memorial landscape

Exploring the industrial landscapes of the Slate Belt

The Slate Belt, located in Western Pennsylvania, is known for its once thriving slate extraction industry. Today, most of the quarries are used as landfills and only a handful of them are operating. The intervention forms an open-air museum of industrial heritage, a memorial landscape.  Pen Argyl consists of eight quarries in various stages of activity and conditions, from active to completely abandoned. It is a living example of the quarrying process, revealing how the industrial activity has transformed the natural landscape over time. The proposal unwraps a trail network through the quarries, punctuated by nodes of various symbolic and functional significance: entrance-info points, scenic overlooks, cultural education areas and exploration pathways. The design uses landform and vegetation to obscure and reveal particular views as a way to highlight the existing remnants of the industrial activity. The subtle interventions build on existing site conditions and aim to help people connect with the landscape, orient themselves and develop awareness of the site’s historical significance.

Academic Project / University of Pennsylvania / LARP 601 Studio / instructor: Todd Montgomery