Marsh Fire Lookout Tower

Manchac, Louisiana

People who live on the marsh are dependent on the quickly eroding coast, something quite dynamic, for consistancy. They live with the risk (from constant erosion and marsh fires) of the very thing that they are supposed to find refuge in, forsaking them. They entrust this environment with their business and their families. It is necessary to understand why they choose to root themselves in such an unpredictable area so that one can begin designing for their occupancy. With that, the site demands a structure that observes people moving through the marsh, as the erosion of the land transpires. A structure that ages well, whose joints secure as the structure grows older as if to mimic the determination of bayou culture. A structure against which the changing land can be compared and in which the people of Manchac can measure change.