constructing a liminal mediator

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Negotiating transition and transfer between opposing groups of people and evolving states of progress through an architecture of emphasized thresholds, dynamic impermanence, and focused exposure

Constructing a Liminal Mediator

Table of Contents

Thesis Statement..................................

Areas of Focus....................................

The Fishing Industry..............................

Responding to Crisis..............................

Renovating the System.............................

South Boston Waterfront...........................

The Drydock.......................................

Ocean Evolution Center............................

Conceptual and Preliminary Design Studies.........

Bibliography......................................

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This thesis proposes that a drydock, a condition that mediates the processes of construction, repair, and exchange, acts as a powerful platform for the development of an Ocean Evolution Center through its facilitation of liminality. Liminality is transitional; it is always moving. In a liminal space no definitive solution remains so ideas, beliefs, and practices can be challenged and an ongoing search for answers is possible. What occurs in the center of the drydock is never a permanent solution, but rather a fluctuating response to evolving needs. The Ocean Evolution Center brings together the stakeholders involved in the cultivation, management, preservation, and enjoyment of the ocean and by facilitating transition and exchange within the system, a continuous pursuit and demonstration of progress toward a better future for the fishing industry is possible.

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Areas of Focus

The Fishing Industry

Responding to Crisis

Renovating the System

South Boston Waterfront

The Drydock

Ocean Evolution Center

[its history, evolution, and contribution to overall oceanic problems]

[a criticism of the resulting system formed between fishermen, researchers, and regulators]

[reevaluation of the incentives, conflicts, and interactions between all stakeholders involved in the wellness of the ocean; and 3d farming as a case study]

[historical and current relevance to the fishing industry and innovation in industrial processes, analysis of the current redevelopment, specific location of project site]

[analysis of the drydock condition as a facilitator of liminality through its ability to mediate construction, repair, and exchange; considerations for implementing program into the drydock in response to the analysis of the current fishing system]

[the architectural intervention upon the drydock condition to facilitate transition and transfer in a building bringing together fishermen, researchers, regulators, and the public]

The Fishing IndustryI’ve focused specifically on New England fishing and its participation in world-wide fishing problems. Since its discovery, New England was destined to be a platform for ocean cultivation. Bartholomew Gosnold was one of the first to explore the area in depth in 1602. After speculating that the coast could provide prosperous cultivation opportunities, he named the area Cape Cod and returned to England to spread the word of rich waters in the newly discovered land.

By 1637, Dorchester, Provincetown, Duxbury, Situate, and Cohasset were all economically supporting themselves from the sea. The fishing industry continued its growth for the next 150 years.

With economic prosperity as its motivation, the New England coast became home to thousands of fishermen and their families. Legislation enacted in 1639 exempted all vessels employed in the fishing industry from duties and public taxes for seven years, attracting hundreds of new fishermen. By 1700, New England dominated the fishing industry of the world. Commercial Fishing

By 1920,almost allfishing

vessels weresteam powered

Decades following,larger vessels couldgo deeper into the

ocean to seek furthereconomic gain

By the 60s, new on-board technologieslet vessels to stayat sea for longerperiods of time

Today, ships continueto grow in size andtechnology advancesto compensate fordwindling stocks

Prior to 1906,most fishwere caughtwith sailing

vessels

“When a large group ofpeople shaped by an urban-industrial

society has little interaction with neighboring groups and has access to the same common resources, tragedy is inevitable.” -Fikret Berkes

Super Trawler, FV Margiria,was constructed in 2012

and is still at sea today.

Contributing to Crisis

100years

200years

400years

600years

1000years

Ocean life responds to warmer

water temperatures by migrating north or deeper

into the ocean putting more strain on the fishing industry.

under exploited fully exploited

60%

40%

20%

fully crashed

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s

over exploitedsharp decline in population

resources declin-ing faster than they are replen-ished

resources declin-ing at the same rate that they are being replenished

resources abundant and growing

80%

Floating plastic makes up about 40% of the world’s ocean surfaces.

Fish ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic per year.

Rising seas will increase coastal erosion, pollution, storm damage, and flooding.

Intruding salt water can contaminate groundwater supplies and threaten landfill and hazardous waste sites.

Tidal wetlands that filter many pollutants between land and sea will be flushed out with salt water.

Every year, 20 billion lbs. of plastic enters the ocean.

Ocean Acidification

-.10 -.08 -.04 -.03

more acidic less acidic

Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon diox-ide from the atmosphere. About 30–40% of the CO2 released by humans dissolves into the oceans. Most ocean species cannot survive in acidic waters.

Sea surface pH level change since 1800

An Industry of Isolation

More than 10 million pounds of fish were being exported every year, outnumbering any other country. In 1775, the 10,000 cod fishermen in New England produced an annual value of $1,300,000 while all other cod fishermen in the world combined produced only $500,000 in value.

With the momentum from wealth, expansion, and success, fishermen adapted to new methods and fish species with energy and determination. In response to the increasing demands for fresh fish, ships were re-equipped to carry ice so that the packing process could be done while at sea. Technological advancements allowed boats to fish for longer periods of time and deeper into the sea. The wars created a need for canned goods, initiating the process of fish canning, which required some 65 canneries to be built across the coast of Maine.

The industry has grown with the technological advancements that have enabled larger catches, longer expeditions, and a wider range of cultivation area. Many of the issues that have sprung from the advancing means of fishing can also be drawn from the difficulties in common-property resource management. Fikret Berkes, a professor of Natural Resources theorizes that as large groups pursuing the same resources become isolated from one another, tragedy is inevitable.

The tragedy, in this case, is overfishing and an inadequate system for overcoming the challenges associated with it. Overfishing, in addition to ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and pollution cause further detriment for the industry. In response, the means of cultivation evolve in an attempt to compensate for increasingly challenging conditions.

Commercial Fishing








vessels






100years

200years

400years

600years

1000years





60%

40%

20%

fully crashed

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s





80%







Ocean Acidification

-.10 -.08 -.04 -.03





Commercial Fishing








vessels






100years

200years

400years

600years

1000years





60%

40%

20%

fully crashed

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s





80%







Ocean Acidification

-.10 -.08 -.04 -.03





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Commercial Fishing








vessels






100years

200years

400years

600years

1000years





60%

40%

20%

fully crashed

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s





80%







Ocean Acidification

-.10 -.08 -.04 -.03





Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in pH levels in the oceans. According to research done by the NOAA, about a quarter of the CO2 that is released into the atmosphere every year is absorbed into the ocean. This absorption of CO2 decreases the pH levels in the oceans and ultimately changes the chemistry of seawater. The changes affect the development of shells, the levels of oxygen in the water, and the growth patterns of many ocean species.

