murky waters
Design Thinking spring 2012 Alec Perkins Advisor Ben Fehrmann TA Gina Gage
It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind.
The Fourth reached out his eager hand, And felt about the knee. "What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain," quoth he, "'Tis clear enough the Elephant Is very like a tree!"
The First approach'd the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl: "God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can, This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried, -"Ho! what have we here So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Then, seizing on the swinging tail That fell within his scope, "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a rope!"
The Third approached the animal, And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: "I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a snake!"
And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong
concept origins
THE ATLAS DETECTOR AT CERN IN GENEVA
I found something compelling in these four images which I wanted to bring into my architecture, so I began to dig into what they all held in common: An investigation of the world, especially the more fundamental systems of the world. making explicit a relationship between a person and the larger thing, architecture of discovery and excitement and potential, scale as a tool to provide perspective.
SKY SUITE IN ARCOSANTI, ARIZONA
BOARDWALK IN AN ASPEN FOREST
these are all observatories,
ABANDONED COUCH IN SOUTHERN PHOENIX, ARIZONA
where you go to look at something, to understand a bigger picture, to place something in context.
You are here
From the moment we are born, we begin the life-long process of attempting to understand how we relate to the outside world. Bit by bit, we learn about our immediate environment and gradually seek wider and wider frames of reference. Fundamentally, I am speaking of the process of gaining perspective- how we percieve the relation of ourselves to the rest of the world.
Often, where the frame of reference is beyond what can be readily seen, we resort to forms of representation to give us perspective, but this can be many times removed from the object of perspective itself, diluting it, and opening it to distorition.
on the necessity of observatories
Even though no one has ever seen our galaxy in a single view, and even though our location in it is possibly the least useful piece of information we can have, we still so strongly desire to find out where we are, how we fit into the larger scheme of things, that we’ll make it up. The accuracy doesn’t matter- the perpsective does.
observatories
We stand under a starry sky and look up. People used to think it was all decorative. Then astronomical observatories isolated and magnifed those views, and radically changed our entire percpetion of the universe. I still think the starry sky is decorative, but it is now much more enriched with meaning, knowing that I am looking deep into time, and feeling the yawning distance of vast interstellar space.
SUBJECT
OBJECT
SUBJECT
OBJECT
There is a manifold relationship between subjects and objects, millions of threads, some invisible and unknown, of varying importance linking everything together. The act of observation is the isolation and mangnification of a select few strands. When we see with our eyes, we constrain our vision and mentally blind ourselves to what we do not wish to see. When we listen to a conversation, we block out other conversations, noises.
observatories FRAME (ARCHITECTURE)
ADD
REMOVE
MOVE
Δ SUBJECT PERSPECTIVE
OBJECT
TRANSLATE
Δ SUBJECT PERCEPTION
concerning perspective
architectural cognative
1 a : the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance. 2 b : a picture in perspective a : the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed also : point of view 3 b : the capacity to view things in thier true relations or relative importance a : a visible scene; especially : one giving a distinctive impression of a distance : vista b : a mental view or prospect 4 : the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions.
Armlandia?
‘Atlas Shrugged’
OBSERVATORY ENGAGED
disengage
OBSERVATION
perspective
The observatory as the bridge between cognative perspective (outlook) and spatial perspective (the wide view). We carry our world with us, and we are embedded in it. Observatories are places of disengagement, where the world and our relation to it is held up to scrutiny.
NEW ENGAGEMENT
observer perception For architecture to function as an observatory, there must first be an observer willing to focus thier attention on something, and willing to comprehend what they are observing. The most basic architectural observatory is the peep hole, which consists of a space in front of a door, an observer, and a small hole for looking out. What can be ascertained through a peephole is fairly limited to visual recognition of people directly outside the door. The more abigous the framing by the observatory, the less functional it becomes. (and of course, the depth of the observation is dependant upon the observers capacity for that depth.)
If one believes quantum physisist Richard Feynman, then there are observatories and insights into the secret natural systems all around us:
Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.
He might have been paraphrasing Tennyson:
Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies;— Hold you here, root and all, in my hand, Little flower—but if I could understand What you are, root and all, and all in all, I should know what God and man is.
