Washington Canal Park

TGIF to the viewers!

For this week’s YEOW, we’d like to share with you the Canal Park in Washington, D.C.

Canal Park exemplifies how a public‐private partnership can be used to create a public amenity that enhances the community and provides environmental benefits. The site serves as both a park and neighborhood stormwater retention area. It is designed to capture, treat, and use runoff collected onsite and from adjacent residential and commercial properties.

One of the first parks built as part of the District of Columbia's Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, Canal Park is a model of sustainability, attaining both SITES and LEED Gold certifications, and establishing itself as a social gathering place and an economic trigger. Located on 3 acres of what was recently relegated as a parking lot for district school buses, this three-block long park is sited along the historic former Washington Canal system. Inspired by the site’s waterfront heritage, OLIN’s design evokes the history of the space with a linear rain garden and three pavilions reminiscent of floating barges that were once common in the canal. Through a close collaboration with OLIN, STUDIOS Architecture designed a 9,000-square foot pavilion to host a café and dining area, as well as utilities that support the park and ice rink. Approximately 150-200 square feet each, a second pavilion serves as a stage in the middle of the park, while a third offers storage for park amenities. Custom David Hess sculptures are located on each of the city blocks.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Project Size: 3 acres

Project Type: Open space - Park

Site Context: Urban

Former Land Use: Brownfield

Terrestrial Biome: Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

Budget: $20,000,000

 

 

 

 

 

Source:

http://www.sustainablesites.org/certified-sites/washingtoncanal

 

http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/green/upload/lid_canal_park_dc.pdf

http://www.canalparkdc.org/about/design-team

Could Solar-powered Desalination Solve California's Water Supply Problem?

Gorgeous Floating Water Lily Islands Soak Up Solar Rays

It may be a little ambitious but I believe Head architect Winy Maas has the idea, along with research group The Why Factory. They challenge human kind around the world to think big in regards to going green and conserving our natural resources. Making bold and slightly fantastical designs, the group’s plan for the Thai city of Phuket are both beautiful and self-sustaining. Part of an exhibition at Berlin’s Aedes am Pfefferberg, Why Factory’s submission is a series of water-lily like artificial islands that soak up the sun and convert it to energy.





The exhibition, entitled “Water- Curse or Blessing”, presents innovative projects for architectural and infrastructural advancement in regions of Asia that are near large bodies of water. Since 90% of residents of southeast Asia, as well as south and east of that live near water, the exhibition tackles the issues that are specific to these regions. Water may be everywhere, but these areas are still commonly afflicted by droughts, floods, and shortages of potable water.

Why Factory’s water lilies are giant floating islands that surround the lush city of Phuket. Opening in blossom towards the sun, the lily islands would attract tourists to the area. Each would be accessible by boat, with stairways that lead to platforms providing incredible views – views also reflected in each petal of the blossom. Not only beautiful, but the islands are also functional, soaking up sun with their giant radii, and transferring it back to power the city. Why Factory’s ideas are large scale- they don’t believe in small individual steps, but rather grand gestures to slowly turn this world into a sustainable energy powerhouse.

WHY NOT USE A SIMILAR CONCEPT TO SOLVE CALIFORNIA'S DROUGHT!

California is suffering through its worst drought in decades, and it has gotten so bad that officials announced that 17 communities across the state are in danger of running out of water within 60 to 120 days. But what if the solution to California’s water crisis is as simple as sunlight – a resource the state has in abundance? That’s exactly what California-based startup WaterFX is proposing with its solar-powered desalination system. Renewable desalination could solve water scarcity issues not just in California but in other drought-stricken and desertified areas across the world.





WaterFX‘s system cleans water with a Concentrated Solar Still (CSS), which collects the sun’s thermal energy and transfers it through pipes filled with heat transfer fluid to a heat pump. The heat is then used for the distillation process, which evaporates freshwater out of the saltwater source. The condensate is then recovered as pure, fresh H2O. A thermal storage system holds excess heat for the times when the sun isn’t shining.
“If we roll out the technology … we could produce 8% of all the water used in California, with just the land that was fallowed during the last drought,” WaterFX Founder and Chairman Aaron Mandell recently told Forbes Magazine. “That’s enough water for over 7M acres of irrigated farmland. You would begin to change the economics and change the course of how water is used. The whole idea is to wean the State off of the Central Aqueduct and become water independent. The current system is unsustainable and unreliable.”
However solar desalination systems are not without their challenges – it takes a lot of energy to suck up large quantities of ocean water, and the process can capture local marine life as well. There’s also the issue of solar desalination’s byproduct – a salty sludge that can harm ecosystems if it’s pumped back into the ocean.
Other parts of the world working on renewable desalination include South Australia, where Sundrop Farms has installed a desalination plant near Port Augusta; Qatar, where the Sahara Forest Project is experimenting with a pilot system; and Saudi Arabia, where there are plans to build a solar-powered plant in Al-Khafji. Saudi Arabia currently uses the equivalent of around 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day for its desalination plants, so switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy could have a huge positive impact on climate change and sustainability.
“What we are trying to do is to develop a model that can be replicated. The problems in California are identical to those in many parts of the world. China is depending on delicate river systems to provide water for all types of economic growth that will not be sustainable. We could also do this in Saudi Arabia – they use an enormous amount of oil for water consumption, to evaporate or move water around the country,” said Mandell.

If we are in a drought with no where else to go, I'm quite sure innovation will arise and take its place to map its coarse across the nation while presenting uncharted underground and above ground sustainable solutions. Or Else we resort to this.





Read more: Gorgeous Floating Water Lily Islands Soak Up Solar Rays | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Read more: http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-desalination-could-solve-californias-water-supply-problem/

TGIF to the viewers!

 

For this week’s YEOW, we’d like to share with you: 

 

Artist Spotlight: Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a British born sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist. His artwork is often temporary or ephemeral in nature. He uses organic material such as flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pinecones, snow, twigs, thorns, and rock for his art forms. Due to the brevity of Goldsworthy’s art, photography is a crucial role in documenting his work. Goldsworthy uses his bare hands, teeth, and other found tools to produce and arrange materials. Assistant masons are used for larger rock art forms. Goldsworthy currently resides and works out of Scotland, however his sculpture can be found throughout the U.S. and locally at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building.

"Each work grows, stays, decays – integral parts of a cycle which the photograph shows at its heights, marking the moment when the work is most alive. There is an intensity about a work at its peak that I hope is expressed in the image. Process and decay are implicit.” –Andy Goldsworthy

"I think it's incredibly brave to be working with flowers and leaves and petals. But I have to: I can't edit the materials I work with. My remit is to work with nature as a whole” –Andy Goldsworthy

 

Sources:

http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Goldsworthy

http://visualmelt.com/Andy-Goldsworthy

 

New City Square in Perth Reconnects Urban Landscape, Honors an Indigenous Warrior

 

 

The Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority of Perth has released conceptual images for what is to become the city’s latest public space, designed by a team comprised of Aspect Studios, Iredale Pedersen Hook, and Lyons Architecture. With construction to begin in mid-2015 and slated for completion in 2017, the square takes its name from Yagan, an Indigenous Australian warrior of Perth’s local Noongar people. Integral to early resistance against British colonization, Yagan’s tenacity, leadership, and subsequent execution by settlers have cemented his role in Indigenous Australian folklore. Read more about this significant acknowledgement of Indigenous history after the break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accommodating up to 8500 people, the square will be the city’s first major outdoor space for nighttime gatherings, and is described by Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett as a means of connecting visitors to the state’s history. Sited at a major transit interchange and creating five new North-South corridors through Perth’s CBD, the sprawling development will cost an estimated AUD$73 million.

 

 

 

 

Recent years have seen an increase in reconciliation efforts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and recognition of the need to reflect the Indigenous narrative within mainstream Australian history. Incorporating thematic and visual elements of Noongar culture and lore, the vision for the new square relies heavily on Indigenous storytelling and representational methods, stitching together two discrete histories. Multimedia installations, public art, native landscaping, and Noongar folklore and track imagery are united beneath a meandering canopy, retelling a history as colourful and bold as the development itself

 

 

 Part of the Perth City Link Project masterplan, Yagan Square will reconnect parts of the CBD that have been divided by a rail corridor for over a century, and feature works and contributions by Indigenous and non-Indigenous creatives alike. Yagan Square will celebrate diversity and community, housing an amphitheater, marketplace, play area, event space, and other civic attractions

http://www.archdaily.com/584225/new-city-square-in-perth-reconnects-urban-landscape-honours-an-indigenous-warrior/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKDjALi6e3I




 

Apple’s New Mothership

TGIF to the viewers!

For this week’s YEOW, we’d like to share with you the Apple Campus 2.

Check out Apple’s new corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California, scheduled to open sometime next year. The campus sits on175 acres, and houses up to 13,000 employees. The new building is circular in shape with four stories totaling 2,800,000 square feet. Read below for some of its green features:

 

Although critics charge that Apple's sleek new campus will exemplify the worst aspects of car-centered suburbia, the vision is loaded with green elements. Here are six that stand out.

1.Fruit trees

The new plan will transform an existing site almost entirely covered with buildings and asphalt into a landscape featuring almost 7,000 trees – including the apple, apricot, cherry and plum fruit trees that made San Jose's orchards thrive long before silicon was invented.

"When Apple Campus 2 is finished, 80 percent of the site will be green space, said Lisa Jackson, vice president of environmental initiative for Apple," in a video describing the project. (That's about 100 acres.) "We're maximizing the natural assets of the area. This area has a great climate, so 75 percent of the year, we won't need air conditioning or heating, we'll have natural ventilation."

2. Renewables

What's more, the campus will run entirely on renewable energy. The plan calls for about 8 megawatts of solar panels to be installed on the roof of the main, spaceship-shaped building as well as the parking structures. An unspecified number of fuel cells also will be installed, with the rest of the electricity needed for operations sourced through grid-purchased renewable energy.

Primary opposition to the site has centered on its transportation plan. To combat those criticisms, Apple has expanded its Transportation Demand Management program, emphasizing the use of bicycles, shuttles and buses that will link employees with regional public transit networks. Roughly one-third of the employees (about 5,000 people) are likely to use this option.

3. Net-zero building design

Apple's unusual four-story circular design meant to accommodate 14,200 employees has raised eyebrows, but if you look beyond the shape, the structure itself is being designed to create as much energy as it uses. There is a strong emphasis on energy-efficiency: the passive heating and cooling systems will use 30 percent less than a comparable campus. A central site will contain fuel cells, back-up generators, chillers, condenser water storage, hot water storage, an electrical substation and water and fire pumps.

4. Attention to water conservation

Attention has been paid to reducing the number of impermeable surfaces on the site. (Up to 9,240 of the parking spots, for example, will be underground so that Apple can invest in landscaping that absorbs water. A recycled water main is under consideration, and other steps have been taken to minimize water consumption by about 30 percent below a typical Silicon Valley development. Those measures include low-flow fixtures, the use of native plans and roof rainwater capture.

5. An expanded waste management program

Apple already diverts about 78 percent of the waste associated with its existing headquarters from landfills. The proposal calls for the company to recycle or reuse any construction waste; from an operations perspective, it will step up recycling from solid waste sources as well as the use of composting.

6. A sharpened focus on commuting alternatives

As part of its transportation program, the plan calls for buffered bike lanes on streets adjacent to the campus that are segregated from vehicular lanes and that also allow for bikes to pass each other. The focus will be on encouraging all employees that live within 15 minutes of the campus to use sustainable or public transportation alternatives. The site will start with 300 electric vehicle charging stations, with the built-in capacity to expand.

"By working with the local utility SRP to supply its new factory completely with additional renewable energy, such as geothermal and solar power, Apple is recognizing the importance of integrating renewables into the grid," said Noah Horowitz, senior scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Their approach starts with energy efficiency in the facility's design and operation, and then ensures the load is met by renewables; this will benefit Apple's shareholders as well as the environment."

 

Source: http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/11/19/6-proposals-will-make-apples-new-hq-super-green

From Old to New (How Historic and Modern Buildings Collide )

Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art

Location: Montreal, Canada

Client/ Owner: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Firm Name: Provencher Roy + Associés Architects

 

 

With construction of the new Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the architects at Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes have achieved a remarkable conversion of a heritage church. At a time when conservation of the religious patrimony is a challenge all over the world, this architectural intervention is an exemplary model of the genre. Its excellence has been acknowledged by the 2010 Canadian Architect Awards of Merit, the Grand Prix du design 2011, and the Prix d’excellence 2011 from the Institut de développement urbain du Québec, which, upon presentation of its award, congratulated Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes for “its thorough architectural reflection with regard to this project, its exceptional urban integration, and its design, which brings past and future together.” In 2012, the pavilion received the Award for Architectural Integration of Montreal Architectural Heritage Campains.

http://www.architectmagazine.com/projects/view/claire-and-marc-bourgie-pavilion-of-quebec-and-canadian-art/1229/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underground Passage connects all four art pavilions and allows visitors to enter the museum free of charge. This plan shows the connection between the Historic Church and the new addition.

 

 

Montreal-based practice Provencher_Roy has been selected to receive the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s (RAIC) 2015 Architectural Firm Award. Chosen for their consistent, high quality work that spans 32 years, the 150-person firm was also praised by the jury for their dedication to mentorship.

 

“Provencher_Roy was chosen for the breadth and consistently high quality of work over many years,” said the five-member jury. “They have worked with a broad range of clients and project types. The firm is recognized for its collaborative work and the excellence of its working and peer-learning environment.”

 

http://www.archdaily.com/

Land Planning in Old... "New France"

An interesting approach to land planning that was once exercised in French colonial holdings. The "Seigneurial System" or "Ribbon Farms" placed an emphasis on ensuring equitable access to roadways, waterways, and public utility access.

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The Hidden Link Between Medieval Land Parceling and Modern American Psychology

• BY TIM DE CHANT  
 
• 11.30.12  |  
 
• 3:00 PM  |  
 
• PERMALINK

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image: Google Maps satellite via Tim De Chant

The flight from Boston to Chicago isn’t the most scenic, but if you’re lucky enough to snag a window seat – no mean feat these days – study the patchwork landscape with a discerning eye. About 40 minutes into the flight, you’ll notice something a bit peculiar (at least for North America): Instead of the usual tableau of square or rectangular farmsteads, you’ll see ribbons of agronomy.

These ribbon layouts are a ghost of geography: a relic from when France parceled land in Canada back in the 1600s. What’s most intriguing to me, though, is how ribbon farms – or rather the lack thereof in much of the United States – shaped attitudes toward modern transportation, and continue to shape our psychology as a nation today.

Because with ribbon farms, the expectation is that transportation is king.

By starting with the transportation network and then building out from there, ribbon farms come with certain efficiencies. Part of their elegance is how easy it is to transport goods from them. Within a ribbon farm, moving around is a bit more difficult – the farthest part is much farther away from the house and barn than the most distant part of a square farm. Butbetween farms and markets, ribbon farms are superior. Roads running past ribbon farms can serve more addresses over the same distance; neighbors are a short walk away; cities and crossroads closer than you’d expect.

The transportation-centric layout of ribbon farms in North America traces its roots back to medieval times. When France was trying to stabilize its colonial foothold in the New World back in the 17^th century, Cardinal Richelieu (an adviser to the king and powerhouse in French politics) hatched a plan. To encourage more intensive settlement, he parceled the land similarly to the way it was divided in France: in long, thin strips oriented perpendicularly to a transportation route – which in Nouvelle France was primarily the St. Lawrence River.

Much of arable North America, however, was not allocated in ribbon farms. The Public Land Survey System carved up large portions of the United States into one square mile sections, each of which were subdivided to create farms and aggregated to form townships. Canada adopted a similar system, the Dominion Land Survey, for its prairie states.

So when the U.S. started with square farms, the process and the results were theexact opposite from ribbon farms: We plotted the farms first and then pondered the logistics. It’s therefore no surprise that Americans feel transportation should come to us instead of the other way around. We pick a place to live and then figure out how to get where we need to go. If no way exists, we build it: roads, arterials, highways, interstates … and so on.

WE PICK A PLACE TO LIVE AND THEN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET WHERE WE NEED TO GO. IF NO WAY EXISTS, WE BUILD IT…. IT’S THE AMERICAN WAY.

And it’s this quirk of geography – the shape of a typical American farm – that I believe influenced the development of the entire nation.

Here’s how: Roads snaked out to farms where they were needed, which is to say nearly everywhere. Farmsteads, and later suburban houses, were more or less evenly distributed across the landscape rather than concentrated alongside existing roadsides. In regions dominated by ribbon farms, transportation was clearly the foundation. But in much of the rest of North America, parcels were delineated first; transportation routes followed.

The fact that the farm, not the transportation, came first is important. It was a geographic case of the tail wagging the dog.

Flexible and distributed transportation networks are really the only solution compatible with this way of thinking. Trains, which rely on a strong central network, never had a chance. We were destined for the automobile all the way back in 1787, when we first decided to carve up the countryside into tidy squares.

Town, section, range. Pick your plot, worry about the details later. It’s the American way, and it’s driven the psychology of an entire nation.

Editor’s Note: An earlier, unedited version of this article appeared on the author’s blog. 

Editor: Sonal Chokshi @smc90