future. But enough of that premature dream.

What I don’t comprehend is how a tunnel that is 1,600 ft long under one of the major roadway arteries of a metropolitan area sits unknown for 100 years. I’ve read the story, understand his trials, and applaud Bob Diamond’s ability to endure a one-man battle of convincing and combing though old stacks of unkept drawings to have his eureka moment which reawakened the former pulse of this dormant vein. It is not like this tunnel is some prehistoric dwelling buried over and layered upon for hundreds of years with nature’s means of erasure. This is merely a few feet below the surface of a 6 lane street spaning 21 feet by a quarter of a mile! Did they never sample the soil to accidentally create a massive caved in hole amongst 150 yr old brick. I had a similar experience during my studies in Cincinnati which has a similar network of unused subway tunnels. However there, they have consistently been incorporated into failed attempts at creating a mass transit system. This has kept them in the collective pscyhe of the public, though sadly that is as far as they have gone. Cincinnati’s never even saw a single person transported in its 100 years of existence. How many other cities have these tunnels underground, known or unknown? As the current administration in DC has raised the collective awareness for the need of infrastructural investment in this era of econimic collapse, architects, urban designers and the collective bunch are looking on in hopes for the tail of stimulus to wag their way. Maybe if we would have keep up with what we’ve made in our past and celebrated it, we would not have to beg to be at the table.

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As the economy continues to deteriorate, people are not only losing their jobs, they are losing their homes.  Let’s keep in mind that shelter (i.e. roofs, houses, apartments) is one of the few basic necessities for human survival.  That places it on the same playing field as food and water.

In December of last year (2008), the New York Coalition for the Homeless reported a record high 9,700 families in homeless shelters.  That is the highest number recorded since the program was created over 25 years ago.  It seems a bit bizarre that we are in one of the richest countries in the world, yet we can’t afford to house almost 700,000 people.  That is about the same number of people that reside in the entire metro area of the city I grew up in.  When I actually pause and contemplate how many people that is, it flips my stomach upside down.  I have noticed an increasing number of people sleeping in the subways over the past few weeks and can’t help but think about this issue, and although the subway provides people with shelter, it is far from a home.

Although designers may not have the luxury of donating money to alleviate issues surrounding homelessness, they certainly have the skills and knowledge needed to solve this global problem.  I will never forget the conversation we had with Bryan Bell (Design Corps) who suggested that architects/designers are some of the greatest trained problem solvers in the world.  He went on to say, “The problem with designers is they sit around and wait for someone to approach them with a problem to solve.”  However, I don’t find the topic of homelessness to be that far off from the expertise/services that many architects provide professionally, and that is to design spaces for human life.  Perhaps we need to introduce Pro-Active 101 courses into our architectural curriculum.

Raw Blog Clip - Joaquin and Mike - Jameson Since from arbuckle industries on Vimeo.This is an unedited completely raw clip of footage from production. All audio balancing, color correcting and video mastering will occur at the final cut. This is here to give you a feel for our footage, begin to know the students, understand their projects and get a glimpse of the film’s story. Please give it a play and let us know what you think. We love feedback!

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Whether you are for him or against him, our new president has encouraged the citizens of the United States to become involved with public service projects as a way to re-energzie our nation.  I personally think this is a great idea and thought I would share a few ways that designers can lend their services to the public interest.

Public Architecture

Founded by John Peterson, Public Architecture is a non-profit dedicated to identifying and solving practical problems associated with human interaction and the built environment.  My favorite part of this organization is their 1% program which challenges designers and design firms to donate 1% of their energy to pro bono services.  Since the beginning of the program they have had 473 firms join the initiative.

Architecture for Humanity

Architecture for Humanity Is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing design services to communities in need.  They specifically focus their efforts on disaster relief and emphasize locally inspired solutions to global problems.  AFH believes in the use of competitions, forums, workshops, and exhibitions as a way to alleviate these design challenges.

Habitat for Humanity

If you are looking for something a little more hands-on, try finding a local Habitat for Humanity project.  Habitat for Humanity is a christian based organization focused on providing simple, affordable houses communities across the globe.  They typically organize small crews of volunteers in order to construct and deliver these much needed homes.

Design Corps

Design Corps shares a similar mission to that of Architecture for Humanity.  Founded by Bryan Bell, Design Corps provides planning and design support to rural communities composed of low-income individuals. The organization is based out of Raleigh NC, but serves communities across the United States.