Jessica Goswick _B.ARCH Thesis_Watering Hole

500ft

WATERING HOLE JESSICA GOSWICK CAL POLY SLO ARCHITECTURE THESIS STUDIO OSBORN SPRING 2020

CARE:

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“A species activity that includes everything that we do to maintain, continue, and repair our world so that we can live in it as well as possible” -MARIAN BARNES

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contents

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WHAT DO WE VALUE?

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WATER FOUNTAINS

HOW DO WE ACT?

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BETTER WITH AGE

CARE IN THE DESERT

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APPENDIX

REDEFINING THE OASIS

Arnold, Hadley. “World of Watercraft: the Future of Dryland Ecosystems.” Architectural Review, 1 June 2017.

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Historically, society has measured progress as a function of quantitative growth; in other words, we are not progressing if our economy is not growing. But, a system with finite resources that depends on endless growth is not only paradoxical, it is selfdestructive. Humans have become disconnected from their reality as the discrepancy between perceived importance and reality has grown. In order to prevent the dire consequences of our growth mindset, we must shift our focus away from quantitative measures and towards qualitative practices such as care.

By inviting users to participate in invisible daily processes (such as water infrastructure), architecture can act as a point of connection to re-establish broken feedback loops between humans and their unfiltered reality. This connection goes beyond the physical and into the psychological, to facilitate a shift in values. The commons exist outside the traditional binary of public and private space by fostering a collective sense of ownership for a resource. Through a renewal of the commons, architecture can move us towards a new paradigm of care.

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WHAT DO WE VALUE, AND WHY?

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Ryder, Brett. “Makers of Very Expensive Cars Want to Be Luxury-Goods Firms.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 27 Sept. 2018, www.economist.com/business/2018/09/27/makers-of-very-expensive-cars-want-to-beluxury-goods-firms.

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EVALUATING VALUE Architecture works within and enforces an economically based system of values.

So how do we foster a culture of care? Care is a fundamental building block of humanity, but its meaning is ambiguous. Nurses care for their patients, football fans care about their fantasy draft, and children do not care to take their parents advice. In all contexts, care is an active expression of value. A foundational understanding of our values will aid in revealing what motivates individuals to care.

At the most basic level, people value what serves them. However, modern urban development hides many of the processes that allow our complex society to function, making it harder for people to evaluate value. An analysis of the current western value system is necessary to better understand the discrepancy between perceived importance and reality. This system of values is derived from internally and externally driven factors. Jean Baudrillard identifies four possible ways an object can generate value: functional use, economic value, a relationship to another subject, and integration into a larger system. In System of Objects and The Consumer Society, Baudrillard argues that the last evaluating principal, the sign value, has been used in consumer society to drive production and increase demand for goods that perhaps have little functional use or economic value. As a result, the status of an object has become increasingly important in the users’ quest for feelings of inclusion or validation. For example, luxury sports cars give their owners a coveted sense of social status despite not being very functional for most driving scenarios.

One explanation of this is Deborah Stone’s (author of Policy Paradox) model of reasoning (or rational decision making) which states that individuals act in a way that will maximize their self-interest. In simple situations, this is straight forward, but in societies with complex political structures, competing motivations, and intertwining systems, people define their preferences much more based on who presents the decision, and how it is presented. A consumer may buy an expensive sports car because of the marketing about the object which has given it higher value in the society. Baudrillard’s notion regarding 11

the prioritization of the sign value diminishes the economic or functional value in the rational decision-making process. Stone looks at the goals of a society, which she defines as the enduring values that create controversy in policy making. For instance, she identifies “motherhood” issues, such as equity or liberty, which are supported by everyone in an abstract sense, but which have different meanings to different people. So, while some value could be inherent to an object, many of our values (and perhaps those which result in action) are dependent on the context of the individual and their society.

Objects, ideas, and places carry some inherent value. A cup is valuable for carrying water despite its context and a room will always provide shelter from the wind. Humans value what serves them. However, when subjected to the conflicting demands of society, the reasoning behind these values become more complex and less logical. Individuals make decisions that may negatively affect them in the future but provide immediate pleasure or invoke a certain status among their peers.

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Left: Traffic Smart Meter (wired.com) Right Top: Complete Feedback Loop Right Bottom: Consumerist Feedback loop

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THE CONSUMERIST TWIST This commodification of goods, resources, and ideas led to a skewed rationale for evaluating what will best serve humanity over time. Through this analysis, the disregard for the natural environment, public systems, and common resources becomes clear. In preparation for the 2019 Oslo Triennial, Angelos Varvarousis and Penny Koutrolikou wrote the essay, “Degrowth and the City” to argue for the upheaval of “the ideal [as an] individual whose identity and status is shaped by [what] it possesses and what it consumes; by potentially unlimited having and possessing”. The result is an autocatalytic cycle in which individuals receive positive reactions for their consumption and thus consume more. To break this cycle, we must break from the notion of our consumption defining our worth.

Today, consumption is a positive feedback loop that shapes everyday behavior.

