This project was the first phase in the documentation and projection of an architectural, social, urban, and cultural experiment that took place in the last half of the 20th century. The Pruitt-Igoe housing development was projected to be a major success, housing several thousand occupants in center city Saint Louis, Missouri. Over the course of its 16 year life, it met a demise of epic proportions in 1972 as the first of the buildings were demolished. Although there have been several proposals for the site, the site remains empty and overgrown today.
This work was in conjunction with a national ideas competition called Pruit-Igoe Now (www.pruittigoenow.org) which was speculating on the future of this urban site. This was also the first phase of a project which explored the potential of still media techniques to manifest an idea and position – thus the name “pause”. Through the work of this project, the potential of representation as a means of projection and reflection in the design process was explored using techniques discussed in the seminar course (layering, media, projection, projectional distortion, mapping, diagramming, photography, hybrids, montage, collage, external influences, etc.).
Multiple submissions were selected as finalists in the 37th Annual Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition.