DE – MATERIALIZED ZONE

“All cities are geographical: You cannot take three steps without encountering ghosts bearing all the prestige of their legends. We move within a closed landscape whose landmarks constantly draw us toward the past. Certain shifting angles, certain receding perspectives, allow us to glimpse original conceptions of space, but this vision remains fragmentary. -Ivan Chtcheglov (1953) DMZ: De-Materialized Zone Initial formation ofNew York Cityskyline was determined by Cameron’s Line which dissectedManhattanIslandvertically based on two distinct geological bedrocks. The properties located on the western part of the unseen line consisted of harder rocks suitable for stable foundation of skyscrapers. Capitalist city, New York has broken the geological line soon after the modern age enabled construction of high-rise on eastern properties. The overdose of infrastructural layers and efficient generic grid system has taken over the city.

Full of proliferating innovative formal utopias,New York Cityis the city of replacement, which is highly adaptable to newest future with novel materials for construction and historical eclecticism.

Rather than restoring or augmenting new elements to existing urban fabric to follow the new technology and current movement, we propose to attack the cycle of fast movement of adaptable city.  Disregarding all the built infrastructures, the strip of “negligence” is directly embedded into NYC urban fabric in reminiscent of geological evidence.

Traveling along the Cameron’s Line, the boundaries of the strip are composed of deep gorges which expose the geological strata of historical bedrock and layers of hidden infrastructure underground. Performing as an invisible fence, these gorges prohibit human interference to the body of the strip.

Within the strip, we call it, “dematerialized zone”, all the built environments stay without any human encounter. Built infrastructures such as architecture and roads will be aged with “real time”. Rather than having an eternal life through renovation, the space with all the structure will overcome their materialistic life span through being naturally demolished and remain as skeletal monuments to the city.

Time dramatizes the impact of the strip even more. Visually, the contrast between the existing city and DMZ becomes more apparent over time. DMZ becomes a core of natural heritage to East of theUnited States.  In urban scale perspective,New York City’s urban fabric changes over time. While Dematerialized zone becomes new living monument in NYC, it performs as a new urban spine, which breaks the old Manhattan Grid.