Thomas Goetz breaks down the elements of a feedback loop: evidence, relevance, consequences, and action. While contemporary examples (such as traffic signs and smart meters) demonstrate how feedback loops can encourage safer, more sustainable, and healthier behavior; missing pieces in the feedback loops can cause users to act in a way that is otherwise contrary to their self-interest. One example of a broken feedback loop is reflected in the cost of oil. Oil prices remain low, despite shrinking supply of the non-renewable resource, because the price does not consider the extraneous consequences of oil extraction on the environment, communities, and future generations. The oil crisis of the 1970s caused the price of oil to rise dramatically, prompting consumers to adapt their habits and use less oil as the consequences of their consumption was reflected economically. Over the next decade, demand began to balance production and although oil reserves had not grown, prices dropped (Limits to Growth). Reestablishment of the broken feedback loop caused consumers to abandon conservation efforts by reproducing a distorted reality.

Oil is not the only sector in which this discrepancy between reality and perceived reality exists. Evidence of potential consequences is often hidden by industries to promote consumption. By mending feedback loops, society could begin to move towards Varvarousis and Koutrolikou’s city of degrowth.

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Gordon Matta Clark bought odd lots that had no apparent commercial value and showcased them in his project “Fake Estates” which he envisioned as sites for anarchitectural intervention in urban space.

COMMODIFIATION OF BUILDING Consumerism is embedded in architecture through the privatization of land, parceling, real estate speculation, and buildings as “products”, among others (Varvarousis and Koutrolikou). Private interests dictate development, giving them greater control over the market and the communities they develop. In an attempt to continuously expand, cities push large housing developments to attract new residents. Housing speculation in Phoenix is seen as a main industry, with the City of Phoenix claiming, “Our current economy relies on continued growth and most people in Phoenix and the region support policies that favor managed growth” (Phoenix Water Resources). Just as an individual’s worth can be defined through their consumption, a city’s worth can be defined by their “growth”. However, this desire for limited growth is the same desire that led to the housing bubble burst of 2008, leaving tracts of development vacant across the city. Because of this attitude, large areas of land are gambled as a means of turning a profit, with little regard to the environmental or community impact.

Leveled parcels sit empty in the suburbs of Phoenix during the 2008 recession.

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Furthermore, privatization means fewer public spaces for the community to enjoy and more control over the way people use the space. In London, the Greenspace Institute for Greater London tracks “privately owned public space”, which they define as “publicly accessible spaces which are provided and maintained by private developers, offices or residential building owners”.

This transformation of public space into a commodity reflects the negative impacts of consumerism on communities. Privately owned public spaces often have limitations on use, including the stifling of democratic activities, such as protests, that are permitted on public grounds.

Privately Owned Public Spaces – Greenspace Information for Greater London.

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Advertisements for the Verrado development in West Phoenix present the neighborhood as a lifestyle product.

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WHAT IS NOT WORKING? The need for cooperative care of the environment and our communities is imperative. The natural environment provides resources that the human species needs to live, but a culture based on unlimited consumption has caused the degradation of these resources. Jorgen Randers, Donella and Dennis Meadows wrote The Limits to Growth in 1972 to analyze the impending consequences of this culture and propose methods for avoiding total societal collapse. Each decade the authors wrote a revised edition to reflect on their predictions and adjust their analysis for the current day. In 2002, Limits to Growth: the 30-Year Update was published, addressing some of the reasons care for the environment had not increased as quickly as they had hoped. One obstacle to care for the environment includes the issue of distribution. Consequences of climate change such as pollution and land degradation are not equally spread across the country, so the urgency is not necessarily felt by all people at the same time or in the same way which can delay large-scale change. To overcome these issues, the authors propose changing structure through the information links in a system to “relevant, compelling, select, powerful, timely, accurate information flowing in new ways to new recipients”. Limits to Growth emphasizes the power of ‘soft’ skills like visioning, networking, truth-telling, learning, and loving in fostering care for the environment.

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Although the sustainability movement attempts to correct the consumerist tendencies that are woven into our society, it is still widely dismissed by the hegemonic system. While architecture has accepted aspects of technical sustainability, these more qualitative aspects of the issue are often neglected.

Author of Shape of Green, Lance Hosey, argues that the sign value (social status) of an object’s design depends in part on its aesthetics. In one example, he looks to how the sleek appearance of the Apple iPhone gave it an advantage over the rest of the market. While the success of the iPhone only accelerated consumer tendencies, Hosey claims that the emotional influence of aesthetics can aid in conserving resources, attracting users, and connecting them to each other and their place. Landscape architect, Elizabeth K. Meyer, agrees with Hosey, stating that there is a performance aspect to beauty which enables the development of an environmental ethic but is often missed by traditional definitions of sustainability. Meyer cites the opposition of the United States government to environmental initiatives to demonstrate that sustainability seems to be outside of mainstream American thought. To reintegrate aesthetics into the environmental conversation, she advocates for principals of sustainable design that move beyond just the ecological concern and work within the dynamic social and cultural context. She goes one step further than Hosey, identifying the importance of hybrids in bridging the gap between the two value systems.

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WHY IS THIS....

BETTER THAN THIS? As sustainable architecture has all become to blend together, other options to deal with limited resources (such as asteroid mining, above), are seen as more exciting.

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WATER FOUNTAINS

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WHAT DOES WATER CONSUMPTION LOOK LIKE? The water fountains look at how feedback loops could be connected through infrastructure. The concept re-imagines a typical drinking fountain as a point of connection between the user and their water resource. Each design incorporates rainwater collection as the source of the drinking water. The translucent storage showcases the amount of water available to the users. The fountain allows water infrastructure to resurface from underground pipes and become a community asset that is both social and educational. By redistributing the consequences of water use to all users, new awareness and behaviors emerge.