Any given observatory would seem to create a condition where the depth and utlity of the insight is proportional to its ambiguity. The ideal observatory would be a vertical line, where at any given point of depth or utiltiy, the validity and truth of it were manifest.
FLOWER IN A CRANNIED WALL BUDDHIST ENLIGHTENMENT
THE NATURE OF MAN AND GOD
HIGGS BOSON DETECTOR AT CERN
COURSE OF CIVILIZATION
HUMAN MORTALITY
DEPTH / UTILITY
RESILLIANCY OF NATURE DECAY OF ALL THINGS
NEIGHBORHOOD NOT DOING WELL WALLS CRACK OVER TIME TAROT READER IT’S A FLOWER IN A CRACKED WALL
AMBIGUITY
formal city observatories
SAINT LOUIS ARCH
MISSISSIPPI RIVER OVERLOOK
While there are two publically accessible observatory towers in the city, the Mississippi river remains invisible until one is nearly on it. The most revealing observatory of the city is its mass transit systems: it lays bare not only the urban form, but also the social form.
MONK’S MOUND, CAHOKIA
RIVERFRONT TRAIL
DANFORTH CAMPUS
METROLINK LINE
CHAIN OF ROCKS BRIDGE
ELEVATED FREEWAY
informal city observatories
observing the north, a hypothetical tower
INCOME DONUT MAP OF ST.LOUIS VIA RADICALCARTOGRAPHY.NET
St.Louis is conceived as a line, roughly linking downtown Clayton- U. City- Forest Park- Central West End- Grand arts district- downtown- arch grounds. A towering spire in north St.Louis would be a visceral reminder that the city exends north as well as east and west, and could be used as an observation platform for looking at the rest of the city, the river, east St.Louis.
You are Here
‘ o day and night, but this is wonderous strange! ’
N O RT H - T H E OT H E R CA R D I N A L P O I N T O B S E RVAT I O N TOW E R - TOW E R O B S E RVAT I
? E/W AXIS / ACCESS OF POWER
?
observatory on the river
An observatory on the river would put the river into context with the city. The river, which is literally hidden from view until one is nearly upon it, is literally the lifeline of the city, intertwined in numerous ways, yet goes unnoticed in its secret tributaries and branches. This project is about the observatory of the river and the secret, latent information it carries.
The city of St.Louis pulls its water from two whimsical towers located on the Mississippi river upriver from the city, but downriver from the confluence of the Missouri river. The two towers are sentinals, iconic landmarks on the river.
wtf
lol
Camera Obscura
Jantar Mantar Celestial Observatory
The camera obscura uses a pinhole or lens to project the scene from a tiny vantage point onto an interior surface. It was the origin of the modern camera, and it is the architectural features, pinhole, projecting wall, which make up this instrument of observation.
This is a historic observatory built in Mughal India in the 1700s, a collection of solar, lunar, and stellar devices for the determination of auspicious dates in the Islamic calendar. What is most compelling is that these observatories all work purely by architecture which puts the observer in direct connection to the object or event.
precedent studies
Blackpool High Tide Organ Laim Curtain
Flow Owl Project + Ed Carter
More sculptural than architectural, this organ uses tuned pipes which resonate with the air pushed in by the changing tides. During storms, the tones are aggressive and wild, and gentler weather produces softer tones.
A floating tidemill in the UK uses the power of the river tides to generate acoustic musical sounds. The sounds produced “respond directly to the ever-changing state of the river. The sounds created by each instrument can also be manipulated by visitors to the millhouse.�
I have been searching for two types of precedents: observatories which translate a variable environmental condition into a more easily understood form, and those which use the architecture as the instrument of observation.
Neuage Vert [green cloud] HeHe
RiverPulse BAFAE
This project uses a thermal camera to map the hottest part of a coal plant exhaust plume, then re-maps the boundaries of that heat on the steam of the plume with laser light. The size of the plume is supposed to be proportional to the energy supply of the city, so this is a way of feeding back to the city its current energy demand.
