Buoyant Ecologies Students Selected for ACSA / AIA COTE Top Ten

Bachelor of Architecture students Viviani Isnata and Maria Ulloa from the fall 2018 Buoyant Ecologies Maldives studio have been announced as winners of the AIA COTE Top Ten / Innovation 2030 Student Design Competition.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), selected the recipients of the national awards. The competition recognizes ten exceptional studio projects that demonstrate designs moving towards carbon-neutral operation through creative and innovative integration of design strategies such as daylighting, passive heating and cooling, materials, water, energy generation, and sustainable systems. The program challenged students to submit projects that use a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide architectural solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

Jurors included David Dowell (El Dorado Inc.), Bradford Grant (Howard University), Matthew Noblett (Behnisch Architekten/Partners), and Mary Demro (Montana State University).

The Buoyant Ecologies Maldives advanced Integrated Building Design studio, led by CCA faculty Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, is part of an ongoing research partnership between CCA, Autodesk's Pier 9 Workshop, Kreysler & Associates, and the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The research is focused on developing innovative material approaches to resilient waterfront structures. This award marks the sixth CCA student project from the Buoyant Ecologies studio sequence to be recognized by the AIA/ACSA COTE Top Ten.

The selected project, Shore of a Hundred Islands by Viviani Isnata and Maria Ulloa, proposes a self-sustaining, buoyant community that blurs the line between land and water. The floating buildings provide habitats for both humans and non-human species such as marine invertebrates and plants. The buildings integrate a modular system of floating wetlands that treats wastewater and benefits the surrounding ecosystem. From the jury citation: "Shore of a Hundred Islands presents an imaginative approach towards the growing issue of rising sea levels. It demonstrates a compelling intersection of traditional form and modern function while also giving careful consideration to aquatic ecology. Within strict programmatic and environmental constraints, the design provides solutions to cultivating both community and privacy.

Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab wins 2018 R+D Award

The Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab, a project led by CCA AEL directors Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, has been selected for a 2018 R+D Award by Architect Magazine. The project builds upon four years of applied research into ecologically productive materials for waterfront structures, and it was developed in collaboration with marine ecologists at the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) manufacturers at Kreysler & Associates. The Float Lab is a prototype for a floating breakwater that incorporates an ecologically optimized FRP substrate on the underside, which is designed to encourage the growth of diverse marine invertebrate habitats. The accumulation of marine life is optimized such that the resulting biomass helps to attenuate waves and potentially mitigate coastal erosion.

The jury for this year's R+D Awards consisted of Jackilin Hah Bloom and Florencia Pita of Pita & Bloom, Tom Chung of Leers Weinzapfel Associates, and Randy Deutsch of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In the award citation, juror Deutsch remarked "The research that this team took was in-depth, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and collaborative. That and how they displayed the results over time was over-the-top impressive.” 

The Float Lab recently received a permit from the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission for a three-year deployment at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, located in the Port of Oakland. The prototype will be launched later this fall. 

Buoyant Ecologies Students Win National Student Design Competition

Master of Architecture students Clare Hačko and Nicholas Scribner from the fall 2017 Buoyant Ecologies Maldives studio have been announced as winners of the AIA COTE Top Ten / Innovation 2030 Student Design Competition.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), selected the recipients of the national awards. The competition recognizes ten exceptional studio projects that demonstrate designs moving towards carbon-neutral operation through creative and innovative integration of design strategies such as daylighting, passive heating and cooling, materials, water, energy generation, and sustainable systems. The program challenged students to submit projects that use a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide architectural solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

Jurors included Karin Bjorkman (Nola | Van Puersem Architects), Justin Brown, (MASS Design Group), Chris Chatto (ZGF Architects), Thomas Fisher (University of Minnesota), and Jeanne Gang & Juliane Wolf (Studio Gang).

The Buoyant Ecologies Maldives advanced Integrated Building Design studio, led by CCA faculty Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, is part of an ongoing research partnership between CCA, Autodesk's Pier 9 Workshop, Kreysler & Associates, and the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The research is focused on developing innovative material approaches to resilient waterfront structures.

The selected project, Dis/Placement by Clare Hacko and Nicholas Scribner, proposes a floating community of fiber-reinforced polymer composite structures for the Maldives. The floating buildings integrate an innovative and dynamic bladder system that collects rainwater and provides ballast support for the structures. From the jury citation: "This interesting study brings attention to climate change and rising sea levels by imagining a floating community in the Maldives. The students understood how to work with a different ground planes and included an exploration of what it would be like if you could see a building from below. Above ocean the design is a simple modern style, while underwater “bladders” create ballast and an ocean microecosystem."

