The document describes a field excursion taken by an LSU School of Architecture studio to sites across coastal Louisiana. Over 11 days, the students visited various locations relevant to the oil and gas industry and coastal ecology, including ports, shipyards, refineries, wildlife refuges, and the project site in Venice. The excursion provided first-hand experience of the complex relationships between industry, inhabitants, and the vulnerable coastal environment that the class project aims to address through symbiotic design.
3. TABLE OF [CONTENTS]
I. Introductions [2-45]
Part One
Condition
Players
Question
Part Two
Program
Field Excursion
Symbiotic Corpse
II. Student Projects [46-137]
Elemental
Amy Gemelli, Brian Lucke, Victor Erwin
Environmental
Matthew McKeever, Robert Ketner, Ju Liu
Infra-structural
Tyler Brandis, Alex Klingsporn, Elliot Manuel
Mobile
Katie Pitre, Alyce Howe, Dean Kelly
III. Conclusion [138-143]
Professor’s Closing Letter
Participants’ Acknowledgements
Notes and Bibliography
2
4. 3
A. Architecture students sketching in Chauvin, Louisiana
B. View of vegetation and water in a canal near Rockefeller Refuge
C. Corner of Fort Pike in the Rigolets near New Orleans, Louisiana
D. Landscape in Grand Isle, Louisiana with dune in foreground
5.
6. Introduction and Conditionssymbiosis [n] - the relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other
7. Synopsis
The Louisiana Coast and the adjacent Gulf of Mexico are intrinsically linked by the mighty Mississippi River.
The river and its deposits over thousands of years created the coast and also the oil found offshore. 65-2.5 million
years before the present" the tertiary period, the great river carried large volumes of sediment towards the Gulf
and created a major sedimentary basin, and many subsurface deposits. These subsurface deposits were composed
of dead organisms that were buried before they could oxidize or burn up or decay. These non-decayed dead things
become the major requirement for making oil long into the future especially those that formed in localized centers
of deposition. Faulting of these Tertiary sediments led to the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in
massive fields below the coast, especially along the flanks of salt domes that were forced up through the sediments
from the underlying rock strata (Roberts et al. 1989).
In more recent geologic time, the ecosystems of coastal Louisiana have gone through more rapid changes driven
by low topographic relief, geological processes, and climate. The River, as it changed course to the sea, created
multiple delta lobes that presently are in various states of degradation/formation. These lobes formed the eastern
half of the state (the deltaic plain) while the western half of the state (the Chenier plain) was constructed during
the glacial melt as layers of sediments were deposited on the eroded Pleistocene surface from the Gulf.
Presently, the Louisiana coast exists in a fragile state: the river that fed it has been bound, the sea is rising, and
the climate creates more erosive storms. The physical health of the coast is poor yet it is critical to the state and
country and environment. The coast serves as a protective barrier to the largest populations in the state, as the
operations base for more than 1/4 of US energy resources, and 40% of the continents wetland environment. If
the coast is to continue to serve and thrive, its relationship with its inhabitants and the oil and gas industry must
become more symbiotic. This semester, The Chevron Shore Base project will investigate symbiotic design queries
in the unique Louisiana condition.
INTRODUCTION TO THE [CONDITION]
6
8. 7
E. Typical offshore production platform in Terrebonne Bay
F. Typical view of canal and surrounding vegetation in coastal Louisiana
9. The Coast And Its Inhabitants
Many argue that the only way to have a healthy Louisiana Coast is for all humans and human activities to be
removed. It is important to remember that even though humans clearly have an affect on the natural world, they
are also part of the natural world. The studio this semester will question this relationship and ask for resolutions
that do not prioritize one over the other but instead create a more symbiotic relationship. Presently one could
argue that our environmental relationship is in synnecrosis: a relationship between symbionts that is mutually
detrimental. As this is destructive, the relationship must change. Our relationship with the coast is obligate
(meaning that all symbionts depend on each other for survival.) For the design investigations you will make this
semester, you must counteract the synnecrosis relationship and try to find a more symbiotic one. This may be a
mutualistic or commensal. It cannot be one of parasitism, amensalism, or synnecrosis. The technological and
scientific capabilities in the contemporary era present opportunities for humankind to now assume the creativity
and responsibility for maintaining the environment. The natural world before the industrial revolution seemed
omnipresent and merely required negotiation and manipulation; now, humankind’s more equal presence demands
the natural world to be tectonically re-envisioned, replicated, and nurtured. Nature is an infrastructure that
supports the larger biosphere and is undoubtedly more critical to our survival than anything else. The Chevron
Shore Base design project will participate in this responsibility and initiative while maintaining the requisites of
contemporary life. It will investigate what a healthy relationship is between disparate symbionts and how design
can be transformative at its best.
The Industry
The oil and gas industry is as omnipresent in Louisiana as is the coastal environment. As previously stated, energy
resources are plentiful for the same reason our wetlands were. One only has to look at a map of the industry to see
its relative scale. “Louisiana has the greatest concentration of crude oil refineries, natural gas processing plants
and petrochemical production facilities in the Western Hemisphere.” (LA Division of Administration)
INTRODUCTION TO THE [PLAYERS]
8
10. 9
G. Camps along the water near Grand Isle, Louisiana
H. Example of industry producing unique architectural forms
11. The Industry
The industry employs thousands of humans who need to live along the coast to access their work environment.
The industry also must occupy the coast as it serves as its BASE for operations for its shoreline and off-shore
components. Without these bases, the industry could not subsist. The bases provide the necessary link between
land and sea, humankind and livelihood, country and economy, supply and distribution. Unfortunately where
these bases need to occupy exists in the dynamic and eroding coastal condition and paradoxically demand a place
of permanence. This is especially true in Venice, LA where annual inundation and erosion occurs with or without
storm action. Like humans, the industry has contributed to the degradation of the coast. Yet also, the oil and gas
industry are part of human’s means of existence.
Industry + Humans + Coast = Symbiotic Environment
This studio demands that the industry be the third symbiont in the symbiotic relationship. At its best can the
industry be similar to the bee, nurturing and contributing to the health and welfare of the humans and the coast?
True, the Chevron Shore Base at Venice is just a small component of the overall industry but it serves as a relative
test project for issues faced by all the players. As Joan Ockman stated in a recent issue of the Journal of Architectural
Education:
The very act of designing and building is by definition an affirmative one. Today, an architecture that inquires deeply and radically
into the relationship between itself and society, itself and the world, is more resonant and relevant than ever. The complexities of
contemporary practice demand not only strategic realism but also critical discernment and conscience. Indeed, while architects have a
minimal responsibility to do no harm, they may also aspire to do some good.
Continued [PLAYERS]
10
12. 11
I. Louisiana alligator eating a piece of chicken from a lure
J. Example of Louisiana Brown Pelicans perched upon a wooden stump
13. INTRODUCTION TO THE [PROGRAM]
Ship Slips
1 Heavy Lift Slip - 120’ by 625’ (51,000 s.f. of staging area)
2 Regular Slips - 120’ by 475’ (32,000 s.f. of staging area)
Exterior Slip Storage
1500 excess l.f. of Bulkhead (ship waiting area)
Control Center
Office Pool
5 Private Offices
Flex Space/Training room
Communications Closet
Shipping and Receiving
Office Kitchen and Break Area
Storage
Janitor Closet
Bathrooms (3 total, 1M, 1F, and 1 Unisex - All ADA Compliant)
Bunkhouse/Pilot Bunks
Single Bunks (10) - double bed, desk, closet, bathroom with shower
Double Bunks (14) - 2 double beds, desk, 2 closets, bathroom with shower
Private Bunks (2- ADA Compliant) 1 double bed, desk, closet, bathroom
237,600 s.f.
Per Slip - 100,000 SF min
1200 SF
120 SF each
1450 SF
50 SF
105 SF
192 SF
230 SF
15 SF
>220 SF
each @ 220 s.f.
each @ 310 s.f.
each @ 255 s.f.
12
14. 13
K. New construction of C-PORT 3 at Port Fourchon
L. Oil derrick at Hercules Offshore in Houma, Louisiana
15. Bunkhouse/Pilot Bunks cont.
Dining Hall
Kitchen
Laundry - 5 washer/dryers, utility sink, ironing board, folding table
Fitness Center
Recreation Hall
Outdoor Space
Gross Spaces (6 utility/janitor closets, 4 storage closets)
Mechanical Space (> 10%)
Circulation Space (>15%)
Heliport Facility (8 landing pads-size TBD to helicopter type)
3 Offices/control spaces
Entry/Waiting Room
Safety Training Room
Storage Closet
Bathrooms (2 total - ADAAG Compliant)
Shore Base Site Operations
Guard Shack/Controlled entry
Parking (no less than 800 spaces, btw 300 and 350s.f. per spot)
Septic System
Fuel/Water tank
Hazardous Storage/Radiation Testing
Continued [PROGRAM]
1460 SF
900 SF
650 SF
290 SF
1400 SF
1400 SF Min.
350 SF
285 SF each
500 SF
250 SF
TBD
90 SF
20,000 gallons
2,300 SF
14
16. M. Abandoned production platform in Terrebonne Bay
N. Grain silo near the Port of Lake Charles
15
17. Continued [PROGRAM]
16
Requisites for Chevron Shorebase and Venice Site Variables
1. The major components of the program can and should be combined uniquely.
2. A position fixed or not for the base must be determined.
3. Efficiency of services and environmental health are to be prioritized.
4. There are ships, semi-trucks, cars, cranes, and people all moving about on site: a clear design system
must be articulated for this myriad or transport.
