DO AC

Anthony Averbeck
Gregory Orwat
Donna Ryu

Atlantic City, NJ, USA

Atlantic City, New Jersey has become a victim of its own prosperity; a city that hedged its bets on a toxic mix of speculation, gambling, the Mafia, alcohol, and drugs. The city has been in the decline with the legalization of gambling in other states and cities, and systematic destruction of a historic built environment that cultivated collective cultural and economic capital, in favor of one fueled by the self-serviing neoliberal interests of the casino industry. The studio operated within an optimistic realism, integrating ambitions of developers, architects, and city agencies to devise solutions. 

DO AC addresses the gateway to Atlantic City, where a nondescript convention center sits that serves its own commercial interests while the city around it declines. A 40-story tower is proposed at this nexus point. First, a cut through the building reconnects the artificially separated commercial front with the residential backside. Second, two structures are erected; one a residential and hotel function, the other civic and commercial. These two entities are then connected with a vertical boardwalk of public circulation space, creating dynamic public streets in the sky.