inspiration

now that studio is over, i’ve had a bit of time to search the web for some cool, interesting things… though my last project turned out, well, less than what i had hoped, i still loved the exciting, sleep-deprived, torturous, yet fun process. (you may ask how is that possible? well i don’t know but it is…) i think about what type of designer i want to be.. what paradigm can drive my work? what values do i promote? what style suits me? i find inspiration from a variety of places and i think it would be cool to start compiling sources…

theo jansen [kinetic sculptor]

“the worlds between art and engineering exist only in our minds..” (click to see a neat BMW clip)

i love the work of theo jansen. his sculptures are amazing, really like living creatures. what impresses me most is not just the mechanical innovation, but how the design process is structured around the biological principle of evolution. his idea was initially conceived as a computer program where virtual four-legged creatures evolved according to genetic algorithms subject to natural selection. i think an important area of technological innovation is understanding not just the form but the processes of organic life… we think of technologies like solar panels, wind turbines as being innovative, but they are just the beginning… i feel like there are many more dynamic possibilities…

i wish i would have said…

the more i look into the idea of a mussel garden, the more i like it. here are a couple quotes of why i think it’s important, especially in the louisiana ecology:

No other country in the world equals the United States in freshwater mussel variety. While all of Europe supports only 12 species, nearly 300 kinds live here, mostly within the vast watershed of the Mississippi River.

The freshwater mussels are among the most endangered organisms in North America. About 3% of the North American fauna is extinct and nearly 50% of the species are considered endangered.
[US Fish & Wildlife Service: "Discover Freshwater Mussels, America's Hidden Treasure."]

To date, 31 different States have reported production of freshwater pearls and shell… The bulk of the shell and pearl production came from Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana.
[USGS: SP-14-95, "Pearls."]

um.. something happened… the world’s largest section?

so, as you all witnessed, my project did not turn out quite the way i wanted. i worked very hard on my model (which i thought turned out ok) and that consumed most of my time. my plan and section were poorly rendered and my diagrams weren’t rendered at all. (and how did i not realize something was amiss with the scale of my section until i printed it out? shouldn’t the 144″ paper width have been a warning? i guess that is what a week of no sleep does to the senses…) i had high hopes for this project and i still really believe in my concept, but my representation didn’t come to fruition… it’s frustrating to put your heart and soul into something and have nothing to show for it. i know i need to find a way to work better in studio. i am hoping over the summer to improve my photoshop/illustrator/sketchup skills, so i can use the programs more efficiently. i feel like i want to take more graphic design courses so i can communicate my ideas more quickly. then i can work through more details/iterations of a design…

pearl garden

i am having a last minute design shift. instead of hydroponic gardens at the east end of the site, how about aquaculture tanks for mussels growing up the highway columns? i think they could have stronger connection to my wetland ecology theme, and would be tons more interesting. there could be interactive areas where kids come and fish out a mussel and pry it open for a cultured pearl. wouldn’t that be fun? (i did something similar on a childhood vacation to hawaii..) and it would reinforce the function of the overpass as an armature for these interesting ecologies. some types of mussel aquaculture is actually done in a similar way on pilings:

bouchots

can’t you just see these sprouting up under the perkins row overpass?

the cool.

so i am finally posting a bunch of my previously half finished blogs from the past couple weeks. i hope some of the technical information is useful in starting to understand the specifics of designing constructed wetlands…

i have been getting really interested in some of the technological developments in materials like concrete, fabric, etc. that might be cool to implement in our perkins underpass design. the book, transmaterial 2, by blaine brownell (with the associated transstudio) has been a good source of inspiration.

some cool stuff:

light-transmitting concrete

by LiTraCon

translucent concrete that can be lit through the embedded optical fiber layers. (won 2008 IF design award.)

chronos chromos concrete

by chromastone

concrete which can display information using embedded glass fibers and thermochromatic pigments. still in development phase.

superabsorber- sound, light, and air-pollution absorbing highway barrier system

by fieldoffice

river glow- network of floating pods with public interface to water quality

by the living

several floating pods serve as water quality monitors and produces a different colored “ethereal cloud of light” depending on concentration of contaminants detected. device consists of pH probe, bright LEDs, uncoated fiber optic strands, and photovolatic cells.

gore tenara kt- 3D moldable ptfe fabric

by w. l. gore & associates

this more rigid architectural fabric is made from 100% polytetrafluroethylene (pfte) which enables its use in sculptural elements. fabric is UV and water resistant. (by the makers of gore-tex.)

just for fun: (this is what we need at LSU)

augmented round table for architecture & planning

by fraunhofer IT

3D digital interface for your next studio project.

[

stormwater management- constructed wetlands

Constructed Wetlands:
All wastewater treatment systems rely on bacteria to breakdown effluent in the water. Constructed wetlands function by providing a unique ecology- through plant material and other physical medium- which the bacteria inhabits. Constructed Wetlands can be used to treat a wide array of wastewater sources: from stormwater runoff to municipal wastewater/sewage, agricultural runoff, livestock waste, and industrial waste.

