RAMSEY LAKE INTERPRETIVE CENTRE An Architectural Response to Aquatic Environmental Public Awareness by Justen Waldick A thesis submitted in partial fullfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architeture (M.Arch) The Faculty of Graduate Studies Laurentian University Sudbury, ON, Canada © Justen Waldick, 2019 THESIS DEFENCE COMMITTEE/COMITÉ DE SOUTENANCE DE THÈSE Laurentian Université/Université Laurentienne Faculty of Graduate Studies/Faculté des études supérieures Title of Thesis Titre de la thèse Ramsey Lake Interpretive Centre: An Architectural Response to Aquatic Environmental Public Awareness Name of Candidate Nom du candidat Waldick, Justen Degree Diplôme Master of Department/Program Date of Defence Département/Programme Architecture Date de la soutenance April 08, 2019 APPROVED/APPROUVÉ Thesis Examiners/Examinateurs de thèse: Ms. Shannon Bassett (Thesis Advisor / Directeur(trice) de thèse) Dr. David Pearson (Thesis Second Reader / Directeur(trice) de thèse deuxième) Approved for the Faculty of Graduate Studies Approuvé pour la Faculté des études supérieures Dr. David Lesbarrères Monsieur David Lesbarrères Ms. Janna Levitt Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies (External Examiner/Examinateur(trice) externe) Doyen, Faculté des études supérieures ACCESSIBILITY CLAUSE AND PERMISSION TO USE I, Justen Waldick, hereby grant to Laurentian University and/or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or for the duration of my copyright ownership. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also reserve the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that this copy is being made available in this form by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. 01 INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Primary Advisor Shannon Bassett Assistant Professor McEwen School of Architecture, Laurentian Univerity Secondary Advisor Dr. David Pearson Co-Director, Science Communication Program Professor, Department of Earth Sciences Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian Univerity Additional Acknowledgements Dr. Terrance Galvin Founding Director McEwen School of Architecture, Laurentian Univerity Dr. Aliki Economides Assistant Professor McEwen School of Architecture, Laurentian Univerity 1 01 INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT This thesis will aim to address the following theoretical questions: How can architectural interventions mitigate human impact on a more than human landscape? How can enhanced and sustainable interaction between aquatic life and people contribute to greater appreciation and conservation for un- derwater ecosystems? Specifically, this thesis will study and analyze Ramsey Lake, in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, through mapping exercises, scientific research, media articles, and site documentation to inform the design of a “Ramsey Lake Interpretive Centre”. The centre would raise public environmental awareness of regional aquatic ecosystems and provide direct opportunities for environ- mental remediation of a lake which has been impacted by industrial activity and urban development for over one-hundred-years. Ramsey Lake was selected as the focus of this study because of the central role that it plays within the community. In addition to acting as a drinking wa- ter reservoir for over 40% of Greater Sudbury, it also represents a significant centre for culture and recreation within the community. 2 00 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTIONS 01 Introduction pg. 1 02 Precedents pg. 8 03 Sudbury: Industrial Landscape pg. 10 04 Ramsey Lake Current Concerns pg. 16 05 Ramsey Lake Ecology pg. 22 06 Sudbury Tourism pg. 30 07 Installations pg. 32 08 Interpretive Centre pg. 40 09 Conclusion pg. 70 10 References pg. 72 3 00 TABLE OF CONTENTS FIGURES 1A Ramsey Lake pg. 6 1B Ramsey Lake Topography Model pg. 7 2A Plus Pool pg. 8 2B Salmon Spiral pg. 8 2C Habitat Skirt pg. 8 3A Barren Landscape pg. 10 3B Liming Process pg. 10 3C Greater Sudbury Regreening Map pg. 13 3D Ramsey Lake Water Quality Timeline pg. 14 4A Ramsey Lake Health Overview pg. 16 4B Watershed Areas pg. 16 4C Chloride pg. 16 4D Phosphorous pg. 16 4E Ramsey Lake Urban Development pg. 19 4F Drinking Water Intake pg. 20 4G Alternative Drinking Water Supply pg. 20 4H Waste Water Overflow Outlet pg. 20 4I Beach Water Quality pg. 20 4J Ramsey Lake Infrastructure Map pg. 21 5A Ramsey Lake Vegetation pg. 23 5B Native Aquatic Vegetation pg. 24 5C Regreening Program Tree Species pg. 25 5D Ramsey Lake Fish Species pg. 26 5E Science North pg. 28 5F Living with Lakes Centre pg. 28 5G Lake Laurentian Conservation Area pg. 28 6A General Tourism Statistics pg. 30 6B Origin of Visit pg. 30 4 00 TABLE OF CONTENTS FIGURES 6C Tourist