This installation has a series of probes in a river which monitor five characteristics- temperature, oxygen content, turbidity, flow, and electrical conductivity. The variations in these data control one variable in the projected “wave reflection� (e.g. the warmer the water gets, image becomes more red).
precedent studies
Amphibious Architecture GSAPP This interactive installation in NYC waterways is a series of sensors which monitor water quality, fish, and human interest in the river, and convey this information via lights. The system responds to SMS texts to fish to create a feedback loop, linking the river, people, and fish together.
Nat’l Great Rivers Research + Education Center This a center whichResarch, combinesLewis public +education and Nat’lisGreat Rivers Clark CC outreach with river and riparian reasearch. The program is sited by the river, with direct taps from the river leading into the wet laboratories.
observing the river INDUSTRIAL
FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION
HISTORIC
TRACE OF FOUNDATION OF CITY PATH OF EXPLORATION AND DOMINATION
INFRASTRUCTURAL
POWER PLANT COOLANT TRANSPORTATION OF ENERGY PROVIDES POTABLE WATER FOR CITY CARRIES AWAY WASTEWATER
URBANISTIC
IMAGE OF THE CITY DEFINES CITY EDGES DEFINES STATE BOUNDARIES INT’L WATERS NEUTRALITY (CASINOS+DUELS)
ECOLOGICAL
MIGRATORY BIRD PATHS RIPARIAN ZONE BENEFITS (?) DRAINS WATERSHEDS
BILLINGS
DENVER
MINNEAPOLIS
OMAHA
CHICAGO
KANSAS CITY
river as a national/natural observatory When the Mississippi river passes through St.Louis, it has collected water from a huge portion of the United States, including several of the largest cities. These cities leave traces in the water- treated sewage, raw sewage, runoff from streets and argricultural fields, and industrial waste. Beyond human traces, there are also natural and geological traces in the river- sediment, silica, natural radioactive isotopes. With the aid of ever-more sensitive analysis equipment, these traces can be read, extracted, and analyzed.
SAINT LOUIS
“ I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. “
drugs and sex (and antibiotics) in the water In a 2005 study at Italian wastewater treatment plants, researchers discovered very large quanities of the byproducts of cocaine use, equivilant to 40,000 monthly doses of cocaine for the residents of the Po river valley. This was nearly three times the government estimated usage. Interestingly, continous sampling and analysis yielded the daily, weekly, and monthy cycles of cocaine use in the valley. The water treatment plant transformed into an observatory of Italian drug culture. But there are other chemicals in the water more difficult to remove than cocaine byproducts and with potentially much more impact on our bodies and ecosystems. As the US has become a heavy user of pharmacueticals, these drugs have entered the waste streams and waterways, as they can be highly resistant to traditional wastewater treatment and water purificiation. Science has only begun recently to research what effects this is having on human populations, but many studies have occurred, for example, noting the feminization of fish popuations as artificial estrogen levels increase in worldwide water supplies. As water supplies diminish in the US, and several municipalities begin augmenting thier fresh water supply directly with treated wastewater, a trend which can only increase given climate change, the quantities and effects of residual pharmaceuitucals become critically important. Additionally, the long term effects of increased antibiotics in waterways is terrifyingly unknown as we transform the environment into a breeding ground for multiple-antibiotic resistant diseases.
NO CONSPIRACY, BUT OUR PRECIOUS BODILY (AND PLANETARY) FLUIDS ARE THREATENED BY AN EQUALLY SUBVERSIVE FORCES OPERATING UNDER THE PUBLIC RADAR
“Zuccato and his co-researchers decided they could use standard lab techniques to test entire cities or regions and get a rough idea of the level of cocaine use. Statistics about drug use are notoriously inaccurate, given that drug users don’t generally like to fill out surveys. Since chemistry doesn’t lie, this method offers a direct way of measuring how much coke is actually being used.” Leahy, Stephen. “Rivers of Coke” WIRED MAGAZINE. 8/5/2005
“A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.” “People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue”. Donn, Jeff; Mendoza, Martha; Pritchard, Justin. Associated Press. “AP: Drugs Found in Drinking water” USA TODAY 3/10/2008
“Waste-treatment facilities can become ‘selection machines for drug-resistant bacteria.’”
