Drawing Water 2.0 - MWMO Planning Grant

Abstract

This research agenda, funded through the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) seeks to create a companion illustrative language for the textual sections of the Minnesota B3 Site and Water guidelines that focus on water at the district, site and building scale. (S.2 Site Water Quality and Efficiency, Appendix S-2c Outdoor Water Calculator, and Appendix S-8 Building Water Calculator). The goal of such an effort is to create a graphic water language to enhance the ability of allied design disciplines and public participants to visualize watershed, site and building-scale water guidelines as a design and decision-making tool. To address the challenge of visualizing water in a meaningful and accessible way, we come with a holistic and wide aperture approach. Our project team consists of a wide variety of entities concerned with the flow of water and offers an entry point for the public to engage in work that often occurs behind closed doors. ASK is a relatively new 501c3 non-profit organization formed to address environmental and social questions and opportunities that are often out of the scope of traditional architectural or engineering projects. Using the non-profit model allows ASK to bring in diverse partners and address the critical questions and opportunities that lie in between the scope of various professions and engage the public in those questions. Reading from the mission statement of the non-profit, ASK seeks to “reimagine social, technical, and environmental issues through the act of questioning. We use design-thinking and applied research to engage, listen, and respond to the needs of regional and global communities.” This mission is closely aligned with the grant application’s ethos and is a driver of the interdisciplinary nature of the advisory committee.