Architecture Renewal in the Mountains
//Revitalization of Neglected Surface Mines and Coal Communities
Tyler Duty M. Arch // Thesis
t. 304.881.4010 e. tylernduty@gmai.com
DAAP Works
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Hobet 21 Coal Mine Boone County // West Virginia Mountaintop removal has decimated 352,000 acres and 135 mountain ranges in the state of West Virginia alone
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Table Contents Thesis +0 Introduction // Abstract 6 +1 Regional // Appalachia 8 +2 Local // Southern West Virginia Coalfields
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+3 Site // Hill Fork Surface Mine & Madison, WV
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-01 Hiking // Biking Trails
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-02 Botanical Garden
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-03 Observation Deck // Wind Turbine
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-04 Coal Memorial
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-05 Campsite // Shelter
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-06 Amphitheatre
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Monuments of the Coalfields
Additional Work +5 Resume 58 +6 Portfolio // Complete Thesis Document
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Through natural resource extraction, West Virginia has fueled the nation’s energy demands since the early 20th century. As renewable energy production becomes more prominent, former surface mines and coal communities search for new methods of economic revitalization.
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The natural beauty and the environment of the Appalachian mountains have been decimated by contemporary methods of coal extraction known as surface mining or mountaintop removal. In order to preserve the natural environment moving forward, architectural integration must raise awareness surrounding the issue by revealing the surface mining process to the public. At the heart of the rich coal-filled Appalachian Mountains lies Madison, West Virginia. Madison is nestled at the basin of the Little Coal River valley, where coal was discovered in 1742. Over the years, the picturesque landscape and the rich history has been diminished by the socioeconomic disparity of the coal industry. Madison, like many other coal towns throughout Appalachia, will serve as the primary case study for this analysis. The number of coal mining operations decrease each year as clean fossil fuels and renewable energy alternatives are developed. Today in the United States, only 30% of our energy is derived from coal. As this percentage continues to decrease, abandoned surface mines are becoming more prominent throughout southern West Virginia. Surface mines are the most common form of coal extraction; however, this controversial method has generated social, economic, political, and environmental problems. Due to the devastating environmental and economic impact of an abandoned surface mine, the Department of Environmental Protection provides incentives for future economic development. The beautiful Appalachian landscape surrounding the reclaimed surface mines promote architectural interventions that support eco-tourism, community engagement, coal heritage, and renewable energy production. Each design component will address an issue surrounding the mountaintop removal process, while challenging the public’s perception of renewable energy alternatives.
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Regional Appalachia
2012 // Chesapeake & Ohio Ra West Virginia Jason Bostic
2016 // New River Gorge Bridge West Virginia Regional VII Planning and Development Council
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ailroad
1973 // John Amos Power Plant // EPA Documerica Project West Virginia Harry Schaefer
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+Appalachia
The Appalachian Mountains have fueled energy consumption necessities throughout North America since the early 19th century.1 The coal trade fueled rapid industrialization efforts, and secluded valleys became centers for commerce and infrastructure to facilitate the growing coal industry. Today, Appalachia’s abundant natural resources have been exploited, but the welfare of local communities has been neglected. The region is currently struggling with high unemployment and poverty rates due to the singular based coal economy, and the startling corporate land ownership rates.
1 Burns, Shirley Stewart. Bringing down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal Surface Coal Mining on Southern West Virginia Communities. 1970-2004. Morgantown, W. Va.: West Virginia Univ. Press, 2007.
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Data From West Virginia University
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Local
Southern West Virginia Coalfields
2010 // Elk Run Coal Processin West Virginia Arianna Skyes
2016 // Active Mountaintop Removal Operation West Virginia David Stephenson
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ng Plant
2018 // Coal River Pedestrian Suspension Bridge West Virginia Kurt Travis
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+West Virginia Coalfields
This thesis will focus strictly on surface mining and seek to develop an architectural response to the political, economic, environmental and social issues surrounding this controversial extraction method. Surface mining has decimated 352,000 acres of land and 135 mountains in the state of West Virginia alone.1 In most cases, reclamation efforts can be avoided through incentives that suggest abandoned surface mines may be used for economic development in the future. The harsh reality is that only three percent of abandoned surface mines are ever developed.2 As coal communities throughout southern West Virginia search for new methods of employment and economic revitalization, abandoned surface mines provide flattened land for eco-tourism and renewable energy optimization.