5. Safety between the moving objects is to be prioritized. Keep in mind this is a dynamic site from what
it does to where it lies. All three symbionts are moving.
6. The multiple occupancies/programs that occur on the Shorebase will demand thresholds/transition
points: between types, between scales, between actions, between amounts of action. This is a design
opportunity.
7. Continuing to address transitions there are also multiple thresholds between public and private:
outside site and inside site, work and rest, group and individual, The thresholds between public
spaces and private spaces are critical.
8. The Shorebase presents a face of company, it presents its identity to land and sea. It presents its
position regarding how to operate for land and sea. How does the company present its symbiotic
position?
9. The joint between land and sea and sea and land is a critical juncture. It is at the origin of what a
Shorebase is. It will be detailed in this project.
10. Think outside the box. What you witnessed at C-PORT 3 is proprietary so you cannot copy it.
11. Erosion and flooding must be designed for as an existing and continuous condition.
12. Base Flood Elevation for Venice is 15 feet.
13. The act of construction is destructive. This is not an option at Venice. What is constructed must make
18. O. Mississippi River Delta in the year 1937
P. Cypress tree dying due to salt water exposure
Q. Mississippi River Delta in the year 2000
17
up for its destruction and actively rectify any destruction it causes daily. This site is to be one of positive healthy growth for all symbionts.
(industrial efficiency, healthy wetlands, protected habitation etc.)
14. Drainage is a major issue in Venice. Hard surfaces have nowhere to drain as it is so flat and low. Drainage from industrial sites often carries
impurities. What to do with water where water is not required must be addressed.
15. Because of its flatness, Venice is exposed. All symbionts exist in rawness. The weather and the water take advantage of this rawness and
wreak havoc on industry, people, and the environment. A position on how to negotiate exposure must be taken.
19. Day 1 [1/21] - Drive West Follow coast stopping at Cypremort, Holly Beach, Rockefeller Refuge along Highway
82 to Cameron
Day 2 [1/22] - Lake Charles // Tour of LNG Turning Basin, LEEVAC Vessel Repair, and L.C. Seaport Authority
Day 3 [1/23] - Jennings // Tour of LEEVAC Shipyards
Day 4 [1/24] - Lafayette and Morgan City // Tour of Gulf Land Structures and International Petroleum Museum
Day 5 [1/25] - Chauvin // Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Gulf & Barrier Island Excursion
Day 6 [1/26] - Chauvin // Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium Marsh Excursion
Day 7 [1/27] - Houma // Tour of Hercules Offshore and journey to camp in Grand Isle
Day 8 [1/28] - Port Fourchon // Tour of Port and Airport and tour of Chevron C-PORT 1
Day 9 [1/29] - Port Fourchon // Tour of Edison Chouest C-PORT 3
Day 10 [1/30] - Venice // Tour of Chevron Project Site
Day 11 [1/31] - The Rigolets // Tour of Fort Pike
INTRODUCTION TO THE [FIELD EXCURSION]
18
20. R. Map showing the stops of the LSU Architecture Studio across southern Louisiana
7 6
8
5
10
4
1
12
13 15
14
17
16
18
19
3
2
119
19
21. [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
On day 1, the studio travels west through the Port Allen delta, across the Atchafalaya Basin, and then down in the
Chenier Plain. At each ecosystem adjustment, the section through the landscape from water to land is constructed.
The water starts off fresh (taste tested) and culminates in salt. Multiple stops, pink flamingos, a 50 cent car ferry
ride adjacent a quebecois fiat, and an onslaught of beach mosquitoes, the studio stands on a pier in the middle of
the Sabine pass, between LA and TX in the shadow of twinkling lights of LNG.
20
Day 1 [I-10 & LA 82] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
22. S. Boat dock at Butte La Rose on the Atchafalaya Basin
T. Architectural construction approaching Rockefeller Refuge
U. View of marshland near Rockefeller Refuge
21
23. Day 2 presented the opposite landscape to the studio. From the man-made, dredged sixty-eight mile Calcasieu
channel lined with spoil landscapes to the 150 feet span warehouses and 160 feet tall stainless steel lined, concrete
grain elevators, the constructed landscape is monumental both in scale and effort. It is also rich in texture and
material. These images provide only a small sampling of all the studio witnessed. The last stop of the day, the
casino – a massive barge disguised as a building and made by LEEVAC. Student quote for the day “WHAT?”
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
22
Day 2 [Port of Lake Charles] 9
24. V. Port of Lake Charles rail line
W. Exterior view of dry dock and container yard at LEEVAC
X. Grain silos at the Port of Lake Charles
23
25. Day 3 is spent in the LEEVAC Shipyard. “Super Mike” and his fellow engineers provide the class with an
incredible tour that begins with the design process, goes through the modular assembly floor, out into the yard for
steel erection, and then into the belly of the beast. The craft and precision at such a large scale is inspiring. The
seams are beautiful, the bends are fluid, and the one inch plates are massive. The myriad of systems, both active
(plumbing, liquid storage, mechanical, electrical) passive (sea water cooling) and technological (computer operated
DPS, etc.) are threaded so tightly, even the smallest must yield to the complexity. Student quote of the day “I am
not going down there.”
Day 3 [LEEVAC Ship Yards] 10
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
24
26. Y. Exterior construction of double hull on ship
Z. Interior of LEEVAC ship yards with ship hull in foreground
AA. Interior of LEEVAC ship yard with section of hull about to be lifted
25
27. On day 4, the studio experiences life on the rig. Beginning at Gulf Land Structures, the students fill-up a
prefabricated twelve man sleeping pod. Four bunks and eight bunks, divided by a bathroom suite, clad in a pristine,
21,000 pounds taut, white, fiberglass shell, the quarters are tight and efficient. Two and half icy hours later, Mr.
Virgil has the class skate out on Mr. Charlie. From 1954 to 1986, this rig drilled hundreds of offshore wells off the
coast of Morgan City. He was the first transportable, submersible drilling rig and represents the springboard to
the current offshore rig technology, both shallow and deep. Intrepidly, out on the icy drill deck, Mr. Virgil explains
how the entire platform works to support a single five inch pipe, one that now can travel over seven miles below
the surface of the earth. Finally, it all ends in a rig repair yard, where the scale of all it takes to drill a five inch pipe
comes to fruition. Wow!
Day 4 [Gulf Land Structures and International Petroleum Museum] 11 12
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
26
28. BB. Exterior view of IPM showing entrance stair
CC. Foundation piers that support IPM in open water
DD. Fiberglass spray gun used to coat portable buildings from weather and fire
27
29. The studio now ventures in situ of the industry and landscape. Braving the icy wind and bone-crunching swells,
the intrepid students and LUMCON guides take off into the bay. As the fog lifts, and the sun shines white on the
surface, the water-world of industry infrastructure is revealed. The boat travels from East to West in Terrebonne
Bay, approaching each production platform, pressure valve, and observation stations for photo opportunities and a
respite from the icy wind. Skirting behind the barrier islands (the North wind pushing too much water out of the
bay to allow the group to disembark) the boat traverses from Timbalier Bay to Lake Pelto and then up the bayou.
The excursion concludes at the newly minted “Bubba Dove” in the warmth and stillness of the saltwater marsh.
The rest of the day is spent accruing warmth and peacefully tracing the environment from the constructed base
of the research facility. One beautiful sunset, thirteen servings of devil’s food cake, and a twelve sketchbook throw
down, the weather worn explorers fall into their bunks.
Sunday is a day of rest. Leisurely breakfast at seven followed by some morning work and then out to explore the
invaluable salt water marsh. It is quiet and peaceful out on the water (quite a contrast from Day 5.) The students
return exercised and sweaty. Following the studio packs up and heads to Cecil Lapyrouse Grocery for snacks to
hold them over through their sketch exercises. As the caravan heads north, the students disembark multiple times
to capture the complexity of the environmental section. At first glance it seems low and flat, but upon closer
observation, the dynamic variation of the terrain is revealed. At stop two, nine changes occur in less than 200
yards between the bayou and Lake Boudreaux. It may not have the elevation of the Rocky Mountains, but it is as
craggy and variable.
