Template:305inprogress

The bog

Abstract

Short abstract describing the project from background to conclusion

Background

The project is an initiative by New York artist and sculptor Mary Mattingly, who designs sustainable installations and alternative living models. The WetLand bog can provide sustenance, promote increased water quality, provide habitat and will serve as a working educational platform. WetLand bog is designed to inspire environmentally friendly means to meet the challenges of coming generations. WetLand bogs seek to serve as a model for potential sustainable resource expansion and development.

What: As environmental instability continues to transform our cities, what happens when the land we use is only temporary? WetLand is a mobile, sculptural habitat and public space atop a barge made to explore solutions for sea-level rise, housing, resource interdependence, and a decrease in useable land.

WetLand is a floating island that illustrates a partially-submerged house surrounded by a human-made wetland. The interior of the house is functional and contains a live, work, and enclosed performance space with: a dry compost toilet, kitchen with sink and shower that utilize purified rainwater. A 40x20x3’ flat deck barge and two access gangways composes the primary infrastructure. A greenhouse in a structure adjacent to the submerged house contains vegetables grown hydroponically, a natural grey water filtration system, and soil-based produce. WetLand’s railings around the perimeter are also made into planters, and floating planters around the perimeter include bulrush, cattail, and vining plants that all naturally clean the water.

Events will be programmed with FringeArts. Residents will live on board and host events, from workshops to skill shares. High school and college students in Philadelphia will help steward the space, collect data about energy use and production, and test and maintain onboard water systems.

Where: WetLand will be constructed at Pier 9, across from FringeArts in Old Town, Philadelphia. It will be tugged to Penn’s Landing adjacent to the Seaport Museum and open to the public on August 15, 2014.

When: WetLand will launch August 15th on the Delaware River at Penn’s Landing through September 31, 2014.

Why: WetLand is a narrative approach to inhabiting a future Philadelphia with accelerated environmental challenges that are interconnected and everywhere, including lack of clean water, usable land. This is at once a visually engaging structure but also a working living system narrated by its users, who look to a time when people are again dependent on the nearness to the water. WetLand is an experiment that uses water in various ways: To float, to desalinate river water for growing plants, to tie up to or launch from, and to bridge urban space with nature. The waterfront is often under-appreciated and underused that has potential to bring together a site and communities. When activated, the site brings people to the nature that lies on the edge of the city and effectively brings interdependence between both of those spaces to the forefront.

WetLand addresses the importance of decentralizing our basic resources by using appropriate technology to create a regenerative water-based living system that provides food grown from cleaned river water, power from sun and tides, shelter for living and events, collected and purified rainwater for all other needs. We need to work together to build cities that connect, heal, and empower. We need people living in cities that join the city with nature who can care for it and work out an idea of nature that includes human culture and livelihood.

How: Building supplies for WetLand are reclaimed from the local waste stream to further narrate a future when reuse is common and parts are made with found materials. This project will be completed through FringeArts, the James L. Knight Foundation, and the partnerships we make together.

Who: WetLand is sponsored by The James L. Knight Foundation with FringeArts. For more details including additional partners contact studio@marymattingly.com and sarah@fringearts.com. Coming soon: www.wet-land.org

Problem statement

The objective of this project is to design a floating bog to provide inspirational awareness of sustainable environmental design. The floating bog will be placed in the Delaware River alongside the WetLand barge so the bog needed to resemble a boat. The floating bog will be used throughout the duration of the WetLand project. The bog will serve as an educational platform of alternative water treatment techniques and may be used to grow sustenance for the crew. The ability to monitor the quality of the bog water is essential for the educational component.

Project Evaluation Criteria

The following Criteria will be used to assess the success of this project. These criteria were chosen based on input from the artist and the team of students who are working on the bog. The scale (1-10) represents the importance level of meeting the constraint of each listed criteria. 10 has the largest magnitude and weight decrease numerically in descending order.

Criteria Constraints Weight
(1-10)
Budget Must be between $600-$1,000.
10
Aesthetics Compliment the installation and increase appeal.
9
Vegetation Plants must be adequate for the Delaware River regional climate, water quality, and be able to endure as it moves to New York.
10
Education Educational aspect compliments the overall theme of the project.
7
Reproducibility Can be easily recreated with readily available materials.
8
Functionality Utilize the appropriate and most efficient water purifying and oxygen adding plants.
9
Materials Recyclable materials preferred obtained from the Philadelphia area.
9
Maintenance Be easily maintained with little to no expertise.
7

Budget

The project will require a variety of new and re-purposed materials. Many of the new materials were purchased from local business and used materials were gathered from a variety of locations throughout Arcata, CA. Donated items include PVC, lifeguard bouy, nylon rope and 2"x4" wood. Donators are listed as 'source' in table.

Quantity Material Source Cost ($) Project Cost ($) Total ($)
1 50 gallon drum Water Planet Garden Supply 32.38 32.48 32.48
2 check valve Ace Hardware 9.99 19.98 19.98
2 3/4" PVC nipple Ace Hardware 0.99 1.98 1.98
2 1.5" sch 40 Slip Cap Ace Hardware 1.50 3.89 3.89
1 small screws (20) Ace Hardware 1.99 1.99 1.99
20 washers Do it Best 0.17 3.40 3.40
4 90* 1x1/2 PVC Do it Best 0.61 2.45 2.45
2 small screws Do it Best 1.19 2.38 2.38
1 12' nylon rope Donated 5.00 0.00 0.00
1 Lifeguard Bouy Donated 15.00 0.00 0.00
1 2"x4"x28" wood Donated 3.68 0.00 0.00
2 1" Bulkhead fitting Bayside Garden Supply 9.95 19.90 19.90
1 1" Barbed insert to 1" Bayside Garden Supply 0.55 1.10 1.10
1 Barbed Insert Elbow Bayside Garden Supply 0.55 1.10 1.10
1 1" Black Tubing - 1" Bayside Garden Supply 1.45 1.45 1.45
Total Cost $91.59

Timeline

March

  • March 2, 2014- create timeline and finish budget
  • March 06-11, 2014- gather materials: plastic bottles, coconut fiber, boat, and some plants. Contact potential donors.
  • March 12, 2014- assemble materials: prototype 1 final sketch up, gather rest of materials as necessary
  • March 15, 2014- begin initial testing and monitor of prototype 1 begins.
  • March 20-30, 2014- monitor of first prototype in either Fern Lake, or Arcata march.


