City Quarry: Climate Control Solutions for the Water-Scarce City
Team
Name: Hillary DeWildt
Nationality: Canadian
Institution / Company: John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
Name: Ambika Pharma
Nationality: British, Canadian
Institution / Company: John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto, Toronto ON
-HONOURABLE MENTION of Waterless World Competition
How can water be used as an element of climate control in Canadian cities? Can unstable climatic conditions provide an opportunity to redefine urban uses for water supply and storage?
As cities continue to observe adverse impacts of extreme weather and climatic events, the call for adaptive design solutions is stronger than ever. Current efforts are focused on building large-scale infrastructures that alleviate system surges and increase the carrying capacity of the urban environment. City Quarry reframes the permanence of these infrastructures, testing how water can be effectively managed in the winter to shape the outcome of these unpredictable conditions.
The project proposes a series of sunken ice reservoirs, diverting winter runoff to underutilized park spaces for future use. The project expresses itself as a temporary ice park, testing new forms of low-tech infrastructures that double as recreational program. Using basic ice grafting techniques, winter meltwater is stored and slowly released over time as water shortages arise in the summer months.
With a promise of water security, City Quarry provides a testing bed for reintroducing wonder in an age of climate risk.
#watershortage #undergroundwaterinfrastructure #waterandrecreation #icegrafting #beautificationandpublicspace