Day 5 & 6 [Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium] 13 14
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
28
30. EE. Abandoned production warehouse in Terrebonne Bay
FF. Typical production platform in Terrebonne
GG. Typical natural gas production platform in Terrebonne Bay
29
31. Day 7 begins at Hercules Offshore where Instructor Shane Mendel provides the studio with the 101 on offshore
drilling. For more than two hours, the students listen in rapt attention to the complexity and simplicity of drilling
pipe into the sea floor. From gumbo to possum belly, hydrostatic pressure (HP) to formation fluid pressure (FFP),
true vertical depth (TVD) and measured depth (MD), the physical science of extraction is presented. The in-
class lesson ends with rigs larger than the Sears Tower being hauled out into the ocean and erected. Once again
AWE abounds. With those images testing one’s imagination, lunch is served on the rig and another saturated
tour commences. The sun is shining, the paint is vivid; one might argue it is warm. As the group heads to the
southernmost point of the tour, Grand Isle/Port Fourchon, Winter Storm Leon is fast approaching. The bridge to
the end of the world and potential entrapment is more monumental and awe inspiring then ever. Not to worry, the
ocean provides, and the group drenches themselves with its bounty.
Day 7 [Hercules Offshore] 15
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
30
32. HH. Bottom of Hercules rig showing opening to top deck
II. Different components of oil drilling around Hercules Offshore shipping yard
JJ. Connection of derrick with platform structure
31
33. Winter storm Leon fast approaches but if the studio can go boating in freezing temperatures than driving through
a Port should be no problem. The day commences early with a presentation by Chett Chiasson, Director of Port
Fourchon. A proud graduate of LSU (both undergrad and grad) he speaks articulately and passionately about
the symbiotic relationship the Port has between the community, industry, and mother nature. The students now
armed with knowledge fire questions at him right and left but he and his staff are poised with answers. By the end
of the discussion/debate, the studio is impressed with the Port’s efforts and somewhat depressed with the federal
government. Moira Crone’s The Not Yet seems more foretelling than ever. Following the lesson, the studio takes off
to the Galliano Airport to drive over the pipeline for 20% of the federal nation’s domestic and imported oil supply
and then on the Port. It is getting darker, colder, wetter, and the windows steam-up on the bus, but our Harbor
Patrol driver does not desist. The studio is not allowed to disembark and so with rapid fire, high technology they
attempt to capture what they see through the small operable air vents in the bus. The day ends early standing
on one of the Port’s project’s (a giant tube of sand forming a dune) staring out at the industry’s water world with
our tour guide, Davie Breaux. Then, back to the Isle before the bridges close at the end of the world and leave us
stranded on the boundary between land and sea. Two quotes for the day: “I think we have come to the land of
GIANTS!” and from Mr. Breaux, “We want to be Cajun, we want our seafood and to enjoy our estuaries.”
Day 8 [Port Fourchon Drive-By] 17
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
32
34. KK. Production rigs from the beach
LL. Companies operating between land and sea at Port Fourchon
MM. OSV with heliport at Port Fourchon
33
35. There is no departure from Grand Isle. The bridge between and the bridge off are ice bound. So work it is. Not a
bad time to sit and reflect on all that has been seen in the last 208 hours. Thank goodness everyone is stranded so
no tour is lost, just rescheduled. Tomorrow will be the quote of the day “Best Day Ever.”
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
Day 9 [Not Leaving The Not Yet] 17
34
36. NN. The pier at Grand Isle State Park
OO. Frozen floor joists in Grand Isle during ice storm
PP. Labyrinth constructed from bottles, decoys, buoys and other coastal objects
35
37. After a full day of confinement, the students are eager to explore a new venue. Off to the Port the studio descends
on C-PORT 1 where Chevron occupies three slips. After meeting with Mr. Taylor, he takes us out onto the Alyssa
Chouest, an OSV leased from Chouest. Once on board, the students roam about exploring the ROV unit, the
pilot house, and bright orange metal hull. High above the bayou, the students fill the captain’s area, admiring
the high tech digital screens and the sophistication it requires to man the vessel. From there the studio ventures
out into the large scale yard of the dry dock and then the construction site of C-PORT 3. The constructions are
massive, dwarfing all, and reminding those who studied in Rome of the power man possesses over space. The ships
are grand, the cranes gargantuan, the volume endless. As they roam about the sheet piles of C-PORT 3, crawling
on the piles, lying on the gravel, and balancing on the four inch tieback cables, the exposed framing of the new
slips presents a clear diagram of construction. At thirteen hundred hours, the group departs for Venice suitably
impressed by the efficiency of the C-PORT structure and possessive of a clearer understanding of the shorebase
operation.
Day 10 [Port Fourchon, C-PORT 1, and C-PORT 3] 16 17
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
36
38. QQ. Interior of C-PORT3 looking towards the water’s edge
RR. View of sister ship Kobe Chouest docked at C-PORT1
SS. Remote operated vehicle on the ship Alyssa Chouest
37
39. The last day has arrived. Even with time lost, the studio will reach the eastern border by day’s end. To complete
the excursion, the group departs early for their site, Venice, Louisiana. After passing through another Marine
Corps threshold, all arrive a bit early at the Chevron Shore Base. It is not hard to see the site is exposed to the
weather and the river. The Chevron team is ready and waiting for the group. Each expert on the operations of the
base presents in detail the daily activities and the dilemmas. By the time the tour of the facility is complete and all
have sat down to enjoy one last meal together, the students have a thorough knowledge foundation to begin the
project. From Venice, the most southeast point of the excursion, the caravan takes off for the state’s eastern border
and the last sampling of the coastal environment, the Rigolets. The group descends on Fort Pike, built in 1818 to
protect the eight mile strait, by 3:30 armed with cameras and sketchbooks. The western sunlight makes the fort
glow, the water glisten, and the burning marsh simmer in the distance. The students scramble about for one last
photo, one last sketch, one last moment in the not yet.
Day 11 [Chevron Project Site and Fort Pike] 18 19
Continued [FIELD EXCURSIONS]
38
40. TT. Image of Chevron Site
UU. Interior of Fort Pike with afternoon light coming through a wall opening
VV. View of Fort Pike looking Northeast
39
41. INTRODUCTION TO THE [EXQUISITE CORPSE]
Student Requirements
As stated, as you traverse your field you will be drawing and photographing your world. The world you will be
witnessing will be both wild and woolly (nature) and constructed and tempered (industry). You must use your
methods of media to capture the field so that it is always accessible, even when not physically present. You will use
this documentation to create 2@24”X 36” world image views of both the natural environment and the industrial
environment. These “world images” must be collaged and constructed from the data you collected along the
way to present your vision of the whole excursion. Each image created must present a NEW world tectonically
constructed from all that you have observed. They must be thoughtful, analytical, IMAGINATIVE, and
conscientiously constructed. They must be a composition of your reading of the SITE (made from many layers).
Site for this project is much greater than just the point the shoreBASE physically occupies. The shoreBASE is a
network point connecting, affecting, and occupying a global network. Your “world images” must try to parse the
site into its two major symbionts so that you can see them as their separate entities.
Secondly, you will participate in an “exquisite corpse” with classmates. You will exchange a percentage (less than
50% and to be confirmed with your instructor) of each image with a classmate. You will turn off layers in your
image and save a new file to hand over. Then armed with new files from your peers, you will “exquisite corpse,”
each file with the opposite symbiont: Nature + Industry, Industry + Nature. These new “SYMBIOTIC CORPSE”
images will be presented in 24”X 36” high quality prints.
The Exquisite Corpse (Rubin)
Among Surrealist techniques exploiting the mystique of accident was a kind of collective collage of words or
images called the cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse). Based on an old parlor game, it was played by several people,
each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal part of it, and pass it on to the
next player for his contribution.
40
42. The technique got its name from results obtained in initial playing, “Le cadavre / exquis / boira / le vin / nouveau” (The exquisite corpse will
drink the young wine). Other examples are: “The dormitory of friable little girls puts the odious box right” and “The Senegal oyster will eat the
tricolor bread.” These poetic fragments were felt to reveal what Nicolas Calas characterized as the “unconscious reality in the personality of the
group” resulting from a process of what Ernst called “mental contagion.”
At the same time, they represented the transposition of Lautréamont’s classic verbal collage to a collective level, in effect fulfilling his
injunction-- frequently cited in Surrealist texts--that “poetry must be made by all and not by one.” It was natural that such oracular truths
should be similarly sought through images, and the game was immediately adapted to drawing, producing a series of hybrids the first
reproductions of which are to be found in No. 9-10 of La Révolution surrealiste (October, 1927) without identification of their creators. The
game was adapted to the possibilities of drawing, and even collage, by assigning a section of a body to each player, though the Surrealist
principle of metaphoric displacement led to images that only vaguely resembled the human form.
