Shannon McLaughlin

HIGBEE BEACH ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER SHANNON McLAUGHLIN SENIOR PROJECT 2022 KATIE BROH

HIGBEE BEACH

SITE:

GA

RD EN S

TA TE P

RK WY

CAPE MAY-LEWIS FERRY

HOR SEAS

BAY SHO

RE R D

E RD

NEW ENGLAND RD

SET

WEST CAPE MAY BLV D

CAPE MAY POINT

Higbee Beach Cape May, New Jersey Higbee Beach is located on the Delaware Bay and the Cape May Canal. It has a wide range of landscape from a beach to marshes to swamps to a cracked earth plateau, allowing a full range of plants and wild life.

LA

SUN

FA YE TTE

ST

SUNSET BEACH

CAPE MAY

• Access to beach, swamps, wetlands, and the Cape May-Lewis Ferry • Direct water access • Tourist destination • Walking trails throughout the site • An excess and variation of foliage and wildlife

PROJECT GOALS

DEMONSTRATE AND EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE AND CLIMATE CHANGE WHILE EDUCATING AND INVOLVING THE PUBLIC.

PROVIDE A PLACE TO STUDY AND EXAMINE LOCAL PLANTS AND ANIMALS IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO EXPERIENCE AND INTERACT WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

DEMONSTRATE HOW A BUILDING CAN HAVE A POSITIVE CHANGE OVER TIME

PROGRAM

BUILDINGS • WELCOME CENTER • BIO LAB • SOIL LAB

SITE PROGRAM • WALKING/ HIKING PATH • BOAT LAUNCH • BUTTERFLY GARDEN • BIRD WATCHING TOWER • BIRD HOUSES • PAVILION/GATHERING SPACE • FOLLIES • ELEVATED PIER

CAPE MAY- LEWIS FERRY

R SHO BAY

PLATEAU AD ND RO

AD E RO

NGLA NEW E

SASSAFRAS ISLAND

DAVEYS LAKE

CAPE MAY- LEWIS FERRY

POND CREEK

CAPE MAY CANAL

WELCOME CENTER BIOLOGY LAB

SUNSET BLVD DELAWARE BAY

SUNSET BEACH

PLATEAU

SOIL LAB BIRD TOWER

FLOODING

“NOT A QUESTION OF IF, BUT WHEN.” • Over the past century, the sea level at the Jersey Shore has risen TWICE as fast as the national average.. APPROX. 18 INCHES • Predicted global sea-level rise will be 3-4 FEET BY 2100

NOAA predicts: By 2030: the national rate of Nuisance flooding will be 2-3 times greater than it is now By 2050: 15 times greater NUISANCE FLOODING - minor tidal flooding that happens at high tides, usually has minor impacts on infrastructure

SEASONAL MIGRATION MAP

WARBLER SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER HUMPBACK WHALE WINTER

RED KNOT MAY HORSESHOE CRAB MID-MAY - JUNE

SNOW GEESE SPRING

HARP SEAL WINTER MONARCH BUTTERFLY SPRING - SUMMER

YEAR ROUND

MAY- OCT

SEASONAL SITE USAGE

SUMMER

SPRING/FALL

SEPT - OCT

MAY - JUNE

PRECEDENT STUDIES

SW WINDS

BROCK ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER

NE WINDS

NATURAL VENTILATION

SUMMER SUN SW WINDS NE WINDS

WINTER SUN

SUMMER SUN

WINTER SUN

NATURAL VENTILATION

SUMMER SUN

WINTER SUN

SUMMER SUN

DAYLIGHT AND SHADING

The Brock Environmental center is part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and is meant to promote education, WINTER SUN advocacy and restoration initiatives. It received a LEED-performance award as well as the Living Building Challenge certification, specializing in Health, Materials and Equity. The building has a net-positive use of water, waste and energy. Large clerestory windows help with natural ventilation, daylighting and views. The building employs a biophilic DAYLIGHT AND SHADING design, imitating the surrounding landscape, raising up to help avoid the impending storm surges. Permeable paving helps to collect and mitigate water absorption. I looked at this building for form and sustainability purposes.

PHILIP MERRIL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER DOMESTIC SOLAR HOT WATER

WINTER SUN

HEAT PUMP

SUMMER SUN

THIN FILM SOLAR PANEL SUN SHADE

HEAT PUMP

The Philip Merrill Environmental Center is part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The building is suspended on piers, allowing for parking to go underneath. The materials used for the building are made from natural, renewable materials and recycled materials. Solar water heaters, operable and clerestory windows, rainwater cisterns and compost toilets VERTICAL WELLS are used in the building. The design included a biorention storm water treatment system, which is a man-made wetland system that helps to filter water before it is returned to nature. The building has a detached 150 seat conference room which can have the power disconnected to limit its usage. I looked at this building from a sustainability aspect, a program aspect and to see how it fits into the site.

