Communal Landscape & Systems Design in Residential Subdivisions for Hawaii's Future Water Security
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2020
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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“Wai” or freshwater in the native Hawaiian language was an important aspect in ancient Hawaiian culture. It was both an abundant and essential resource in sustaining life as it runs from the top of the mountains, through the rivers, lakes, or streams, and into the ocean surrounding the islands. A Blueprint for Action Water Security for an Uncertain Future was published in 2018 by the Hawaii Community Foundation (HFC). It stated that there have been recent trends in the past 30 years in rainfall, evaporation rates, and declining stream flows. These observations are physical warnings of the depletion of Hawaii’s aquifers. An increase in population is also a factor that is considered when looking into our future water demand on our islands. According to Hawaii’s historical censuses between the year 1990 to 2010, it has risen 22.7% from 1,08,229 to 1,360,301. These rising concerns shows that there is a need for action in conserving, re-using, and recharging Hawaii’s freshwater. The Board of Water Supply (BWS) Master Plan (MP) show projections of high future development and high increase in population within ʻEwa. The MP also provides a high-water use in gallons per day (gpd) per unit standard for detached residential homes. In 2014, the Board of Water Supply use on Oahu distributes 35.36% of water supply to single-family residential homes. This is ranking higher than agriculture, city government, hotels, state government, and commercial sectors. Therefore, there is a need to address the single-family detached dwellings within the district of ʻEwa. The board of water supply currently has an existing water re-use program in the Honouliuli Waste Water Treatment Plant (HWWTP). However, the recycled water is distributed to areas with close proximities for irrigation and industrial needs. We can also take a glance at our current living situation. In one of the most unique places to live, one may ask themselves, “Are we living a ‘Paradise Lifestyle’?”. We live in an environment in which our homes, workplaces, or outdoor spaces often do not take advantages of Hawaii’s natural environment. Through evaluating Hawaii’s approaches to reach our future goals, architectural, landscape, and urban design can be used to enhance our lifestyle. Drawing from the ancient Hawaiian practices of working with nature can help create a paradise in which we can all share. Defining the needs within this topic of interest through various research and literature review has led to an overall research question: How can multi-architectural and landscape water re-use strategies such as communal storage tanks, and private and public greenspaces promote a new lifestyle for existing detached residential subdivision housing? Through research on current and potential water conservation, recharge and reuse practices, this project proposes to adopt and reinvent to our existing. The product is a site-specific landscape with an integrated communal rainwater and individual gray water system design in ʻEwa’s dry, hot climate. Potable water use data and the paradise lifestyle will be evaluated in an existing site. This information will then be compared with the final prototype design and its quantitative and qualitative resulting data. Through an iterative design process, the potential amount of water that is used, conserved, and re-used will be calculated after each experimentation. Ultimately, the design proposes to reduce runoff as there is great potential in captured rainwater, even in low precipitation site. Overall, if the results of various simulations show significant potential, this can raise awareness of both designers and users. The sensitivity to sustainable culture that Hawaii once had will also provide benefits towards our way of living.
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Hawaii
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