INTEGRATION OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

AT A NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE

Summary Description of

Master of Architecture Thesis Project

Mike Binder

University of Maryland

School of Architecture

Fall 2006

PROJECT INTRODUCTION In the last century, the large scale industrial processes employed by most developed countries throughout the world have created a serious pollution problem which now threatens the global ecosystem that sustains all life on our planet. Citizens of the modern world have lost touch with the infrastructure that serves them. Energy, water and other vital resources arrive at our doorsteps as if by magic. Few of us ever witness the immediate damage that our lifestyles create. It has been hidden from us for decades but now the slow poisoning of our environment has become apparent. Even though many people now acknowledge the damage we are causing, they feel powerless to stop it. They are told that it is just the price they must pay for the benefits this infrastructure bestows. People are beginning to realize that it is their children and grandchildren who will have to bear the true repercussions. This thesis project begins to explore one path to mitigate and reverse the damage we are causing to the environment. It explores the creation of a network of small, distributed stormwater and wastewater treatment plants, using natural processes and powered primarily by the sun. Distributed solar electric power generation for domestic use is also considered. This exploration takes the form of a design for a single urban neighborhood. The intention is to show how our urban centers can be incrementally reshaped to create a sustainable infrastructure on a regional level. Instead of hiding the infrastructure that serves us, the design seeks to celebrate the regenerative power of nature when used wisely.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE CITY Although many sustainable projects have been proposed in rural settings, relatively few have been set in an urban context. Because of the high density of people, cars, energy consumption and industry, cities can take a heavy toll on the natural environment in their vicinity. The high population density of cities, however, also implies more efficient land use than the same number of people in a suburban setting would (suburban sprawl). The obvious challenge is to find ways of making cities more sustainable.

SITE SELECTION Many different sites were considered for this project. A neighborhood in Northwest Washington DC was selected for several reasons. The neighborhood has a history of failed attempts at urban renewal and is already slated for redevelopment as a mixed use, mixed-income project. This presents an opportunity to make major changes throughout the site. The site is within a mile of the Capitol Building. It is a sad state of affairs when such a blighted area can persist this close to the very symbol of American democracy and power. Redeveloping the neighborhood as a clean, sustainable and largely self-sufficient community can have a symbolism as powerful. Washington DC, for all its traffic congestion, also has a very good public transportation infrastructure that the new community can utilize. Numerous bus connect the neighborhood to the rest of the city, and a newly completed Metro (rapid transit train) station has recently opened within a ten minute walk of the site. The community has several strong anchor institutions, including several churches, public and private schools.

SITE DESIGN The site for this project was the entire neighborhood, consisting of about 49 acres bordered by North Capitol Street, New Jersey Avenue, New York Avenue and K Street. The intention was to create a network of greenways connecting residential, retail (mixed-use), and civic areas. In addition to circulation, the greenways would serve as recreation areas and as part of the stormwater management system: collecting, filtering and allowing infiltration of rainwater. Rooftop gardens (green roofs) would connect to the greenways, creating a planted landscape on multiple levels and helping to further moderate the urban 'heat-island effect' (parking is primarily underground and on-street). Drawing the resident and visitor through this system of greenways is a series of 'lanterns', so named for their role as navigation and orientation aids. These landmarks are actually components of the water management system as well: Some are towers to store recycled greywater, some are pavilions that house aquatic plans which process wastewater for the community, some are fountains filled with water cleaned on site. Stormwater management is especially important in an urban area like downtown Washington DC, which still has combined stormwater and sanitary sewers. When stormwater runoff is very high, it can cause raw sewage to flow into the streets and the Potomac River. Systems like those described here can help prevent this by holding the water from sudden heavy rains and releasing it slowly.

WAYFINDING / AXES The greenways, bioswales and landmarks lead visitors entering the neighborhood from downtown DC and the Metro station to the Neighborhood Solar Regeneration Center (NSRC), which is the centerpiece of the project. Throughout the community, the intention of the site design is to make the infrastructure beautiful and to celebrate it, not hide it. This serves as a constant reminder to people, both residents and visitors, of the impact we make on the environment, the power of nature to sustain us when properly managed, and to give hope.

