Group 073-09: The Deterioration of 32nd and Arch Street

Hey guys! This week, we have been working on getting the pictures in the correct format and collecting dimensions, as well as putting the finishing touches on the drainage area map. We also started to do work on the calculations, revising the final report, and creating and working on the presentation. Carolina added a more in-depth post about the work she did on formatting the pictures in Layout, and Ina and Alex added the results of their work on the drainage area map. Next week we will work on finishing the report, finishing the calculations, and finishing the presentation. Thanks for following our development, and below lie some pictures of our progress!

We created a design template to visually depict our proposed image of the project on 32nd and Arch Street. The first image is a general overview showing the 3 kinds of GSI's that will be implemented. Then, the subsequent images are individual profiles of each of the GSI's which their respective dimensions and a short summary of their purpose. By creating this template, not only does this benefit the team in terms of organization but it also makes it easier for clients to understand and interpret our prospective ideas.

Hey guys! This week we've been working on putting the finishing touches on the 3D model, such as adding the beehive structure and pipe to the stormwater bumpout, taking pictures of the structure to be used in the engineering drawings, finishing the drainage area map in AutoCAD, and adding appropriate plants in all of the GSIs. Next week, we hope to work more on the final draft, to finish the drainage area map, to create the presentation, and to finish the calculations. Thanks for following our development, and below are some pictures of our progress!

Hey guys! This week, we've been hard at work on the final report draft, so we have not had much time to work on the design. However, we were able to create a piping system extending into the sewer grate, and we taught ourselves how to create curved pipes in SketchUp. Along with our progress, we conducted more research on native Philadelphian plants, and implemented some of the ones we could find as 3-D models in the design. This week, we also started to conduct runoff calculations for our problem area. Next week, we will focus exclusively on creating the drainage area map, as well as doing calculations for the drainage, and we will complete the addition of the native plants into the design. Below are some pictures of our progress!

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. This week, we decided to focus on the final report draft, so we weren't able to make much leeway with the 3D drawings, however, we were able to make some changes. We started to go underneath the floor to show the pipes that would run through the soil, as well as the layers in each of the GSIs. Alex posted a wonderful research addition about the type of plants we will be implementing in the design. I also forgot to add that the frequently asked questions and project overview pages are finally up and running!  We hope you'll check it out, and that you like them! Below are some pictures of our progress:

I decided to take a look at our site one rainy morning and I was shocked to see that the inlet was completely destroyed due to the severe flooding. It doesn't seem like anything is being done to resolve this problem and the area is progressively getting more dangerous. 

This week, we decided to focus on familiarizing ourselves with SketchUp, Philadelphia's Native Plants, and the area we are renovating. In Sketchup, we created the building, which is the basis of our area. That was difficult because we had to place each window on individually, but it helped us to gain a better understanding of how to use Sketchup, which we then used to created the right-of-way bioswale and sidewalks. Ina created a thread detailing the drainage in our area, and Carolina posted about the deterioration of the drain in the area we are in. Unfortunately, we didn't correctly draw the bioswale, so we will be re-doing it, but now we know how to create GSI's in SketchUp. Below are some pictures of our progress!

Arch Street As shown on the image , the elevation along Arch street going towards 32nd decreases gradually. It's also important to note the strange sudden increase in elevation at the corner of Arch and 32nd. From this information, it can be said that stormwater flows down Arch street eastward. However, stormwater seems to stop flowing at the corner right where the sudden increase in elevation occurs. 32nd This image shows that the elevation decreases along 32nd going from Cuthbert Street to Cherry Street, suggesting that stormwater should flow northward. Due to the sudden drop in elevation denoted by the red arrow, the water is not capable of flowing down the road. Instead it just sits at the corner of Arch and 32nd. Green stormwater infrastructure is much needed at the corner of 32nd and Arch due to this obscure dip in the road. Although there is an inlet located at that corner, it can't withstand heavy amounts of rainfall and the water has no where else to ...

This early morning at 7:30 am, I was on my way to class and I decided to walk by our planned project sight, 32nd and Arch Street. I was amazed that the sight looked so different. The location got worse, and it has come to our attention that if action is not taken soon, it will not only be harmful for the environment but it will also be hazardous for bystanders. As you can see in the pictures posted along with this progress report, the sight seems to have deteriorated to a huge extent in the span of 4 weeks since we took the last picture.

This week, we have been pretty lax with our posts. We updated and finished the background material page with the addition of the Stormwater Greenstreets and Rain Gardens posts. We also updated the links page with some of our current favorites. Before the lab, we decided to work on becoming familiar with SketchUp so that during lab, we can start designing and building our structures. Hopefully, by the end of the lab, we will have learned how to overlay google images onto SketchUp correctly in order to complete at least one of the structures. We also updated the videos and tutorials for newbies to SketchUp so go ahead and check it out! Below are some pictures of our progress!

