Archeworks

︎ Location Chicago, IL
︎ Timespan 2009
︎ Client Businesses & Institutions

Situation

• Seeking disciplinary educational programs for design professionals and others.
  

Response 1
Developed Elemental Mud workshops including SOILunit and WATERunit:

• SOILunit explored the life within soils, and tracing soil formation in the landscape. Unlike traditional classes on landscape design, plant biology and urban growing, this class offered an integrated perspective of the biological, social, cultural and environmental factors that relate to soil and human ecology, and was based on The Soil Keepers;
  
• WATERunit focused on water conservation and remediation, and explored natural bodies of water, the water cycle and urban water systems including learning how to design and build a greywater system that responds to site.

Developed resulting projects with site partners:

• Inspiration Kitchens: designed in-house and outdoor compost system;
• ReBuilding Exchange: designed and built mobile greywater sink and rainwater harvesting system for outdoor lumber rack;
• Ginkgo Gardens: designed and built large hugelkultur bed to absorb stormwater runoff and long-running trellis from fruit tree prunings.

Response 2

• Developed and curated The Wastestreams Film Series — a four-part participatory film salon:
• Facilitated four evenings over four months of independent films and discussion based on the films under the themes: Land, Water, Food and Garbage.