If current tendencies persist and temperatures continue to rise due to green house gases, the planet’s ice caps will melt at an accelerated pace.  For example, if the ice caps of Greenland were to melt completely, sea levels would increase by 7 meters, while a worldwide thawing would cause an increase of 80 meters.  This increase in sea levels implies drastic changes for coastal cities that will lead to the inevitable relocation of populations, infrastructure and, economic activity.

If sustainability has become the new paradigm in architecture, then climate change presents a new paradigm for urban design; this time, it is inevitable and it carries with it drastic consequences – something never before encountered in this field.  We begin our investigation with some hypothetical images of different sectors within San Juan, submerged in a new horizon that is 7 meters above the current sea level.

This becomes a purely optimistic process, because through the depiction of burgeoning public spaces, smiling occupants and beautiful weather, the architect must convince his client that without a doubt, his project will be a success in its completion and it subsequent occupation.

Since our contemporary reality is more characterized by environmental degradation, constant warfare, and persistent social inequalities, we have decided not to be so optimistic. In our proposal we create a series of images that present iconic spaces in Puerto Rico after different catastrophic scenarios, to explore potential impacts on the urban context and the local population. In the process, events and people from different parts of the world are dislocated from their time and space, and are inserted and choreographed within our Caribbean context. These scenes are the product of juxtaposing different times, places and resolutions.  Through Puerto Rico Post-Montage we reconsider the photomontage, to propose and document new instances within a hypothetical narrative of Puerto Rico that alludes to the absence of situations of crisis throughout the history of our island.

We hope this visual imposition of crisis acts as a catalyst for change and that it produces a genuine reflection about the problems faced by our nation and our planet. Taking this into consideration, we argue that design does not necessarily begin by providing the correct answers, but by provoking the right questions. How did we get to this point? Are we doing something to prevent this? Do we really understand the limits of our resources and our society? In the end, one question prevails: Could something that reflects the worst in us, also bring out the best in us? For their capacity to communicate that our humanity is revealed at moments of great adversity, these scenes become tools of awareness with the capacity to simultaneously frustrate and motivate.

Without further ado, we present Puerto Rico:….Without Gasoline (Sin Gasolina), …Over-populated (Sobrepoblado), …Ungovernable (Ingobernable), …In a Coup de Tat (En Golpe de Estado), …Looted (Saqueado), …Contaminated(Contaminado), …Evicted (Desahuciado), …Appropriated (Apropiado), …Infected (Infectado), …Flooded (Inundado)