“The drug industry sold $773 billion worth of drugs worldwide in 2008, more than double the amount sold in 2000, and with an aging population and ever-cheaper manufacturing, pharmaceutical production is expected to grow 4 to 7 percent annually until at least 2013. Americans bring home more than 10 prescription drugs per capita per year, consuming an estimated 17 grams of antibiotics alone — more than three times the per capita rate of consumption in European countries such as Germany. U.S. livestock consume even more, with farmers dispensing 11,000 metric tons of antimicrobial medications every year, mainly to promote the growth of animals. Drugging our bodies inevitably drugs our environment, too, as many medications can pass through our bodies and waste treatment facilities virtually intact. And it is difficult to predict where and how unexpectedly vulnerable creatures may accrue potentially toxic doses.” Shah, Sonia. “As Pharmaceutical Use Soars, Drugs Taint Water and Wildlife” Yale Enviornment 360. 4/15/2010
observing what slips through Antibiotics, endocrine inhibitors, estrogen and estrogen mimics, and mood-altering drugs are regularly found in water systems of the US and the world. These are neither regulated nor regularly tested, and the technology used to eliminate them from water supplies is currently seen as too expensive to practically impliment at wastewater treatment plants or municipal supply. It is only within the last decade that science and governments have begun to take notice of the cumulative effects that these unregulated substances are having on the environment and societies around the world.
Water Quality Results Regulated Substances (Measured on the Water Leaving the Treatment Facility) Missouri River Results Range Low-High 0.01 ND – 0.3
Meramec Rive Range Low-High ND – 0.1
Year Sampled
MCL
MCLG
2,4-D (ppb)
2011
70
70
Antimony (ppb)
2011
6
6
0.16
ND – 0.5
Arsenic (ppb)
2011
10
0
0.4
ND – 1.0
Atrazine (ppb)
2011
3
3
0.3
ND – 1.1
Barium (ppm)
2011
2
2
0.01
ND – 0.02
0.01
ND – 0.03
Yes
Carbon Tetrachloride (ppb)
2011
5
0
0.08
ND – 1.0
ND
ND
Yes
Runoff from herbicide used on row crops Discharge from petroleum refineries; Fire retardants; Ceramics; Electronics; Solder Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and electronics production wastes Runoff from herbicide used on row crops Discharge of drilling wastes; Discharge from metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits Discharge from chemical plants and other industrial activities
Chloramines (ppm)
2011
TT
NA
2.5
1.6 – 3.6
2.6
1.9 – 4.0
Yes
Water additive used to control microbes
Combined radium (pCi/L)
2007
5
0
0.2
ND – 1.3
0.5
ND – 1.6
Yes
Fluoride (ppm)
2011
4
4
1.0
0.9 – 1.1
1.0
0.9 – 1.0
Yes
Nitrate (as N) (ppm)
2011
10
10
1.4
0.5 – 2.0
0.4
0.3 – 0.6
Yes
Nitrite (as N) (ppm)
2011
1
1
0.004
ND – 0.02
0.001
ND – 0.005
Yes
Selenium (ppb)
2011
50
50
0.8
ND – 2.0
ND
ND
Yes
Total Organic Carbon (ppm)
2011
TT
NA
1.4
0.8 – 2.0
1.7
1.0 – 3.9
Yes
Erosion of natural deposits Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits Discharge from petroleum and metal refineries; Erosion of natural deposits; Discharge from mines Naturally present in the environment
Substance (units)
Results 0.01 0.08
Compliance Achieved Yes
ND – 0.6
Yes
ND
ND
Yes
0.03
ND – 0.1
Yes
Typical Source
Bacterial Results (from the Distribution System) (For the Missouri and Meramec River Facilities) Substance (units)
Year Sampled
MCL
MCLG
Highest Percentage Detected
Compliance Achieved
2011
5% Pos. Samples
0
0.60%
Yes