41
WW. Exquisite Corpse by Andre Breton, Jacqueline Lamba and Yves Tanguy
XX. Exquisite Corpse by Andre Breton, Jacqueline Lamba and Yves Tanguy
YY. Factory Bernd and Hilla Becher Zeche Germania, Dortmund, D 1971
45. 44
Top Left Exquisite Corpse by Alyce Howe
Top Right Exquisite Corpse by Katie Pitre
Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Dean Kelly
Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Robert Ketner
46. 45
Top Left Exquisite corpse by Matthew Mckeever
Top Right Exquisite corpse by Brian Lucke
Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Ji Liu
Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Alex Klingsporn
47. 46
Top Left Exquisite corpse by Elliot Manuel
Top Right Exquisite corpse by Robert Ketner
Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Alex Klingsporn
Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Robert Ketner
48. 47
Top Left Exquisite corpse by Matthew McKeever
Top Right Exquisite corpse by Alyce Howe
Bottom Left Exquisite corpse by Brian Lucke
Bottom Right Exquisite corpse by Dean Kelly
49.
50. Industry + Humans + Coast = Symbiotic Environment
The Symbiotic Shorebase
environment [n] - the action of circumnavigating, encompassing, or surrounding something; the state of being encompassed or surrounded.
51. For those companies in the oil and gas industry, a shore base functions as the connection to land for the transfer
of people, goods, and supplies moving on and offshore. The current 40-acre site of the Chevron shore base in
Venice, Louisiana exists in a harsh and ever-changing environment. Besides the issues of flooding, hot and humid
temperatures, and hurricanes, the shore base faces the threat of Tiger Pass, the part of the Mississippi River which
large ships use to reach the shore base, filling with sediment due to the ever-changing course of the Mississippi
River and becoming unnavigable within 20 years.
Steel drill pipes, a major component in extracting oil offshore, may seem insignificant individually, but they have
established a sense of permanence in the oil and gas industry with their strength and their ability to be connected
to one another to form a continuous underwater chain. They are constantly being relocated and reused. By
constructing the shore base from a series of barges which can be added to and rearranged and eventually relocated
where needed by tugboat, the shore base will be able to achieve the same sense of permanence in the industry as
the steel drill pipe. Using recycled steel drill pipe to set up a grid system which varies amongst the structures helps
to define program, aids in the efficiency of the shore base, and creates a unique atmosphere for those navigating
the operations of the shore base. As the barges become an alternative ground upon which the shore base can
operate, the industrial landscape will operate independently of the natural land, allowing the site to return to its
natural state.
Amy Gemelli [Pipes and Parcels]
Right Primary perspective displaying
overall structure of Pipes and Parcels
in water
50
52. BARGE LEVEL PLAN Scale: 1/32”=1’-0” VIEW OF SHORE BASE FROM TIGER PASS
51
53. 30’ grid for living/office
barge as there is less weight
for the steel drill pipes to
support
A tighter grid of 10’ supports
large cranes above
30’ spacing to allow for large
commercial vehicles
15’ spacing along each side
of barge joints allows for
one-way passage in and out
20’ column grid for parking
garage and heliport
A
B
C
D
E
A
B
C
D
E
Parking/Heliport Barge
Storage Barge
Office/Living Barge
Slip Support Barge
Staging Barge
Barge Key
Left Assembled layout of overall barge components Right Programmatic layout of overall structure with circulation paths diagrammed into plan
HELICOPTER
HANGAR
OFFICE R.R.
HELICOPTER
TAXI AREA
HELICOPTER
TAXI AREA
STORAGE
STORAGE
POTABLE
WATER
POTABLE
WATER
STORAGE
STORAGE
BARITE
DRILLING
MUD
DRILLING
MUD
FUEL
NON-POTABLE
WATER
BARITE
DRILLING
MUD
DRILLING
MUD
FUEL
NON-POTABLE
WATER
HEAVY LIFT SLIPREGULAR SLIPREGULAR SLIP
LANDING
PAD 1
LANDING
PAD 2
LANDING
PAD 3
LANDING
PAD 4
LANDING
PAD 5
LANDING
PAD 6
LANDING
PAD 7
LANDING
PAD 8
CAR
LIFT
CAR
LIFT
CAR
LIFT
CAR
LIFT
HELIPORT
PARKING
BARGE LEVEL PLAN
Scale: 1/32”=1’-0”
FIFTH FLOOR PLAN
Scale: 1/32”=1’-0”
CAR
LIFT
CAR
LIFT
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
PEOPLE
HELICOPTERS
SHIPS
CARGO/GOODS
CARS
CIRCULATION KEY
CRANES
PARKING
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
STORAGE
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
STORAGE
RADIATION TESTING
GUARD
SHACK
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
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29
1
2
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
BUNKHOUSES
HELIPORT OPERATIONS
KITCHEN, DINING, & REC
STORAGE
CONTROL CENTER OPERATIONS
BUNKHOUSE SUPPORT
PROGRAM KEY
POTABLE WATER STORAGE
SHIP SUPPORT MATERIALS
52
54. SAFETY TRAINING ROOM
WAITING
ROOM
OFFICE
OFFICE
CONTROL AREASTORAGE
OFFICE POOL &
BREAK ROOM
JAN.
OFFICE OFFICE
OFFICE OFFICE OFFICE
JAN.
COMMUNICATIONS,
STORAGE, & FLEX
TRAINING/FLEX SPACE
FITNESS CENTER
LAUNDRY
ROOM REC HALL & DINING
REC
SPACE
OPEN
STORAGE
KITCHEN
DINING
RR
MEN R.R.
WOMEN
R.R.
R.R.
BUNKHOUSES
STORAGE
MEN R.R.
WOMEN
R.R.
BUNKHOUSES
JAN. R.R. R.R. JAN.
BUNKHOUSES
BUNKHOUSES
MEN R.R.
WOMEN
R.R.
JAN.R.R.
BUNKHOUSES
BUNKHOUSES
COARSE
GRAVEL
COARSE
GRAVEL
FINE
SAND
FINE
SAND
WATER WATER
SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0”
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
PEOPLE
HELICOPTERS
SHIPS
CARGO/GOODS
CARS
CIRCULATION KEY
CRANES
JAN.R.R.
BUNKHOUSES
HELIPORT OPERATIONS
KITCHEN, DINING, & REC
STORAGE
CONTROL CENTER OPERATIONS
BUNKHOUSE SUPPORT
PROGRAM KEY
POTABLE WATER STORAGE
SHIP SUPPORT MATERIALS
Left Detail program arrangements for bunkhouses on barge
53
57. Temporal Permanence is a shore base designed to accommodate the needs of offshore oil industries in the Gulf of
Mexico. The site is located in Venice, Louisiana, near the confluence of Tiger Pass and the Mississippi River.
The design of Temporal Permanence seeks to not only optimize efficiency of f shore base operations, but also
contribute to the revitalization of the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature. This cannot be achieved
through the use of passive strategies alone; instead, a more proactive approach is required.
By virtue of controlling of the Mississippi River, the shore base site exists in a constant state of flux. Recent studies
have revealed a concerning trend of sediment deposition in this stretch of the river. An increasing concentration
of sediment deposits has begun to shift further inland each year because of slower river flow rates and rising sea
levels. This has increased the amount of dredging required each year and could, in the near future, lead to a major
diversion of the Mississippi River. The shore base must be designed to accommodate to its unpredictable daily
conditions, as well as to its uncertain future.
The uncertainty of ground within the site is analogous to the paramount dilemma of the region. Instead of
expending efforts on attempting to restrain the current conditions, Temporal Permanence is designed to allow
the shore base to relocate to a variety of conditions: shallow draft pass, dredged river, along the coast, or offshore.
Such mobility is made possible by assembling the shore base in a “kit of pieces” manner, utilizing existing vessel/
oil rig mechanisms. The result is an amalgamation of components: Jack-Up Rig, Semi-Submersible Heavy
Lift Ship (SSHLV), Liquid Storage Barge, Platform Barge, and Overhead Crane. Synthesis of the shore base is
achieved with innovative techniques of combining/connecting the integral pieces in order to further enhance
the overall efficiency of operations. To allow the shore base to attain a mobile existence, the program must be
organized accordingly. Relocation of the base offshore will require a disassembly and re-assembly of the program
into two separate complexes: offshore base and land base.
Brian Lucke [Temporal Permanence]
Right Main perspective of Temporal
Permanence displaying mobile ship
slips and overall structural massing
56
59. Left Section through foundation level
of structure
Left Below
Below Final elevation of shorebase displaying ship slips and dwelling units relationships
SHORE DELIVERY STAGING/STORAGE BUNKHOUSE GATE (SLIP 1 BEYOND)
SHOREBASE CONVEYANCE
58
62. Left Right Transverse section of dwelling units and floor plate details Right Longitudinal section of dwelling units and movable windows to be used for shading
61
63. Left Night rendering of shorebase
displaying lights of dwelling units
Left Below Individual dwelling unit
with retractable window shades to aid
in human comfort levels
62
64. Left Right Aerial perspective with orthographic drawings overlaid to display movements of shorebase Right Interior perspective displaying worker quarters and shorebase structure
63
65. Victor Erwin [Shorebase 2050]
Right Main perspective with Shorebase
2050 overhangs for ships
In numerous proposals regarding the future of the Mississippi River it is forecasted that the cost to dredge the
southern-most portion of Mississippi River will grow to unreasonable levels, making it a more feasible choice to
create shorter routes to deep water at some point downstream of New Orleans and upstream of Venice.
