Project Statement
Jefferson Island has a deep history of industrial salt mining practices. The salt mines were the core of the economy for the region, and a major contributing factor of the collapse of the lake, leading to the catastrophic sink hole in 1980. The salt mines utilize a room and pillar method, creating a grid of pillars with cross-cutting corridors for salt extraction. The geological structure of a salt dome and the mines below the surface are unfathomably large by description, so the driving concept of this project is to bring a monolithic mine pillar above the ground, so that it can be experienced by visitors. The proposed building sits on the exact footprint of a key subterranean mine pillar, the pillar that supports the mineshaft at the 800 foot. The building gets its form and figure from the exact proportions of this mine pillar, creating a 90 foot tower, emerging from a moat. The massive nature of this tower is daunting, and its singularity is unmatched, but the pattern of the mine grid is continued through a site condition of densely vegetated squares throughout the site, experienced upon approach. The circulation of the building manifests as a descent into the ground, representing a deep descent into the mines, and the excavation that once took place. The monolithic tower contains a central puncture creating an atrium to allow light, and display a large model of the salt dome below. Visitors at the building are suspended on catwalks throughout their experience, with constant reminders of their elevation within the building, and the mines deep below their feet. Each floor has its own exhibits, with all floors sharing a 90 foot salt wall with punctures and balconies for intimate exhibition space. The deepest level allows for exploration of the salt dome model, the actu-al mineshaft, and circulation around the moat cut in the ground.
Jefferson Island Salt Mine