There are 2 general types of constructed wetlands: free water surface & subsurface flow. As you can imagine, wastewater flows over emergent vegetation with the water surface exposed in the former, while the water flows beneath a planted aggregate (gravel, etc.) bed in the latter.

The following is how some sites have been using these technologies, from the book Living Systems: Innovative Materials and Technologies for Landscape Architecture by Liat Margolis and Alexander Robinson (which is pretty interesting).

1. Stormwater Garden
Blackstone Power Plant Renovation (Harvard University, Cambridge MA)
Landworks Studio, Inc.

The designers envisioned the stormwater garden as a sculptural expression of water movement across the landscape, where ‘landforms of positive and negative relief’ orchestrate water flow from high points to low point of collection and conveyance.

Project consists of two separate courtyards, Common Courtyard and Albro Courtyard, to emphasize positive relief (landforms) and negative relief (bioswales), respectively. Albro Courtyard contains a 30×100’ linear cell set 3’ below grade which retains 1’-1.25’ surface runoff for 72 hours. The cell is layered with 3” of mulch atop 4’ of soil atop 1’ of sand.

2. Networked Sidewalk Stormwater System
SW 12th Avenue Green Street Project, (Portland, OR)
Portland Bureau of Environmental Services

Distributing hydrological performance through a network, the project compresses the stormwater planters in size and finds more room for pedestrians, on-street parking, landscaping, street lighting, and signage.

The project consists of a series of four 4×17’ planters set 9” below grade surrounded by a 4” curb. The system was sized to handle 60% of SW 12 street run-off (180,000 gal annually). The planters were filled with native soils amended with an equal mix of sand, compost, and screened loam. Native Grooved Rush and Tupelo were planted for their water absorption and drought resistance. The project won an ASLA General Design Award of Honor in 2006.

3. Cleansing Biotopes
DaimlerChrystler Plaza, (Berlin, Germany)
Atelier Dreiseitl

The cleansing biotopes are a form of constructed wetlands that are particularly effective for stormwater treatment. This effectiveness stems from their fast water circulation and highly efficient metabolism of excess nutrients.

In order to treat run-off from surrounding roofs, the design collects stormwater in an open-air water feature. The cistern holds 35,000 cf and is circulated through a sequence of biotopes within three days. The biotopes are planted in a relatively shallow sand-mineral mix that is non-organic, low-nutrient, and highly-porous. The filter substrate consist of three layers- 90% sand, 5% mineral additives, and 5% lava rock.

4. On-Site Sewage Treatment System
Sidwell Friends School, (Washington, DC)
Andropogon Associates + Kieran Timberlake Associates + Natural Systems International

The multiple mechanisms are integrated into both the landscape and architecture, and leveraged into a system that enhances the character and operation of both.

The terraced wetlands serves as a site for wastewater treatment, an outdoor courtyard, classroom, and diverse habitat. Sewage from the building undergoes primary treatment underground and then circulates through a series of reed beds n the courtyard. A trickle and sand filter provide further treatment. The treated water is then used back in the building to serve flush toilets. The system receives 3,000 gal/day and takes four to six days to circulate the wastewater before discharge.

constructed wetlands- living machines

LIVING MACHINES

The Living Machine is a series of wastewater treatment cells initially designed by John Todd Ecological Design, Inc. Living machines are a series of various cells that treat wastewater in several stages.

The system is generally defined by the following biologic treatment phases:

1. Anaerobic settling tank (underground). Suspended solids precipitate to the bottom of the tank reducing turbidity. Anaerobic bacteria begin treatment process.
2. Series of aerobic tanks. Series of closed or open tanks house various organisms- aerobic bacteria, fungi, plants, snails, clams, or fish- to break down effluent.
a. Photosynthetic algae begin process by fixing oxygen in anoxic water thus providing oxygen and food (dead algae) for subsequent bacteria.
b. Bacterial communities continue to immobilize contaminants and convert nutrients (nitrogen is key). Nitrosomonas (for example) converts ammonia to nitrites, which other bacteria and plants can then process. Denitrifying bacteria convert these nitrites into nitrates which is volatized in open tank.
c. Higher plant material provides filamentous root system for microbes to live in. Water hyacinth, bulrush and other macrophytes sequester heavy metals.
d. Zooplankton consume suspended solids too small for conventional treatment and act as key trophic link since they are food source for filter-feeding fish and mollusks.
e. Aquaculture can occur after eutrophication-causing contaminants have been removed. Detritus feeding fish consume larger particles of the suspended biosolids. Herbivorous fish can be placed in separate cell to avoid consuming useful macrophytes.
f. Mollusks process large amounts of water and consume more suspended biosolids. For example, one Anodonta freshwater clam can filter as much as 40 litres/day of water and remove 99.5% of the suspended solids.

That was perhaps a bit more detailed than necessary for our design purposes, but I think it is interesting (and hopefully useful) to understand the various biologic elements and what functions they provide.

Hybrid Living Machine

This system combines two wetland technologies- horizontal and tidal flow wetlands. Horizontal subsurface flow wetlands are a simple, long-established system where water flows horizontally across an aggregate-filled cell. Tidal flow wetlands utilize a fill-and-drain technology with special media to increase treatment efficacy and final effluent quality. The hybrid system combines the two systems with a hydraulic control/pump structure to enhance BOD (biological oxygen demand→ chemical procedure that determines how fast biological organisms use up O2 in water), TSS (Total Suspended Solids → organic & inorganic particulate matter in water), and nitrogen removal.

Benefits of this hybrid system are:
- 50% smaller footprint than traditional subsurface flow wetlands
- no clarifier cell and thus no residual sludge (waste bacterial material) to remove
- energy cost is 20% of equivalent activated sludge system

my humps my humps my humps…

i’ve been thinking about our overpass project and it seems one of the bigger challenges to circulation is the traffic zooming down perkins road. it really makes crossing between the bars/restaurants difficult. (probably more so the longer you’ve been at aforementioned establishments.) so i was looking for more information about the design of intersections and i found some interesting video clips. it might be a bit more for the granola crowd, but i found interesting some of the ideas behind it: how people make a thruway a space you can inhabit, how roads become intersections of community instead of division…

intersection repair

there is a good webpage at the project for public spaces which gives some good traffic calming ideas.

1. diagonal parking

2. widen sidewalks/narrow streets

3. bulbs/chokers/neckdowns

4. raised medians

5. road humps/tables

6. pavement changes/rumble strips

**side note: parking day**

i also came across this cool idea- parking day in NYC. haven’t you always to stand with your bare feet in the grass on 6th ave in times square?

it’s a cool way to reappropriate car space for pedestrians. while perhaps not totally practical as implemented, the installation shows the benefit of designing small green spaces in the nooks and crannies of urban fabric. ..

“once in a while, everyone should stop and smell the roses.. even if they are fake.”

underpass ecology

so i have been thinking more about the idea of the highway structure as an ecosystem. how do the structural components create various microniches? the steel beam rafters function as bird or bat habitat, the columns function as trellises for emergent vegetation and trees.. the rainspouts could support some wetland plants if the water was contained in some way.. the open land on either side can support wildflower and trees as succession proceeds…

phenomenology of the underpass

i think the perkins row underpass will be a cool project. the although the area has its definite challenges- 1,000 lb semi-tractor trailers running rhythmically overhead, for instance- it feels promising. like there is a certain energy about the site. i like that the area is a very in-between space. it is difficult, but holds the potential of re-envisioning something new where you didn’t think anything could work.

as i begin to experience and observe the site, several things become immediately apparent:

1. sound

i thought that the heavy, dark structure of the highway overhead would be the most overwhelming sense, but it was actually the noise. the repetitive din of the cars and trucks on the highway fill up the experience of the area. it feels like that loudness is the biggest challenge of the site… so i think: how can sound be mapped? through a recording of decible levels in different spots at different times of the day? what is the textural/tonal quality, and how does this affect the space? the way people behave? i think the effects of sound could be quite interesting. there have been lots of investigations into how sounds affects mood and behavior. i know in various medical/religious traditions, certain tones have certain healing powers. was a great radio lab edition about the effects of music too (1913 riots to stravinskey’s “rite of spring”)… anyway, i think it would also be interesting to explore how auditory data can be expressed graphically. (our textbook has some amazing examples of this…)

2. light

obviously, the light and its various permutations have a huge impact on how the site is experienced. i thought the different geometries created under the highway and the temporal reflections were really interesting. the shafts and spaces of light sort of remind me of a kaliadascope. it seems like the space is waiting for a glass house or some sort of structure to magnify that quality… i think looking at the way light moves through the area would be interesting- where it falls, how it connects places, what spaces it creates.

3. concrete pillars

i actually like the columns of the highway. they sort of can be seen as a massive urban trellis. all the emergent vegetation concentrates around their looming structure: vines and grasses sprout up against the round supports, even a tree has established itself. i can see the hanging gardens of babylon here. (i know that may sound really cheesy.) i also noticed that birds seem to like the I-beams. certain areas seem to have particularly enviable nesting sites as evidenced by their striated swaths of droppings below. the pillars and surrounding flora and fauna make me think about how the highway is embedded in and connects or divides the surrounding landscape. it seems like the traffic congestion and concrete superstructure fragments the space, but it can also be seen as a huge piece of infrastructure which connects as well. like a giant zipper or something.

4. traffic whizzing by

what can you say but there is a lot of it. cars and trucks overhead, speeding by, around, and through. the experience of traffic here is very strong. i am sure the flows change at different times of the day, perhaps year as well. it would be interesting to look at how the site is accessed by vehicles and how its uses are shaped and perhaps limited by the current circulation patterns. it seems that the primary function of this area is storing cars at the moment. how can this function be preserved while creating viable space for other activities?