Programmatically, the site has been divided into two transfer points; land to shallow water, and shallow water to
deep water. This would allow the Venice site to work in an un-dredged condition, as the vessels serviced are deep-
hulled and require a deep, navigable channel. As such, there are now two sites, a local site at Venice, and a remote
site, the Flotilla.
The needs of this site were made very clear: efficiency. The site in Venice, Louisiana is simply a transfer point,
moving cargo - people, materials, and supplies - from land to water. As to the efficiency of the site, the specific
needs are speed and the ability to work more hours without stopping for inclement weather.
The solution is minimal, light, and efficient. It speaks directly to the needs of the site and to the directive of the
project, creating a symbiotic relationship between the land, people, and the oil industry. A lightweight tensile
fabric canopy provides shelter from weather and shade from the hot summer sun. Floatable pod barges provide
all the necessary interior programs. They are stabilized with tripod feet that spread the loads on the soft surface
when landed; they float away when they need to be transferred or the site floods. The parking deck is constructed
of permeable grates. The water can come and go. The shorebase is a flotilla. It can be landed or mobile, whatever is
necessary.
64
67. Left Plans of living capsules in
Shorebase 2050
Left Below Transverse section of
capsules for human occupation
66
68. Right Sections and axonometrics of structural and spatial details Right Below Transverse section through ship slips with mooring wall and human quarters in background
67
70. Right Back side of ship slips with
mooring wall following the ship slips
69
71. Matthew McKeever [The Matter of the Gift]
The ground is built. In South Louisiana, tracts of earth are moved, positioned, and compacted into aberrant
configurations at vast scales outside of human range, which tests human comprehension. The ground is a
composite. This act is necessary to achieve adequate elevation higher than the rising waters during a storm surge.
It is an act of defiance. The site is unfavorable, so instead of embracing it, most fight it. Here arises the issue
of actually two sites within one, removing earth from one area to build a composite of another. One site loses
its place. Ground is stripped of its history; the work and time dedicated to build its infinitesimal elevation. The
other site is a product - a product of layering land to form a base. Do these sites share a relationship greater than
a simple transfusion? Does the sacrifice of one better the other? Does the built ground give back something in
exchange for what it has taken? In the wake of making, the infant ground faces the issues of gage, extraction, and
re-composition. The relationship between these two sites has two different scale implications: one in the now and
immediate site boundary and the other in the greater landscape over a greater amount of time.
Social anthropology has documented two types of exchange in human societies: commodity exchange and gift
exchange. Commodity exchange is very familiar to capitalist societies. One exchanges a type of socially acceptable
currency for a good or service. There is only a quantitative relationship between the exchangers, and the parties
involved remain independent after the exchange. In a gift exchange, the relationship between the exchangers
is qualitative, which makes them reciprocally dependent. One party is indebted to the other party after the
transaction is completed. In the case of the oil and gas industry, the ground that bases their operations is a gift. By
accepting the gift of ground, they are bound socially and morally to return that gift. Industry is indebted to nature.
The giving and accepting solidifies a reciprocal relationship between industry and nature.
Right Primary perspective of The
Matter of the Gift ship slip with
structural mats at ground level
70
72. 1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Expandability
Staging Area
Ship Slip
Marsh
Structural Mats
71
73. Left Section through typical storage tank
Section B - Modular Unit
Scale 1/4” = 1’-0”
World Image
Scale 3/32”=1’0”
Left Below Transverse section through ship slips with mats and part of river
72
74. Right Detail of crane structural elements and operations center program
73
77. Since the discovery of oil in Louisiana, the transfer has been one-sided. Oil companies have excavated natural
resources from the environment and transferred them into capital gain, leaving a thoughtless alteration to the
natural environment. The imbalance is due to the two entities, the industry and the environment, operating in
different ways lacking a common language. A metaphor a tool used in transferring an abstract idea between two
or more parties, who do not share a common understanding or language. Not until man, who is the common
denominator between industry and the environment comes to the understanding, becomes the metaphor that
links the two can a symbiotic environment exist. As in the story of the Lorax, man is simultaneously the Lorax and
the Once-ler. He must speak for the environment but needs industry to survive. In order to do this he must first
become the transfer the industry’s monetary intent into environmental awareness. This must translate into
a physical transfer that solidifies the symbiotic relationship between the once separated entities.
The intention of this project is to create an architecture which brings together the systemic parts of the industrial
to form their own operational landscape with minimal harm to the environment. This architectural landscape will
aid in more efficient shore base operations and will consider the future relocation of operations should the site in
Venice, Louisiana become affected by the changing landscape surrounding the Mississippi River. The design will
also strive to celebrate the beneficial confluences brought together by the oil and gas industry: technology and
industry, economic culture and industrial culture, and the built environment and the artificial natural condition.
This alternative landscape will strive to redirect the relationship between the industry and the land by creating a
positive confluence in which both the industry and the land benefit from the existence of the shore base.
Robert Ketner [Repairian The Coast]
Right Perspective displaying
shorebase structure of Repairian The
Coast fully expanded for operations
76
80. Above Plan of recreation hall and shorebase operations in main vessel with landscape in background
Left Bottom Sketch ideas of repairing the coast through silt collection
79
81. Left Catwalk above overall structure displaying ship slips Right Condition of marsh after
shorebase has used sediment to
rebuild subsiding land
Right Below Collage of landscape
of the future condition in Southern
Louisiana
80
83. Shore base is the switching point from land to water, a transition node of the non-stop flow of energy and mate-
rial exchange between the Mexico Gulf and the inland. Using Venice in Louisiana as a case study, this project
re-imagines the shore base as a lineal flow of material connecting the highway and the navigation route, leaving
an infrastructure footprint of healing rather than dividing, and defining a wetland restoration zone and offshore
operation zone.
The Gulf of Mexico supplies 18% of US oil production, and 24% of US natural gas production. The crude oil and
gas are transported inland along the pipelines and navigation lines. At the same time, the 24 hours non-stop flow
of offshore supplement, including fresh water, drilling fluid, fuel, cement, people, and information are transferred
from land to the Gulf. Shore base is where the highway network meets the navigation network. It gathers materials
from inland and distributes them to the OSV (Offshore Supply Vessel). The footprint of this non-stop flow is a net-
work of division cutting through the Louisiana coastal region. Numerous pipelines and canals are carved out and
bayous are dredged. These divisions fragment wetlands and become barriers of water and sediment exchange. The
width of the canal expands over time, and the divisions accelerate the erosion of the center part of wetland. Besides
this visible division, the coastal region is subdivided into countless leasing blocks. Conceptually the coast is viewed
as a subdivision grids rather than integrity. The existing method of shore base construction relies on the dredging
high ground. This rigid infrastructure footprint divides the wetland system, leading to a high cost of dredge and
suffering from floods and subsidence. This construction method is unsustainable facing the frequent flooding and a
subsidence rate of 6” per year at costal Louisiana.
This project redefines shore base as a lineal flow connecting the highway and the navigation route. Looking at
marine engineering precedents, the multi-mooring system is chosen as the supporting structure of the shore base.
This flexible foundation can adapt to dynamic water level while allowing water and sediment to pass through. A
floating silt curtain web is attached to the mooring lines to capture sediment when crossing eroded wetland, creat-
ing a deposition pattern similar to that of a wetland restoration terrace. Because of the flexibility of the placement
of mooring anchors, this mooring system can adapt to the terrain and wetland distribution site specifically.
A shore base site at Venice LA is used as a case study. Layers of sediments are left on the existing shore base after
frequent floods. First, the concrete part of the shore base surface will be scraped, allowing over flooding of the
existing site. Then the mooring anchors will be located in the existing ship slips and sediment capture web is at-
tached. The mooring infrastructure and the floods will remap the landscape overtime as sediments layers covering
the existing site. Wetland plants succession will start after the deposition reaches a certain height. As time goes by,
the upstream of navigation route will be filled with sediment. And the shore base will extend to where the navi-
gable deep water is, seamlessly connecting the navigation routes. While it extends further, this infrastructure leaves
footprints of wetland, a footprint of healing, rather than dividing. At a coastal scale, the shore base infrastructure
gathers and expedites the non-stop flow of freight, liquid, human and information, reducing the disturbance of
navigation and pipeline activities, and defining a coastal wetland restoration zone and an operation zone.
