In the southern marshes of Louisiana, the Pointe-au-Chien, a community of Indigenous tribespeople, live at a place where the world is thin, where land and water meet. As sea levels rise and storms grow more frequent, the boundary between land and water shifts with increasing urgency. Yet for those who live on these contested lands of “ubiquitous wetness,“” their existence is never in question. The identity of the Pointe-au-Chien is not rooted solely in the ground beneath their feet, but also in the water they swim and fish in.
My design employs a shrimp shell-based biomaterial for 3D printing that responds to its environment. As it degrades, it returns nutrients and sediment to the landscape, actively countering ecological degradation and land loss. The process also creates a locally grounded economy by repurposing shrimp shell waste and supporting the community’s fishery industries.
When the structure reaches its final stage, its tabby concrete foundation remains, transforming into an oyster reef and natural wave barrier to slow sediment erosion. As the border between land and water continues to shift, the cycle begins again. New structures can be 3D printed, continuing the rhythm of adaptation and renewal.