Activities pg. 30 6D Money Spent by Category pg. 30 6E Ramsey Lake Tourist Map pg. 31 7A Moonlight Beach Aquatic Garden Proposal pg. 32 7B Storm Drain Pollutant Lighting Proposal pg. 34 7C Below the Waterline Proposal pg. 36 7D Above the Waterline Proposal pg. 38 7E Ramsey Lake Installation Map pg. 39 8A Bell Park Boardwalk pg. 42 8B Bell Park Boardwalk Images pg. 43 8C Existing Site pg. 44 8D Proposed Site pg. 44 8E Site Plan & Site Section pg. 47 8F Building Section pg. 48 8G Front Perspective pg. 49 8H Main Floor Plan pg. 50 8I Interpretive Centre Sections pg. 52 8J Main Floor Perspective pg. 54 8K Turtle Island Sculpture pg. 55 8L Upper Floor Plan pg. 57 8M Lower Floor Plan pg. 59 8N Aquarium Sections pg. 61 8O Main Floor Perspective pg. 63 8P Aquarium Enclosures pg. 64 8Q Filtration pg. 66 8R Electrodialysis pg. 66 8S Chloride Filtration pg. 69 5 01 INTRODUCTION 1A RAMSEY LAKE Map by author, developed from GIS data courtesy of the City of Greater Sudbury. 6 01 INTRODUCTION 1B RAMSEY LAKE TOPOGRAPHY MODEL Model by author, developed from GIS data courtesy of the City of Greater Sudbury. 7 02 PRECEDENTS 2A (Top Left) PLUS POOL | New York, New York, United States Design, POOL. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.pluspool.org/pool/design/. 2B (Right) SALMON SPIRAL | Seattle, Washington, United States Norah Daley. Seattle’s big chance to reconnect the waterfront. Seattle Dailey Journal. April 22, 2004. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://www.djc.com/news/en/11156164.html. 2C (Bottom Left) HABITAT SKIRT | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Habitat Skirt at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Tidewatercurrent.com. 2014. Accessed April 17, 2019. http:// tidewatercurrent.com/2014_summer/Vancouver_Habitat_Skirt.html. 8 02 PRECEDENTS Explorations into similar investigations have led to creative ideas in the reme- diation of urban aquatic environments. In Manhattan’s Hudson River, a group called + pool is advocating for the construction of an innovative public pool that would float in the river. The pool would utilize a semi-permeable filtra- tion system as its walls. It is claimed that these filtration walls would emover pollutants from 600,000 gallons of river water per day.1 In Seattle, Washington, the group Edge Habitat, developed a conceptual “Salmon Spiral” installation which provides shelter and habitat to salmon and juvenile fish. The spiral creates a false ocean floor along existing underwater pier columns, mixing ecological habitat into urban development. The same group also developed ideas for “Habitat Hooks”, which are hook shaped structures protruding from the land which allow sediment to build up over time, creating a softer shoreline and habitat space for fish.2 A similar project at the Vancouver Convention Centre took a simpler ap- proach. At the end of the convention centre building, which extends out over the ocean by 50m, the design team developed a series of underwater stepped shelving systems called the “Habitat Skirt”. The shelves mimic the rocky shorelines which exist naturally around the area and create horizontal planes which seaweed and shellfish can attach themselves to. The esponser could create an important precedent for Vancouver, where 80 percent of the natural shoreline has been degraded by urban development. According to the marine ecologist on the project, Jamie Slogan, the system supports more biodiversity than a typical natural shoreline in the area.3 1 Design, POOL. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.pluspool.org/pool/design/. 2 Jeffrey Hou. Hybrid Landscapes: Toward an Inclusive Ecological Urbanism on Seattle’s Central Waterfront. University of Washington. 3 Waves of Life Invigorate Vancouver’s Shoreline. TheThunderbird.ca. October 24, 2012. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://thethunderbird.ca/2012/03/29/waves-of-life-invigorate-vancouvers-shoreline/ 9 03 SUDBURY’S INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE 3A (Top) BARREN LANDSCAPE The Reclamation of Sudbury: The Greening of a Moonscape. Viewpoint Mining Magazine. Accessed January 07, 2019. http://viewpointmining.com/article/the-reclamation-of-sudbury. 3B (Bottom) LIMING PROCESS Home. Sudbury Protocol. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www3.laurentian.ca/sudbury-protocol/. 10 03 SUDBURY’S INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE The settlement of Sudbury prior to the Great Depression was the result of a growth in mining and lumber activity within the region. The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883 had opened up the development of these industries. By 1905, Sudbury was the largest supplier of nickel in the world. Prior to 1929, open roast yards were used to refine the ore.