What are they: “A rain garden is a shallow depressed area in the ground that absorbs rain from streets, allowing rain to soak directly into the soil.”  Made up of shrubs and perennials native to the area, rain gardens are an effective GSI in reduce the amount of runoff from potentially flooding local streets. Advantages/Benefits: Filter out pollutants from entering sewage system Reduce flooding Reduce water usage Enhanced sidewalk appeal Allow up to 30% more water to soak into ground Disadvantages/Challenges: Having a soil texture and structure that would maximize water infiltration Inlet structures, if not correctly placed, can limit rain garden functionality Standard soil depth and large enough surface area Proper maintenance to prevent severe erosion from stopping rain garden functionality. Location of rain garden Durable plants How they work: During prolonged periods of rainfall, water will travel from hard surf...

What are they: Green street infrastructures are implemented into sidewalks to work towards the goal of preventing damage to the sidewalk itself and also the area nearby. Green streets have multiple components: street trees, permeable pavements, bioretention, and bioswales. By adding green streets to urban areas, the environment will be positively affected. Advantages: Green street infrastructures protect downstream water quality and also reduce quantities of CSO.  Decreases damage to sidewalks  Takes advantage of sidewalk space that is not being used for anything necessary  By planting trees within the area of the green street infrastructure area, it will decrease the amount of the urban island heat effect.  Disadvantages: It is a relatively new design, thus there is still much to research on how to make it better. Location. Different areas in the country experience different types of storms. Green street infrastructures work best in loca...

Below are some of the videos we found on Youtube for beginners and newcomers to SketchUp: By PcGamerPortal- A more in-depth video by WorkshopAddict- A video on Site Modeling in SketchUp by SketchUp- A video on How to Import a GoogleMap into SketchUp by Designer Hacks-

This week, I really wanted the group to do research on specific GSI's to use in our project. We had an idea of what to use from the Project Proposal, but we weren't sure what we would be able to implement. We decided to use Stormwater Greenstreets, Right-of-Way Bioswales, Rain Gardens, and Stormwater Bump-Outs. Each team member was assigned a specific GSI to research and write a blog post about. Currently, we added my page about Right-of-Way Bioswales, along with Ina's fabulous Stormwater Bump-Out post to the background material section of our blog. Carolina also created an amazing rendering of what our project would look like, now the featured post on the blog. By Monday, Alex and Carolina will have completed their background material posts, and we will be able to move towards creating our GSI's through sketch-up. I was also able to create a helpful links page for those who want to do some more research, or want some more information about green stormwater infrastruc...

Right-of-Way Bioswales: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/stormwater/combined_sewer_overflow_bmps.shtml http://www.spur.org/news/2013-08-08/8-shades-green-infrastructure https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/what-green-infrastructure http://www.powerhousegrowers.com/7-types-green-infrastructure-practices/ http://www.hazenandsawyer.com/work/services/green-infrastructure/ http://www.turfmagazine.com/services/bioswales-and-rain-gardens-the-right-way/ Stormwater Bump-Outs: http://www.phillywatersheds.org/what_were_doing/green_infrastructure/tools/stormwater_bumpout Stormwater Greenstreets: https://www.werf.org/liveablecommunities/toolbox/gst_design.htm https://www.werf.org/liveablecommunities/toolbox/gst_design.htm https://www.epa.gov/G3/learn-about-green-streets Rain Gardens: https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-rain-gardens http://www.groundw...

What are they: Right-of-way bioswales are green infrastructures designed to capture stormwater runoff and alleviate the water, therefore reducing the number of water that enters the sewer system, and reducing the chance of sewer flooding. Bioswales are typically vegetated or mulched and treat water as it flows into the system, while also reducing the amount of water that does enter the system. They are best placed along streets and parking lots as it is easiest for them to care for and capture the water in those locations. Advantages/Benefits: Decrease the amount of pollutants in the water before it reaches the sewer, cutting costs of water treatment Water is absorbed by trees and plants through evapotranspiration Remaining water evaporates after the rain stops If the Bioswale reaches capacity, the water will flow out into the catch basin while following its normal pattern The plants used in the Bioswales help add to the atmosphere while providing a po...

What are they: “A stormwater bumpout is a vegetated curb extension that protrudes into the street either mid-block or at an intersection, creating a new curb some distance from the existing curb. A bumpout is composed of a layer of stone that is topped with soil and plants. An inlet or curb-cut directs runoff into the bumpout structure where it can be stored, infiltrated, and taken up by the plants (evapotranspiration). Excess runoff is permitted to leave the system and flow to an existing inlet. The vegetation of the bumpout will be short enough to allow for open sight lines of traffic. Aside from managing stormwater, bumpouts also help with traffic-calming, and when located at crosswalks, they provide a pedestrian safety benefit by reducing the street crossing distance.” Advantages/Benefits: -shorten crossing distances on streets (safer for pedestrians) -gives perception of road narrowing so drivers slow down in this area -reduce stormwater overflow -add curb a...

This week, I've been working extensively on the blog. I have edited the theme, added some pictures and videos, created pages with links to certain labels, and I will change the theme again so the picture I want displayed (that of our chosen area) acts as the background for the blog. On the blog, we have the biography page finished, and content in both the weekly progress and background information tabs. We searched on Thursday for the best areas to revamp, and we decided on the area near the Steinbright career center as it is prone to major water buildup and flooding. We have been working on the design proposal, and will finish that tonight. We will continue to work on the blog so hopefully we can get rid of the filler pages, and get some actual content in the blog. Here are some pictures below of what the blog currently looks like: Thanks for following the development of our blog, and we hope you enjoy it!