Cira Green is a park situated on top of a parking garage in University City. It offers a 1.25 acre sustainable park on an otherwise wasted space in Philadelphia. It is ecologically responsible because it enhances the storm water performance, reducing the rain emptied into the sewage systems. Without the park, it would have been a roof that would funnel water to drains as waste. It is socially responsible because Cira Green provides a public space for local members of the community to gather together while taking in the beautiful Philadelphia skyline. It creates space that wouldn't have otherwise been used. It is economically responsible because it creates jobs while reducing the amount of water needed to upkeep the park. Between the environmental, social, and economical impacts, this piece of land in University City is sustainable and other buildings should begin to take after its model. The example of sustainable design in Philadelphia I've cited in this picture is the soon-to-be railpark where the Reading Viaduct used to be. This project takes on a model like that of The High Line in New York by transforming an abandoned above-ground railroad track into a park. Although ideally a habitat would never have been destroyed to create the railroad in the first place, creating a park out of its abandoned skeleton is a practical and sustainable way of repurposing it so that it serves a purpose in the community in a way similar to green roofs. As the textbook notes, green roofs have important storm-water management capacity. That is, when roads, sidewalks, buildings, and public transportation was built on top of earth, the hydrologic cycle was disrupted in that there was less earth area to absorb and filter water. The new railpark will help give back to that lost space by adding a quarter of a mile of grass and plants. The new grass and plants will also help reduce the CO2 output in cities, which is imbalanced because of the lack of trees. Investing in this space is also economically beneficial in that it could help reduce the costs spent on water control and contamination issues. Beyond its environmental and economic benefits, it also serves the community: it's something that can be used be the community for practical or leisure purposes. In that way, it's dynamic and doesn't just serve environmental purposes but also social purposes. Rebecca Watson Discussion Board 7 Temple’s Science and Research Center, one of the campus’ newer buildings, was created with sustainability in mind. In the city especially, the water cycle is heavily disturbed due to pollutants and lack of runoff area. The SERC was created with maximum grass/courtyard space and has pervious pavers instead of plain cement that allow for more natural water runoff and less water waste by those inside the building. This is because some of the rain water that comes underneath these pavers will be used inside the buildings plumbing; this is both economically and energy efficient. Also, the space around the building is occupied by many bicycle racks to encourage cleaner energy travel; this is both social efficiency and ecologically efficient. The physical structure of the building is largely made of recycled materials, as well. Lastly, the roof appears to be a reflective white color. This seems to be a new trend with architecture because the use of the reflective white roof limits the amount of energy needed to keep the interior of the building cool. This is yet another simple fix that the SERC demonstrates, which will create a lasting sustainable effect on our planet.
Purchase answer to see full attachment