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URBAN ECOMORPHOLOGY - PROJECT AQUAX

This is a mass housing complex project that explores the eco-conditions and environmental context that surrounds the Strip District area of Pittsburgh. Through the research of the site and relevant precedents, we were to come up with a general plan of actions that can provoke the urban activities and adoption of various eco-machines like bioswale, wetland, green roof, solar screens, etc. One of the ecological elements that we prioritize as top of the hierarchy is water, as a result of the high volume of rainfall in Pittsburgh. In our design, we asked how the water body can inform the flow of human activities happen within the complex as well as serve the greater region as a recycling machine. Water is collected and be redirected to many different usages, such as wetland supply, vegetation irrigation, seasonal reserve, and sanitary purposes. 

We also include many multi-functional portals such as theater, amenity center, retails, gyms, etc. These functions elevates the stake of the whole project as it's open to the broader public of the Strip District. We encourage the interaction happening within the community, but also respect privacies. So we decide to zone the different residents into either "active" or "quiet" part of the site and thus give them different experiences of living based on the locations. This is a complex that's yet to be defined, depending on who you are, and where you're from.

Team: Xin Chen, Kai Zhang

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