DISTRIBUTED POWER In addition to water treatment, the community is designed as a solar power cooperative. All new buildings, including rowhouses, have extensive rooftop solar arrays. Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) extend this power-generating capability to the facades of the larger buildings, while all new construction is sited to take advantage of passive solar heating and natural ventilation. Existing buildings that are to be saved will be retrofitted to the greatest degree possible with solar panels as well, while still respecting the architectural form of the buildings.

NSRC BUILDING DESIGN The Neighborhood Solar Regeneration Center (NSRC) is sited at the convergence of the bioswale networks, adjacent to a new area with restaurants and cafes, and directly across a new civic plaza from Mt Airey Church. EXTERIOR FORM The building consists of two large arched vaults in glass, with a valley between them. The form was chosen as a response to the diverse technical, cultural and aesthetic roles of the building. It is evocative of the building's industrial purpose, but intended to fit within the urban residential context as well. The translucent glass envelope provides natural light to sustain the plants, which in turn purify wastewater for much of the community. The curvature of the roof provides surfaces appropriate for BIPV (solar cells) which provide electricity to the building and create a pattern of dappled light suggestive of a tree canopy. The building's mass respects the scale of the buildings around it, striking a delicate balance between being part of the neighborhood and yet celebrating its civic and symbolic roles. The front-piece of the building, facing the church, is a clear glass box that houses and highlights the mechanical components of the facility while giving us a view of the garden that awaits visitors inside. The lower portion of the building's exterior is clad in terracotta panels, providing a strong connection of the building to the ground in a material that reflects the red brick façade of Mt Airey Church and other neighborhood landmarks.

INTERIOR FORM The basic parti for the interior is that of an elevated garden, supported by concrete pillars, columns and waffle-slabs, covered by a steel canopy of curved trusses and enclosed in a skin of glass and terracotta. The concrete platform steps down to create a series of terraces, facilitating the flow of water as it is processed through the tanks holding aquatic plants that purify it as it flows through the building. This system has been pioneered by a company called Dharma Living Systems. It requires no harmful chemicals and is virtually odor free. The plants in these tanks are intermixed with decorative species to create a beautiful indoor garden space. Especially in the winter, this garden space will act as a tranquil oasis for residents, providing an amenity as well as purifying the communities waste water

Photo of a Living Machine Tank in Greenhouse

CIRCULATION & PROCESS Entering the building on the north, the visitor has an option to walk up through 'the machine', following the flow of the water as it is processed and down through the garden, or upward through the garden. They can see and understand all the components of the process and the evolution of the water toward its purified state. The clean effluent of the garden cascades into pools inside and outside the building, including a fountain located at the intersection of the main bioswales. From there, the water is pumped to the top of these swales for final filtration, to sustain the plants and to allow infiltration into the ground. A small portion of the water is pumped to a water tower at the top of the community site to be used as domestic greywater (non-potable) such as toilet flushing and irrigation.

A PART OF THE COMMUNITY Sheltered by the concrete terraces, the building also houses civic and formal education functions. The top terrace shelters a large auditorium for community meetings and other events. The lower terrace covers an educational lab where students and other visitors can learn more about the natural purification process, solar power and other sustainable technologies. The building's functions can all be monitored and displayed here, reinforcing the educational experience. The terraces also shelter offices for the staff, restrooms, mechanical spaces and so on. These spaces are all conditioned while the garden is only mechanically and naturally ventilated.

