The Chernobyl Intervention: An Architectural Response to an Anthropologically Contaminated Site
A thesis submitted to the
Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of:
Master of Architecture
in the Department of Architecture of the
College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning
by
Crystal M Collado
Bachelor of Architecture
University of Illinois at Chicago
May 2014
Committee Chair: Udo Greinacher, M. Arch
Committee Member: Elizabeth Riorden, M. Arch
ABSTRACT
This is an architectural intervention for the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The focus of this dissertation is a theoretical framework that generates an architectural model in response to an anthropologically contaminated site as they become the catalyst for new patterns of culture and settlement. Extreme conditions of the investigated site are not ideal for habitation due to high levels of radiation, but the site offers a powerful history that inspired theoretical exploration and forward thinking strategies. The
Chernobyl Intervention emerged through the analytical investigation of Chernobyl at multiple scales – macro, meso, micro, nano. The end result is a masterplan that visually narrates change over time in response to the integration of architectural elements, topographical elements and rewilding strategies.
This is a narrative into the envisioned future of Chernobyl.
ii
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Karla. The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without your love and encouragement.
I sincerely thank my friends and family for being patient with me over the years, especially when I’ve been so distant.
Steven R. Best, MD and Dan G. Pavel, MD, your mentorship over the past nine years is much appreciated. I’m constantly motivated by the constant rigor and passion both of you put into your work.
Annie Pedret, I cannot thank you enough for that initial push to learn and practice what I love most. I hope to inspire others as you have inspired me.
Many thanks to Udo Greinacher, Liz Riorden and Barry Kew for the insights you have shared through the adaptation of this thesis.
And last, but not least, thank you to my little inspirations for their endless love.
Personal Pictures Taken by the Author
iv
I do not see a delegation for the four-footed I see no seat for the eagles we forget and we consider ourselves superior. but we are after all a mere part of Creation and we must consider to understand where we are and we stand somewhere between the mountain and the ant. somewhere and only there as part and parcel of the Creation
- Chief Oren Lyons
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 01
1.1 Problem Statement
1.2 Monitoring at Multiple Scales
1.3 Delimitations
1.4 Research Methodology
1.5 Site Selection
1.6 Masterplan Brief
1.7 Conclusion
CHAPTER 2: SITE ANALYSIS 19
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Site History
2.3 Climatic Study
2.4 Macro Analysis
2.5 Meso Analysis
2.6 Micro Analysis
2.7 Nano Analysis
CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL DISCOURSE 47
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Developing a Narrative
vi
3.3 Innovation Inspired by Nature
3.4 Regenerative Design
3.5 Conclusion
CHAPTER 4: DESIGN CONCEPT 71
4.1 Parti Diagram
4.2 Initial Masterplan Sketch
4.3 Masterplan Design Development
CHAPTER 5: DESIGN INCEPTION 79
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Design Brief
5.3 Topographical Elements
5.4 Design Criteria
5.5 Program
CHAPTER 6: INVESTIGATION 87
6.1 Ecological Observatory
6.2 Research Pod
6.3 Greenhouse Residences
CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION 97
BIBLIOGRAPHY ci
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
CHAPTER 1 Figure 1 Side Profile of a Gasmask. Digital Image. Chernobyl Maps. Accessed March 2017. http://www.chernobylmaps.com/chernobyl-accident/ Figure 2 Author Figure 3 Musto, Adrian. "Inside Chernobyl - Directors Cut 2012." Digital image. Vimeo. 2014. https://vimeo.com/77972051 Figure 4 Hjelmaard, Kim. Nuclear Power Plant Reactor 4 After Accident. Screenshot of film. Journal Sentinel. April 17, 2016. http://archive.jsonline.com/news/usandworld/30-years-later- chernobyls-searing-legacy-still-crippling-and-killing-b99708355z1-376016471.html Figure 5 Author Figure 6 Chu, Trang. Liquidator Clean Up. Digital Image. Blog Anchoi. 2016. https://bloganchoi.com/nhung-vung-dat-chet-du-co-to-mo-den-dau-ban-cung-khong-bao-gio- duoc-dat-chan-den/#gsc.tab=0 Figure 7 Warning Sign at Checkpoint. Digital Image. De Rumbo por el Mundo. June 13, 2016. https://derumboporelmundo.org/2016/06/13/chernobyl/ Figure 8 R., Mark. “Chernobyl InterInform Agency Hotel. Digital Image. Zenfolio. June 02, 2006. http://markr.zenfolio.com/p271047341/h2238F035#h2238f035 Figure 9 Pripyat Town Sign. Digital Image. SEO Blog. Accessed November 2016. http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/1356428.html Figure 10 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Schools and Nurseries-One of the Schools has Partially Collapsed.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools- nurseries/ Figure 11 R., Mark. “Chernobyl InterInform Agency Hotel. Digital Image. Zenfolio. June 02, 2006. http://markr.zenfolio.com/p271047341/h2238F035#h2238f035 Figure 12 Samoilov, Evgenie. Abandoned Cranes. Digital Image. Lost Places. October 28, 2006. http://lplaces.com/en/reports/19-pripyat Figure 13 Tezenas, Ambroise. Pripyat Abandoned Amusement Park. Digital Image. Travel and Leisure. Accessed December 2017. http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/present-day-chernobyl- photos Figure 14 Public Building in Pripyat. Digital Image. Google Plus. Accessed March 2017. https://plus.google.com/+Go2chernobyl Figure 15 Town Center Abandoned Building. Digital Image. Wiki. Accessed October 2016. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pripyat_-_cultural_center_04.jpg Figure 16 Ruins of Abandoned House in Chernobyl. Agonistica. Accessed October 2016. http://agonistica.com/30-years-chernobyl-disaster/ Figure 17 Zenkovich, Tantyana. Abandoned Boat on the Pripyat River. Digital Image. Publico. Accessed December 2016. http://www.publico.es/fotogalerias/chernobil-30-anos-despues-tragedia.html Figure 18 Abandoned Kindergarten in Chernobyl. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed February 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/liendi11/chernobyl-1986-/ Figure19 Hjelmgaard, Kim. Abandoned House in Chernobyl. Digital Image. USA Today. Accessed February 2017. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/04/17/chernobyl-30-anniversary- babushka-ukraine/82887336/
CHAPTER 2 Figure 20 Pripyat Before the Disaster. Digital Image. De Rumbo por el Mundo. June 13, 2016. https://derumboporelmundo.org/2016/06/13/chernobyl/ Figure 21 Public Before Disaster. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed February 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/liendi11/chernobyl-1986-/
viii
Figure 22 Simon. “Nuclear Disaster.” Digital Image. Info Barrel Blog. February 16, 2012. http://www.infobarrel.com/Before_and_After_Photos_of_Devastating_Disasters Figure 23 Before the Disaster. Digital Image. De Rumbo por el Mundo. June 13, 2016. https://derumboporelmundo.org/2016/06/13/chernobyl/ Figure 24 Aerial View of Pripyat. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed February 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/liendi11/chernobyl-1986-/ Figure 25 Stromberg, Joseph. Red Forest. Digital Image. Smithsonian. March 13, 2014. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/do-you-live-within-50-miles-nuclear-power- plant-180950072/ Figure 26 “Duga-1 Radar.” Digital Image. 30 Years Later Blog. Accessed February 2017. http://www.30-years-later.com/duga-radar-the-russian-woodpecker/ Figure 27 Pripyat River. Digital Image. National Geographic. April 26, 2016. http://www.nationalgeographic.nl/artikel/wildlife-floreerde-dit-jaar-in-tsjernobyl-dertig-jaar-na- de-kernramp Figure 28 Author Figure 29 View towards Chernobyl Power Plant. Digital Image. Wiki. Accessed January 2017. http://wikitravel.org/en/Chornobyl Figure 30 Reactor 4 Control Room Before the Disaster. Digital Image. Wordpress. March 22, 2014. https://chernobylzone.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/ Figure 31 Reactor 4 Control Room After the Disaster. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/drgoodheart/abandoned-nuclear-power-plants/ Figure 32 Public Building Before and After. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. ttps://www.pinterest.com/pin/441915782166642712/ Figure 33 Public Building Before and After. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/435723332669922161/ Figure 34 Public Building Before and After. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/505669864388768694/ Figure 35 Public Building Before and After. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36380709467973648/ Figure 36 Public Building Before and After. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/360358407661188014/ Figure 37 Public Building Before and After. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.se/ajhrice/lost-city-of-chernobyl/ Figure 38 Hospital in Pripyat Before and After the Disaster. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed November 2016. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/182255116144383964/ Figure 39 Fedoksenko, Vasily. “Ivan Shamianok.” Digital Image. Actualidad. April 15, 2016. https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/204823-longevidad-zona-exclusion-chern%C3%B3bil Figure 40 Lukatsky, Efrem. Commemoration of 30 Years After the Disaster. Digital Image. Miami Herald. April 24, 2016. http://www.schwartzreport.net/ruined-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-will-remain- threat-3000-years/ Figure 41 Legenda, Mostrar. Babushka Sitting Outside her Home. DN Fotogalerias. Accessed March 2017. http://www.dn.pt/galerias/fotos/globo/interior/30-anos-do-acidente-nuclear-de-chernobyl- 5132261.html Figure 42 Morris, Holly. Babushkas in their Home. Digital Image. New York Times. January 05, 2016. http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/01/05/why-chernobyls-babushkas-choose- to-live-in-the-most-toxic-place-on-earth/ Figure 43 Supinsky, Sergei. “Residents of the Ilyintsy Village.” Digital Image. Getty Images. December 16, 2005. http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/residents-of-the-ilyintsy-village-a-closed- zone-around-the-news-photo/111032936?#residents-of-the-ilyintsy-village-a-closed-zone- around-the-chernobyl-picture-id111032936 Figure 44 Morris, Holly. Babushkas in their Home. Digital Image. New York Times. January 05, 2016. http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/01/05/why-chernobyls-babushkas-choose- to-live-in-the-most-toxic-place-on-earth/
ix