Ji Liu [Footprint FLOW] Right Primary perspective overlooking
Footprint Flow’s organic structures that
capture sediment
82
86. Marsh Spoil
200’Right of way
Berm Canal
Pipe Ditch
A Landscape of Division
mi GULF INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
Wetland Loss Pattern
1932
canal erosion
1983 2010
Mississippi River
bird foot delta
EDGE erosion
Year0 60ft
Year5 393ft
Year30 553ft
CENTER erosion
1,050
VISIBLE DIVISION
INVISIBLE DIVISION
mi OFFSHORE PIPELINE14,554
active OFFSHORE LEASING BLOCKS5,715
Right Map analyzing underground network of pipelines that define the sea floor of the Gulf of Mexico
85
87. Left Cable/Silt Curtain network for remapping the wetlands
Right Rendering of humans inhabiting structural members at water level
86
93. The site is a shore base, a nesting place, for Chevron’s deepwater operations. As an industry that relies heavily
on earth and sea, their home base must sit at the juncture between land and water, nature and oil. Rooted in
this condition, it is the responsibility of the site and its architecture to create a balance between industry and the
environment—it should become a machine for living.
Flux, being the natural order of the world, needs to allow for the betterment of mankind and the environment.
While the design of the site must improve the natural land, it also needs to harvest these same properties that
enhance the landscape and used them for the betterment of human endeavors. Though it would often be the will
of humanity to resist change and maintain the status quo, on this site it will be the goal to allow for the symbiotic
development of both human and natural landscapes.
While improving the natural environment through marsh restoration, the architecture of the base will also provide
for the needs of the Chevron shore community. Assisting in dredge operations and providing easier access via
water through the site, the systems will work together to guarantee an enriched quality of life for all.
The Ouroboros symbolizes self-reflexivity and cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-
creating itself, working symbiotically to create a flux that begins anew as soon as it ends. This project takes this to
a trichotomous approach with earth, sea, and air, creating a never-ending loop of movement and flow from one to
the next, all while helping to create new life in a previously faltering environment.
Tyler Brandis [Ouroboros]
Right Perspective of Ouroboros during
daytime with folded planes of concrete
acting as structural members
92
96. Right Above Longitudinal section displaying ship slip with retaining walls and shorebase tower
Right Below Transverse section displaying ship slip and opposite side of shorebase tower
95
97. Left Perspective during a rain storm
Left Below Night rending of shorebase in surrounding landscape
96
98. Right Perspective of shorebase during day time
Right Below T-Walls in foreground protecting shorebase structure
97
99. Alex Klingsporn [Sn@ke]
Humans have conformed to water’s presence in different conditions that depend on how water has been utilized
to complete certain objectives (i.e. shipping, shrimping, fishing). Man has altered the land and water condition
through the use of canals and channels to divert water and by dredging to create “usable water,” or to use dredged
material to build land where water once was. The constant manipulation of land has caused it to deteriorate,
and subsidence has occurred as a result and will continue to occur. Because of this subsidence, water is beginning
to dominate the landscape. If water is becoming the future of the landscape, then building into the water’s
permanence is essential. Allowing man to adapt and move with the landscape is crucial to the future of occupying
this environment. Since the landscape is changing rapidly, the idea that water and land are the same can be
assumed. Man and nature has changed land and water presence by moving the substances from place to place.
Rather than the negotiating between water and land, man will consider them as the same and build into them.
Venice, Louisiana is located at the tip of the Mississippi River in the Louisiana coastal delta region. The Oil and
Gas Industry is a major part of Louisiana’s history. Louisiana Delta is an ever changing environment. Human
influences on the delta region have caused drastic changes to the delta. The building of levees and human
occupation has overtime caused the killing of marsh, sediment deposition changes, and water level changes.
Dredging of soil is a major reoccurring issue that the inhabitants have to pursue to use the waterways of the delta.
This design focuses on the symbiotic relationship between the industry and the regions unique coastal
environment. Rather than designing a structure that will have to negotiate between one environmental issue or
another, the design of the shore base will allow for the land surrounding the structure to act naturally, and the
structure and its program will live within that.
Each section module will have its own structural system. It is important for the structure to span the full width of
each section because the structure is supporting heavy loads from end to end and as the pieces of the shore base
slide into each other, the structural systems will align and form a larger system. This is critical due to the longer
height and shorter width ratio. The roof surface collects rain water for potable use at the shore base. As the rain
drains down the curves of the roof, a gutter system collects the water and transports it towards the conditioned
modular sections. The water is filtered and collected in a large tank located below the heliport hanger then is
piped throughout the programmatic spaces. Brown water is also collected from the conditioned spaces and stored
in a tank located under the heliport hanger until ready to be unloaded. The shore base structure has a large roof
surface area. This surface area allows for a great opportunity to use photovoltaic panels to generate energy. The
panels will be spaced on each modular section roof and attached to the exterior steel sheathing. Each section
will have its own space for converting the electrical currents from DC to AC and supply its own occupancies
with electricity. The panels are strategically placed on the surface to give an aesthetic of a shimmering skin. This
aesthetic will elegantly contrast with the marine grade steel panels they are attached to. The panels will give the
structure a supernatural armor skin to its roof. Sun panels will reduce solar gain by reflection, but maximizing
solar production because of the large amount of exposed square footage.
Right Main perspective of Snake being
assembled in structural sections of the
Mississippi River
98
101. Above Part one of assembly shorebase structure
Top Longitudinal elevation of shorebase from water
Above Part two of assembly shorebase structure Above Part three of assembly shorebase structure
100
102. Above Part four of assembly shorebase structure Above Part five of assembly shorebase structure Above Part six of shorebase assembly and completion of one unit
Below Longitudinal elevation of shorebase structure from land
101
103. Left Section through main structural levels displaying scalar changes at each
floor level
102
104. Right Transverse section of ship slips displaying fuel storage and other
shorebase operational levels
Right Below Transverse section of structure displaying human scale operating
inside shorebase
103
105. Left Perspective of spatial relationships between dwelling units and shorebase structure
104
106. Right Perspective of heliport located at
top level of structure
Right Below Sectional perspective
displaying scale of vessel with ships
and semi-trucks throughout structure
105
107. 1. What is the effect of large-scale industrial production and its connected systems of operation to the notion of
cultural creation in a place?
2. What is the effect of living and making in a place where the physical notion of a place is eroded because of
human intervention?
3. How does architecture respond to the preceding two conditions by accepting a future in which the physical
place will no longer remain but attempt to create permanence for the future of a place, a people, and its
history?
The preceding questions are the foci of the project for a shore base in Venice, Louisiana. Each of these questions
describes in some form the unique relationship of how humans occupy the coastal condition of Southern
Louisiana. The residents of Venice occupy the visible realm of the Earth's surface, which places human occupation
in the coast at a unique level. Residents in Venice experience the realities of environmental degradation and the
effects of industrial production on the natural environment; however, oil operations in the Venice area are not
concerned with the epithelial layer of the environment but seek to maintain economic derivatives much deeper
in the strata. This condition of connection and disconnection between the strata's of the coastal condition is what
defines the unique environment of Louisiana. For Louisiana, the sediment of the Mississippi River negotiates the
entire operation of human life in this section of the state; insofar, that the architecture of a symbiotic shore base
will frame the horizontal understanding of the coast's infrastructure and place it into a vertical condition, thereby
increasing the efficiency of the shore base by industrial standards and intensifying natural processes that support
the dynamics of coastal Louisiana.
Elliot Manuel [LA Rising]
Right Primary perspective of LA Rising
tower located in the Mississippi River
106
109. Left Southeast elevation of tower displaying stair and highway superstructure Right Southwest elevation of tower displaying interlocking of oil and residential
layers
108
110. Left Northwest elevation displaying use of exterior pipes to connect lower oil
levels with upper residential quarters
Right Northeast elevation displaying second stair and front garden for residences
to utilize during extended stays
109
111. [Water Level]
Water of Mississippi River ranges
from a depth of 15’ to 50’ at site
[Diagram]
Shorebase Processing
[Circulation]
Vertical shafts bring goods down
to water and into upper floors of
the tower
[Circulation]
Ancillary support for vessels
occurs on outside edges of tower
to increase efficiency
Left Axonometric diagram displaying circulation and egress in tower structure Right Axonometric diagram displaying goods processing for the tower
110
112. [Mega Highway]
Highway connecting towers over
Louisiana landscape
[Diagram]
Structure and Sustainability
[Heliport]
Landing pads for helicopters
[Solar Panels]
Denoted area for solar panels to
generate power
[Heliport]
Landing pads for helicopters [Living]
Residential spaces for shorebase workers
[Circulation]
Exterior stairway for human
circulation
[Garden]
Roof-top garden for nutrition and
spatial qualities of shorebase workers
[Prevailing Winds]
Winds coming from the eastern
direction of the site
[Water Cisterns]
Cisterns located at top of tower to collect rain water
for residences
[Water Level]
Water of Mississippi River ranges
from a depth of 15’ to 50’ at site
[Mega Highway]
Highway connecting towers over
Louisiana landscape
[Heliport]
Helicopters land on top of tower
[Louvers]
Corrugated steel panels enclose
parking level and residential levels
[Louvers]
Vertical louvers to protect workers from
Southern solar radiation
[Louvers]
Horizontal louvers to protect works from
solar radiation
[Circulation]
Circulation tower to bring worker up
and down tower
[Circulation]
Circulation tower to bring workers up
and down tower
[Structure]
Structural attachment for residential
louvers
[Diagram]
Structural Attachments
[Water Level]
Water of Mississippi River ranges
from a depth of 15’ to 50’ at site
Left Axonometric diagram displaying structural systems and skins used in tower Right Axonometric diagram displaying sustainable systems in tower
111
115. Katie Pitre [Littoral Layers]
Louisiana and the oil field have had a parasitic, interwoven relationship beginning in the early days of exploration.
