Waste Less District - An Exploration of Architecture's Role in the Waste Stream

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AN EXPLORATION OF ARCHITECTURE’S ROLE IN THE WASTE STREAM INNA NAZARENKO | MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE, SP2019

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AN EXPLORATION OF ARCHITECTURE’S ROLE IN THE WASTE STREAM INNA NAZARENKO

Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture in Architecture Susan Piedmont-Palladino, Chair Scott Archer Jodi La Coe Corinne Rico May 13, 2019 Alexandria, Virginia Keywords: food, waste, circular economy Copyright 2019, Inna Nazarenko

ABSTRACT

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AN EXPLORATION OF ARCHITECTURE’S ROLE IN THE WASTE STREAM INNA NAZARENKO | MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE, SP2019

The idiom goes, “what is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” In our 21st century economy, one man’s trash is less commonly another’s treasure as often as it is pollution. It is well documented that the majority of human waste ends up in on the side of roads, or in forests and oceans if not in landfills or incinerated. The disposability of items in our consumer culture is now commonplace. We are exacerbating our problems by throwing away single-use and barely-used items again and again without a feasible, realistic, and responsible solution for the end their life cycle.

While our habitual buying and scrapping is continually increasing, the industrial buildings that process our waste are pushed to the outskirts of urban centers where they are most needed due to aesthetics, noises, and odors. These suburban and rural locations put an enormous economic and resource strain on cities. Architecture has the opportunity and responsibility to play an important role in remedying these issues related to waste facilities and processes.

Architecture as an art form has largely abandoned these and similar industrial typologies as building design problems. They are mostly undertaken by engineers who design them for economic and process efficiencies. But there are unique challenges to be overcome with creative solutions, what architects do best. As a part of this process, architects can better design facilities so that they can be located within city limits and fight the “not in my backyard” stigmas associated with waste management. Ultimately architects can strive to improve civic life for citizens while also improving the means and methods of city-maintenance issues related to waste.

At this intersection of waste and architecture, this thesis explores how a facility that settles into the dense urban fabric of Washington D.C. can play a role in the city’s waste steam in order to benefit the local community and economy.

GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT

WASTE

LESS

DISTRICT

AN EXPLORATION OF ARCHITECTURE’S ROLE IN THE WASTE STREAM INNA NAZARENKO | MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE, SP2019

The idiom goes, “what is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” In our 21st century economy, one man’s trash is less commonly another’s treasure as often as it is pollution. It is well documented that the majority of human waste ends up in on the side of roads, or in forests and oceans if not in landfills or incinerated. The disposability of items in our consumer culture is now commonplace. We are exacerbating our problems by throwing away single-use and barely-used items again and again without a feasible, realistic, and responsible solution for the end their life cycle.

While our habitual buying and scrapping is continually increasing, the industrial buildings that process our waste are pushed to the outskirts of urban centers where they are most needed due to aesthetics, noises, and odors. These suburban and rural locations put an enormous economic and resource strain on cities. Architecture has the opportunity and responsibility to play an important role in remedying these issues related to waste facilities and processes.

Architects rarely design waste-management buildings and other industrial-use buildings. Usually it is engineers who undertake these buildings. They tend to design them in ways that put cost and process efficiency above everything else. One of the main skill-set architects have is problem-solving through design. Waste-management buildings face a lot of challenges beyond cost and process efficiency so it would make sense for architects to be a part of this process. Architects can better design these facilities so that they can be located within city limits and fight the “not in my backyard” stigmas associated with waste management. Ultimately architects would strive to improve civic life for citizens while also improving the means and methods of city-maintenance issues related to waste.

At this intersection of waste and architecture, this thesis explores how a facility that settles into the dense urban enivironment of Washington D.C. can play a role in the city’s waste steam in order to benefit the local community and economy.

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DEDICATION & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my parents, Mila and Alex. _____

For their mentorship and guidance: Susan Piedmont-Palladino Scott Archer Jodi La Coe Corinne Rico Paul Emmons Marcia Feuerstein For their encouragement and support: Alex and Mila Nazarenko Nick and Sara Nazarenko Alex, Irina, Vladimir, and Mia Polyakov Alina Kukin and Charles Ng Kareem Najib Rene Pizarro For their collaboration, feedback, and help: WAAC thesis class of 2019: Mario Rodriguez-Aguilar, Eyob Alemnew, Alana Thurmond, Ryan Jacobs, Macy Carman, Tracey Johnson WAAC undergraduates of 2019: Tommy Nguyen, Minh Hong, Sarah Alkhatib Bryan Samuel UMD undergraduate class of 2016

