01 02 HELP! studioColumbia critic: University keith kaseman 2007- 2008 Stephanie Hsie
summer 2007 sh2576@columbia.edu “This studio is a call for preemptive architectural action towards some specific, productive, beneficial and constructive ends. Initially, it simply requires each participant to take a
HELP! studio critic: keith kaseman summer 2007 “This studio is a call for preemptive architectural action towards some specific, productive, beneficial and constructive ends. Initially, it simply requires each participant to take a stance: Who are you going to help? How? How can we twist the existence opportunities to help through architecture? Do we even need to twist that hard? How proactive can an archtiectural idea be? Where and how might we disseminate sparks of thougth beyoond the realm of architecture? What is the weight of responsibiltiy we carry with respect to dignity and respect in the fabricated world? Is it heavy or light (or both)? How can we use the “machines” to facilitate thought and demonstration along this thrust? These ad myrad other questions will be developed through the formulation of individual projects over the course of the semester, and ideas will generate strategic and spatial production in this studio.”
natural stuff
fabricated stuff
water
(above) our approach to remediation was to separate the land into natural elements such peoplea and vegetation, water flowing beneath, and our intervention of a fabricated layer that will direct the flow of water to different programs.
dirt
Our land is poisoned! Industry and poor waste management have created hundreds of contaminated sites across the nation. This is an intervention of fabricated water based research platforms that cultivate, distribute, and display the processes of bioremediation. By involvling the public in tours, and providing new parklands on the water, perhaps individuals will be inspired to invest in their landscape and participate in the restoration of poisoned lands.
uncontrolled or abandoned site with hazardous waste
uncontrolled or abandoned site where hazardous waste is located. all information was gathered from the Natioanl Priorities List (NPL)
HELP!
bioremediation
Bioremediation is a potential source of regenerative growth for the cleansing of industrially contaminated lands and waters across the country. Several initiatives have already incorporated the planting of grasses able to process airborne particles of pollution along highways. Many water plants, such as the cat tail, sunflower, and geramium, are often used in landscaping to cleanse ponds and streams. These plants can handle mineral uptake, however, more research is necessary in order to understand how these processes can be maximized.
% reduction to meet criterion currently meet criterion
mercury contamination bioremediation: mercury contamination
10% reduction required 15% reduction required 20% reduction required 25% reduction required 50% reduction required 75% reduction required 75% reduction required contains other sources arsenic concentration in at least 25% of samples exceed:
50 ug/L
The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently engaged in a new water study modelling tool called the Mercury Maps, an analysis that relates changes in mercury air deposition rates to changes in mercury fish tissue concentration on a national scale. “As of December 2003, 45 states had issued fish advisories for mercury covering more than 13,000,000 lake acres and over 750,000 river miles.� Such studies and approaches to water mapping help us understand where water has been contaminated, and help planners implement effective stragegies of deployment and remediation.
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/models/maps/fs.htm scented geranium (pelargoniun sp.)
10 5 3 1
information gathered from USGS
m aradopsis (eats mercury)
bioremediation: m_arabidopsis
(above) diagrams of mercury and arsenic contamination and 2 plants that can ability for certain plant types to intake these elements. How many toxic areas would be resotred if these plants could be distrbuted. physical characteristics
-height: 12 to 24 inches -leaves: deeply lobed, soft-textured leaves -flower: small pale pink to white 5-petaled flowers -growth rate: long growing season -root system: 4� root dept planting
-life span: long growing season -planting cycle: plant in fall or 3 mobefore the frost.