Rising sea levels are a result from increasing water temperatures. The changes in water levels and temperatures cause ocean species to move northward or deeper into the sea. Many fishermen from Cape Cod are unable to sustain themselves with cod, a species that has been a staple for the area’s prosperity throughout history. A local Cape Cod fisherman, Greg Walinsky, was quoted in a 2014 NPR story expressing his hopelessness in the issue despite fishing the area for over 30 years, “I’ve never seen cod fishing this bad. It looks to me like it’s over. And I can’t catch any codfish.” The story goes on to describe overfishing as the main culprit for the lacking fish, but then remarks on the fact Cape Cod codfish is now being imported from Iceland, speculating that the remaining fish have been moving northward in response to warmer water temperatures.

Commercial Fishing








vessels






100years

200years

400years

600years

1000years





60%

40%

20%

fully crashed

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s





80%







Ocean Acidification

-.10 -.08 -.04 -.03





12 13

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Responding to CrisisThe increasing prosperity of the fishing industry in New England began leveling off, and in the 1970s the government began regulatory systems to restrict commercial fishing off of the nation’s coasts in an attempt to save and replenish fish stocks. Dwindling fish stocks are a result of decades of overfishing, and despite the years of government regulations, fish populations did not recover as quickly as had been anticipated.The regulatory struggles continue and worsen today. The declining fish stocks and harsh governmental regulations are beginning to have detrimental effects on fishing communities. There are only three ports left in Maine that support commercial fishing, and many fishermen in Gloucester and New Bedford have had to end their fishing careers. Now, where the immense populations of fishermen will turn to support themselves, their families, and their communities is a pressing question.

The current system for attempting to negotiate these challenges, involving fishermen, regulators, researchers, and the public market, has been unsuccessful. Each party influences the others in a variety of ways, but, without full understanding and communication across groups, overfishing, rash policy-making, over pressuring, and too high of demand contribute to further detriment to the system.

Why The Cod On Cape Cod Now Comes From Iceland

January 2, 2014

Good luck finding local cod in Cape Cod, Mass.

The fish once sustained New England's fishing industry, but in recent years, regulators have imposed severe catch limits on cod, and the fish remain scarce.

"I've never seen cod fishing this bad," says Greg Walinsky, who has been fishing on Cape Cod for more than 30 years. "It looks to me like it's over. And I can't catch any codfish."

It's so bad, many fishermen say, that for the first time, they cannot catch enough cod to even reach shrinking government quotas.

At Finely JP's, a seafood restaurant on the Cape, owner John Pontius says he has always served local cod, but the shortage caused prices to skyrocket. So for a while, he took it off the menu.

Now Pontius serves cod imported from Iceland. He is not alone.

"Everybody up and down the road has got the same cod from Iceland on their menu right now. If it's on the menu, it's more than likely Icelan-dic," he says.

To deal with the shortage, New England fishermen are turning to other types of fish — specifically, dogfish. But dogfish is considered a "trash fish" and has almost no market in the U.S.

Gloucester, Mass., north of Boston, was once the busiest fishing port in the world because of the abundance of cod. But those times are long gone.

"This fishery has been declared a federal disaster," says Chris Duffy, manager of fish wholesaler Cape Ann Seafood Exchange.

In his warehouse, Duffy shows off vats of freshly caught whole dogfish packed on ice. Virtually all of it will be shipped overseas to Asia and Europe.

"This undersection here is called the belly flap — those go to Germany, and they get smoked. They take the skin off of this, and you have the dogfish backs — they're big in Europe, and they'll chop it up into cut-lets with the meat in it, that they'll fry it that way," he says.

Super Trawler Company Gets Green Light for 95m Ship

February 16, 2015

COMMERCIAL fishing company seek-ing to operate super trawlers in Australian waters, Seafish Tasma-nia, has received preliminary approval to fish a revised quota in a smaller ship.

The ABC reports Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, senator Richard Col-beck, has announced Seafish Tas-mania's 95-metre ship Geelong Star will be eligible to fish

once authorities have approved a vessel-management plan. The plan aims to ensure minimal interaction with marine mammals and seabirds, but can not be finalized until the Fisheries Management Authority has inspected the boat.

Late last year the Federal Government banned super trawlers, ships longer than 130 meters.

That followed a temporary ban in 2012 to block Seafish Tasmania from using what was then the world's second-largest trawler, the MV Margiris - later renamed Abel Tasman, to fish an annual quota of 18,000 tonnes of jack mackerel and red-bait from an area stretching from Western Australia to Queensland, past Tasma-nia.

Conservation and recreational fishing groups have had long-standing concerns about the impact of large commercial trawlers like the MV Margiris on fish stocks.

But Seafish Tasmania has maintained that quotas are set at sustainable levels.

Senator Colbeck said the Geelong Star's quota has been set at 16,566 tonnes for jack mackerel, redbait and blue mackerel for the 2014-15 fishing season.

But Nobby Clark from Game Fish Tasmania said he was nervous about the latest proposal.

"The questions that have been asked by our peak bodies have still not been answered around the series of effects of localized depletion and what these effects could possibly have on an ever-growing game fishing industry on the east coast of Australia," he said.

Mr Clark said he was anticipating a fresh wave of protests.

Seeking Solutions

An Adversarial System

Last of Their Kind: As fish stocks dwindle and catch limits tighten, a way of life is disappearing, too

June 16, 2013

IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 30 YEARS since Russell Sher-man nearly died in the ocean off the coast of Maine, but the Gloucester fisherman remembers as if it were yesterday. He spent 14 hours adrift in 20-foot seas that November night in 1978 after the boat he was working on sank and two of the five people on board drowned.

He remembers standing in the engine room, knee-deep in water, before the boat went down; when the fear hit him, he started vomiting. He remembers the rescue helicopter that buzzed over-head that night as he flailed below, invisible in the black water, and he remembers looking up in the dawn light to see Cadillac Mountain. Weak and half frozen, clinging to an aluminum skiff, he started paddling toward it.

Sherman relishes telling the story, and he paces it slowly, deliberately, every well-burnished detail build-ing the suspense. It seems safe to guess that part of his pleasure comes from knowing how it will end: with his unlikely survival, every time.