Figure 45 G. Stanislav. “Babushkas of Chernobyl.” Digital Image. Chernobyl Zone. June 21, 2015. http://chernobylzone.cz/film-babusky-cernobylu/ Figure 46 Fedoksenko, Vasily. “Ivan Shamianok en su Casa.” Digital Image. Actualidad. April 15, 2016. https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/204823-longevidad-zona-exclusion-chern%C3%B3bil Figure 47 G. Stanislav. “Babushkas of Chernobyl.” Digital Image. Chernobyl Zone. June 21, 2015. http://chernobylzone.cz/film-babusky-cernobylu/ Figure 48 Woman Tends to her Land. Digital Image. Wiki. Accessed March 2017. http://chernobyl.wikia.com/wiki/Rumors Figure 49 G. Stanislav. “Babushkas of Chernobyl.” Digital Image. Chernobyl Zone. June 21, 2015. http://chernobylzone.cz/film-babusky-cernobylu/ Figure 50 Residents in Belarus. Digital Image. ODB Brussels. November 09, 2010. https://odb-office.eu/culture_/explore-belarusian-culture/photography-belarus-modern-times Figure 51 Tunstad, Erik. “Pape Møller til venstre.” Digital Image. Forskning. February 02, 2004. http://forskning.no/meninger/kommentar/2008/04/ny-materie-jodehat-og-ny-dansk-svindel Figure 52 Mousseau, Timothy. “Researchers in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine.” Digital Print. New York Times. July 12, 2012. https://green.blogs.nytimes.com /2012/07/12/fukushima-vs-chernobyl-how-have-animals-fared/?_r=0 Figure 53 Chernobyl Tour Bus. Digital Image. SEO Blog. Accessed November 2016. http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/1356428.html Figure 54 Ulaine. Tourist Checkpoint. Digital Image. My Travel Experience Blog. August 15, 2015. http://www.my-travel-experience.com/article/ukraine/where_is_chernobyl/ Figure 55 Gibson, Andrew. Tourist in Abandoned Building in Pripyat. Digital Image. January 20, 2015. http://chernobylblog.weebly.com/ Figure 56 Gibson, Andrew. Condemned House in Chernobyl. Digital Image. January 20, 2015. http://chernobylblog.weebly.com/ Figure 57 Tourist in Pripyat Amusement Park. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/mrjavjime/turismo-en-ruinas/ Figure 58 Tourist in Pripyat Amusement Park. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://fr.pinterest.com/explore/national-amusements/ Figure 59 Matyszczuk, Jerzy. Radiation Level Measuring Device. Digital Image. October 2010. https://matyszczuk.wordpress.com/photo-gallery/ukraine/ Figure 60 “Foto 6”. Digital Image. De Rumbo por el Mundo. June 13, 2016. https://derumboporelmundo.org/2016/06/13/chernobyl/ Figure 61 Oak Trees. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 62 Birch Trees. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 63 Ash Trees. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 64 Honey Locust Tree. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 65 Black Locust Trees. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 66 Vines for Greenwall. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 67 Alder Tree Cones. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 68 Dry Grass for Bird Nests. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 69 Chapple, Amos. Migrating Reindeer Rounded Up. Digital Image. Business Insider. February 28, 2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/chernobyl-radioactive-reindeer-2016-2 Figure 70 Chapple, Amos. Migrating Reindeer Radiation Levels Measured. Digital Image. Business Insider. February 28, 2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/chernobyl-radioactive-reindeer-2016-2
x
Figure 71 Horses in Chernobyl. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/messinaiii/chernobyl-an-unlikely-sanctuary/ Figure 72 “Wild Pigs.” Digital Print. Travel to Ukraine. April 5, 2013. http://travel2ukraine.blogspot.com/2013/04/wildlife-in-chernobyl-exclusion-zone.html Figure 73 Reuters. Owl Leaves Chimney. Digital Image. Boston Globe. Accessed February 2017. https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture/2016/04/12/wild- chernobyl/DOaslgXPsQ88qMeKDAGd3K/story.html Figure 74 “Alces na zona de exclusão de Chernobyl.” Digital Print. Insider Pro. April 26, 2016. https://pt-br.insider.pro/analytics/2016-04-26/chernobyl-30-anos-apos-o-desastre-nuclear/ Figure 75 Horse in Chernobyl Winter. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/messinaiii/chernobyl-an-unlikely-sanctuary/ Figure 76 Ox in Chernobyl Winter. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/142004194481765772/ Figure 77 Reuters. Fox in Chernobyl. Digital Image. Boston Globe. Accessed February 2017. https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture/2016/04/12/wild- chernobyl/DOaslgXPsQ88qMeKDAGd3K/story.html Figure 78 Boars Running in Chernobyl. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. http://pinterest.com/ https://www.ft.com/content/1ba460d6-71ec-11e5-ad6d-f4ed76f0900a Figure 79 Sagolj, Damir. White Tailed Eagle Lands on a Wolf’s Carcass. Digital Image. April 26, 2016. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/chernobyl-in-pictures-30-years-on/ Figure 80 “Deformed Spider Webs Show Fallout Radiation Chernobyl.” Digital Image. The Radioactive Chat. May 26, 2014. http://radioactivechat.blogspot.com/2014/05/Video-The-Animals-of-Chernobyl- Lasting-Effects-of-Fallout.html Figure 81 Sagolj, Damir. Raven on Warning Post. Digital Image. April 26, 2016. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/chernobyl-in-pictures-30-years-on/ Figure 82 Bug Color Pattern in Chernobyl. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed March 2017. http://pinterest.com/ Figure 83 Author Figure 84 Author Figure 85 Huniewicz, Michal. “Black Bird of Chernobyl.” Digital Image. Michal Huniewicz.. September 06, 2009. http://www.m1key.me/photography/chernobyl_questions_answers_2/ Figure 86 Graffiti on Building in Pripyat. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/dustinspatz/pripyat-ukraine/ Figure 87 Elephant Children’s Slide. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/parallaxterror/forsaken-places/ Figure 88 Gallup, Sean. Gravestones in Belarus. Digital Image. Politico. April 26, 2016. http://www.politico.eu/interactive/in-pictures-chernobyl-30-years-later/ Figure 89 View from Building. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/tinytipis/dead-places/ Figure 90 View from Town Center towards Amusement Park. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/150096600054626302/ Figure 91 Bumper Cars in Pripyat Amusement Park. Digital Image. SEO Blog. Accessed November 2016. http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/1356428.html Figure 92 “Amusement Park Chernobyl 2.” Digital Image. Soviet Wonders. Accessed January 2017. http://www.sovietwonders.com/tours/chernobyl-special-2-days/ Figure 93 Religious Icon in Pripyat. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/arielbenbaji/chernobyl/ Figure 94 Transport Vehicle Graveyard. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed January 2017. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/150096600054626302/ Figure 95 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Schools and Nurseries-Toy in Window with Tower Blocks Behind.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools- nurseries/
xi
Figure 96 Bumper Cars in Pripyat. Digital Image. Wiki Commons. Accessed November 2016. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pripyat,_autodrom.jpg
CHAPTER 3 Figure 97 Plant Growing in Chernobyl. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed December 2016. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/375346950171741964/ Figure 98 Site Conditions Prior to Construction. Digital Image. The Eden Project. Accessed October 2016. http://www.edenproject.com/?gclid=CPWBu5jV-NICFZKGaQodGjkDAQ Figure 99 Concept. Digital Image. The Eden Project. Accessed October 2016. http://www.edenproject.com/?gclid=CPWBu5jV-NICFZKGaQodGjkDAQ Figure 100 Interior View of Construction of Biomes. Digital Image. The Eden Project. Accessed October 2016. http://www.edenproject.com/?gclid=CPWBu5jV-NICFZKGaQodGjkDAQ Figure 101 Aerial View of The Eden Project. Digital Image. The Eden Project. Accessed October 2016. http://www.edenproject.com/?gclid=CPWBu5jV-NICFZKGaQodGjkDAQ Figure 102 Interior View of Biome. Digital Image. The Eden Project. Accessed October 2016. http://www.edenproject.com/?gclid=CPWBu5jV-NICFZKGaQodGjkDAQ Figure 103 Dirksen, Kirsten. Naturhus Building Construction. Screenshot taken from Film. YouTube. November 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ghnDOFbNQ Figure 104 Dirksen, Kirsten. Water Filtration System. Screenshot taken from Film. YouTube. November 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ghnDOFbNQ Figure 105 Dirksen, Kirsten. Filtering Planter Beds. Screenshot taken from Film. YouTube. November 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ghnDOFbNQ Figure 106 Dirksen, Kirsten. Deck Inside Greenhouse. Screenshot taken from Film. YouTube. November 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ghnDOFbNQ Figure 107 Dirksen, Kirsten. Sliding Glass Door. Screenshot taken from Film. YouTube. November 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ghnDOFbNQ Figure 108 Dirksen, Kirsten. Exterior View of Naturhus. Screenshot taken from Film. YouTube. November 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30ghnDOFbNQ Figure 109 Author Figure 110 Before Restoration. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 111 After Restoration. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 112 Author Figure 113 Restored Grassland. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 114 Wetland Restoration. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 115 Wetland Mitigation. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 116 Paddy’s Run Restoration. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 117 Visitor Trail at Fernald Preserve. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 118 “Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve.” Digital Image. Glaserworks. Accessed July 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio-item/fernald-visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ Figure 119 Aerial View of Fernald Preserve. Digital Image. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed June 2016. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/acre/ffs/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx Figure 120 Author Figure 121 Author
xii
Figure 122 “Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve.” Digital Image. Glaserworks. Accessed July 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio-item/fernald-visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ Figure 123 “Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve.” Digital Image. Glaserworks. Accessed July 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio-item/fernald-visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ Figure 124 “In den ehemaligen Kindergärten blieben Gasmasken und Puppen zurück.“ Digital Image. Business Insider. Accessed February 2017. http://www.businessinsider.de/tschernobyl-fotos-nach-super-gau-2016-4?IR=T Figure 125 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Hospital-Operating Room.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools-nurseries/
CHAPTER 4 Figure 126 Huniewicz, Michal. “Pripyat Morgue.” Digital Image. Michal Huniewicz.. September 06, 2009. http://www.m1key.me/photography/chernobyl_questions_answers_2/ Figure 127 Huniewicz, Michal. “Gas Masks.” Digital Image. Michal Huniewicz.. September 06, 2009. http://www.m1key.me/photography/chernobyl_questions_answers_2/ Figure 128 Huniewicz, Michal. “The Liquidators.” Digital Image. Michal Huniewicz.. September 06, 2009. http://www.m1key.me/photography/chernobyl_questions_answers_2/ Figure 129 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Schools and Nurseries-A Classroom with Items on the Desk.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools-nurseries/ Figure 130 Huniewicz, Michal. “Pripyat Operating Room.” Digital Image. Michal Huniewicz.. September 06, 2009. http://www.m1key.me/photography/chernobyl_questions_answers_2/ Figure 131 Huniewicz, Michal. “Swimming Pool.” Digital Image. Michal Huniewicz.. September 06, 2009. http://www.m1key.me/photography/chernobyl_questions_answers_2/ Figure 132 “Chernobyl School Hallway.” Digital Image. Kiev Mini City Guide. November 2015. http://cityguide.guru/kiev/our-chernobyl-experience-photos/page/8-abandoned-school Figure 133 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Hospital-A Room Full of Cots in the Maternity Ward.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools-nurseries/ Figure 134 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Schools and Nurseries-Classroom with Wooden Desks.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools-nurseries/ Figure 135 Kay, Andy. “Pripyat Schools and Nurseries-Chairs Set Out in a Circle with Lots of Toys Around.” Digital Image. Behind Closed Doors. March 2014. https://www.bcd-urbex.com/pripyat-schools- nurseries/ Figure 136 Kinsman, Ted. Time-Lapse of a Flower in Bloom. Digital Image. Accessed March 2017.
Figure 137-148 Author
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6 Figure 149-156 Author
CHAPTER 7 Figure 157 Miller, Zoriah. “Station.” Digital Image. Chernobyl Photo. Accessed July 2016. http://www.chernobylphoto.com/chernobyl/pripyat/
xiii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
“One reason we are in so much trouble is that our modern culture is paradoxically behind the times, still assessing the world the way it did in the nineteenth or even eighteenth centuries as a place of inexhaustible resources, where man is at the pinnacle of creation, separate from and more important than anything around him.”
