Concord Landfill. A Parallel Walden

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CONCORD LANDFILL A PARALLEL WALDEN HATZAV YOFFE MLA II CANDIDATE. 2013 STU 0140200 FALL 2012 HARVARD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DESIGN COURSE INSTRUCTORS: ELCO HOOFTMAN, BRIDGET BAINES


WALDEN POND, A LANDSCAPE OF REFLECTION THOREAU AND WALDEN Walden Pond is a recessed and confined kettle lake near Concord MA. The pristine and iconic view of New England nature, as reflected in the clear pond water, became the perfect setting for the myth and mystery of Henry David Thoreau’s writing. Thoreau, a transcendentalist philosopher, lived in a cabin in Walden Woods for two years (18451847), observing and registering natural cycles and early urban behaviors. The pond, its depth and its presence highly influenced him and became a physical center of his ideas. Thoreau practiced in the rigorous process of surveying the pond revealing its great depth, later relating it to inner human strength and depth of soul. His Book, ‘Walden; or, Life in the Woods’ became an influence for generations to come, consequently turning Walden Pond into a State Reservation. Intellectuals, Professors, Olympic athletes and common folks found the recurrent bathing in the pond to be a transcendent experience. It helped rekindle a mythical place, posing Walden as the spiritual backdrop of the Greater Boston-metro area, a place where nature and human soul sustain a legacy, making Walden a landscape of reflection. SWIM AND REFLECTION To this day, swimmers challenge the pond, attempting to cross while overcoming hidden fears and physical challenges, embracing the myth of H. D. Thoreau. The natural attraction to swim towards the pond’s deepest point rewards one with a transcendent experience. The myth of the pond’s depth and the sensual experience of Walden becomes the generating idea behind the redesign of Concord Landfill.

Walden Pond. Survey by H.D Thoreau. (1846)


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN A LANDFILL Located 300 meters from Walden, the adjacent Concord landfill appears as a calm and deserted site. The beautiful meadow of Bluestem and Spartiana carved out of the Walden woods is left detached and hidden. It is a disconnected piece of land - a monochromatic reflection of an attractive neighboring water source. LANDFILL AS URBAN TYPOLOGIES. AN OPPORTUNITY Concord Landfill is a result of linear consumption patterns that end outside a town or municipality, leaving it’s footprint on the landscape as part of the urban fabric. This potentially advantageous landuse typology holds opportunities for rethinking and intervention. Parallel Walden is a performing waste infrastructure, which promotes natural processes such as waste degradation, ecology enrichment and recreation opportunities. The landfill becomes and integral part of Walden landscape, integrating both human and natural processes. Contemporary landfilling operation is highly complex and closely regulated by federal and state agencies . Users are taxed with disposal and treatment fees by ton or volume; these funds are used to construct impermeable liners, draining systems, leachate treatment pools as well as monitoring and preventing air soil and water contamination. Contemporary landfill practice has developed to an extent that it no longer necessarily holds the negative presumptions related to disturbing smells, decrease in adjacent land value and water pollution. LANDFILL MINING. RECOVERING VALUE Landfill mining is a process that recovers valuable waste resources from old landfills after a degradation period of 15-20 years. Construction waste and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are easily recycled using a mechanical screening and separation process into valuable construction materials, metals, and organic waste such as plastics and fertile top soil.

A REVOLVING LANDUSE. A DESIGN STRATEGY Parallel Walden Landfill, at Concord, is a 10.7 hectare site which incorporates contemporary urban waste process. It does so by reutilizing the site as a revolving platform for resource extraction, natural and recreational uses as well as waste management. The vision of inviting local waste operations to become a part of the community is an environmental statement that reclaims responsibility over lifestyle and consumption patterns. In this model, consumed waste is treated within the community in a 25 year life cycle. The site will rotate landuse form a mining resource park (1-2 year) – to a municipal waste landfill (3-4 years) – to a capped landfill park that is a preferable platform for recreation and rich ecologies. (19-21 years). HUMAN ECOLOGY. A MULTI-USE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN The opportunities that lie in using the sculptural and dramatic shape of the landfill as a recreational working landscape are exciting and challenging. Parallel Walden design creates varied micro-climates, which generate diverse prairie habitats. These ecologies diversify Walden’s ‘New England Forest’ landscape. The landfill’s open spaces invite new recreation opportunities that cannot be hosted in the traditional reservation, consequently enriching the human activities and use of Walden. THE LANDFILL IN WALDEN WOODS Parallel Walden demonstrates a revised role that landfills might play in the metropolis. The dramatic heights and sculptural form of the landfill poses a worthy juxtaposition to the depth and mystery of Walden Pond and to the legacy of H.D. Thoreau. The project creates resilient open spaces for recreation and waste management, while exploring new opportunities for increased natural processes of waste degradation and habitat establishment.


FAIRY POND

CONCORD

CONCORD LANDFILL

GOOSE POND

WALDEN POND


PART I WALDEN POND, A LANDSCAPE OF REFLECTION


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Henrey David Thoreau lived in a wooden cabin next to Walden Pond for two years (1845-1847), in which he closely registered and observed natural cycles and early urban behavior. Thoroue’s experiences were described in his book ‘Walden’, illustrating the Pond and the forest into a mythical and spiritual place.


