“Beyond the Grave” a saying that refers to someone’s impact that extends after their
death.
The Antebellum cemeteries of cancer alley have been a topic of major distress
since the turn of the century. The African-American communities along the Mississippi River suffer under the various forms of
institutional racism. The impacts of slavery are felt long after its abolition in 1865. Corporations specifically in Louisiana have kept a strong grip on the land that once was plantation land.
LAGenWeb, Map of St. John the Baptish Parish, Louisiana, 2022
Identification of historical plantation land in the area of focus.
A stretch between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is occupied by over 200 different petrochemical companies. Studies done within this region have uncovered an upward trend in respiratory illnesses and cancer cases. The pollutants released by the hundreds of chemical plants have choked out the surrounding communities.
Forensic Architecture, Environmental Racism in Death Alley, Louisiana, 2021
The struggle that people living in this area are experiencing from the environmental racism imposed on them must be combatted in some shape to help them remain connected to their heritage and maintain their health in order to raise their future generations.
Visualizing air pollutant drift zones along side lost cemeteries.
Returning the land to the people of St. John the Baptist Parish would be the start of progress, but introducing environmental aids would bring life back. In order to combat air pollution a system of artificial, mechanical trees would be implemented in order to eliminate harmful PM 2.5s and other harmful contaminants.
These trees will rid the air of pollutants with a series of scrubbing systems within the trunk of the tree. Air will pass through a fabric filter specially engineered to snag particulate matter and then will be washed in a systems of pools at the base of each branch. The exterior of these branches will also be coated in a layer of Titanium Dioxide that will help photocatalyze some of the lingering toxins in the air.
In an effort to give power back to the people of these regions, cemetery land that had been consumed will feed back into the health of
the land and the people. Artificial air filtering trees along side known burial markers like Willow and Magnolia trees will populate these revitalized memorials in which the commemorated will feed back into the health of the land.
The impact of the sites around the region will fuel the region with clean air and a revitalized sense of community.
“Beyond the Grave” is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed at Masters in Advanced Architecture in (2021/2022) by:
Students: Jack Davis and James Alcock
Faculty: Mireia Luzárraga