OAKWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER
The Oakwood Community Center is a space whose mission is to bring neighbors together and build bridges among grassroots organizations in the city of Troy, New York. They do this by maintaining the historic Oakwood building as a welcoming and nourishing space.
Backyard space after the renovation.
PROJECT FORMULATION
In collaboration with Troy Architecture Practice, Oakwood was redesigning their backyard to become an event space and utilize it better than they previously had. The Director, Shanna Goldman, had the vision of creating a "living fence" along the existing chain link fence, and I took her up on the idea through a class I had been taking, called Art, Community and Technology.
A part of the class goals was developing community connections between my school and the greater community it exists in. To achieve this, I enrolled a club on campus called Engineers for a Sustainable World into the design process and therefore build a bridge between the community center and the school. Through this project, I acted as the lead designer and facilitator between these two organizations.
Chart of different variations of vertical greenery. I focused on the "living wall" section for the potential designs.
LIVING FENCE RESEARCH
The first order of business was developing an idea of plausible "living fences" by defining what they are, how they work, and how I can implement them into the space.
I identified three main types that were achievable with the resources available: vertical gardens, modular green walls, and hydroponic green walls. A vertical garden consists of plants grown vertically on a support structure attached to a wall or freestanding frame. A modular green wall consists of prefabricated panels or modules containing a matrix of plants, soil, and irrigation systems that can be interconnected to create customizable green wall installations. Finally, hydroponic green walls utilize soilless growing techniques, such as circulating water through a closed-loop irrigation system.
After weighing the pros and cons of each, I decided to move forward with the modular green wall due to its variability in scale, structure, and easier installation. The space I am working with is a chain-link fence, so creating a module would be easier with the existing structural supports and potential watering systems. This fence module would also help me achieve the goal of developing a small, scalable fence that can be replicated and completed in a shorter time frame, with a more flexible design that can adapt to future needs and desires.
Living wall example diagram #1
Living wall example diagram #2
DESIGN CONCEPT
I designed a substrate-based smart irrigation module with angular flower boxes. The substrate features a wireframe beneath the soil for drainage, while the irrigation system includes a drip irrigation system that delivers water directly to the plant roots, minimizing waste. The angular boxes encourage plants to grow upward and outward, creating an engaging visual appeal. The module is made of durable cedar planks, ideal for Troy's harsh weather, with drip tubing, emitters, and a soil divider inside. The box is suspended about half a foot off the ground to prevent pests and includes drainage holes. For plants, I selected Bee Balm and Harebells, native flowers that attract pollinators and offer colorful displays.
Fence concept with material visualiztions.
FLOWER INFOGRAPHIC
To bring more attention and information to the project, I decided to create infographics with brief information about the flowers chosen. Because this fence will be interacted with by both children and adults, I aimed to make the graphic design classy, while keeping the information to digestible facts that even the youngest of kids could understand.
Bee Balm infographic.
Harebell infographic.
Through ESW-HQ I was able to obtain a project grant of $900, which will be utilized to purchase materials and build the module. progress updates will be continuously added to the site as they occur.