Although designated a Superfund site in 2010 and restricted as a site of contamination, the Gowanus Canal is a unique habitat for extremophile species. Ribbed Mussels and Pseudomonas putida thrive in this extreme environment, contributing to the canal’s “collaborative survival” by metabolizing toxic contaminants. Our project embraces the canal’s current state—half-dredged with a mix of old and new—and introduces infrastructure to enhance extremophile habitats. Dock systems cluster near CSO outfalls, ghost stream outlets, and broken edges, circulating oxygen and water to support biochemical reactions by mussels and microbes. Eco-concrete modules, microbial mats, and trans-species columns accelerate metabolization while slowing the human “sanitization” of contamination.
As ribbed mussel and microbe communities grow, our docks expand alongside them, engaging existing infrastructures like the Gowanus Dredgers. Canoe docking and public access reconnect residents with the waterfront and their extremophile co-habitants. Canoes and a modular dock design facilitate future seeding, transporting microbial mats to other parts of the canal. Mimicking the behavior of mussels and microbes, our design grows into a living network. “The Mussel at the End of the World” offers a new perspective on contamination, fostering productive cohabitation between humans and non-humans in New York City.
