Cottonwood Creek Park, Encinitas

Cottonwood creek park is the newest park in Encinitas, finished in May 2004. It was built on an empty parcel of land in downtown Encinitas used for storage and truck parking for the works department. Cottonwood Creek, a historic creek that allowed for the development of early Encinitas, was located in a 96” pipe underneath the property. In an effort to improve the water quality, the City of Encinitas re-surfaced the creek and built an 8-acre passive recreation park, designed by award winning Landscape Architecure firm Schmidt Design Inc.

Creek Resurfacing:

The creek emerges from underneath Encinitas Boulevard and first flows into a sedimentation pond. This is where all the impurities in the water can settle into the mud of the, once the water leaves the pond it flows for 600 feet over boulders through Willows, Cottonwoods, Sycamores and other native Californian rushes. This process helps aerate the water and clean it further. The natural daylight also gives a chance for the unwanted bacteria, which were very prevalent in the underground creek, to die.

Image 1: Sedimentation pond.

Improved Water Quality:

The quality of water that comes out of the creek onto Moonlight Beach has improved greatly since the park has been built, according to Heal The Bay, a Southern California non profit which determines water quality at beaches. The water quality has been tested at Moonlight Beach since 2002, and there is a notable improvement in 2004 when the park was finished and water began flowing through the resurfaced creek.

Image 2: Interpretive signs inform the public about how the creek cleans the water.

Permeable Paving:

The park also minimized runoff by paving most surfaces with permeable paving. All pedestrian paths are made with decomposed granite, which also allows water to filter through. The parking lot is made of a concrete which allows most water to pass through. The water that does run off the parking lot, runs through a series of gutters filled with large stones to slow the water before it enters the creek.

Image 3: most of the paving surfaces at the park.

Pedestrian Trails:

This park also provides crucial linkages and paths for pedestrians, bicyclists, and runners to get around the city. These paths encourage people to walk and exercise from Leucadia to downtown Encinitas. Pedestrians can also take a slight detour through the park instead of walking along busy Encinitas Boulevard. Paths such as this improve the quality of life for the residents of Encinitas and contribute to the social sustainability of Encinitas.

Image 4: Pedestrian access to adjacent neighborhood, notice the DG handicap ramp on the left.

Image 5: Picture taken when the park was just finished in 2004

Image 6: Picture from the same location, vegetation grown in 4 years later.

Image 7: cool detail, cobble-stone gutter that slows the water down before it enters the creek.

The San Elijo Nature Center and Lagoon

Due to be completed in March 2009, the new San Elijo Nature Center in Cardiff, California will be a sustainably constructed, energy generating building. It will showcase the San Elijo Lagoon’s ecosystems, along with the sustainable building techniques it employs. The community will use this building to learn about the Escondido creek watershed, whose output is the mouth of the San Elijo Lagoon. Also, in an effort to practice what it preaches, the nature center will teach people about the advantages of LEED and sustainable design.

Image 1: The San Elijo Lagoon is already a popular place for evening dog walks and bird watching. The new nature center will blend in with its surroundings.

The building designed by Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects is 4230 square feet, cost $4.7 million to build, and is on track to be LEED Gold Certified. Its footprint is the same as the original nature center, which didn’t have much function except to facilitate some group activities. The building also has photovaultaic panels, which supply the building with 52% of its energy requirements. Other green building elements include: radiant floor heating, green planted roof, recycled cotton insulation, certified renewable lumber, natural daylighting and ventilation, storm water filtering, native vegetation and recycled water used for both irrigation and to supply the toilets.

As a Cardiff resident and weekly frequenter of the San Elijo Lagoon, this is a welcome addition to this small community. A new superstar-building like this will hopefully bring more people to the nature center and lagoon to learn about these fragile wetland environments and green building techniques. It has already received numerous press articles and a nomination for an orchid award this year.

Image 2: The nature center facing west, still under construction. Existing native California vegetation in front of the building.