April

  • April 4, 2014– monitor continues, move on to second prototype planning if failure of first prototype.
  • April 9, 2014- build second prototype; finalize schematics with client.
  • April 12, 2014– begin writing instruction manual
  • April 19, 2014– continue monitoring, and have East coast resources for the “WetLand project” where they could gather materials.
  • April 23, 2014- make video
  • April 28, 2014- final monitoring
  • April 31, 2014- clean up and dis-assemble prototypes


May

  • May 1, 2014- Final project reports
  • May 11, 2014- final timeline
  • May 12, 2014- project presentation

Design

During design process the WetLand Bogs team strived to incorporate the ideas of our client, Mary Mattingly, into the parameters of Lonny Graphman's Engineering 305 course at Humboldt State. Over the course of four months our team designed and tested a number of different approaches for this unique task. Our team faced many challenges including limited funding, test site availability and time. One of the unique challenges for this project was that the preliminarly design, constrction, and testing took place in Arcata, CA, nearly 3,000 miles from the projects final destination.

Water Pump

Materials

  • 1 1x1/2"x30" PVC
  • 1 1x1/2" PVC cap
  • 1 1"x36" PVC
  • 1 1" t-joint
  • 1 can PVC glue
  • 2 1"x4" PVC
  • 2 1" PVC cap
  • 2 1x1/2 rubber o-rings
  • 2 3/4" check valves
  • 1 1x1/2"male coupling
  • 2 3/4" PVC nipple
  • 1 3/4" t-joint
  • 2 3/4" male threaded couplings

Instructions

PVC Frame

Materials

  • 14’x1(1/2)” PVC pipe
  • 4 (1(1/2)”)x 90 degree fittings
  • PVC glue
  • 2 small Buoys
  • 12' rope

Instructions

Drum Frame

Sectioned 55 gallon drum attached to yoke.

Materials

  • 1 55 gallon drum
  • 20 wood screws
  • 1 45" x 2" x 4" board
  • 2 36" x 1/2" x 4" board
  • 2 34" x 1/2" x 4" board

Instructions

Inlet/Outlet system

Cleaning up the materials

Materials

  • 6 (3/4”) x 90 degree fittings
  • 70" 3/4” PVC pipe
  • 1 (3/4”) hoes fitting
  • 1 (3/4”) nipple threaded
  • 1 (3/4") female coupling threaded
  • 1 (3/4") male threaded adapter
  • 2 (3/4") bulk head fitting
  • 1 1" Barbed insert to 1"
  • 1 Barbed Insert Elbow
  • 1" Black Tubing - 1"

Instructions

Hose connection

Testing

PVC Frame at test site

Buoyancy

Pressure

Water Quality

PH
Turbidity
Dissolved O2

Plants

Rush

Horsetail sp: Spenophyta

Sedges

Scouring rush sp: Spenophyta

Tools

  • Hack saw
  • Tape measure
  • Circular saw
  • Hammer
  • Reciprocating Saw
  • Extension Cord
  • Metal Clippers
  • Clamps
  • Wood Chisel
  • Screw Gun
  • Marker
  • Chalk line
  • 2(1/4)" drill bit
  • 3/16" drill bit
  • Pipe Wrench
  • Square
  • Vice
  • Rubber mallet

Conclusion

Discussion

Lessons Learned

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Team

  • Taylor Strawn

Maintenance

Literature Review

Information on USDA legal status plants. [1]

2.City of Philadelphia. Invasive Plant List [[1]]

3.http://www.floatingislandinternational.com/

4. Delaware River Basin Commission. 2012 Delaware River and Bay Water Quality Assessment.

5. Philadelphia Water Department. 2006. "Tidal Wetland", Andropogon Associates LTD. http://www.phillywatersheds.org/doc/ERU_4_Tidal_Wetland.pdf

6.Stebb, Chriss. 2013. Building Floating Wetlands to Restore Urban Waterfronts and Community Partnership. National Wetlands Newsletter. March 2013

7. Clemson University. Floating Treatment Systems, Report. 2008

8.Tyler Kimberly, Ruan Michelle. 2012. “Edible and Medicinal Plants”, SUNY Plattsburgh, NY. http://edibleandmedicinalplants.weebly.com/index.html. (February 6, 2014)

9. Among the Stately Trees, wordpress. (2013). “The top 75 Wetland Plants”, Lehigh University. http://amongthestatelytrees.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/the-top-75-wetland-plants/. (February 9, 2014)

10. Moore, Peter D.. (2001). Wetlands. New York: Facts on File.

11. Kulser, Jon A; Kentula, Mary E. 1990. Wetland Creation and Restoration. The Status of the Science.

12. Keddy, Paul A. 2010. Wetland Ecology. Principles and Conservation. 2nd edition.

13. Mitsch, Willam J; Gosselink, James G. 2007. Wetlands 4th Edition.

References

Template:Reflist

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.