Suspended Culture: Agritecture for a Contemporary Climate

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Date

2023

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Abstract

This thesis explores how the relationship between wetland restoration and farming on Maryland’s Eastern Shore create resilient coastal infrastructure. Coastal communities were designed for a climate that no longer exists and are ill equipped to face the rapidly changing landscape due to climate change. The Chesapeake Bay is already facing saltwater intrusion, rising sea levels, warmer temperature, and more frequent extreme weather events that threaten the productivity and livelihood of people, plants, and animals of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Farms whose practice is threatened by the new climate can actually utilize wetlands intentionally for protection from flooding, poor water and soil quality, and pollution. Therefore, this thesis is aimed at designing a resilient farm and wetland park in an area whose history is closely woven with that of the land and agriculture. In the interest of longevity, the three design criteria are (1) closeness with and respect for the landscape, (2) adaptability, and (3) carbon neutrality. Overall, the coastal farm and wetland park seeks for design solutions to resilient and sustainable infrastructure in the intersections between the built and natural environment.

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