Image 3: Nature center's viewing deck with photovoltaic pergola.

Image 4: while the construction footprint is small, heavy machinery is still being used for construction.

Image 5: Architect's renderings of the finished building.

Lake Hodges Pedestrian Bridge

A 990 foot pedestrian bridge connecting Escondido to Rancho Bernardo is nearing completion. Instead of following the pedestrian trail around Lake Hodges, the bridge cuts off a 9.5 mile section, providing a direct link over the lake, making it much easier for pedestrians and bicyclists get to Poway and Rancho Bernardo from Escondido. This bridge is just a section of the 55 mile Coast to Crest Trail in the San Dieguito River Park which follows the San Dieguito River to the coast, and connects with the path at the San Dieguito Wetlands. It cost $10 million, and will be completed in March 2009.

Image1: Aerial Project Photo, Bridge is located just west of Highway 15

Normally, I think building a bridge on a sensitive habitat like a lake isn’t a good thing. However, this bridge has a very small footprint because of the way it is designed. Also, this bridge produces many positive social impacts such as promoting exercise and ecological awareness, so the bridge’s minimal environmental impact is mitigated by its social positives.

It was designed by engineering firm T. Y. Lin as a Stress Ribbon Bridge, and is the longest of its kind in the world. This stress ribbon bridge has only two footings, which anchor and support a system of pre-stressed concrete with steel cables.

Image 2: Concept Diagram of a Stress Ribbon Bridge

Image 3: Diagram from the North County Times of this Bridge

Image 4: Individual pre-stressed section.

Image 5: That's a lot of steel!

Image 6: Temporary construction Tressle on the right.

The 2008 Orchids and Onions Awards

The Orchids and Onions Awards is a San Diego based organization that is committed to promoting excellence in the built environment. It acknowledges the outstanding (orchid) and terrible (onion) built projects in the San Diego Area through an annual awards event.

The categories of the awards are: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Design, Interior Design, Historic Preservation, Planning Policies, Public Art, and Urban Design.

Given the interest of this blog, I’ll only briefly describe the winners of the Sustainable Design Category. I will also discuss several of the nominees in future posts.

The Sprinter Rail: Connecting Oceanside to Escondido via light rail.

The Sprinter Light Rail line is 22 miles long, has 15 stations and serves the northern communities of San Diego: Oceanside, San Marcos, Vista, and Escondido. Service began in March 2008, (when gas prices were at their all time high) and saw high ridership in it’s first few months of operation.


Image 1: Map of the line. Notice how it parallels Highway 78.

This light rail line also connects to Palomar Community College and Cal State San Marcos. A trip from Oceanside and to Escondido Costs 2 dollars, 1 dollar for seniors, and takes 53 minutes. In it’s first few weeks of operation it saw ridership at about 8,000 and ridership is expected to be at 11,000 by the beginning of 2009. In addition, it was expected to reduce round trips by car from Escondido to Oceanside by 5,000 per day but has only reduced trips by 1,600.

Another thing I like about this project is the rail trail that is planned to run along the entire rail line. This trail promotes cyclists and pedestrians to get to the station without using their car. It is already built between Escondido and Vista and the rest of the trail to Oceanside is currently being designed.


Image 2: A Section of the Rail Trail


Image 3: pedestrian bridge to the College Boulevard station


Image 4: A station. It looks like it is in the middle of no where, there should be dense development around the station so people can take advantage of the convenient rail line.


Pont Loma Nazarene University: Photovaultaic Roofing System

A 450 kw photovaultaic system is the first of it’s kind at this San Diego university. It provide 80% for six of its buildings during peak energy use. This roofing system is just a part of the university’s ambitious plan to become a carbon neutral campus. Other programs that they have initiated are: food composting, water recycling toilets, all new product purchases from recyclable products (even computers??), and to achieve a sliver LEED rating on all new buildings. Another goal of the university's program is to teach all the students about the importance of sustainable design and conservation, which is probably the most important to teach a new generation how to conserve effectively.