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CONTENTS

Waste in Washington D.C.: The Problem Site, Past and Present The Hierarchy of Waste Management Strategies Precedents: Projects and Materials The Proposal

1 5 19 33 39

41 45 51

The Urban Strategy The Park Strategy The Building Strategy

Final Thoughts Bibliography

91 93

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AD - Anaerobic Digestion DPW - Washington D.C. Department of Public Works MSW - Municipal Solid Waste TPY - Tons per Year TPD - Tons per Day WKS- Weeks

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WASTE IN WASHINGTON D.C.: the PROBLEM

In 2010, Nalgene, a water-bottle manufacturer, conducted a study of the least- and most-wasteful cities in the United States. This study included not only physical trash but the everyday actions of its citizens such as turning off the lights. At no surprise, San Fransisco landed at the top of the list for leastwasteful cities. Several spots down, trailing New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, Washington D.C. fell at 9th place on the list of least wasteful cities. While this can be viewed as a major accomplishment, it is clear that there is still major room for improvements, especially as related to municipal solid waste (MSW).

In the District, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for overseeing the collection and disposal of city waste. In 2015 they produced a Solid Waste Diversion Progress Report. In it, DPW tracked and analyzed the circulation of MSW in 2015. The findings of the study presented a starting point for this thesis. It revealed moments of possible intervention and improvement.

It revealed that almost all waste was shipped out to neighboring states. Of 459,803.78 tons, 15% was food waste and 14% was yard waste while composting only made up 1% of the fate of total waste. By 2029, predictions estimate and increase of MSW to be between 5.80 to 6.69 tons/person.

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THESIS GOALS Improve the means and methods of D.C.’s trash disposal.

Zero Waste D.C. is the capital’s initiative to divert 80% of waste from landfills and waste-to-energy by 2032. Currently the diversion rate is 20.96%. The city provides a municipal trash and recycling collection services. 49% of waste collected goes to landfill, 43% to waste to energy plants, 7% to recycling, and 1% to composting. The design will propose a waste disposal method that will bring Washington D.C. closer to its 2032 goal.

Remediate the negative stigma of waste processes.

Washington D.C. is a dense city with over 10,500 people per square mile with limited land within its borders. This suggests that in order to use city space efficiently in the future, residents will find themselves living next to industrial operations that are not traditionally favorable. The “not in my backyard” mentality often ends in unpleasant but necessary practices insensitively placed within the space of poorer residents. This design will take care to make an engaging and agreeable solution that residents will not mind in their backyard.

The solution will be achieved through building aesthetics, smell and noise mitigation, and indoor and outdoor public programming.

Provide an end product that can improve the local economy and/or livelihood of residents.

Waste can be recycled which can give it a new found value. It can also be transformed into fertilizer or converted to energy. Implementing one of these methods has the potential to increase the well-being of local residents and/or economies.

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Deal with waste disposal within city limits.

In 2015, Washington D.C. generated over 450,000 tons of trash, exporting 99% of it to Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. According to the EPA, the average cost of hauling trash is $3/mile for a truck averaging 21 tons per load. Based on this information, it costs the D.C. taxpayers $70,000/year just to transport the waste a single mile. The siting of a waste disposal facility within city limits would save the city immense quantities of money and resources.

Educate city residents about the strengths and weaknesses of the city’s past and present trash disposal strategies; Include them in the current and future process.

A large quantity of city residents are unaware of the history of the city’s trash disposal strategies, and its current strategies and goals. This lack of information shows itself when residents misplace their trash into the wrong receptacle causing ripples within the whole system. The design will educate residents, reiterating their importance within the process.

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SITE, PAST AND PRESENT

In order to meet the project goal of processing waste within city boundaries and minimize travel distances for trucks, it is econmically and logistically reasonable to locate this thesis close to an already existing waste facility. As an added benefit, these areas are already equipped for large trucks.

FORT TOTTEN WASTE TRANSFER CENTER

Washington D.C. municipal collection trucks deliver their waste to two waste transfer stations, one in Fort Totten and one off of Benning Road near the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station. At these waste transfer stations, waste is separated, put onto larger trucks for fuel efficiency, and transported outside of city lines.

BENNING ROAD WASTE TRANSFER CENTER

The Fort Totten station, located in a densely developed part of the city, accepts roughly 60% of all the waste collected in the district. The Benning Road station takes the remaining 40%. Although it is in need to repair and maintenance, the station has the capacity to handle more than the Fort Totten station.

