Developing Liveable Cities 

Strategies for Creating High Density Cities

Sustainable development has promoted the development of denser urban areas as a strategy protect the environment and natural resources. Cities can often result in better resource management and use while also reducing the amount of land that is used for living, making denser cities a clear choice as the world population grows. Dense urban places will become more and more in demand as populations move towards cities, with as much as 70 percent of the world's population living in these urban centers by 2050 according to the UN. Therefore, the successful implementation of urban planning strategies is necessary to ensure that cities are designed and planned in an efficient yet liveable manner. A recent report by the Urban Land Institue (ULI) used Singapore as a case study to determine ten points that attribute to growth and development of liveable cities.

Singapore Skyline

   

The following are the ten points that the study found attributed to positive growth in high density cities.

1. Plan for Long-Term Growth and  Renewal

2. Embrace Diversity, Foster Inclusiveness

3. Draw Nature Closer to People

4. Develop Affordable, Mixed-Use Neighborhoods

5. Make Public Spaces Work Harder

6. Prioritize Green Transport and Building Options

7. Relieve Density with Variety and Add Green Boundaries

8. Activate Spaces for Greater Safety

9. Promote Innovative and Non-Conventional Solutions

10. Forge "3Ps (People Public Private) Partnerships"

Bryant Park In New York City

The main focus of the majority of the points above is to spur the growth of integrated multi-use spaces within the city. The variety in the urban composition is the cities greatest strength. This variety is through the use of multiple scales of urban spaces with a combination of both natural and constructed settings. Affordability is also a concern of any developing city. Often, city districts foster to only one economic class, often pushing lower economic classes into specified areas of the city and the city edge. Mixed-use affordable neighborhoods are possibly the most important point in city development. The overall strategy for cities is to create a blended composition throughout the city. By creating the mixed-use affordable neighborhoods, cities promote this blending of populations within the city that often align with the other points for liveable cities. Affordable neighborhoods promote diversity by default, and the diversity of the population will lead to the demand of a variety of public and private partnerships to grow that would not be present in a homogeneous city.

Via Verde Development in South Bronx

Striving for Net Zero Water

The US Army's Vision for Net Zero

                                                     

Originally focused on net zero energy, the US Army has expanded its vision for net zero bases to now include water and waste. The more immediate goals for the program are the reduction of potable water use by 26 percent by 2015 followed by a 50 percent reduction by 2020. The Army has had to rethink its infrastructure and water use practices from the ground up to be able to reach these goals. The initiative has resulted in greater maintenance policies as well as careful water usage monitoring for every use, from the imbedded water in military equipment to the amount of water used to make a cup of coffee.

The greater attention on water management and saving strategies has lead to the Army investing in a number of infrastructure upgrades and repairs. As an example, the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania installed 54 leak-detection sensors along the main valve stems. The sensors identified six leaks in the system, which led to a daily loss of 90,000 gallons. This lost water accounted for 26 percent of the depot's daily water use. Since then, the repairs have saved $29,459 and roughly 17 million gallons of potable water. The same depot installed water meters to further reduce water loss by another 11,000 gallons per day.

                                                      

Another military base that has made strides toward net zero water is the Oregon Army National Guard at Camp Rilea. Camp Rilea does not rely on a centralized system, but instead on the underground aquifer it sits on. The system in use returns treated water to the underground aquifer to reduce the withdrawal rate of groundwater compared to the replenishment rate. The base uses extensive amounts of treated graywater for non-potable uses to reduce the demand on the aquifer. To further reduce the demand on the aquifer and lessen the amount of water lost due to evaporation, the base is investing in rapid infiltration basins to speed up the treatment process and bring the water back to the aquifer 200 feet below the base.

The base also relies on a water balance analysis to understand what uses demand the most water. The analysis has led the base to invest in water efficient fixtures as well as investigate the use of a weather based control system for watering plants. The system would monitor moisture and precipitation before watering to ensure that water isn't being wasted for watering the surroundings after a rainstorm. Other techniques like this are being developed as the Army seeks to reach its ultimate goal of net zero water, in addition to net zero energy and waste, by 2030.