Total Coliform Bacteria
Typical Source Naturally present in the environment
Other Compounds (Measured in the Distribution System) Substance (units)
Year Sampled
Chloramines (ppm)
2011
HAA5 [Haloacetic Acids] (ppb)
2011
60
TTHM [Total trihalomethanes] (ppb)
2011
80
MCL
Missouri River Results Range Low-High
MCLG
MRDL = 4 MRDLG = 4
Meramec River Results Range Low-High
Compliance Achieved Typical Source
2.6
2.3 – 2.6
2.6
2.3 – 2.6
Yes
Water additive used to control microbes
NA
17.0
3.8 – 36.7
20.1
10.3 – 42.9
Yes
By-product of drinking water disinfection
NA
14.3
1.4 – 59.1
31.1
17.7 – 85.3
Yes
By-product of drinking water disinfection
Turbidity – A Measure of the Clarity of the Water (at the Treatment Facility) Substance (units) Turbidity (NTU)
Year Sampled
MCL
MCLG
2011
TT
NA
Missouri River
Meramec River Highest Single Measurement
0.15
Compliance Achieved
0.15
No
Typical Source Soil runoff
Unregulated Substances (Measured on the Water Leaving the Treatment Facility) Missouri River Range Low-High
Meramec River Range Low-High
Year Sampled
Results
Bromodichloromethane (ppb)
2011
3.1
Bromoform (ppb)
2011
0.3
ND – 2.2
ND
ND
By-product of disinfection
Chlorodibromomethane (ppb)
2011
1.9
ND – 11.5
0.8
ND – 1.8
By-product of disinfection
Chloroform (ppb)
2011
8.3
1.2 – 24.4
21.0
2.4 – 68.2
By-product of disinfection
Chromium-6 (ppb)
2011
1.2
1.1 – 1.5
1.1
0.9 – 1.4
Discharge from industrial processes; Erosion of natural deposits
Sulfate (ppm)
2011
142
109 – 171
24
15 – 45
Erosion of natural deposits
Substance (units)
Results
ND – 16.1
3.3
ND – 5.8
Typical Source By-product of disinfection
Unregulated Substances (Measured in the Distribution System) Substance (units)
N-nitrosodimethylamine (ppt)
Missouri River
Meramec River
Year Sampled
Results
Range Low-High
Results
Range Low-High
2009
5.1
2.2 – 9.3
ND
ND
Typical Source Nitrosamines can form as intermediates and byproducts in chemical synthesis and manufacture of rubber, leather, and plastics; can form spontaneously by reaction of precursor amines with nitrosating agents (nitrate and related compounds), or by action of nitrate-reducing bacteria. Foods such as bacon and malt beverages can contain nitrosamines; there is also evidence that they form in the upper GI tract.
Tap Water Samples: Lead and Copper Results (Measured in the Distribution System) Substance (units)
Year Sampled
Action Level
MCLG
Number of Samples
90th Percentile
Copper (ppm)
2010
AL = 1.3
1.3
50
0.012
Lead (ppb)
2010
AL = 15
0
50
2
Number of Samples Above Action Level Typical Source Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of 0 natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives Corrosion of household plumbing systems; 0 Erosion of natural deposits
voluntary and regulated water monitoring in St.Louis county
testing the waters
Optional Monitoring (not required by EPA)
Both the city and county potable water is tested for a list of EPA regulated contaminantsprimarily byproducts of disinfectants, herbicides, metals, isotopes, certain bacteria, and some industrial wastes. Both city and county also monitor a list of non-regulated contaminants, but this is also primarily metals and disinfectants. What’s not being regulated or tested? ANTIBIOTICS ARTIFICIAL HORMONES PHARMACEUTICALS ILLEGAL DRUG RESIDUES
Secondary Contaminants
MCL
Average Level Detected
Range
Alkalinity, Total (mg/L)
N/A
61
25 - 108
Calcium (mg/L)
N/A
30.0
18.8 - 88.0
Chloride (mg/L)
250
23.2
14.9 - 36.7
532
356 - 608
148
113 - 187
Conductivity (:S/cm)
N/A
Hardness, Total (mg/L as CaCO3)
N/A
