the barrel | rockaway beach

can infrastructure be architecture? can it be beautiful? even be inhabited?
inspired by the current conditions of rockaway beach, and how it was restored after hurricane sandy, the barrel merges landscape, infrastructure, city planning and architecture, in a project that explores a 3d printed inhabitable structure allowing the city and the beach to grow together.

the barrel simultaneously acts as a coastal resiliency barrier as well as an interface that immediately connects the city and the beach, while hosting vital amenities. Surf shops, board storage, change rooms, showers and bathrooms.

At the same time, the barrel tries to address how adjacent parts of the city can be built out to further support and integrate with the beach. especially housing, crucial retail and amenities serving the local communities should be the focus of such an upgrade.

the intention is to create a traffic reduced, pedestrian and cyclist centered green strip replacing the large roads between the beach and the city, introducing a buffer zone of abundant greenery, small, locally operated retail and shaded areas for recreation. slow moving self-driving electrical vehicular shuttles and passenger drones will provide access for the elderly and disabled.