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The Benning Road facility is 1.5 miles from the DC-Maryland border. It is located north of Benning Road, between the Anacostia River to the west and the 295 roadway to the east.

Just north of the waste transfer station is Kenilworth Park, the northern-most part of the Anacostia park-system. Kenilworth Park was temporarily used a landfill for about three decades.

Here, waste was openly incinerated from 1942 to 1968 when a seven year old boy was killed. Since then, the landfill was shut down and has been in the process of remediation. The National Park Service which owns the land has transformed the northern part into grasslands deemed no longer dangerous to people. The southern part however is still under careful surveillance and study. Besides a single dirt trail leading people though, the site is overtaken with tall grasses.

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KENILWORTH AQUATIC GARDENS

KENILWORTH MARSHES NATIONAL ARBORETUM

ANA COS TIA

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KENILWORTH PARK NORTH

KENILWORTH PARK SOUTH BENNING ROAD WASTE TRANSFER CENTER

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Just south of the transfer station is a 77 acre plant owned by Pepco. Currently the facility is no longer operating as power plant after being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency after the release of harmful materials into the Anacostia.

The site is accessible by Metro and in the next decade will be accessible by streetcar. The immediate area is mostly residential which is divided from each other and the riverfront by high traffic and the Pepco facility. The residential communities have a high number of schools in the area. This presents an opportunity for educational partnerships with the waste facility.

Setbacks were taken from Virginia and Maryland’s standards for building a composting facility in order to ensure environmental and citizen safety.

normal water level 100-yr floodplain (zone a) 100-yr floodplain (zone ae) 500-yr floodplain (zone x) zone a-

areas within special flood hazard area (sfha), or 100-yr floodplain, for which base blood elevations are not determined

zone ae - areas within special flood hazard area (sfha), or 100-yr floodplain, for which base blood elevations are determined zone x - areas outside of special flood hazard area (sfha), or 100-yr floodplain

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KENILWORTH PARK SOUTH

benning road waste transfer center

cesar chavez public charter school for public policy

thomas elementary

MAYFAIR RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY

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friendship public charter school collegiate academy

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river terrace education campus for special needs

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PEPCO STATION

minnesota avenue metro station

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RIVER TERRACE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY 9

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FACILITY TIMELINE According to a 1900 U.S. Geological Survey Map archived at the Library of Congress, the Benning Road Site was undeveloped at the time. Two other maps examined from 1861 and just after 1900 show the property as farmland owned by 1900 a Susan B. Sheriff.

1906 The power plant was built as Pepco’s first system-wide electricity supply to DC and Maryland. A number of different energygenerating units using different types of fuel were be used over the plant’s lifetime.

1972 Roughly 180,000 homes were powered from two oil-fired steam turbine units, installed in 1968 and 1972, which only ran 10 to 15 days a year.

2003 Since 1985, six documented cases of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) leaked into the environment from Pepco’s facility.

2010 On October 8, the District issued a Notice of Intent to Sue for violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In December, D.C. and Pepco agreed to perform a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study.

2015 The EPA filed a lawsuit in October. The lawsuit states that discharged stormwater from Pepco’s facility contained copper, iron, lead, zinc, cadmium and total suspended solids in excess of a 2009 discharge permit.

2019 As of June 1, operations at the Benning Road Power Plant have ceased as announced by Pepco Energy Services.

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SITE TOUR

KENILWORTH PARK NORTH

A

The site is disconnected from the south and south-east residential area by heavy automobile traffic and overhead Metro tracks. The sidewalks are small and dirty with minimal pedestrian activity and urban street activation. It is a hostile and unsafe environment for the pedestrian as seen in pictures J through O. 12

RIV TIA OS AN

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To the north and west is the most natural environment, the park land and the river. The parkland is hardly designed beyond extensive bike/walking trails. The trails, while adjacent to the riverfront, rarely reveal the river through its thick forestry.

The transfer center to the north is a mysterious, unwelcoming three-story building for those who come across it along the path (picture D). The approach to the front is high security (picture H).

B

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The immediate power plant is fenced off to visitors. The surrounding area has three distinct environments: parkspace, high-traffic roads, and residential neighborhoods.

KENILWORTH PARK SOUTH C D

E TRANSFER STATION

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CLOSED PEPCO POWER PLANT M J

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Aerial taken from Google Maps

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, Geo

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KENILWORTH PARK NORTH

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E TRANSFER STATION

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To the far south and immediate north-east, there are low-income residential developments. The areas are much calmer. Several schools intersperse these neighborhoods. The buildings in both the residential areas and off Benning Road are almost all low-rise with a few midrise.

