C oastal R esilience: Re-grounding the N ew port W ate rfront
Graduate Architectural Design Studio Portfolio
Michael Loffredo Roger Williams University ARCH 515.02 Fall 2017 Professor Edgar Adams
Table of Contents 1. Introduction
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2. Thematic Research
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3. Montage
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4. Site
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5. Case Study
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6. Masterplan Response
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7. Precinct Response
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8. Architectural Scale Response
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9. Comprehensive Final
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Presentation 10. Appendices
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1. Significance of this studio: The site where land meets water has increasingly become a scene of violent confrontation between the extreme weather being unleashed by climate change and man's ambition for permanence and mastery over the dynamic and unpredictable forces of nature. Ian McHarg's 1967 book entitled "Design with Nature" offers a prescient glimpse at a new and radically different way of looking at man's relationship to nature. Urban responses to extreme weather and sea level rise can take three fundamental forms: hardening, retreat and working with and learning from nature to develop a more dynamic, flexible and resilient means of dealing with the inevitable changes that confront us. Each strategy has a role to play; however, we need to come to terms with the fact that the more we ignore the functioning of the natural systems that we rely on, the more we seem to be at their mercy.
100% of Newport's Central Waterfront below Thames Street now lies within the 100-year flood plain. This area will increasingly be impacted by rising tides and extreme weather. We will examine the future of the Central Waterfront and identify key sites for intervention within the physical and cultural infrastructure that allows the city to serve the throngs of visitors that regularly fill its streets. Many of these sites fulfill various roles that change with the seasons and that cater to varying tastes and audiences. Can this transient flow of people be brought into greater harmony with the City's natural setting and unique coastal ecology? Can we protect the history that so vital to Newport's identity while mediating the various flows that threaten to overrun it?
Goals & Objectives:
Scales of Investigation:
- To examine the interaction between dynamic urban and natural systems.
- To look at ecological principles and processes and their implications for urban and architectural design.
- To examine the implications of strategies for coastal resilience at an Urban and an Architectural scale.
- To explore various techniques for analyzing the urban fabric and the operation of the many complex and overlapping systems that animate this fabric.
- To explore the relationship between historical buildings and development patterns and contemporary urban and architectural programs and strategies.
- To understand the historic, political, economic, legal, and social forces that impact urban development.
- To learn the collaborative skills needed to work on complex interdisciplinary urban scale projects.
- To hone verbal and graphic communication skills that will allow students to convey complex ideas and strategies to the general public in a compelling fashion.
Cities also can be understood as being constantly shaped by a range of dynamic and changing economic, cultural, social and political forces. Cities, especially our port cities, continue to be important cultural and economic intermediaries, mediating the flows of people and goods that give them their unique character and vibrancy. The City of Newport has never truly recovered from the British occupation during the War for Independence. Passed over by the forces of industrialization the city found itself caught between those who would see it become a museum and playground for the wealthy, and those that see it as a diverse and vibrant urban community.
Introduction - Precedent Analysis - Masterplan - Precinct - Block
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2.
Thematic Research Urban Flooding
Overview: The resilience of our coastal cities has been in the spot light lately; but this issue can also be seen as part of a growing trend toward the reliance on more natural models to make our cities more responsive to the threats posed by climate change and extreme weather. We have examined various approaches to these threats and concluded with an urban collage/ montage that embodies some of the principles learned from a survey of the literature. Goals & Objectives:
- To examine the interaction between dynamic urban and natural systems.
- To look at ecological principles and processes and their implications for urban and architectural design.
- To examine the implications of strategies for coastal resilience at an urban and architectural scale.
- To hone verbal and graphic communication skills that will allow students to convey complex ideas and strategies to the general public in a compelling fashion.
Definition of Urban Flooding
Natural Causes:
- Occurs when water flows into an urban region - Heavy rainfalls / flashfloods - Lack of lakes faster than it can be absorbed into the soil or - Silting drained into a lake or reservoir. - Little open soil in urban areas (impermeable) = Man-made Causes: little area for water storage - Precipitation must be transported as surface water or in the sewage system. - Urbanization - High intensity rainfall can cause flooding when - Population growth - Deforestation the city sewage system and draining canals do not have the necessary capacity to drain away the - Tresspassing on storm water drains - Poor water & sewage management water. - Lack of flood control measures
Effects: - Economic effects: - Damage to public buildings, public utility works, and housing - Loss of earning in industry & trade - Loss of employment - Loss of revenue of public transportation - High prices of essential commodities - Environmental effects: - Damage to surrounding forests, wildlife and vegetation - Can lead to injury and death - Difficult to control livestock - Disease - Effects on traffic: - Damage to roads, collapse of bridges - Traffic congestion - Impairment of public transportation
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2.
