SCULPTING C R E E K. S C A P E MOONEE PONDS CREEK REVITALIZATION PROJECT
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CONTENTS SITE INVENTORY AND EXPLORATION Historical channel Site issues Research on stream rehabilitation principles Preliminary scheme and drivers
DESIGN ITERATION Iteration #1 Testing landform Design the logic Iteration #2 Refinement Ambition revisited Final scheme
FINAL DESIGN Sculpting Flow Sculpting ground Slope-sensitive planting scheme Details Sections Physical model Perspectives
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PLANFORM
HISTORIC CHANGE
CHANNELIZATION
NATURAL CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY
URBAN DEVELOPMENT MOONEE PONDS NOW AND THEN
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LAND INFILL / FORCING WATER TO RUN IN A PREDICTABLE WAY
Historical channel (Melbourne 1945)
Historically, this section of Moonee Ponds Creek had several meanders which inform local settlement boundary. Following the construction of the highway, however, this part of the creek was channelized and concreted to quickly divert water downstream in the event of extreme flooding. With urban development stress, riparian buffer, unfortunately, was kept at minimum. This has become a major constraint to any plan-form morphological modification. Hence, re-constructing historical meanders is impractical and may impose erosion and flood risks to local residents. The design could, nonetheless, employs underlying principle of stream formation to simulate natural flow.
CROSS-SECTION INCISED CHANNEL
LONG AGO
30 YEARS AGO
NOW
SITE ISSUES
Urban Stream Syndrome
URBANIZED STREAM The site exhibits typical characteristics of highly urbanized stream with straightened water course and incised streambed (which was then concreted). This forceful approach to prevent flooding (rapid conveyance) causes increasingly severe flashy flow, high concentration of nutrients and contaminants downstream, and degraded riparian vegetation. These syndromes have been widely observed across the site.
LANDSCAPE-SCALE LOSS OF HABITAT The loss of riparian wetlands and vegetation lead to the loss of suitable habitat for many species, such as native birds and amphibian community. Increase noise associated with the City Link affects negatively on acoustic communication of certain species, which eventually has impacts on local biodiversity. Also, water-loving tree species observed at the site are not receiving enough water due to the disconnected groundwater source.
DISCONNECTED STREAM AND LOCAL COMMUNITY With the concreted channel, the stream become less engaging with local residents as it used to. Kids no longer want or are allowed to play in stream; water quality is severely degraded for any use (even for the adjacent community garden). This emphasize the disconnection between the creek and its local community as it should deserve and be celebrated, which calls for a revitalization.
PONDERING ON FLOW
Water in this section of Moonee Ponds Creek is too little but sometimes a little too much. How to address water flow in Australian context where the creek will be dry for 90% of the time and the other 10% it can be severely flooded?
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THIN PARK TYPOLOGY: FILTER
DEFINITION
STUDIO EXERCISE: RHYTHM AND PATTERN EXPLORATION
Series of circles with their radius proportional to their distance to water course.
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RESEARCH ON STREAM RESTORATION: PRINCIPLES Literature review on small stream rehabilitation principles. This information gives me a scientific understanding upon which the design is grounded.
Shields, F., Jr., et al. (2003) and Lake, P., Bond, N., & Reich, P.(2007)
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Site: Beaver Creek located in Knox County, Tennessee Similar issue: channelization and incised streambed due to urban development.
RESEARCH ON STREAM RESTORATION: PRECEDENTS
Measure: Reconstruct pool-riffle sequence to restore natural stream morphology.
Illustrations taken from Schwartz, J. S., Neff, K. J., Dworak, F. E., & Woockman, R. R. (2015)
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RESEARCH ON STREAM RESTORATION: POOL-RIFFLE MECHANISM STUDY
Illustrations taken from Pasternack, G. B., Bounrisavong, M. K., & Parikh, K. K. (2008)
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EXPLORATION: FLOW DIMENSIONS LONGITUDINAL
LATERAL
VERTICAL and TEMPORAL?
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POTENTIAL APPLICATION OF PATTERNS
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PRELIMARY SCHEME
POOL RIFFLE SEQUENCE PLAN VIEW SCALE 1:500
BED SLOPE ~0.25% 50M A
10M
B
C
D
B’
C’
D’
3M
A’ POOL DEPTH OF CHANNEL
RIFFLE RIFFLE
POOL
RIFFLE
POOL
ANALYIS
BY PASS CHANNEL
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DESIGN DRIVERS HETEROGENITY
PERFORMANCE
LINKAGES
IN STREAM MORPHOLOGY
FLOOD AS SYSTEM MAINTANANCE
LANDSCAPE SCALE
Strategies include reactivating interaction between ground water and surface water, which ultimate goal is to reconnect stream with its flood plain. This will become premise for future flood resilience.