-duration: perennial -light preference: full indoors, tolerates mod light -soil type: rich loamy slightly acidic well drained soil -moisture conditions: well drained moisture, water geraniums when the soil becomes moderately dry. Never allow the plants to dry out to the point of wilting or the leaves will turn yellow and drop off. -hardiness: usda 9-11
stored in times of drought
used for generating hydroelectric power
water is damed
em pleh
reduce soil erosion
control flooding
creates recreation areas used for irrigation
energy: dams
energy:dams 2 elcyc
used as drinking water after treatment
runoff
used to flush toilets
collected in a cistern
falls off roof
used to water plants
em pleh
hording
used to reduce flooding
hoarding
2 elcyc
cycle 1
recycled as drinking fountains recycled as swimmer’s showers
wastewater recycled to flush toilets em pleh
help me
recycled to create fun fountains
wastewater
waste water
2 elcyc
cycle 1 used to water plants in planting beds
waste water em pleh
source water
storm water
brought into the irrigation system
used to inundate areas with water plants used to water landscape
rain water 2 elcyc
cycle 1
phytoremediation
phytoremediation
used to water plants in the greenhouses
(above) diagrams of how the orchestration of the flow of (above) diagrams of how the orchestration of the flow of (above) different ways water can be used for productively. water can create areas for production of recreation. water can create areas for production of plantlife. value
uses:rose-scenteds, peppermint, lemon, lime. used for teas, potpourris, sachets, jellies, vinegars, desserts. Mosquito, or citronella plants were developed by introducing a gene from citronella grass into a scented Pelargonium species. When rubbed or crushed, these geraniums release the citronella oil, which helps repel mosquitoes. remediation capability: Identified as one of the most efficient metal hyperaccumulator plants. In a greenouse study, young cluttings of scneted geranium gorwn in artificial soil and fed different metal solutions, were capable of taking up large amounts of three major heavy metal contaminants in a relatively short time. These plants were capable fo extracting from the feeding solution and stocking in thier rorots amounts of lead, cadmium and nicke equivalent to 9%, 2.7%, and 1.9% of thier dry weight material respectively. With an average root mass of 0.5-1.0 g in dry weight, scented geranium cuttings could extract90mg of Pb, 27 mg of Cd and 19 mg of Ni from the feeding solution in 14 days. If these rates of uptake could be maintained under fiedl conditions, scented gerajnium should be able to clean up heavily contaminated sites in elss than 10 years (growth and uptake in nutrient solution is extremely different to that in soil, and scientific studies indicate the hydroponic culture is not indicative of a real-world situation, due to ion competition, root impedence, and the fact htat plants tdo not grow rot hairs when they are gorwn in solution).
water
Focusing on water based plant types with remedial capabilities, the movment and rise of water must be taken into account. The system will allow for the configuration of floating and submerged areas for the research, cultivation, distribution, and display of cattails, red fescue, chinese brake fern, an m. arabidopsis, etc.
rethinkingwater Portions of the platform such as the visitor’s center and laboratories will remain as a permenant part of the landscape, however, as the water is cleansed, unnecessary portions of the fabricated structure are to be removed allowing the new plant life to take over. Dirt once used for planting or weights will be strategically released to create a new island parkscape along the shoreline.
skate park
swimming pool (above) examples of how the display and relation to water can create different conditions for recreation and research. (top) skate park (bottom) swimming pool. indian mustard (brassica juncea (L.) Czern.)
physical characteristics
planting
-height: 1-4 feet tall -leaves:dark green, alternate, simple, smooth or fuzzy, basal leaves are 4-8 inches long. -stems: erict, simple or branched above, smooth -flower: yellow, about .5 in across , 4 petals and sepals -seed: small black seeds -growth rate: rapid -root system: taproot; 6 inch root depth
-life span: short -planting cycle: Seeds sown in very early spring for spring use and in the fall for winter use. Successive plantings 10–14 days apart insure an all season crop. Growing period is from 40–60 days -duration: annual / perennial; -light preference: typically grows in full sun under mesic to dry conditions -moisture conditions: low drought tolerance -hardiness: usda 9-11
researchers the visitor
cat tails
water:full sun full sun, fully submerged
sunny
e d a h s
shaded, well drained soil (above) diagrams of how a fabricated surface can negotiate water and lighting for plants with varying needs. value
uses: early pioneers are said to have eaten the young shoots after boiling them. Planting of Indian mustard as a trap crop between several rows of common cabbage will attract most CHC moths as well as some diamondback moth adults. This technique can be used to reduce chemical sprays on the cabbage, especially in areas where parasitoids control DBM. remediation capability: The roots of Indian mustard are effective in the removal of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. A greenhouse experiment was performed to examine the phytoremediation potential of transgenic Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] plants. Three different transgenic varieties (ECS, GS, and APS) were grown on metal-contaminated soil collected from an EPA Superfund site near Leadville, CO. Though wild Indian mustard did not remove more metal than the unplanted control for any of the metals tested, all three types of transgenics significantly reduced the soil metal concentration and removed between 6% (Zn) and 25% (Cd) of the soil metal. The results confirm the importance of metal-binding peptides for plant metal accumulation and show that results from hydroponic systems have value as an indicator for phytoremediation potential. http://www.epa.gov/aml/tech/news/indianmu.htm http://www.lib.ksu.edu/wildflower/indianmustard.html
program 1. a series of intelligent incisions will be upon a fabricated surface 2. the retraction of this surface will allow for the controlled flooding of certain areas. 3. the introduction of plants and filtration technologies will cleanse the water over time.
