Description by Jeanne Gang for the book Reverse Effect: Renewing Chicago's Waterways

 

 

Matthew's project demonstrates the excitement of inhabiting a building designed to magnify activities and events.  His structure acts as a lens focused on the happenings taking place inside and outside it's walls, the majority of which are organized along a one kilometer-long boardwalk that is supported by his hydrological barrier.  Uniquely engaging the river, this boardwalk runs parallel to the shoreline and divides the water into three sections, each with it's own designated use: boating, constructed wetland, and invasive species fishing. Like other students, Matthew envisions a barrier that both protects the Great Lakes from invasive carp and helps them be harvested for food.

 

Sited where these distinct bodies of water meet, the building serves as an extension of the boardwalk.  People moving through its spaces are rewarded with multiple views of the surrounding landscape.  The main auditorium, for example, concentrates users' gaze on the three adjacent but separate waters, bringing into focus their various urban roles.  The design provides a spatial sketch of how new architecture along the river could become a catalyst for development and regeneration.