Grafting the Aquarium

Oceans are heavily impacted by climate change. Rising temperatures, acidification, and deoxygenation caused by greenhouse gas emissions are damaging marine ecosystems at an alarming scale and rate. As these ecosystems are significantly threatened, human health and economic stability also grow more precarious. The fate of ocean life is intimately tied to our own.

In response to this crisis, aquariums have increasingly refocused their missions on conservation and education, attempting to outgrow their origins as menageries for human entertainment. To make this shift, common practices include partnering with scientific institutions to promote research, discontinuing breeding programs, and developing large mammal sanctuaries where former show animals can retire. Though these efforts are encouraging, aquariums are often forced to rely on entertainment and ticket sales to maintain their operations and facilities in addition to funding basic animal care. What will it take for aquariums to achieve their stated ambitions of becoming leaders in ecological stewardship and education rather than purely entertainment venues? And how can architecture, design, programming, economic, and urban considerations help evolve the aquarium and its role in our society?

To test these questions, the New England Aquarium, which overlooks Boston’s harbor, will serve as the project site. Like all of Boston’s waterfront, the site is vulnerable to sea level rise. Students will be asked to strategize for climate adaptation while researching Peter Chermayeff’s original Brutalist building from 1969 and its additions. The studio introduces complex themes involving climate-driven choices such as whether to protect, accommodate, or retreat from rising seas. We will consider embodied carbon, building adaptations, design for biodiversity, and regard for non-human species in the process of developing designs. In considering these complex scenarios and diverse actors, the studio positions architecture as a key agent in urban viability and transformation.
     
Day trips and tours in Boston and New England will be offered during the week of February 20-24.