Peak water studio 4: Birds in hand and birds in bushes

The Peak Water studio has completed the site selection and concept phase of their work.

As a group, the students agreed on a few criteria for site selection:

1/ All sites will be on the Large Owner Axis of islands, stretching from Staten Island south to Victoria Island.

This site strategy reinforces the vision of a highly connected in-Delta tourist space overlayed on current land uses.

2/ All sites will be peninsular - that is, the group has chosen peninsula-like sites within the islands, but which were likely considered for being cut off during reclamation. If they had been cut off, they would today be among the Delta?s channel islands.

This site strategy produces relatively intimate space, at least by the standards of the horizontally extensive Delta landscape, and does so for the least amount of infrastructure investment.

3/ The peninsular sites will now be cut off with demonstration project setback levees.

This site strategy has the following benefits:

a/ increased flood plain and flood protection;
b/ increased tidal estuary and other types of habitat;
c/ new economic development sites for landowners to recoup some of the expense of the setback levee infrastructure.

The map below locates each of the twelve sites, the name of the student working on it and the title of their investigation.

The projects will all be designed to function locally, meaning that each will need to provide for its own energy (solar, wind, biofuel, etc.) sources and wastewater treatment on site.

Projects span a wide range of functional and topical agendas. From north to south, they are:

Carey: A three-dimensional habitat zonation bird blind lodge.

Kelly: A refrigerated salmon hatchery.

Matt: An organic farm run that is also a women’s shelter.

Angela: A palliative space.

Chad: A juvenile conservation camp and rice farm.

Annie: An observatory of the aftermath of historic flood events.

Dylan: A habitat architecture that synthesizes human and animal requirements.

Ariel: A fishing park for land-side fishing culture.

Scotty: A ferry terminal and ferry that harvests invasive water hyacinth and produces biofuel.

Ashley: An event space at an in-Delta stop of the Amtrak Antioch-Stockton line.

Kali: An inverted scape boutique hotel.

Sara: An oxygenation park and research station.

The Peak Water studio welcomes all thoughts about the premises and proposals described here.