Designing Urban Hybrids in Miami Beach for the 2020 to 2100 Food-Water-Energy Nexus

Miami Beach has already experienced how the comparatively small rise in sea level over the last few decades, combined with increasing precipitation can have dramatic effects on the lives of those living in such vulnerable areas. This submission describes all research design at FIU’s Miami Beach Urban Studio exploring the nexus of food, energy, and infrastructure from 2018-2020. The design research focused on a low-lying area of the of Miami Beach, which is prone to sunny day flooding during King Tides. Based on a “living shoreline” strategy of biotechnological, adaptive ecosystems such as mangroves, oysters and coral clusters, projects were developed to combat sea-level rise by raising roads, building seawalls, and improving stormwater management infrastructure. All research design studios were based on approximately 80-year scenarios (2020-2100) in which modelling by NOAA, NASA, and IPCC place much of Miami Beach’s existing infrastructure underwater. The study includes envisioning self-sufficient, adaptive, and resilient hybrid structures (both under and above water). All hybrid structures were benchmarked against 100% carbon-neutrality including algae farms for food and protein harnessing mixed and distributed renewable energy such as solar, thermal, and biomass; the conversion of solid and organic waste to energy; the conversion of solid and organic waste to energy; and wastewater to potable water on self-contained live-work hybrids structures. The biomimetic principles and concepts, fitness tests, biotechnological research, and synthetic biology-oriented building systems used in the research focused on carbon-neutrality targets so as not to further burden our planet with the human-produced causes of climate change.

Volume Editors

ISBN
978-1-944214-31-9