LIVING WOODS
Protective Screen to Warner Hall
This project, akin to a forest, offers a multi-layered environment where nature and urban living coexist seamlessly. It envelops you in the ambiance of a woodland and an urban farm within the city. Our proposal is an integrated infrastructure, harmonizing housing with four distinct landscapes.
SITE + CLIMATE
The site is located in Sharpsburg, PA, five miles east of downtown Pittsburgh and along the Allegheny River. Site research was conducted through mapping overlays and climate analysis. Through a series of mappings of the site, the visible and invisible relationships were able to be studied and investigated around Six Mile Island. The study is focused on air pollution and the factors affecting the cause of air pollution to draw out the relation and the conditions to mitigate the impact.
Mapping shows the impact of topography level on the type of vegetation cover, which responds to the pollution level in the air that impacts the home value. The highway seems to be a prime source of pollution for the neighborhood of Sharpsburg. It draws the condition that area with lower topography and lacking green cover has more carbon content in the air.
Eco-Machine –
Green Roof System
Each unit is a representation of a Green Roof Cell. The surface area of each cell is linked to the depth that is extruded downwards, representing the relation of the type of Vegetation to the Planting medium required. The circle above all the cells represents the canopy size with the depth of the planting medium.
Hybrid Typology
The hybrid typology system translates the eco-machine parameters of a green roof system that responds to solar access, water purification & catchment, and wind manipulation. The organization and orientation of modules creating the systems are critical to their performative abilities. The typology derives the form and development of architecture language, creating a layered infrastructure that explores the performative aspects of the Green Roof.
Puncture in the upper surface allows the natural sunlight to enter into a bridge that allows the vegetation to grow inside the volume and also visually connects all the levels of the bridge.
The vertical surface creates a network of water cascades that helps water to filter in a series of different levels and the opening allows light to penetrate inside for the vegetation to grow inside.
Translation
This project, akin to a forest, offers a multi-layered environment where nature and urban living coexist seamlessly. It envelops you in the ambiance of a woodland and an urban farm within the city.
Our proposal is an integrated infrastructure, harmonizing housing with four distinct landscapes:
A dense linear forest acts as a natural buffer, enhancing sound and air quality.
An agrarian canopy blends urban farming into the surroundings.
An understory park efficiently manages stormwater.
Cliff housing, rising eight stories high, elegantly stacks dwelling units.
Together, these elements form a unique and sustainable living experience, marrying the best of nature and urban living.