ARCH 436

Animal Prevailing, Sustainable, Harmonious, Corresponding, Restorative

The proposal is for a green corridor that will offer a safe space for animals’ migrating and revive the deserted old Chicago industrial corridor. The industrial corridor used to breed the recent industries of central United States, but also has taken acres of living space of animals. Leaving hundreds of concrete buildings, bridges and highways, most of these human infrastructures are waste ground now. Based on different categories of infrastructure, different greening strategies will be applied in order to achieve the most proper planting density. By applying these greening strategies, those waste infrastructures could maximize their function of serving as a migrating corridor for animal without being entirely demolished, which also minimizes the financial costs of the project. At one end of the green corridor, a new high-speed railway station will be built for serving as a transport hub as well as a research center.

My proposal of personal project is basically to create an exterior shell for the high-speed railway station.As the end of the corridor in the Chicago city, the railway station plays a important role of serve both human and animals, especially birds, which means human would stay with animals in the same vertical space without interfering animals. A green roof panel system which is designed to be only accessible to animals and researchers will ensure the needs of both human and animals.

To be more specific, the interior of station will be platforms on the ground floor, waiting lounges on the first floor and observing rooms and researching laboratory on the above level. Above the shell, there will be green roof for animals’ migrating and living, which is only accessible for animals and researchers. The shell will be composed of panel system. Each panel bearing green roof will be supported by one column, the size of which will be determined by the plants plant above. For those panels serve as openings, they will be supported by girders, beams, and trusses system instead of columns. In this case, Openings on the roof will not be too many because of the limited sunlight need for laboratory and the need of researchers and audiences to be hidden when observing.Meanwhile, sunlight condition on the ground and first floor will be ensured as sufficient as possible.