Adam Marcus Presents at University of Sydney

On December 13, Adam Marcus presented the paper "Buoyant Ecologies: Material Logics for Sea Level Rise Adaptation" at the conference Sustaining the Seas: Fish, Oceanic Space, and the Politics of Caring at the University of Sydney in Australia. The paper presents the material-driven research of the Buoyant Ecologies project. The research brings together architects, marine ecologists, fabricators, and public agencies to develop innovative strategies for designing and constructing ecologically sensitive waterfront structures.

The conference, hosted by the University of Sydney Sustainable Fish Lab, features a range of speakers, including scientists, activists, and artists. For more information, see the conference website. 

Public Sediment Presents Design Concepts

On November 15, Public Sediment, one of ten teams selected for the Resilient By Design Bay Area Challenge, presented research and design concepts to a public audience at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

The team presented three proposals for investing in the San Francisco Bayland ecosystems to buffer vulnerable communities and species from the threats of sea level rise. The proposals incorporate research into ecologically performative materials, floating breakwaters, and aquatic species that CCA faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones have been developing as part of the Buoyant Ecologies project. All projects are posted here and open to public feedback and comment until December 7, 2017.

Public Sediment is a multidisciplinary design team that views sediment as a core building block of resilience in San Francisco Bay. The team is led by SCAPE Landscape Architecture and includes the Buoyant Ecologies team, the Dredge Research Collaborative, Arcadis, TS Studio, the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology and Design, and the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.

Buoyant Ecologies Research Presented at Designing Material Innovation Symposium

On October 27, CCA faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones presented the Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab at the "Designing Material Innovation" symposium at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. The symposium convened leading figures from multiple fields to discuss projects that exemplify new approaches to material, fabrication, and design. The presentations and panels featured nationally and internationally distinguished speakers from architecture, engineering, industry, and materials science. The symposium was organized by Jonathan Massey of the University of Michigan's Taubman College and included a keynote presentation by Philippe Block of ETH Zurich. Presenters included Michael Bell of Columbia University, Michelle Kauffman of Google, Matthias Kohler of Gramazio Kohler, and many more.

Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab Debuts at San Francisco Exhibition

The Buoyant Ecologies Float Lab, a project designed by CCA faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, is featured in the exhibition Designing Material Innovation, which runs from September 28 to December 23 at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. The project is a prototype for a new kind of resilient coastal infrastructure: floating breakwaters that incorporate an ecologically optimized fiber-reinforced polymer composite substrate to mitigate wave action and contribute to marine diversity.

Designing Material Innovation, an exhibition and symposium organized by Jonathan Massey, exhibits five full-scale architectural prototypes and pavilions that exemplify new approaches to material, fabrication, and design. Created through collaborations between architects and industry partners, these works combine technological innovation in materials research and fabrication with aesthetic and ethical approaches to form and appearance. The exhibition is designed by Clark Thenhaus / Endemic and, in addition to the Float Lab, features projects by T+E+A+M, APTUM Architecture, Matter Design, and Matsys. 

The Float Lab project is a partnership with the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and Kreysler & Associates, a global leader in composites manufacturing. It builds upon three years of research and proof-of-concept prototypes that have been installed and monitored underwater for their ecological performance. The exhibition runs through December 2017, and the Float Lab will be deployed in the San Francisco Bay in 2018.

Public Sediment Team Selected for Resilient By Design

Public Sediment, which includes Buoyant Ecologies faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, has been chosen as one of ten teams to participate in Resilient By Design’s Bay Area Challenge. The challenge is a collaborative research and design project that brings together local residents, public officials and local, national and international experts to develop innovative solutions to the issues brought on by climate change that our region faces today. Over the course of the next year, engineers, architects, designers and other experts will work with local community members to identify critical areas throughout San Francisco’s Bay Area in order to provide solutions to the region’s sea level rise, severe storms, flooding and earthquakes.

The result will be 10 new implementable projects that offer an imaginative and collaborative approach to resilience. Public Sediment is led by SCAPE Landscape Architecture, a winner of the New York City Rebuild By Design competition. The team is a multidisciplinary collaboration that views sediment as a core building block of resilience in San Francisco Bay. In addition to SCAPE and the Buoyant Ecologies group, team members include the Dredge Research Collaborative, Arcadis, TS Studio, the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology and Design, and the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.