solid ground where the surface is anchored 1
visitor’s center
2
nursery
3
greenhouses
4
soil bed
5
soil bed
13 visitor’s greenhouses visitor’s centercenter
6
soil bed
24 nursery soil bed nursery
7
distribution area
soil bed 35 greenhouses greenhouse
8
storage
visitor’s center
soil 46 bed soil bed bed soil
9
market
nursery
distribution bed areaarea 57 soil distribution
greenhouses
equiptment bed storage storage 68 soil
soil bed
community market area market 79 distribution
visitor’s A fabricated landscape for thecenter production, dis1 tribution, and research of remedial plants. This new landscape will2 incorporate: nursery
soil bed
8
storage
soil bed
9
market
recreational surface
rigid top rigid top
research laboratory beneath
rigid rigid top top
rigid top
expansion into soft surface for planting beds.
rigid bottom bottom rigid rigid bottom
rigid botto
rigid bottom
distribution area
storage
(1) market
flexible flexible
flexible flexible bottom flexible
(2)
(above) (1) guides made for creating custom tabs for each (above) diagram of the surface structure demonstrating the ability to create rigid as well as flexible conditions to be perileg (2) final planar surfaces to be exported to CAD odically flooded. The black dotted line indicates the portion of the model we chose to fabricate. broad leafed sunflower (helianthus annuus L.)
physical characteristics
planting
-height: reaches 9 ft when mature -leaves:long petioles, alternate, ovate to broadly ovate leaf blades usually toothed at margins. -stems: rough branching upwardly often reaching 3m -flower: head yellow, 3”-6” wide, disk flat, dark, at least 1 1/4” wide -seed: Cotyledons oblong, 15-40 mm -growth rate: rapid -root system:8 inch root depth, taproot system that spread extensively
-duration: annual -life span: short -planting cycle: plant in spring, sow seed 1/4 in down -bloom time: summer bloom period; july-september -light preference:full sun -soil type: pH 5.5 - 7.8, does best with adequate waterholding capacity, internal drainage and proper fertility. -moisture conditions: can withstand some drought and nearby cultivation. -hardiness: usda 4-9
leg and tab components (see fabrication)
water proofing lining for roof structure.
column component allowing for the rigid sheltering structure above.
system of pipes running beneath the structure directing water to different portions of the surface.
decking allowing for passage between planting sections. beneath the decking is an additional layer of waterproofing allowing for a semi dry walking surface. buoy helping the structure to rise above the water line.
(above) detail diagram taking a sectional look at some of the systems integrated within the fabrication process. value
remediation capability: Promissing terrestrial candidate for metal removal in water through rhyzofiltration. Removes Pb, U, Cs, and Sr from hydroponic solutions. extraction/ metabolism/rhyizodegradation
assembly In order accomodate the construction a landscape with temporary, permenant, and portions able to constrict and relax, a kit of parts centered around a double jointed “leg” peice was tested, and fabricated on a water jet with metals and plastics.
4 tabs per leg “leg” 1 wing/component
testing -materiality: chipboard, plexiglass, wood, aluminum -joints: screws, rubber bands, neoprene -directionality: evolution of a double tabbed leg -surface treatments: slotting planks, nylon
A group of 4 components is joined together by stringing a rubber band or screw through the holes in the tabs. The use of a rubber band allows for flexibitliy to accomodate differing water conditions, The use of screws creates a rigid structure used when shading is needed. Each group of components is further held together by a neoprene joint cut to the specific dimensions of each leg.
FINAL COMPONENT: tab widths and lengths are determined by the curvature of the surface.
final tab design with holes for rubber bands allowing for a controlled amount of tension.
(above) Rhino model of the final component with legs. Directionality determines whether an area will rise above the water line, or sink and be available for soil and plant insertion. early tab design
custom cut leg peices with insets for wing peice.
