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Sustainable Design at Work in Mexico and Central America An interdisciplinary team of eight Cornell University students traveled to Huatusco, Mexico, during spring break to observe and study sustainable technologies. The research trip was made by members of Sustainable Neighborhood Nicaragua (SNN), an international project orchestrated by Cornell University Sustainable Design (CUSD) in partnership with SosteNica, the Sustainable Development Fund of Nicaragua. Graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of majors including city and regional planning, engineering, horticulture, and landscape architecture visited the small rural town five hours from Mexico City. Their fieldwork was focused in Las Cañadas, an ecovillage within Huatusco. There, students learned about green technologies and looked to put new knowledge immediately into practice. The SNN members explored many aspects of local sustainable practices such as energy use, waste management, food systems, graywater systems, and rainwater capture. Katherine Li (M.L.A. ’13) found inspiration in the green practices. “What made this experience so unique was that we were able to integrate these sustainable methods every day. We used compost toilets, cooked with wood-fired stoves and solar ovens, and reused the graywater after washing our clothes and dishes,” says Li. Nora Wright (M.R.P. ’13) and Inna Kitachik (M.R.P. ’13) also made the trip. In the first weeks of summer recess, students traveled to the site of the future development in Nicaragua. Using knowledge gained during the trip to Mexico, they plan to create a sustainable model for affordable housing. Their goal is to design and build the first housing cooperative in Nicaragua to integrate ecological technologies that reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create greater resilience in the face of climate change. The project is centered on the design and construction of a 30-house cooperative, including a community building. Following the research and design phases, CUSD will participate in the construction of the community building and one of the 30 homes. This joint effort will explore the unique design challenges facing those in Nicaragua, and other developing countries, who seek to offer affordable housing that departs from conventional building practices by promoting responsible household management of limited natural resources. Equally important to this project is the creation of a design that can be passed on to the community itself, such that the 30 families, after constructing the community building, can continue with the project after CUSD leaves. The development, when completed, will be Nicaragua’s first microloan fund program to combine sustainable technologies with affordable housing. The team plans to have their research and design phase completed by the spring of 2013, and to begin construction immediately thereafter. For more information, visit cusd.cornell.edu/ snn/ or send an email to cusd@cornell.edu with questions or comments.AAP
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Accessibility Open Air Space 1 Photo: provided.
Mia Kang (M.Arch. ’14) designed her Seneca Lake winery, Memory of Time, for Associate Professor Vince Mulcahy and Visiting Critic Luben Dimcheff’s comprehensive design studio. Kang says, “The interstitial space between the structure and the earth is [important for] the concept of this winery.”
2 Photo: provided. 3 Photo: Krystyn Silver.
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HPP Work Weekend Restoration at Lyndhurst In mid-April, 35 CRP students gave up their weekends in the name of historic preservation, contributing their time and talents to help restore the majestic Lyndhurst Estate. The estate, located in Tarrytown, New York, is the former home of several notable figures, including former New York City mayor William Paulding and 19th-century robber-baron Jay Gould. One of the first properties owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Lyndhurst is comprised of a number of historically significant structures, including an 1838 mansion designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis, and 15 other buildings of iron, stone, wood, and brick built in a variety of styles.AAP
News12 | Fall 2012