CONCLUDING REMARKS This thesis project begins to explore how infrastructure can be integrated with the fabric of the city, distributing these facilities instead of centralizing them. Integration demands technologies that provide safe and beautiful solutions to our material needs. The architect of this design does not pretend that it solves all the problems or answers all the questions associated with such a fundamental change in the way we live. It is the author's intention to raise these issues for further consideration by those policy-makers, architects and engineers who will shape our environment in the 21st century and beyond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike Binder performed the work described here as his thesis project for the Master of Architecture degree at the University of Maryland - College Park during the Spring and Fall of 2006. The project received the Thesis Prize for the Fall Semester. Architecture is a second career for Mike; he also holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in Physics from the University of Wisconsin, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He worked for 15 years in the aerospace industry before deciding to enter the field of Architecture. This decision was motivated by a desire to combine his technical experience with his creative interests and to make a contribution in the area of sustainable design. Mike is interested in pursuing professional opportunities working on projects related to the principles demonstrated in his thesis project. Mike wishes to express his gratitude to his faculty advisors, Brian Kelly, Gary Bowden and Carl Bovill for their guidance, as well as to his classmates for their help in completing this work. Most of all, Mike wishes to recognize his wife, Martha Wetherholt, for her unwavering support and love during the three and a half years required to obtain his degree. Mike Binder can be reached by e-mailing to mbinder@reality-alt.com A full copy of Mike's thesis document- entitled "Integration of Sustainable Infrastructure at a Neighborhood Scale" - is available from the University of Maryland archive website cited below. This document mostly contains background research regarding the architectural precedents, site selection, description of program and so on, with relatively little detail about the final design, however. https://drum.umd.edu/dspace/handle/1903/2

REFERENCES The following web links provided useful information in the area of sustainable design Adam J. Lewis Environmental Study Center – Oberlin College website – www.oberlin.edu/ajlc/ajlcHome.html Rocky Mountain Institute website www.rmi.org Melbourne Water website www.melbournewater.com.au On-site Water website http://www.onsitewater.com/ow_0603_growing.html FindHorn Ecovillage website http://www.ecovillagefindhorn.com/biological/tech.php Living Designs Group website http://www.livingdesignsgroup.com/home/ The following articles and books provided valuable assistance during the development of this thesis. Many of these documents were found through web searches and did not contain adequate bibliographic data to cite other sources of publication, if any exist. Since the source URLs were not documented (the documents were downloaded instead), the author can only suggest doing a similar search using keywords and names found below. Binder, M., "Integration of Sustainable Infrastructure at a Neighborhood Scale", M.Arch Thesis Document, University of Maryland, Fall 2006. available online through the university's archival system website https://drum.umd.edu/dspace/handle/1903/2 Schwartz, N., “A Neighborhood’s Story”, Voice of the Hill, March 2003, pp. 12-15. Testimony of Ellen McCarthy, Director-Office of Planning, DC City Government Public Oversight Hearing on the Sursum Corda / Northwest One Redevelopment Project, November 16, 2005. Steiner,F., “Natural Interferences”, Landscape Architecture, Vol. 90, No. 11, November 2000. U.S. EPA, 2001. “The ‘Living Machine’ Wastewater Treatment Technology: An Evaluation of Performance and System Cost”. EPA 832-R-01-004. Groves, W. et.al. "Analysis of Bioswale Efficiency for Treating Surface Runoff", Masters Thesis, University of California - Santa Barbara (undated). Todd, J., "The design of Living Technologies for waste treatment", Ecological Engineering, No. 6, 1996.

Melnik, A., "Feasibility Analysis of a Living Machine for ES2", November 2004. Lovins,A., "Valuing Decentralized Wastewater Technologies", Rocky Mountain Institute, November 2004. Pinkham, R., "21st Century Water Systems - Scenarios, Visions, and Drivers", Rocky Mountain Institute, 1999. "Manual - Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewater Treatment", EPA, EPA/625/R-99/022, September 2000. "Constructed Wetland Systems - Design Guide for Developers", Melbourne Water, November 2005. "Design of Stormwater Wetland Systems - Guidelines for Creating Diverse and Effective Stormwater Wetland Systems in the Mid-Atlantic Region", Anacostia Restoration Team, Department of Environmental Programs, Metropolitan Council of Governments, September 1997. Daigger, G., "Develop a Building Block Strategy in Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Design", CDM, 2006.