Thematic Research Urban Flooding
Case Study - Hurricane Harvey (2017) - Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds - Thrid 500-year flood to occur in Houston in 3 years - Record amounts of rain fell in Houston, Texas - In some areas, up to 48" of rain within 48 hours - Average yearly rainfall of 49.77" - 15 trillion gallons = more than twice as much as Hurricane Katrina (6.5 trillion) - Over 30,000 people temporarily homeless, more without electricity - Estimated $190B = combined cost of Hurricane Katrina & Sandy - Chemical spill from a ruptured pipeline caused numerous side effects - Houston is home to half of US refining capacity and a fifth of oil production = drastic raise of oil prices
What Was Wrong? - The city is flat. "Like a pancake. The water has nowhere to go" - Phil Bedient (engineer @ Rice University) - Urban sprawl - Low density development over a large area Was Climate Change the Cause? (lots of concrete). - Experts argue that climate change did not "cause" - Limits the city's natural drainage capacity. Harvey, but it is huge factor of the severity of the - Developer-run community and city. storm. - No zoning codes or regulations Increase in heat energy trapped in the - Developers only have to invest in a property atmosphere, due to greenhouse gases. for a minimum of 10 years. - Developers are allowed to pave over crucial - Sea levels rose more than half a foot in recent decades. Higher seas = more storm surges acres of prairie land that historically - Water temperature rose = more evaporation & absorbed huge amounts of water. water in the air = more rain - Lack of will or policy for flood control - Reservoirs have been over-capacity due to - Equal temp of land and water lessens prevailing winds = storm stays in same place excess water from rampant development.
Cures & Preventions: Building Resilient Cities - Reducing Impervious surfaces: Impervious surfaces (concrete/asphalt/etc) increase the volume and speed of storm water runoff, which puts heavy pressure on sewer and drainage systems. Adding more pervious surfaces such as green roofs, gardens, and green spaces creates more of a "sponge" effect, absorbing stormwater rather than diverting it.
- Woodlands, forests, and trees: Trees impede soil erosion, aid water absorption, and generally enhance the quality of life within a community. Destruction of trees and damage of trees causes barren and unsightly conditions, creates surface drainage problems, and increases municipal costs to control drainage.
- Shoreline Protection: - Seawalls - Replacing aged infrastructure: - Bulkheads Most cities' infrastructure is not designed - Revetments for the 21st century and future needs. The - Geotextile containers Chicago sewer system was built in 1856, and - Groins 40% of the combined sewers have trouble - Jetties handling more than 2/3 of an inch of rain. To - Breakwaters replace 1 mile of piping is estimated to cost $2.2 Billion. - Floodplains: Temporarily store water and decrease storm velocity, help control stormwater runoff to decrease catastrophic flooding, and capture sediment and nutrients which enhances the quality of water.
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Montage
The concept behind this montage was to provoke the feeling of growing from a tragedy. To do this, I exaggerated the concept of urban flooding and overlayed a conceptual green solution to living with water. I achieved this by manipulating images and incorporating hand-drawings, and highlighting blue and green colors.
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Site
Site Overview
History of Newport
Downtown Newport Today
Newport's Goals for the Future
The site of this project is located in downtown Newport, RI, covering the area West of Thames St. to the waterfront. It includes the brick market area as well as a significant portion of America's Cup Boulevard and popular marinas. Significant building within the site include the Brick Market Museum, Seaman's Institute, Newport Yachting Center, Harborview Hotel, and the Newport Marriot. The site is also surrounded by many local historic districts and historic houses. This is most noticable along Thames St, but is drastically broken up by America's Cup Blvd.
Newport was originally settle in 1639 on the southern end of Aquidneck Island. In 1680, it quickly became one of America's leading ports and an important future station for the navy. In 1698, Trinity Church was founded which is now the oldest Episcopal church in Rhode Island. Early on, Newport had a strong Quaker presence which had political, social, and economic influence. During the Civil War, Goat Island became an influential base for the Navy and torpedo station. Overtime, Newport's coastline expanded outwards to the west, as seen in the map below.
Today, Newport has a booming economy during the warmer months of the year because it is one of the largest yachting ports in the country and is home to many Gilded Age mansions along Bellevue Avenue. Because of this, tourism is a key factor to the city's economy.