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completing the loop loop completing the visual rainwater catchment connects the community to the source

visual rainwater catchment connects the community to the source

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social utility social utility drinking water becomes a point of gathering

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drinking water becomes a point of gathering

ritual ritual maintenance maintenance care for the resource produces an anticipated event

care for the resource produces an anticipated event

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COMMUNITY SCALE

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FAMILY SCALE

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PERSONAL SCALE

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HOW DO WE ACT, AND WHY?

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Not only does architecture respond to the value system, but it helps to shape it. Care is a cycle in which values are enforced by the built environment and then the environment adapts to those values. When people perceive care, they are more likely to continue to care.

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Top: Zimbardo’s Broken Windows Experiment (theatlantic.com) Middle & Bottom: NYC Sanitation in 1895 (OatmanStanford, Hunter.

“A Filthy History: When New Yorkers Lived Knee-Deep in Trash.”)

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RE-SHAPING VALUES Stanford psychologist, Philip Zimbardo, developed the Broken Windows theory which claims that if a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. In other words, “the sense of mutual regard [is] lowered by actions that seem to signal that ‘no one cares’”. Zimbardo tested this theory by leaving two of the same cars unattended in two different cities: New York and Palo Alto. In the more run-down neighborhood in New York, the car was broken into quickly and parts were taken.Yet, in the upperclass neighborhood in Palo Alto, no one broke into the car. Only after Zimbardo himself smashed a window did people begin to break in and take parts. The quality of the environment changed the actions of the residents.

Certain modern activities ensure the care of public space. For instance, the American waste management system keeps trash off the streets. Robin Nagle investigated this system in her book, Picking Up. Focusing on New York City, she explores changes in the Department of Street Cleaning (later named the Department of Sanitation) that led to a new attitude towards waste. In 1895, the streets piled high with trash; instead of going to a landfill, trash just went to the streets. By implementing a hierarchical structure, dressing the workers in white, and establishing juvenile programs to educate youth about new practices, the department made sure the city got clean and stayed clean. A hierarchical structure gave workers a specific set of responsibilities that they could act on.

They started working during daylight hours in all white uniforms so residents could see the work that was being done and would associate the activity with hygiene rather than filth. Residents began to see that if they disposed of their waste correctly, it would be taken away and the streets would be nicer. Juvenile Leagues taught children about how to keep their city clean, which they could then bring home to teach older generations. Over time, caring for waste stuck.

Once the streets were clean, they remained clean because people understood the value of maintaining them. Sufficient maintenance and repair of a city cultivates care practices among residents.

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BREAKING THE BINARY Previous examples of historical care for cities set up “care” in dueling terms, on one end there is the caregiver (garbage man) and on the other there is the subject (urban waste), but this terminology is inadequate to understand the complexity of care. Social scientist, Marian Barnes, calls this phenomenon the “dyad” of care. In her essay, “Beyond the Dyad: Exploring the Multidimensionality of Care,” Barnes argues this perspective of care breeds power dynamics and a glorification of independence rather than interdependence. For example, Nagle found that sanitation work was more dangerous than working as fire fighter or police officer, despite its lack of public appreciation. Additionally, Barnes notes the negative associations with vulnerability or weakness that are common in Western society. By designating one individual as caregiver and one as care receiver, the dyad discourages expression of needs and passes issues off as ‘someone else’s job’. Barnes advocates for thinking of care as a “species activity that includes everything that we do to maintain, continue, and repair our world so that we can live in it as well as possible”.

In the case of New York sanitation, the department cleaned up the city by implementing social changes that helped residents not only understand the importance of waste management, but also engage in the process. Suddenly, residents had a stake in keeping their streets clean. This new precedent of care led to a higher regard and collective responsibility for maintenance of the streets. When no one was cleaning the streets, no one else cared; but once someone started, the care spread. Care is a cycle in which values are enforced by the environment and in turn, the environment responds to those values.

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Grasslands Repair is a living exhibition prepared by Baracco+Wright Architects that explored the relationship between architects and the environment through the cultivation of over 60 species of Australian grasslands plants.

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EMOTIONAL DURABILITY By engaging with a process that can foster emotional attachment and increased value, a sense of collective responsibility is generated. Users begin to take ownership of the process instead of seeing it as someone else’s job. While the concept of physical durability is well-practiced in design, emotional durability is more unfamiliar. The Journal of Cleaner Production studied how materials change over time and found that when those changes could be associated with positive memories, they were more likely to retain their value over time. When people felt an emotional attachment to the object they were more likely to maintain it. Care is not static, materials and architecture are going to change, so designers should learn to design with this process and engage with the emotional potential of design. There are memories that can be associated with the evolution over time. By connecting users to something familiar and achievable, larger processes or issues can feel more at human scale. These associations can help mend gaps in the feedback loops, reconnecting people to their reality and incentivizing a culture of care.

LEFT: Egg Collective Hawley Side Table made from unsealed polished brass with marble base (www.eggcollective.com/)

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BETTER WITH AGE

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WHAT IF PATTERNS OF USE COULD BE USED TO ENRICH AN OBJECT? Wear is seen as damage that devalues an object over time. Better with Age proposes that wear can instead add to the emotional value of an object by associating marks with events and activities.

