Alluvial Sponge Combs
Solution for Flood Protection

Peter and Mark Anderson
The Alluvial Sponge Comb is the waterfront landscape element of the Anderson Anderson Architects' design proposal for New Orleans, mediating between the natural ebb and flow forces of water and the inhabitation of the site. The architects feel that it is very important not to dwell on the disaster as an unfortunate freak occurrence of nature, but instead to focus on the opportunity to engage in design for alleviating a worldwide infrastructure concern.

 

 

Conceived by Anderson Anderson Architecture, The Alluvial Sponge Comb, an installation in the pavilion’s courtyard, offers an experimental solution for flood protection. Made of flexible, superabsorbent material, the multifinger sponge captures water to become a temporary flood barrier. This design is meant to harmonize with the natural ebb and flow of water, rather than resist it. Click here to download a full desription of the Alluvial Sponge Comb project. [PDF: 15 pgs, 6.2MB]

Videos
• Alluvial Sponge Combs - front perspective: Quicktime | Windows Media
• Alluvial Sponge Combs - side perspective: Quicktime | Windows Media

Home | Tour the Pavilion | Event Photos | Autodesk-sponsored Video | Credits & Links | 2004 Biennale Website | Architecural Record
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies