tides through salt marshes

theater and gallery space conceptually based on ocean research // studio fowler

concept

As the tides move sea water into salt marshes, they distribute life into the vertical spaces between blades of sea grass. To maintain this distribution of space, the structural system suspends the theater and gallery spaces between its vertical members.

site: tiburon, ca

Located at the Romburg Tiburon Center, the site was previously a naval base, net construction depot, cod drying station, and is now a CSU research facility. The design is a combination lecture hall and exhibition space for the research currently being conducted on the site. Sea grass is one of the themes of research being conducted on the site, giving the basis of the concept.

process

In developing the theater (blue) and gallery (orange), triangular spaces were used to reflect the complexity of the currents and micro currents of the tides as they move through the sea grass.

Main circulation paths are oriented to the sea wall, then allow visitors to filter out through the galleries, mimicking the dispersal of water in marshes.

circulation

The main paths are ramps, allowing for variation in heights of the open galleries, just as life is unevenly distributed vertically throughout the marsh.