But this is not the story he has come to tell this stormy Sunday afternoon. Today’s story has no ending yet and concerns a different kind of danger, one that has been bearing down for decades on the 65-year-old captain of the Lady Jane and his fellow fishermen. When he starts to speak of that calamity — the collapse of New England groundfishing — Sherman’s manner changes, fear and anger roiling close to the surface. It is clear he feels himself flailing again in deep water.

This time, though, his rescue is uncertain. After years of watching the government cut the amount of fish they can catch and watching their incomes shrink, Sherman and his peers find themselves on the brink of extinction. On May 1, fishery managers enacted the most drastic catch limits ever seen in the history of New England fishing, slashing the amount of cod that may be caught in the Gulf of Maine by 77 percent and sharply cutting other groundfish catches like haddock and flounder.

Sherman, who is just back from some 40 miles offshore, gazes out the rain-streaked window of a Gloucester coffee shop, his worried eyes the palest blue against his windburned face.

“Scared to death,” he says, his eyes averted. “I’m scared to death.”

How to Catch the Overfishermen

January 24, 2015

OVERFISHING is reaching catastrophic levels. According to a recent study, stocks of the biggest predatory species, such as tuna and swordfish, may have fallen by 90% since the 1950s. Another study, published last week in Science, suggests extinction is on the cards for many species. This matters for numerous reasons, not the least of which is that a lot of people rely on fish as part of their regular diet. About 3 billion of the Earth’s inhabi-tants get a fifth or more of their protein from fish—which means that fish are a bigger source of the stuff than beef is.

The difficulty is, in part, a consequence of the problem known as the tragedy of the com-mons, whereby a commonly held resource is over-exploited. Nobody owns the high seas, which are therefore vulnerable to a perfectly legal free-for-all. But a lot of fishing is carried out in territorial waters that stretch 12 nautical miles from a country’s coastline, as well as so-called exclusive economic zones that stretch to 200 nautical miles beyond coast-lines, over which a more limited sovereignty exists. Governments, in thrall to fishing lob-bies which are more concerned with making money today than preserving fish stocks for the future, set unrealistic quotas, and there is a lot of illegal fishing too, conducted with-out permission in controlled waters. The Pew Charitable Trusts, an American research group, estimates that one fish in five sold in a shop or served in a restaurant has been caught illegally. That amounts to 26m tonnes of fish a year, worth more than $23 billion.

The existence of policing technology will also make it easier to set up marine reserves in which fish can breed, to the benefit of fisheries outside these protected areas. Experi-ments have shown that these reserves increase catches in the long term, provided no one cheats by plundering them. Big data will make it easier to stop such plunder.

There is a nice irony in this development. Overfishing is the product not just of human greed, but also of technologies such as sonar that have made finding and catching fish far more efficient in recent decades. It is a matter for celebration that technology is now up to the task of catching illegal fishermen as well as fish.

Connecticut-Sized Dead Zones Are Killing Off Fish Worldwide

January 28, 2015

It’s a bleak time to be a seafood lover.

It seems like every day, reports of worldwide overfishing clog our news feed, warning us that soon, we’ll no longer be able to enjoy tasty halibut steaks, crispy battered cod, and lunchtime spicy tuna rolls. But fishing isn’t the only human activity that’s leading to massive losses of the marine species we love to eat: our chemical-intensive farming prac-tices, as well as our propensity to pollute the air with greenhouse gases, are creating massive ocean “dead zones.”

These huge swaths of water contain such a low concentration of oxygen that fish can’t sur-vive in them: they either migrate out of them, or die. In 2001, a Narragansett Bay dead zone killed off 4.5 billion mussels, about 80 percent of the total population of bivalves. The Gulf of Mexico is home to the world’s second-largest dead zone—it’s currently about the size of Connecticut—and each year, the area’s well-established shrimp industry faces crustacean losses that cost it between $300 and $500 million each year. And the problem isn’t unique to US waters: the world’s largest dead zone is located in the Baltic Sea, where both cod and the small sprats that they eat are perishing.

Worldwide, ocean dead zones have doubled in frequency every ten years since the 1960s, and there are now more than 400 of these oxygen-depleted areas around the globe. The primary cause of dead zones is agricultural runoff: during times of heavy rain, nitrogen and phos-phorus found in both chemical and natural fertilizers—aka manure—washes into these bodies of water. There, the excess levels of these nutrients cause algae to grow more robustly than usual; when the algae dies, it sinks and decomposes in the water. Its decomposition process uses up oxygen, reducing what’s available for fish and shellfish to breathe. They die, and we’re left wondering what to make for dinner.

Keryn Gedan is a researcher and professor at the University of Maryland’s biology depart-ment. Recently, she and fellow biologist Andrew Altieri examined the growth of dead zones for a paper published in last November’s issue of Global Change Biology. Living in Mary-land, Gedan’s work led her to the Chesapeake Bay, which is plagued with dead zones; half of the nitrogen pollution that enters the bay is a result of agricultural runoff. Gedan said that seeing huge populations of dead fish in the Bay is off-putting, to say the least.

“I’ve seen fish kills in the estuaries where I’ve worked,” she said, “and they make a big impression. They have an important effect on human well-being; they tend to scare people away from the water.”

The way we farm might be the primary cause of the acceleration of ocean dead zones, but the rest of what do isn’t helping, either: the billions of tons of carbon dioxide that we spew into the atmosphere each year, accelerating global warming, is deadening our oceans, too.

“First, warmer water holds less oxygen; that’s just basic chemistry,” she said. “And at the same time, organisms living in warmer temperatures demand more oxygen. So that’s kind of a major double whammy.”

“It’s all about figuring out the best ways to make changes that will have the least nega-tive impacts on our environment,” she said.

The future of our happy-hour plate of oysters depends on it.

September 26, 2014

A Warrenton, Oregon, charter boat cap-tain pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier this month for harvesting fed-erally protected wild coho salmon on charter trips with sport fishing cli-ents. The year-long investigation by federal and state officers also led to state fish and wildlife charges against the captain of the Hawk II. On Septem-ber 4, 2014, Curtis Clauson, 65, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon to a federal misde-meanor offense for illegal “take” of a species listed as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. He was sentenced to one year of probation. During that year he must remain in com-pliance with conditions of his already imposed state probation, forfeit his U.S. Coast Guard license to operate a passenger vessel and may not be employed in any position requiring a captain’s license. Clauson’s offenses came to

Oregon Charter Captain Sentenced for Harvesting Protected Salmon

light during an investigation into Pacific Northwest sport fishing charter operators who may be violating the Endangered Species Act or other laws. “Fortunately most sport fishing charter operators set a good example for their clients by conscientiously complying with the laws that protect imperiled spe-cies,” said Martina Sagapolu, Acting Special Agent In Charge of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement for the West Coast Region. “That makes it especially important to identify and pursue the few exceptions to those high industry standards.”