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY MARINE FIELD STATION

TEACHING AND RESEARCH PROGRAMS - MARINE SCIENCE - COASTAL BAY STUDIES - HABITAT RESTORATION - OCEANOGRAPHY - MARINE OPERATIONS/ HYDROGRAPHY - DIVE SAFETY PROGRAM - MARINE SURVEY TEAM

The Stockton University Marine Field Station is an old residential space which was converted into a field station. It houses research space for the university. The program does work with local commercial fisheries. The program gathers coastal data collection, data analysis, student research and helps with coastal management technical assistance. The program is able to do research on land and in the water. It has access to the Atlantic Ocean and the back bays and wetlands. I am looking at this case study to better understand the program of the field research station. I am looking at the program of the school and what is required for those programs. I am also looking at the square footages and needs of the spaces.

HAWAII PREP ENERGY LAB

The Hawaii Prep Energy Lab is a science lab in Hawaii. It has very simple interiors with spaces that flow from one to another. Sliding doors allow for the spaces to flow into the exterior, creating a direct connection to nature. The finishes are simple, warm and inviting. I looked at this building for material and building layout inspiration.

FALL DESIGN REVIEW

SCHEME 1 - SUNKEN PLAN

BIO LAB AND BOAT HOUSE

SOIL LAB

WELCOME CENTER

FALL DESIGN REVIEW

SCHEME 2- ELEVATED PLAN

BIO LAB AND BOAT HOUSE

WELCOME CENTER AND SOIL LAB

WINTER DESIGN REVIEW

WELCOME CENTER

WINTER DESIGN REVIEW SOIL LAB

BIO LAB

WINTER DESIGN REVIEW PATHS

BUILDING SYSTEMS

STRUCTURAL PLAN

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS •

NET-ZERO

•

LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE

•

MINIMAL SITE IMPACT

•

EMBRACE NATURAL RESOURCES

•

LOCAL AND NATURAL MATERIALS

•

DEMONSTRATE AND EDUCATE ABOUT THE

TOLLS OF CLIMATE CHANGE •

CREATE A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

PLATEAU

SASSAFRAS ISLAND

DAVEYS LAKE

POND CREEK

SUNSET BEACH

SITE PLAN - 5 FT FLOOD

SUNSET BLVD

OAD RE R

AD ND RO

NGLA NEW E

SHO BAY

FINAL DESIGN REVIEW

CAPE MAY- LEWIS FERRY

BIO LAB EXPOSED DOCK/ LAB

FOCUSED LAB

OFFICE LAB CLASSROOM

LARGE LAB

COMMUNITY ROOM

PLAN

SECTION

AXON

FINAL DESIGN REVIEW

EXPOSED DOCK

SOIL PLATEAU PATH

SOIL LAB PATH TOWARDS WELCOME CENTER

VIEW TO THE BAY

PATH ALONG PLATEAU EXPANDED CLASSROOM SOIL CLASSROOM VIEWING DECK

VIEW TO THE BEACH

LEARNING DECK

COMMUNITY ROOM

LAB LAB SUBMERGED DECK

PLAN

SECTION

AXON

PATH

CLASSROOM

FINAL DESIGN REVIEW

WELCOME CENTER

PLAN

SECTION

AXON

EXHIBITION TUNNEL

FEEDBACK/ OBSERVATIONS

SUSTAINABILITY One of my project goals was to have this building be net-zero and be a part of the living building challenge. During the discussion with the jurors, it was suggested that I re-visit and strengthen this idea. It was suggested that I add more evidence and diagrams showing how my building is more sustainable. I wanted to make a diagram showing how my building got certain petals of LBC but I ran out of time.

SEPARATING THE BUILDINGS In earlier design schemes, I had condensed buildings, where in my final design. I had clusters of smaller buildings. I did this as a way of having a lighter impact on the site. The jurors said that it would have been beneficial to see a diagram explaining this thought process. One of the reasonings behind this was so that some buildings could have more or less access to certain building system facilities, condensing where water needed to be sent as an example. Another reason for the separating was to shut down a building during the colder seasons when it was not being used. I could have had a diagram showing how some buildings are more seasonal than others.

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE BUILDINGS With my buildings being laid out on large plinths, connected by a public trail, sometimes some of the buildings did not appear to be as private as I had intended them to be. The plinths were meant to be a communal space for gathering, communicating and learning. Some of the labs next to them were meant to be more private. I think I would revisit this by taking another look at the facades and reworking the plinth to create more privatized space.

EXHIBITION TUNNEL One of the main aspects of my plan was the exhibition tunnel. This was meant to be a place that teaches people the dangers and realities of sea-level rise. A tunnel leads you down into the water to an observation room, where you are completely submerged underwater. This gives you a chance to reflect and think about rising sea levels. Then you walk up the tunnel and have a unique experience above the water on the observation deck. This was supposed to be the most inspiring and educational aspect of my building yet it had the largest impact on the site. This aspect of the design was changed many times through-out the process. I would like to revisit it and re-work it to be something with a smaller impact on the site. During the discussion with the jurors we talked about a deplorable aspect of the tunnel that I would like to look further into and redevelop.