Oscar Reyes

Return to Nature

Return to Nature : Petty’s Island

Petty’s Island sits in the delaware river between the states of pennsylvania and new jersey. In recent times it was the site of a petrolium storage facility for citgo as well as a storage faciltiy for the crowley maritime company. That was until bald eagles were spotted nesting on the island and the death of one of their chicks set in motion a campaign to cease operations on the island and raise awareness and provide protection for endangered wildlife.

location

Google Maps

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law are

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12/7/2019

fairmount

Petty’s Island URBN cobbs creek

center city pennsauken township city of camden

Petty’s Island will become a natural oasis within the urban landscape Imagery ©2019 Google, Imagery ©2019 Landsat / Copernicus, Maxar Technologies, U.S. Geological Survey, USDA Farm Service Agency, Map data ©2019

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9701218,-75.1426534,10251m/data=!3m1!1e3

2000 ft

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separation from the urban fabric the petty’s island preserve provides a rare environment in an urban setting. it is a place where one can get away from the noise and distractions of urban living and experience nature undisturbed.

500 acres of natural land

provides habitats for over 100 species of birds, rare plant-life, and other wildlife

arrival

upon crossing the bridge you are greeted by vast fields and the forest beyond. this is where the new story of petty’s island begins. the story of an island that was built up throughout the ages, and will now return to a natural state.

acknowledging the past

the remnants of the island’s industrial past have left their mark on the island. over time, the barren fields will bloom with greenery and the manmade containment dikes will be reclaimed by nature. the island becomes a showcase of the resilience of nature and a place to explore and study the natural environment at different stages during its return to nature.

thesis Petty’s island will beoome the site of an environmental & cultural education center built upon a former industrial site. the goal is to interpret the island’s cultural and industrial history to create an architectural experience that will guide visitors on a journey of education and exploration through the natural and cultural resources of petty’s island. the architecture will act as the transitonal link between the island’s current post-industrial state and the progressive natural growth of petty’s island into a natural preserve.

a brief history of petty’s island

recreation & leisure meadows & livestock

oil & industry ship building

indigenous peoples

the fight for preservation pre-history

1600s

1700s european colonization

1800s petty’s island becomes part of NJ -1783

boundary disputes lotteries

1900s rivers & cramp shipyard dredging returns

2000s

present

In the beginning... petty’s island belonged to the native americans. they made contact with european settlers in the 1600s and made an agreement to share their lands in exchange for goods and hunting rights. in time, they were pushed west by the europeans and as industry began to take over the region; petty’s island provided an opportunity for those that would take it. throughout its history, petty’s island was used for various purposes; from agricultural to ship building yards, coal yards and gambling. petty’s island has seen a bit of everything.

petty’s island : 2017

industrial sites to be removed

Just a few years ago, the island was still set up for operations. plans were made to clean up the island for it to be handed over to the new jersey natural lands trust by 2021

petty’s island : today

now in 2020, most of the infrastructure has been removed, save for a couple of buildings on the site. one of which is planned to be reused for a visitor’s center by the NJNLT

site considerations industrial site interpretation

expansion of trail network

the extensive paving on site is planned to be removed while the oil tank fields have already become inland ponds in absence of the tanks

ferry?

removal of existing paving and roads allows for a reinterpretation of the circulation of the site

safe zone

wildlife density & habitat flood map

currently wildlife habitat is mostly confined to the forested area, moving forward consideration will be taken into shaping future habitats

safe zone

most of the site is below the 100 yr flood plane, the black dots represent potential building sites of which only one falls in the safe zone.

program concepts

petty’s island program indoor outdoor education exploration indigenous

hiking

agrarian

running

shipmaking

reflection

industrial

wildlife

preservation

nature

research

water

rest

animal classrooms care

program types research 625 sf

exhibits

mech lookouts

interior spaces classrooms research space animal care exhibit lookouts rest area admin/office mech storage/service total

square footage 2500 2500 2500 7500 5000 2500 1000 1000 625 25,125

storage

parking/ service

exhibits/gardens

exterior spaces outdoor exhibits parking/service nature trails total

square footage 5000 3,000 variable 18,000

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (denmark) circulation spine connects program elements and navigates the site

Early in the design process, I was drawn towards precedents which had an expansive site considering that my project is supposed to encompass the whole island and become a connector betweeen the different elements on the island. through studying other designs that traversed the site and made use of different aspects I was guided towards a concept which would guide users through the site using elongated building forms to traverse the island and allow for views out while remaining grounded to the site, similar to the precedents shown here.

the works of Glenn Murcutt

walsh house

marie short/ glenn murcutt house

industrial heritage objects

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge @ Tinicum

500’

early design concepts

of the sites studied, I picked a site with a central location within the heart of the site. this allows the design to become the bridge between the different environments present on the site. it connects the two former industrial sites, while at the same time minimizing disturbance of the natural area and providing immediate access to it

oil storage field process sketches of different concepts shipping yard site

a winding path connects a series of buildings

gateway to nature

building becomes part of the path

no cars past this point. reclaimed tank field acts as a threshold between environments. inspired by wasit nature reserve

single building with a main circulation spine. program branches out organically off of the path

early massing studies

throughout the design process I struggled to reconcile the design concepts with the building form and went through a few different designs in the process.

For the building form: the concept was to have a simple thin design that would traverse the site and thereby bridging the gap between the natural elements and the manmade parts of the site. the idea was that a thinner profile would be more flexible and have a lighter impact on the site early attempts were less successful, but I believe the final design I arrived at started heading in the right direction.

site plan

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

floor plan

the final design for the building took the shape of a long circulation spine punctuated by the different program elements. the design developed a subtle curve which creates interesting connections between the spaces as opposed to having a long straight corridor. the breaks between the program provide views outwards towards nature as you make your way across the site. on arrival to the site, the building is intended to exist in parallel with the existing nature trail while perpendicular to the existing structure on the site which will serve as a research and educational facility for the preserve.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

aerial view from northeast

aerial view from southeast

section

entry

gathering

exploration

education

reflection

looking back

view from the west