2. Harnessing Water
Advanced Studio V, Fall 2018
Site: Vieques, Puerto Rico
Critic: Richard Plunz
Collaborator: Anqi Liang
Harnessing Water points to a crucial need for the long-term sustainable development of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Hurricanes and heavy rains cause flooding by overwhelming traditional drainage infrastructure, or by overcoming hard barriers between water bodies and human settlements with storm surges. Our strategies assume that if we view water as an adversary, we cannot expect to overcome it. We must instead consider its sustentive power.
We propose to harness the power of water by integrating it into the built environment at all scales. On the architectural scale, we have developed an “anchor house” pointing toward building design on Vieques that can provide durable hurricane- and earthquake-resistant housing on the island. The concepts in the house design can be used to construct a home from scratch, or to retrofit an existing building to increase its self-sufficiency.
Elements of the house include solar power and rainwater collection, a specially-braced seismically-sound area, raised piers, and a veranda that is structurally separate from the roof. A system of rainwater tanks is structurally integrated with the roof such that the weight of the stored water can resist the hurricane-force winds acting on the roof during a severe storm.
At the larger landscape scale, bioretention areas, wet ponds, and rainwater gardens will decrease stormwater runoff and flooding during storm events. These interventions will also decrease sediment and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) runoff that may damage off-shore wildlife. Coupled with soil-based filtration systems, these strategies have the potential to recharge groundwater and decrease the salinity of the water table. The Esperanza environs provide the case-study for intervention since they fall within the largest alluvial valley on Vieques, where a recharged water table can make a crucial difference in resiliency and self-sufficiency.
Central to this approach can be the integration of the needs of local residents and visitors into ancillary uses of water-related green infrastructures. Within the large drainage basin, differing site locations can engage various associated activities: the enjoyment of landscape, ecological education, historical education, sports, and agriculture, among others. When sites fall within the Esperanza town fabric, they can be integrated into the site design of our anchor house or similar structures that are designed to withstand flooding. Bioretention sites placed between houses may also be connected to overflow from their rooftop rainwater collection systems.
We additionally propose an educational park on the site of railway and sugarcane warehouse ruins near Esperanza, re-purposing old rail lines as a historic walkway that allows visitors to enjoy the naturally-occurring wetlands. This strategy is critical of current proposals to heavily develop and densify this wetland area including the Sunbay Project. Our strategies are intended to help Vieques become a model for the Caribbean that promotes a long-term view of biological and social resilience.
