Symbiotic Sustenance: Biophilic Living in Cities

American University of Sharjah, College of Architecture, art and Design, Sharjah

Project idea

Located in Queens New York, this project explores the idea of timber construction for mid-rise buildings. The project re-imagines a vacant waterfront site as a vibrant model for healthy biophilic living in urban areas. By combining programs of an early educational center, sports complex and residential units, the project creates a self-sustaining community in the borough of Queens that focuses on four key aspects – integrate, simulate, cultivate and facilitate.

Project description

INTEGRATE.
Symbiotic sustenance is an exploration of the biophilic potential in urban living through the use of timber as the primary building material. The project seeks to use the mixed-use characteristic of the program to create an inter-connected community environment where the public and private programs feed off of each other. The long span program in the public realm is utilized as a garden roof space/public space to promote community engagement, while the short span is placed on either side and eventually rises into the residential towers. Moreover, the project explores the biophilic living by integrating communal spaces with the residential towers that can provide green-relief in an otherwise dense, urban environment.

STIMULATE.
The project organizes the three functions of early education, wellness centre and residential to create an interconnected garden roof that becomes the spine of the project. This roof also establishes a strong axis from the street level all the way to the waterfront. The concrete base provides a solid foundation and water resistance on the flood plain that the project sits on. The design responds to the three elements of nature - sun, water and earth and seeks to integrate these elements to create a living and thriving environment that stimulates a sense of community and well being. The residential facades of the tower are placed to maximize daylight savings thereby reducing energy costs. The roofs and floor pavers respond to the water. The series of garden roofs behave as a playscape for children in the kindergarten and also a plaza space for the general public.

CULTIVATE.
The project incorporates various rainwater harvesting techniques which direct the water towards communal green spaces that use this water for irrigation purposes. It also uses permeable pavers that further collect run-off water and direct these to water storage areas. The communal spaces promote the idea of living amidst nature in a urban setting and create a healthy environment for the residents. The project seeks to use the mixed use characteristic of the program to create an interconnected biophilia where the design supplements the forces of nature such as rain and sunlight.

FACILITATE.
The different residential units are designed to be modular iterations of each other based on a 4m x 4m structural grid. This facilitates future re-organization to accommodate changing needs. The window systems of the units explore a three-part division that allows for passive heating and cooling based on changing seasons and utilizes the concept of hot air rising and cold air settling down. The shutter systems act as a continuation of the facade and create a dynamic system that changes based on the users. It can also behave as an overhang. The biophilic roof garden becomes the spine of the project that facilitates the intermixing of the public and private aspects of the program.

Technical information

The project uses timber as the primary construction material. The short-span program utilizes a 4m by 4m grid and the long span program is constructed using increments of the same grid. The ground floor is constructed using concrete due to the proximity of the site to water. This ensures structural longevity and protection from water. The residential units are developed in a way that they are made of 4m square modules that are repeated and interlocked. This allows for alternating permanent and temporary walls and allows for flexibility in apartment sizes. This also allows for future expansion of apartment units to accommodate growing family needs.

Co-authors

Mary Krajekian and Alina Sebastian

Instructed by: Igor Pereza