Although I have done little research on possibility for re-establishing or preserveing keystone species locally or at landscape scale, my aim is to extend the benefit of this rehabilitation project for a wider range of species by intergrating species habitat perference into ponds and riffle design.
Riffle pool sequence: design considers heterogenity in stream cross-sectional morphology to create structurally hetetogenous configuration which help retain water on-site, avoid rapid flush downstream and create suitable habitat for different species. POOL
PERSPECTIVE
SECTION AA’ RIIFLE
NORMAL FLOW
SECTION BB’ POOL
SECTION CC’
BANKFUL FLOW BY PASS CHANNEL
SECTION DD’
OVERLAND FLOOD
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WATER TREATMENT STORMWATER TREATMENT PRACTICES CONTAMINATION ISSUES
Litter and nutrient-rich stormwater runoff.
Gross Pollutant Trap Wetlands (constructed wetlands, floating wetlands) Swales Infiltration basin Phyto-remediation practices
PRINCIPLES
Distributed stormwater infrastructure to improve infiltration, treatment before discharge to natural
EMERGENT PRACTICES Floating treatment wetlands
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Suggestion for green corridor with stormwater treatment from roadways. Kennen, K., & Kirkwood, N. (2015)
DESIGN ITERATION 01 RE-MORPHING STREAM + SITE RETROFIT STORMWATER CONTROL
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PLAN Stormwater pass scattered Gross Pollutant Trap before discharged into the ponds
A
Floated Treatment Wetlands
By-pass channel Supplementary storage
Heterogeneity in channel depth
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A’
Pool-riffle sequence
Highway stormwater detention basin
Activities space when not flooded
Design principle longitudinal variation
cross-sectional variation
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POOL-RIFFLE SEQUENCE
Ambition: Relieve flood stress downstream by increasing water residence time on site and increase nutrient settlement in reconstructed pool-riffle sequence.
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RIPARIAN ZONE
Reconnecting stream with its floodplain by reactivating interaction between surface and ground water. This will recover water-loving plants that has been disconnected with water source due to impermeability of concrete channelization.
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RETROFIT STORMWATER TREATMENT MEASURES
MODULAR STRUCTURE Stormwater treatment measures are integrated in the design including Gross Pollutant Trap and Floating Treatment Wetlands. This treatment components are highlighted in space for visual attraction and aesthetics, acting as a tool for public education and enhance environmental awareness.
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biofilm for nutrient demobilization + aquatic habitat treat fine sediments/uptake nutrients
coarse sediments/gross pollutant
ISSUES
FEEDBACKS
Working with the whole site raises the issue of scale as the pools and riffles are barely noticeable, thus the change can hardly be seen from a plan view.
Consider whether or not to integeate floating treatment wetlands into the design because the structure will be quickly relocated or flushed downstream when the creek gets flooded, as well as consider water depth for those structure to be sustainable.
The assumption for water volume is not correct. More information on local species community needed to achieve the ambition of connectivity.
Instead, explore vegetated constructed wetlands and minimum riparian parameters for installation; how purification system operates across the whole site and when the water will be clean enough for human contact.
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STUDIO EXERCISE: LANDFORM TESTING Site strategy
1
2
1
3
2
marsh
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3
braided stream
main stream + by-pass channel
STUDIO EXERCISE: LANDFORM TESTING 2
ISSUES
FEEDBACK
I struggled with Rhino a lot for the landform exercise. The model is malleable, yet in a random way, it doesn't produce uniformity that can be seen in natural landform. It seems like with Rhino, rather than random testing, I need some intention in mind to produce form that I want; otherwise it will just turn out really random and ‘not interesting’.
Feedback this week emphasized the importance of testing landform, producing various iterations to see how water interact with these landforms. For my result specifically, I should consider thinking water and landform as a transitional journey, how one landform can inform another and what it will mean to water itself, how can I proceed further?
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NEW DIRECTION Let just have fun!
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Create a grid of points, move each point in Z direction proportional to its distance to pre-defined curves. This results in curve inputs become depression.
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PARAMETRIC LANDFORM
FLOW
Temporal change in flow due to hard edge softening (erosion and deposition)
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SITE SCALE TESTING
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ISSUES At site scale, some problems emerges. Technically, I encounter problem moving from working with uniform-grid NURB surface (prototype) to non-uniform mesh grid (site), which is not the most enjoyable thing in modelling process. But more importantly, I realize the pattern I am working with is intuitive and really a top-down morphing into the site, not from what is there that inform the deisgn. Hence, I tried to think more about pattern. How it can be implied thoughout the whole site in a logical way and ideally, be informed by site attributes?
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RULE-BASED LANDFORM
MORE TESTING ...
To reduce process time in Grasshopper, I start prototyping with a smaller section to quickly generate iteration of patterns.
