Chapter 7: Program
Like the ruins of ancient civilizations, the ruins of industrialization should be embraced as unintentional monuments, as anonymous sculptures, as keepers of both memory and identity within the complex landscape. The program of the site should reflect the region’s former and present identities, emphasizing the elements that make it unique, and taking a new approach “where the design process is more concerned with finding than with inventing” (Weilacher 276). As we continue building, consuming, and altering the landscape, transformation will become an increasingly popular practice for architects as a more cost-effective and sustainable method. Instead of building from scratch on a blank site, it will be necessary to incorporate existing structures into new uses.
Throughout history, the devotion of large swaths of land to any single use has generally ended in large-scale abandonment and desolation. It is common for development today to be mixed-use, combining many (formerly considered) incompatible programmatic elements on a single site. When one business or industry inevitably leaves, the site doesn’t fall into disrepair but instead relies on the other parts of the program until the empty space can again be filled.
In an effort to build upon what we have learned from industrialization and deindustrialization, the program at Mingo Junction will be mixed-use. It has six components, listed in order of invasiveness and the phased approach which will be necessary for a project of this scale. The first three elements primarily use the existing conditions of the site, altered or added to, and guide the master planning phase.
Creating A Palimpsest
The program was developed in an effort to create a palimpsest with the existing elements.
The overarching theme of the programming process is ‘palimpsest’, which will involve evaluating existing conditions in an effort to determine what will remain on site as is, what will be altered, and what will be removed. The first component of the master plan is brownfield remediation, which will also involve evaluating existing conditions, but with the goal of determining where extreme contamination lies and what measures can be taken to remove the toxins. The second component is that of converting the site to recreational use, the design and details of which relies heavily upon the former programmatic elements. The third part of the master plan will involve collecting and harvesting renewable energy for both site and community use. The solar and wind gain of the site will be analyzed and the efficacy of transforming specific areas into collection areas will be determined.
The final, building-scale components of the program are agriculture/greenhouses, a museum of industry, and a manufactory/maker space for artists and small industries. Each component of the program responds to the ambiguity, memory, and identity of ruins previously discussed and responds to the history of the site, the details of which will be explored in the following subchapters.
The site has abundant existing infrastructure which can be utilized for the building-scale components of
the program. The structurally sound skeletons will be preserved, but the buildings themselves will be added to or subtracted from in order to satisfy program requirements. Many new buildings are palimpsests, even if the traces of the site’s former use are barely visible- foundations are re-used, landscaping and drainage are retained, and sometimes structures are reincorporated into the new plan. Ruinous sites rich in history can take the palimpsest a step further by recognizing and emphasizing the various layers that create the palimpsest: layers of ambiguity, memory and identity.
Existing building square footages with a combined total of approximately 126,650 SF.
The palimpsest guides the entire design process; all decisions will be made in terms of the existing layers, as well as what can be drawn from historical research and added to subtly evoke history.
Master Plan
A palimpsest uses something existing to create something new, retaining vestiges of the original form. By treating the site as a palimpsest, ambiguities and paradoxes can be utilized in the master plan, and the memory and identity of the place continue to play a role in its everyday use.
“This century created a new type of order. Order can be based on disconnection and superimposing” (Weilacher/Geuze 102). This ‘new type of order’ refers to post-industrial sites, where, although existing like ‘cities within cities’, there is no conventional order like that of a city. There is no grid- not even a master plan. In terms of master planning, this creates a unique opportunity to use this inherent disorder to create something dynamic and wondrous, prompting a ‘dérive’, or unplanned journey, like the layout of a Medieval town. “Something incomplete, already like a ruin, is the opposite to the ‘neat solutions’ that destroy our world, always insisting on being right and always ending in disaster” (Burckhardt 101). The design for the site will acknowledge the ruins as ever-changing, and the master plan should respond to this dynamic state.
In ruinous landscapes, there is inherent balance. The palimpsest must use this ‘precarious balance’ between composition and decomposition (Maraniss) as a design element, as it plays a role in how we romanticize ruins. A palimpsest puts the weathering and decomposition process on display, acting as a piece of art or a tangible experiment in evolution and decay.
The first step in this design strategy will involve determining the ‘assets’ or the parts of the site which should be used to this effect. Beyond the inhabitable warehouses and sheds, the palimpsest looks at individual moments, spaces, or monuments which can be used to evoke memory in its different forms. These elements can be transformed or demolished in order to create or emphasize the desired effects.
