boom city

Boom City is an integration of two Buffalo icons, Silo City and the Ice Boom. Silo City is a part of the post-industrial legacy that the grain industry has left behind in Buffalo. It is also the grounds of much of the inspiration of the Modernist architectural movement. The Ice Boom is an engineering feat that prevents the majority of ice in Lake Erie from flowing down the Niagara River and jamming the hydropower stations. The project integrated two programs inside one of the silos: a home for the caretaker of Silo City and storage of the Ice Boom. With an objective of maintaining the character of the silos, only the roof was removed, which allows light to penetrate into the silo and diffuse through the angled Ice Boom pieces. Components of the caretaker’s home were then positioned within.

Project Type: Studio

Role: Designer

Professor: Beth Tauke