Instead of input curve individually, I use curve morphing to generate consistent pattern across the surface.
With even stronger waterway.. With stronger waterway.. General pattern study..
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INTERACTION WITH WATER Ridge-valley landform
ISSUES WITH TESTING FROM LANDFORM
After playing with constructing landform for a while, it now becomes clearer that land is formed by force. This is evident in our natural environment: either be it techtonic movement in volcanic landform; wind in the case of sand dunes or water flow in fluvial floodplain. Thus, the problem with testing from the rather random landform from other environments that may not be associated with water is that whether it will sustain? Because once the constructed landform is introduced to its force, in this case water flow, it will gradually deposit/erode, and may completely change the design intended. Thus, I decided to, eventually, come back to Flow, understand force and how force generated by water can be used to recontruct landform.
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DESIGN ITERATION 02 WATER FLOW AS CREEK-SCULPTING FORCE + PATTERN AS MICRO-LANDFORM GENERATOR
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digital PROTOTYPING
UNDERSTANDING FLOW Direction Strength (velocity) obstruction (divergence)
VECTOR FIELDS AND RECONTRUCTED LANDFORM FROM FLOW
ANALYSIS Flow accumulation analysis
LANDFORM
Result landform
Move grid of points down proportional to vector strength at that point
FORCE FIELD Flow direction + intensity
area of high deposition area of high erosion
obstruction + intensity
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WATER AS ORGANIZER
slope analysis
DESIGN THE LOGIC SITE SCALE STRATEGIES
final constructed landform
micro-landform imposed by pattern
Base landform generated by strength of force
flow vector force
Working with given site model (NURB)
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INPUT DESIGN PARAMETERS Water strategies at site-scale
Move grid of points down proportional to vector strength at that point
direction flow intensity
vector field
FLOW AS VECTOR FORCE Water direction Deep marsh
aeration pool pool and riffle
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pool and riffle
RESHAPING FLOW Upstream retention basin cleanse water from upstream utilizing vegetated marshes and wetlands.
Upstream pool-riffle Restore pool and riffle across the site to increase heterogeity in cross sectional morphology of the stream to increase volume of water stored and adapt to seasonal flux
Aeration pool The aerated deep pool here acts as a clean-water playground as well as suitable habitat for wildlife.
Downstream pool-riffle Riffle and pool are again restored to achieve the general goal of retain water and respond to flux.
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MICRO-LANDFORM TESTING IMPLEMENT PATTERN-BASED MICRO-LANDFORM
HOW:
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MICRO-LANDFORM TESTING IMPLEMENT PATTERN-BASED MICRO-LANDFORM
WHY:
This time, the ambition for micro-lanform is to address the WSUD principle, which emphasizes decentralized stormwater detention infrastructure. Hence, pattern for riparian landform is selected due to the flow accumulation that faciliate floodplain capacity to ‘detend’ water locally in a micro scale, improving local water infiltration.
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CULL_BY_SLOPE
DETAIL: LANDFORM-DRIVEN PLANTING Deg(0.0 - (Asin(Abs(z)) - 0.5*Pi))
Based on open-source code by David Rutten (McNeel)
SLOPE-SENSITIVITY ANSLYSIS
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ADAPTED FOR MODELLING AND FABRICATION
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RENDER TEST
NORMAL FLOW
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RENDER TEST
FLOODING
This render does not come out as good as I expected. Although I particularly like the color scheme, the render itself does not tell much about the design (neither the creek or landform pattern). And the lack of reference point make the space confusing , in terms of where it is at the site. That's why it didn't make it way to the panel.
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FINAL DESIGN REACTIVATE + REGENERATE + REVITALIZE
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DESIGN AMBITION 1 - Reactivate the interaction between the creek and its floodplain (landform and water), ultimately generate self-maintained scheme for seasonal flux of the channel 2 -Regenerate suitable habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species 3 - Revitalize the creekscape as a historically community social space.
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DESIGN STATEMENT The design is grounded on the idea that force influences the terrain landscape, in the way that can be broken down into parameters to reversely re-construct the desired landform ultilising digital platform. Scuplting creekscape seeks to explore this notion of force in the form of water flow, in order to generate an adaptive scheme to flux in the context of Moonee Ponds Creek .
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PLAN
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DESIGN PROCESS
APE
C HARDS
SIGN
ING DE
PLANT
LOW
ROUND
TING G
SCULP
TING F SCULP
DITION G CON EXISTIN
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FLUX REPONSE
NORM TE AL STA
OD
O NAL FL
SEASO
OD
AR FLO
100 YE
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SCULPTING FLOW PROTOTYPING
GENERATING LANDFORM FROM WATER FLOW
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SCULPTING FLOW UPSTREAM SEDIMENTATION POND Deep marsh with submerged and emergent vegetation
SITE STRATEGY Riffle pool sequence: Design considers heterogenity in stream cross-sectional morphology to create structurally hetetogenous streambed which help retain water onsite, create suitable habitat for different species and rely on self-maintained machanism.