During subsequent questioning, Clauson acknowledged having done the same on a regular basis over the past several years. The investigation further revealed that Clauson had unlawfully harvested and sold sport caught Dungeness crab and Albacore tuna. “The charter industry works hand-in-hand with NOAA Fisheries and state agencies to develop regulations so we can have sustainable fisher-ies,” said Ilwaco, Wash., charter boat owner Butch Smith, president of the Ilwaco Charter Associa-tion and chair of the Salmon Advisory Subpanel of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. “It’s unacceptable to us to have anyone break these laws, especially someone from our industry.” Clau-son previously pleaded guilty in January 2014 to two class A misdemeanor state offenses in Clatsop County Circuit Court and was sentenced to:

* Suspension of his Oregon fishing license and shellfish permits for five years.* Three years of probation, during which time he must surrender his Oregon charter and commercial fishing licenses.* 10 days in jail.

Clauson also agreed to pay $3,000 in restitution to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, $270 in restitution to the Oregon State Police, and $510 in court fees and criminal fines. “We are committed to ensuring that sport fishing charter operators that violate fishing regulations are held accountable and do not tarnish the image of honest operators or damage highly important cultural and economic fishery resources of the Northwest,” said NOAA Special Agent Murray Bauer, who led the investigation. At one time Clauson worked under a seasonal contract to NOAA operating research vessels but will be barred from doing so in the future. The investigation also led to state criminal citations against several other parties for various fishing violations. The case was investigated jointly by the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, West Coast Enforcement Division, and the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division. The case was prosecuted by Assis-tant U.S. Attorney Neil Evans of the District of Oregon, State of Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Patrick Flannigan, and Clatsop County Deputy District Attorney Beau Peterson.

Regulations Have Done Little to Boost Cod in Gulf of Maine

February 16, 2015

Colonial America’s first true industry, groundfishing, has followed the path of many others. Technology improved as the industrial revolution took hold — it kept improving afterward — and a growing population of fishermen, both domestic and foreign, became more productive as they pursued cod, haddock and other species found near the ocean floor.

Today, that industry faces an uncertain future of depleted stocks, consolidation of the fleet, restrictive regulation and questions about whether species that long sus-tained some New England fishing communities will ever rebound.

As the steam-powered trawler and mesh net replaced the schooner and baited fishing line at the start of the 20th century, fishermen and their vessels became, perhaps, too efficient to the point of jeopardizing the resource on which they depended for their livelihood.

Regulations were slow to take hold, but in recent decades, they have become increas-ingly more restrictive. (Federal regulators last year again drastically slashed Atlan-tic cod catch limits, for example.) Groundfish stocks, however, have failed to rebound in response.

“Humans have been failing at fisheries management for a very long time, so it’s not a small task” to get it right, said Robin Alden, executive director of the nonprofit Penobscot East Resource Center in Stonington and a former commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Regulation of the fisheries today is ever-present whereas a century ago it was absent. But today’s regulatory system leaves much to be desired.

First, regulators manage individual species in isolation rather than as part of the intricate ecosystems to which they belong. As a result, regulators react to legally required stock estimates of a single species but don’t necessarily take into account how one species interacts with another and with the broader environment. Second, regu-lators craft uniform rules to cover vast areas of the ocean — for example, the entire Gulf of Maine, stretching from Cape Cod to the Canadian border — as if such a vast area were a uniform ecosystem. And third, there’s far from universal faith in the cur-rent regulatory scheme, with fishermen frequently doubting the science behind increas-ingly restrictive catch limits.

“The Gulf of Maine is a very diverse place,” said Jim Wilson, a University of Maine professor of marine sciences. “Down East Maine, it’s totally different from Casco Bay, and Casco Bay is totally different from Gloucester and from Provincetown. When we manage fish, we treat all those areas as if they were the same.”

Fisheries regulators have a directive from the top — a 2010 executive order from Pres-ident Barack Obama — to transition to ecosystem-based management of the fisheries. “But the concept isn’t precisely defined,” Alden said.

There’s little doubt an effective ecosystem-based management system will have to be more local in nature than the current system. And a regulatory system that’s more local in nature will have to rely in part on those with the most local knowledge — namely, those who fish.

Much work needs to be done before regulators can change the way they manage fisheries. But Maine’s management — or, more precisely, co-management — of its lobster fishery over the past two decades could offer an example. Maine’s lobster fishery is divided into zones, and each zone has an elected council of lobster license holders who can recommend rules, within broader state parameters, on four issues to the state commis-sioner of marine resources: Lobsterman trap limits, the number of traps allowed on a line, when lobstering is allowed and entry into the fishery. The commissioner has the power to adopt or reject the rules.

While Maine has become, perhaps, dangerously dependent on the lobster, the lobster’s success can, in part, be owed to responsible, shared management through a system in which lobstermen have buy-in. A federal, ecosystem-based model will have to take into account multiple species and will be more complex, but federal regulators might find a place to start in Maine.

Federal Fish Dealer Pleads Guilty in Con-nection with Research Set-Aside ViolationsApril 23, 2014

Guilty pleas continue to roll in as a result of an investigation initi-ated in July 2010 by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement into Research Set-Aside (RSA) program violations. A Brooklyn, New York, federal fish dealer is the latest to plead guilty in his role in the illegal activi-ty.

Alan Dresner pled guilty in federal district court on April 23, 2014, to one count of wire fraud for his participation in concealing the ille-gal harvest of fluke as part of the Research Set-Aside Program. Though the final sentence is up to the Court, the defendant has agreed to pay between $516,000 and $577,000 in combined fines and forfeitures as well as multiple sentence conditions including relinquishment of his Federal and New York State Marine and Coastal District foodfish and crustacea dealers and shippers license. At a future sentencing hearing, the Court will decide what other penalties, if any, will be imposed.

Logan Gregory, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Law Enforce-ment’s Northeast Division said, “[T]hese dealers created the market for these elicit, unreported fish and their willingness to conspire with the harvesters of these fish to not report them completely undermines the system of trying to obtain the best available science to manage this fishery. The Office of Law Enforcement will continue to investigate this issue to conclusion. It's not only important to fisheries management, but also important to the law abiding industry members who rely on the availability of this fish to har-vest and sell.”

In all, OLE agents determined that Dresner filed at least 120 false dealer reports. These violations led to criminal charges although there were also violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

“Submitted dealer reports are the primary mechanism to track fisheries landings and play a crucial role in the management of the summer flounder fishery,” said Special Agent Todd Smith. “Unreported summer flounder of this magnitude can have dire repercussions on the fish stock, as well as those people who depend on them for their livelihood. Bringing the people who commit these crimes to justice helps level the playing field for all honest stakeholders”.

Dresner, previously identified as “Fish Dealer X” in the related case of U.S. v. Anthony Joseph, helped to conceal illegal summer flounder landings made by Anthony Joseph. Dresner created dealer reports that matched landings on the fishing vessel trip reports submitted by Joseph. Dresner paid for the reported landings by check, and cash for the unreported summer flounder.

Special Agent Matt Gilmore noted, “This guilty plea illustrates that we are not only prosecuting owner/operators that violate fisheries laws, but also those dealers that conspire to launder illegal fish and enter the product into commerce. Everyone involved in the scheme should be held accountable. ” said Gilmore.

Although this case has concluded, it is part of a larger investigation into alleged abuse of the RSA Program. Expect more on this issue throughout the year.

Owner of Maine Seafood Company Gets Prison Time for Scallop Conspiracy

September 4, 2014

Christopher Byers, the owner of a Maine seafood company, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on September 4, 2014, for his role in conspiring with six fishing boat operators to prepare false reports to conceal the overharvesting of 79,666 pounds of Atlantic sea scallops. Byers’ company, D.C. Air & Seafood, agreed to pay $520,371 in restitution to the United States and to be placed on probation for 5 years, during which the company will not be allowed to participate in the scallop industry.

During routine patrols of commercial fishing docks, conserva-tion officers from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife became suspicious of several vessels that appeared to be over-harvesting scallops regularly. During this same time, Special Agents from NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement received

information from multiple sources which appeared to corroborate the information received from New Jersey officers. NOAA partnered with these officers to conduct a covert night surveillance operation which led to the discovery of Byers’ method of operation, seizure of illegal scallops, identity of the suspects and ves-sels involved.

Lieutenant Jason Snellbaker of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Enforcement Unit noted the importance of cooperation between agencies noting that “[T]his was a great example of law enforcement agencies working together toward a common goal. The involvement of both agencies in the case was crucial in identifying the illegal activity and conducting an investigation that ultimately led to the removal of the conspiring parties from the industry.”

Through the investigative efforts of NOAA agents, additional sources were discovered which revealed prior year violations; this led to the issuance of a criminal search warrant served upon the parent company D.C. Air & Seafood. Evidence obtained from the search warrant identified additional suspects and gross viola-tions of scallop overharvesting during 2007-2008.

Six fishing boat operators conspired with Byers to prepare false reports to conceal the overharvesting of Atlantic sea scallops. Pictured are bags of scallops confiscated from one of the fishing boats.Anthony Forestiere, Special Agent for NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Northeast Division, and lead agent on the case pointed out the impact on the honest fisherman, saying “[T]hese individuals flooded the market with illegal catch and adversely impacted the scallop industry. Removing Mr. Byers and his associates will benefit those honest, hardworking fishermen who play by the rules and improve the long-term sustainability of the fishery.”

D.C. Air & Seafood purchased Atlantic sea scallops harvest-ed by federally permitted vessels off the mid-Atlantic coast in an area that had been closed to fishing as part of an area rotation management program to rebuild the scallop population. The area was open to limited scallop fishing by federally permitted vessels for 2-week periods in March 2007, July 2007, and March 2008.

During those periods, individual vessels were restricted to harvesting no more than 400 pounds of scallops per vessel per trip. Byers admitted that his company and the six boat operators failed to report nearly 80,000 pounds of scallops harvested in that area for purchase by D.C. Air & Seafood and prepared false fishing vessel trip reports.

The six boat operators involved in this case previously pled guilty and await sentencing. Expect more news about this case as sentences continue to be handed down.

Mercury Air Pollution Reflected in Ocean Fish, Study Says

February 3, 2015

Rising mercury levels in the air are likely to blame for increasing amounts of mercury in Hawaiian yellowfin tuna, researchers say.

Mercury concentrations in the fish are rising by 3.8 percent or more a year, they found after analyzing data from 1971, 1998 and 2008.

"The take-home message is that mercury in tuna appears to be increasing in lockstep with data and model predictions for mer-cury concentrations in water in the North Pacific," said Paul Drevnick, an assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.

"This study confirms that mercury levels in open ocean fish are responsive to mercury emis-sions," Drevnick added in a university news release.

Yellowfin tuna, sold as ahi, is widely used in raw fish dishes -- especially sashimi -- and for grilling. This type of tuna is listed as a "high mercury" species by the U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council.

Mercury is a potent toxin, and high concentrations in fish pose a health risk to people who eat them.

The main source of mercury in the open ocean is fallout from air pollution, especially from coal-fired power plants and artisanal gold mining, according to the authors of the study pre-sented Feb. 2 in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

"Mercury levels are increasing globally in ocean water, and our study is the first to show a consequent increase in mercury in an open-water fish," Drevnick said. "More stringent poli-cies are needed to reduce releases of mercury into the atmosphere. If current deposition rates are maintained, North Pacific waters will double in mercury by 2050."

Extinction Risk for Marine Life Up 25%

February 2, 2015

Overfishing, pollution, habitat loss and climate change are all factors that are threatening marine life, rais-ing their risk of extinction by 20 to 25 percent, accord-ing to new research.

"Until now, there has been a general assumption that, despite pressures on marine environments like pollution and overfishing, marine species are unlikely to be threatened with extinction," lead researcher Dr. Thomas Webb, from the University of Sheffield, said in a state-ment."We have shown that, on the face of it, there are indeed far fewer marine species of conservation concern; but much of this can be explained by the fact the conservation status of fewer marine species has been formally assessed," he added.

Climate change for one is already wreaking havoc on marine species, especially with the summer of 2014 seeing the warmest ocean temperatures ever recorded. For example, corals such as those in the Great Barrier Reef are to face the worst bleaching in decades, which will severely weaken the species. Also, climate change is setting conservation efforts back for endangered sea turtles, which are losing critical beach habitat due to rising sea levels.

But that isn't the only threat sea turtles have to worry about. Pollution is also putting these animals in danger, particularly those living around Hawaii where urban and farm runoff is causing tumors in these endan-gered species.