Iron (mg/L)
0.3
0.0284
N.D. - 0.0590
Magnesium (mg/L)
N/A
18.5
11.7 - 24.3
Non Carbonate Hardness (mg/L as CaCO3)
N/A
86.5
68.0 - 112
pH
N/A
9.28
8.90 - 9.56
Potassium (mg/L)
N/A
5.54
3.63 - 6.98
Sodium (mg/L)
N/A
47.4
18.1 - 62.4
Solids, Total Dissolved (TDS) (mg/L)
500
339
223 - 416
Sulfate
250
158
81.8 - 189
voluntary monitoring by City of St. Louis
3
MISSOURI RIVER MISSISSIPPI RIVER
GE A W SE
1
IN 1 - Chain of Rocks (city) 2 - Howards Bend (city) 3 - Missouri (county) 4 - Missouri (county) 5 - Meramec (county) 6 - Meramec (county)
4 2
8
RIVER DES PERES
E SEWAG
OUT 7 - ? (county) 8 - Bissel Point (city) 9 - Lemay (county)1 10 - ? (county) 11- ? (county)
9
Lemay 10 6
MERIMAC RIVER
11 5
WATER TREATMENT (IN AND OUT) AND SEWAGE TREATMENT ZONES
rivers in the city The Mississippi and Missouri rivers are tightly interwoven into the fabric of the city. The city and county pull thier drinking water from the Mississippi and Missouri rivers from six draw points. This water is pumped around the city, used, and ultimately returns to the Mississippi. The rivers flow through the city, unseen and unknown.
1- the Lemay wastewater treatment plant currently has three phases of water treatment, with a disinfection phase either planned or in the works. When it rains, to prevent the combined sewer from overloading the plant, the effluent only goes through phase 1 treatment before being dumped into the Des Peres river and thence into the Mississippee
A chain of rocks
3 sites
city water in observing upper mississippi watershed
B bissel point
city waste outfall observing city of St. Louis
C des peres confluence county waste outfall observing St.Louis county
Three sites were selcted based on the program of observing the river- at the point where water is drawn for the city’s water supply, where treated wastewater from the city is dumped in the river, and where the treated wastewater is dumped for the county. SITE A is at Chain of Rocks, where the majority of water for the city is drawn. This is the best point to monitor water coming in from the upper mississippi watershed, which covers a large percentage of the US. SITE B at Bissel Point is where all the wastewater of the city is treated and enters the Mississippi. This tells us in high detail about the city. SITE C at the Des Peres confluence recieves wastewater from the Lemay plant which treats the majority of the wastewater in the county.
A
chain of rocks
riverview road riverfront trail
chain of rocks pedestrian bridge
secondary intake tower
primary intake tower
mississippi river waterfall chain of rocks water treatment plant for city
N
land cover
URBAN HIGH INTENSITY URBAN LOW INTENSITY CROPLAND OZARK HIGHLAND LOESS AND TILL CULTURAL / DISTURBANCE DISTURBANCE OR SUCESSIONAL SUCCESSIONAL UPLAND WETLAND (NON-RIVERINE) OPEN WATER
land use and structures
RESIDENTIAL CROPLAND AND PASTURE RECRETATION INDUSTRIAL STREAMS AND CANALS
!
!!
!! !
!
!! !
!C47 !C42
!
!C53 C80
!!C81
!C142
C95 C97 C106 !C122 C60 C116 ! C37 ! ! !C78 C28 ! C76 ! C134 C118 !
!!
C86 C87
C75
C71
C35 ! C32 !! C52 ! C55 ! ! C99 !
! !! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !
! ! !
!C169 C65 !C64 C102 ! ! C51 C172 !
!C103 C79 !C98 ! ! C107 C149 !! C139 !C121 C41 C30 !C129 !C82 C77
C135
C133
!
!C125 !C92
C148
C48
!C62
! ! !! !!!! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!C8 !
C166 C167 !C56 C33 ! C96 !! C138 C61 C117 ! C45 C113 C46 !! C162 C54 !C132 C160 ! C164 C93 C156 C25 !C111 !C120 ! C112 C123 C83 !C124 C128 C58 ! C29!C34 C68 ! C70 C114 C27 C119 ! !C9 C7 C131
H !
! !