- David Suzuk
1
1.1 Problem Statement 1.2 Monitoring at Multiple Scales
Global Intercontinental Continental National Regional Local
1.3 Delimitations 1.4 Research Methodology 1.5 Site Selection Zone Closure + Limitations 1.6 Masterplan Brief Concerning Factors Proposed Architectural Elements 1.7 Conclusion
2
3 Figure 1
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT
The urgent need to respond to the ecological issues Earth has endured is overdue. Constant neglect of Earth and its resources causes permanent damage that no form of technology can repair. Landscapes face the impending future of becoming
anthropologically contaminated sites caused by
forestry, mining, agriculture and urban sprawl; an extreme example being the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
On April 26, 1986, a reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant located in Ukraine exploded causing radioactive material to blanket over 77,000 1 square miles across Europe and Eurasia. Due to the restrictions and health risks of permanently
inhabiting the area, the thirty kilometer Exclusion
Zone around the Chernobyl power plant has been deserted for thirty years causing social, economic and environmental consequences.2 Although the Exclusion Zone is figuratively disconnected from the rest of the world, this site continues to have
negative effects on neighboring countries. This
resulted in consistent monitoring, from a local to a global scale.
1 Johnson, Rebecca L. Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Zone. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015. 2 World Nuclear Association. Chernobyl Accident 1986. November 2015. http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety- and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx (accessed August 2016).
4
Figure 2
5
6
1.2 MONITORING AT MULTIPLE SCALES CONTINENTAL
GLOBAL Networks of organizations all over Europe, such as ECNC and Rewilding Europe, made it their mission to According to the UN, the world population is rewild Europe and promote biodiversity. There is a estimated to reach 11.2 billion people by 2100 and growing interest in wilderness, wildlife and rewilding with that comes an increase in contaminated land.3 due to climate change and an increase in land Ecosystems are degrading and climate change is abandonment.5 accelerating due to continued increase in the consumption and devastation of natural resources. In addition, due to the aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, the European Commission (EC)
utilizes a monitoring system called the Radioactivity INTERCONTINENTAL Environmental Monitoring (REM) database. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is building a Authorities routinely document measured levels of system called the Global Earth Observation System radioactive contamination within the environment of Systems (GEOSS). GEOSS is used to gather such as food, air and water. The result is real-time environmental data through observation, monitoring data collected from thirty seven information and processing systems. The collected countries around Europe by the EURDEP system, information is accessible for a wide range of users, which is then available to national and international including public organizations. The purpose of this authorities.6 tool is to facilitate the sharing of information and data collection on environmental conditions all over the world to strengthen the monitoring of Earth. The result is a single database that provides up-to-date environmental data to promote knowledge of
Earth’s natural processes and to improve predictive capabilities of environmental impacts.4
3 United Nations Development Programme. UNDP in Ukraine. 5 Rewilding Europe. 2015. 2017. https://www.rewildingeurope.com/about/what-is-rewilding/ http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/ourwork/env (accessed March 2017). ironmentandenergy/overview.html (accessed February 2017). 6 European Commission. The Radioactivity Environmentak 4 Group on Earth Observations. Implementing GEOSS. Monitoring (REM). http://www.earthobservations.org/geoss.php (accessed February https://rem.jrc.ec.europa.eu/RemWeb/Activities.aspx (accessed 2017). February 2017).
7
NATIONAL REGIONAL
Under the operation of the State Environment The International Radioecology Laboratory of Monitoring System (SEMS), there are eight ministries Chernobyl Centre for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive and agencies that monitor the environmental Wastes and Radioecology is located within the Kiev conditions of Ukraine: the State Land Committee, Oblast region in Slavutych. The facility monitors the the State Water Management Committee, The State concentration of radionuclide and the effect of Housing and Municipal Services Committee, Food radiation on biota within the 30 kilometer Exclusion and Forestry Policy, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Zone encircling the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.9 Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Emergencies and the Ministry of Environment.7 LOCAL Stationary sites are utilized to monitor air pollution, The local economy of Chernobyl and Pripyat were water bodies, groundwater, soil, food sources, snow highly dependent on agriculture prior to the disaster. cover and precipitation in 53 Ukrainian towns and Most of the surrounding area was rural with large cities. Due to limited funding, biodiversity is only collective farms. The effects of the Chernobyl monitored over species that are of industrial interest accident impacted the local and national economy as such as fish, game and trees. Data is submitted to land was removed from production.10 A major the Information and Analytical Centre of the Ministry challenge of this site is to boost the local economy of Environment and made available in ecological when land is still unsafe for use. data banks.8
9 World Data Center. World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development. 2008-2015. http://wdc.org.ua/en/node/29 (accessed November 2016). 10 International Atomic Energy Agency. "Chernobyl's Legacy: 7 Ministry of Ecology and Resources of Ukraine. State Ecological Health, Envrionmental and Socio-Economic Impacts and Monitoring. March 2017. http://eng.menr.gov.ua/ (accessed Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian March 2017). Federation and Ukraine." Edited by D. Kinley III. The Chernobyl 8 Ibid. Forum, April 2006: 1-55.
8
9Figure 3
1.3 DELIMITATIONS 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research methodology is a collection of This dissertation is in response to the overdue need information and data by means of literature reviews, to rethink the way people design and build. Indeed, precedent studies, film documentaries, photographic there is exploration in the roles of architectural analysis, physical models and digital models. The landscaping, bioremediation and technology, but for adaptive research processes provide the basis for the purpose of this dissertation the focus is on the design decisions and inform the resultant progressive design of the architectural intervention. architectural intervention of a theoretical proposal. It attempts to consider the possibility of an architectural intervention that can influence a Due to the author’s inability to visit the Chernobyl symbiotic relationship between the natural and built Exclusion Zone for documentation and analysis, the environment. This proposal includes a large scale author made site visits to the local Fernald Preserve, rehabilitation program at an area of approximately located in Hamilton, Ohio. The Fernald Preserve 100 acres. Due to the scope of this dissertation, it is faced a less extreme event, but is comparable important to note that all aspects of research are not enough to gain a better understanding of addressed to the same level of detail. Related environmental remediation in response to an aspects, outside of the realm of architecture, are anthropologically contaminated site (Reference 3.4 partially addressed. Precedent: Fernald Nature Preserve).
The context of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is analyzed from a micro to macro scale through the
analysis of literature reviews, a collection of
scientific data from journals and databases, as well as the analysis of images and film documentaries.
Research is collected to better understand the succession of the site from the time the towns of
Chernobyl and Pripyat were established, to the time of the nuclear disaster and up to the present
conditions of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This analysis is used narrate the future of Chernobyl
through design.
10
1.5 SITE SELECTION
After World War II, people feared the threat of a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, yet there was the promise of using that same nuclear power technology to provide safe, clean energy.11 At the time, this technology was futuristic and seemed like an ideal solution. Air pollution was not produced, power plant construction created jobs and it made a few people very wealthy.
Nuclear plants were sold to countries like China, India and Russia with the false promise of nuclear power being cheap, both in economical and environmental terms. In fact, building and running a nuclear plant can be costly as it requires high maintenance, waste storage, and there are constant problems with safety and production. The public’s support of nuclear technology was deterred when there was a sudden burden of waste problems within communities and nuclear reactor accidents occurred in locations such as Three Mile Island, Hanford Nuclear Reactor and Chernobyl.12
Figure 4
11 McLennan, Jason F. The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Bainbridge, WA: Ecotone Publishing, 2004. 12 Ibid.
11
ZONE CLOSURE + LIMITATIONS According to World Nuclear News, in 2010 the Belarus government announced a 2.2 billion dollar According to the International Atomic Energy Agency masterplan to resettle people between 2011 and (IAEA), the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl released 2020 back into the contaminated areas caused by four hundred times more radioactive material the Chernobyl accident. The focus of resettlement is compared to the atomic bomb dropped on in the Mogilev and Gomel regions. Rehabilitative, Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.13 restorative and socio-economic development The Exclusion Zone is an irregularly shaped area, measures are planned to present an attractive site about the size of South Carolina. The Zone is roughly for habitation, while also providing incentives for the 17 split in half at the border of Ukraine and Belarus.14 residents. There are two zones that make up the overall This process requires the removal of 5,600 Exclusion Zone. The central Zone, called the 15 contaminated or damaged buildings, the excavation kilometer Zone, contains the highest concentration of contaminated articles previously buried by the of radiation.15 government and the reduction of the fire hazard 18 Encircling the 15 kilometer Zone is the 30 kilometer that threatens the overgrown areas. Presently, Zone; although this Zone has a lower concentration there is not yet evidence of a detailed resettlement of radiation compared to the 15 kilometer Zone, it plan, nor is there evidence of it being put into effect. still affects the health of its inhabitants. Access to the Exclusion Zone is still limited and there are various strictly controlled check points along the perimeter of the 15 and 30 kilometer Zones.16 It is inevitable that the land is permanently damaged by an invisible threat.
Figure 5
13 International Atomic Energy Agency. "Chernobyl's Legacy: Health, Envrionmental and Socio-Economic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine." Edited by D. Kinley III. The Chernobyl Forum, April 2006: 1-55. 17 World Nuclear News. Plans for post-Chernobyl resettlement. 14 Johnson, Rebecca L. Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead August 13, 2010. http://www.world-nuclear- Zone. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015. news.org/RS_Plans_for_post_Chernobyl_resettlement_1308101.h 15 Chernobyl Maps. 2017. http://www.chernobylmaps.com/ tml (accessed April 2016). (accessed October 2016). 18 Ibid. 16 Ibid.
12
1.6 MASTERPLAN BRIEF
CONCERNING FACTORS
Multiple phases are implemented to assist in the rewilding of the Exclusion Zone. The master plan is an architectural intervention that hosts a variety of programs. The intervention, in response to anthropologically contaminated sites, acts as an instrument to detect, monitor and alleviate the impact of environmental change.
The intervention responds to the following concerns:
Environmental degradation Availability of Resources
The purpose of the architectural intervention is to A significant portion of the design must be based on contribute gained knowledge of experimental its context; climate, local hydrology, vegetation, methods that integrates architecture with the topography, biodiversity and culture. The first environment at multiple scales. Architectural attempt is to re-use existing infrastructure. The structures must go beyond the point of integration; following option is to build on degraded land while it must have the ability to sustain itself and positively preserving as much of the site possible. It is also contribute to environmental conditions. important to minimize ecological disturbance and restore the site to the fullest extent.
Safety and well-being of the people of Chernobyl
The safety and well-being of the residents and visitors of Chernobyl are of major concern. The implementation of safe housing for both residents and visitors are crucial for the local economy. Understanding how to mediate the diversity of people, flora and fauna can influence and contribute to the well-being of all living organisms.
