Jaden Robertson – Student

The Great Salt Lake has been in ecological decline for decades, neglected and dishonored, especially compared to the Wasatch Mountains towering above its shores. It is a symbol of environmental neglect, forgotten dreams and future opportunity. We are at a tipping point where the future of the lake (and of the whole region) stands in balance. As such, Architecture of Abandonment proposes a design for a new visitor center capable of fostering positive human engagement with the lake in the timeline where we are able to preserve it — or serve as a warning or memorial, a symbol of the consequences of ecological collapse if the Great Salt Lake were to disappear.

A Dynamic Site

The shores of a terminal lake are always in flux and thus prove to be a difficult location to build. The Saltair Visitor Center follows in the footprint of the former Saltair structures and reutilizes the site’s historic organizational philosophy.