Harboring chaos

Abstract

Hurricane shelters have become the unknown point of last resort for many coastal communities. Harboring displaced populations during a hurricane and it's chaotic aftermath are no longer seen as a need in a coastal communities evacuation strategy. The dangerous situation this strategy poses is being amplified by an increasing coastal population density along the Gulf Coast of the United States while the infrastructure to support mass scale evacuations is not growing in proportion to the population. Communities must face the realization that given the unpredictable nature of hurricanes, evacuation may not be possible for all citizens given the time frame before landfall. This thesis takes the role of harboring evacuees and wraps it into and around the program of a stadium. Being an icon of the city, the stadium will provide a foundation for inserting the hurricane shelter into the core fabric of coastal cities. Using the landscape and transportation infrastructure that feeds the stadium in its existing role, the shelter will engage the city as an icon to the memory of the threat, a point of protection from that threat and a point of aid following the threat.