Faculty of Design

Environmental Design

Jan-Philip Radde

ECOverta (Undergrad Thesis)

“The system of our current global society is unsustainable; the linear model of consumption on climate change, and the need to attain capital to survive on mental health. A radical shift is needed in our lifestyles and architecture has the power to create that shift. If a lifestyle change is the goal, the dwelling is the place to start. Closing the gap and enabling sustainable production at home will make people more aware of their consumption while removing waste from overproduction and transportation of goods. By providing the most basic needs of food, water and power, habitants do not have to work unfulfilling jobs just to survive and can instead opt for community-oriented ones.”

“Ecoverta. The name is derived from vertical ecosystem, as the project is a highrise apartment building that is self-sustaining. The proposition of this thesis is that by bringing people closer to their basic needs, we can start to resolve environmental and mental health issues.The site for ECOverta is in the South Core of Toronto, directly to the west of the Rogers Center. This is an ideal location as it is at the stage-front next to two iconic landmarks and can communicate its proposal to the international community.The building is oriented for maximum sun coverage between the buildings to the south. Solar panels on the roof as well as wind turbines that receive Toronto's west wind are used at the top of the building to contribute to its energy storage, and a skylight creates a sense of openness in the inner space.This form is broken into two towers, one for food production and one for living. A variety of indoor farming methods are used to ensure a diverse diet and are sorted by harvest frequency to reduce energy use. Three mechanical floors in each tower include water storage tanks and compressed air energy storage. The base of the building includes a public restaurant and market which use produce from the building. Below ground are waste management and recycling facilities that filter and reuse waste for other systems.The North side of the building makes use of modest windows as a means of energy efficiency as well as resiliency for a long lifespan.The South side of the building uses a polymer called ETFE as its main facade which is convex, giving it a bubbled appearance, this shape serves as a lens to refract the light hitting the building horizontally into the interior.The North section shows the different farming facilities used in the building such as hydroponic, aeroponic, traditional field, and aquaponic levels.In the South section, there are 4 base types of apartment units of varying footprints that are stacked in random orders to create terraces and social spaces. Interior windows serve to strengthen that connection between the inhabitants and their food as well as re-establishing the sense of neighbourhood and community that is often lost in apartment living today.The exploded structure breaks down the major elements of the building's skeleton including the glass frame belt that stitches the two towers together and allows for light penetration.One of the major spaces in this building is the public 3rd floor which includes an event space and a restaurant and market previously mentioned as well as a learning centre for workshops on self-sufficient living.Entering the public 3rd floor, the promenade leads to a viewing point to look straight up through the building.At the 28th floor of the South tower, a multi-layered hydroponic garden, as well as two arrays of grow wheels, grow leafy greens. On either end are communal spaces where neighbours can have gatherings and communal meals.The interior rendering aims to capture daily life on the residential side of the building and how the terrace spaces can serve to extend the living spaces of the building.The final image alludes to the building as a functioning closed system that is truly sustaining itself, and its inhabitants; day and night, all year round.”