Constructed out of urban wood, the table continues the life of a local coastal live oak. The wood will continue to change, darkening over time. The resulting table acts as a chronicle of both the life of the material and its users.

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Rather than a pristine product, the table appears at to be at a different point in its life cycle, in the middle of the story, inviting users to interact with it and create memories without fear of “ruining” it. Over time, stains and scratches enhance the texture of previous wear, and the grain pattern of the wood. Memorable moments are recalled by the marks they leave. Through wear, the table gains social and emotional value and becomes Better with Age.

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TEXTURED MEMORIES EATING DRINKING READING BALANCING STUDYING CELEBRATING PLAYING DANCING

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TOWARDS THE COMMONS We must appeal to the emotional side of architecture to maintain a commons that will prioritize social, cultural, and environmental values.

Private space is maintained, designed, and programmed according to a developer’s interests. Conversely, public space is for the people, but can often be neglected if the people do not value the space. Varvarousis and Koutrolikou define the urban commons as resources that could be produced or organized by the residents. In these spaces, the residents have a stake in the maintenance of the place, but also enjoy all the benefits of the public space. Therefore, by retaining a sense of ownership, this hybrid space exists outside the “binary dichotomy of public and private space”, disrupting the ideas of commodification of space and infinite consumption. To create such a space, the programming must foster the emotional attachment that the Journal of Cleaner Production advocates for. The book, Critical Care: Architecture and Urbanism for a Broken Planet is a collection of essays about how the built environment can begin to do just that. In her essay “Caring Architecture”, Joan Tronto states that through identifying needs, allocating responsibility, taking care of users, evaluating received care, and forming solidarity among the community, architects can move towards a caring perspective in their design. This hybrid typology can create new points of connection between users. By reconnecting people with the environment and each other, architects can begin to counteract the harmful damage that has been done.

Libraries are a traditional manifestation of the commons, a grey area between public and privae space where users have a sense of responsibility over a shared resource. Shannon Mattern from Places Journal, writes that libraries are a form of social infrastructure, not just civic buildings, as the definition of media has expanded. The original and modified program of the library create opportunities for people to come together around a mutual interest in which users feel invested in and therefore care about and for.

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LEFT: Carnegie Library Plans RIGHT: Seattle Public Library

“Public libraries are often seen as “opportunity institutions,” opening doors to, and for, the disenfranchised. People turn to libraries to access the internet, take a GED class, get help with a resumé or job search, and seek referrals to other community resources.”

-Shannon Mattern

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Today, although the library has evolved to serve many purposes, other forms of the commons are popping up with different specific interests. For instance, WeWork is a commons for workspace, the WMS Boathouses is a commons for rowing, and the Ecology of Color is a commons of textile dyes. These examples are moving towards blending utilitarian and social programs to create new kinds of space and hybridized programs. Additionally, the boathouses and ecology of color take their community centric programs as an opportunity to elevate the status of the natural environment in the community.

WeWork Mission Statement “Create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living. We wanted to build a community [...] A place you join as an individual, ‘me’, but where you become part of a greater ‘we’. A place where we’re redefining success measured by personal fulfillment, not just the bottom line. Community is our catalyst.”

Ecology of Color - Studio Weave The creation of two intertwined cycles has guided the project: the process of extracting colour dyes and using them for crafts, and the wildlife these plants attract including insects and birds. The intention is for the initial series of events, including candle making, darning and fabric dyeing workshops, to be followed by the foundation of a friends’ group, in order to firmly root the project’s activities in its local community.

WMS Boathouses - Studio Gang Youth rowing clubs, including the Chicago Training Center and Lincoln Park Juniors, brave the Chicago River nearly year-round to train competitive teams, build self-esteem and leadership skills, and advance their participants’ educational and life goals. In addition to highlighting the need for the continued revitalization of the river, the boathouse allows for the expansion of these programs and extends their opportunities to youth across the city.

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CARE IN THE DESERT

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A victim of the 2008 housing bubble burst, Phoenix, Arizona epitomizes the problems that development based purely on economic gain can create. An economy based on cheap land and a voracious appetite for development led to a sprawling metropolis that maintains its status as the “fastest-growing city in America”. However, there is a paradox between the growth mindset of the city and its environment. Phoenix is now the 5th largest city in the country and yet receives less than eight inches of rain per year. Its main water source, the Colorado River is 336 miles away. The scarce desert landscape cannot sustain the current population, much less a large increase in population, in the long run.

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PARADISE VALLEY: THE SUBURBAN IDEAL As one of the first suburbs in the area, Paradise Valley exemplifies the hypocritical nature of development in Phoenix. Initially planned as an agrarian community on large one to five acre lots, the municipality grew into the wealthiest in the metropolitan area. The town motto proudly states, “there is a reason we call this valley ‘paradise’”, and that reason is because of the carefully constructed processes that collect, supply, and treat the water. The canals forged to irrigate agricultural land now bring water to the mansions, lush lawns, and 15,000 gallon swimming pools that make up the landscape. A vision of limitless potential, Paradise Valley has served as a model for the development that came after it. The lifestyle of its residents based on excess and luxury soon became the pinnacle of success for others in the Phoenix area.

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ENDLESS GROWTH Despite fear of drought, the valley of the sun is continuing major developments with little regulation to curb resource exploitation. Popular policy eschews environmental stewardship in favor of economic growth and expansive development. Sustainability measures such as incentivizing solar energy are turned down, meanwhile, new suburbs are advertised on the radio like products.