Image 5: The Photovaultaic panels are on the right side of the arched roof of the gym....Notice how well it blends in with the ocean!

The San Dieguito Wetland Remediation Project

Brief introduction:

The San Dieguito Wetland remediation project is a massive joint effort to restore over 400 acres of tidal wetlands and habitat. After 15 years of planning, the project is under construction, and several areas are mostly completed. The City of Del Mar, PG & E, Southern California Edison, SANDAG and government agencies such as California Fish and game, The Costal Commission, Caltrans, and North County Transit District, to mitigate the effect of the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant 30 miles to the north. Southern California Edison is footing 70% of the 68 million dollar bill.

These wetlands have been monitored by Coastal Environments, an Oceanographic and Coastal Engineering Service Firm for over 20 years. This firm also designed and and provided topographical surveys for these wetlands. They will continue to monitor the wetlands as they are completed and well established.

Project Objectives:

• Restore the project area to a total, well-functioning ecological unit that includes open waters, wetlands, uplands and bluffs.
• Expand tidal influence within the historic boundaries of the San Dieguito Lagoon to the maximum extent feasible by enlarging the tidal prism, maintaining the tidal inlet in an open condition at the river mouth, creating new tidal basins, and creating finger channels to support subtidal, intertidal and coastal salt marsh habitat.
• Restore native habitat to its historical natural patterns, to the extent feasible, by restoring riparian corridors and natural drainages, removing invasive species, and restoring and enhancing connections to adjacent coastal wetland, riparian and coastal sage scrub habitat.
• Create and enhance habitat for rare, threatened and endangered wildlife species indigenous (now or in the past) to the lagoon area, including nesting habitat for least terns and snowy plovers.
• Provide habitat for Canada geese and other migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.
• Restore rare coastal wetlands as important habitat for oceanic fish.
• Provide an alignment for the Coast to Crest Trail that provides access for multiple user groups, including hikers, bicyclists, equestrians and users of all abilities, and that does not impact sensitive habitats or species.
• Interpret natural and cultural resources for the public by providing wildlife viewing opportunities, interpretive trails, educational signage, and a Nature Center.


Image 1: site plan. create different wetlands on each side of the freeway. dispose the soil onsite in the pink areas.



Image 2: new berm with culvert and new wetland pool beyond existing vegetation


Image 3: existing lagoon mouth to be dredged. sand will be put on beach.


More description: There are several components to the design of this project. First and foremost, the reason for the project is to expand the wetland habitat. Also, there are specific built up nesting sites local/endangered birds, berms to prevent the river from dumping sediment into the new wetlands, an interpretative/interactive walk and cultural element, and a permanent opening to the ocean.

This project re-creates several wetland basins that have been successionally filled in over the years on both sides of the freeway. Heavy grading and soil engineering is required to create the wetlands. The excavated soil from the wetlands is moved to selected areas on site.

These wetlands have several different designated levels:
Subtidal - water inundation 0 to 6 feet deep
Frequently flooded mudflat – below the average tide height +0’
Frequently exposed mudflat – above the average tide height +1’
Low Marsh – +3’
Mid marsh – +4’
High marsh – +4.5’

Nesting sites:
There are a total of 5 nesting sites in the project with a total area of 12.3 acres. These sites are specifically built for the Western Snowy Plover, California Least Tern, and other shore birds. They range in height from +10’ to +19’ and located near bodies of water throughout the site. A combination of 80% sand and 20% shell fragments will be used as the surface of the flat plateau, which will discourage vegetation and allow for maximum nesting area.


Image 4: future site of nesting habitat, this one will be 19' above sea level

Interpretative element:
While a human/cultural element in any ecological lagoon project may disrupt the wildlife and natural setting, it allows for an understanding of the ecological processes happening in the lagoon, an opportunity to watch the wildlife and birds, and to also enjoy nature. However, they must be designed so that people can have a close interaction with nature, but are not so intrusive that they interfere with the wildlife.

