Soil Remediation by Soil Washing. And Site Topography

I propose to design a building to remediate the Pointe-des-Seigneurs’ toxic landscape, by literally washing away the contaminants. A new industrial building is situated at the canal’s edge by the St. Gabriel locks and diverts water onto the site, enabling new forms of interaction between the canal, the landscape including the previously buried artifacts, and the participants of the park space. The environmental impact of the program enables new residents and visitors to regain a technological experience of landscape and building.

Soil washing and soil flushing are two techniques for soil remediation using water moved by gravity to pull out contaminants. As water infiltrates the landscape, the ground becomes more liquid, and distinguishes itself from the material artifacts that it previously encased. Newfound building foundations become point of contact between the central building and the site for incorporating the additional program required to complete the remediation process. This alternative form of excavation reactivates the material artifacts of the site. The hydro powered central building, like the canal, will reach across the landscape, and reposition the boundaries between the canal and the landscape as it processes the layers of history through its clean up. This program creates an environmental economy for the city that re-uses the technology of the site.

What would happen if the site were flooded with water from the canal? By drawing out the site's topography I can start to form an answer. Although it is hard to perceive the site's various level changes, when I have visited the site, the drawing gives an more in depth account of the highs, and lows of the terrain. I have superimposed the topographic map on top of the political map to blur the distinction between the federal and municipal plans for site development.



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Images:
1. Map describing known contaminated sites on the Pointe-des-Seigneurs and around the St. Gabriel Locks. The yellow area is federal land, and the red blue area is municipal land.
2. Drawing out the site's topography.
3. Detail of the drawing above.
4. Topographic map of the site. Between the canal and adjacent landscape, the characteristics of the canal level changes are extreme and rigid compared to the more subtle, and winding changes in elevation of the landscape around it.