One of the newest communities, Verrado, runs multimedia ads describing the oasis that awaits future residents. Billboards proudly tout the number of gallons of water that fill the swimming pools (410,000 gallons) and the lush green lawns of the golf courses as highlights to the area.

Rather than forge entirely new developments based on a past ideal, hybridized interventions within the current context can help connect residents to the natural resources that surround them and challenge the predominant value system. Looking specifically at the intersection of Paradise Valley and the Arizona Canal system, the suburban fabric turns in on itself, prioritizing privacy in parceled communities closed off with cul-de-sacs and gated entries.

Everything turns away from the canal system, which supplies water to North Phoenix by pumping it uphill from the Salt River. The movement of water becomes an afterthought, a background to the idyllic suburban life of families in Paradise Valley. Here, public space can be integrated into the private landscape to disrupt societal norms and shift attitudes away from the growth mindset.

LEFT: Economic collapse seen through the abandonment of mansion lots in the suburbs (Lyra Kilston for Wired.com)

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CAP CANAL PROVIDES 36% OF WATER NEEDS

BY PUMPING WATER 2,900 FEET UPHILL ACROSS 336 MILES OF DESERT FROM THE COLORADO RIVER TO THE PHOENIX AREA

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DRINK UP! 1

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EXPANSION AT THE WESTERN PERIPHERY LAND USE

WATER USE/ACRE/YEAR (IN 15,000 GAL SWIMMING POOLS)

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“We’ve decoupled growth from water. We use the same amount of water we did 20 years ago.”

-Kathryn Sorensen, Phoenix Water Services Director

AVERAGE MONTHLY HOUSEHOLD WATER CONSUMPTION IN 2015 (IN 15,000 GAL SWIMMING POOLS) 0.50 - 0.60

AGRICULTURE

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0.60 - 0.70

DEVELOPMENT

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0.70 - 1.00 1.00 - 1.25 1.25 - 3.25 BLOCK DEVELOPMENT BY DECADE 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

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NATURAL PV WATERSHEDS SITE WATERSHED

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PARADISE VALLEY USES 49,118 GALLONS

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OF WATER PER HOUSEHOLD, EQUIVALENT TO 3.27 SWIMMING POOLS AND 1.55 TIMES THE 2ND MOST WATER INTENSIVE AREA CODE

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EXPANSION AT THE WESTERN PERIPHERY LAND USE

WATER USE/ACRE/YEAR (IN 15,000 GAL SWIMMING POOLS)

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“We’ve decoupled growth from water. We use the same amount of water we did 20 years ago.”

-Kathryn Sorensen, Phoenix Water Services Director

Officials in Arizona push the need for growth in order to maintain financial stability in the state. They claim that expanding the boundary of the metropolitan area is a sign of success and prosperity. Rumors that Phoenix may soon become the first 100 mile wide city only fuel developers’ desire for more land. As more of the Sonoran Desert succumbs to suburbs and strip malls, the Director of Water Services assures residents that “we’ve decoupled growth from water. We use the same amount of water we did 20 years ago”. But this statement is misleading. New developments have taken over land previously used for agriculture, which uses 7 times as much water as residential land.

This method of development decreases sustainability by requiring food and resources to be driven in from far away.

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11/18/19 CAP CANAL PROVIDES 36% OF WATER NEEDS

BY PUMPING WATER 2,900 FEET UPHILL ACROSS 336 MILES OF DESERT FROM THE COLORADO RIVER TO THE PHOENIX AREA

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DRINK UP!

SALT RIVER PROVIDES 21% OF PHOENIX WATER NEEDS

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ARCHITECTURAL WATER VESSELS IN PARADISE VALLEY Zooming in on the most water intensive neighborhood in the city, Paradise Valley, I isolated the infrastructural shapes used to convey water from the Salt river to the homes. These volumes are spread out throughout the city, hidden behind cul-de-sacs and fences. Despite their massive surface area, they are rarely accessible to the typical resident. While some bike trails line the canals, the machines were designed solely to carry water in the most efficient way, missing out on the opportunity to showcase the value of the resource.

distribute cover + overflow

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ORIGIN CRITIQUE Since the 1880s, when development began in the Phoenix metropolitan area, water infrastructure was finely tuned and meticulously engineered to ensure the resource would be around for generations. Today, a web of canals, underground pipes, and facilities maintain a steady stream of water to residents in the valley.

A private company, Salt River Project, oversees these systems. The problem is that all these systems are hidden. Often regarded as eyesores, facilities are hidden from public view and canals are tucked away. Water conveyance just didn’t fit into the residents’ version of paradise. Infrastructure (and utilitarian architecture in general) is seen as a means of obtaining raw materials for production. It feeds the growth mindset by assuming the only value of the material is in its ability to become product. This genre prioritizes efficiency and speed, missing out on potential opportunities to develop the socio-cultural fabric of a community.

We need infrastructural updates. Much of our infrastructure was designed for an outdated use, like carrying water to agricultural fields that have since been overgrown by suburbia. On top of these unforeseen circumstances, the climate is changing rapidly which has caused severe weather challenges. Flooding around the Cudia City wash basins has elicited complaints from neighborhood residents, demanding the city fix the drainage problem. Here lies a case study of the irony of our separation from reality. While the citizens want infrastructural change, they oppose tax increases that would pay for these updates and continue to develop large swaths of land that increase run-off. Marketing infrastructure as an amenity can provide neighborhood funding and motivation to move forward with the necessary changes.

