ANDRÉS ORJUELA

We are all familiar with places that have been degraded; sites polluted; systems damaged. Some caused maliciously, others accidentally, but many have been an overlooked byproduct of ‘noble’ pursuits. These places of degradation are ripe with potential, all kinds and all scales of potential. These places are full of stories. This work investigates the role of the landscape architect (aka designer) within this collection of stories. This design observes industrial processes and attempts to understand, spatialize, and diagram these flows. The project involves toxic releases, contaminants and waste that emerge from the steel industry in Alabama (Walter Coke Inc Plant located in Birmingham, AL). The outcome is a ‘treatment train’ to unpack the spatial, temporal, and cultural implications emerging from the act of regeneration.