STORM + SAND + SEA + STRAND

Galveston, TX, USA
Studio Outside

Galveston is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast, located southeast from Houston. The island is known for the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 that inundated the majority of the island and destroyed the city of Galveston Island. After this hurricane, the state and city constructed a seawall around the inhabited area of the island and the eastern half was up to 17 feet. Additionally, buildings were constructed on stilts. In 2008, Hurricane Ike struck Galveston Island and devastated Galveston Island State Park. The Storm + Sand + Sea + Strand Proposal was a barrier island resiliency plan based around projections of the island up to 2050. The project reduced the impermeable surfaces across the park by 25% and reduced habitat fragmentation, while taking advantage of the park’s span across a cross-section of the island to offer a walking transect trail from the bay to the beach. Though the elevation change across the park is not significant, it is home to remnant barrier island habitat. The park protects and enriches this diversity by modeling where habits are likely to migrate over time, what storms are likely to look like, including saltwater storm surge into freshwater ponds, and how erosion, subsidence and tropical storm events will change the topography of the island. The outreach for the project was completed through five different avenues, from intercept surveys to public open-houses, and included plans for interpretation through a Discovery Center and trails with launching points. New ideas for public programming, including kayak camping and additional accommodation spaces were added to the plan for the park.

2012
2000 acres
7 feet above sea level

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