Networks of pipes run overhead, creating a sense of enclosure and adding to the ‘street’ feeling created by the surrounding buildings. Nature has begun to encroach on this area, adding another layer to the mysteries of the site.
Acknowledging the aspects that make this space memorable while treating it as a palimpsest, how can it be altered to reinforce these unique feelings?
Brownfield Remediation
The largest deterrent in repurposing brownfield sites lies in the issue of contamination. Brownfield remediation can be a time consuming, expensive process which is often not as cost-effective (in a strictly economical sense) as developing a non-contaminated site. However, the sheer number of brownfield sites in the Midwest necessitates their cleanup and redevelopment, and the aforementioned value of their post-industrial monuments can, arguably, offset the high cost of brownfield remediation.
Using in situ remediation tactics can be a more affordable, tactile, and educational approach to creating a clean, healthy place for the community. Phytoremediation uses living planted material to clean environmental hazards through accumulation, degradation, or hydraulic control. Money is saved by remediating the soil and groundwater on site as opposed to removing and replacing soil, and by putting the process on display, it can become part of the experience, thereby educating the community about the dangers of pollution and inspiring visitors to take an interest in the environment.
Hyperaccumulating plants like sunflowers and Indian mustard, collect contaminants in the rhizosphere
and transfer them to the shoots which can then be harvested and smelted to be recycled back into metal. Non-hyperaccumulating plants like ryegrass can also be used to remediate the soil by breaking down the contaminants in the rhizosphere or the shoot, or by modifying the elements. Both types of remediation can be used throughout the 38- acre site. Areas of extreme contamination may need to utilized other methods of in situ remediation such as sealing the area off from the environment completely.
A combination of hyperaccumulating plants and non-hyperaccumulating plants can be used to remediate the soil.
Remediating the soil at Mingo Junction represents a shift in riverfront usage, as well as a shift in our knowledge about the effects of industrialization on the environment. Using phytoremediation and in situ tactics allows the artificial landscape to remain, itself being a palimpsest of a bygone era, and the plantings add to the ‘precarious balance’ of the organic and the inorganic, a desirable feature of ruins. The plants involved in phytoremediation add to the ambiguity of the relationship between abandonment and nature, blurring the lines between the naturally invasive and the functional plantings.
Recreation
The closest riverfront recreation to Mingo Junction is 20 miles south in Wheeling Island, West Virginia.
“In ruins movement is halted, and time suspended. Its decaying embrace was a refuge from a suburban time clock” (Woodward 36). Ruins act as an escape- they invite one to get lost in memory and imagination, to wander and dérive through the varied landscapes. After retaining a palimpsest and remediating the soil, a ruinous landscape has the potential to be the ultimate park, full of interest and discreet spaces and already containing an identity rife with history.
There is little park land in Mingo Junction, and shockingly little recreational use along the Ohio River. Developing the site as a park will represent the shift from a heavily polluted, industrial riverfront to a healthy, inhabitable place for Mingo Junction, as well as surrounding communities. The recreational component of the program is interwoven with the other layers, allowing the palimpsest, brownfield remediation, renewable energy and smaller-scale pieces to tell a story which highlights the ambiguity and paradoxes of the post-industrial ruins and exhibits the positive potential of a ‘rust belt’ identity.
The recreational piece of the program takes visitors on a journey throughout the 38-acre site, offering new vantage points and building a new layer of infrastructure on top of the existing. There will be no vehicular traffic on site, but a path for emergency vehicles and for the transportation of equipment will be necessary as part of the master plan. A parking lot with a minimum number of 50 spaces will be provided off site but within a short walking distance.
Renewable Energy
With abundant southern exposure and a strong west wind, the site is ideal for collecting renewable energy.
The Ohio River Valley contributed heavily to the pollution of the environment with its abundant steel mills, coal-fired power plants and mining. The shift from industrial to post-industrial has the potential to represent not only the cleaning up of soil and groundwater at the site, but also a shift to renewable energy, away from the use of coal. Many power plants still line both sides of the Ohio River, while other parts of the country are exploring the use of photovoltaics and wind to power their communities.
