Answers and More Questions from Boston Living With Water competition

Boston, MA On Tuesday, November 18, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. at ABX session A50, organizers, jurors, and participants will present “Answers and More Questions” from the Boston Living With Water competition, which launched with a design charrette at ABX last year and concluded in June, when mayor Martin Walsh announced the winners at a ceremony at BSA Space. The discussion will review key issues, ideas, and technical strategies raised by the competition entries. The Boston Living With Water Competition, an open international design competition sought design solutions envisioning a beautiful, vibrant, and resilient Boston that is prepared for end-of-the-century climate conditions and rising sea levels. Fifty teams composed of more than 340 individuals hailing from eight different countries participated in this two-stage competition, which focused on three specific sites in Boston: a building, a neighborhood, and a significant piece of city infrastructure.

Nine semi-finalists were initially selected, three for each of three sites. Teams included groups of academics, leading professionals, and large multi-office collaborations.

After months of deliberation, the jury selected the winners based on each team’s ability to solve multiple challenges, including minimizing damage from chronic and episodic coastal flooding. Funded by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the Barr Foundation, each of the three main winners received a $13,000 prize. In addition, an honorable mention received $5,000. The winners’ work along with exhibition content related to coastal flooding was on display in BSA Space through June 2015.

To view the winning submissions, please visit www.bostonlivingwithwater.org.

“Answers and More Questions” at ABX on Tuesday, November 18, from 1:30-3 pm will present  solutions incorporating living shorelines; canals; floating structures; Boston Harbor dams; the retroffitting of existing buildings; elevated building stock and natural resources; vertical retreats; and new methods of energy generation.

The discussion will also explore five broad design principals identified during the competition: • Design for resilience: anticipate and recover from disturbances quickly and cheaply; • Create double-duty solutions: Provide multiple socio-economic and ecologic benefits; • Strengthen community resilience through resiliency networks and social support systems; • Incentivize and institutionalize preparedness through insurance standards, zoning laws, market-based approaches, construction codes, and policy; and • Phase plans over time to remain flexible and adaptive over time to meet changing conditions

The ABX session will offer glimpses of a future in which Boston can thrive with water; consider the impact of sea level rise on existing and future building stock; and make the business case for planning now to manage a changing coast.

Speakers include Magdalena Ayed, Coordinator for Community Building and Environment, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing; John Dalzell, Senior Architect, Boston Redevelopment Authority; Anamarija Frankic, Director, Green Harbors Project UMB; Stephanie Goldberg, Principal, Lab Architect Group; Nikhil Nadkarni, Climate and Buildings Program Manager, City of Boston; Mark Reed, Principal, Lab Architect Group; Gretchen Schneider, Executive Director, CDRC; Arlen Stawasz, Resiliency Strategist, Perkins + Will.

Boston Living with Water is a partnership between the City of Boston, The Boston Harbor Association, the Boston Society of Architects, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Public programs related to the competition are produced by the BSA Foundation.