BUILDING AS SCAFFOLDING FOR HABITAT

academic / 2016 / East Boston master plan programs used: Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop, AutoCAD

Designers and ecologists often refer to ecosystem services when describing the many and varied benefits provided by the natural environment to humans. This project proposed to re-interpret the relationship between ecology and the urban realm -- instead looking to explore how building architecture can be used to support animal habitats, illustrating the architectural services the built environment can provide to ecological systems.

Chelsea River noise pollution buffer neighbourhood amenity terrace saltwater marsh planting habitat sanctuary architectural services diagram platform within the landscape viewing platform above the landscape architectural services deployed across the site, not to a scale occupiable pop out french balcony above vs. within landscape landscape-human interactions high-rise building carved to extend the marsh habitat up and through the buildings roof garden riparian planting buildings step back to allow sunlight to penetrate to the ground stepping into the landscape at level vs. below canopy in between thickness within thickness ground plane relationships A-A

Previously an asphalt parking lot in the East Boston neighbourhood, this 25 acre site is transformed into a tidal saltwater marsh with buildings and neighbourhood amenities standing on stilts, allowing the surrounding marsh habitat to mature and evolve without impediment and to avoid flood damage, in anticipation of major storm events.