Emergency Exit Staircase Gallery (Presentation Boards)

Thesis Interview

Conceptual Model 4: (Recycling Knowledge)

This conceptual model explores the idea of having the building shape as a Large Scale Recycling Machine. The user will experience the Large Scale Recycling Machine Building as if they where the actual recycle products or materials. They will go through a certain process inside the building just like recycle material does when it’s about to be recycled. This process will consist of taking the user into different parts of the building while at the same time broadening their knowledge on recycling. By the end the user will come out the Recycle Machine Building as a different person with a possible new purpose.

Conceptual Model 3: (Compacted Crowd)

This conceptual model explores the idea of having Aluminum Cans compacted and smash against each other to see the different shapes and views it forms. This idea can be develop into a building which appears to be all smash and overcrowded that makes the user feel like they are inside a pile of recycle material or waste products. The buildings shape can give the impression as overflowing or about to fall apart on top of the user.

Postcard

FRONT












BACK

Landfill Timeline

Recycle & Trash Timeline

Waste Companies And Sponsors

Waste Companies that provide a Recycling Program/Pick Up:

1. Waste Management (SD)
2. EDCO Disposal (SD)
3. Allied Waste Services (CV and SD)

Existing Recycling Sponsors:

1. California Integrated Waste Management Board: They offer various grants.

-Sustainable Building Grants
The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) has provided funding opportunities to State and Local Government agencies that are interested in promoting the concept of sustainable building. In the past, funding was made available in the form of competitive grants and contracts, to local government and state agencies to promote a whole building approach and to assist in the advancement and use of green building design and construction practices and techniques in California.

2. United States Environmental Protection Agency: they offer various grants.

-Environmental Education Grants
The Grants Program sponsored by EPA's Environmental Education Division (EED), Office of Children's Health Protection and Environmental Education, supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. EPA awards grants each year based on funding appropriated by Congress. Annual funding for the program ranges between $2 and $3 million. Most grants will be in the $15,000 to $25,000 range

3. California Department of Conservation: The Department of Conservation offers grants and other funding programs to further California's goals toward beverage container recycling, agricultural land conservation and watershed restoration and management.

-Beverage Container Recycling Grants:
Through annual competitive grants, the Division of Recycling Statewide Technical Assistance and Resources Branch funds local projects dedicated to increased recycling of aluminum, glass and plastic California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers. Typically, there is a specific grant focus each year, such as sporting venues, multi-family housing or education and outreach. Grant proposals are judged based on criteria set forth in each year's Request for Proposals. Up to $1,500,000 may be awarded annually. There are no restrictions on who can apply for the grants

4. Anheuser-Busch Environmental Grants: Offers cash donations (for asked amount) Anheuser-Busch and its charitable foundation have established the following as their primary focus areas for cash donations:
* Education
* Economic Development
*Environment

5. National Recycling Coalition: This place provides grants and recycling bins (for the recycling people bring in) for the facility.

Conceptual Model 2: (RE-DO)

This conceptual model explores the idea of having different bridges expanding from building to building to provide a different experience of the building and landfill. The bridges themselves could be on different elevation heights (Increase or Decrease).
Through this interaction with the buildings and site the users will want to RE-DO the whole journey again while gaining different views to the Landfill.

Conceptual Model 1: (Umbrella Of Heights)

This conceptual model explores the idea of having a large suspended platform above the building to exploit the views to the Landfill and the City Of Chula Vista. It could also become a variety of different platforms spread apart in the site at different heights.

Green Program

Architectural Program

Urban Program

List (A) Of Recyclable Materials/Products

Existing Schools, Public Parks & Activity Centers (Chula Vista)

Otay Landfill (Chula Vista)

Chula Vista, CA (General Plan Land Use)

Recycle Before It Dies!

Recycle Or It Will Hunt YOU!

Massing Floor Plan & Conceptual Design Idea

Massing Floor Plans

Conceptual Design Ideas 2

Conceptual Design Ideas

Program Pie Chart Percentage

Spreadsheet Of Spaces

Bubble Diagram Of Spaces

Green Program

Architectural Program

Urban Program

4 Casestudies Spreedsheet

Program Matrix For Learning Center

List Of Facilities In Chula Vista

Landfills Transfer Stations SD County Modify

Thesis Statement

The focus of my thesis topic is to design an Environmental Learning Center Of Recycling for mainly children age’s five to twelve. The Learning Center will emphasize and demonstrate the positive and life long effects of recycling. The center will be located in an actual landfill in the city of Chula Vista. Most of the funding for this center will come from private sponsors, city’s recycling program and from the people that recycle in the city of Chula Vista. The center itself, along with the contents inside it, will be built entirely of recycled materials. All building materials should improve our environment and maintain our natural resources. Having an Environmental Learning Center Of Recycling for children will be so beneficial because they will learn about recycling and the enormous benefits it has for our environment. They will then be raise or grow up with these principals that are essential for a better future.

