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Cornell University Solar Decathlon
2005
Landscape Architecture Branch |
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The
specifics of this plan follow both the spirit and form of
the three proposed plans outlined in the book, ABC's of the
Solar D (see link in left column above). However, the differences
in this scheme stem from both further research and development
of specific design elelments as well as the evolution of the
collective design process that have evolved through working
with the architecture and engineering branches of the CU Solar
Decathlon team.
The largest differences between
the proposed plans and the schematic plan is the planting
scheme. The scheme outlined here illustrates a change in the
approach of the placement of agricultural plants from the
traditional linear placement of plants in rows to that of
circular and spiral arrangement found in a keyhole design.
The keyhole design not only allows more plants, but also allows
for the placement of plants based on the ideas of accessibility
and seasonality. Those plants which are shorter and more easily
and frequently accessible are placed next to the keyhole center.
Those that are taller or that need less attention are placed
further away from the keyhole’s center.
Other additions include re€nement of the grey water filtration
system and the irrigation system. The grey water filtration
system needs to be placed near the house and coordinated with
architecture. The bonus in this solution is that the wall
helps negotiate an awkward change in elevation from the upper
sections of the ladscape to the lower groundplane. The irrigation
system too has been changed from an automated drip system
to a hand watering system based on water budget research as
well as a value engineering standpoint. The effect here is
that the resident has more control and ownership of the landscape
through the daily participation necessitated by the hand watering
of the system. This directly opposes the hands-off appraoch
of an automated computer controlled system that many landscapes
use to control the timing and output of water onto the landscape.
The circulation system in this plan is another change. By
the time that the landscape team joined the project, the circulation
system was set in stone and could not change, thus eliminating
any previous proposals approach. Due to this change, the informational
booth has been placed to the east side of the site but will
be handloed in the same manner as all previous proposals.
The lawn and patio elements too have remained unchanged.in
both size and placement.
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