Raising Red Hook: Preserving a Neighbourhood on the Edge of the World

After spending time in New York City one quickly becomes desensitized to its characteristic congestion, and must seek out stillness: an increasingly rare commodity. I found stillness in New York City while on a journey to Sunny's, one of the city's oldest bars, located in the isolated Brooklyn neighbourhood of Red Hook. The future of Red Hook's identity is uncertain as it is vulnerable to the forces of gentrification and climate change. Most of this low-lying coastal neighbourhood is predicted to be inundated by the ocean as soon as the year 2050. This thesis investigates Red Hook's identity as one of the most unique places in New York City through narratives of its past, present and future. These narratives propel the proposal of architectural methods for preserving Red Hook's identity in a speculative and flooded future.