this project was a complex ask -- rebuild the wall that seperates the border city of nogales, mexico from nogales, usa.
my goal for this project was to build a wall that attempted to bring people together as much as it divided, while minimizing disturbance to wildlife as much as possible.
At the heart of the wall, near the crossing and center of the two cities, is the focal point of the project: a series of playground games. These games, like a seesaw, require two bodies; one from each side. Beneath the seesaws is a grape press, part of a wine-making process. The idea was not only for this to be fun but also to serve as a reminder that on the other side of those bars is another human, and only with cooperation can the game be played and the wine produced.
The primary purpose of a border wall is to restrict the movement of humans, but wildlife often find themselves as collateral damage. a border wall often completely blocks migration and hunting patterns of local animals, disrupting their ecosystem.
The goal for this project was to design a wall that not only allowed for animal movement but also served as habitat for smaller animals to live within.
this was achieved through a series of studies on the flow of liquid through various material cut outs, identifying patterns that allowed movement with as little restriction as possible while still serving the purpose as a border wall.
The multilayered design allows for small animals to not only move through but also use the strucutre as shelter from larger predators.
Modeled in rhino with grasshopper, rendered with lumion
