Paskal Wanda

B02/29515/09

Title : Green Urban Spaces and Sustainable Architecture

An essay submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for

BAR 505: Sustainable Design Programme 2013/14”

Contents

Summary

1. Introduction

2. Brief look at History

3. Case Studies

4. Urban Greenery and sustainable architecture

5. References

Summary

The term paper seeks to draw parallels between urban green space and sustainable

design.

In part one we look at the some historical uses of urban green spaces and if the green

spaces where intended to address sustainable architectural issues.

We then move to look at a few cases studies and how the various projects has used green

spaces to address sustainable design.

Finally we pen down the in exactly what way use of green spaces in an urban setting is

beneficial and to what extent it addresses environmental design and sustainable

architecture.

Introduction

In an era of global climate change and rapid urbanization, innovations on governance of

urban systems are critically required as more and more people are inhabiting the very

limited earth’s urbanized terrestrial surface. Without careful production of knowledge,

and large investments to link that knowledge to action, cities will be overwhelmed with

environmental challenges.

Both policy and architectural discourse (and science) now emphasize the critical necessity

of green areas within urban social-ecological systems. Architectural discourse can be at the

forefront of this sustainable push, both in practice and academic circles. Sustainability and

environmentally friendly design landscapes that can contribute to the design of

sustainable architecture as a whole.

At times especially in terms of an urban setting design of environmentally friendly

buildings can be carried out but design of the landscape adjacent to it may not reflect this,

thus a disconnect may arise that may at times cause such inconvincies as minor flooding

on the adjacent landscapes or destruction of subtle ecological balances.

Green spaces in urban settings when fully and intelligently incorporated in landscape

design can do much to address sustainability. We will explore just in what way urban

green spaces and buildings landscapes especially in urban setting can increase

sustainability and environmental sensitivity.

Briefly looking at the history and theory of sustainable landscape design we will also see

how past builders or architects expressed green spaces in an urban setting.

Brief Look at the History of Urban Green space Design.

We will thus just briefly look at how open green spaces in the past in an urban setting

where used.

Image showing the early garden fringes in some early world cities premedival times.

Open spaces in towns and cities are as old as cities themselves. They have ranged from

the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to ancient London’s marshes and to the lavish

formal gardens of Paris and Vienna. Green spaces though in urban settings where

mainly restricted to gardens for philosophical and religious purposes but not really for

day to day basic human interaction of this green spaces especially pre medieval times

* In overcrowded Victorian cities and around Paris parks were seen as a way of

improving health and reducing discontent, and were provided by the new

municipalities and rich philanthropists, who sometimes wanted to boast works of art

in these green spaces that where adjacent to their buildings.

Image sourced from Wikipedia www.wikipediaancientegypt/

Some of the oldest surviving landscapes are in Egypt. The image above shows one such

example of landscaping with some greenery incorporated, this space was just outside

the temple and was mainly for religious purpose. But we can already see the tress will

provide shade and help break wind to some extent reducing dust getting into the temple.

Image sourced from livescience.com

In the above image we can see an artist impression of the ancient green spaces of the

Mesopotamian era, the green spaces served as for philosophical significance as some trees

were also considered sacred. Sadly with the advent of monotheistic religion into this

region the hanging gardens/green spaces where destroyed as the new religions wanted

to fully establish themselves

Image sourced from www.art-and-archeology.com

In the image above we see one of the oldest surviving green landscape space from ancient

India. Now in India this green spaces had monumental significance especially in terms of

Religion and some Trees symbolized Deities. The Green spaces also helped monks meditate

and realize there close relationship with nature.

Image sourced from www.art-and-archeology.com

The image above shows a city with numerous hard and soft landscaping, laid out in the

French Classical style include Slot Zeist (1677). Most of the green spaces served as chill out

spots for noble and high ranking citizens at the time. Also to boast works of art in terms of

architectural landscaping aesthetics. Little was even thought of in terms of environmental

sustainability and green spaces.

Case Studies

Using the aid of case studies, we will sift through projects that may acknowledge an

attempt to use green spaces to realize sustainable and environmentally friendly

architecture.

James Clarkson Environmental Discovery Center

The James Clarkson Environmental Discovery Center. Image sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscapearchitects.com

The James Clarkson Environmental Discovery Center is a museum and learning

center Dedicated to the exploration and celebration of the natural environment.

Located 30 miles outside of Detroit, Michigan, the 70-acre property was once used for

agricultural production. Years of cultivating a single crop has destroyed the land’s

diverse native plants and wildlife.

PROJECT

RESOURCES

Landscape Architect: MSI Design, Environmental Consultant: Environtech

Consultants, Inc Architect: SmithGroup Inc, Environmental Engineering: Eco-

Design & Engineering. Owner: Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority

Conceptual site plan. Image sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscapearchitects.com

The project team spent a full growing season, from early spring to late fall, preparing

the site: clearing it of woody invasive, burning to expose the soil, and carefully treating

emerging invasive with several applications of a glyphosate-based herbicide. In late

fall, the site was seeded with a cover crop of oats as well as seeds of prairie plants

requiring cold stratification. The following spring, the prairie emerged.

