3 mile foraging area
Schuylkill Watershed Greenspace
Fairmont Park
In the conception of the Fairmont Waterworks, the idea centered around protecting the watershed area of the Schuylkill River to not allow for pollutants to contaminate the source of fresh drinking water. Over time, the waterfront has become industrialized and has led to degradation of the ecological systems that regulate natural systems along its edge. There is an opportunity with this master plan to begin to allow the site to become a filter. This, in turn, will present people with new opportunities to engage in the water on smaller scales (pools, canals, wetlands) in addition to the renewed accessible riverfront.
Apiary
Plans have already been made to redevelop the lower Schuylkill waterfront retrofitting and revitalizing the landscape. To continue these efforts up into the site will connect the two watershed protection landscapes, Fairmont Park and the Lower Schuylkill waterfront.
The harvest is a new ritual that is introduced in the active landscape. To bring people from the local neighborhoods, community gardens are placed at the fringe of the rail yards along a greenway connecting to the north. The ritual unites the community members as well as potential travelers passing through the city.
Bertram’s Garden
Stormwater management plays a key role in the redevelopment process. The perFARMance landSCRAPEr allows fro water to trickle gently through the site instead of solely being piped underground piping systems. By gently scraping the landscape, acting as a till, the landscape is then seeded with catalysts for future growth.
Delaware River Orchard Locations throughout Philadelphia
Boathouse row has an important place in the history of the Schuylkill riverfront. A site of the Philadelphia Rowers Association and place of gathering for rowers around the world, the row is an active water community. By connecting the marina across the water, the bridge becomes a temporal bridge connecting history and present day movement within the water. The bridge also may become the new finish line for the regattas as it provides exterior seating for the events. The bridge connects to a pavilion across the river which can be rented for events or used by the rowers.
Site Plan 1:400’ scale
The marina is ephemeral in nature as a floating form with a light filigree of vertical louvers as the facade. Slices of the landscape are framed within the facade as one travels from the decked landscape out onto the cascading landscape to the pool and marina. The marina connects back to a light rail stop which can take travelers to the central transportation hub.
Fairmont Park
Zoological Gardens
Boathouse Row
Marina To connect back to the community, the marina has a path that connects to a community center/greenhouse. Due to the nearly 120 foot decline from Mantua to the Marina, the negotiation of the topography manifest itself in a multi-storey underground connection. Within the northeast corner of Mantua, two glowing forms rise from the landscape like two shards of amber. Beacons of hope of a new productive landscape, these two buildings act as a community center where people can learn how to better interface with their environment, learn to compost or cook a meal. It also serves as a small satellite grocery with fresh produce for the citizens of that area.
Water Works Light Rail Stop
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Carved into the landscape between the grove of apple trees, irrigation canals transform in the winter into skating strips. The lock system, which regulates the flow of the water during the summer provides a safe play area for children to enjoy the ice.
Folding Deck over interstate The stre tunne et s l w tati hich on or o lead ut o s to nto th the e Lig ma ht R rina ail . sto
Community Gardens on deck
p to
con
The freshwater canals run through the site to provide areas of recreation as well as rainwater management. The water is collected in the adjacent rain gardens and then filter into the canals to flow back down the Schuylkill River.
Grove | Orchard
nec
t to
30t
h
Elevated Light Rail
Canal System | Pools Logan Square
Filtration Wetland
SECTION A-A
Sunflower Mounds [play area] Delaware River
Cira Centre
solar canopy
Reading Terminal
Proposed Park
SECTION A-A
Amphitheater cascading into landscape
ill
Schuylk
Raised Parkscape beside rail line
Apiary on Station Roof Greenscape
Market Plaza [cafes, retail, galleries] tre tS rke
The Porch
Market Street
t Str ee ut Wa ln
tS
tre
et
Ma
tnu es Ch
Market Street Mixed use
Schuylkill Lofts
Theatre|Bus Station
Esplanade
et
30th Street Station
30th Street Station
RKS
aterWO River W
Site showing extents
Three mile foraging zone for bees
Apiary on roof of 30th street station
The Gateway into West Philadelphia
perf(a)rmance landsc(r)aper The perFARMance landSCRAPEr physically and metaphorically scrapes the surface of the landscape surrounding 30th street station to uncover the potentials of the transformation of the post-industrial landscape. Through strategies of remediation and programmatic redistribution, the area can become more inviting to the people traveling through the transportation hub. Connectivity to the west will encourage travelers to interact with members of the local community through trade of goods and food. As with many medieval cities, the market was the center of the city. In Paris, Les Halles serves as a precedent for the power of food to bring people together and allow for further social engagement. Reading Terminal Market in Center City Philadelphia is an existing example of a functioning market landscape. By extending that programmatic function to the west, it can become a catalyst for the redevelopment of Market street as a pedestrian friendly, socially engaging area.