13
PROPOSED ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
The selected site is located south of the town of Research Pods Pripyat and north of the town of Chernobyl. It is Research pods provide researchers and scientist with situated at a point along on the west side of the basic research accommodations. The research pods Chernobyl tour path. A theoretical model comprised are mobile and have the ability to collect samples, of architectural and topographical elements document data, and return that data back to the (Reference 2.5 Meso Analysis: Topographical core site. Pods allow for the collection of data Elements) contribute to the rehabilitation of the beyond the parameters of the core facility in anthropologically contaminated site of the Exclusion addition to allowing the following abilities: to Zone. Using the identified site as the basis, the observe, monitor, contribute to and protect theoretical model includes the following ecosystems and biodiversity. architectural elements:
Observation Stations Core Facility Unstaffed stations, equipped with camera systems, The Ecological Observatory is the central node of the are implemented in and around the Exclusion Zone. masterplan. This facility provides temporary living These stations relay real-time data to the core accommodations for visitors, laboratories for facility. They are static and do not require the scientist and provides access to a database of physical presence of people. collected research. For the safety of the residents and visitors of Chernobyl, living accommodations are located outside of the 15 kilometer Zone; at a far Housing enough distance from the Red Forest for a timely evacuation if a forest fire were to occur, but close Housing is provided for the permanent residents of enough to experience the ecological benefits of the Chernobyl. Housing is situated within close proximity intervention. The purpose is to create a tangible link to the core facility for the purpose of sharing between architecture and environmental awareness. resources and services.
14
1.6 CONCLUSION Spaces for Safe Habitation
This architectural intervention goes beyond the Safe living accommodations are available for the paradigm of sustainability. The proposed theoretical visitors and residents of Chernobyl. Access is model addresses concerning factors and creates a monitored and controlled for the safety and well- synergy between people and the natural being of all inhabitants. The air circulation of closed environment through the accommodation of all and open spaces is constantly monitored within the living systems. The architectural intervention masterplan. involves the consideration of available resources, Futuristic Influence implements self sustained and contributing architectural and topographical elements, as well as This proposal is a theoretical intervention for, but restores anthropologically contaminated. should not be limited to, the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl. This dissertation explores a theoretical
framework for an architectural response to an
The proposed architectural elements provide the anthropologically contaminated site. The hope is following: that this theoretical framework will inspire future exploration, experimentation and application. Observation and Information Upcoming chapters explore the following questions: Mobile and static research facilities in the surrounding area allow for observation in the field. - After the implementation of this architectural Data collected will be available to regional and global intervention, what does the future hold for networks. Chernobyl? Observation decks provide viewpoints as they are directed towards the Nuclear Power Plant, the town - How can human intervention speed up the of Pripyat and Chernobyl, the Russian Woodpecker, process of rewilding and rehabilitate the the Red Forest, the Pripyat (Pripet) River and the landscape? surrounding landscape. Visitors are exposed to a visual narrative through the - How will the positive and negative factors of the organization and integration of architectural and site influence the design proposal? topographical elements. The visual and interactive experiences narrate the effects of environmental - In what ways can the proposed architectural conditions and human intervention. intervention influence the future of this site and other anthropologically contaminated sites, as well as the future of Regenerative Architecture?
15
Figure 6
Figure 7
16
Figure 8 Figure 9
Figure 10 Figure 11
Figure 12 Figure 13
17
Figure 14 Figure 15
Figure 16 Figure 17
Figure 18 Figure 19 18
CHAPTER 2: SITE ANALYSIS
“Together, all species make up one immense web of interconnections that binds all beings to each other and to the physical components of the planet. The disappearance of a species tears the web a little, but that web is highly elastic. When one strand is rent the whole network changes configuration, but so long as there are many remaining strands to hold it together, it retains its integrity.”
- David Suzuki
19
2.1 Introduction 2.2 Site History 2.3 Climatic Study Temperature Rainfall + Snow Wind 2.4 Macro Analysis Topography Geographic Study Forest Fire 2.5 Meso Analysis Connection to Surrounding Landscape Superimposed Elements 2.6 Micro Analysis Built Environment Before and After 2.7 Nano Analysis
Exclusion Zone Users
Rewilding
Flora
Fauna
2.8 Conclusion
20
2.1 INTRODUCTION
As Jason McLennan argues, it is necessary for degradation to occur before people can react to it. It is not until then that people have a conscious reaction to the consequences of unsustainable practices.19 Generally, those reactions are caused due to concerns for personal health. Human intervention leads to the relentless alteration and exploitation of natural landscapes and conscious reactions are in desperate need for anthropologically contaminated sites like the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
The site is analyzed at four scales – macro, meso, micro and nano. The information gathered through literature studies and online data are translated into maps and data graphs to better understand the selected site and design parameters. Land use, geology, climate and geography at various scales are also analyzed through a series of drawings and physical models to better understand the natural processes of the site. This chapter presents the analytical investigation of the local environment through the understanding of place, culture, natural patterns, environmental factors and site restrictions to generate an appropriate design response.
19 McLennan, Jason F. The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Bainbridge, WA: Ecotone Publishing, 2004.
21
2.2 SITE HISTORY
The selected site is located between the towns of Pripyat and Chernobyl, both within the Chernobyl
Exclusion Zone. The town of Chernobyl was founded in 1193 and the town of Pripyat was founded in 1970 for the purpose of exploiting the Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant. Both towns are situated within the Figure 20 Ivankiv Raion of northern Kiev Oblast, Ukraine, bordering Belarus. The town of Chernobyl is approximately 90 kilometers northwest of Kiev and the town of Pripyat is approximately 20 kilometers northwest of the town of Chernobyl. Along the northeast side of both towns is the Pripyat (Pripet) River.20
High concentrations of radiation still contaminate Figure 21 the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Depending upon different factors such as wind patterns, radiation levels change daily as air pockets of radioactive 21 contaminants are blown around. This is specifically problematic because radiation can be harmful to any living thing depending on the length of exposure and the dose received; it can damage molecules such as protein and DNA. Radioactive isotope 137Cesium is specifically problematic because of its natural ability to spread due to its high water solubility and its half- Figure 22 life of thirty years. 131Iodine and 137Cesium are responsible for most of the radiation exposure received by people and the elements that prevent people from re-inhabiting the Exclusion Zone.22
20 Shestopalov, Vyacheslav. Chernobyl Disaster and Groundwater. Exton, PA: A.A. Balkema, 2002. 21 The Chernobyl Gallery. http://chernobylgallery.com/chernobyl- disaster/radiation-levels/ (accessed August 2017). 22 Johnson, Rebecca L. Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Figure 23 Zone. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015.
22
2.3 CLIMATIC STUDY TEMPERATURE
According to the Academy of Science of Ukraine, the According to the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, following climatic features are outlined:23 the average annual temperature of the site is 44.06 degrees Fahrenheit. The absolute minimum
- Climate: moderate continental, mild temperature is -32.8 degrees Fahrenheit between - Rainy Season: May to June at 87 to 100mm the months of January and February and the
- Average Annual Rainfall: 600mm maximum temperature is 96.8 degrees between the - Thunderstorms: Frequent in Spring months of July and August. January is the coldest
- Snowy Season: January to March with a month at an average of 19.76 degree Fahrenheit. variance of 4 to 16 inches of snow cover Winter in the region has frequent thaws, unstable
- Average Snow Days: 52 to 116 days snow cover, snowstorms and precipitation in the 24 - Average Annual Air Humidity: 77 percent form of sleet and freezing rain. - Wind Direction: mainly from the west and northwest Spring sets in March with active temperature rise, - Wind Velocity Average: 10 to 11.2 mph frequent thunderstorms and high humidity. Significant heat and cold fluctuations also cause rapid drying of the soil. Summer begins mid-May and continues to mid-September.25 The design
implements passive design strategies that respond to local climate and site conditions. Strategies such as cross ventilation, thermal mass and sunspaces are explored. Due to colder temperatures, it is important to optimize heat gain and minimize heat loss during
the colder months.
24 Shestopalov, Vyacheslav. Chernobyl Disaster and Groundwater. 23 Shestopalov, Vyacheslav. Chernobyl Disaster and Groundwater. Exton, PA: A.A. Balkema, 2002. Exton, PA: A.A. Balkema, 2002. 25 Ibid.
23
RAINFALL + SNOW
Maximum values of precipitation are reached between May and June at 87 to 100mm and a
minimal value between January and February at 25 26 to 30mm. The design harvests rainwater, to be stored in a water bladder, and use a gravity fed
system. Collected rainwater is used for irrigation and
potable use, once water purification is undergone using appropriate methods.
WIND
Wind speeds average 10 to 11.2 mph. The predominant wind direction is from the west and northwest with the highest wind speeds exceeding
22.3 mph in February.27 Human intervention alters the topography of the landscape to steer northwest wind away from the Ecological Observatory in an
attempt to redirect radioactive air pockets. Wind turbines generally require a minimal wind speed of 7mph in order for it to function.28 West winds are
funneled into an air drawn system, through a filtration wall system and into the building to cool the building during summer months. Strategies for
proper air ventilation include ventilation louvers,
operable windows, roof vents, and building form to re-direct breezes during the cold months. Although
comfort is important, inhabitants also adjust to a
wider temperature range.
26 Shestopalov, Vyacheslav. Chernobyl Disaster and Groundwater. Exton, PA: A.A. Balkema, 2002. 27 Ibid. 28 Lyle, John Tillman. Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994.
24
2.4 MACRO ANALYSIS
TOPOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHIC STUDY
The region has a flat relief with a maximum height of There are three agro-climatic zones in Ukraine: 200 meters above sea level. The topography exerts forest-steppe, plane-polissya and prairie (steppe). considerable runoff and consists of lowlands, The forest-steppe zone accounts for 19% of the area swamps and reservoirs. The Pripyat River is the of Ukraine and is characterized by lowlands and is largest body of water intersecting the Chernobyl least arable. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is located Exclusion Zone with spring floods and discharges in a physicogeographic region comprised of mixed into the Kiev Reservoir. The river flows northwest to forests. The soil cover is primarily sod-podzol and southeast, through the plains of the Chernobyl peat-bog soils, which has low natural fertility. Forest Exclusion Zone and into the Black Sea.29 The covers about 70 percent of the region; about 63% of topography consists of the built towns of Chernobyl the forest consists of coniferous species, primarily and Pripyat, secluded abandoned farmhouses, pine, and the remaining are deciduous species such 30 graveyards of contaminated objects too large to as birch, oak and alder. bury, shallow man-made mounds that cap small contaminated objects, as well as the overgrown Red Forest and open grasslands. FOREST FIRE
Trees that died due to the large amounts of radiation and the thirty years of accumulated fallen leaf litter
are not decomposing as they normally should.
Wildfires in the exclusion zone broke out in 2002, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2016; these fires redistributed an estimated 8 percent of the original amount of radioactive material back into the air.31 The
accumulation of leaf litter and dead trees are potential fuel for more wildfires as well as a radioactive forest fire, putting all lives at risk.32
30 Shahgedanova, Maria. The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003. 31 Life After: Chernobyl. Directed by Chiara Bellati. Produced by 29 Shestopalov, Vyacheslav. Chernobyl Disaster and Groundwater. Animal Planet. Performed by Mary-Ann Ochota. 2016. Exton, PA: A.A. Balkema, 2002. 32 Ibid.
25
Figure 24
Figure 25
Figure 26
Figure 27
Figure 28 26
2.5 MESO ANALYSIS 2.6 MICRO ANALYSIS
CONNECTION TO SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Due to the relatively flat topography, this allows Majorities of the existing infrastructure have been expansive views out over the landscape. The design demolished, have collapsed or are in danger of proposal creates visual connections with the collapse. Unfortunately, the existing infrastructure in surrounding landscape, both built and natural, to Chernobyl and Pripyat are not safe for habitation better understand the history and narrative of the due to the structural instability as well as the site. accumulation of radioactive dust that coat the interior and exterior of each structure. Although it is SUPERIMPOSED ELEMENTS preferred to incorporate locally sourced material, it
Five topographical elements defined by Kevin Lynch will not be feasible for this specific proposal due to in The image of the City, are superimposed to the extent of contamination. generate a reading of the landscape and the site at a meso scale. The five elements identified by Lynch are as follows:33
Path: A means for people to move along in order to observe.
