Fresh Kills Landfill

It seems that nowadays “sustainability” is used in reference to new projects, making them as efficient and technologically advanced as possible. But I think we also need to consider the term “sustainability” in terms of urban recycling and adaptive reuse. Sustainability is also repurposing spaces. With limited existing space already present in our urban centers, creating new buildings isn’t always the best course of action. For example, one of my recent interviewers discussed how they turned the shell of a Lowe’s store into a school in a low-income area, keeping the structural grid but adding in new levels to satisfy program requirements. I found that to be such a cool project while also truly being sustainable design. But also something from the readings this week had me thinking about landfills (not entirely sure why) and the amount of trash accumulated on these sites and what these sites become after they are filled. I actually did a tour of a landfill in an undergrad architecture course and it’s really interesting to see how the excavation/stacking process is very similar to construction, where stability is a necessity and runoff is a major concern. Also, a lot of today’s landfills have a repurposing plan already in effect for after the landfill is full and out of use. For example, the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, is not only currently being converted into a recreational park and natural wildlife habitat by James Corner’s firm, but is using the natural gas form the decomposing waste to heat homes, and also serving as a buffer zone for severe weather (put into effect after Hurricane Sandy). Projects such as these make us actually face the extents of environmental devastation and how we must solve these problems, repurposing the resources that our cities have to offer.

Fresh Kills Landfill, Staten Island, NY

 Proposed Plan, James Corner Field Operations

Fresh Kills Park-current condition