Buoyant Ecologies Community Outreach Presents at Oakland City Hall

On May 1, students from Oakland's Skyline High School presented their design proposals for ecological enhancements at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. This spring, CCA faculty member Margaret Ikeda has been leading a collaborative pilot project in collaboration with Oakland Unified School District and Y-PLAN at the UC Berkeley Center for Cities and Schools, and with financial support from the Port of Oakland's Community Investment program. The project consists of a "plug-in" curriculum module in which 85 high school students participate in ecological design exercises that build upon the Buoyant Ecologies research at CCA's Architecture Division. This work is taking place at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, a recreational area developed by the Port of Oakland as a public resource dedicated to environmental research and education. The students presented their final projects to an audience of legislators and community representatives. 

Two Buoyant Ecologies Students Recognized by AIA

Master of Architecture students Madeline Cunningham and Taylor Metcalf from the fall 2016 Buoyant Ecologies studio have been announced as winners of the AIA COTE Top Ten for Students awards.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), selected the recipients of the national awards. The competition challenged students to submit projects that use a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide architectural solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

The Buoyant Ecologies advanced Integrated Building Design studio, led by CCA faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, is part of an ongoing research partnership between CCA, Autodesk's Pier 9 Workshop, Kreysler & Associates, and the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The research is focused on developing innovative material approaches to resilient waterfront structures in the San Francisco Bay. 

The selected project, SubOrdinate by Madeline Cunningham and Taylor Metcalf, proposes a new ecological research and education center for Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in the Port of Oakland. From the jury citation: "This innovative project pushes thinking in resilient design by taking a new approach to sea level rise: not by fighting it, but working with it. The attitude is animal-centric and non-confrontational and shows how architecture can adapt to an environment rather than control it. The students also consider the longevity of the project by showing a 100-year progression. The exploration of improving the relationship between nature and built environment is a complicated topic that is resolved impressively."

Buoyant Ecologies Research Exhibited at ACADIA 2016

The Buoyant Ecologies research into optimized ecological substrates led by Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, was featured in "Posthuman Frontiers: Data, Designers, and Cognitive Machines" — the juried exhibition accompanying the 2016 conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA), hosted this year by University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The opening reception for the exhibition was held on Thursday, October 27 at the Liberty Research Annex Gallery in Ann Arbor. 

Buoyant Ecologies Students Participate in Resilience Workshop

On October 5, students from two CCA Advanced Studios conducted a workshop and discussion on resilient design with visiting students from the University of Pennsylvania. The Win/Win studio led by Janette Kim and the Buoyant Ecologies studio led by Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones joined students from the Bay Area Resilient Transportation studio led by Kai-Uwe Bergmann and Matthijs Bouw to share research and discuss different approaches to the challenges of climate change and sea level rise.

Four Buoyant Ecologies Students Win National Recognition

Master of Architecture students Rafael Berges, Jared Clifton, Vaama Joshi, and Shirin Monshipouri from the fall 2015 Buoyant Ecologies studio have been announced as winners of the AIA COTE Top Ten for Students awards.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), selected the recipients of the national awards. The competition challenged students to submit projects that use a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide architectural solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

The Buoyant Ecologies advanced Integrated Building Design studio, led by CCA faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones, is part of an ongoing research partnership between CCA, Autodesk's Pier 9 Workshop, Kreysler & Associates, and the Benthic Lab at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The research is focused on developing innovative material approaches to resilient waterfront structures in the San Francisco Bay. 

The selected projects, Augmented Tides by Rafael Berges and Jared Clifton, and Inverted Ecologies by Vaama Joshi and Shirin Monshipouri, propose new ecological research and education centers for Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in the Port of Oakland. Augmented Tides proposes a system of "tidal columns": a field of floating platforms that foster a variety of tidal wetland habitats above and below the water, always in flux with changing water levels. Inverted Ecologies proposes a large subterranean space, capped with a highly performative vaulted structure that incorporates plantings, aquaculture, and water recycling infrastructure as educational features of the building.

Buoyant Ecologies Exhibition Opens at Autodesk Gallery

On March 31, the Buoyant Ecologies exhibition opened at the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco. The exhibition displays the work by students from the fall 2014 CCA Architecture Integrated Studio taught by faculty Adam Marcus, Margaret Ikeda, and Evan Jones. The studio explored speculative proposals for a floating expansion of Autodesk's state-of-the-art Pier 9 Workshop along San Francisco's Embarcadero waterfront. The opening event included short talks by CCA Dean of Architecture Jonathan Massey, project leaders Marcus/Ikeda/Jones, Noah Weinstein and J. Sassaman of Autodesk, ecology research partner John Oliver of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and fabrication research partner Bill Kreysler of Kreysler & Associates. 

The exhibition will be up until May 1; see the Gallery website for hours. For more information on the ongoing Buoyant Ecologies studio research, see this link.