Edge: Boundary that visually breaks and defines adjacent areas.
Node: A focal point that people can enter; it can be used to orient visitors.
Landmark: A focal point within the landscape that cannot be entered, but can also orient visitors.
District: Larger area with identifying characteristics mentally recognized by the observer. Figure 29
33 Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City. Boston: MIT Press, 1960.
27
BEFORE AND AFTER
Figure 30
Figure 31
28
Figure 32
29
Figure 33 30
Figure 34 31
Figure 35 32
Figure 36 33
Figure 37
34
Figure 38
35
2.7 NANO ANALYSIS
EXCLUSION ZONE USERS
Residents Figure 39 Figure 40 Due to the explosion of the power plant in 1986, the people of Chernobyl, Pripyat and other surrounding
towns were evacuated and resettled. An estimated 300 of those resettled inhabitants moved back into the Exclusion Zone shortly after the disaster.34
Although it is illegal to live within the Exclusion Zone, Figure 41 Figure 42 the residents, all elderly and seventy percent being women, refuse to leave their homeland.35 The
Ukrainian authorities turn a blind eye while the Ukraine Emergencies Ministry provides humanitarian assistance to these residents.36
Figure 44 Figure 43
Figure 45 Figure 46
Figure 47 Figure 48
34 Life After: Chernobyl. Directed by Chiara Bellati. Produced by Animal Planet. Performed by Mary-Ann Ochota. 2016. 35 Chernobyl 30 Years After. Directed by WDR. Produced by Quarks and Company. Performed by Ranga Yogeshwar. ARD Mediathek, 2016. Figure 49 Figure 50 36 Moller, Anders Pape, and Timothy Mousseau, interview by Author. Correspondence via email (October - December 2016).
36
Scientist and Researchers Tourist
Scientist and researchers, like Dr. Timothy Mousseau According to Philip Stone, six percent of Ukraine’s and Dr. Anders Pape Moller, have conducted years national budget is devoted to Chernobyl related of research within the Exclusion Zone. Presently, programs and there is a desire to return the land to visiting researchers and scientist do not have living productive use. Prior to 2011, before tour licensing accommodations on site. At times, abandoned was offered by the Ukrainian authorities, thousands houses are rented to conduct their research and/or of people went on illegal Chernobyl tours. Since store their equipment.37 Therefore, these visitors are then, the number of tours to Chernobyl increases in need of an on-site research facility to conduct each year due to an increased interest in “ruin porn” their research and are in need of living or “dark tourism” in popular culture.38 Chernobyl accommodations for the varied periods of time they and Pripyat have an increasing number of photo stay in the area. galleries and blogs online created by tourist. Some of the most photographed areas include Pripyat’s
amusement park, graffiti, and abandoned schools.
There are a couple of hotels located in close
proximity to the Exclusion Zone to accommodate tourist. Visits include strictly guided tours, protective
clothing, radiation badges and signed disclaimers
relinquishing any claim against ill health. Security checks and body scanners are utilized to check levels of radiation. Each tourist is also given a personal dosimeter to measure radiation levels.39
Figure 51 Tourists wander through Pripyat, deserted villages
that offer a look into Soviet rural life and meet with the residents. They also have the opportunity to get fairly close to the power plant, but certain levels of
clearance are required to enter the power plant.40
38 Figure 52 Stone, Philip R. "Dark tourism, heterotopia and post-apocalyptic places: the case of Chernobyl." In Dark Tourism and Place Identity: Managing and Interpresting Dark Places, by Leanne White and Elspeth Frew, 79-95. New York: Routledge, 2013. 37 Moller, Anders Pape, and Timothy Mousseau, interview by 39 Ibid. Author. Correspondence via email (October - December 2016). 40 Ibid.
37
Figure 53 Figure 54
Figure 55
Figure 56
Figure 57
Figure 58 Figure 59 Figure 60 38
REWILDING FLORA
Rewilding was coined by Dave Foreman in the 1970s The podzol soil of the region is a leached, low 42 in response to the degradation of natural processes organic, sandy and acidic. This type of soil in and an increasing rate of many species extinction.41 combination with radioactive contaminants makes it difficult for plants and trees to grow and thrive as Rewilding, defined by Rewilding Europe: they normally would. Phytoremediation, a method
“…ensures natural processes and wild species to play that uses plants to absorb contaminants from soil a much more prominent role in the land- and and water, is integrated with the rewilding process seascapes, meaning that after initial support, nature to mitigate the impact of the radioactive is allowed to take more care of itself. Rewilding helps contaminants. landscapes become wilder, whilst also providing In addition, a composition of seeds for a variety of opportunities for modern society to reconnect with trees and plants created for the purpose of rewilding such wilder places for the benefit of all life.” the site. A land restoration method called (Rewilding Europe 2015) Imprinting, the process of creating indentations of
Rewilding plays a major role in the development of rolling patterns into the soil to better capture and this proposal. There is still a lack of biodiversity in store water, is integrated with the distribution of the the region. Flora and fauna are critical to the seed composition around the Exclusion Zone. Seeds regeneration of the site and have the potential to of specific species of plants and trees were selected adapt and thrive despite the environmental – specifically species that attract and provide a conditions. Rewilding strategies are incorporated in source of food for a variety of wildlife, insects and the landscape and become integrated with the birds. The selection of plant species will also be architectural elements in order to increase important to the aesthetic of the intervention as it biodiversity. Rewilding strategies in the masterplan transforms the appearance of the building and the include a habitat corridor, wetlands, deposit of site during different seasons. healthy microorganisms, and reforestation.
41 Rewilding Europe. 2015. https://www.rewildingeurope.com/about/what-is-rewilding/ 42 Shahgedanova, Maria. The Physical Geography of Northern (accessed March 2017). Eurasia. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003.
39
Figure 61 Figure 62 Figure 63
Figure 64 Figure 65
Figure 66 Figure 67 Figure 68
40
FAUNA
According to recent reports, flora and fauna have flourished in the past 30 years. Although wildlife continues to flourish, the effects of the radioactive material hold major consequences. An example of affected fauna includes the fifty percent decrease in the number of bird species in the area.43 Research shows that an abundance of birds in the area Figure 69 develop change in their color patterns, experience asymmetry in their bodies, contract tumors, develop eye cataracts, and show signs of depression.44
The explosion has spread 134Caesium, 131Iodine,
90Strontium and 137Cesium; these isotopes have accumulated in the food chain affecting inhabitants in other countries. An example of this can be seen in the increase of the safe level of radiation in food allowed to be consumed in Scandinavia. The migratory reindeer within the Norwegian regions graze on fungus and lichen, which is prone to quickly Figure 70 absorbing radioactive contaminants. This caused high concentrations of radiation levels in the reindeer, which reached radiation levels too high for human consumption. Scientist and other professionals constantly test and monitor the radiation levels of reindeer. Some reindeer are vaccinated and released while others are slaughtered to minimize the spread of radiation.45
43 Moller, Anders Pape, and Timothy Mousseau, interview by Author. Correspondence via email (October - December 2016). 44 Life After: Chernobyl. Directed by Chiara Bellati. Produced by Animal Planet. Performed by Mary-Ann Ochota. 2016. 45 Glaser, April. Radioactive Reindeer Roam Norway 30 Years After Chernobyl. April 08, 2016. https://www.wired.com/2016/04/amos-chapple-radioactive- reindeer/#slide-x (accessed May 2016).
41
Figure 71 Figure 72 Figure 73
Figure 74 Figure 75 Figure 76
Figure 77 Figure 78 Figure 79
Figure 80 Figure 81 Figure 82
42
2.9 CONCLUSION
Literature studies of collected journals and reports show that the radioactive contamination, due to the fallout of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, has had an adverse effect on the region. Radioactive contamination will continue to have a negative impact on ecosystems, on various species of flora and fauna, and on the human population that inhabit the site.
This chapter presents the analytical investigation of the place, culture, natural patterns, environmental factors and site restrictions at multiple scales – macro, meso, micro, and nano – to generate an appropriate design response. Figure 83
The intervention aims to regenerate the site and increase biodiversity through the integrated processes of rewilding, phytoremediation, land imprinting, and the distribution of a designed seed composite.
Architectural elements are integrated within their context and have a climatic response with the purpose of being self sustained. In the subsequent chapters the following components are investigated: synergy spaces, passive strategies, responsive technologies, materiality and form.
43
Figure 84
44
Figure 85 Figure 86
Figure 87 Figure 88
Figure 89 Figure 90
45
Figure 91 Figure 92
Figure 93 Figure 94
Figure 95 Figure 96
46
CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL DISCOURSE
“Old habits, as they say, die hard. It is for this reason that changes in philosophy tend to occur in generational timeframes rather than individual...”
- Jason McLennan
47
3.1 Introduction 3.2 Nature as the Context Precedent: The Eden Project 3.3 Nature as a Mentor Precedent: Naturhus 3.4 Nature as a Partner Precedent: Fernald Nature Preserve Precedent: Fernald Visitors Center 3.5 Conclusion
48
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Literature studies have presented principles of models proposed in Permaculture, Biomimetic Design and Regenerative Design which all have a similar point of departure. That point of departure being that nature should be used as context, mentor and partner.
49
Figure 97
50
3.2 NATURE AS THE CONTEXT Use Small and Slow Solutions: The larger a building is, the more resources required The concept of permaculture was developed by Bill for maintenance. Use design to minimize Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s as a maintenance requirements through choice of response to the decline of resources and energy. material, size and configuration. 46 This concept has twelve principles: Catch and Store Energy: Observe and Interact: Capture, store and use resources such as sunlight, Analyze and interact with the context of the project rainwater and wind through passive strategies. to facilitate the design process. Produce No Waste: Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services: Use the abundance of resources that are already Explore effective options to allow “off the grid” available and avoid wasting material. Consider the designs through the use of geothermal energy, solar use of standard dimensions of materials to avoid energy, biomass, hydro and wind power, etc. waste, consider minimizing the square footage per Renewable materials can sometimes be used as an household, or removing features that increase the alternative for modern building materials. use of resources, such as trim and moldings.
Design Details from Patterns: Obtain a Yield: Follow proven patterns that are available from Use the opportunity to develop potential benefits previous experiences, whether observed in nature or that will greatly influence the context. in society, and use common sense. Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback: Use Edges and Value the Marginal: When planning for the present, also plan for the The most popular technique is not always the best future. Consider what happens when there is a solution. Consider all variables on site to develop the change in user, change in program, or what happens project and the key points of the design. when the product is at the end of its use.
Use and Value Diversity: Creatively Use and Respond to Change: Each project should be designed in response to its Imagine the future. Raised buildings and theoretical context. Even controlling orientation and the choice ideas influence the following generations of of strategies used to take advantage of the natural designers. This will determine what will or will not elements will offer diversity to each project. continue to be used, from process to building construction. It’s best to attempt to eliminate those that have a negative impact on society and the 46 Hes, Dominique, and Chrisna du Plesses. Designing for Hope: Pathways to Regenerative Sustainability. New York, NY: environment in order to have a positive impact on Routledge, 2015. the future.
