Final fence production, painted and decorated by the kids of the community centers afterschool program.
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 was chosen to work alongside the organization to complete this project.
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.
Drawn diagram of the project.
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.
After identifying and weighing the pros and cons of different greenery systems, I decided that a modular green wall would be best for the project requirements. This form 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. The modular form created great allowance for variability in scale, structure, and ease of 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.
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 module is made of durable pine plywood, 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.
Fence concept with material visualiztions.
FINAL CONCEPT
After conducting testing, the fence is in proper working order and has been installed at the community center. I conducted flow rate measurement to ensure that the vertical placement of the emitters created a uniform stream between the three soil boxes and proved that the fence is ready for use. The community center will plant and module growing success will be measured over the next growing season.
FLOWER INFOGRAPHIC
To bring more attention and information to the project, I decided to create infographics with brief information about the flowers chosen; Bee Balm and Harebells, native flowers that attract pollinators and offer colorful displays. 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.