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CLOSED PEPCO POWER PLANT M J

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Aerial taken from Google Maps

Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, Geo

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SITE DEMOGRAPHICS Washington, D.C.

River Terrace Community

Alex

Jennifer

Age: 34

Age: 35

Total Population

702,455 Total Population Pop of 1 race: White Pop of 1 race: Black

316,807 330,153

Pop of 1 race: Other 24 581,633

Total Pop 18+ Income

1865

Pop of 1 race: Black

Pop of 1 race: Other112,392 Race

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Pop of 1 race: White

$50,832

1592

Total Pop 18+ Income

$35,403

Mayfair Community Jared

Age: 25

1962

3280

Total Population Pop of 1 race: White 24

3166

Pop of 1 race: Black Pop of 1 race: Other 18 2287

Total Pop 18+ Income

$25,037 17

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the HIERARCHY OF WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

The EPA developed a standard hierarchy for waste management. They do however state that no single approach is right and reasonable for managing all materials in all circumstances, This hierarchy was considered throughout the research process for selecting a management system.

MOST FAVORED OPTION

MINIMIZATION

REUSE

In other words the order of preference is: 1. Source Reduction and Reuse 2.. Recycling 3. Composting - Anaerobic Digestion Composting - Aerated Static Pile - Windrowing Composting - Aerated Static Pile - In-Vessel 4. Waste To Energy (WtE) 5. Treatment and Landfill

A methodology of waste management had to be selected for this thesis. The research led to two site visits to local facilities to learn more about their processes. A third facility located in Florida was studied from afar using reading material that they expressed could be used for this publication. These site visits will be described from “worst” to “best.”

PREVENTION

RECYCLING

ENERGY RECOVERY

LEAST FAVORED OPTION

DISPOSAL

Image manipulated from (marked for reuse):

Drstuey “Waste Hierarchy.” Wikimedia Commons, 17 Aug. 2006, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Waste_hierarchy.svg.

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in depth: WASTE - TO - ENERGY

Waste to Energy is the process of incinerating waste and therefore generating heat and electricity. The process is done using all kinds of waste from plastics to food to paper.

Unfortunately, this process destroys materials so that they have to be completely remined and/or remade. It also releases carbon into the air.

COVANTA ALEXANDRIA/ARLINGTON WASTE TO ENERGY FACILITY 3.26 acres 365,000 tons/year

45 employees 6 wks 8395 MW electrical energy

Dominion Energy

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TOP: TIPPING HALL MIDDLE: BOILER BOTTOM: MONITORING AND

CONTROL ROOM

The tipping hall is usually an expansive room and dug very deep into the ground. This room must have strong noise and smell controls.

As truck enters the facility truck, it is scanned for items that are dangerous to burn or that the facility cannot handle. After it is dumped and thoroughly mixed, it is scooped up by a massive claw arm that drops the trash over a chute into the boiler.

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A control room carefully measures and displays all necessary statistics. A handful of engineers watch the control room around the clock to make sure the process is going smoothly and safely.

Once materials are burned, the heat drives turbines which drive a generator, producing electricity. The rest of the heat can be used to directly heat homes. This particular facility does not do that since the surrounding area does not have the infrastructure to support it.

ELECTRICAL TRANSFORMERS

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in depth: COMPOSTING AERATED STATIC PILE - WINDROWING

Prince George’s County Composting is an open air facility dealing with food and yard waste, but similar facilities exist indoors. Indoor facilities are better for the process because they can control the ambient weather surrounding the process. The downside to this process is the amount of space and time it takes to process a relatively small TPY. MARYLAND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE, PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY ORGANICS COMPOSTING FACILITY 52 acres

32,500 tons/year

13 employees 8-10 wks

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LeafGro Organic Compost whole sale and/or to retailers

food scraps mix & shred

yard waste

bunkers

air out

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refine

Food waste and yard waste are delivered separately and both are shredded. It is then mixed at a careful carbon to nitrogen proportion.

The mix is moved by front loaders to what is called a bunker. In the bunker, the mix is heated for a more rapid decomposition. Here, the mixture will sit for about two weeks. It is taken and moved to a curing area where the mixture takes time to settle. Afterwards, the material is put through a refiner where any excess materials are removed. The resultant is a fertilizer sold wholesale to retailers and landscapers.

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in depth: ANAEROBIC DIGESTION (AD)

Anaerobic Digestion is the process of breaking down food waste and yard waste, other times waste water or animal feces, without oxygen but with bacteria. AD results in digestate which can be composted in-vessel to become fertilizer, as well as biogas which can be refined further into natural gas.