WALDEN POND, A LANDSCAPE OF REFLECTION

WALDEN. A LANDSCAPE OF REFLECTION

Threau’ s cabin replica

Threau’ s Cove Boston, 16 miles east

old men’s bath house, Ice Fort Cove 1903

view to the pond from the commuter rail Sandy Beach, 1924

Deep Cove frozen, January 2011

Hero and Leander’s farewell, William Turner, 1837

‘Walden; or, Life in the Woods’ became a cannon in American culture and an influence on generation to come, consequently turning Walden Pond into a State Reservation. Intellectuals, Professors, Olympic athletes and common folks found the recurrent bathing in the pond to be a transcendent experience ,making Walden into a landscape of reflection.

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4 PART I

Sandy Beach, Walden Pond, photograph Apr. 19, 1933

Sandy Beach, Walden Pond, photograph Sep. 22, 2012


EXPLORING THE POND. THEN AND NOW

WALDEN POND, A LANDSCAPE OF REFLECTION

19TH CENTURY SURVEY TOOLS

THOREAU’S SURVEY OF WALDEN POND

21ST CENTURY OPEN WATER GEAR

WALDEN SWIMMING LANDSCAPE (DEFINED BY TRIATHLON STANDARD DISTANCES)

in the winter of 1846, Thoreau overcame the physical challenges of the water and revealed the pond’s great depth, relating it to inner human strength and depth of soul. Every morning, to this days, swimmers from all over the region challenge themselves, exploring the pond waters, even in the extreme cold water of December and March.

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*background image. Japanese Crawl, 1936, Leni Riefenstahl

Swimming encompasses the harmonious repetitive body movements of the swimmer. The ripples on the water surface, reaching outbound to the shore, and the embryos feeling of the water fosters no external stimulations, just echoing of thoughts. This sensual experience simultaneously poses great vulnerability and anxiety from the forces of nature, and one’s hidden submerged fears. Swimming is praying, a mantra which enables deep contemplation and spiritual catharsis.


WALDEN POND, A LANDSCAPE OF REFLECTION

Thoreau discovered the ponds great depth and related it to inner human strength and depth of soul. There is a natural attraction to the pond’s center after one learns of Thoreau’s myth. The challenging swim towards this great depth rewards one with a lifting sensual experience and a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

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PART II CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN


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CONCORD LANDFILL PROPOSED INTERVENTION

Concord Landfill (proposed)

THE INVERTED BATHYMETRY OF WALDEN POND

Walden Pond Deepest Point (Thoreau’s cross section survey)

The depth of Walden Pond became a submerged theme throughout the landfill design, consequently shaping the reformation of Concord landfill.


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN

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Walden Pond waters behind tree line

CONCORD LANDFILL. OCTOBER 2012 Located 300 meters from Walden, the adjacent Concord landfill appears as a calm and deserted site. The beautiful meadow of Bluestem and Spartiana carved out of the Walden woods is left detached and hidden. It is a disconnected piece of land, a monochromatic reflection of an attractive neighboring water source.


12 PART II

Before

Concord Landfill. A rendered view from Highway 2, Boston bound

The 30 meter high landfill acts as a visual and physical reminder of Concord’s consumption footprint.


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN

Parallel Walden reflects it’s environment, and provides new interpretations to Thoreau’s observation on the complex relationships of human with nature and urban settlement.

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14 PART II

SCALE. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILLS ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS

PARKS

LANDFILLS

Distribution across Massachusetts suggests the scale of operation for a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfill is of 20-50 ha. In some cases a site consists of two landfill mounds or more. The sites are located outside of urban centers in a proximity to primary transportation routes. Concord landfill site is a small, closed landfill the size of ‘Boston Garden’.


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN

WASTE MINING OPERATION STREAM

PRECEDENTS MINING

Construction Waste Mining. Jaffa Landfill Park. Tel Aviv Israel. 2009

SCREENING

Feeding the trommel screen. Landfill Reclamation Demonstration Project. Perdido Landfill, Florida. 2009

HARVESTING

A pile of reclaimed soil. Landfill Reclamation Demonstration Project, Perdido Landfill, Escambia County, Florida. 2009

50-70%

of landfill material is soil, which after separation and screening, can be reused for future landfill operations or as valuable hummus topsoil. Other recovered waste as plastics, metals etc. is sent further to downstream processing

Mining and recovering valuble resources from Concord Landfill is an oppertunity for rethinking of urban landfills as infrastructure that are inspiring and beautiful platforms for landuse and resource allocation. These can become urban nodes that instigate enriched ecologies with diverse opportunities recreation activities.

