Project Pdf - Environmental Health Clinic

WHO
WHAT
Commissioned for the Architectural League of
New York’s exhibition Toward the Sentient
City, Amphibious Architecture is a project
developed by the Environmental Health Clinic
(xClinic) at New York University and the Living
Architecture Lab at Columbia’s Graduate School
of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
“One of the primary goals is to change the
view of this quite beautiful view into
an understanding that this is not just a
pretty reflective surface, but a habitat...
A teeming body that’s alive with organisms
whose health affects our health and our
activities affect their health.”
Submerged ubiquitous computing provides
communicative access to the one element that
remains under-explored and under-engaged: did
you know there are fish are in the water What
about a beaver Or blue crab
September 17 - November 7, 2009
WHEN
WHERE
WHY
Public Lecture: October 16 @ 6pm
(the urban center, 475 Madison Ave)
Fish on Bikes Tour: October 17 @ 2pm
(see the website for more information)
Two sites:
- Rugters Slip on the East River
- East Tremont Avenue on the Bronx River
Each array of interactive buoys house a range
of sensors below water and an series of light
emitting diodes (LEDs) above water. The sensors
monitor water quality, the fish presence, and
human interest in the river’s ecosystem, while
the lights respond to the sensors, creating
feedback loops between humans, fish in their
shared environment.
An SMS interface allows homo-citizens to
text-message the fish and receive real-time
information about the river. The aim of
which is to simultaneously spark a larger
public interest and dialogue about our local
waterways.
Distinctly moving away from the pervasive
‘do-not-disturb’ approach to urban
environmentalism, the project encourages
curiosity and engagement.