Remediation Architecture - A Spatial Approach to Bioremediation

<p>Phenomena such as industrialisation and urbanisation </p><p>are associated with the built environment. Both contribute to </p><p>pollution of urban soil, water and air in various ways. This in turn </p><p>contributes in part to climate change and biodiversity loss. It </p><p>is therefore the responsibility of the built environment, and the </p><p>professionals associated with its design and functioning, to </p><p>remediate the aforementioned effects. </p><p>This research investigates the spatial arrangement of </p><p>bioremediation techniques (the process of using fungus, </p><p>bacteria, and plants to break down and purify environmental </p><p>pollutants) within architecture in order to remediate brownfield </p><p>sites to a state where they contribute to a regenerative built </p><p>environment. </p><p>This investigation utilises a design-led research approach </p><p>of examining the spatial arrangement of bioremediation </p><p>techniques within architecture and proposes a series of design </p><p>interventions at one of New Zealand’s most contaminated </p><p>sites. This research proposes practical methods of applying </p><p>restoration design to remediate brownfield sites to move </p><p>towards a regenerative development model. The land and </p><p>waterways that make up brownfield sites should be celebrated </p><p>for their ecological significance, and remediated, rather than </p><p>ignored so as to build positive human-nature relationships. </p><p>Research findings include that bioremediation and </p><p>architecture cannot exist separately if brownfield site </p><p>remediation and development is to contribute to a regenerative </p><p>built environment. It is critical to use architecture itself as one </p><p>means of educating users about the ecological processes </p><p>of brownfield site bioremediation. This is important in order </p><p>to establish a stewardship role within individuals and local </p><p>communities as a way to work towards the protection and </p><p>successful restoration of these degraded sites. This research </p><p>also found that the restoration of brownfield sites towards </p><p>regenerative development requires architecture and built </p><p>environment infrastructure to be adaptive to future climate </p><p>change conditions. The bioremediation techniques examined </p><p>in this research could be used to retrofit existing buildings and </p><p>designed into new additions and/or retrofits so that architecture </p><p>can adapt to climate change impacts, particularly sea-level rise </p><p>and increased storm surge.</p>