With the expansion of the offshore oil industry and the continued drilling efforts in its littoral lands, Louisiana
cannot anymore be the weaker symbiont with these industry giants. In order to tectonically and respectfully
occupy this place, one must consider at once the simultaneous physical and temporal scales that define the
environment, the history of the oil field, the stories of the peoples living there, and the layered and complex
relationship between them. Only when these factors have been exposed and the connections between them
understood can architecture fully participate in the continual (re)generation of the meaning of the littoral lands.
Without the ability to embed itself in the cycles that already constitute the littoral, architecture leaves itself in the
vulnerable position of becoming superfluous and evanescent: consumed by the “giant.”
Neither the history of the oil field nor the history of Louisiana cannot be understood singularly, without reference
to the other. Neither of these entities can divorce itself from the natural world. John Donne’s “no man is an
[island]” can serve as a literary example that can be applied to experiencing the connectedness of the world.
Every entity is connected to the environment and to the others inhabiting that same surround. The impact of
every decision must be considered across temporal and spatial scales. Continued ignorance will seal Louisiana’s
fate. The architectural conceptualization of the embedded temporal layers can generate volumetric space that
simultaneously interprets the existing layers that constitute ground and adds to them. Architecture can unify
man and nature; it provides a missing link that allows for architecture that participates in the generation of the
connections which bind us to the earth but which have consequently been silenced.
Right Primary perspective of
remaining housing after Littoral Layers
has departed from shorebase site
114
123. Alyce Howe [Out of Land, Out to Sea]
Right Out of Land, Out to Sea
departing from previous location to
new location
The final design of Chevron’s shorebase attempts to address the mitigation between environment, industry, and
humans and create a solution that integrates the three efficiently, sustainability, and responsibly. Functioning as
a shorebase and a vessel, the compression of Chevron’s original programmatic elements into one succinct unit
addresses this mitigation by allowing all three to operate individually, yet integrally, within the specific context of
Venice, Louisiana. Capable of accommodating offshore supply vessels, a variety of sites, Chevron’s needs, and
the environment’s needs, the Chevron shorebase is a model of flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability. Between its
ability to compress shut for transport to another site, and expand open to mitigate a variety of waterways, operate
with speed and efficiency, service various vessels, and house its employees, its flexibility encompasses means of
physical, operational, and programmatic compression.
Its removal from the current Chevron site introduces a level of sustainability foreign to shorebases as a land
operation that mitigates between the offshore world and the shore. This mitigation allows the base to double as an
operational node while simultaneously detaching itself from permanent land use. Its programmatic compression
from land to Tiger Pass allows the original site to function and respond to natural cycles by donating it back to
the environment. Because efficiency is a primary priority to Chevron, this level of sustainability coupled with the
base’s compressability optimizes efficiency by permitting the base to function independently of the grid and service
ships quickly and efficiently..
It is through these design tactics that the design of the base begins to responsibly mitigate the relationship between
industry, humans, and environment by evaluating and addressing the needs of each. This evaluation must include
the maintenance of the landscape or the Louisiana coast, and ultimately the oil industry, could be lost forever.
122
127. Left Elevation of main vessel with ship docking at base
Left Below Aerial view of Shorebase fully deployed
126
128. Right Elevation of main vessel with ship docking at base
Right Below View underneath Shorebase at loading docks
127
129. Left Perspective of structure expanding to accept ships for cargo exchange
128
130. Right Interior perspective where core programmatic elements are located to oversee shorebase operations
129
131. AqueDOCK re-imagines the operation and function of a coastal energy shorebase, establishing a new typology
that is informed by the flexibility of the landscape. The project site, Venice, Louisiana, is the last town accessible
by road as the Mississippi approaches the Gulf of Mexico, the last connection to land before the landscape gives
way to water. Here Venice occupies a tenuous position subject to flooding, erosion, land subsidence, and violent
hurricanes. AqueDOCK replaces the existing, static, Chevron shorebase with a system that adapts to unstable
conditions and embraces the flux inherent to the landscape.
The shorebase is the programmatic manifestation of the transition from land to sea; the transfer point between
land based goods and the ships and helicopters that support offshore oil operations. Employing a system of [
connect // span // supply ], aqueDOCK embodies this transfer in its form and operation. A connection point
intakes land based goods, the span structure conveys them across the river, and the floating slip structures act
as supply hubs that feed the ships and helicopters. As a floating structure, aqueDOCK responds and adjusts to
the fluctuations of the Mississippi, maintaining a clear and controlled operational datum. Where the existing
shorebase is tethered to, and dependent on land, aqueDOCK requires land solely as a connection point.
In a landscape where land is defined by uncertainty and change the aqueDOCK will remain viable by minimizing
the importance of land and occupying the water. The connection point links the aqueDOCK to the highway and
the trucks which supply the goods, equipment, and fuel the shorebase requires. The connection to land also serves
as the transfer point for personnel. On-site parking in the form of temporary, modular, steel decks service the
aqueDOCK’s employees while they are stationed on the shorebase. These connections are critical to the supply
and operation of the aqueDOCK, but all other program is located at the centralized floating hub of the ship slips.
The spanning structure, a telescoping arm that conveys goods, fuel, mud, water, and people across the Mississippi
is comprised of two systems: the connection tube and superstructure supports. The connection tube, the artery
through which all transit occurs, consists of suspension cables, tracks, and fuel hoses supported by intermediate
steel collar braces. Through a combination of tube steel and suspension cables, the superstructure supports the
load of the connection tube in a sculptural expression of the forces acting upon it. Suspension cables run through
and off of the superstructure’s tube steel column cage, connecting to the collar braces of the connection tube. The
cables act as pulleys, allowing the system to adjust itself against the undulations of the Mississippi and maintain
a level connection. The tensile strength of the steel suspension cables allows the system to span long distances
without supports.
Resembling an inverted dry dock, the form of the ship slip creates the clear span required for massive offshore
supply vessels to pull under the structure. From here goods are unloaded and received from an opening in the
staging floor above while liquids and fuels are supplied from storage silos contained in the slip walls. Within the
structure, a clear axis of operation is established with staging at one end of the slip, storage at the other, and the
opening to the slips below in between. As industrial operations occupy the vast open space of the staging floor,
the space between the double truss superstructure is reserved for human occupation. Floor plates with integral
attachment slots are hung between the superstructure, allowing program to be inserted as needed. Each slip
structure can exist as a stand-alone entity or be linked together as a series of structures. As configuration, staff
demand, and scope of work vary, this framework provides the opportunity to expand, reconfigure, and reorient the
programmatic layout of the aqueDOCK. Humans occupy the edge of the structure, which provides dramatic views
of the river and formal separation from the structure’s industrial zones.
Dean Kelly [Aqua Dock] Right Primary perspective of three
main vessels of Aqua Dock that define
ship bays and other ancillary functions
130
133. Left Regional site plan illustrating platform access from shorebase
Right Aerial perspective of ship slips docked in Mississippi River
132
ANCHORAGE AREA PARKING
EXISTING SITE
REVETMENT ZONE
REVETMENT ZONE
SITE PERSPECTIVE N
VENICE
C O N T I N E N T A L S H E L F
1000’
1500’
5000’
7500’
OIL PLATFORMS
LS
ULF
GULF
RAPHY LINES
GULF
PORT FOURCHON
134. Left Structural Detail of land to water product supply tube
Right Perspective inside employee transport in supply tube
133
136. 123467 5910 8111213141516171819
5A // TS
1 //TS
4//LS14//LS
A.1
A.2
A.3
B.1
B.2
D.1
D.2
C.1
C.2
C.3
HUMANINDUSTRIALHUMAN
EMPTYLOADED
5B // TS 5C // TS 5D // TS
4//LS14//LS
5A // TS 5B // TS 5C // TS 5D // TS
STAGING FLOOR
SINGLE
UNLOADINGDEAD STORAGE STAGING QUE OUTGOING STORAGE
DECK
CONTROL CENTER
BREAKSTOR.SHIP CONTROL
ENTRY
LANDING
160’
190’ 190’
210’
UP
UPDNDNDN
DN DN
OPEN FLOOR 210’
OPERABLE DOORS
OPEN TO SHIPS BELOW
DECK
FLEXTRAININGHELI CONTROL
HELICOPTER HANGER
HELIPADS
OFFICE POOL
UP
UP
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE
OFFICE
HELICOPTER HANGER
BELOW
DN
DN
PUBLIC DECK
DOUBLE DOUBLEDOUBLE
UP
UP
E
K
L
M
N
O
D
G
A
H
I
J
F
B
C
D
E
A
P
Q
ELEVENTH FLOOR: SHIP CONTROL
1” = 20’ - 0”
3 N
TWELFTH FLOOR: HELI CONTROL
1” = 20’ - 0”
3B N
THIRTEENTH FLOOR: ADMIN
1” = 20’ - 0”
3C N
SIXTH FLOOR: BUNKHOUSES
1” = 20’ - 0”
3A N
Right Plan drawing of Aqua Dock’s programmatic arrangement
Right Below Longitudinal sectional displaying passive solar system design
within one of the vessels.