neoprene joint
holes for screw connection
(above) Early iteration of components. The lack of flex- (above) The double tabbed leg modelled in Rhino. After testing materials and different ways to join each component, ibility led to the double tabbed component. this prototype would became our final model. blue gamma grass (bouteloua gracilis)
physical characteristics
planting
-height:forms clumbs 4-8 feet tall with 4-6 foor spread -leaves: green foliage is coarse and narrow, 1.25 in -stems:culms of blue gamma reach a height of 20-60 cm. -flower: Blue grama has numerous slender, erect flower stalks with 2-5 spikes each. spikes have separate male flowers and female flowers on the same spike. Inflourescence resembles an eyebrow! -seed: seeds are born on one side of the spike. -growth rate:moderate -root system: 16 inch root depth min, roots are fibrous
-duration: perennial -life span:moderate -bloom time:from may-september, the finger-like spikes bloom at lease 10 ft above the foliage -spacing: 6-16 inches -light preference: needs full sun to partial shade -soil type: well-drained soil -moisture conditions: does not tolerate flooding, a high water table, or acid soils -hardiness: usda 5-9
original component
testing of leg length
testing material: aluminum
plexiglass, introduction to rubber bands
testing flexibility and joint directionality
testing flexibility: abiity to fold over
testing material: chipboard
testing skin: slotted planks
value
wildlife value: All classes of livestock graze blue grama. IT is tolerant of livestock grazing and trampling and often increases under heavy grazing. uses: used for low water use lawn and pasture grass, many species of small birds and mammals consume the seeds. it is an important food source of the northern pocket gopher during june, but is unpalatable to them the rest of the year. it provides minimal cover for small mammals, upland game birds and woaterfowl. prarie dog activities reduce the size of clumpps and patches of blue gama. remediation capability: has shown promise in grass mixes to enhance degradation of hydrocarvons in soils through rhizodegradation on dry sites. Once established, blue gamma is persistent, productive, and helps prevent erosion.
fabrication The final model invovled a multi step process: RHINO MODEL -calculating correct joint lengths to fit curvatures -flattening 3D model for export to CAD ORGANIZATION: -numbering each component -drawing the holes for screws and rubber bands -labelling the directionality of each tab for bending -labelling the directionality of each joint for assembly -labelling the directionality of each wing
bending tabs
FABRICATION: -lasercutting each let out of plexiglass -bending each plexiglass leg -affixing neoprene joint to sets of 4 components -affixing a wing to each component -adding the weaved wooden skin structure
grouping legs
CONSTRUCTION -lasercutting over 800 legs -bending 4 tabs per leg on the hot iron bender -stringing a rubber band through sets of 4 legs -affixing a neoprene joint to the rubber banded set -populating the surface with neon people
connecting legs
rubber banding our surface together
final model
broad leafed cat tail (typha latifolia L.)
decking
physical characteristics
planting
-height: 6-8 feet -leaves: Alternate. Each leaf is long, slender and entire. -flower: The flower parts are not discernable with the naked eye . They are greenish turning brown. Blooms first appear in mid spring and continue into early summer. The male flowers are the familiar fuzzy brown cylinder -growth rate: rapid, rapidly colonizes exposed wet mineral soils, as it produces an extremely high number of wind and water dispersed seeds. -root system: 14 inch root depth minimum.
-duration: perennia -life span: moderate -planting cycle: -bloom time: may-july -spacing: 9-12 inches -light preference: full sun to partial shade -soil type: wet to damp; ditches, marshes, shallows. -moisture conditions: very high moisture needed, tolerant of continuous inundation and seasonal drawdowns -hardiness: usda 3-11
value
uses: Leaves and stems have been used around the world as bedding, thatching, and matting, and in the manufacture of baskets, boats and rafts, shoes, ropes, and paper. Native Americans used as food. Rhizomes were dried and ground into flour or eaten as cooked vegetables; young stems were eaten raw or cooked; and immature fruiting spikes were roasted. The leaves were woven for matting and the soft down from ripe fruiting heads was used as padding and in diapers. In recent years, has been proposed as a biomass crop for renewable energy. In the spring, the emerging plant can be eaten. Slightly later in the season, in late April or early May, the tender developing spike is also edible. After the flower spike is mature (after it extends above the leaves), it becomes tough and inedible. Many consider the young plant and its tender spike to be delicacies. remediation capability: good for Se phytoremediation. Has shown a tolerance to high concentrations of lead, zinc, copper, and nickel. Has been employed in secondary waste water treatment schemes.
canna lily (canna xx generalis)
physical characteristics
planting
-height: 24-96 inches -leaves: blue green foliage, wide furled leaves come out of -thick, multiple-eyed rhyizomes. -flower: red, orange, pink, yellow in color, flowers are asymmetrical, with three petals, three sepals and three highly modified showy petal-like stamens. -seed: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed -growth rate:fast -root system: bulbs plant 4-6� deep
-duration: perennial -planting cycle: plant feb-april -bloom time: summer flowering: blooms repeatedly: throughout summer to early fall. -spacing: 12 to 18 inces -light preference: full sun, will grow in partial shade -soil type: rich fertile, consistently moist -moisture conditions: bulbs need little but water. -plant type:deciduous hardiness: usda 7-11
value
wildlife value: attracts humming birds remediation capability: hydroponic cultures of this plant treated wtih lead for one moth suggest that this plant is suitable for phytoextraction of lead as the plant produces appreciable quantity of biomass.