1 Appalachian Voices. “Mountaintop Removal 101 > Appalachian Voices.� Accessed October 4, 2019. http://appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/ mtr101 2 Ibid.
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Site
Hobet 21 Coal Mine // Madison, West Virginia
2019 // Hill Fork Surface Mine West Virginia Tyler Duty
1967 // Main Street // Madison, WV West Virginia City of Madison
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2018 // Coal Rail Yard // Danville & Madison, WV West Virginia Tyler Duty
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+Madison, West Virginia
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Site
The scope of this thesis will focus on the analysis of Madison, West Virginia and its relationship to the surrounding coal mines. Madison emerged as a model company town in the late 19th century, which instigated hostility between the community and the distant coal corporation authorities. Coal companies developed their own utilitarian ideas for currencies, homes, businesses, and politics to maintain supremacy over the coal miners and their families. Like many other Appalachian company towns, Madison was once a vibrant community with a diverse society of people from all over the world. Due to the high demand for coal, company towns such as Madison were economically dependent on coal production. This in turn lead to the gradual demise of the City of Madison.
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+Hill Fork Surface Mine
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Site
The current condition of the Hill Fork Surface Mine stands as a scar atop one of the tallest and most prominent mountains in the area. The reclamation process is currently about 95% complete and the 424 acres have been deemed suitable for future economic development due to the now flattened nature of the mine. Hill Fork Surface Mine has been a controversial site for development due to the picturesque landscape surrounding the site in every direction. In order to respect, but also enhance the natural beauty of the surrounding environment, architectural interventions will advocate for biophilic design principals that bridge the gap between nature and built components. Through these various design components and typologies, the sensorial extremities of the natural environment will be enhanced rather than diminished.
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Monuments of the Coalfields Six Architectural Components
Architectural design components will be introduced on Hill Fork Surface Mine in order to revitalize the desolate landscape. Each component will be used to inform visitors of the industrial past; while also demonstrating a visual catalogue of monuments that define the Appalachian region.
02 - Botanical Garden
Due to the vast scale of the Hill Fork Surface Mine, various architectural components will be linked via hiking and biking trails to generate a physical connection across the site. The primary design component is the observation deck and wind turbine. This monument will be repeated across the site in order to maximize wind energy production.
03 - Observation Deck // Wind Turbine
04 - Coal Memorial
05 - Campsite // Shelter
06 - Amphitheatre
The following six sections describe the concept, theory, and design intent behind each architectural expressions.
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Design Components
01 - Hiking // Biking Trails
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Hiking // Biking Trails Circulation
Summary
Design Concept
Direct circulation to architectural interventions Prevent vehicular traffic Bike // pedestrian lanes
Overview Due to the shear size of Hill Fork Surface Mine, various design components will be linked via bike and foot path. These trails will follow the perimeter of the mine boundary in order to create a physical monument between the old and the new. Spanning across the 1.5 mile site, and connecting 424 acres of land; converging paths will dictate circulation between each monument.
Hiawatha Bike Trail Idaho
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Botanical Garden Sanctuary
Summary
Design Concept Preserve once existing landscape Encompass the regions biodiversity Biophilic design principles
Overview This internal sanctuary will demonstrate the biodiverse plant species that dominate the Appalachian region. Through architectural design strategies the botanical garden will serve as a form of architectural propaganda that creates a stark contrast between the encapsulated forest and the desolate mine. Visual representation methods will make a case for preservation of such pristine land in the future.
The Eden Project England
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Observation Deck // Wind Turbine Renewable Energy
Summary
Design Concept
Interpret scale & scope of the surface mine Demonstrate wind turbine energy production Physical landmark // beacon
Overview Due to the horizontal scale of the Hill Fork Surface Mine, vertical design integration will serve as visual landmarks to delineate the mine from the contextual surroundings. The primary function of these vertical components is wind energy production and the secondary function is observation platforms. Such beacons will be repeated across the site in order to harvest wind as the primary renewable energy component.
