Week 3: “Know Your Zone”

1) In 2012 a major storm affected New York City, named Hurricane Sandy. Watch the following 6 minute video about  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.the event. What surprised you most about this video? Do you feel the city is now better designed to handle a major hurricane, 5 years later? 

After watching the video about the damages Hurricane Sandy caused in New York City, it surprised me that only a few years ago happen this where I live now. Moreover, what surprised me the most about this event is to know and learn that the city wasn’t prepared for a strong storm such as Sandy, and got over 5 million gallons of water on the city. All the damages that caused the storm beginning with a flood and then causing a big electricity explosion served as a wake-up call to take action about it. For this reason, I feel that the government of New York took action immediately to change structures and city design that wasn’t enough to support the city. In this case, I believe that the city is thinking “to design beyond the future” as they are changing and making the city strong for a future storm. The use of different materials like submersible components to avoid explosions is one of the changes which I consider essential to overcome the next hurricane and avoid major damages such as the ConEd explosion in 2012. Also, the combination of engineering and design is important, as changing the structure of the city is not enough but designing it to be prepared for any natural disaster. It is true that the city is getting better and prepared to overcome another hurricane, but I believe that if the city keeps getting stronger, it will have better consequences.

2) Visit and explore New York City’s Hurricane Preparation website. http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/em/html/know-your-zone/knowyourzone.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Locate which evacuation zone (1-6) you live within and consider signing up for alerts. What does it feel like to learn what zone you inhabit? How close is the next, nearest zone to your home? Which zone is Parsons located within? Do you feel prepared for a hurricane in NYC? What are your thoughts on this website’s design (is it functional, aesthetic, easy to use etc.)?

First, I didn’t know that there were evacuation zones assigned and well organized by the NYC government, as in my country there are no evacuation zones determined by the government. For this reason, know about my nearest evacuation zone makes me feel safer and more prepared when it comes to any alert. I consider the Zone 6, which is the closets where I live is fairly close for me to walk in an emergency alert. The next nearest zone is zone 5, which is still really near to my location. Parsons has located also in Zone 6 but some other buildings are located in Zone 5. In some way, I feel safe and prepared for a hurricane but I feel that having a demo of what to do in case of alert and what things to have would be useful and essential to keep calm and act wisely. Moreover, I consider that the design of the website is very functional and easy to understand and even for people who don’t speak English. It is easy to look for home location and the closets evacuation zone because of the colors and graphics that are used on the website, very minimalistic without too many graphics but the necessary to highlight zones and a clear street map.

3) The new Whitney Museum of Art is located in Zone 1. Next week we will visit the Whitney Museum learn from Museum staff about building’s ability to adapt to climate change. In preparation, please read the following article about the Whitney Museum of Art’s preparation for sea-level rise in New York City.  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.What are three facts that you learned in this article that were the most surprising? What do you think is the most creative aspect of the building’s design?  What are two questions you have about the Whitney’s design and preparation for flooding? ** please note we will talk from Parsons to the Whitney next week. It is just under a mile (should take around 15-20 minutes). Please wear comfortable walking shoes to class and bring an umbrella if needed. You do not need to bring your laptops to class next week.

The three facts that were the most surprising about this article were first, the flood-mitigation system of the Whitney Museum, which was designed after the damages done by Hurricane Sandy. This system shows the changes that buildings are taking to be prepared to this epoch we are living. Second, the statement made by Kevin Schorn, the assistant of Renzo Piano the architect of the Whitney, that now buildings have to be designed like submarines, to be prepared to any natural phenomenon. And the last is that other institutions around the US are taking similar actions like Perez Art Museum, Rubin Museum of Art, among others.

I think the most creative aspect of this building is the capacity it has to protect a city or zone from a flood by adding some structure and system to the construction of the building, converting it into a fortress. But also, the way they design the system to ensure that, because of the perfect balance of the design, a single person can push the door despite the mass and the weight of the door. It is really surprising how architectures now are thinking beyond our present and have taken buildings not only for living or habitate in them, but adding another function to it, to protect our environment and city.

About Whitney’s design, I am curious about how they manage the system to function, as it was added half-way of the construction of the building? Also, how come the architect wanted to preserve the aesthetics of the building instead of taking that big construction as a statement about global warming and creating conscious to society?

4) Begin work on your Systems Map or modelPreview the documentView in a new window, due in two weeks.  For this week, start your research on this project. On your LP, name the material you will be mapping/modeling and list 15 of the 20 systems you will include in your final design.  Draft your caption about how this material might be produced differently in 50 years because of how planetary systems are changing. The final map or model is due on September 19th. On the 19th post the file or documentation of your project on your LP and PRINT or bring your model to class for critique.  Be sure to use your own original drawings/graphics/photography, not clip art.

For my system map, I want to research about a material that I consider I will use the most during my career as fashion designer, muslin. So, to make the model I will use digital media such as Illustrator that will include graphics and words that will explain clearly the system. Also, the system that I will include in the model are the materials used, transportation, location, labor, health effects, water, air, energy, manufacturing, process, retail stores, pollution, fair trade, waste, packaging used.

I believe because many of the this needed to make muslin and the process it takes, it will be really hard to have it 50 years from now, not only that type of fabric but most of them. Also, to create most fabrics, the process pollutes not only the environment but causes serious health effect on workers.

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