DINING // REC
HELIPORT
STAGING FLOOR
CONTROL OFFICES
BUNKHOUSES
OUTGOING STORAGE
PASSIVE + ACTIVE
1/32” = 1’ - 0”
DINING // REC
HUMANINDUSTRIAL
LIVINGSHIPHELICOPTERMARINA
230’
285’
55’
150’
0’
135
137. Left Permeable wall envelope
displaying structural scale of vessels
and human scale that exists within
structurePERMEABLE WALL ENVELOPE11
136
138. GALVALUME SIP
WALL PANEL
6”
EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE SIP CORE
CORRUGATED METAL DECK
ALUMINUM FLOOR DECKING
PREFABRICATED WALL SLEEVE
WALL SLEEVE INSERT
GALVALUME SIP PANEL CAP
GALVALUME SIP PANEL CLADDING
W18 x 76 STEEL BEAM AT 10' O.C.
8" C CHANNEL LIGHT GAUGE JOIST AT 16" O.C.
JOIST HANGER
PREFABRICATED WALL SLEEVE
GALVALUME SIP PANEL CAP
3 1/2" Z CLIP AT 16" O.C.
ALUM CEILING PANEL
GALVALUME SIP PANEL CLADDING
EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE SIP CORE
GALVALUME SIP
FLOOR PANEL
6”
GALVALUME SIP
CEILING PANEL
6”
INTERIOR FLOOR TO WALL BOLTS
FLOOR ATTACHMENT ANGLE
TEXTURED GALVALUME FLOOR CLADDING
EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE SIP CORE
1/4” ATTACHMENT BOLT
2” X 4” STL ANGLE
10 GUAGE STL ANCHOR PLATE FOR
HURRICANE RATED ASSEMBLY
1/4” ATTACHMENT BOLT
2” X 4” STL ANGLE
10 GUAGE STL ANCHOR PLATE FOR
HURRICANE RATED ASSEMBLY
SLIP STRUCTURE7
25’ 50’ 100’
SUPERSTRUCTURE PLAN9
1/4” = 1’ - 0”
UNIT ASSEMBLY SEQUENCE10
NTS
SIP PANEL CONNECTIONS10
1 1/2” = 1’ - 0”
E
F
G
B
C
D
H
A
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
10
10
10
10
10
10
1111
11
10
B
C
D
A
B
C
D
A
E
F
10’
TYP.
FRAMEWORK FLOOR GRID
INT. PARTITIONS +
CEILING INSTALLED
SIP WALL PANELS INSTALLED
EXTERIOR PANELS ATTACHED
FLOOR PANEL INSTALLED
REPEAT AS NEEDED
BUNKHOUSES
DINING // REC
CONTROL
CENTER
HELICOPTER
HANGER
STAGING
FLOOR
Right Exploded axonometric of boat slip structure with dwelling units and hangar in foreground
137
143. Professor’s [CLOSING LETTER]
The challenges of the LSU//Chevron Symbiotic Shorebase demanded the participants to utilize all of their skills
and to find new ones. To create a symbiotic system between three parties that possess often violently disparate
characteristics requires imagination, futurism, optimism, and open-mindedness. The Chevron Shorebase in
Venice, Louisiana has many challenges. It suffers from extreme weather events that bring flooding waters and
destructive winds. It sits on unstable ground that constantly requires maintenance and stability. It is exposed to
extreme elements including brutal sun exposure. The shorebase slips must be dredged as theiy consistently fill with
the silt riches of the Mississippi River which indicates only a bigger issue: The Mouth of the Mississippi River is
leveling. These challenges are augmented by Chevron’s mission to work safely or not at all; with the environment
and with their employees.
To tackle all these challenges and the lack of predictability in a dynamic environment, the students developed
flexible and adaptable systems for the occupation, production, and protection along the Louisiana Coastal Edge.
Embracing the inventiveness of science fiction, the proposals for a Symbiotic Shorebase propose a myriad of
design actions that can participate and thrive in healthy but volatile environments. To summarize, the major design
resolutions that surfaced are as follows:
• It is more sustainable for the industry, the environment, and the population to be mobile. Mobility protects.
• Demountable and reusable building components provide flexibility and lessen catastrophic loss.
• Silt is a given. Ship slips can be redesigned to handle the required dredging instead of hiring outside contractors.
• The maintenance of the slips can contribute to the maintenance of the environment.
• The scale, production, and ingenuity of extracting natural resources provides materials that can be utilized for
much more than just mineral gain.
142
144. • Industry possesses the ability to simultaneously serve their corporation, their employees, and their economic
resource; the natural environment.
• The private shorebase has the potential to join with public infrastructure and in doing so, create a more stable
occupation for all parties involved.
In closing, the integrated aspirations of the studio came to fruition because of the integrated team of clients, consultants, researchers, and the
imagineers (the studio.) The resolutions produced push all to think to the future yet simultaneously are based in the present. As the studio was
constantly reminded and challenged, “if you can think of it, then it can be done. It may take time but once the idea is made, it exists.”
Ursula Emery McClure
143
145. Chevron_Jose Abadin, Turner Burghart, Sandi Fury, Sarah Hughes, Gregg Jones, Gary Northington, Jason Reppel, Keith
Smith, Nathan Taylor//Port Fourchon_Davey Breaux, Chett Chiasson, Leigh Guidry//Chouest_Blake Guidry, James
Guidry//LEEVAC_Darren Guillory, Cory Barkman, “Big Mike” Jannise//Lake Charles Seaport Authority_Daniel
Loughney, Derek Shierloh//Gulf Land Structures_Corey Guidry, Mark Landry//International Petroleum Mu-
seum//LUMCON_Nicole Cotton//Hercules Offshore_Shane Mendel//Studio 7006_Tyler Brandis, Victor Erwin,
Amy Gemelli, Alyce Howe, Dean Kelly, Robert Ketner, Alex Klingsporn, Ju Liu, Brian Lucke, Elliot Manuel, Matthew McK-
eever, Katie Pitre//Special Thanks_This studio was sponsored and supported by the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio via
a Small Projects Grant funded by Chevron. Science fiction author Moira Crone, LEEVAC engineer, Mike Jannise, Chevron
engineer Jose Abadin, CSS Director Jeff Carney, and CSS Board members Jori Erdman and Clint Willson provided invaluable
advice and encouragement to the project.
Participants’ [ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]
144
146. 145
Left Below Abandoned home near Grand Isle, Louisiana
Right Below LSU Architecture students after field trip in Terrebonne Bay
147. Documentation [BIBLIOGRAPHY]
Notes [Text]
pg. 6
Roberts, H. R., R. Sassen, and R. Carney.“Geological and geochemical process structuring of hydrocarbon seep
community environments.” Oceans proceedings. Marine Technology Society, Washington, D.C., and New York,
(1989), 63-66. print.
pg. 8
Louisiana Department of Administration Website. Education, Just for Students-Industry Facts. Louisiana
Government. Web. Jan 2014.
pg. 9
Joan Ockman, “One for the Sandpile.” Journal of Architectural Education 62, n.3 (2009), 26-27. print.
pg. 38-39
Rubin, William S. “Dada & Surrealist Art.” Chief Curator of the Painting and Sculpture Collection, The
Museum of Modern Art, New York. Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York 1968.
146
148. All images unless otherwise noted, are products of the studio. The photographs were taken by the students, the
professor, or Chevron. The projects are the sole products of the authors.
Graphic Design and book development authored by Elliot Manuel, LSU BArch 2014 Honors College Graduate
and enthusiastic participant of the LSU//Chevron Studio 2014.
Notes [Images]
147
![The Reimagined Shorebase
LSU School of Architecture // Chevron
[Spring 2014] Venice, LA](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)