Market to Metacom
Envision Resilience - Warren, RI
Spring 2022 - Rhode Island School of Design
Instructors: Laura Briggs, Anne Tate
Special thanks to: Jennifer Martin, Bob Rulli, and the team at ReMain Nantucket
The Envision Resilience Challenge, a coastal resilience initiative that connects academia, local leadership, and community members, inspires coastal communities to envision innovative approaches to the impacts of climate change. (envisionresilience.org)
The town of Warren, RI is currently subject to king tide and storm event flooding. These issues are expected to worsen to the point of residential and commercial property loss by 2035 and continue into the future.
The town of Warren, RI is currently subject to king tide and storm event flooding. These issues are expected to worsen to the point of residential and commercial property loss by 2035 and continue into the future.
The primary goal of the project was to develop an urban design strategy for the higher elevation area on Metacom Avenue. My goal for the new residential neighborhood is to accommodate as many displaced residents as possible while maintaining a sense of individual ownership and private space. Solar panels supply green energy, significantly reducing utility bills. Housing construction utilizes hemp-lime material for walls and roof insulation.
Metacom Avenue will be reconstructed with a new permeable pavement system that collects rainwater and re-distributes it through the new housing development and into a new neighboring water treatment facility.
Metacom Avenue will be reconstructed with a new permeable pavement system that collects rainwater and re-distributes it through the new housing development and into a new neighboring water treatment facility.
A secondary part of the project involved developing a strategy for the flood zone around Market street.
Hemp-Lime Study
The studio course introduced me to reemerging Hemp-Lime construction materials and methods. ‘Hempcrete’ is a bio composite made from hemp hurd, lime, and water. It is sustainable and renewable with a short growth cycle. Once hardened, the material serves as a durable insulating thermal mass that is energy efficient and open to vapor. It reduces required framing material, resists pests and mildew and it is fireproof. A lime plaster layer can be applied once the mixture hardens.
Experimental models were cast from a cube formwork by hand mixing and packing. A green lime plaster layer was applied about a week after casting. I sought to evoke rows of buildings that provide a pathway through. Some of these photos were taken after the model had been exposed to the elements for many months since its creation, showcasing the durability of the material.
Market Street Strategy
Collaborators: Hong Wei, Chae Yeon Woo
Our class tour of Warren, Rhode Island allowed me to see first hand the effects of tidal flooding. Ocean water regularly floods the low points along Market Street. Eventually, living along this route will become untenable. Our small group proposed building a reinforced seawall with PVC sheet piling, reclaimed demolition debris, and salt marsh plants (site A). This new coastal barrier could also serve as farmland for hemp. Some water would be allowed to fill the low points (site C), creating opportunities for nature preserves and ecosystem education. Other inundated areas would be available for salt marsh plants (site B).