Resiliency: Designing for Change - Chelsea Market: Home

Resiliency: Designing for Change | ARC1003/3308 - D | Fall 2017 | Tyler Hinckley & Arlen Stawasz

Resilience is defined as the ability of something to spring back into shape, or redefine its elasticity after a major transformation or event. So, how can the idea of resilience apply to the built environment? How can planning and design decisions impact the way a community responds to a natural disaster or sea level rise? How can buildings contribute to a more resilient society?

This studio will seek to address these questions at multiple scales (macro to micro) and from various points of view (social, economic, environmental). To do so the studio will consider the Boston Food Distribution Center in Chelsea and Everett, Massachusetts as a case study, focusing on applying resilient strategies to the redevelopment of the area’s waterfront – an area threatened dramatically by sea level rise. After researching and analyzing the environmental and socio-economic conditions related to the site and program, students will test the potential for resilient design by focusing on a particular food distribution facility within the Center.

The semester will be broken into two sections – Site Analysis / Vision Plan (6 weeks); and  Programming / Concept Design / Design Development (10 weeks). Emphasis will be placed on the process of design through the use of multiple methods of representation and study. Students will be expected to explore varied design techniques (physical modeling, virtual modeling, hardlined drawings, and sketches), and will be required to work at multiple scales.