51
Integrate Rather than Segregate: weighs less than 1% of the equivalent area of glass. Share strategies, ideas and techniques by ETFE can transmit UV light, it requires minimal collaborating with others to reach a better result. maintenance and it has a life span of at least 25 years.48
PRECEDENT: THE EDEN PROJECT In the core building itself, recycled building material was utilized; tile floors were originally Heineken Inspired by the geodesic system made famous by bottles, entrance mats were made from recycled Buckminister Fuller, the Eden Project consists of two truck tires, the café floor was made of reclaimed Biome buildings designed by Grimshaw Architects wood and recycled newspaper was used for and located within a clay pit in Cornwall, UK. When insulation. Since cement is a carbon-intensive the Biomes were designed, the clay pit was still in process, the amount of cement used for the core operation and the Biomes had to be constructed on was minimized. For the 10% of cement that was uneven and shifting sands. Each Biome houses a needed, Portland cement was used; recycled microclimate – one being a Rainforest Biome and the aggregate, from the local China Clay industry waste, other being a Mediterranean Biome. Each Biome accommodated the remaining 90% of the concrete.49 consists of several connected domes and is joined by the core building. The concept of the geodesic The structures were designed to need as few system allowed for maximum surface area, strength construction products as possible since construction 47 and less weight. material can result in a high concentration of carbon emissions through the manufacturing process or Each dome has a hex-tri-hex space frame is made up transportation. A portion of the building is topped of two layers; the inner layer is a system of hexagons with a green roof to keep the building warmer in the and triangles bolted together while the outer layer is winter and cooler in the summer. In addition, a comprised of hexagons. According to the Eden combination of harvested rain and ground water is program, the steel work weighs slightly more than used to irrigate the plants and for low-flush toilets; the air contained by the Biomes. The structures are two-thirds of the water is provided from the attached to ground anchors, as well as tied to the collected rainwater. Rather than installing renewable foundation to prevent uplift. Each hexagon and energy technology, with the exception of minimal pentagon is made of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene energy produced by photovoltaic panels and a wind copolymer (ETFE), which operates as transparent turbine, energy is primarily provided with active windows. Each window has three layers of ETFE that systems while making the effort to lower energy is inflated to create a pillow. For the warmth and consumption through self-monitoring.50 comfort of the plants inside the Biomes, the inflated ETFE acts as a thermal blanket. ETFE is very light as it
48 Ibid. 47 Eden Project. Eden Project. http://www.edenproject.com/eden- 49 Ibid. story/eden-timeline (accessed July 2016). 50 Ibid.
52
Figure 98
Figure 99 Figure 100
53
Figure 101
Figure 102
54
3.3 NATURE AS A MENTOR
People are no different from other habitat builders. Habitats like coral reefs or beaver dams are a platform for the way people can design. Janine Benyus, co-founder of Biomimicry and author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, proposes to use nature as a mentor.51 She suggests that nature can be used as a model to inspire design and its process.
Benyus proposes that in a biomimetic world we would conform to the following laws of nature:
Nature… “Runs on sunlight, uses only the energy it needs, fits form to function, recycles everything, rewards cooperation, banks on diversity, demands local expertise, curbs excesses from within, and taps the power of limits.” (Benyus 1997)
51 Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspiration by Nature. New York: Harper Perennial, 1997.
55
PRECEDENT: NATURHUS
Naturhus (Nature House), designed by Bengt Warne, Naturhus has its own water and sewage system is located in a secluded area outside of Stockholm located in the cellar and there is a tank underground Sweden. The 1500 square foot house, made of for rainwater collection. According to the owners of wood, is located within a 3200 square foot Naturhus, the collected rainwater is utilized for all greenhouse. The main entry and the chimney are the household needs and watering plants and excess only elements not built within the greenhouse water is directed to a pond outside of the structure. A porch extends out from the second floor greenhouse. There are 2 separate filtration systems; and up to the façade of the greenhouse. A section of neither systems use chemicals, only a natural the greenhouse façade is connected with the porch process. Starting with a urine-separating toilet, black via a sliding glass door, which opens the space up to water goes through a centrifuge cistern, growing nature. The roof utilizes security glass to minimize beds, and garden ponds in order to filter the water the chance of breakage and a 4mm glass façade from the remains of the compost. Compost from encloses growing fruits and vegetables. Ventilation black water can be used to grow plants, flowers and windows at the roof allow hot air to escape; these trees while compost from gardens and the kitchen open automatically depending on the interior are used for fruits and vegetables that are temperature.52 consumed. A separate tank filters the grey water to be used for the shower, dishwasher, toilet, etc.54 Although there is an active heating system for the house, the period of heating is shortened due to the greenhouse effect which allows for minimal insulation. It is a house almost dependent on the sun. It doesn’t require much sun exposure, but if there is no sun the interior temperature is almost the same as the exterior temperature. Even during winter temperatures the space is warmed by residual heat from the bedrock stored below the house.53
52 Family Wraps Home in Greenhouse to Warm Up Stockholm Weather. Performed by Kirsten Dirksen. YouTube, 2015. 53 Ibid. 54 Ibid.
56
Figure 103
Figure 104
Figure 105 Figure 106
57
Figure 107
Figure 108
58
3.4 NATURE AS A PARTNER
The principles of Regenerative Design proposed by Lyle are similar to the biomimetic principles offered by Benyus and the permaculture principles of Holmgren. Regenerative Design, geared towards architectural landscape, was coined by John Tillman Lyle in the 1970s to encourage the application of strategies that restore landscapes, rehabilitate living systems and enhance biodiversity.55
56 Regenerative Design, defined by Regenesis Group:
“A system of technologies and strategies, Figure 109 based on an understanding of the inner
working of ecosystems that generates
designs to regenerate rather than deplete underlying life support systems and
resources within socio-ecological wholes.” (Melby 2002)
55 Lyle, John Tillman. Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994. 56 Melby, Pete. Regenerative Design Techniques: Practical Applications in Landscape Design. New York, NY: Wiley & Sons, 2002.
59
PRECEDENT: FERNALD NATURE PRESERVE
The Fernald Preserve, a former uranium processing facility, is located in Hamilton, Ohio. Through the use of original land surveys and the post excavation topographies the preserve underwent multiple phases of cleanup and environmental remediation.
Prior to remediation of the site, radioactive material stored on site contaminated the groundwater and soil. Extraction wells are implemented to clean up the uranium plume in the groundwater.57
Waste was shipped to Texas and Utah to be stored. The remaining contaminated soil is stored in on-site engineered disposal cells and disposal facility.
Mitigation wetlands were constructed and donor soil Figure 110 was introduced to expedite site vegetation.58 The contaminated site included an integrated landscape management program that restored 77% of native and adaptive plants that do not require irrigation.59
Remediation and continued monitoring of the site has returned natural plants, microorganisms and consumer communities to the site. The Fernald Preserve is now open to the public providing parks, wetlands, ponds, prairies and upland forests. Ecological restoration transformed the site into a haven for wildlife, including over 170 species of birds.60
Figure 111 57 Homer, John, interview by Author. Fernald Preserve Site Visit (October 2016). 58 Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/ACRE/FFS/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx#13100 4224-paddys-run (accessed August 2016). 59 glaserworks. Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve. December 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio-item/fernald- visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ (accessed December 2016). 60 Homer, John, interview by Author. Fernald Preserve Site Visit (October 2016).
60
Figure 112
61
Figure 113 Figure 114
Figure 116 Figure 115
Figure 117 Figure 118
Figure 119 62
Figure 120
63
Figure 121
64
PRECEDENT: FERNALD VISITORS CENTER and reduced lighting power densities result in energy efficiency and reduce pollution.64 The Fernald Visitors Center is a design-build project located within the Fernald Preserve. The project was Materials used during building construction, as well designed by an architecture firm called glaserworks as materials in the exhibits, are categorized by the in collaboration a faculty team from the University of designers as being sustainable. About forty-three Cincinnati. The Visitors Center is an existing steel percent of the materials are locally sourced and warehouse on site that was renovated to house a twenty-three percent are made of recycled material few programs: offices, community meeting rooms, content. To conserve efforts, sustainable practice and an exhibition space.61 The primary purpose of included the following: 51% of wood used is made of this Center is to provide information about the recycled content, 75% of construction waste was remediation process and the context of the site. One diverted from landfills, and 91% of an existing of the major goals for the designers was to provide a storage building is used.65 healthy environment for the visitors and staff, from Overall, the project provided sustainable practices ventilation to the choice of materials used. for the site, but the problem is hidden, not resolved. The Visitors Center utilizes environmental building The major concern with this remediation and practices and accomplishes energy efficiency cleanup process is that the contaminated soil is through multiple strategies. Efficient strategies shipped elsewhere and a portion is still stored on featured include high-efficiency electrical water and site. There is a lack of evidence to show that there plumbing systems, low-emitting building materials, a was an attempt to remove contaminants from the bio-wetland that processes the building’s soil through other methods such as wastewater, a geothermal based heat pump system, phytoremediation. and window placement to optimize sunlight during all seasons.62 On site is a fourteen foot deep lake which provides heating and cooling to the Visitors Center through the use of a ground source heat- pump system.63 Low flow/flush urinals, toilets and lavatories reduce water use efficiency by 41% and 100% of the wastewater is treated by a bio- treatment constructed wetland system. High efficiency windows, high efficiency HVAC equipment
61 glaserworks. Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve. December 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio-item/fernald- visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ (accessed December 2016). 64 glaserworks. Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve. 62 Ibid. December 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio-item/fernald- 63 Homer, John, interview by Author. Fernald Preserve Site Visit visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ (accessed December 2016). (October 2016). 65 Ibid.
65
Figure 122
Figure 123 66
3.5 CONCLUSION
This dissertation merges and restructures the principles of the following models: Regenerative Design, Biomimetic Design and Permaculture design to be applied specifically to architecture.
The derived methodology of the overall organization and applied strategies of the masterplan is based on the following premises:
- A visual narrative through the organization, design and integration of architectural and topographical elements to narrate the historical significance of the site and the future of Chernobyl.
- Humans are part of nature and should use nature as context, as a mentor and as a partner to develop a flourishing system for all living organisms.
- Develop a theoretical framework for architectural intervention and rewilding in anthropologically contaminated sites.
67
The following principles are restructured based on the principles of Holgrem, Benyus and Lyle:
Landscape Integration
Analyze the site in its entirety - such as its Adaptability and Flexibility restrictions, climate, and topography. The site is also analyzed at macro, meso, micro and nano scale to The building consists of flexible spaces that offer better understand the impact it has at all levels. Use more than one program. Minimize private space to already disturbed land and use methods of what is necessary and maximize on indoor/outdoor remediation. public spaces for social interaction. The building will respond to the safety, well-being and comfort of all
of its inhabitants. This may also require adaptability Responsive to Available Resources on the part of the inhabitants.
The design will maximize the use of renewable resources available to its fullest potential and Synergies and Micro-Climates explore materiality. Use resources that are adaptable, compostable, recyclable and renewable. The building has microclimates incorporated into a larger system. At the meso level, the building
supports biodiversity and acts as an incubator for Place and Culture regenerating the region’s ecology. At a nano level, the building houses synergetic spaces between This is the basis for developing a narrative. people and nature to increase shared resources. Understand historical significance, geological history, existing culture, existing infrastructure, and local resources. Take advantage of existing infrastructure when possible. Enhance life and accommodate for all cultures.
