These are the final submission boards for both The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial and ACSA Open Steel Competitions, my two team members and I chose the remote location of Mururoa Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This was the primary atoll for French nuclear testing in the French Polynesia. There is a theory that the French government tried to conceal these sites by identifying them as “hypocenters,” meaning the underground focus point of an earthquake or otherwise known as ground zero, that after extensive research revealed to be the bomb sites of 193 early air drop and later underwater nuclear tests in the coral and volcanic rock, 46 atmospheric and 147 underground. Each location is referenced by a Greek name, relating to mythology and star constellations, like Cercyon, Leto, and Tamara.
Our memorial is broken up into three structures, each with a specific purpose and list of programming. Cercyon is the gateway entrance into the lagoon, that includes a lookout tower and dome observatory theater, Leto is the residence quarters for visiting scientists and researchers, and Tamara is the underwater exhibition gallery that reflects the destruction and restoration of the lagoon with an interactive coral nursery. These three were chosen as our structures because they were the most prominent sites with the most amount of nuclear tests done in that area. The other “hypocenters” are recognized by beams of light from the sea floor, prominently seen at night.
Our mission for the atoll is to generate a collective action to restore the reef and help rebuild the coral communities that were lost during these tests. By putting a coral nursery in the atoll, all the other surrounding islands will benefit from its growth, resilience, and diversity. in twenty to fifty years, when the atoll is completely submerged underwater, it will still act as a nursery, creating a sense of permeance and monumentality for the French Polynesian Islands.
Partners : Hannah Blang & Katie Marshall
Fay Jones School of Architecture & Design Super Jury Advanced Studio Prize Presentations in Spring 2021
