Sustainable Systems Stefan M Fall 19

1) Over the next thirty years, the main driving force of architecture will be sustainable design. There is an increasing awareness to the detrimental effects of building which concrete and steel, which combined equate for 8% of annual global green house gas emissions. Investigating nature and harnessing its ability to regenerate, decrease our carbon footprint and create structurally sound edifices will increase our ability to build sustainably. The answers are in front of us in the form of trees, leaves, vines, etc. and its just a matter of studying these components and devising ways to incorporate them into the built environment. For example. Mitchell Joachim, in his piece for TED Talks, speaks of grafting trees together in order to create living, breathing structures that do not negatively impact the earth but in fact help absorb carbon. Similarly, Michael Green touches upon the idea of harnessing advances in wood construction to build new sky scrapers that are structurally sa...

1) Mixed use developments contribute to more sustainable communities through providing amenities and resources within relatively close proximity. Mixed use promotes resource sharing, diversity of income, people, and businesses. When this happens it creates a backdrop that allows for social mobility within a community and also allows people to obtain what they need from within a close range as opposed to traveling greater distances in a car. Jane Jacobs, in her book "The Life and Death of Great American Cities" extolls the positives of mixed use and its role contributing to the health and vitality of a neighborhood. She points out her own neighborhood in Greenwich Village and also the North End in Boston as examples of mixed use that has created vibrant communities. In those areas, residents and business owners are able to obtain most everything they need through the vast array of stores and people. How is quality of life improved by sustainable urbanism? 2) According to...

For this project, I elected a site in the Navy Yard in Charlestown. The pier was originally constructed in the early 1900's and then amplified to its current size of 81,250 square feet during the war effort in WWII. When the Navy Yard stopped operating as an active ship building base in 1974, it opened up for development and now is a combination of residential and commercial buildings with one section remaining the home of the USS Constitution and a Naval museum. Since that time, the wharf has fallen into a state of disrepair and has been fenced off due to structural deficiencies. After looking into the demographics of the area, public amenities, and what a potentially sustainable site would look like, I proposed a recreation/athletic facility for the pier. It would not obstruct the views of the buildings behind and would be a sorely needed amenity as there are a lack of athletic facilities (basketball and tennis courts specifically) in the area. The b...