68
Figure 124 Figure 125
Figure 126 Figure 127
Figure 128 Figure 129
69
Figure 130 Figure 131
Figure 132 Figure 133
Figure 134 Figure 135
70
CHAPTER 4: DESIGN CONCEPT
“Flowers are marvels of adaptation, growing in various shapes, sizes, and forms. Some lie dormant through the harshest of winters only to emerge each spring once the ground has thawed. Others stay rooted all year round, opening and closing as necessary to respond to changing conditions in the environment such as the availability of sunlight. Like buildings, flowers are literally and figuratively rooted in place, able to draw resources only from the square inches of earth and sky that they inhabit. The flower must receive all of its energy from the sun, all of its water needs from the sky, all of its nutrients from the soil. Flowers are also ecosystems, supporting and sheltering microorganisms and insects just as our buildings support and shelter us. Equally important, flowers are beautiful and can provide the inspiration needed for architecture to be truly successful.”
- Jason McLennan
71
4.1 Parti Diagram 4.2 Initial Masterplan Sketch 4.3 Masterplan Design Development Forming the Site Topographical Elements Analytical Masterplan Diagrams
Figure 136
72
4. 1 PARTI DIAGRAM
Figure 137
73
4. 2 INITIAL MASTERPLAN SKETCH
Figure 138
74
4. 3 MASTERPLAN DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
FORMING THE SITE
Figure 139
75
TOPOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS
Figure 140
76
ANALYTICAL MASTERPLAN DIAGRAMS
Figure 141 Figure 142
Figure 143 Figure 144
77
Figure 146 Figure 145
Figure 148 Figure 147
78
CHAPTER 5: DESIGN INCEPTION
“In many ways, the environmental crisis is a design crisis. It is a consequence of how things are made, buildings are constructed, and landscapes are used. Design manifests culture, and culture rests firmly on the foundation of what we believe to be true about the world.”
- Sym Van Der Ryn
79
5.1 Introduction Users 5.2 Design Brief 5.3 Topographical Elements 5.4 Design Criteria 5.5 Program Ecological Observatory Research Pods Observatory Stations Greenhouse Residences
80
5. 1 INTRODUCTION 5.2 DESIGN BRIEF
The purpose of this chapter is to state the design The reasons for placing the proposed district in the criteria of this thesis proposal. The architectural Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are as follows: intervention acts as a visual translation to create Awareness of environmental impact at multiple awareness regarding environmental change through scales: Macro, Meso, Micro, Nano narrative. This is accomplished through the design process and design proposal that responds to the To develop a landscape rehabilitation plan and use analysis of the site and will contribute to the this site as a model to rewild and restore environment at a macro, meso, micro and nano anthropologically contaminated sites, even in the scale. The aspiration is the integration of the most extreme cases. architectural and topographical elements that Integration with the landscape and interaction respond to and restore an anthropologically between all living and built systems contaminated site to its fullest potential. The building is an integrated organism rather than a This site is an experimental playground for static, nonresponsive structure. researchers, scientist, rewilding experts and other organizations with an interest in anthropologically
contaminated sites. Multiple opportunities of USERS synergetic spaces are implemented.
Permanent Residents Narrative through elements
Visiting scientist and researchers Architectural and topographical elements are the tangible link between man, nature and environment Tourist to visually translate the narrative of the site’s past, Staff present and future. Architectural and topographical elements respond to environmental factors and Flora and Fauna continue to adapt to changing factors after implementation.
Invest in economic opportunities
Capitalize on the growing interest of dark tourism,
eco tourism and research.
81
5.3 TOPOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS Nodes District The main node is the Ecological Observatory. Entry Multiple phases of enhancement, mitigation and re- points into the Ecological Observatory are separated vegetation are implemented to alter the topography and controlled for each user group. Within the of the site. The district is 100 acres and emerges building, private spaces for each user group are from the site. The layout of the district developed connected by public platforms. All users returning from three superimposed circle. There is a from the field are required to enter decontamination combination of architectural elements, hardscape, entry points prior to entering public spaces within softscape and waterscape within the district to the Ecological Observatory. The Mobile Research attract people, flora and fauna. Pods act as supporting nodes for the Ecological Observatory. Mobile Research Pods remain out in
the field and are only accessible to scientist and Edge researchers.
The tourist cross the district edge and enter the site from the east side of the district, adjacent to the Landmarks Chernobyl tour path accessed via bus. Scientist and Observatory Stations are static elements in and researchers enter from the north-west side of the around the exclusion zone. These elements do not district edge and the residents reside within the require the presence of people to function, but the district boundary on the north-east side. sculptural forms of these stations exert points of wayfinding.
Paths Narrative Paths and landmarks within the district accommodate all users. Paths radiate outward from Tourist experience: the Ecological Observatory. The specific selection of The past of Chernobyl by visiting abandoned towns trees and plants that line the paths attract free and engaging with the residents, roaming wildlife, but also act as a buffer from the present of Chernobyl by interacting within the radioactive air pockets. Paths extend out from the district, building platforms to viewing decks directed towards significant sites around the Exclusion Zone, as well as and the future by experiencing the rewilding of the provide views of the expansive landscape. surrounding area.
82
5.4 DESIGN CRITERIA
Investigation of history, context, environmental factors and restructuring of related theoretical models established the following design criteria:
No. DESIGN CRITERIA CRITERIA CONFLICT IMPLEMENTATION
1 Place and Narrative
Cultural Heritage The remaining residents are elderly Incorporate cultural patterns into the and live in poor conditions with no design. Provide housing for the residents. electricity or potable water. Housing implements passive design strategies. Existing Infrastructure Structural stability of existing Existing infrastructure to remain for the infrastructure compromised due to purpose of memory of place and continue decay. Most existing infrastructures as a tourist attraction. Safety gear required are unsafe without safety gear due when out in the field. Entry into to layers of dust mixed with decontamination areas prior to entering radioactive material. the building is required. Historical Significance Nuclear disaster disrupted life and Create a unique visitor experience. Trigger continues to have a major impact on an emotional response through narrative to the environment. illustrate the need for action. 2 Landscape Integration
Establish Connections Exclusion Zone figuratively Organization and design of the proposal to to the Site disconnected from the rest of the have an impact at macro, meso, micro and world, but continues to have a nano scales. negative impact. Circulation Ease of access for the different Minimize stairs; slightly sloped or level users: scientist and researchers, the pathways. Designated access points per elderly residents and large tour user group. groups. Site Restrictions Invisible threat of radioactive air Planned district capped with new soil. Man pockets blown around by wind made topography redirects radioactive air patterns. Contaminated soil. pockets. Multiple layers of vegetation filter radioactive air pockets.
83
3 Synergies and Micro-Climates
Macro Scale Radioactive contaminants have Implement regenerative design strategies contaminated flora and fauna; to decrease contamination of food chains including migratory animals. The and water sources. Experimentation of contaminated Pripyat River flows phytoremediation to absorb contaminants. into the Black Sea. Meso Scale Lack of bacteria and micro organisms Mobile and static stations act as an has led to the build-up of leaf litter incubator for the regions ecology. and dead trees from the past 30 Biodiversity enhanced by implementing years, which can potentially trigger a habitat corridors, wetlands, water radioactive forest fire. pathways, etc. Micro Scale New buildings can have a negative Hybrid building structure to incorporate impact on the site if material choice natural and artificial systems. Building must and methods are not properly be responsive to the landscape, climate and considered before and after the life context. Selection of recycled material, of the building. passive design strategies, and a limited number of materials. Nano Scale Lack of housing for visitors and Shared spaces for people, flora and fauna. residents. Lack of facilities for Generate microclimates and encourage research. Decrease in biodiversity. shared resources. Living spaces for visitors and residents. Research facilities and laboratories for researchers and scientist. 4 Responsive to Available Resources, Application of Passive Design Principles Cross Ventilation No access to the grid for active Building form and stack effect increase and systems. Active systems negatively evenly distribute air. Walls run parallel to impact the environment. breeze. Use of fans. Orientation Heat loss on the northern façade. Orient North-South. Sunspace on Southern High temperature on the west façade. during summer months. Winds Wind loads. Possibility of radioactive Responsive louver system. Multi-façade air pockets reaching the site. Mild, filtration system. Wind power and energy temperate climate. storage. Rainwater and Groundwater may be contaminated. Rainwater carefully collected and treated Groundwater Possibility of rainwater being for potable use. Rainwater bladder storage. Harvesting contaminated if not collected properly. Sun Exposure Minimal sun exposure on the north Responsive skin. Solar panels on the façade. Early morning sun on the southern façade. Store energy. East. 5 Adaptability and Flexibility
Safety and Well- Access, safety and well being for Safety precautions implemented. Access Being. people and wildlife. points for visitors controlled to minimize wildlife disturbance. Flexible Spaces and General lack of interaction. Fixed Maximize indoor/outdoor spaces. Minimize Program layout does not allow for various private space. Public spaces have an open program uses. layout to accommodate multiple programs. End of Life of Building Most building materials go into Selection of recycled material. Selection of landfills, negating the initial purpose. material that can be recycled after use.
84
5.5 PROGRAM
Architectural elements include the following: Ecological Observatory, Lab Shaft, Research Pods, Observatory Stations and private Greenhouse Residences.
ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY The Ecological Observatory houses a variety of programs with open, flexible spaces which include the following: shared dining hall, gallery spaces, kitchen, admin offices, information desk, decontamination areas, hotel rooms and observation decks.
LAB SHAFT The Lab Shaft houses open, semi-private and closed private laboratories.
RESEARCH PODS Research Pods are inhabited only by scientist and researchers out in the field. They are the machines crucial to rewilding the Exclusion Zone through the process of a land remediation method called Imprinting. The pods roam the Exclusion Zone to collect samples, analyze data and monitor as they reforest the site.
85
OBSERVATORY STATIONS Observatory Stations are observational tools. These elements house and protect a visual recording device to relay real-time data to the Ecological Observatory and Research Pods. These stations do not require the presence of people to function, but act as a wayfinding tool.
GREENHOUSE RESIDENCES Permanent housing for the current residents of Chernobyl is available in close proximity to the Ecological Observatory. Each residence is enclosed within a greenhouse. The residents culturally eat what they grow; the greenhouse houses raised planting beds with safe soil to allow residents to grow their own food. The greenhouse minimizes the amount of energy needed to heat up the house through heat gain and passive design strategies. Residents have the opportunity to earn an income by interacting with visitors and sharing stories. Residents also utilize the facilities and resources available within the planned district.
86
CHAPTER 6: INVESTIGATION
“Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.”
- John Stuart Mill
87
6.1 Ecological Observatory Initial Design Water Collection Strategies Materiality 6.2 Research Pod Design Development 6.3 Greenhouse Residences Design Development
88
6.1 ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY
INITIAL SKETCH
Figure 149
89
Figure 150
90
WATER COLLECTION STRATEGIES
Figure 151
91
Figure 152
92
MATERIALITY
Figure 153
93
Figure 154
94
6.2 RESEARCH POD
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Figure 155 95
6.3 GREENHOUSE RESIDENCE
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Figure 156
96
CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION
97
“We are or have become a kind of natural disaster.”