The trail at the San Dieguito Wetlands is so far removed from the estuaries and wetlands that you cant even see wildlife activity. It leaves the walker in a sate of confusion because things are too far away too see. Before renovation, there was a trail that went through the middle of the wetlands. The trail was a former berm of the existing airstrip. Now, the only trail is a new path on the perimeter of north side the site.


Image 5: a stop on the trail, one of the only good places to view the new wetlands


Summary:
As I finish off my thoughts I’d like to list sum up the sustainable efforts of the project:
- establishes large wetland areas for more habitat and greater ecological diversity - creates nesting sites for local endangered shore birds
- opens lagoon mouth for total tidal flush so lagoon can function effectively
- mitigates Southern California Edison’s negative impacts from electricity generation.
- Creates stopping point for migratory birds on the pacific flyway.
- Attempts to teach public about importance of these wetlands



Image 6: built mudflats with culvert and berm at low tide


Image 7: same mudflats at extremely high tide, barely reaches culvert (used for major storm events)

sources:

San Dieguito River Park Website

San Dieguito Wetlands Construction Website

Coastal Environments' Website

Southern California Edison's Marine Mitigation Statement

Encinitas City Library and Civc Center

The new Encinitas City Library opened in late 2007 and is now a very popular place in Downtown Encinitas. Designed by Manual Ocina Architects, this building takes full advantage of its location on top of a hill by including it's ocean views into it's 'shell' design concept.

Sustainability points:

- uses natural light throughout the day instead of artificial.

- parking lot has bio-swails to filter run off

- outside spaces are warm, but have shade structures for maximum comfort.

- the shade structures block direct sunlight from entering the building

The Library may not be the most sustainable building, but it looks down onto a much bigger statement about sustainable energy:

The Encinitas City Hall is located right below the library. It used to be a strip mall and was turned into the city hall after the city incorporated in 1989 and decided to consolidate all the city offices into one area. while not as beautiful as the Library above it, the city has recently undergone a retrofitting of the roof so the city hall generates its own electricity.

In an effort to improve the view from the library, the city went to PE Consulting to explore the various options they had. The city realized that not only could they improve the view of the roof from the library, but they could also improve energy efficiency. This retrofit reduces the energy costs by 78% and integrates solar photovoltaic panels, HVAC modifications, enhanced building automation and daylighting among other energy efficiency improvements into one efficient energy efficient system.

here are a few pictures of the city hall and library:

front view of the library

Curb cuts and Bioswales in the parking lot

outside shade structures for library leisure and deflecting direct light

view of the roof of the city hall

references:

Manual Ocina Architects

here is the the link to PE Consulting's description of the Encinitas City hall

Initial Blog Ideas and Thoughts

I've had an idea for the past few months to start a blog that showcased cool green/sustainably desinged places. While reading other blogs such as Landscape Urbanism, Deputy Dog, and Web Urbanist, i was fascinated with several of their concepts which i'd also like to write about. Some of these concepts are:

Industrial Ruins

LEED accredited buildings

Green and Interesting Materials

Rooftops (green, photovoltaic, and roof gardens)

Re-used spaces

Urban and sustainable agriculture

Regenerative landscapes

Wetlands

Brownfields/Greenfields

Student and Professional Research

Sustainable Concepts and Theories

I am also interested in the way people behave in the built environment. I am always interested in what kinds of factors, both unnatural and natural, affect a persons behavior in any given space. Blogs such as With People in mind discuss these relationships people have with their surrounding environment through specific examples and studies. Professionals like Jan Ghel and Lawrence Halprin have developed unique methods of observing people in the urban environment and were able to assess the quality of these public spaces.

Finally, I'd like to start out with projects in my local area, Encinitas, San Diego, California. That way, I can visit the sites, make observations, judgments, and rate the level of social and environmental quality of the space.