The project was designed to illustrate a complex of prairie landscape types, each

featuring plant communities appropriate to the situation. At the highest elevation,

where the team had found the right kind of sandy and gravelly soil, the prairie barrens

are dotted with scattered trees and shrubs and dominated by sedges, grasses, and

herbaceous plants. Meadows of Lupinus perennis (lupine) were planted within the

barrens as part of an effort to reestablish the endangered Karner blue butterfly, the

caterpillars of which feed exclusively on this plant. At some points at the edges of the

barrens and near some of the trees scattered around the landscape, savanna species

were planted.

Eco site plan. Image sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscapearchitects.com

Ecosystem Site Plan - This plan indicates the location of fourteen restored, reserved

and recreated ecosystems throughout the project site. In addition the location of the

Demonstration Garden is indicated.

To increase biodiversity, the land first had to be restored to its natural state.

Landscape architects utilized the site’s 40-foot grade change to reestablish fourteen

distinct ecosystems that are native to the region, including wetland marshes, prairies,

woodlands, and open water.

The project celebrates the complexities of the natural landscape and the inter-

relationships among all living creatures. Throughout the site, educational

engagement with the landscape allows visitors to learn about the unique, but

connected habitats.

James Clarkson Parking scene. Image sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscapearchitects.com

Grass filtration swales, located around the parking lot, collect and filter rainwater

before releasing it to the wetland. This initial filtration system cleans the water and

protects aquatic plants and animals from pollution and toxins present in storm

water runoff. The swale drains into Kettle Pond, helping to maintain its water level.

Kresge Headquarters

Aerial view of Kresge HQ. Image sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscpaearchitects.com

PROJECT RESOURCES

Design and

Construction Team

Ron Gagnon, Kresge Project

Manager

Valerio Dewalt Train Associates,

Architect

Farr Associates, Consulting

Architect for Sustainability

JM Olson Corporation,

Construction Manager

Arup, Mechanical, Electrical,

Plumbing and Fire Protection

Engineer

Robert Darvas Associates,

Structural Engineer

Conservation Design Forum,

Landscape Architect

Progressive AE, Civil Engineer

Interiors Group Searl Blossfeld,

Farmhouse Interior Designer

Lighting Design Alliance,

Lighting Designer

Shiner + Associates,

Acoustic and Vibration Engineer

Vinci-Hamp Architects,

Preservation Consultants

The Kresge Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that outgrew its suburban

Detroit facility a n d needed to expand. To accommodate its growth, the foundation

invested in a redevelopment project that added more office space and restored the

native landscape on its 2.74-acre corporate campus

Before After

Images sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscpaearchitects.com

The new fac i l i t y incorporates sustainable design practices into n e a r l y every aspect of its

Construction. The buildings and l a n d s c a p e work in harmony to minimize any

negative impact on the environment. At its core, the landscape functions to

ecologically manage and re- circulate storm water, restore biodiversity, re-use

materials, and p r o m o t e the well-being and productivity of workers.

The foundation occupies land that once supported a thriving prairieland habitat, typical

of southern Michigan. Years of agricultural-use gradually stripped the site of its

biodiversity. A major goal of the project is to restore the landscape to its original state.

To accomplish this, b u i l d i n g s are clustered together so that they only occupy o n e -third

of the total land. The remaining two-thirds of the land is dedicated to restoring native

wildlife habitat. The constructed prairieland and wetland pond now inc l u de more than

100 native and adaptive species of grasses and wild flowers. The dense green space is now

home to numerous species of animals and insects.

Image sourced from AmericanInstituteofLandscpaearchitects.com

Green Roof Green roof

Green roof. The headquarters is partially covered by four green roofs-each populated with

drought-resistant native plants. Rather than deep soil, the rooftop plants are rooted in

five fine layers of materials selected to irrigate foliage and protect the building’s interior.

The remaining roof is covered with a membrane light in color so that it reflects, rather

than absorbs, sunlight to minimize heat pollution, a major problem in urban areas.

Linking the Two

So from the previous case studies we have seen how plants can be used to create

Sustainable architectural projects especially in the urban setting. Thus in the next part of

this paper we will be looking at exactly how plants when incorporated into the design of

Architectural works can increase the sustainability of the building and help in being

Environmentally friendly to the building.

1. Economic Sustainability

Using vegetation to reduce the energy costs of cooling buildings has been increasingly

recognized as a cost effective reason for increasing green space and tree planting in

Temperate climate cities. Plants improve air circulation, provide shade and they

evapotranspire. This pro-vides a cooling effect and help to lower air temperatures. A park

of 1.2 km by 1.0 km can produce an air temperature between the park and the

surrounding city that is detectable up to 4 km away.