This particular facility in Orlando, Florida did not allow visitors. It is specially owned and operated to process the food waste that is collected from all the surrounding Walt Disney Parks. The energy produced here is then used to power the amusement parks.

HARVEST POWER SOUTHEAST, ORLANDO FLORIDA 3.7 acres 120,000 tons/year 10 employees 3.5 wks

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5,000 metric tons/yr class AA granular fertilizer Biogas - 7MW combined heat and power

Image taken from Google Earth

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This handout received by Harvest and availble on their website explains the steps and process of the AD plant in Florida.

Because of the beneficial outputs of AD, its effectiveness, and lesser design obstacles, this thesis will replicate the sizing and process order.

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PRECEDENTS: PROJECTS & MATERIALS

A number of projects and images were referenced during the research phase of this thesis. A book titled Architecture and Waste: A (re)planned Obsolescence was of crucial help.

Although an exploration of mostly waste-toenergy plants, the book was filled with model examples on how to combine waste facilities with public spaces to more seamlessly connect the city, an important concept throughout this thesis.

The Centre Pompidou was a good reference for how to teach the public about the inner workings of an industrial process. In the case of that building, the industrial process is the inner workings of a building that require it to function, its HVAC and circulation systems.

Two important material concepts throughout the design were industrial silos and gabion walls as building materials and visual cues.

The silo can mark the importance of the work being done as well as become an emblem for the neighborhood. The gabion becomes a natural design element already at the human scale as well as a functional element. It can act as a thread connecting all the programs of the block while transforming into the fencing that keeps outside visitors protected from the dangerous inner workings of the process.

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Waste management and public space 2018, Theoretical student project

Catalytic Currents - Michael Haggerty, Dana McKinney - Connecticut, U.S.A.

Industrial silos as a beacon 2020 To be built

“The Three Kings” - TANK Architecture - Amsterdam, Netherlands 2014, Theoretical student project

Yuanlin Railway Silos - Yu-Hsi Hsieh - Taiwan 2012, Built

Silo 468 - Lighting Design Collective - Helsinki, Finland 2009, Competition entry

Biotope - Allard Architecture - Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2009, Competition entry

“Instant House” - Hugon Kowalski, H3AR Architecture - Milan, Italy

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Visual teaching of processes through Architecture 1977, Built Centre Pompidou - Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers - Paris, France

Gabion + Wood + Steel Year unknown, Built Oruawharo Bay Bach - Herbst Architects - Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2016, Built D’Entrecasteaux House - Room11 - Bruny Island, Australia 2015, Built Hotel Relux - A31 Architecture - Ios, Greece 2013, Built Recycling Zone Prototype - University of Memphis Department of Architecture - Memphis Tennessee 2013, Built Cavalli Wide and Stud Farm - Lauren Smith, Bouwer Architects - Western Cape, South Africa 2011, Built Casa Gavion - ColectivoMX - Baja California Sur, Mexico 2005, Built Metropolitan Park South Access - Polidura Talhouk Arquitectos​- Santiago, Chile 35

GABION WALL: ENCLOSURE AND

RETURN

TO

EARTH

Sustainability was an important concept when deciding on major materials. Gabion walls became the primary material. The appeal of a gabion structure is its ability to be clearly and easy separated at the end of the building’s life.

The interior rocks of the cage would go back into the environment and the metal could be recycled.

River rocks were chosen as the interior fill due to the adjacency of the Anacostia River and their refined nature. Recycled concrete or other rocks could certainly be used in this design for a more raw feel.

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the PROPOSAL

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the URBAN STRATEGY

Master planning was necessary to give immediate context to the facility. Several considerations went into programming the 77 acres of land which guided the design into its final concept.

First, it was important to provide a commercial neighborhood that allows the residents of the Mayfair and River Terrace Communities to congregate. This neighborhood would provide jobs as well as local amenity spaces to build the social capital of the area. Its street frontage has the potential to draw in the passengers of the vehicles driving by.

Next, it had to provide two kinds of green space. One type is productive land, i.e. an urban farm that can feed the local population and provide employment opportunities. The other type is recreational park space.

Lastly, the ultimate plot of land that would be used for the AD facility would need to work within the context. It would be part of a larger “eco-campus” that would process multiple types of waste that would work towards material recovery.

The combination of these factors make up a circular local economy where on this 77 acres, food is grown, cooked, sold, eaten, and processed for material and energy recovery.

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In the final design, a commercial corridor to the south connects the residential neighborhoods. This commercial neighborhood will have, shops, churches, a community center, restaurants, a library, and more.