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INCLINE MANIPULATION. A WORKING LANDSCAPE

Standard Landfill Slope. Incline 1:1.4

Reinforced Slope with Geocell Technology. Incline 1:1

cut volume: 288,173 m3 fill volume: 252,795 m3 net volume (cut): -35,378 m3 current landfill

proposed design

SLOPE MANIPULATION GENERATES DIVERSE MICRO-CLIMATES Water Circulation

Topsoil Depth Generates Micro-climate

Liner Layer

runoff flow direction ground water flow direction leachate treatment pool vernal pool

Manipulation of standard landfill inclines using soil stabilization technic achieves diverse spacial experiences, dramatic heights and establishes preferred environments for habitat growth. The design allows the landfill to become a multi-use infrastructure.


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN

ver. c1402_-04_landfill_02

ver. c1402_-05_landfill_04

ver. c1402_-07_landfill_06

ver. c1402_-010_landfill_09

ver. c1402_-012_landfill_011

SLOPE DISTRIBUTION EVALUATION. GENERATING DESIGN The scheme identifies low impact slope ratio across the design. It infers on required slope reinforcements, soil depth across the project and convenient circulation on shallower inclines.

Incorporation of BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology (AutoCAD Civil 3d) in the design model was a key driver in exploring new forms and design opportunities for the landfill. Surprisingly, the proposed landfill is similar in volume but generates increased heights and a more dramatic landscape.

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REVOLVING LANDUSE. A DESIGN STRATEGY

Parallel Walden incorporates contemporary urban waste process. It does so by reutilizing the site as a revolving platform for resource extraction, ecological and recreational uses as well as waste management. The vision of inviting local waste operations to become a part of the community is an environmental statement that reclaims responsibility over contemporary consumption patterns. In this model, consumed waste is treated within the community in a 25 year life cycle. The site will rotate landuse form a mining resource park (1-2 year) – to a municipal waste landfill (3-4 years) – to a capped landfill park that is a preferable platform for recreation and rich ecologies. (19-21 years).


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN

Due to the planting regulations on landfills, native prairie habitats construct a diverse planting pallet, enriching the surrounding forest ecologies. the distribution of species is generates by the soil depth. Tall grasses flourish in the deeper and moist valleys, while short grasses cover the steeper, drier slopes.

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The opportunities that lie in using the sculptural and dramatic shape of the landfill as a recreational working landscape are exciting and challenging. In Concord Landfill, waste degradation and habitat establishment coexist with a strong-recreation platform.


CONCORD LANDFILL, A PARALLEL WALDEN

The linear process of consumption and waste, that ends in a covered landfill outside a town or municipality has left its footprint on the landscape; it has become recognized as part of the urban fabric. This potentially advantageous landuse typology holds opportunities for rethinking and intervention. Concord landfill demonstrates a new role for landfills in the metropolis.

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REFERENCES Mapping Thoreau Country, Cited 09/19/2012, Available from http://www.mappingthoreaucountry. org/maps/surveys-18-18/. Cairney, T. T, and D. M. Hobson. 1998. Contaminated land: Problems and solutions. 2nd ed. London; New York: E & FN Spon. EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2006. Revegetating landfills and waste containment areas fact sheet. Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 542-F-06-001. Handel, Steven N., George R. Robinson, William F. J. Parsons, and Jennifer H. Mattei. 1997. Restoration of woody plants to capped landfills: Root dynamics in an engineered soil. Restoration Ecology 5 (2) (06): 178-86. Hessler, John. The Morphology of the Early New England Landscape: Searching for the Lost Maps of Henry David Thoreau. Friday, May 20, 201, cited 19.9.2012 Available from http://warpinghistory.blogspot.com/2009/10/thoreaus-cartographic-explorations.html. Hull, John, and Hull & Associates Inc. 2012. Phone interview - Landfill and Waste Operations. Costs and Externalities. Landfill Waste Recycle Construction. Hatzav Yoffe. Kirkwood, Niall. 2012. Personal corresponding. Koolhass, Rem. 2001. Junk Space. Leonard, Annie, and Ariane Conrad. 2010. The story of stuff: How our obsession with stuff is trashing the planet, our communities, and our health--and a vision for change. 1st Free Press hardcover ed. New York: Free Press. Moffat, Andy, Kirsten Foot, Fiona Kennedy, Martin Dobson, and Geoff Morgan. 2008. Experimental tree planting on U.K. containment landfill sites: Results of 10 years’ monitoring. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 34 (3) (05): 163-72. Robinson, G. R., and S. N. Handel. 1995. Woody plant roots fail to penetrate a clay-lined landfill: Management implications. Environmental Management 19 (1): 57-64. Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862., Scot Miller, and Woods Project Walden. 2004. Walden. 150th anniversary illustrated of the American classic ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Tokarcil, Edward, and Deborah Howell. 2003. Garbage to Money. Landfill Mining Proposal for the Concord Landfill in Walden Woods. Concord Massachusetts. Harvard Graduate School of Design, Department of Landscape Architecture: Harvard GSD 9304 Independent Thesis by Candidates for Master in Design Studies. Young, William, ed. 2001. Fresh kills landfill : The restoration of landfills and root penetration. Manufactured Sites: Rethinking the Post-Industrial Landscape., ed. Niall Kirkwood. London; New York: Spon Press.

SPECIAL THANKS TO Terence J. Fitzpatrick. M.L.A II, 2013 Michael Leef. M. Arch. II, 2014


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