- Jeremy Caradonna
98
A LETTER TO THE PAST
April 26, 2046
Today marks the 60th year anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster and the consequences still scar the environment.
Although the Chernobyl Intervention has not shown significant impacts on the environment, it does continue to respond to the climate and sustain itself. The rainwater collection and treatment systems are still in use and are expected to be technologically improved in the next 10 years due to an increasing need for potable water. Radioactive contaminants have seeped into the groundwater and have begun to make its way into the limited fresh water supply. Consuming locally grown food is still problematic; food and other necessity products are still trucked in. So much for reducing negative environmental impact…
At the time of construction, the use of new materials and experimental strategies were costly and minor changes were made to reduce cost, but the Ecological Observatory continues to generate income as it accommodates thousands of tourists a year. Shortly after breaking ground, other shareholders invested in the construction of hotels in the area. Developers were hired because investors were interested in generating income and had no interest in a self sustained, ecologically friendly building. The Ecological Observatory attracts more tourists compared to other hotels because it allows tourists to encounter multiple experiences and become part of a narrative. Architectural elements such as the Research Pods and the Observatory Stations are still resourceful tools for researchers and scientist, like myself.
In addition, Ukrainian and Belarus governments developed plans to resettle residents back into the Exclusion Zone using the Greenhouse Residences as a model. These settlements are to be located outside of the 15km Zone as that Zone is still hot with radioactive air pockets. Both governments are currently in the process of moving the first set of families into the Greenhouse Residences where the Chernobyl residents resided. The last resident of Chernobyl, Tatiana, passed away eight years ago leaving the last of the occupied Greenhouse Residences vacant.
Although rewilding and integration strategies, similar to the strategies implemented in the Chernobyl Intervention, have been successful in smaller anthropologically contaminated sites, it is not enough for the Exclusion Zone due to the vastness and severity of site. Collected research concludes the rehabilitation of a site contaminated with radiation is extremely difficult, if not impossible. After thorough investigation and intervention, the most viable solution for Chernobyl is rehabilitation through natural processes. Although flora does not completely absorb all contaminants, it has proven to slow the spread of the radioactive contaminants.
We are or have become a kind of natural disaster.
- Jeremy Caradonna
99
100Figure 157
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Apfelbaum, Steven. Restoring Ecological Health to Your Land. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2010.
Baum, Gregory T, Andrew J Boer, and James C Macintosh. The Earth Shelter Handbook. Milwaukee, WI: Tech/Data Publications, 1980.
Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspiration by Nature. New York: Harper Perennial, 1997.
Boyer, Lester L, and Walter T Grondzik. Earth Sheltered Technology. College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press, 1987.
Chernobyl Maps. 2017. http://www.chernobylmaps.com/ (accessed October 2016).
Cohen, Jean-Louis. Architecture in Uniform. Montreal: CCA, 2011.
Crowe, Norman. Nature and the Idea of A Man-Made World. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1999.
DeBord, David Douglas, and Thomas R Dunbar. Earth-Sheltered Landscapes Site Considerations for Earth-Sheltered Environments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1985.
Family Wraps Home in Greenhouse to Warm Up Stockholm Weather. Performed by Kirsten Dirksen. YouTube, 2015.
Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. http://epa.ohio.gov/derr/ACRE/FFS/swdo_ffs/fernald.aspx#131004224-paddys-run (accessed August 2016).
ECNC Group. ECNC. 2017. http://www.ecnc.org/about-ecnc/ (accessed March 2017).
Eden Project. Eden Project. http://www.edenproject.com/eden-story/eden-timeline (accessed July 2016).
European Commission. The Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring (REM). https://rem.jrc.ec.europa.eu/RemWeb/Activities.aspx (accessed February 2017).
Forbes, Peter. Dazzled and Deceived: Mimicry and Camouflage. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011.
Fountain, Henry. Chernobyl: Capping a Catastrophe. April 27, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/27/science/chernobyl-capping-a-catastrophe.html?_r=1 (accessed February 2017).
France, RL. Healing Natures, Repairing Relationships: New Perspectives on Restoring Ecological Spaces and Consciousness. Sheffield, VT: Green Frigate Books, 2008.
Gans, Deborah, and Claire Weisz. Extreme Sites: The Greening of Brownfield. London: Wiley Academy, 2004.
Geography and Environment. http://rcozadukraine.weebly.com/geographic-and-environmental.html (accessed October 2016).
Gilbert, Oliver. Habitat Creation and Repair. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003.
ci
Gissen, David. Subnature: Architecture's Other Environments: Atmospheres, Matter, Life. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2009.
Glaser, April. Radioactive Reindeer Roam Norway 30 Years After Chernobyl. April 08, 2016. https://www.wired.com/2016/04/amos-chapple-radioactive-reindeer/#slide-x (accessed May 2016). glaserworks. Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve. December 2016. http://glaserworks.com/portfolio- item/fernald-visitors-center-and-nature-preserve/ (accessed December 2016).
Group on Earth Observations. Implementing GEOSS. http://www.earthobservations.org/geoss.php (accessed February 2017).
Hagan, Susannah. Taking Shape: A New Contract Between Architecture and Nature. Boston, MA: Architectural Press, 2001.
Hatheway, Allen W. Remediation of Former Manufactured Gas Plants and Other Coal-Tar Sites. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis, 2012.
Hes, Dominique, and Chrisna du Plesses. Designing for Hope: Pathways to Regenerative Sustainability. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015.
Homer, John, interview by Author. Fernald Preserve Site Visit (October 2016).
Howell, Andy. Rewilding the City. 2015. https://rewildingthecity.com/ (accessed November 2016).
Inside Chernobyl - Directors Cut. Digital Image. 2014.
International Atomic Energy Agency. "Chernobyl's Legacy: Health, Envrionmental and Socio-Economic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine." Edited by D. Kinley III. The Chernobyl Forum, April 2006: 1-55.
Johnson, Bart, Kristina Hill, and Robert Melnick. Ecology and Design Frameworks for Learning. Washington: Island Press, 2013.
Johnson, Rebecca L. Chernobyl's Wild Kingdom: Life in the Dead Zone. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015.
Kennen, Kate. Phyto: Principles and Resources for Site Remediation and Landscape Design. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015.
Kirkwood, Niall. Manufactured Sites: Rethinking the Post-Industrial Landscape. London: Taylor and Francis, 2011.
Lyle, John Tillman. Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1994.
Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City. Boston: MIT Press, 1960.
Marras, Amerigo. ECO-TEC: Architecture of the In-Between. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.
Matlock, Marty D. Ecological Engineering Design: Resotring and Conserving Ecosystem Services. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011.
cii
McLennan, Jason F. The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. Bainbridge, WA: Ecotone Publishing, 2004.
Melby, Pete. Regenerative Design Techniques: Practical Applications in Landscape Design. New York, NY: Wiley & Sons, 2002.
Ministry of Ecology and Resources of Ukraine. State Ecological Monitoring. March 2017. http://eng.menr.gov.ua/ (accessed March 2017).
Moller, Anders Pape, and Timothy Mousseau, interview by Author. Correspondence via email (October - December 2016).
Morrison, Michael L. Restoring Wildlife: Ecological Concepts and Practical Applications. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2009.
Mycio, Mary. Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2005.
N55. Manual for Walking House. Wysing Arts Centre.
Ndubisi, Forster. Ecological Planning: A Historical and Comparitive Synthesis. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
Life After: Chernobyl. Directed by Chiara Bellati. Produced by Animal Planet. Performed by Mary-Ann Ochota. 2016.
Ramroth, William. Planning for Disaster: How Natural and Manmade Disasters Shape the Built Environment. New York, NY: Kaplan Publishing, 2007.
Rewilding Europe. 2015. https://www.rewildingeurope.com/about/what-is-rewilding/ (accessed March 2017).
Richards, Ivor. Groundscrapers & Subscrapers of Hamzah & Yeang. Chichester, Wet Sussex: Wiley Academy, 2001.
Scholz-Barth, Katrin, and Susan Weiler. Green Roof Systems: A Guide to Planning, Design, and Construction of Landscapes Over Structure. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2013.
Shahgedanova, Maria. The Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Shestopalov, Vyacheslav. Chernobyl Disaster and Groundwater. Exton, PA: A.A. Balkema, 2002.
Slavid, Ruth. Extreme Architecture. London: Laurence King, 2009.
Steele, James. Ecological Architecture: A Critical History. London: Thames & Hudson, 2005.
Steiner, Frederick R. Design for a Vulnerable Planet. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2011.
Stone, Philip R. "Dark tourism, heterotopia and post-apocalyptic places: the case of Chernobyl." In Dark Tourism and Place Identity: Managing and Interpresting Dark Places, by Leanne White and Elspeth Frew, 79-95. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Terman, Max R. Earth Sheltered Housing: Principles in Practice. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1985.
The Chernobyl Gallery. http://chernobylgallery.com/chernobyl-disaster/radiation-levels/ (accessed August 2017).
ciii
Tsui, Eugene. Evolutionary Architecture: Nature as a Basis for Design. New York, NY: John Wiley, 1999.
United Nations Development Programme. UNDP in Ukraine. 2017. http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/ourwork/environmentandenergy/overview.html (accessed February 2017).
Weisman, Alan. The World Without Us. Canada: Harper Collins, 2014.
White, Rodney R. Building the Ecological City. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2002.
Wiland, Harry, Dale Bell, and Joseph D'Agnese. Edens Lost & Found: How Ordinary Citizens are Restoring our Great Cities. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2006.
Wildfires in the Core of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ), Ukraine . July 2016, 2016. http://www.fire.uni- freiburg.de/GFMCnew/2016/07/20163007_ua-chernobyl.htm (accessed August 2016).
Williams, Daniel Edward. Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture, and Planning. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007.
Wittmann, Konrad. Industrial Camouflage Manual. New York, NY: Reinhold Publishing Corp, 1942.
Woodworth, Paddy. Our Once and Future Planet: Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago, 2015.
World Data Center. World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development. 2008-2015. http://wdc.org.ua/en/node/29 (accessed November 2016).
World Nuclear Association. Chernobyl Accident 1986. November 2015. http://www.world-nuclear.org/information- library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx (accessed August 2016).
World Nuclear News. Plans for post-Chernobyl resettlement. August 13, 2010. http://www.world-nuclear- news.org/RS_Plans_for_post_Chernobyl_resettlement_1308101.html (accessed April 2016).
Yannas, Simos, Evyatar Erell, and Jose Luis Molina. Roof Cooling Techniques. London: Earthscan, 2006.
Yeang, Ken. Desiging with Nature: The Ecological Basis for Architectural Design. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
—. The Green Skyscraper: The Basis for Designing Sustainable Intensive Buildings. New York, NY: Prestel, 1999.
Chernobyl 30 Years After. Directed by WDR. Produced by Quarks and Company. Performed by Ranga Yogeshwar. ARD Mediathek, 2016.
YPEF. Forest Characteristics and Forest Types - Ukraine. http://ypef.eu/files/booklet/ang/ukraine.pdf (accessed November 2016).
Zeiher, Laura C. The Ecology of Architecture. New York, NY: Whitney Library of Design, 1996.
civ