In a
post-petroleum world, an experimental nature reserve invites the threatened
ecologies of Houston to inhabit obsolete infrastructure in new ways, creating
an exemplary microcosm of architectural possibilities by striking a balance
between preservation, restoration, and park life.
Houston, Texas is home to a vast oil industry along the Houston ship channel. The ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown, just east of Houston, is the second largest oil refinery in the United States. The refinery, as well as the industry at large, have a long history of damages against the natural environment. This includes a wide variety of organisms, plants, and landscapes. In Houston, the most vulnerable of these include oysters, butterflies, sea birds, and the chemical composition of the water and soil.
Through the decommissioning of a small portion of the ExxonMobil oil refinery, an experimental nature reserve is created. It takes the four main components of the site - pipelines, oil tanks, a pier, and an oil barge - and undermines their current processes in favor of ones that are beneficial for the ecosystems present. This small portion of the site becomes an exemplary microcosm of the architectural possibilities of oil infrastructure in a post-oil world. The experimental nature reserve provides spaces for these vulnerable organisms to flourish in ex-industrial spaces.
Large tanks that once stored crude oil are stripped of their metal siding, allowing air, plants, people, and butterflies to occupy the once toxic space. Pipelines systems support the growth of Spanish moss, which is native and vital for the region. The oil barge is partially deconstructed and sunk in the channel to allow oysters to form reefs, becoming a catalyst for the restoration of the aquatic ecosystem. On the pier, sea birds are able to find nesting areas in crushed concrete aggregate from other parts of the site. Phytoremediation techniques are employed to naturally remove the toxins that have infiltrated the ground and water. While the architectural interventions seek to serve a larger ecosystem, humans are able to access the reserve through narrow walkways, which connect these various nature zones. This invites people of the community to imagine a world where oil corporations no longer exploit the environment for profit.