POOL-RIFFLE SEQUENCE Restore pool and riffle with gravel bed and vegetated riparian bank to increase heterogeneity in cross sectional morphology of the stream. This will ensure bank stabilization and at the same time increase volume of water stored and adapt to seasonal flux STORMWATER DETENTION POND These detention ponds ensure runoff from adjacent highway is treated before being discharged into the creek
FLOW PARAMETER INPUT AERATED POOL
FLOW DIRECTION
The aerated deep pool here acts as a clean-water playground as well as to generate oxygen for aquatic habitat.
<VECTOR>
DISTURBANCE <POINT CHANGE> <SPIN FORCE>
STRENGTH <CHARGE> <DECAY>
POOL-RIFFLE SEQUENCE
Riffle and pool are again restored to achieve the general goal of retain water and respond to flux. This sequence of pool and riffle, however, is intensified in depth because of the natural force generated by existing topography.
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SCULPTING FLOW
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FLOW and SPACE
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SCULPTING GROUND BALANCING CUT/FILL
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SCULPTING GROUND SLOPE-SENSITIVE PLANTING
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TERRESTRIAL HABITAT
Structurally complex, with understorey and overstorey habitat, providing nesting, breeding and migrating environment for avian species and other terrestrial species.
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PLANTING PHASING
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PERFORMANCE PRECIPITATION
CONDENSATION
INTERCEPTION
EVAPORATION
CR
EE
K
TRANSPIRATION
STORAGE
RUN-OFF UPTAKE
RUN-OFF
OVERFLOW SURFACE WATER
UPTAKE D TE RA O RF
PE PI
SILT/CLAY
PE
UPTAKE
GRAVEL AQUIFER
INFILTRATION
INFILTRATION
UNDERGROUND AQUIFER
PURIFICATION EXCHANGE
EXCHANGE
INFILTRATION
FROM FILE TO FABRICATION
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First time using CNC milling machine with enormous help from fablab staff to get the ‘dots’ done properly.
PHYSICAL MODEL
Result model Scale 1: 500
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NORMAL FLOW
AFTER HEAVY RAIN
REFERENCES Kennen, K., & Kirkwood, N. (2015). Phyto : principles and resources for site remediation and landscape design. New York, NY : Routledge, 2015. Lake, P., Bond, N., & Reich, P.(2007). Linking ecological theory with stream restoration. Freshwater Biology, (4), 597-615. Pasternack, G. B., Bounrisavong, M. K., & Parikh, K. K. (2008). Backwater control on riffleâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;pool hydraulics, fish habitat quality, and sediment transport regime in gravel-bed rivers. Journal Of Hydrology, 357125-139. Shields, F., Jr., Copeland, R., Klingeman, P., Doyle, M., & Simon, A. (2003). Design for Stream Restoration. Journal of Hydrology Engineering, 575-584. Schwartz, J. S., Neff, K. J., Dworak, F. E., & Woockman, R. R. (2015). Restoring riffle-pool structure in an incised, straightened urban stream channel using an ecohydraulic modeling approach. Ecological Engineering, 78. p 112-126. All Grasshopper definitions are self-constructed, otherwise as indicated.
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STUDIO REFLECTION I explored some basic scripting and Grasshopper early in my first year merely out of my own interest in technology and computation, but initially had no intention of using them in this Landscape Studio because this studio appeared to me then an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ecological-orientedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; project in which these fancy form-generation tools seem too architectural and less relevant. Needless to say, much of what I reviewed in first several weeks were all scientific papers that oriented towards ecologically engineered measures, thus design-wise similar. I got stuck in week 5 with this approach as I ended up with the design that was not even exciting to me, let alone prospective users. I am now grateful that in week 6 I decided to allow myself more freedom for exploration, start to embrace digital tools as sketching platform to test flow and its resulted landform, which eventually brought about many novel ideas and options that otherwise could not be envisaged. The knowledge I gained from the first few weeks, however, came in great use as I start to engage with ecological principles as deciding factors for choosing suitable iterations (seeing them as design parameter). The whole process to me was indeed exciting and rewarding, which I personally took pride of. Thanks to the new exploration direction, I got to read Prof. Jillian's book as well as started to look into many exciting digital landscape experiments happening around the world. This makes me thrilled and curious about the future of Landscape Architecture, in which I will continue to immerse myself in.
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-THE ENDStudent
Thi Khanh Hoa Phan 705931 Instructor
Prof. Margaret Grose Fiona Johnson & Elliot Summers ABPL30061 Landscape studio 4 - Designed Ecologies Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne November 2016
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November 2016