When most people think of species at risk of extinction, they picture land-based plants and animals like the iconic polar bear, which could see extinction in the year 2015. Meanwhile the millions of marine animals lurking beneath ocean waters are ill considered. Even the Inter-national Union for the Conservation of Nature has only assessed three percent of marine species in terms of their risk of extinction.

But this new study helps to shed light on marine life, which is normally considered fundamentally different from terrestrial systems.

Former Northeast Dealer Pleads Guilty to Felony Lacey Act ChargeDecember 20, 2014

On December 16, 2014, in Baltimore, Mary-land, George F. Estudante pled guilty in federal court to a single felony count of submitting false reports to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in violation of the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is a federal conservation law in the United States that prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold. Estudante was the owner and operator of Basic Fisheries, a federally permitted fish dealer located in Marion, Massachusetts. The business has since closed.

In 2008, NOAA special agents, with assis-tance from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police and cooperative witnesses, initiated a covert operation when information of Estudante’s business practices first surfaced. It showed that in 2009, on thir-teen separate occasions, Estudante purchased scallops that were in excess of the federally permitted vessels’ legal landing limit of 400 pounds.

Estudante concealed these excesses by only reporting the legal portion of the purchase to NOAA. He issued a check to the vessel owner and/or operator for the legal fish, and paid cash for the remain-ing illegal portion of the catch for a lesser amount. The illegal portion was not reported to NOAA by the vessel or by Estudante. Sentencing is scheduled for February 27, 2015 at the Federal Court-house in Baltimore, Maryland. Estudante faces up to a maximum of five years in prison.

“NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement works to level the playing field so that fishermen and other busi-nesses that comply with the regulations are not put at a disadvantage by the illegal acts of those who purposefully break the rules.” says Logan Gregory, Assistant Director for the Office of Law Enforcement’s Northeast Division.

"Fishing is a dangerous, complicated business. Fishermen work hard to put healthy seafood on the plates of the American consumer under the toughest management plans in the world. They deserve a fair price for that effort. When someone illegally exceeds limits, they hurt the honest harvester three ways; they drive down prices, they exceed the quotas needed to protect the resource, and they make it difficult for scientists to accurately assess the stock." says John Bullard, Regional Admin-istrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

An Evolving ProcessCriterea for change transitions as oceanic issues evolve, and new solutions for ocean cultivation can be devoloped as technologies are discovered. With continued research, those solutions are then refined, enhanced, or made obscelete.

Remodeling the System

Top oceanographic research facilities

Top grossing com-mercial fishing

Law enforcement and regulatory officesareas

A new model of ocean farming founded by a partnership between a commercial fisherman and an

oceanic researcher.

Funded on KickStarter - public support/ awareness

40 acre farm - variety of shellfish and seaweed species

The system provides local food while providing a number of other positive effects on the environment

It has the potential to reverse climate change, improve water quality, create biofuel, restore habitats, and

create jobs for fishermen.

3D Farming:

floating buoys

hanging seaweed ropes

hanging shellfish cagessystem anchors

Renovating the SystemNew models of ocean cultivation come and go in response to the latest issues, knowledge, and technologies. For example, fish farming has evolved from its conception, through criticism from found research on fish health, through new means made possible with technology advances, to prospects for future development.

3D Farming is a recent form of ocean cultivation founded by Bren Smith, a life-long commercial fisherman. He was unhappy with the unsustainable practices he was witnessing in the industry so he partnered with Dr. Charles Yarish, a professor and ecologist at the University of Connecticut, to design a better method for cultivating the sea.Together, the two have created an ocean farming model that focuses on shellfish and seaweed species. They use the entire depth of the ocean to raise a variety of these species, hence the “3D” nature of the process. The current model is modest in scale, but according to researchers’ projections the potential of the model at an expanded scale is impressive. On a 300’x300’ plot of ocean, 24 tons of seaweed can be grown in 5 months. That means that if there were enough 3D farms to total just the size of Washington State, enough food could be produced to feed the entire world. This is a process that gives a new perspective on the food crisis. The seaweed species that are farmed are also excellent absorbers of carbon. The existing 20 acre farm has the potential to remove 134 tons of carbon per year. Carbon is a major contributor to global warming, so with expansion 3D farming could help reverse

climate change. Shellfish and seaweed also are filter feeding specimens. Through their feeding processes, they absorb huge amounts of nitrogen out of the water. Nitrogen is the leading cause for the ever-expanding dead zones in our oceans. Lastly, there are preliminary studies going into the potential to turn seaweed into a biofuel which could be a step in negating the issues that come with current energy models.


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oceanic researcher.






3D Farming:

floating buoys




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oceanic researcher.






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The farm is located in Connecticut and was initially funded by Kickstarter, giving the public direct understanding and participation in the practice. The company is modest and was running out of a small trailer in its beginnings. So, a place where the transition to the most current fishing method can be conceived is absolutely necessary for further sustainable advancement of the industry at a scale that can have an impact on global issues.

My goal is to take the principles of cross-disciplinary understanding and collaboration, similar to 3d farming, and combine them with the notions of evolution and transition to create a facility in which a sustained progression toward a better future for the fishing industry is possible.

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South Boston WaterfrontThe site for the Ocean Evolution Center is an abandoned drydock on the South Boston waterfront. The entire surrounding area has been relevant as an industrial fishing site and as a leader for innovative advancements throughout history. Today, its relevance as a foundation for New England fishing is still apparent. Fish Pier, neighboring the site, is the oldest continuously working fish pier in the US. The industrial past is still being preserved in the area despite it going through a rampant redevelopment right now. The site lies at the intersection of active industrial areas and a new public-minded redevelopment making it the perfect opportunity to expose industrial practices to the public market it is serving, which can incentivize a more friendly and sustainable

South Boston WaterfrontOcean Evolution Center

Change in residents per square mile 2000 - 2010

+2,000 - 15,000

+500 - 1,999

+1 - 499

-500 - 0

Building development plannedor under current construction South Boston - 1925

Boston’s “Innovation District” Goals:

Urban Lab provide opportunities for testing groundbreaking technologies

Sustainable Leadershipbreaking new ground for sustainable growth

Shared Innovationbenefit from the shared idea econo-my

Promote Collaborationcreate clusters of innovative people

Provide Public SpaceSupport social infrastructure to foster an innovative ecosystem

3 Harpoon Brewery

2 Blue Hills Pavilion

5 Northern Ave. Bridge

4 100 Pier 4

6 Fish Pier

7 399 Congress St.

