Hunts Point Living Room
Located off the shore of Barretto Park in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx, this project was design to create a third place for local workers and families to comfortably relax in. Whether between shifts, or while kids play at the park, the Hunts Point Living Room is a place to rest and reset. The space offers ample opportunity for both alone time and social gathering.
The Hunts Point Living Room uses constructed wetlands to clean the surrounding waters. In addition, all toilet water is filtered through the natural wastewater treatment system, minimizing any additional burden on traditional treatment plants.
Barretto Park was built with the intention of providing Hunts Point with access to nature and water. The floating islands, interconnected with bridges, provide another opportunity to interact with flora and fauna along the water. For this project I wanted to make sure the structure was an asset to this goal rather than a distraction.
This project was designed during my Interior Design MFA at Parsons.
Spring 2022
Professor: Maria Linares Trelles
Renders of Hunts Point Living Room ecosystem
Collages of interior (photo of model with watercolor and hand sketches)
Model building process - step 1 and step 2
Model building process - step 3 and final model
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Amenity
Create a third place for local workers and families to comfortably relax in. Whether between shifts, or while kids play at the park, the Hunts Point Living Room is a place to rest and reset.
The space offers ample opportunity for both alone time and social gathering.
Restoration
The Hunts Point Living Room uses constructed wetlands to clean the surrounding waters. In addition, all toilet water is filtered through the natural wastewater treatment system, minimizing any additional burden on traditional treatment plants.
Nature
Barretto Park was built with the intention of providing Hunts Point with access to nature and water. The floating islands, interconnected with bridges, provide another opportunity to interact with flora and fauna along the water. For this project we wanted to make sure our structure was an asset to this goal rather than a distraction.
Intervention Part 1
Water Filtration with Constructed Wetlands
Create closed loop water filtration system
Solar panels on roof / islands to power pump
Example via Biomatrix Water
Filtration Diagram
Intervention Part 2
Biomatrix Islands for Water Restoration
Made from recycled and recyclable materials – predominantly old water pipes welded together, covered with coconut fiber.
The plants above the surface offer vital habitats for urban fauna and improve air quality, while below the water flourishes a micro-wilderness of submerged roots where fish can thrive, and communities of microorganisms break down harmful substances – filtering pollution from the water like an artificial wetland.
Example via Biomatrix Water
Biometric Island ModelReferences
Natural Wastewater Treatment
The Use of Aquatic Plants to Treat Wastewater
Artificial wetlands to act as natural filters.
Require no maintenance
Consume no electricity
Cost less than 1/4 of a traditional waste treatment system
Such constructed wetlands employ different species of plants that commonly abound in natural wetlands (cattails, waterlilies, rushes).
Source: Global Water Partnership
Port of Portland
Living Machine in Port of Portland Headquarters
Amount of wastewater treated: 5,000 Gallons/Day
500 Employees
“Accepts all wastewater generated by the building’s 500 employees and produces high quality water that is reused to flush toilets.”
Source: sustainablewater.com
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant
Koh Phi Phi
The flower and the butterfly constructed wetland system at Koh Phi Phi
4,000 permanent residents + 1.2 million tourist/year
Source: Brix, Hans, Thammarat Koottatep, Ole Fryd and Carsten Laugesen.