The north eastern side of the site is to be mostly productive green space. The produce grown here has the opportunity to be sold in a produce market on the immediate building site. The western side of the 77 acres will be converted back into recreational park space that is going to connect residents back to natural and water systems. The north central part of the site will be home to the AD facility designed in more detail. This building and the existing waste transfer center would be part of a larger eco-campus.

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the PARK STRATEGY

On the west, roughly 25 of the 77 acres are to be transformed into a recreational park space.

Landscape techniques and carefully selected flora will be employed to remediate the harm done to the environment by the release of PCBs and other pollutants by Pepco. These natural elements would filter runoff water and help manage flooding. The proposal seeks to thread the Anacostia Park System while bringing more localized trails to the people of the Mayfair and River Terrace communities.

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A pavilion for snacks and concessions are available while visitors walk through poplar trees and cattail marshes. Large open fields allow flexibility for picnics and sports. Boardwalks allow for people to dock boats and get up close to the river’s edge (see plan previous plan and section). By providing a comfortable neighborhood park, residents can find repose from the built environment and find reconnection with water, land, and nature.

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460’- 0”

720’- 4”

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the BUILDING STRATEGY

The challenge of designing the block where the AD facility would be located was massaging the transition from commercial to industrial while negotiating how people move safely around. It was important to distinguish where the public was freely allowed to move and where they must be checked in and accompanied for a safe and educational experience. Overall it had to be welcoming and intriguing enough for people to want to come in and explore.

The southern part of the block is the most open to the public. From left to right, these are the AD lobby, restaurant, produce market, and culinary school. These elements were designed first within rigidly rectangular blocks before their form was reimagined. Further north in the block is where the silos and containers that support the AD process are laid out.

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Once the layout of “raw” and “refined” was established, further exploration of the form was completed. Tall cardboard representing the gabion wall was crafted onto a plan of the site in order to thread the site together. It was used within the publically-programmed rectangles to divide between front-of-house and back-of-house spaces.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

SCHEMATIC MODEL ITERATIONS

ONE THROUGH THREE 52

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open to below

dwn

TIPPING HALL MEZZANINE

CONTROL ROOM

PRESENTATION ROOM

COVERED AEROBIC STATIC PILE COMPOSTING BIOFILTER

CENTRIFUGE

dwn

GAS STATION FATS, OILS, GREASE (F.O.G.)

PRE-PROCESSING AREA

WATER CLEANSING

HYDROLYSIS

Process Piping Overhead

Waste Feeding Hopper

Mechanical Claw Overhead

POST PROCESSING STORAGE

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COMBINED HEAT AND POWER GENERATOR Mezzanine Above

BIOGAS PURIFICTION & UPGRADE

up

TIPPING HALL

AD SILO

up

Observation Tower Skybridge Overhead LOADING

AD SILO

up Concrete Curb

HERB AND RELAXATION GARDEN Skylights

MECH. YARD WC & LOCKER ROOMS

DRY STORAGE CL

CONFERENCE ROOM

BREAK ROOM & KITCHENETTE MECH YARD

OFFICE

up ANAEROBIC DIGESTION LOBBY 0’

PRODUCE MARKET

OFFICE LOADING

OFFICES

BAR

KITCHEN & DRY STORAGE

DISH

CL

CL FREEZER

FRIDGE

KITCHEN

ADMIN SUITE

FRIDGE

CL

RESTAURANT FRIDGE

FREEZER 3’ GIFT SHOP

LIBRARY & DIGITAL LAB

TEACHING KITCHENS

OFFICE

3’

FRIDGE

FREEZER

FREEZER

FRIDGE

CULINARY SCHOOL LOBBY

FREEZER

MECH YARD

6’

CAFE FLEX SPACE

Bike Parking

Bike Parking

PERSONAL RETAIL & DROP OFF

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MATERIAL FLOWS

PEOPLE FLOWS CREW

SOLID

LIQUID

GAS

PUBLIC

MAIN ENTRIES

SLURRY

One can see the equipment layout in the material flows diagram in the final design. This process is continuous. From left to right, food waste is delivered into the tipping hall where it goes through pre-processing. Any packaging or undesirables are removed and the remaining material is shredded into an even mixture.

Separately, a liquidous mix of fats, oils, and greases (FOG) is delivered to a tank right outside.

The shredded and mixed food waste is moved by a giant claw into a hopper which feeds the waste into the hydrolysis tank. There, the food waste mixture is mixed with water and is pumped along to the next step. The watered down food waste is

mixed with the FOGs on its way to the AD silos.

