Temporal Site Remediation
Transition of parking lot to development site through beautiful remediation
Transition of parking lot to development site through beautiful remediation
Too often, site remediation involves large fences, closed access, and unsightly machines. Is there a way, through landscape, that we can have accessible, and even beautiful brownfield remediation?
The task here was to research a toxic compound that is often found in brownfield sites, find a site within Toronto that is likely to have the chosen pollutant, compose a photomontage of how a phytoremediation strategy could create an interesting transition period towards the time that the site might become viable for development.
I chose to study Mercury. I found that the species Populous deltoides has the potential to clean sites contaminated with mercury through phytovolatization, a process by which mercury is taken up through the roots, converted to a less toxic form through photosynthesis, and released into the air through the leaves. This is the only known method of phytoremediation for mercury.
The site chosen is a parking lot in the Corktown district of Toronto. The design involves the breaking of pavement and planting a large grove of Cottonwood trees amongst the pieces. Through this grove runs a raised path to allow access through the site. Scattered among the trees are magnified drops of 'mercury' both as a reminder of the past, and an allusion to the process in place to clean the site.
The task here was to research a toxic compound that is often found in brownfield sites, find a site within Toronto that is likely to have the chosen pollutant, compose a photomontage of how a phytoremediation strategy could create an interesting transition period towards the time that the site might become viable for development.
I chose to study Mercury. I found that the species Populous deltoides has the potential to clean sites contaminated with mercury through phytovolatization, a process by which mercury is taken up through the roots, converted to a less toxic form through photosynthesis, and released into the air through the leaves. This is the only known method of phytoremediation for mercury.
The site chosen is a parking lot in the Corktown district of Toronto. The design involves the breaking of pavement and planting a large grove of Cottonwood trees amongst the pieces. Through this grove runs a raised path to allow access through the site. Scattered among the trees are magnified drops of 'mercury' both as a reminder of the past, and an allusion to the process in place to clean the site.