Social infrastructure can craft a new system that lifts the value of this resource and gives water the respect it deserves for single-handedly shaping the Phoenix area. By beginning with interventions in the water system, the process will be brought from the background to the foreground and activate participation between residents and their water supply. Utilitarian architecture becomes elevated from an unfortunate necessity to the pride of the community.

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CIVIC WATER

PERSONAL WATER 71

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INHABITING INFRASTRUCTURE Located between a stormwater diversion canal and a city supply canal, the site confronts the irony of pumping water uphill to sustain a community and diverting excess runoff from the same community. My proposal utilizes the excess of stormwater to offset water scarcity. In doing so, residents become dependent on their local watershed instead of those hundreds of miles away.

I took advantage of the existing wash basin to set the foundation for moving and filtering water through the site. This harnesses the stormwater to decrease dependence on pumped water. By creating a link to the local water supply, the rarity of storms is celebrated, and the impact of drought is more consequential.

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RE-DEFINING THE OASIS

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Colorado River

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Bernell Double Tree

Cherokee Cheney

Cudia City Lincoln

CHANGING FLOWS 1

2 mi

Currently, the Phoenix municipal water system draws from Verde, Salt, and Colorado river watersheds that span the entirety of the state. Historically, the Colorado river has provided the majority of the water supply to the area, however Arizona’s water rights only allow the state to pull water after Colorado, California, Utah, and Nevada. This has led for a need to find new water supplies.

By returning to a community water source in the form of local water sheds, communities have a greater responsibility for their water. In Paradise Valley, the Cudia City Wash has a history of flooding during summer monsoons. If this water flow could be filtered and stored, it could be used to supply much needed water to the neighborhood during the dry season.

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RUNOFF

Distrib

Paradise Valley

ution TO WATER TREATMENT PLANT

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Cu

rsion

Dive TO SALT RIVER

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ty

i aC

ash

W

l

Cana

Arizona Canal

FROM SALT RIVER

How can Paradise Valley reduce household water consumption from: 49,000 gal/month to the national average: 10,000 gal/month WATER USE OUTDOOR

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PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL SPACE for REDUCTION 30% Public pool replaces private pools Community garden grows low-water plants instead of lawns

INDOOR

70%

Toilet

24%

Shower

23%

Faucet

19%

Washing Machine

17%

Laundry room produces and reuses grey water

Leaks

12%

Workshop & Community Exchange provide repair resources

Dishwasher

1%

Other

4%

Public restrooms & Public bath combine to create a social locker room

Water portal showcases regional supply data to encourage reduced water use

SUPPORTIVE SPACES like the art studios, cafe, lounge, and youth center elevate the

water centric programs from utilitarian to an amenity and increase sense of community in the neighborhood.

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LAYERED LANDSCAPE My exploration sought to make infrastructure more accessible. I opened the neighborhoods to draw attention to the water infrastructure and move people through rather than around it. Using connections between main circulation paths created guiding lines for sectional interventions in the site. I then extruded the sections in 3D to manipulate the form. I began to give mass to the forms, cutting through bands to expose movement of both water and people.

The resulting form has 4 layers, the manipulation of the ground to convey water, the addition of water treatment machines to filter and store stormwater, the extension of neighborhood circulation to create habitable programs, and the canopy that maintains a comfortable environment for users throughout the year.

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temporal pools

paradise valley, az 02_12_20_jg

ER

IV

R LT

OM FR BIOFILTRATION BASIN lined biofiltration system with submerged zone comprised of sand and aggregate

BAFFLED CHANNEL FLOCCULATORS over and underbaffled flocculation channel types with paddle wheel mixer

16 ft

PRIMA open RY SEDIME tank for sol NTATION TANK id par ticle settlin g

SIPHO clean N grey water use water d return for washi ng ed to the sys

tem

H2O FILTRA layers TION AN filter of washe D DISINF ECT out rem d gra is add vel and ION ed for aining sand floc final disinfe, chlorin ction e

POTABLE SIPHON some water is pulled from the city supply canal to provide necessary year round water

winter rains

flow max summer monsoon

DISTRIBUTION residences in the neighborhood use water from the stormwater storage to offset the need for pumped water from the canal

TREATED WATER STORAGE provides large amount of storage for the neighborhood divided by use type to monitor consumption

7’ 8”

3’ 9”

TO CENTRAL WATER TREATMENT PLANT

TO SALT RIVER

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SA

FILTER AS GATHERING PLACE The programmatic layout was based on the filtration phase of the water in that particular zone. Programs that could use grey water were situated at the inlet of the wash, while programs that required potable water were situated near the outlet at the end of the filtration process. Because Phoenix experiences less than 40 days of rain per year on average, rainy days create the opportunity for a unique, temporary program that encourages the reduction of water consumption by providing an enjoyable amenity. During the rest of the year, the building would house a program that residents would visit routinely to draw from the local water storage. Spaces such as the community laundry room, and pool reduce household water use and react to seasonal changes to emphasize our reliance on water. This duality of program roots the project firmly in the community and allows for greater impact when the function of the building is disrupted by rains. For example, when a storm fills up the pool for paddle boarding and the laundry machines in the adjacent building siphon water from the pond, users are be incentivized to use less water to extend the paddle boarding season.

