WINNER OF A 2019 CANADIAN ARCHITECT STUDENT AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Cameron Parkin, University of Waterloo
Advisor: Maya Przybylski
Two- and three-dimensional mapping is used to analyze the movement of birds through the city, and to locate interventions to facilitate their passage.
Toronto?s downtown is rapidly densifying. One of the results is that residents have reduced access to biodiverse green spaces, which foster mental health and environmental responsibility. This project aims to move beyond ornamental lawns, exploring a dynamic strategy to creating complex urban habitats for flora and fauna.
The work explores computational methods of modelling networks and habitats that are borrowed from landscape ecology, graph theory, and parametric architecture. It involves simulating the two-dimensional and three-dimensional movement of birds through the city, and using this information to locate and inform a variety of interventions. Rendering of artificial habitat fragments.
The work is divided into three parts, with each part exploring a progressively smaller piece of urban fabric. The first part maps avian habitat networks in Toronto?s downtown and central waterfront. Using layered GIS data and aerial imagery, it creates a ?resistance map? showing where birds can most easily travel. High-resistence areas such as highways and tall buildings are lighter in colour, while areas that accommodate birds such as tree canopies and natural ground covers are darker. Simulated birds are dep...