Faculty of Design
Environmental Design
Farhan Dhanani
Stratify: A Synthesis of Land, Water, and Architecture
Environmental Design
2021
How can Architecture define and be defined by Water?Toronto is surrounded by many creeks and rivers but their proximity is not celebrated. In particular, the Don River has gone through many phases to control the flow of the water in response to the city's growing demands. Currently, the City’s revitalization seeks to address the potential risk of flooding at the river mouth, the Port Lands – it will serve as a great location to observe and connect with the water.This thesis aims to bring a new synthesis of land, water, and architecture through social infrastructure – namely a pedestrian & bicycle bridge, a leisure swimming pool, and the process of water filtration. Using the force of water as a system that organizes, the river transitions from being a border to an element of intersection and the building becomes a threshold between land, with water, through architecture – a bridge that swallowed a swimming pool.How does water determine program? Three ideas of leisure, information, and infrastructure can be distilled into 3 programs and then 3 levels with an educational component embedded within – inspiring stewardship and responsibility of the environment and water through capturing the curiosity of elementary school children with field trips, engaging university-level researchers in the labs, as well as the general public through tours and other engagements. The swimming pool becomes a new way of educating through action.The cycle of water filtration defines the building, where the elevator shaft and a series of pipes moving water connect the levels together. The water is filtered with techniques from Sydney’s storm water reuse plan, a natural swimming pool constructed in Edmonton (Borden Park), and Olympic pool filtration mechanisms from London (Ontario). There is no chlorine or other chemicals in the pool so it becomes a truly relaxing place to swim. The process of filtration allows the building to supply water to the surrounding buildings as well as the river, improving the riparian conditions of the river valley downstream – creating a net positive building with a closed loop water cycle with the river.