Joseph scarpa graduate thesis delaware bay research and discovery project

JOSEPH SCARPA - THESIS 2013

DELAWARE BAY RESEARCH + DISCOVERY PROJECT SALT WATER FIN-FISH & SHELL-FISH AQUACULTURE FACILITY THESIS ADVISOR: Jahan Sheikholeslami

The continual ecological decline of the Delaware Bay Estuary has brought along environment and economic issues. Once an economical prosperous area with a thriving eco-system the mouth of the Maurice River in Southern New Jersey sits as an area affected by an aquatic industry decline as well as the side effect of its up-land watershed. In an effort to bring awareness to these issues I propose designing a building that combines the research & commercial programs surrounding this fragile ecosystem for educational outreach purposes.

Mission + Goals • Promote sustainability through practice and awareness • Control & improve the impact on local and global ecosystem through practice • Create an environment to house and stimulate education programs.

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Promote future economic prosperity in the local fishing & shellfish industry Create a space that stimulates a sustainable fishing industry for the current and future generations.

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Support the commercial fishing & shellfish culture that surrounds the Bay, primarily focusing on the towns that surround the Maurice River outlet.

Create a functional and aesthetic space that relates to the surrounding community’s rich historical culture.

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Improve leisure and recreational opportunities for visitors and the surrounding citizens.

Create a place that stimulates activities surrounding the Delaware Bay and wetland ecosystem.

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Support the current research facilities involved with the restoration & improvement of the Delaware Bay’s ecosystem.

Provide needed support space for local Universities and ongoing state research programs.

EXISTING CONDITIONS

EXISTING SITE ISSUES & SOLUTIONS ISSUE: Currently the existing site footprint contains one of the most concentrated impervious coverage directly in contact with designated wetland areas.

Combined with the boat repair under its current use, runoff poses a problem to the surrounding area.

SOLUTION: Reduce Impervious coverage by restoring percentage of site to native landscape, and control rain water runoff and quality.

ISSUE: Old unkept metal cladded buildings present an eye sore from the river and surrounding residence.

SOLUTION: Determine salvagable buildings and/or material for re-use and demolish unwanted built structures.

ISSUE: Given the small width of the bordering street (Front) the existing industrial buildings loom over the houses across the street and create a visual barrier.

SOLUTION: Maintain a reasonable setback and visualy buffer new construction and maintain specific views to river.

ISSUE: Fenced off property currently provides safety and security for the property but creates an unwelcoming barrier, disconnecting the village from river use.

SOLUTION: Create access points on site for civic, leisure, & recreational use for surrounding citizens.

ISSUE: At time of peak industry the property served as a viable econimical support to the towns people, but now as a private entity that employs six people it no longer serves the local village.

SOLUTION: Create a building & site use that can directly serve the surrounding local poplation, while providing a sustainable economical reason.

Major Program activities to include: • • •

Shell and fin-fish research facility - Study of disease and innovation within the estuary ecosystem.

Small scale commercial production - Farming on a small commercial level for research & educational purposes.

Education / Outreach – The public education through an operational aquaculture facility.

PROGRAM ABSTRACT

MAJOR PROGRAM COMPONENTS ADMINISTRATION 1492

Administrative support space general

RESEARCH 6100

Dry & Wet labs to support: Microscopes, image capture/analysis system, histological processing equipment, laminar flow and UV hoods, automatic gene sequencers (ABI 310 and Beckman CEQ 8000), several thermal cyclers, a MJ real-time PCR system, several DNA and protein gel electrophoresis and detection systems.

PUBLIC EDUCATION 4300

Activity area for installations and learning with access to finfish + shellfish production facility.

HIGHER EDUCATION 4560

Lecture Hall, classrooms, and gathering spaces with access to the surrounding ecosystem.

SHELLFISH PRODUCTION + RESEARCH

3778

Growth tanks for low and high salinity shellfish species for research + production.

FINFISH PRODUCITON + RESEARCH

13460

Growth tanks for indigenous finfish species for research + production.

PLANT PRODUCTION 4300

Byproduct growing systems for wetland restoration and production cleaning systems – Aquaculture + Living Machines.

FACILITY + MAINTANENCE

Systems for Building & Process - Water, Sanitation, Electrical, Data, & Conditioning.

2136

CAFÉ 1352

Small scale dining facility for building and site users.

TOTAL 41478 SF MAJOR PROGRAM REVISIONS THROUGH DESIGN PROCESS TO INCLUDE: • Redesign of dormitory facility to individual cottages located along the wetlands border • Elimination of enclosed greenhouses and incorporating architectural vegetation in and around the site • Incorporating a Café to stimulate everyday site use and support staff.

