Design for Tomorrow!

New economic models facilitate design concepts that are built on decarbonization and planetary protection. They can take-off when design thinking is combined with scientific understanding, entrepreneurialism and a desire to improve the environment. Last Monday, Graduate Studio Final Reviews were held at Washington State University. The class has been working in teams and collaborating with DLR Group on a 912,000 sf mixed-use development at Terminal One, Port of Vancouver, Washington.

Design with renewable resources is front and center, and an obvious prerequisite for all. The class focused on active and passive sustainable design strategies that are based on a circular economy. Strategies included design for modular off-site construction with adaptable on-site functionality, super-sheds for rainwater harvesting and gravity-induced water purification, mass timber design to sequester carbon and reduce embodied carbon emissions, liquid carbon capture alleys with wind-induced accelerators, integrated design for salmon protection at the mouth of the Columbia, and a mobius structure serving as a social incubator and enclosure for a stormwater management park.

Many thanks to my client team J.P. Harlow, Alex Aigner and Aaron Van Dyke at Lincoln Property Company for their backing and site sponsorship, Dr. Omar Al-Hassawi and the faculty of WSU for pushing design innovation and industry-leading strategies that seek to mitigate climate change, my review and travel companion Robert Miller for challenging the teams with thoughtful questions and suggestions, and Steve McKay, Scott Kruse, Mark Ludtka and the rest of DLR Group for the ongoing program support and sponsorship.