Urban Lab Global Cities (ULGC): Underwater topography of North American Lakes

1/03/2013

Underwater topography of North American Lakes

First, I wish a happy new year and best wishes for this new year of 2013. The second semester will attract my attention with the Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2013. Just to remind that Close, Closer, a series of exhibitions and public programmes continues to examine the role of architecture practice with a series of questions.
A short post on laser-cut wood maps I found earlier today.
My passion for cartography is satisfied with these laser-cut wood maps below, representing underwater topography of North American Lakes. These maps have been designed by Below the Boat, using laser-cut layers of Baltic birch, if I refer to this website This is Colossal where I found these maps.
I visited Below the Boat for more information on the techniques of construction of these maps. I won't linger over the fact that these maps can be purchased. So this aside: consider Lake Michigan:

Lake Michigan
Locale: Wisconsin, Illinois & Indiana
Technique: Laser-cut wood map
Originally appeared on Below the Boat

I completely am ignorant about the construction of wood Maps. In consequence, these maps are an opportunity to have information about techniques of construction of wood maps.
As described in Below the Boat, Lake Michigan's rich contours are carefully crafted from laser-cut layers of Baltic Birch. They, then, are hand colored and glued together. This aside, I find the aesthetic of these map particularly impressive. Consider the treatment of water waves particularly well-represented.
Another map representing a place I've never had the occasion to visit is San Juan Islands, located in Washington and British Columbia. Below the Boat describes San Juan Islands as follows:

The San Juan Islands are the pinnacles of a submerged mountain range that connects Vancouver Island with the mainland. They're a tidal-gateway between the open ocean and the Gulf of Georgia a tidal-gateway between the open ocean and the Gulf of Georgia to the north. Because of this, heavy tide-rips are common in many of the island's inner channels. If it weren't for the interference cause by these tide-rips, the islands exposed shorelines would suffer from significant erosion during winter storms. Instead erosion is most dramatic only during slack tide and high-water wave-cuts are visible on many of the islands exposed shorelines.