Critical Position

Recycling is a key aspect in supporting our environment and the growth of our society, using recycled materials in the construction of buildings has not been used in a larger approach. The community of San Diego disposes of large amounts of waste on a daily basis. Whether the waste is from a residential home or from the clean up of a demolished building, there is plenty of waste being transferred to the city’s landfills. Among the waste are various items that are recyclable. Thus, the focus of this thesis is to design an Environmental Learning Center Of Recycling for children that emphasizes and demonstrates the positive and life-long effects of recycling. The center itself, along with the contents inside it, will be built entirely of recycled material in an actual landfill to show what we have been doing with the landfills and how we can change it.

Case Study 4

Case Study 3

Case Study 2

Case Study 1

Circle Diagrams 3

Circle Diagrams 2

Circle Diagrams 1

Research Essay

Buildings and their materials are part of our daily lives. People and the community interact with buildings as much as they do with people. Buildings also, to some extent, make us feel a certain way either through the expression of their exterior, interior design or the materials being used. Every day new buildings are being constructed and also many others demolished, abandoned or rundown. A large amount of materials are used for construction with the use of natural resources. If we want to conserve our planet’s natural resources we should strive for more energy efficient buildings. One approach towards conserving our natural resources would have to be the use of recycled building materials in cite. An alternate and more sustainable option to removing buildings and disposing of the debris and material as unusable waste could be to reuse the materials of the existing building.

Recycled materials are used in some buildings; however, they have not been taken into a larger approach. We are used to seeing recycled aluminum cans, newspapers, plastic but that’s not the only thing that can be recycled and reused for other products. The idea of being able to recycle an entire house or building or the components of them from construction material is astonishing. One of the main reasons why we should recycle construction material is there will be less waste. The less waste that is created will contribute to the decrease in landfills throughout each city. Being able to recycle something and turn it into something that can give back to the community or contribute to everyday life is the way we should do things from now on. The process of recycling construction material is deconstruction because you’re breaking the building apart in different pieces. Any type of recycling is a huge step for the conservation of our planet and if recycling a building or construction material increases we will be just another step further.

Some of the goals in undertaking the thesis is learning how much building materials are being wasted in the construction of a new building. With that in consideration another goal will be to determine how much of the building materials of an existing building get recycled. One of the points behind the subject of the thesis is to see if we are actually considering natural and recycled materials for the construction of new buildings. If we actually take advantage of using recycled material for new construction, then another goal would be to determine what materials can be salvaged the most and which ones are loss opportunities. However, the overall main goal for the thesis would have to be to find the actual benefits, cost and outcome for society of having a museum made of recycled building materials.

The main objective in undertaking the thesis is to demonstrate that having buildings composed of recycled and energy efficient materials would have a greater impact on our society and environment in a positive way. The overall objective of undertaking the thesis is to improve reading, writing, critical thinking and presentation skills through an in-depth research in this specific subject. The thesis will advance the study of architecture by demonstrating what needs to be done in order to increase the amount of buildings with recycled materials. It will also show how much more money is spent constructing a new building in comparison to having more buildings built with more energy efficient factors using salvaged parts of other buildings.

The critical position in which I plan to focus my thesis topic on is to show the low amounts of museums that include sustainability in their design. Also to show how much more beneficial it is for the environment and society to have a sufficient amount of energy efficient museums throughout the community. My theory of architecture is for a building to do more for the users than just serve as a facility. A building can be considered as shelter; however, it could also do many other things for the people using it. Museums are seen as an educational source and I think the building itself can also be an educational piece of art that demonstrate the benefits of using recycled material to its visitors and spectators alike. Everyday museums are demolished and new museums are designed and built. Instead of wasting funding and materials in the construction of a new museum, deconstructing pieces of a pre-existing museum and placing them into a new sustainable museum would be more effective.

It would create less waste and fewer amounts of virgin materials would be used. Currently we are using a lot of natural resources for the building industry. Recycled material, whether it’s building construction or innovative technological recycled material, will decrease the amount of natural resources use which overall benefits the environment and humanity. Of all the community and public places a museums can be viewed as a quiet boring place but if the actual museum is a piece of art itself and can provide as much or more information than its interior contents the view can change. Overall I think we should design museum buildings that focus primarily on the concept that a museum can last long enough to continue to have a purpose in the community and not just occupy space or waste resources. A museum will not only educate the users in art, archeology, history, etc. but also by being an example on the right types of buildings for our environment. The research would most likely focus on existing museums, the different types of museums and which ones actually incorporate sustainability into their design.

I think my topic relates to the “Mission and Objectives” defined in the NSAD catalog in the way that recycling construction material is considered being socially responsible and being prepared to change global society. Recycled construction material and the process of deconstruction or taking a building apart in pieces is a topic that can provide benefits to the entire planet. One of the objectives from the NSAD catalog discussed is to develop a strong sense of professional ethics and beliefs which I think I will be able to show with my point of view for sustainable design and how strongly I feel about recycled construction material. In order to maintain our planet and improve its condition we have to consider society as an entire factor in the equation and not just architects. Another objective from the NSAD catalog that can relate to my topic is the development and enlightened sense of design which we as architects have a role to play when it comes to designing a structure.

Task 1 Board

Preliminary Board Task 1