2020 | Building | Unbuilt | Collaborators: Sam May, Paul Gruber

A Seaweed Farm is sited in Portland, Maine at the Berlin Mills Wharf. Portland is one of the most important fishing towns on the East Coast, but is also undergoing massive cultural changes as the fishing industry declines and younger, more diverse populations move into the city. This tension is centered on the seaside wharfs where fishermen unions rightfully block the wharfs from redevelopment by the wharf owners, who want to open the wharfs for other activities and uses.

For A Seaweed Farm, we propose a seaweed incubation plant lifted above the wharf that acts as thick wooden beam supported by 3 concrete pillars. This spatial arrangement provides space for public activites below, continues use of the fishing boats along the side of the wharf, and moves fish processing and seaweed production to the new space built above the wharf. This typology allows for many diverse activities, combining the old and new histories of Portland.