Starbuck Island, New York, The United States of America

Due to the over-development and construction for industrial and residential purposes on Starbuck Island of Troy, New York, spanning from 1995 to the present, in which the entire island was refashioned as a housing development, the original landscape was entirely modified to become an environment for human use only. For building man-made and hyper-artificial environments that are the luxury apartments, and the shorelines that function as barriers for preventing water percolating into the island’s construction ground. Most of the original vegetation has been removed.  It’s nearly entirely constructed ground. Even the soft soil and gravel material of the shoreline has been replaced by hard concrete material. All of these elements prevent the habitations for the animals and plants along the coastal areas. In order to bring back the natural environments where abundant types of original coastal species inhabited in the past, there should be a balance of space utilizations between the natural species and humans on the island. It means that the site should not be built for just human use or animal use. Instead, it should be designed for both human use and animal use.

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Drawing upon the idea of creating balance between a natural environment for animals and a residential environment for humans, this can come true through the design of a pavilion that provides habitats with an aquatic ecosystem for the natural species and activity space for humans. After the pavilion is built, the plants, animals and insects can grow and inhabit inside of it, as people can walk in and have physical interactions with them. In this way, the abundant types of natural species can be increased and visitors can still enjoy the space without causing destruction to other creatures’ habitats in the city.