Project Summary

OVERVIEW
The 2023 Coastal Dynamics Studio focused on aspects of designing in coastal environments associated with the development of Battleship Park, which is situated on the shoreline of the Cape Fear River across from Wilmington, NC.

The Battleship Park project site is home to the USS North Carolina and is located directly across from Wilmington’s waterfront on the northeastern part of Eagles Island. Located between the Brunswick and Cape Fear Rivers, Eagles Island has a rich natural and cultural history, and has played an integral role in the ecological significance, commercial development, and industrial activities of the Lower Cape Fear Region. The approximately 3,110-acre island is located roughly 22 miles upriver from the mouth of the Cape Fear. On the eastern side of the island, downtown Wilmington lies just across the Cape Fear River. On the western side, Belville, Leland, and Navassa are located just across the Brunswick River.

The battleship USS North Carolina was launched into service in June of 1940, and it participated in naval offensives during WWII in the Pacific Ocean before being decommissioned in 1947. By 1961, the ship was destined for the scrapyard, but a group of activists campaigned to save the ship and bring it to North Carolina. In 1961, the USS North Carolina arrived in Eagles Island, and it is now the state’s most visited landmark.

This studio course included students and faculty from the Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental Planning and School of Architecture. Students worked in interdisciplinary teams to rigorously develop projects that demonstrate contextually sensitive and climate-adaptive design and planning strategies.