Areas with enough greenery are aesthetically pleasing and attractive to both residents

and investors. The beautification of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was one of

the factors that attracted significant foreign investments that assisted rapid economic

growth.

In every sense potential business tenants are more likely to move into a building that has

good and attractive landscaping elements and green spaces being very key. Also in

residential areas especially urban areas where children and mostly adults would spend all

their time indoors watching TV. or on some other digital screen, green spaces attract

people to experience outside space thus helping reduce energy consumption in the house.

Also when native and local plants are used especially in terms of landscaping little

maintenance goes into this green space. Say a compared to pavers that may

deteriorate when adverse weather hits or when excessive physical load, more money

would be spent to repair the hardscape as compared to a softs scape (green space)

that would only need some time to recover from damage and a bit of maintenance.

2. Environmental Sustainability

First and foremost trees can be used to sunshade building that has exposed glazing. This

helps reduce the greenhouse effect in buildings. This helps make the building environs cool

and comfortable to be. Images sourced from Time saver standards for landscape architects (Malestrom). And in general trees can provide shade to the l a n d s c a p e making it cool. More often than not most motorist will rush to get the parking under a tree with shade so that the car is not turned into a furnace by the direct sunlight. Images sourced from Wikipedia

As we saw in the case studies green spaces when well thought through in landscapes

and incorporated, biodiversity can be increased or restored where it was destroyed.

In today’s urban setting it would be a scary thought to even fathom the plethora of

biodiversity that has been destroyed because of building construction without proper

lack of providing for existing bio- diversity to continue to thrive.

An approach where green spaces are incorporated heavily into the landscape design

and just not green spaces but using local and native plant species goes a long way in

integrating architecture and environmental friendliness

Green spaces also help drain the landscape by letting water filter through and find its

way into the ground (Controlling storm water runoff) . This helps reduce flooding and

reduces incidences of stagnant water that maybe a breeding grounds for mosquitoes,

and just a plain nuisances when you have to hope skip and jump to make your way

through.

Ameliorate heat island effect, temperature reduction and improve air quality. This

comes from the ability of most plants to take in C02 and release 02 back into the

atmosphere thus cooling and cleaning it. Not forgetting c02 is a major contributor to

global warming.

Reducing sound transmission through absorption, reflection and deflection. Use

of green spaces reduces the noise pollution associated with urban life.

3. Human health

People who were exposed to natural environment, the level of stress decreased

rapidly as compared to people who were exposed to urban environment, their stress

level remained high. In the same review, patients in an hospital whose rooms were

facing a park had a 10% faster recovery and needed 50% less strong pain relieving

medication as compared to patients whose rooms were facing a building wall.

This is a clear indication that urban green spaces can increase the physical and

psychological wellbeing of urban citizens. In another re-search conducted in Swedish

cities showed that the more time people spend outdoors in urban green spaces, the less

they are affected by stress.

Certainly, improvements in air quality due to vegetation have a positive impact on

physical health with such obvious benefits as decrease in respiratory illnesses. The

connection between people and nature is important for everyday enjoyment, work

productivity and general mental health.

Urban green spaces serve as a near resource for relaxation; provide emotional warmth.

Especially in the work environment that can be dull and feel very detached, green

spaces can serve to break this monotony and help improve productivity of workers, by

making them feel more at home.

They are educational.

Bringing a little of nature indoors, especially in urban areas where people may not have

had much exposure to plant life can be both stimulating and educational. Where else,

other than the tropical plant houses of botanical gardens, will you see the variety of

exotic and unusual plant species usually on display in shopping centers and large office

atria? The increasing use by many establishments of plant labelling, with information

on species, origins and history, is increasing this benefit even further and encouraging

people to take more interest in their surroundings.

They can be used to reflect national or cultural aspects of a business.

In the multinational world of commerce, every country has businesses, whether

banks, hotels, manufacturing facilities or airlines, from every corner of the globe. Many

of them are proud of their origins and wish to reflect it in the style of building they

occupy and the way it is furnished. This doesn’t always just apply to the decor, fittings

and building design; companies are increasingly turning to interior landscaping to

make a national or cultural statement. The stones, water and plants that form the

basis of Japanese gardens in many Far Eastern organizations are an obvious example.

References www.kresgefoundation.com

Time saver standards for landscape architects (Malestrom)

J. Dole, “Greenscape 5: Green Cities, Architects’ Jour-nal,” In: G. Haughton and C. Hunterm, Sustainable Cities, JKP, London, 1994, pp. 61-69.

C. Y. Jim, “Green-Space Preservation and Allocation for Sustainable Greening of Compact Cities,” Elsevier sciences: Cities, Vol. 21, No. 4. 2004, pp.

AmericanInstituteofLandscapearchitects.com

www.art-and-archeology.com

www.wikipediaancientegypt/

www.livescience.com