Like the other components of the master plan, the renewable energy layer is spread throughout the 38-acre site and relies on the development of the former components prior to its design. Using renewable energy will depend upon the ecological conditions of the site as well as brownfield remediation tactics- for instance, an area of extreme contamination which may need to be sealed off can potentially be used for renewable energy collection.
Building Plan
Mingo Junction has been, historically, an active, dynamic site. To bring in similar levels of activity, the program should offer a variety of uses that activate the site throughout all hours of the day. Agriculture, museum, and a maker-space combine to fulfill the needs of the community, utilizing existing infrastructure, adding to the history, and altering the identity.
Agriculture
A typical commercial greenhouse layout (left) and a section through a passive solar greenhouse (right). The linear warehouse building configurations easily lend themselves to agricultural use.
Originally an agrarian region, Mingo Junction, like most towns in the Midwest, had an economy based on agriculture, but quickly abandoned it in favor of heavy industry. There is also limited availability of fresh produce in the town, so creating a center for agricultural production will be a large part of the transformation of the site.
The temperate climate of Ohio requires that greenhouses be completely clad, with adequate ventilation throughout. The existing sheds previously used for steel production can be transformed into greenhouses, retaining the steel skeleton of the building but manipulating the cladding to allow sunlight in to cultivate the crops. Passive solar will be explored through the use of thermal mass on the north side of the greenhouse, mitigating or reducing the need for heating the buildings.
A large commercial greenhouse will be operated by at least one full-time employee and is open to the public daily. This commercial greenhouse is composed of linear plant benches with a customer service desk and attached storage/work room.
A small, community greenhouse adjacent to the commercial greenhouse will supply the residents of Mingo Junction with space to grow their own gardens, and an attached open-air shed will be used as a space for the community to sell their goods on a regular basis.
The incorporation of greenhouses, like the use of phytoremediation, speaks to the inherent relationship between ruins and nature, adding to the ambiguities of the site by using existing, weathered infrastructure to support new growth. Visitors are left to speculate on vestiges of the former industry mixed with new infrastructure and materials required to support new life. By using a sustainable passive solar model for the design of the buildings, combined with the renewable energy and brownfield remediation plans, the negative connotations of the ‘rust belt’ identity begin to shift.
Commercial greenhouses typically range from 20-30 feet wide and 100-130 feet long, but since the existing structures will be used, the exact dimensions of the structures will be largely determined by the buildings on site. In addition to size, another factor in determining which structures will be used for agricultural purposes will be the orientation of the building to maximize solar gain.
Museum of Industry
The Museum of Industry offers a space for the community to reflect on their industrial heritage; to remember what has been lost, celebrate what remains, and offer a refuge for other post-industrial monuments of the region which are facing threats of demolition. The accumulation of artifacts in this space will provide a dynamic, ever-changing exhibit space for industrial objects, creating a unique, memorable stop along the recreational journey.
This part of the program is where the ultimate ambiguity exists; objects which were original to the site become mixed with transplants from other local post-industrial landscapes, creating a vast assembly of ‘anonymous sculptures’. As the only museum of industry in the entire Ohio River Valley, the museum will become a destination for travelers, contributing to the economy of the town through ticket sales and by attracting visitors to local businesses.
Industrialization involves much more than nuts and bolts, and the museum includes the process in its displays through the inclusion of mining and cultural artifacts. The museum uses existing infrastructure, and the size will be dependent upon the specific space that is chosen, with room to add to or modify the space in the future. Public restroom facilities will be shared by all parts of the program, and should be centrally located so as to be easily accessible from all parts of the park. The museum will be operated by one full-time employee, and a small (10x10) office should be provided as part of the building plan.
Manufactory
The Manufactory, or Additive Manufacturing Lab, is housed in one of the existing sheds on the site. This part of the program provides the next step in metal manufacturing through the processes of 3D printing, laser-cutting and CNC. The manufactory speaks to the site’s former industrial use; it uses the newest manufacturing technology to print metal objects in a space which greatly contributed to the rise of metal production in the Midwest. The manufactory preserves the industrial identity of the site in a way which secures the future industry and industrial heritage of Mingo Junction.
There are three steps involved in the additive manufacturing process: storage, production, and post-production. The production space will house large machinery, sometimes up to 20’ in length, while the storage and post-production areas must be located near large loading doors where objects can easily move into and out of the facility. Bathrooms, office space and break areas will be provided.
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