Reconnecting Life
Saguaro
Monarch
Rufous Hummingbird
Desert Marigold
Digger Bee
White-Wing Dove
Palo Verde
Ocotillo
Parri’s Agave
While there is a growing desire for a sustainable urban lifestyle, Downtown Phoenix remains a series of fragmented lots, under utilized area, and an imbalance between commercial and residential development. This project aims to fulfill this desire and introduce a new typology for Teddybear Cholla future Phoenix development by connecting these landscapes to form a cohesive and ecologically viable urban fabric which will increase the well-being of people and natural systems through community activation, increased biodiversity, and ecological awareness. Increased social living in a biophilic setting will strengthen personal and ecological well-being. The implementation of biophilic microdwelling communities will begin to transform the city by strategically inserting key vegetation with residential units around parking garages: underutilized urban structures. Water and critical plant species will attract animals, which will themselves transform the greater urban area.
Mesquite
Prickly Pear
Architecture based on Plant Structure The planter form is derived from the root structure of the chosen plant species, representing the unseen part of the plant. The planters are then combined to fill each unit module and maximize soil efficiency and resource sharing.
Connections and Resources Latent water available within buildings as grey water and air conditioning condensate support life. Parking garages provide points of intervention and add multi-functionality to Down Town. Vacant and disconnected areas are connected as species pollinate, disperse seeds, and transform the urban environment.
Parking Garages Water Resource Vacant/Under used Landscape
Service Cavity`
Ocotillo`
Pollination Shrub Transformable Landscape`
Creosote
Acacia
Agave Common Sotol New Structure
Existing Structure
Ground Planter
Landscape
Level 2
Level 2
Unit Type A Level 1
Unit Type B Level 1
ADE 422: Spring 2016 Barrett Honors Independent Thesis
Residences
Student: Ryan Kiefer Instructor: Darren Petrucci