1 Design Center

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Fishermen

Regulators

Researchers

Public

concern for ocean health

cultivation ofcommon resources

research / new data

outreach

pressure for change

rash decision making

ineffectualsolutions

restrictionson livlihood

continuedocean issues

cultural significance/ food source

consumers

South Boston WaterfrontOcean Evolution Center

Change in residents per square mile 2000 - 2010

+2,000 - 15,000

+500 - 1,999

+1 - 499

-500 - 0

Building development plannedor under current construction South Boston - 1925

Boston’s “Innovation District” Goals:

Urban Lab provide opportunities for testing groundbreaking technologies

Sustainable Leadershipbreaking new ground for sustainable growth

Shared Innovationbenefit from the shared idea econo-my

Promote Collaborationcreate clusters of innovative people

Provide Public SpaceSupport social infrastructure to foster an innovative ecosystem

3 Harpoon Brewery

2 Blue Hills Pavilion

5 Northern Ave. Bridge

4 100 Pier 4

6 Fish Pier

7 399 Congress St.

1 Design Center

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Fishermen

Regulators

Researchers

Public

concern for ocean health

cultivation ofcommon resources

research / new data

outreach

pressure for change

rash decision making

ineffectualsolutions

restrictionson livlihood

continuedocean issues

cultural significance/ food source

consumers

performance. All of the buildings dotted in yellow are currently under construction, development, or planning and are a part of the South Boston development program that has been titled “The Innovation District.” The goals of this developing district

align with the goals of the Ocean Evolution Center and will surround the facility with people that support sustainability, technological advancement, innovation, collaboration across disciplines, and public space.

18 19

The DrydockThe drydock acts as a function for defining liminal space. The drydock condition exists as an entity that facilitates the process of construction. The solid bars on either side act as constant supports for the varying event in the central space. Liminality is traditionally a term associated with sociology and rituals as the state between two

The Drydock

Facilitating Liminality

The drydock is a function for defining liminal space. Its condition exists as an entity meant to facilitate the process of construction. The solid bars on either side of the structure act as constant supports for the varying event in the central space. What occurs in the center is never permanent, but rather a fluctuating response to evolving needs.

Electric Cable Duct

Sheet Steel Piling

Back Fill

Limit of Excavation

Tremied Concrete

Steel Piles

Solid Substratum

Motor

Pipe Tunnel

Discharge Culvert

Pump

Pump Well

Service Gallery

Concrete Lining

Mediating Transition and Exchange

Liminality is a transition between defined states, a position that is

constantly moving. No final conclusion remains within a liminal state, so

ideas, beliefs, and practices can be challenged, and an ongoing search for

answers is possible.

destination states. It is a state of transition where no process finds a final conclusion. It is a state wherein an individual or a group is expected and encouraged to explore, discover, and challenge existing definitions. Ethnographer Arnold van Gennep who specializes in studies of rites of passage refers to liminality as the precarious threshold between a person’s previous role in society and his new, evolved existence.

The Drydock



Electric Cable Duct

Sheet Steel Piling

Back Fill

Limit of Excavation

Tremied Concrete

Steel Piles

Solid Substratum

Motor

Pipe Tunnel

Discharge Culvert

Pump

Pump Well

Service Gallery

Concrete Lining






The Drydock



Electric Cable Duct

Sheet Steel Piling

Back Fill

Limit of Excavation

Tremied Concrete

Steel Piles

Solid Substratum

Motor

Pipe Tunnel

Discharge Culvert

Pump

Pump Well

Service Gallery

Concrete Lining






The drydock on the South Boston waterfront was constructed in December of 1941 as a supplemental repair station for cruisers as a part of the South Boston Naval Annex. The drydock is now abandoned and sits behind the First Niagara Pavilion which hosts a variety of large events.

20 21

22

Ocean Evolution CenterResponding to these notions, the facility’s base program pieces are rooted in the solid bars of the dock. The base program refers to foundation program pieces that will mostly span across all forms of ocean cultivation practices. To mediate the transitions that are required in any evolving process, the space that is placed in the central void of the dock acts as a liminal space, which allows for the base program pieces to supplement the internal transition that can respond to current oceanic issues, public needs, or technological advancements, while challenging the existing processes. The work that results in the center space can then be cycled back into

Ground Level1/32” = 1’

Lower Level1/32” = 1’

transport

incoming/unload

sealife/ocean chem

sort/clean

process

policy

hazards/pollution

protected resources

policy

tools/tech

sci/tech

water turbine energy

market

restaurant

recreation

outreach

ship

the largest common area isaccessed only through the middle

flex spaces

ocean water floods thethreshold space

surrounding commonprogram pieces

N

FishermenIncoming/Unloading20,000 sfSorting/Processing8,000 sfPackaging2,000 sfFreeze/Ship2,000 sf

RegulatorsManagement3,700 sfOutreach3,000 sfPermits/Recreation2,000 sf

ResearchersTools & Tech6,000 sfSea and Life7,000 sfPolicy2,000 sfOutreach3,000 sf

PublicMarket/Plaza52,000 sfRestaurant2,500 sfRecreation2,000 sf

“Commons” Program

Kitchenettes,

Lounges,

Storage,

Meeting Rooms

sunken paths carvedinto the existing dock

top separate publicand private access andexpose private spacesbelow to public views

above

market

the supplemental program in order to push progression further. With this idea, the notion of physically transferring ideas to other sites along the coast is also possible. The central space stands as a constant reflection of the most current collaborative efforts within the facility.

25

The rest of the program pieces face out into the central space and experience a constant fluctuating exposure of the processes and events that are occurring there. The tides in the area move up and down 10 feet about 4 times per day allowing both floors of the central spaces to be visibly understood by all of the surrounding program, creating an overall holistic understanding throughout the facility.

Section1/4” - 1’

A physical breaking ofexisting boundaries

Focused exposure

Permanent vs. impermanentspace

Existing system / process / ideals

An existing solution that can be monitored, evaluated, and practiced. The information and output becomes supplemental to the central transitional process

Developing system / process / ideals

A fluctuating response to evolving needs that is perceived by all groups involved. The refined solutions are then cycled back into the supplementing system and out to other organizations.

Drydock gate open

A transition is in development. The rhythmic undulation of the central space allows for the perception of constant progress.

Drydock gate closed - water level sustained

A transition is being reintegrated back into the supporting program pieces. In the event of major movement between the two entities, a heavier stabilized connection can be slid into place once the water level is still.