Two of these silos service the facility. This is where bacteria break down the food. Biogas is piped to where it is refined into natural gas before it is sold at the gas station and used to power the on-site programs. A slurry mixture from the AD tanks pipe into the post digestion tank before it is pressed through the centrifuge to squeeze out any water. Water is refined before it is used again on site. The solids are carried by front loaders to in-vessel compost bunkers. The resulting fertilizer is sold whole-sale.

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PRE-PROCESSING AREA

HYDROLYSIS

Process Piping Overhead

Waste Feeding Hopper

-

Mechanical Claw Overhead

Mezzanine Above

up

TIPPING HALL

AD SILO

up

Observation Tower Skybridge Overhead

AD SILO

up Concrete Curb MECH. YARD WC & LOCKER ROOMS CL CONFERENCE ROOM LOADING OFFICES

BREAK ROOM & KITCHENETTE MECH YARD

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OFFICE

up ANAEROBIC DIGESTION LOBBY 0’

BAR

OFFICE

KITCHEN & DRY STORAGE

DISH

CL

RESTAURANT

FREEZER 3’ GIFT SHOP

FRIDGE Bike Parking

PERSONAL RETAIL & DROP OFF

pg.

75

WATER CLEANSING

COMBINED HEAT AND POWER GENERATOR BIOGAS PURIFICTION & UPGRADE

LOADING

HERB AND RELAXATION GARDEN Skylights DRY STORAGE

PRODUCE MARKET

CL FREEZER

FRIDGE

KITCHEN

LIBRARY & DIGITAL LAB

TEACHING KITCHENS

OFFICE

FRIDGE 3’

FREEZER

FREEZER

FRIDGE

CULINARY SCHOOL LOBBY

FREEZER

MECH YARD

6’

CAFE FLEX SPACE

pg.

77

ADMIN SUITE

FRIDGE

CL

pg.

85

Bike Parking

pg.

80

0’ 5’

10’

0’ 57

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

open to below

dwn

TIPPING HALL MEZZANINE

CONTROL ROOM

PRESENTATION ROOM

dwn

FATS, OILS, GREASE (F.O.G.)

pg.

75

PRE-PROCESSING AREA

Mechanical Claw Overhead

58

Waste Feeding Hopper

HYDROLYSIS

Process Piping Overhead

POST PRO STO

COVERED AEROBIC STATIC PILE COMPOSTING BIOFILTER

CENTRIFUGE

GAS STATION

OCESSING ORAGE

WATER CLEANSING

0’ 5’

10’

0’ 59

While the length of the block is over 700’ long, the depth of most of the buildings is just 75’ to make room for the processing of the materials on the back side of the block. As one can see by the on the right, a pedestrian experiences a large difference in scale. Visitors to the site can walk the full width of 700’ unencumbered on the southern side while their experiences to the north are more prescripted.

ELEVATIONS FOR SCALE COMPARISON. TOP: PLAZA EAST ELEVATION MIDDLE: AD FACILITY WEST ELEVATION BOTTOM: SOUTH ENTRY ELEVATION 60

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SOUTH ELEVATION

The south side of the building activates the public portions of the buildings, providing continuation of the commercial neighborhood in the southern most part of the proposed urban plan.

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65

66

67

MATE CORRUGATED COPPER ROOFING

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PATINA COPPER PANEL

STACKED RIVER ROCK GABION

ERIALS COPPER METAL PANEL

GREEN ROOF

VERTICAL RECLAIMED WOOD

STACKED RECLAIMED BRICK

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The materials of the facilities come from natural and industrial inspirations. Gabion runs through the buildings separating major public and private elements of each of the functions of the three buildings. It dips down to reveal the interior glass building which it protects.

The remaining exterior facing materials act to distinguish the uses. Reclaimed stacked brick denotes the culinary school. Reclaimed vertical wood panels are used at the areas of the most public presence, the restaurant and the market/ cafe. Copper panels, the most industrial of the materials, are used at the place of most industrial use: the AD facility and its components. The silos are clad with solid reflective panel while the entry to the facility is marked by patina copper. The roofs of all the buildings work like the gabion wall to tie the whole block together. The corrugated copper roofing has a few selected areas for light green-roofs planted with small shrubs. Solar panels sit adjacently on the roof in the spirit of sustainability. Skylights help to provide light in spaces deeper in the buildings as well as define spaces.

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71

WEST ELEVATION

The west elevation emits the more industrial nature of the design in contrast with the public facing south side.