ENTRY

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies San Diego, USA ARCH: Louis I Kahn

The site is comprised of two flanking laboratory building encompassing an open concrete yard. The laboratory wing’s height are proportioned slighting lower than the width of the courtyard to give a sense of open space, but maintains a connection to the building itself. Contemplation or thinking spaces occupy the inner portion of the court, while the laboratory and “service spaces” are to the exterior and sub-level areas. The contemplation rooms a positioned on angles to make best use of the views towards the ocean and natural light. The precast concrete and wooden façade add to the play of light as the movement of the sun changes the hue of the space throughout the day.

SERVES SPACES

OPEN YARD

LABORATORY (SPACES SERVED)

LAB ADMIN.

While the building serves primarily as a laboratory it is its exterior yard that is most celebrated. The space allows for relaxation,

OCEAN VIEW

Muritzeum Cultural Museum Waren (Muritz), Germany ARCH: Wingardh Arkitektkontor MUSEUM VIEW

ENTRY PLAZA

SURROUNDING BUILT ENVIRONMENT

LOW PROFILE SHAPE

The Muritzeum has a number of features that make it realevant to the project. It main feature is how it was incorporated into the built fabric of the surrounding town. Located around numerous residential buildings it remains as an unobstructed and unimposing object. Its round shape and low profile allows it to blend into the landscape.

Situated on the Muritz Lake, the building provides views into the landscape that are separated from the urban context. Its sublevel viewing area adds to the positive connection with a partially submerged exterior aquarium. This feature provides a strong connection between the viewers and the natural environment.

The shape and materials of the building add its surrounding context as well. The inverted tapering cone shapes give an appearance of a ship’s haul. The exterior surfaces are carbonized timbers with a blackish brown finish giving the building a historical appearance.

CASE STUDIES

Fishing Village

Mollosund, Sweden 58 24’N, 11 28 E: Elev-28.00’ While attempting to understand the scale and relationship of small fishing village towns I investigated a number of towns around the world. These would include: Rockport Maine, Staithes Yorkshire, Burano Venice, & Mollosund Sweden. These villages due to commerce + trade developed out of a vernacular design + function.

Their aesthetics grow out of local materials and culture. Utilizing these concepts I evaluated the creation of void + mass, creating spaces between buildings. This was then applied to the site’s history, cultural identity, + scale.

The Bivalve Laboratory Bivalve, NJ Rutgers University

One of the three facilities established by Rutgers University the laboratory is located at the mouth of the Maurice River just south of the proposed site in Port Norris, NJ. The 19,000 sf. facility specializes primarily in genetic research of the eastern oyster and other shellfish developing in their natural habitat with in the Delaware Bay. The facility has multiple laboratories, a wet lab, and cold storage rooms. Additional functions include a 7 room dormitory, library, and administration offices. Being closely located to the present commercial shellfish industry it allows the facility to work directly with operations. It location also provides direct access to the Delaware Bay and the natural bedding areas.

Alcox, Kathy. Interviewed by Joseph Scarpa. Port Norris, NJ. 18 June 2012

Cape Shore Laboratory

FACILTIY TOURS + INTERVIEWS

FACILITY TOURS + INTERVIEWS

Green Creek, NJ Rutgers University

Rutgers second southward facility is located on the shore of the Lower Delaware Bay. Smaller in size, approximately 6,000sf, these two story buildings contains a large lecture room, open office, and two open wet laboratories. The field laboratory uses its proximity to its privately owned 7 acre intertidal flats to grow its shell fish progeny groups. It generates shellfish brood stock that are resistant to the MSX Dermo and JOD that had destroyed the eastern oyster. Programmatically the building utilizes its meeting rooms and flexible open offices to serve the facility and it’s supporting organization’s needs. In addition; the facility’s large 6,000 gal salt water holding tank allows them to study and cultivate high salinity species.

DeBrosse, Greg. Interviewed by Joseph Scarpa. Green Creek, NJ. 18 June 2012

Aquaculture Innovation Center (AIC) Cape May, NJ. Rutgers University

The third of the Rutgers University marine labs is located directly on the Cape May Canal. This large 22,000 sf. Metal building houses an enclosed commercial aquaculture facility for shell and finfish. The building serves as a great example of functional organization and specific technical equipment for spawning and raising shellfish for production and market sale. Its twin saline system provides salt water to the building, which is then UV-filtered and brought to a controlled temperature. It is then supplied through-out the building along with compressed air for production use.

Jones, Dave. Interviewed by Joseph Scarpa. Cape May, NJ. 18 June 2012

MID TERM CRITIQUE

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MID TERM CRITIQUE

TECHNICAL REVIEW

TECHNICAL REVIEW

TECHNICAL REVIEW

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