Drydock gate closed - water drained

An exceptional break in progress. For a major event, the water can be entirely drained from the center of the dock to accommodate a large group of people.

12’

8’

4’

0’12am 6am 12pm 6pm 12am 6am 12pm 6pm 12am

Predicted Daily Tides [May 02-03]

The undulating movement of the central spaces allows for the perception of constant progress, but in the occasion of a large transition or event, the drydock can be activated by closing the entry gate to stabilize the water level so that more substantial bridge connections can be slid into place. Once a major transition or event has concluded, the stiffer connections can be retracted, the drydock gate opened, and the rhythmic fluctuation resumed. Then in the event of a very large gathering, the gate can be closed, the water drained, and then the exposed space below can be utilized as an event space.

26

Fiberglass sheathing

Steel truss

Metal decking

Concrete

CMU

Rigid insulation

Waterproof membrane

Rigid insulation

Concrete

Metal sill

Double pane glass

Insulated membrane

Rolling connection

Hinged connection

Glass panels

Pivot connection

Glass door

Insulated membrane

Spider joint

Double pane glass

Hollow steel

Double pane glass

Spider joint

Aluminum gutter

The connections between the base and liminal spaces are exaggerated threshold bridges. The bridges attempt to be as minimal as possible, permitting the user to be more aware of the turbulent waters below, and more aware of the sense of impermanence that exists in the constantly transitioning space that they are connecting to. Through pivoting, rolling, and hinging joints, the bridges mediate the movement of the liminal space through a wavering connection.

Smaller instances of “floating” liminal space are distributed within the solid anchor program as well. Small shared program pieces, like meeting rooms, kitchenettes, and lounge rooms, have emphasized threshold transition spaces where the solid dock has been carved away to allow the ocean water to surround the spaces. These spaces are also like transparent intrusions that have been pressed into the solid program, allowing for exposure between separate program pieces through a shared program piece.

The public is invited through the facility on sunken paths above. The drydock top peels up to expose the activities of the program lying below, promoting an overall transparency between private industry and the public market. The sunken paths also act as a soft boundary between public and private access points, allowing shared occupation of the drydock surface, but a limit on access points to private program below.

27

3130

Conceptual and Preliminary Design Studies

Program:

The organization of the program was of high priority in the project. Deciding which program pieces interacted with each other, or needed to interact with each other, determined where the main program bodies, industry, man-agement, research, and the public, would intersect. Later these intersections became the liminal instances, allow-ing the space in the central void of the dock or the spac-es carved into the solid bars of the dock to mediate the intersection of program pieces. The program organization was conceptually diagrammed in the beginning of the pro-cess through a series of bars that spanned across the en-tire site of the dry dock. The later approaches integrat-ed the program bars inside the drydock structure rather than simply spanning across the top.

3332

Building form:

Once the program relationships were defined, the process of deciding how the building’s form could represent and facilitate those relationships required many iterations. Initially, a variety of methods were tried. First, an “incubator” technique contained all of the program in one entity, but the form strategically heightened, condensed, and touched the dock surface to create desirable spaces around collaborative program while providing means of privacy in the more separate program pieces. Second, a “fragment” technique appears to have started as one whole, but fragments away from itself to create more private spaces. By pulling pieces away from the whole, in-between spaces were created. This began my interest in the space between spaces as an opportunity to emphasize relationship conditions. Expanding upon the emphasis on in-between space, technique three, the “village,” separated all of the program pieces into individual structures. The separation created excess in-between space where program could expand or contract into, circulation would occur, and people would interact with each other.

With the focus then being on “in-between” spaces, I began researching notions of liminality and searching for answers in the drydock with the question of existing liminal or in-between spaces. The final design was a response to these discoveries and uses the drydock in a way that is natural for the existing structure. By turning focus to the site, the existing drydock structure, the building was able to accomplish its goals of connection, cross-disciplinary exposure, and transition while taking on a more meaningful stance by imposing, but also integrating itself into an existing structure, process, and emblem of time.

“incubator” “incubator” “incubator”

“fragment”

“village” “fragment” “village”

“incubator”

“fragment”“fragment”

“village”

3534

Central Space:

The use of the tides to activate the central space became a priority early in the design process. Initial designs involved the new built portions to remain stagnant while the tides were free to rise and fall up, down, or over the building. Using stagnance vs. movement as a way to contrast base program with the new liminal program caused the central space to become mobile and move with the tides.

Public Space:

The main public components of the Center were sunken paths with “break out” platforms that provided views into the private program pieces below, access to the front of the central space where a restaurant was located, an adaptable market, and access to the water for recreation purposes. The paths and platforms correspond with the smaller instances of liminal space below, allowing for the voids created around the spaces to act as soft boundaries between private and public access points. Early, the designs involved the public layer being more organic in shape and imposing itself on the orthogonal shapes below. Later, the design changed so that the layers became more common, because the public realm was to act as in integrated piece of the facility rather than an imposition. Following this notion, the public access to water was defined the same way in which the private access to water was, by carving away at the existing dock structure.

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“3D Ocean Farming: Saving Our Seas.” Thimble Island Oyster Co. N.p., n.d. Web. 01

Arpad, Szakolczai. “Liminality and Experience: Structuring Transitory Sit uations and Transformative Events.” . N.d. Liminality and Experi ence: Structuring Transitory Situations and Transformative Events. Web.

Gotbaum, Rachel. “Why The Cod On Cape Cod Now Comes From Iceland.” NPR. NPR, 2 Jan. 2014. Web.

Hester, Randy. (1985). Subconscious Landsapes of the Heart. Places, 2(3), 10. Print.

Lindley, Kenneth Arthur. Seaside Architecture. London: H. Evelyn, 1973. Print.

Martin, Roy E., and George J. Flick. The Seafood Industry. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990. Print.

National Geographic. “Overfishing.” National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web.

PMEL Carbon Program. “Ocean Acidification.” Ocean Acidification. NOAA, n.d. Web.

Phillips, Rodney. “Ann Lauterbach and Liminality. Some Examples from Her Work.” Web log post. Elephan’ Twirl. N.p., n.d. Web.

Russel, Jenna. “Last of Their Kind.” Globe Magazine 16 June 2013: n. pag. The Boston Globe. Web. 29

Weller, Eileen Marie. Study of the Fishing Industry in Boston and New En gland. N.p.: n.p., 1932. Print.

constructing a liminal mediator

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