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SECTION THROUGH TIPPING HALL

Visitors enter through the lobby on the far right of the section. They come up the stairs to the second floor where they are shown to a presentation room. In the presentation room, they learn about the AD process. Then they can begin to take their tour starting with the control room across the hall, from there they make their way north, through the dividing gabion wall, and onto a grand mezzanine overlooking the tipping hall.

From here, they can see where the whole process begins. They continue their tour through a door to the east that leads them to the outside. From here, they get the tour of the process outside with colored piping overhead. They can make their way up either a long staircase or elevator to the observation tower. The observation tower is actually the AD silo. The bottom 75% of the silo is used for the process while the top 25% is used as the observation tower. A large cylindrical space in the center of the floor-plate allows the process to continue: gas to rise and slurry to be pumped out.

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PLAZA ELEVATION LOOKING EAST

The theme of raw versus refined can be clearly felt in this section where patrons of the restaurant enjoy their meal outside adjacent a large AD silo and across the outdoor stalls of the produce market. On the other side of the gabion wall that defines this section between left and right, the industrial process is fully on display with overhead piping visitors can see and understand.

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77

RESTAURANT

Restaurant customers of course also have the option of eating inside where the exposed structure and HVAC combined with tall ceilings keep the atmosphere feeling industrial.

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79

TEACHING KITCHEN

At the culinary school, students can learn how to cook from a professional. Those skills that are taught can then help students land jobs or simply cook healthy and tastefully at home.

Students walk into the front entry and make a left through a pair of double doors. They make their way through a circulation space where they have the option of stopping, sitting, and socializing in the flex space. Three teaching kitchens line the northern wall where skylights bring light into the spaces. Each teaching kitchen has its own service loading door making deliveries direct and efficient.

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LIBRARY LOOKING INTO TEACHING KITCHEN

The digital lab and library of the culinary school has a special moment where the gabion wall dips revealing the spaces to one another. A student can enjoy their book in the window nook while looking into the cooking classroom.

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84

FLEX SPACE

The flex space sits on the south side of the culinary school. It is a linear space defined by the high exposed roof structure as well as skylights. From the exterior, the gabion wall along this face appears to dip down to reveal the interior glass building. Between the tinted skylights and south facing windows, this area is flooded with natural light. Students on the interior can lounge during most times when the space isn’t used for receptions and gatherings.

Further development of the design looks to provide a base where conduit and other necessary mechanical, electrical, plumbing equipment can run through the building.

0’ 1’

2’

5’

85

This model of the most eastern part of the flex space and corridor to the front lobby of the culinary school presents how the gabion wall’s corner will behave. It shows the relationship between the gabion wall, interior storefront, and secondary materials, in this case brick.

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On the opposite page, the thickness of the storefront mullions is apparent, especially in the area where the gabion dips and the mullions expand to fill the space.

Structurally, the gabion walls are supported by the thick continuous foundation, reinforcement bars, and interior columns. A connection member would penetrate the storefront to connect the gabion and columns. Insulation on the interior around that member would provide a barrier for air movement.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

The research for this thesis started with comparing waste bureaucracy and systems with San Fransisco. The biggest take away from that research is that San Fransisco’s process is much more effective for two reasons. One is the publicprivate partnership with Recology. Most city citizens agree that Recology is doing an effective job and voted to renew their contract with the city. Two, the department responsible for waste collection is not a public works department but rather the environmental department of the city.

This extremely significant frame-work in which cities view the problem of waste-management becomes the driving force of the effectiveness of the waste-management process.

Washington D.C. is moving slowly in the right direction towards a zero-waste goal.

Unfortunately, the process needs to be put into high-gear as climate change and pollution threaten our species. Cities have a major responsibility to its citizens in this sense.

asked how to get jobs and amenity spaces out of the project, how to encourage a local circular economy which put less long-term strain on city resources. It answered the question as to how to best improve the lives of the surrounding neighborhood and city in the most well-rounded way.

Architects can play an important role in the design of these facilities. They have the ability to work with engineers and city officials to find key moments where safe and logical crossings between the public and the industial can occur. When the public is strongly taken into consideration, there will be less pushback to having these facilities next to their homes.

Ultimately, it can better their economies and community livelihoods.

A municipal compost collection system in Washington D.C. is underway. The research for this thesis did not reveal the ultimate system that DPW has decided on. This thesis instead looked at the most effective and long lasting system.

The goal of this thesis went beyond how to service the city in terms of waste-management. It 91

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Note: All images are created by author unless otherwise noted.

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Seward, Aaron. “Trash as Treasure.” Architect Magazine. September 1, 2011. Accessed September 11, 2018. https://www.architectmagazine.

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