The Last of the Catskills
The architectural ruin may not be a frontier, but rather an artefact.
The bungalows have been reconfigured into one habitable entity.
This projects looks at preserving and adapting the remnants of a fragile bungalow community to become a public destination of remembrance, observation and experience in Upstate New York.
Rather than being trapped in a fiction and damnation of the passed, this location focuses at reimagining itself.
The bungalows have been reconfigured and united with a long pathway combining the found objects and dramatic landscape into one habitable entity. With the adaptation of six rooms, for yearlong occupants, who wish to stay among the lush landscape and abandoned ruins of the Catskills Mountains.
Plan
A Place of Remembrance, Experience, and Observation
Section 1
One part of a 4m long section along the designed pathway. Starting at the entrance, describing the materiality and experience of the journey.
Axo Drawing
Axo showing the construction of the transformed bungalows.
Bungalow 1
View into the most preserved bungalow. The interiors are kept "as found" with its cuts and adaptations to observe the landscape and plastic foil. The bedrooms are fitted for potential occupants to stay among the ruin.
Chair
The Bungalow in decay leaves only the objects as remains.
An archived chair has been raised 12m to obtain a panoramic view of the landscape.
panoramic view
Panoramic view from elevated chair.
The jetty
the path leaves the bungalows and journeys 100m to the nearby lake.
Approaching the Bungalows from the lake
View coming back from the Lake