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Inital Seciton Explorations The first sections focused on modifying the users’ understanding of the ground level to create new relationships with water. The mass of the building could be at ground level, under water, or floating above the infrastructure for a birds eye view. Additional iterations looked at how these shapes would accomodate interlocking filtration and social programming to provide access to an otherwise hidden system.

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01. PUBLIC BATHS

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02. MEDITATION CHAMBER

03. LAUNDRY LOUNGE

Moments throughout the filtration process are coupled with community spaces to provide views to the water which acts as a physical gauge for the local watershed. As stormwater comes into the system,the laundry lounge spans the spinning flocculators (03). Laundry machines, tables, and cafe spaces are mixed throughout the lounge providing a central gathering point for the community.

The water then moves through the sedimentation basin to filter out any large particles before arriving at the stacked filter (02). The layers of gravel, sand, and filtration matter act as a sort of earthen gabian wall, creating a serene space for meditation and yoga even when the water is not being fitered. However, when water does move through the filter, the room comes alive with water reflections and can become a space for more lively activities. Finally, the water moves to the reservoir where it is stored and distributed for use within the building and in the surrounding neighborhood. Above the reservoir, the public bath house floats, acting as a warm sauna in the winter months and a cool escape from the high temperatures in the summer (01).

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REACTIVE PROGRAMMING The building serves not only as a visual aid for understanding the process that carries and filters water, but also as a prototype in a new understanding of water usage. Each of the spaces is designed to mitigate household water use by providing alternatives using the local watershed. While some functions are one to one substitutes, such as the transition from a private laundry room to a neighborhood laundry room, others are more abstract. For instance, the workshop provides a place for bicyclists to fix up their bikes along the trail, encouraging alternatives to carbon fueled transit. Additionally the workshop could be used to teach residents how to fix home issues such as leaks which contribute to 12% of average monthly water usage. The community garden can teach and allow for experimentation with low water landscaping and agricultural methods. These types of experimental spaces provide the foundational model for reducing water consumption at a community scale.

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Circulation paths extend neighborhood circulation through filter

Flexible programs provide space for community engagement

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RESPONSIVE ASSEMBLY Because of the harsh desert climate of Phoenix, the building assembly is important for creating a comfortable experience. The facade is composed of two primary elements, the solid core and the exterior mesh screen. The interior spaces are composed of solid walls that can be used as thermal mass to reduce heat gain. The exterior circulation spaces are covered by a tensioned mesh screen which provides shade for bicyclists and pedestrians. Additional layers are added as necessary to provide other environmental control functions such as regulating humidity in the community garden and create a cooling tower.

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Interior roofs allow for rainwater collection and integration

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Exterior mesh canopy provides shade from hot summer sun

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Additional layers hold water to produce better plant environments

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INHABITING INFRASTRUCTURE In the heat of the Phoenician June, visitors to the watering hole remain indoors.

They can see the tanks are not full, they are awaiting the monsoons. Through a portal they observe the live monitoring of the regional watershed 150 miles away. The Salt river system is 71% full and the Verde river system is 35% full.

Even from the aerial view, water rings can be seen in the reservoirs, recalling years past when rain had been more plentiful.

A mother picks up her daughter from daycare, then walks to the garden to wrap up a few loose ends before the day ends. She is cultivating cuttings from her native garden. Turning to her daughter, she says, “we can learn a lot from these desert plants”. The five-year old nods in agreement, grabbing a handful of soil and letting it run through her hands. She checks the water settings and is reminded of the rains from that year, the garden was not as productive as she had hoped. She rummages through the tool storage and pulls out a few small bags and clippers to collect seeds for planting later.

A group of bikers head to the bike parking from the workshop. They jump on their bikes and cruise down the canal trail. Back inside, the instructor cleans up after the maintenance class that afternoon, she takes the mountain bike off the stand and puts the tools back in the closet. She walks to the maintenance sink and turns it on, watching and listening to the water flow from the holding basins through the faucet and onto a rag. She wipes down the worktable and sweeps the floor, resetting the room for the next day. Tomorrow the watering hole is hosting a canal care day to clean up the trails.

The skies darken as a large cloud rolls in over South Mountain. In the distance, thunder booms and the faint pitter patter of rain begins. Visitors to the watering hole climb to the top of the observation deck and down to the water collection basins to prepare for the temporal event of the year – the first monsoon. The smell of creosote is palpable as the first drops fall, dampening the parched earth. Soon the storm quickens and runoff flows down the Cudia City watershed into the retention basin. The sounds, smells, and motion of water throughout the 102

site creates a rare spectacle in the desert, a reminder of the importance of the resource to the residents.

As the bell rings, the students burst through the doors, eager to begin their fall break. A group of friends meanders through the sports fields towards the glowing beacon of the watering hole. Recent rains had replenished the supply, so it pulses a soft green. They head to the youth lounge. A few gather to work on their dungeons and dragons campaign, some go to the patio to catch up, and others walk to the yoga studio for their weekly class.

In the laundry room, a group of dads talk over the low noise of the machines.

Since water was limited, they go to the community room to wash their clothes.

It gives them a break from the week to talk with friends and grab a coffee while they wait for the washers to finish. They sit in the lounge within the laundry room and gaze out the window at the water being pulled through the pipes, lowering the level in the reservoir. The rainy season has passed, so they are well-aware of the shrinking water supply. As their kids play in the splash pool just outside, they are reminded to minimize their water use to keep the pool open later into the fall months.

