A proposed series of interactive displays located in public parks throughout Boston’s South End. They put a spotlight on Boston’s foundational pile system: showing people it’s there, explaining what it does, and most importantly, detailing how to preserve it in the face of a changing environment.

The capstone project of my Architecture and Graphic Design degree.

Roughly 20% of Boston’s buildings are supported by wooden foundational piles. They’re dispersed across most of the city’s major neighborhoods. These piles are crucial to buildings’ stability, and very expensive to repair or replace, but they’re sensitive to environmental factors - particularly groundwater levels.

Consistent submersion in groundwater prevents the piles from rotting, but human water diversion has lowered natural groundwater levels. By redirecting rainwater into the ground, we can sustainably restore those levels and protect the integrity of the piles.

Inspiring homeowners to install rainwater recharge systems on their residences is the preferred way to make that happen.

Research ︎︎︎

Using the ArcGIS Observation Well and Building Foundation Map created by the Boston Groundwater Trust, I was able to track groundwater data and assess the condition of building foundations across Boston.

I spoke with the director of the Boston Groundwater Trust about their data and pile preservation work. He pointed me towards rainwater recharge systems as a key preventative measure, which became a central point in my project.

Site selection ︎︎︎

The South End is one of Boston’s most prominently pile-reliant neighborhoods, yet has received less preservative treatment than other similarly affected areas, making it an ideal spot to promote pile maintenance.

Public parks and greenways are visited by large swathes of neighborhood residents. Not only are these spots heavily trafficked, they’re leisure destinations - park visitors are likely to have time to investigate an installation.

I selected the South End’s four most prominent parks as sites, and created a sample site plan for the Peters Park installations.

Installation ︎︎︎

The installations are composed of two complementary parts: a glass sign and a collection of wooden piles. Both elements utilize a major on-site building as a reference point, providing real-world context to viewers.

The sign holds a pane of glass etched with the outline of the building, its foundation, and its supporting piles. This creates a visualization of the otherwise invisible pile system.

The row of piles, located next to the framed building, displays groundwater well readings (taken from nearby Boston Groundwater Trust wells) in a bar chart. This highlights fluctuation in groundwater levels.

A QR code on the glass sign leads to the animation below, which demonstrates how installing a rainwater recharge system on a building can revitalize the groundwater levels beneath it and preserve its foundational piles.

Identity design ︎︎︎

I went through several rounds of names and logos as I developed the project.

The final logo depicts the project title, Know Where You Stand, next to a raindrop containing an upward arrow. The bold uppercase type conveys a sense of urgency, while the droplet and arrow allude to rainwater recharge and necessary increase of groundwater levels.

The droplet logomark can stand on its own, with or without the project name attached.