Olson Observation // Fire Tower West Virginia
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Monuments of the Coalfields
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Coal Memorial Museum
Summary
Design Concept Tribute to Upper Big Branch Mine disaster Display artifacts of the Southern West Virginia Coalfields Demonstrate underground utilitarian methods Overview The concept behind the coal miner’s memorial is to honor the miners and their families who have dedicated and lost their lives to the coal industry. One of the most deadly mining accidents happened thirty miles south of Hill Fork Surface Mine. An explosion at The Upper Big Branch mine resulted in the deaths of twenty-nine miners. In remembrance, each miner that perished will have a monument at the point of arrival and departure at the underground memorial. Through a series of underground tunnels and nodes, society will understand the extraneous labor and conditions that miners endured to fuel the nation’s demand for electricity.
Allmannajovet Zinc Mine Museum Norway
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Campsite // Shelter Community
Summary
Design Concept Communal space for events and gatherings Overnight camping accommodations Sanitation necessities
Overview In order to maintain the rural qualities of the rustic landscape, it would be short sighted to propose commercial developments on site. This will be circumvented through a series of campsites that allow visitors to stay overnight at Hill Fork Surface Mine. Each campsite will be signified by a shelter that provides communal space for small scale events and gatherings on site.
Greenbrier State Forest Campground West Virginia
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Amphitheatre Activation
Summary
Design Concept Site activation through events and festivals Community engagement Economic growth and future development Overview The design approach focuses on orienting the backdrop of the stage towards one of the most scenic vistas in the area. From this vantage, visitors will experience a series of undulating mountain ranges in the peripheral. The colonnade formed at the base of the arches will also serve as an implied barrier to generate a sense of enclosure, while vegetation forms a sound buffer to prevent reverberation throughout the valley.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre Colorado
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TYLER DUTY
SKILLS
ASPIRING ARCHITECT // GRAPHIC DESIGNER
3D Modeling
(304)881-4010 tylernduty@gmail.com issuu.com/tylerduty tylerdutydesigns
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Graphic Production Render & Animation
Revit SketchUp Rhino Autocad Photoshop Bluebeam InDesign Illustrator Revit Render Maxwell Render V-ray Premiere Pro
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EXPERIENCE Herscoe Hajjar Architects
Junior Architect
Summer 2019 Naples, FL www.hharch.com
Project types: Commercial // Residential Phases of work: SD // DD // CD // CA
Populous
Architectural Intern
Fall 2018 Denver, CO www.populous.com
Project types: Expo Halls // Stadiums Phases of work: Interviews // SD // DD
HDR, Inc.
Architectural Intern
Spring 2018 Denver, CO www.hdrinc.com
Project types: Healthcare // Civic Phases of work: DD // CD
ZMM Architects & Engineers
Architectural Intern
Summer 2016 & 2017 Charleston, WV www.zmm.com
Project types: Educational // Religious Phases of work: SD // DD // CD
EDUCATION University of Cincinnati DAAP 2017-Present
University of Kentucky UK/CoD 2013-2017
Master of Architecture Expected 2020 Graduate Assistant for DAAP Publications GPA 3.75 BA in Architecture // Minor in Digital Media GPA 3.78 / 4.00 Rome & Prague: Ancient to Modern Architecture
HONORS & ACTIVITIES Dean’s List University of Kentucky College of Design- Eight Consecutive Semesters AIA West Virginia Scholarship Award Winner University of Kentucky Tau Sigma Delta Architectural Academic Fraternitity VP University of Kentucky Architecture Education Abroad Scholarship American Institute of Architecture Students Member University of Kentucky National Society of Collegiate Scholars Chapter Member Showcased Projects at University of Kentucky College of Design “End of Year Show” University of Cincinnati Graduate Student Governance Association Member
VOLUNTEER WORK Volunteer at Informal Office (Architecture firm in Lexington, KY) Participant in UK Dance Blue 24-hour Marathon (Supports pediatric cancer) University Park Elementary Student Teacher // Mentor (Denver, CO) Make-A-Wish Foundation (Philanthropy event to benefit patients with ALS) Helping Hands- Outreach Program to Help Less Fortunate Families (Winfield, WV)
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Additional Work
Portfolio // Complete Thesis Document
Full Thesis Book (Click Here) https://issuu.com/tylerduty/docs/thesis
Full Portfolio (Click Here) https://issuu.com/tylerduty/docs/tyler_duty_portfolio_resume
Tyler Duty University of Cincinnati Master of Architecture, class 2020
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Tyler Duty M. Arch // Thesis
t. 304.881.4010 e. tylernduty@gmai.com
DAAP Works