In every space, pipes move water from reservoirs to faucets, fountains, and filtration tanks. The yoga space uses water for the meditative noise while the laundry machines utilize filtered stormwater and the café siphons potable water from the canal. As community members come to the watering hole to gather, bathe, or use the workshop, they are confronted by the fragility of the essential resource in their desert home and the impact of their behavior on their local supply.

laundry room community laundry room exposes water supply & creates social hub

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H20 portal transports users to the supply reservoirs, showing drought conditions in the dry season, emphasizing the need for c0nservation.

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In the rainy season, views of vital storms that fill the reservoirs, indicate a higher water supply to be used throughout the year.

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In the dry season, the pool is empty, the water was needed to fill baths and wash clothes, The concrete shell becomes a skate park instead.

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After the summer monsoon, the pool is refilled, the neighbors keep their water use low to extend the swim season.

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By connecting users to their community’s watershed through increased interaction and programmatic change, my proposal aims to foster care for water as a resource. The fusion of infrastructure and neighborhood amenity can increase the perceived value of water and change user behavior. Hybridizing these public and private typologies results in the commons: a space for interaction and enjoyment as well as a sense of shared responsibility.

Here, residents engage with the consequences of their water consumption to see water in a new way. The project envisions a new model of development that uses the watershed as the central element, limiting the “endless growth” mindset of the city and moving towards a culture of care.

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Care is a cycle: humans behavior creates communities and communities then shape human behavior. Sometimes, breaking just one window will cause people to break all the windows.

However, this cycle has a positive spin. When people perceive care for each other and their environment, they themselves will care for each other and their environment. Since architecture exists at the intersection of people, the economy, and the environment, the discipline is in a unique situation to care for the future of our habitat. Architecture that thrives on interconnectedness, knowledge sharing, and maintenance of the environment, can generate the radical care that the planet desperately needs.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnes, Marian. “Beyond the Dyad:: Exploring the Multidimensionality of Care.”

In Ethics of Care, edited by Marian Barnes, Tula Brannelly, Lizzie Ward, and Nicki Ward, 1st ed., 31–44. Critical Advances in International Perspective. Bristol University Press, 2015. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1t89d95.7.

Baudrillard, Jean. The System of Objects. Latin American and Iberian Studies Series. London ; New York: Verso, 1996.

Fitz, Angelika, Elke Krasny, and Architektur Zentrum Wien. Critical Care: Architecture and Urbanism for a Broken Planet. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2019.

Garrett, Bradley L. “These Squares Are Our Squares: Be Angry about the Privatisation of Public Space.” The Guardian, July 25, 2017, sec. Cities. https:// www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/25/squares-angry-privatisation-publicspace.

Goetz, Thomas. “Harnessing the Power of Feedback Loops.” Wired, June 19, 2011. https://www.wired.com/2011/06/ff_feedbackloop/.

Hosey, Lance. The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology and Design. Island Press, 2012.

Kellner, Douglas. “Jean Baudrillard.” In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, Winter 2015. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2015. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2015/entries/ baudrillard/.

Lilley, D., B. Bridgens, A. Davies, and A. Holstov. “Ageing (Dis)Gracefully: Enabling Designers to Understand Material Change.” Journal of Cleaner Production 220 (May 20, 2019): 417–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.304.

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Meadows, Donella H., Jørgen Randers, and Dennis L. Meadows. The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update. Reprint. London: Earthscan, 2009.

Elizabeth K. Meyer (2008) Sustaining beauty. The performance of appearance, Journal of Landscape Architecture, 3:1, 6-23, DOI: 10.1080/18626033.2008.9723392 Oatman-Stanford, Hunter. “A Filthy History: When New Yorkers Lived KneeDeep in Trash.” Collectors Weekly. Accessed October 6, 2019. https://www. collectorsweekly.com/articles/when-new-yorkers-lived-knee-deep-in-trash/.

“Phoenix Water Resources and Conservation Water Supply Questions and Answers.” Accessed December 12, 2019. https://www.phoenix.gov:443/ waterservices/resourcesconservation/drought-information/climatechange/ water-supply-q-a.

Ross, Andrew. Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World’s Least Sustainable City.

Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

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Varvarousis, Angelos, and Penny Koutrolikou. “Degrowth and the City.”

E-Flux Architecture. Accessed September 30, 2019. https://www.e-flux.com/ architecture/overgrowth/221623/degrowth-and-the-city/.

Wilson, George L. Kelling, James Q. “Broken Windows.” The Atlantic, March 1, 1982. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/brokenwindows/304465/.

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APPENDIX: VIGNETTES & ITERATIONS

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climbing pool walls of the empty reservoir become climbing walls

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after the rains, filtered water fills the pool for recreation

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yoga filtration earthen wall provides cool, serene environment for yoga

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stormwater running through the filter produces ephemeral effects

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water portal views connect residents to their regional water supply

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rainy season shows a full reservoir and lush greenery

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JUMP UP and watch monsoons roll in from the observation tower

WANDER AROUND the water reservoirs

CONNECT isolated neighborhoods

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SUBMERGE find your zen in an underwater yoga class

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GET AIR try out a new skill in studios on stilts

UNDERNEATH storm water collects

GATHER BESIDE the open waterfront space

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