De-engineering
De-militarization
Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, colloquially known as Gitmo, is located in Cuba’s Guantanamo-Guaso watershed. This is identified as one of the priority watersheds by the Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos (National Institute of Hydraulic Resources) as it gets the lowest annual rainfall of the island, has a strong tendency to drought and is highly susceptible to saltwater intrusion.
The presence of the military base and its historical and political complexities, as well as the highly engineered and industrialized water management and infrastructural development in the region have led to the suppression of the ecological processes and hindered both the metabolism of the watershed and potential economic activities for the local communities. These conditions along with contaminated effluents, deforestation, erosion of soils, salinization of aquifers and climatic changes have contributed to an ongoing process of desertification of the watershed.
We understand this landscape as a hydro-social territory: “socially, naturally and politically constituted spaces that are (re)created through the interactions amongst human practices, water flows, hydraulic technologies, biophysical elements, socio-economic structures and cultural-political institutions”. Our project redefines the territory through this notion by empowering the watershed to enhance the region’s autonomy. Through a series of landform operations, water retention and flow soft systems and using plant agency we will slow the flow of water, increasing the holding capacity of the arid soils and fortifying the watershed against looming climate change effects. These bottom up strategies bring power back to the communities, promote self sufficiency and reinforce existing local economies.
upstream
Because of Cuba’s Large-scale, over engineered dams cause more problems than benefits for the region and its economy, we propose to stop dam maintenance, accepting their expected 50-year lifespans. We propose shifting from impermeable dams and open, standing reservoirs, to a system of smaller, softly-engineered micro-dams that allow for downstream flow, and place water management into the hands of local agricultural stakeholders.
midstream
In the context of declining agricultural industry in the region, it is imperative to address the desertification process, by slowing the water and allowing for percolation through a series of small topographic interventions. The goal is to reintroduce aridity suited agriculture as an alternative economic activity, allowing the region to be self sufficient and protecting the soil and river from erosion and pollution.
downstream
This intervention explores the symbolic relationship between the Bay’s wetlands, which serve as a protective buffer against storm surges and saltwater intrusion, and the salt pans, which sustain the region economically. Sediment from upstream accumulates in strategically designated marsh areas until terraces can be built for sustained salt harvesting. New topography repositions the Cuban shoreline as resilient and adaptable to changing economic viability for the region.
Timeline Intervention Map
Scenario Studies
Core Samples
Palimpsest
Midstream River Impact
