In Situ

An Architecture of Transect

In Situ or On Site is a project that investigates the ecology on Ross Island. A transect is chosen to frame specific segments of the site, and dissects the changes in its terrestrial landscape from the body of a still lagoon to a former industrial site, a forest canopy and an edge of the river. The project engages the construct of an “observatory” to understand the “natural” phenomena of the site beyond what we see—a constructed portal that engages our bodily senses emotionally and objectively. 

Three structures inhabit the site along specific points on the transect, each embodying a character but only temporarily. The structures intervene in places tied to a specific memory or event, yet specified by materials available on site. One structure anchors itself in the deepest waters of a lagoon while another becomes a cavity in the ground and finally at the end sits a lofted structure that skims the brink of water like the talons of a heron bird. The project intends to initiate a civic re-engagement of the site through the process of observation at a small scale.