Imp
rov e
dR
ipa
rian
Edg
e
[the site] At present, the site of 30th street station is flanked by two major universities, mixed use blocks, historic neighborhoods and numerous historic structures dating back to the late 1700s. The Schuylkill River has been one of the main assets for Philadelphia, providing the city with clean water and, now, functioning as a main thoroughfare for small boat traffic, including kayaking, canoeing and rowing. The project grafts the program of urban farming upon this large transportation landscape as a way to contribute to the ever-growing desire for local foods and promote a sustainable lifestyle within a city. Each year, Philadelphia depends less and less on imports from other states as farmers markets, CSAs and local urban gardens crop up around the city. In turn, these developments decrease the amount of resources it takes to retrieve food from other cities, provides jobs and increases awareness of the community members to the importance of sustainable food production practices.
O2
Releases oxygen back into the environment rooftop algae farm
Light Rail Stop [University City] - Renovated
carbon dioxide produced
Waste to Energy Research facility Responding to the Greenworks Initiative to reduce landfill waste 70 percent by 2025, the waste to energy solution is envisioned to be a collaborative effort of Drexel and UPenn towards green energy production. Currently, incineration plants and fermentation processes release toxins into the air but the research looks at how to capture and transform it into energy.
Food Distribution Centers Schuylkill River Watershed CSX Rail Yards
MARINA The marina is stationed in the northern portion of the site on the edge of the Schuylkill River across from the historic Boathouse Row and the Waterworks. The marina hosts a restaurant and bar as well as a small boat storage dock. The marina will allow for people to more easily travel via water transportation to the marina which is connected by the light rail to other modes of transportation to areas around the city.
methane produced
FOOD CO-OPERATIVE Adjacent to 30th street station, the food cooperative becomes the new center for West Philadelphia with regard to food production, education and distribution. Stratified by function, the building begins at its base with a seed archive, where one may store endangered species of plants as they may be what the future of the city depends on in the future. Moving up into the storage/ warehouse facility two storeys under the surface decreases the need for food delivery trucks within the city limits by allowing a local distribution station for all of Philadelphia. Just below the surface of the ground lies food grocer, providing for the local needs of the area. The surface becomes a ground for transitional food markets, food trucks, local trading events and shows. Lofts are located on the top floors. Food elevators are the vertical collector, which display the process by which our food goes from the farm to the plate.
Incineration|Fermentation processes
Decked Interstate Slightly Submerged Completely Submerged Existing Interstate Conditions CSX Rail Lines Major Roads Secondary Roads AMTRAK|food distribution
Through the implementation of three specific programs, the landscape will be transformed from the static industrial waterfront into a thriving productive landscape. The position looks to these programmatic interventions to be come a catalyst for future development but takes a stand that there is a need to re-occupy abandoned buildings and renovate before generating entirely new urban forms.
The location allows for ease of distribution and storage of goods and food as well as providing a central location for the markets. The proximity to Drexel University and UPenn encourages students to learn more about food culture through programs within the cooperative.
Energy Landscape [switchgrass and energy orchards are placed throughout the landscape at the southern edge of the site to capitalize on the idea of a renewable landscape. Harvested trees then are used to create biofuel which then power the rail network .The waste is reconceived as a tool by which we generate power for daily life.]
RESEARCH LANDSCAPE [waste to energy] To the south of the station, the research landscape connects two sides of the river through greenway connections and a deck across the rail and interstate systems. The research landscape focuses on the process by which waste is converted to energy for further consumption by the inhabitants of the city. As a part of the Greenworks 2025 initiative, the goal is to divert 70 percent of the nearly 800,000 tons of waste annually away from landfills. By means of fermentation and incineration, the waste can be transformed into energy, though it does off-gas either methane or carbon dioxide, depending on the process (thermal or non-thermal.) The initiative needs a landscape upon which to test renewable strategies for waste management.
project initiatives: 01. Re-stitch the urban fabric severed by the interstate, rail yards and grey fields back to the city. 02. Extend the watershed protection landscape down through the river’s edge. Algae collection farm In small retention pools, algae is harvested from the river. The algae is then used in the research of sustainable ways to capture and transform the emissions from the fermentation and incineration processes.
03. Heal the landscape from former derelict nature through remediation techniques. 04. Seed the landscape to transform it into a productive, civically engaged landscape. 05. Enhance the river’s edge to allow for public access to the Schuylkill River. 06. Create urban space that encourages cultural exchange between travelers and residents.
Transportation map
07. Lay a sustainable infrastructural groundwork upon which new development may spawn.
Recreational water landscape [Filtration ponds and rain gardens are located here for the local buildings to expel greywater instead of sending into the sewer system for chemical filtration.]
The character of the market square is open to a variety of uses, from markets to film screenings. On axis with the monumental side entry into 30th street station, the plaza can be occupied quite differently based on the time of day, year and during events. The building to the north of the plaza has 8 vertical piers that pierce into the earth digging deep to the seed archive. The piers become something new on each floor pertaining to the floor’s specific program. Essentially they serve as food elevators to begin to raise awareness of how food is distributed and displayed. A cafe is located on the corner of the cooperative to invite people to sit and enjoy the outdoor yet under the protection of a roof.
CSX and AMTRAK lines running through surrounding counties
To supplement the existing locally grown organic food provided to Philadelphia, the project analyzes the possibility of combining goods transport with passenger travel.
Light Rail Stop
The plaza also becomes a place for vendors and food trucks to congregate during the day. Seating can be brought out of the storage piers and scattered into the courtyard to serve as a lunch time gathering place. This multifunctional plaza space accommodates the needs of the local community and brings people from the transit station out into an actively engaged civic space. The interchange of culture will be supplemented through the market atmosphere as people will be able to set up stands on specific days to sell home crafted items.
North side of second level apartments are designed to optimal viewing of the fourth of July fireworks
If two out of five AMTRAK cars carried goods, it would reduce the emissions from delivery trucks by at least 30 percent.
Market Street
Philadelphia Food Cooperative
Bertrams’s Garden
0’ 0”
-20’ 0”
-36’ 0”
warehou
se|stor
grocery lev
el
age of g
oods
Cira Centre
-72
’0’
market level
see
d ar chiv
e
roofs populated with flowers for pollination
apiary public film projection on light rail screen
harvest|cool|filter [roof]
Each building on the site is retrofitted with a vegetated roof to aid the apiary and retain stormwater
community gardens
deck over septa train tracks irrigation canals under phytoremediating trees AMTRAK lines
SECTION A-A
detension basin for flood zone - parkscape for recreation
terraced wetland
food supply train [from south]
post-remediation [becomes energy orchard]
I-76 submerged boardwalk|bike path
Schuylkill river
Occupiable roof terrace [greenhouse] Live/work lofts Public viewing deck Teaching Kitchen [offices for CO-OP] Elevated Septa Line towards Center City Philadelphia
To aid in the repair of the Riparian edge of the river, the interstate is submerged and a smaller scale eco-boulevard is place on top. The cascading landscape provides an walkable landscape to the river.
Community Square Organic food grocer Storage space for goods SEED ARCHIVE -
Sunflowermounds become a play area for children of the local community as well as a place for people to go eat their lunch. Open areas are created in the tall flowers to provide seating areas and accessible paths for occupation. As a buffer for the train traffic this parkscape serves as an amenity to the local community members.