- Economic diversification and job creation around an approach to integrated resiliancy and civic infrastructure as it relates to climate change and ocean related issues. - Focus on future sea level rise and storm surges. - Implement the following technologies: - Resiliance related techologogies: - Micro Grids - Alternative Energy - Green / Blue Infrastructure - Naval / defense technologies - Ocean delated design - Urban Agriculture / Food Security
Original map = 1777 Coastline Red line = 2017 Coastline 5
4. Existing Parks / Green Spaces
Historic Districts
Zoning
Flood Zones
Site
Existing Topograpgy
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Case Study Boston Living With Water
Resilient Linkages - Honorable Mention
- 2014 International Design Competition for the future of Boston's communities and infrasctructure.
Key Concepts: - Plan for the challengs of climate change. - Embrace the fluctuations o the tide and mounting sea level. - Higher 'ground plane' - Aqueous Central Park - doubles as water management Team Member Firms: - NBBJ - Ground, Inc. - Haley & Aldrich, Inc. - Charles River Watershed Association
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5. ththeth The Omega Chair - Semi Finalist
Case Study Boston Living With Water
Key Concepts: - Resilient network system connecting disparate areas to elevate the quality of life. - Scalable halo infrastructure - Capable of climate change adaption - Possible to extend organically to encompass adjacent neighborhoods. - New multi-transportation skyway - Community Greenhouse - Energy Garden - Wetland Park Team Member Firms: - Howards & Cavaluzzi Architects International, Beijing Office - Nitsch Engineering - STOSS Landscape Urbanism - GEI Consultants, Inc. - Emory University
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5. ththeth The Hydroelectric Canal - Semi Finalist
Case Study Boston Living With Water
Key Concepts: - Generating resilient urban ecologies - Harness clean energy through hydropower generation from tidal changes/storm surges - Floating Structures Team Member Firms: - Paul Lukez Architecture - C2 Studio - Colorado State University - UMASS Boston - Arup - PM&C
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Masterplan Response
Masterplan Narrative: ththeth In order to address the concerns that the city of Newport has, which consists of resiliency regarding future sea level rise and storm surges, we are proposing to implement a system of terraces that work seamlessly with new canals and green spaces. There are three terraces, which step up three feet each. The first terrace is three feet above the existing waterfront edge, and the third terrace is level with Thames Street, which is at the 10' elevation. The terraces should be effective at dealing with sea level rise, and we plan to implement phased development once the first terrace is overcome with water. At a larger scale, we also proposed a breakwater extending from King Park, which would help reduce the storm surge entering the bay. The proposed canals infiltrate into the land to allow the water to be more interactive with the public and to assist with stormwater drainage. The greenspaces are parrallel to the canals, and serve as both public space and a sponge to absorb water. In the event of a storm, the canals can overflow and water can be absorbed into the green spaces. The buildings that we are proposing to develop within the site are a mix of retail, residential, business, markets, and restaurants/cafes. The scale of the buildings is similar to the scale of the existing buildings in Newport, in order to "fit in". We also proposed both green roofs and solar roofs on various buildings in the site.
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45' above sea level Residential (R-10): 30' above ground
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Residential (R-3): 30' above ground
Masterplan Response Coastal Flood Zone 100 Year Flood Zone 500 Yead Flood Zone
Surface Parking Structured Parking
Axis
Existing Figure Ground
Proposed Figure Ground Surface Parking Structured Parking
Parking
Views
Open Spaces
Canals
Green Spaces 11
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Masterplan Response
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OFFICE B.M.M.
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CAFE
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Precinct Response
PARKING
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CAFE
RETAIL
KITCHEN
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RETAIL
RESTAURANT
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SHARED LOBBY
39 DN
1ST FLOOR
Architectural Scale Response
RETAIL OFFICE SM OFFICE
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UP
UP
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PARKING SCALE: 0'
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1ST FLOOR
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UP
UP
PARKING SCALE: 0'
View 1
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50'
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View 3 14
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Architectural Scale Response
View 2 15
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Comprehensive Project Narrative Given more time, we would have reoriented the canals to be North-South instead of East-West which would allow for better water circulation and potentially hydro-electric power. We also would have considered making the entire first terrace a greenspace which would act as a wetland park that would be able to flood and absorb water during a storm.
OFFICE B.M.M.
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Appendices
References "Entries" Boston Living With Water, Feb. 2015, www.bostonlivingwithwater.org/. "Planning Division." Planning Division | City of Newport, City of Newport, 2017, cityofnewport.com/ departments/planning-development/planning-division. Watson, Donald, Alan J. Plattus, and Robert G. Shibley. Time-saver standards for urban design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
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