!potential contaminant sources within a 5 mile radius ! !! !!!! !!! ! ! ! ! ! of the chain of!rocks ! intake ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (location unconfirmed) database source ! ! !! !! ! ! ! intake ! point ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !
St. Louis City PWSS No. 6010715 potential chemical contaminant sources Contaminant Summary Sheet 173 potential contaminant sources
Prepared by: CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Sheet Update: Jun 01, 2009 Missouri Department of
Natural Resources
173 Potential Contaminant Sources in the Listed Databases: 12 2 14 6
67 1 3 1
AFS (EPA AIRS Facility Sites) APCP (MoDNR Air Pollution Control Program Sites) APF (MoDNR Active Permitted Landfills & Transfer Stations) CERCLIS (EPA CERCLIS) Chemcov (VA Selected Chemical Sites) Dealcov (MDA Pesticide Dealer Locations) Dioxin (MoDNR Confirmed Dioxin List) Grain B (USDA Former Grain Bin Sites) HW Gen (MoDNR Hazardous Waste Generators) HW Tran (MoDNR Hazardous Waste Transporters) LUST (MoDNR Leaking Underground Storage Tanks) MoDOT (MoDOT Highway Maintenance Facilities) PADS (EPA PCB Activity Data Base System)
1
Perchlo (MoDNR Perchlorate Sites in Missouri) Pest Ap (MDA Licensed Pesticide Applicators) RCRIS (EPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Information System) Silos (USGS Minuteman II Missile Silos) SMARS (MoDNR Superfund Management and Registry System) Tanks (MoDNR Petroleum Tank Database) Tier 2 (MERC Tier II Reports) Tire D (MoDNR Resolved and Unresolved Waste Tire Dumps) TRI (EPA Toxic Release Inventory) VCP (MoDNR Voluntary Cleanup Program Sites) WQIS (MoDNR Water Quality Information System)
1
SWIP Field Inventory (see below)
1 64
1 Potential Contaminant Source in the SWIP Field Inventory: 0 Airport or abandoned airfield 0 Animal feedlot 0 Apartments and condominiums 0 Asphalt plant 0 Auto repair shop 0 Automotive dealership these two documents were taken from the Missouri department 0 Barber and beauty shop of natural resources identifiying potential local point source 0 Boat yard and marina contaminants for the city of St. Louis water supply. 0 CAFO 0 Campground 0 Car wash 0 Cement Plant 0 Cemetery 0 Communication equipment mfg 0 Country club 0 Dry cleaner 0 Dumping and/or burning site
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Machine or metalworking shop Manufacturing (general) Material stockpile (industrial) Medical institution Metal production facility Mining operation Other Paint store Park land Parking lot Petroleum production or storage Pharmacies Photography shop or processing lab Pit toilet Plastic material and synthetic mfg Print shop Railroad yard
B
bissel point
river traffic channel chain of rocks divider old loading tower garden + public BBQ grill bicyclists pavillion/overlook treated sewage outfall sewage pump tower Bissel Point wastewater treatment plant
access road Riverfront trail Merchants Bridge (rail) train tracks
N
land cover
URBAN HIGH INTENSITY URBAN LOW INTENSITY CROPLAND BOTTOMLAND ILLIONOIS HILL PRAIRIE DISTURBANCE OR SUCESSIONAL SUCCESSIONAL UPLAND WETLAND (NON-RIVERINE) OPEN WATER
land use and structures
COMMERCIAL CROPLAND AND PASTURE RECRETATION INDUSTRIAL STREAMS AND CANALS RESIDENTIAL
C
des peres confluence
concrete + steel piers coal loading tower
power line pylon rail bridge river Des Peres
pedestrian path casino parking
coal barges
N
land cover
URBAN HIGH INTENSITY URBAN LOW INTENSITY CROPLAND BOTTOMLAND ILLIONOIS HILL PRAIRIE DISTURBANCE OR SUCESSIONAL SUCCESSIONAL UPLAND WETLAND (NON-RIVERINE) OPEN WATER
land use and structures
COMMERCIAL CROPLAND AND PASTURE RECRETATION INDUSTRIAL STREAMS AND CANALS RESIDENTIAL
oil + grease
radionuclides
dissolved oxygen
organic nutrients
N O2
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs)
metals
Hg
bacteria + viruses
pesticides + herbicides
INTERPRET
contaminants regularly tested as required by EPA
BROADCAST
Water is drawn from sampling points on the river and from waste treatment facilities, and then analyzed for a variety of charactetistics and contaminants, with a special emphasis on pharmacueticals. This information is then interpreted into a form which can be broadcast, both through radio and translated into adaptive architecture.
