ecological restoration Archives - Page 2 of 3

1 Jan 2013

DR. MONTALTO ON MORNING EDITION

Transcript excerpt:

Engineer Franco Montalto of Drexel University says [beaches] could be “nourished” — built up with sand or sediment to create dunes that hold back the water. “And the evidence seems to be that places that had rehabilitated beaches suffered less damage than places that didn’t,” Montalto says. For years, the Army Corps of Engineers has built sand dunes along East Coast beaches. Although many got swept away by Sandy, they’re relatively cheap to rebuild. It’s the kind of defense that Montalto calls “green infrastructure.” He says the green strategy has multiple benefits.“You know, a beach nourishment project could have value in terms of protecting houses, it could add habitat and could sort of enhance the value of this beach,” Montalto says. New York is seeking about $10 billion to prepare for the next big storm. Some experts, like Montalto, say you get more bang for your buck with a “distributed” defense — dunes, wetlands, bigger stormwater culverts, even urban parks that slow down the flow of water. They’re cheaper and designed to fit the needs of a particular community.

1 Mar 2012

In the video below, Eric Rothstein and Shino Tanikawa (District Manager for the NYCSWCD) walk us through the design and explain how the hybrid retention and detention system works. Eric and Shino discuss the multiple benefits of green infrastructure, primarily CSO abatement and the resulting water quality improvement off-site in the rivers and bays of New York City.

HABANA RESTROOM = WORLD CLASS

eDesign Dynamics' work at Habana Outpost was listed as one of the top reasons to live in New York City!

New York Magazine’s annual “Reasons to Love NY” lists Habana Outpost’s restroom as one of the best in the country out of 250 million public toilets. eDesign Dynamics designed the toilet flushing reuse system that first captures roof rainwater, filters the water via a green gutter system, and deposits the water in a storage tank.

See the article at New York Magazine HERE >

See more in our PROJECTS >

1 Dec 2011

HRWA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – LIDRA

Franco Montalto was the opening plenary speaker for the sixth annual Hudson River Watershed Alliance (HRWA) Conference in Hyde Park, NY.

Franco also ran a workshop with Eric Rothstein on the utility of Low Impact Development Rapid Assessment (LIDRA) as a new tool for green infrastructure (GI) planning. LIDRA is a computer model that compares the cost-effectiveness of reducing runoff with different GI technologies. A neighborhood in the Fall Kill watershed served as a case study for the demonstration of LIDRA. The LIDRA model evaluated the performance of GI in the watershed over a 30 year period and tracked the total annual expenditures and life cycle costs of GI implementation.

The conference program can be found on the HRWA website HERE >

1 Nov 2011

BIG WIN AT ARCHITECTURAL FESTIVAL

eDesign Dynamics served as the environmental engineer for the design of a women’s opportunity center in Rwanda, winning second place overall for the Future Projects category at the World Architecture Festival.

The design team was led by Sharon Davis Design in collaboration with Women for Women International. Selected out of 700+ entries from over 59 countries, the project has won worldwide acclaim.

Project information and image gallery can be found on the World Buildings Directory Online Database > and on the Sharon Davis Design website >

ABC CARPET WATERWASH OPENING

1 Oct 2011

URBAN THINK TANK HOLCIM AWARD

eDesign Dynamics consulted for the 2011 Holcim Latin America gold award winning team, Urban Think Tank on the design of an urban remediation and civic infrastructure hub in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

As the water resources engineers, EDD designed terraced subsurface flow wetlands that filter and reuse stormwater and greywater and are integrated into a stepped grass amphitheater.

ecological restoration

On January 16th, 2013, Dr. Montalto testified in front of the New York State Assembly public hearing on Extreme Weather.

See an excerpt below:

The entire hearing can be viewed HERE >

Dr. Franco Montalto commentated in a report by Christopher Joyce on NPR’s Morning Edition to discuss the use of green infrastructure in protecting the New York metropolitan area from high energy storms such as November’s Hurricane Sandy.

Transcript excerpt:

Last summer, EDD and the NYC Soil & Water Conservation District (NYCSWCD) designed and constructed stormwater planters in the Bronx.

Read more here in our PROJECTS >

eDesign Dynamics' work at Habana Outpost was listed as one of the top reasons to live in New York City!

See the article at New York Magazine HERE >

See more in our PROJECTS >

Franco Montalto was the opening plenary speaker for the sixth annual Hudson River Watershed Alliance (HRWA) Conference in Hyde Park, NY.

The conference program can be found on the HRWA website HERE >

eDesign Dynamics served as the environmental engineer for the design of a women’s opportunity center in Rwanda, winning second place overall for the Future Projects category at the World Architecture Festival.

Read more about eDesign Dynamics' involvement in PROJECTS >

eDesign Dynamics helped to celebrate the grand opening of the WATERWASH wetland and waterfront park located along the Bronx River adjacent to the ABC Carpet & Home Warehouse Outlet.

eDesign Dynamics partnered with Lillian Ball, Rocking the Boat, Drexel University, Excav Services, and ABC Carpet & Home to create a riverfront wetland park that manages stormwater, improves habitat, and increases public access to the Bronx River.

Project photos can be found on Rocking the Boat’s website >

eDesign Dynamics consulted for the 2011 Holcim Latin America gold award winning team, Urban Think Tank on the design of an urban remediation and civic infrastructure hub in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

As the water resources engineers, EDD designed terraced subsurface flow wetlands that filter and reuse stormwater and greywater and are integrated into a stepped grass amphitheater.

Read more in our PROJECTS >

eDesign Dynamics' Franco Montalto and Amanda Bayley will be making presentations at this year’s Philadelphia Low Impact Development Symposium to be held September 25-28.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Franco Montalto and his research team from Drexel University collaborated with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation for the installation and monitoring of a “Greenstreet” in the heart of New York’s urban environment.

The project will evaluate the effectiveness of the installation in managing stormwater runoff along with a number of other benefits.

See photos of the site HERE >

UPDATE - Design for Women’s Opportunity Center places second at the World Architecture Festival.

Sharon Davis Design & the Toilet Revolution from Martha Williams on Vimeo HERE >

Read more about our work in PROJECTS >