Issue fourteen of Room One Thousand turns to the intertidal zone as a space of overlap shaped by the constant push and pull of external forces. Guided by the moon’s gravitational pull, each tide marks a subtle shift: rhythmic yet never identical. To thrive here is to exist between exposure and submersion, stillness and movement, depletion and renewal. In this state of continual change, the shifting edge of water becomes home to rich biodiversity, a site of rapid adaptation where flexibility is necessary.
As architects, we are accustomed to ideas of permanence, foundation, solidity, and endurance. Yet we live in an era of economic precarity and climate instability that calls on an architecture to respond with ideas that are nimble, responsive, and balanced. Considering an approach that is “in-between” could look like balancing affordability and delight in design, or designing with integration of natural cycles of fire and water.
The intertidal is at once ecological, political, cultural, and urban. Here, life within it moves between stasis and flux. The shifting edges of land and sea, city and nature, are not solely borders but boundaries: zones of exchange, tension, and possibility. As urban densities rise, climates destabilize, and economies fluctuate, can the interstitial become a framework for architectural thought? How can uncertainty produce a different type of architecture, one which creates balance within moments of flux?
Submission Guidelines
We invite submissions of scholarly articles, images, photo essays, drawings, speculations, and conversations that broadly consider this theme. Text articles or visual essays can be up to 2500 words in length. While contributions may take various forms, we encourage submissions that are clear and concise, and that present techniques and methodologies in detail.
To submit a proposal, email the following in one PDF document to roomonethousand@berkeley.edu or submit to the link below.
Title
Author name and bio, 50 words max.
Abstract describing method and argument, format (text or photo essay), and length of your proposed contribution, 300 words max.
A writing sample of academic or professional quality that is accessible to an audience beyond architectural academia. Maximum 2 pages. Samples may be partial.
Design or website urls, optional.
Due Date for Proposals: October 24, 2025 at midnight PT