disinfectants + byproducts
recreational drugs
hormones/steroids
antibiotics
what’s in our waterways?
observatory:river city radio
contaminants neither tested nor regulated
SAMPLE
ANALYZE
vi
tist ien , sc s r sito
chemistry
turbidity
rs ee in ng s, e
water temperature
aquatic life
water levels + flow rate
the sampling sites also offer potential to build on existing structures in the river, as well as creating the opportunity to create a bridge back to the land.
data to share with the rest of the US and world
most basic water quality indicators
program elements Three river observatories will each have the following program elements, with the addition of site-specific programming. program
square footage
arrival, check in, welcome cafe bathrooms archive + exhibits conference room office suite teaching lab wet lab spectrometery lab computer lab data room lab storage graywater processing hydro generation 25% circulation
400 400 400 900 400 900 450 900 900 200 100 100 450 400 1, 725
total
10,350
GRAYWATER PROCESSING
CAFE
ARRIVAL
HYDRO GENERATION
TEACHING LAB CONFERENCE ARCHIVE/ EXHIBITS OFFICES
BATHROOMS
WET LAB
STORAGE
SPECTROMETRY LAB
DATA
COMPUTER LAB
what is the effective range of architecture?
10’
200’ tactile auditory visual
tactile touch can only work from a distance slightly longer than arms length- but there is a rich medium of communication available- texture, temperature, dampness, conductivity, hardness.
auditory the sounds that architecture makes is very subtle and quiet. Old buildings creak and moan, a doorbell ringing in a bathroom sounds very different than a doorbell in a vast hangar. Some buildings whistle in the wind, or tensile elements hum. Some artists have taken natural phenomona to create architecture/art which creates sound, such as tidal organs or wind trees.
visual the primary way people tend to experience architecture. Works at a great distance. From a high vantage point, one might see a building many miles away.
Even from beyond the curve of the earth or mountains, individual lights combine to make apparent the structure of cities, visibly reflected in the cloudy night sky, or from far above the earth.
a new type of architectural response Le Corbusier famously described the house as “a machine for living in,� and the early Modernists sought out the perfect form for a particular programmatic function. As a development of this, the International Style was designed to explicitly ignore environmental factors and context. The more progressive modernists in South America and Finland pushed for an increased environmental response, giving thier works a more acute sensitivity to site specific light and landform. Vernacular architecture evolved particularly optimized architecture, architecture which was static but provided for the seasonal cycles of nature. Hot places with wide eaves, cold places with compact floorplans around heating elements. With rapid changes in the environment, people need to know what is changing in the world around them, and architecture needs to do a better job at adapting to wider and more unpredictable swings in weather and water and energy availablity. Architecture which can physically adapt may be a solution as we move towards a new passive survivability.
framing a particular view environmental factor
architectural response
static
specific
cyclical
optimized static kinetic
variable
eaves block light in hot months, permit light in cold months
adaptive
heliostats track sun movement to direct light into building
cubic feet/sec 700 000
500 000 30 year average
450 000
300 000
AVERAGE YEARLY FLOW RATES OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER (30 YEAR PERIOD)
100 000
0
10
20 years
30
cubic feet/sec
700 000
500 000
300 000
AVERAGE MONTHLY FLOW RATES OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER (30 YEAR PERIOD)
100 000
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A
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J
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St. Louis psychometric chart
adaptive strategies to increase comfort range
43.8% comfortable hours using selected architectural strategies
St. Louis solar chart N 10˚
JUNE 21
20˚ 30˚ 19:40
40˚
5:37
50˚ 60˚ 70˚ 80˚
W
E
DECEMBER 21 16:43
7:15
S