Sustainable Implications of "Non-Design"

Learning from Transient Intervention and Community Centered Evolution

In the wake of World War II and the emerging issues such as rapid urbanization, shifting population centers, and the impoverishing effects of these wars in areas, governments around the world worked with architects and planners to create answers through new social and urban strategies. Among these included grand social housing blocks and sprawling suburban typologies dotting the landscape with promises of new ideas for living. These modernists notions are now typically considered to be a failure as these social housing projects have not resolved the issues of social and economic inequality they promised and in many cases have become derelict. Populations have begun migrating back to dense urban areas, and the suburban forms that were born from the fascination of the automobile have in some cases proven to be alienating and undesirable.

The past Venice Biennale featured an exhibit focusing on the Torre David in Caracas, Venezuela by Urban Think Tank, Justin McGuirk, and Iwan Baan. The tower never finished construction and in 2007 was inhabited by roughly 2500 transient people. The residents created an informal organization to how they live in the tower, creating shops, gyms, restaurants, and even a voluntary code of conduct that was adopted by its residents. While many consider the tower and the residents to be a blight on the city and its image, its habitation and use can inspire many new ideas in design, how places are programmed, community development, and ultimately sustainable development.

                              

The example of Torre David shows the flexibility that communities are able to use to create a space that works towards their needs. The ambiguity of how a space will be used can often be at odds with how planners and architects intend it to be used. The development of a community with its own unique set of values contrasts with the results of the modernist experiments that often led to lost  values and characteristics of the community. The success of the Torre David as a developmental experiment lies in part with the degree of freedom that its residents maintain in fostering these values and in some respect serves as an example of sustainable development not only due to the reuse of the structure but to the improvement in the lives of the residents.

Going one step further, the redevelopment of the Quinta Monroy area of Iquique, Chile by the firm Elemental takes the existing slums of the region and, at the request of the government, redevelop the existing land for the current population. Using only $7500 per dwelling, the firm was able to create units for each family with a kitchen, bath, open space, and a portion for residents to buy and expand to once they could afford it. The open space was then allowed to be divided up by the tenants, who had an understanding of construction as they had built the previously existing slums. The project proved to be incredibly successful, with the homes now worth roughly $20,000, turning around the local economy.

                   

So how can these projects help inform designers and planners how to best create communities and rethink spaces? The approach used by planners in designing the master plan for these areas often dictates the use and designation of all locations. This top-down approach often fails as many places become unused or undesirable. In a similar manner as the Torre David and Quinta Monroy, a basic framework is often what a community needs to begin and thrive and additional development can occur later according to the needs and values of the community. The framework allows the community to develop or retain its own identity and with this identity comes the greater appreciation and stewardship of the whole community. This type of community based development and active engagement of residents could be promising in furthering ideas of sustainability. By integrating those living in the community directly into to the planning and growth of where they live, local residents are able to understand important issues facing their community as well as making the community a more cherished part of their lives. Excess or unneeded development can ideally be avoided as only the necessary and desired functions and spaces are created and avoiding waste. Top-down approaches often import the model of a city into a new context, erasing the previous history as the modernist examples have done. Instead, these local initiatives can help define new sustainable strategies that are context-appropriate and maintained at a local level in residential, commercial, and public spheres.

Regenerative Design

 Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Laboratory Case Study

                              

Since the advent of sustainable development and the creation of green building systems, many ideas of what a green building truly is have become common knowledge. It is agreed upon notion that green buildings perform at a higher inefficiency compared to standard buildings in regards to energy and water use, create healthier interior environments, and responsibly use materials and resources. How well the building performs in all these categories is typically left to the judgement of the owner and their specifications or a green building rating system. These systems reward buildings for reducing their resource consumption by a specified percentage, which is certainly a step in the right direction.

Regenerative buildings proposes a higher standard for green buildings. These buildings go beyond by not only accounting for their own energy and resource use, but by having a net-positive effect on the surrounding site. This net-positive effect can manifest in several different ways. Restoring lost habitats and a site's natural hydrology are often the most obvious ecology effects regenerative buildings have on the surrounding environment. In urban areas the benefits of a regenerative building can include urban agricultural systems, an excess production of energy to share with surrounding buildings, restoring and recharging ground water systems, or creating niche habitats for locally displaced animals and plants. The distincition for regenerative buildings compared to traditional green buildings is to reverse damage done to a site through all systems involved, both biotic and abiotic, requiring a different engagement by the design team and all other involved parties.

The Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) Energy Laboratory by Flansburgh Architects is an excellent example of a regenerative building. Completed in 2010, the project was awarded LEED Platinum and was certified under the rigorous Living Building Challenge in 2011. The 5900 square foot high school laboratory is capable of generating 38,994 kWh from photovoltaic and windmill sources while only consumes 19,090 kWh, leaving 52% of all energy generated to be feed back into the grid. 

To help reduce the possible energy loads, the entire building is naturally ventilated and uses an experimental radiant cooling system instead of a conventional air conditioning system. This radiant cooling system functions by circulating water through thermal roof panels at night which is cooled by the low night temperatures and is then stored below-grade. Automated louvers and wood screens help regulate direct light into the building and exhaust fans can be activated via sensors if greater airflow is needed.

                                    

The building is also capable of harvesting 6,953 gallons of rainwater per year, with an estimated use of 4,932 gallons annually. The harvested water is filtered and used for drinking and low flow fixtures throughout the building. Waste water is disposed over a larger field after being treated on-site, and is allowed to percolate through deeper soils before entering the ground water.

The site chosen for the lab allows for prevailing winds to aid in naturally ventilating the project and provides views towards the nearby Mauna Kea volcano. The site was restored during construction as it was previously used as the bio waste dumping area for the HPA campus. The building takes advantage of the favorable climate and views by featuring open courtyards for students and classes and the use of operable glass doors to further open the building.

More information and specifications regarding the HPA Energy Laboratory can be found here.

                               

Designing for Deconstruction and Smarter Construction 

Cellophane House Case Study

The environmental impacts of the construction industry far outweigh other industry worldwide. Extraction, construction, and ultimately demolition create huge amounts of waste that is sent to landfills. Many organizations and movements have started to curb the amount of waste generated in virtually every industry. In the construction industry, these have manifested themselves in green building rating systems such as LEED, stricter building regulations, environmental agencies , and even greater owner expectations. These initiatives tend to focus on the extraction, manufacturing, and construction processes when a building is being designed and constructed and its possible effects seem most apparent. 

An important concept of sustainable construction is the lifetime of buildings and the constituent parts. Ideal properties of these materials include their durability and resilience, among others. It is when the materials, and ultimately the building, reach their end of life that the initial efforts to design a "greener" building are undone and the building is demolished. The previously mentioned organizations and movements account for the creation and use of buildings, yet the final stages of a building's life cycle are often left unresolved.

Design for Deconstruction (DfD) proposes that buildings be imagined as a temporary installation, with the ability to be easily dismantled. To maximize its potential, DfD must be incorporated early in the design process as an intended and serious goal. The possibility of deconstruction requires designers to reimagine material joints and connections and how (and in what order) the building will be assembled and finally disassembled. 

Deconstruction is most easily applied to structural systems for buildings, however it is important to consider the possibilities in all applications of this method. Interior finishes are often glued to each other using strong adhesives that would prevent any material from being removed from the assembly. Bolted and grooved joints between materials allows easy construction and deconstruction as most pieces fit in place while also removing adhesives from the building that could potentially contaminate indoor air quality.

As an example of a successful project that is readily deconstructed, the Cellophane House by Kieren Timberlake was designed for a 3 month exhibit in 2008 for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The project imagines itself as assembled rather than constructed, and so the design used simple removable connections between building elements that did not require specialized tools or labor. The common modular dimension of the aluminum frame was used to their advantage, preventing any cutting and possible waste of pieces and allowing the construction process to continue even quicker. The partitioning system snaps into the frame and is able to be easily added or removed without affecting the structural systems. The ease in construction and concise design allows the project to be quickly assembled and disassembled and requires minimal space for transportation, fitting in the back of  a single trailer. 

The transition from design to construction was made easier through the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM), giving the designers a high degree of precision while also being able to monitor different statistics regarding the materials used such as weight and recycled content. By dividing the house into specific segments, much of the project was completed off-site leading to a   quick and efficient construction process while minimizing any possible errors. On-site, the segments simply had to be hoisted into position and bolted together. Computer modeling and modularity also allowed the designers to easily and quickly be able to reuse the same kit of parts used to create the Cellophane House seen in the MoMA and redesign the spatial configuration of the house without the addition of any extra materials for mass customization purposes, showing the flexibility of the design.