Resilient City | Andrew De La Garza
Galveston / United States / 2011
4
Concern: How does a city where its built fabric can quickly be erased become more resilient to natural forces and even utilize those forces for making it stronger?
After analyzing the question, a solution was developed and broken into six interwoven categories (ecology, landscape, urbanism, architecture, energy resources, and infrastructure). These six categories define my strategic planning, as well as my overall goals for the city of Galveston. With the changes to the island, the ecological balance could easily have been effected in a negative way. The average height of Galveston Island is 14’ above sea level, which is a huge reason why it is susceptible tonatural forces. Not to mention, over 65% of Galveston’s landmass is unoccupied land. Therefore this encouraged me to explore possible ways of transforming the land in a way that would allow it to be utilized more and was a starting point for the design and reconfiguration of the islands overall design. From an urban stand point, Galveston is not a very pedestrian friendly city, due to its car dependent layout of the city. Architecturally there was opportunity of embracing natural forces with a unique shape and arrangement of the buildings.
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Andrew De La Garza
Principal Architect
Concern: How does a city where its built fabric can quickly be erased become more resilient to natural forces and even utilize those forces for making it stronger? After analyzing the question, a solution was developed and broken into six interwoven categories (ecology, landscape, urbanism, architecture, energy resources, and infrastructure). These six categories define my strategic planning, as well as my overall goals for the city of Galveston. With the changes to the island, the ecological...
- Year 2011
- Status Research/Thesis
- Type Parks, Public Gardens / Public Squares / Waterfront / Port Areas / Urban development plans / Neighbourhoods/settlements/residential parcelling / Adaptive reuse of industrial sites / Landscape/territorial planning / Feasibility Studies / Apartments / Multi-family residence / Office Buildings / Banks / Offices/studios / Research Centres/Labs / Trade Fair Centres / Conference Centres / Shopping Malls / Showrooms/Shops / Fitness Centres / Hotel/Resorts / Wellness Facilities/Spas / Tourist Facilities / Beach Facilities / Bars/Cafés / Pubs/Wineries / Restaurants / Discos, Clubs / Student Halls of residence / Exhibitions /Installations / Urban Renewal / Private clubs/recreation centres / Marinas / Bridges and Walkways / Cycle Paths / Strategic Urban Plans / Metropolitan area planning / Lofts/Penthouses / Markets / Day-care centres
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