Bronx, New York
eDesign Dynamics served as the hydrologic and ecologic consultant, on the multidisciplinary team led by PennDesign/OLIN. The project entailed initial feasibility and conceptual design for protecting the Hunts Point neighborhood of The Bronx, New York from storm surge while simultaneously providing amenities for a historically underserved community.
The team’s work was one of six winners of Rebuild by Design, a competition initiated by President Barack Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force launched by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To propose an extensive strategic plan to protect the Bronx community of Hunts Point, the team engaged stakeholders and developed a detailed and comprehensive resilient design to protect the Food Distribution Center, which serves 22 million people in the region and a municipal wastewater treatment plant serving 648,000 residents.
Our stormwater models demonstrated effective flood prevention behind an Integrated Flood Protection System (IFPS). Treatment wetlands, conveyance pipes, and open channels were designed to manage stormwater runoff resulting from the extreme event caused by simultaneous storm surge (Super Storm Sandy) with severe inland flooding (Hurricane Irene). Our firm modeled inland flooding created by the 100-year 24-hour rainfall event occurring during the 100-year storm surge at high tide, in the context of 31 inches of anticipated sea level rise (SLR) by the year 2050. We also proposed salt marsh creation and sub-tidal enhancements at suitable locations around the peninsula, contributing to the development of a project that is self-mitigating under current regulatory conditions.
Illustrations by Penn Design/OLIN.
CLIENTS AND PARTNERS
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, PennDesign, OLIN,
HR&A Advisors, Level Infrastructure, Barretto Bay Strategies, Buro Happold,
McLaren Engineering Group, Philip Habib & Associates
