Mon
Commons
Carnegie Mellon University
ASOS - II - Barge as Paradigm
Spring ‘25
Instructor - Gerard Damiani
emerges from an investigation into post-industrial towns along the Monongahela River, informed by field visits, mapping, and historical research.
Towns such as Donora, Monessen, Charleroi, and Monongahela were shaped by coal, steel, and glass industries, with production concentrated along the river, railways behind, and housing pushed away. This spatial logic created a lasting disconnection between communities and the river.
When industry collapsed, it left economic, social, and spatial voids. Generations reliant on industrial labor lacked pathways to transition into new careers, unlike Pittsburgh, which diversified through education, technology, and healthcare. As unemployment rose, younger populations migrated elsewhere. Mapping and physical models revealed towns designed for production rather than resilience, with limited access to education, training, and cultural spaces.
Studying existing infrastructures like barges and rail lines suggested
new modes of connection. In response, the project proposes a traveling incubator barge—an accessible, flexible platform for learning, making, and gathering that brings opportunity directly to these communities.