Ecosa Housing

Ecosa Housing

The Ecosa Institute has purchased land in Prescott with a view to building new facilities for our growing program. This project explores the fit with the neighborhood and how the placement of the building can encourage pedestrian traffic with greenways to a local creek. The project calls for the exploration of using the site for student housing as this is the most critical need for the program. There are a number of constraints on the site, particularly parking, and this was a factor in the form of the building. As an institute promoting the concept of sustainability we required that the design meet the highest standards of sustainable practice. There is also an existing house on the site and sustainable ways of using or removing it were requested.

The Ecosa Institute has purchased a lot located in the same area as the Phil Brown project. The team was asked to prepare a concept plan for an Ecosa "campus" incorporated into the neighborhood that would enhance both its current residential character and improve its environmental quality.

A neighborhood model was constructed to get a sense of the texture of the area and the small-scale grain of the existing buildings.

Sketch massing models were used to determine the overall form of the structure. Breaking the mass of the building and being aware of the pedestrian experience of the building were issues of concern.

The final concept design enclosed the existing house on the site as a means of respecting the single family residential nature of the area.

This view of the final model illustrates the texture of the building facing a proposed greenway through the neighborhood. The roof is designed for rainwater catchment and the required parking areas are permeable surfaces. Solar hot water and photovoltaic cells are incorporated into the design.

South elevation of the housing complex creates a “streetscape” to provide interest for pedestrians. The center element is a study area that will be an experiment in creating a green habitat/surface for wildlife.

The Ecosa student housing team from left to right Zachary Block, Tiffany Broyles, Carlos Guerra and Bryce Hamels.

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Downtown Prescott

Downtown Prescott

Even a place dubbed "Everybody's Hometown" needs a little improvement. Prescott, once the capitol of Arizona, is a vibrant small town with a traditional neighborhood street grid expanding from the historic courthouse square. Today, a rapidly growing population and bustling tourism economy place unanticipated strains on the local infrastructure. Ecosa students studied the evolution of their town, evaluating vestiges of the past, present needs, and future potentials to discover a range of design solutions for a healthier Prescott. In the town's alleyways, broad streets, and neglected corners, they found opportunities for bikeways, public transportation systems, infill development and more.

A bikeways proposal included reclaiming the less-trafficked downtown alleyways with properly marked routes and signals.

A modern light rail system fits comfortably into downtown's broad streets that once teemed with the commercial traffic of horse-drawn carriages.

With the much anticipated parking garage planned for the downtown many of the downtown parking lots could be reclaimed for revitalizing infill projects.

Petrified Forest Entry Stations

Petrified Forest Entry Stations

Architecture plays a critical role in one's experience of the National Parks. As isolated manmade constructions in expanses of wilderness these instances must respect the impressions they leave on both visitors and their surroundings. The National Park Service requested Ecosa students design new north and south entry stations to the Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona. Each student explored detailed ergonomic conditions, responsible and durable materials use, and sustainable building systems. The resulting buildings offer comfortable shelters to the park employees and quietly foreshadow to visitors some of the stories they might encounter in the landscape beyond.

impressions they leave on both visitors and their surroundings. The National Park Service requested Ecosa students design new north and south entry stations to the Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona. Each student explored detailed ergonomic conditions, responsible and durable materials use, and sustainable building systems. The resulting buildings offer comfortable shelters to the park employees and quietly foreshadow to visitors some of the stories they might encounter in the landscape beyond.

Concept with rainwater-harvesting canopies and erosion feature.
Rachel Bechhoefer

Rammed-earth concept showing strata relating to the painted desert.
Dara Merin & Javier del Castillo

Sheltering concept protects employees and visitors from the harsh desert climate.
Peter Dorrance

Ecosa Artifacts Catalog

Ecosa Artifacts Catalog

Two students' combined interests in business and graphic design opened the opportunity for Ecosa to explore the beginnings of an eco-products catalog as a sustainable business venture for the school. Carefully selected items from designs by Ecosa friends, faculty, and students would be sold through an online and paper catalog to a niche market for high-quality, ecologically-responsible goods. The project team conducted market research, drafted a business plan, developed a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) system for evaluating and communicating a product's ecological footprint, and designed a family of Ecosa logos to include the Institute, the Artifacts Catalog, and the newly formed Ecosa Design Studio.

Ecosa Artifacts Catalog
Two students' combined interests in business and graphic design opened the opportunity for Ecosa to explore the beginnings of an eco-products catalog as a sustainable business venture for the school. Carefully selected items from designs by Ecosa friends, faculty, and students would be sold through an online and paper catalog to a niche market for high-quality, ecologically-responsible goods. The project team conducted market research, drafted a business plan, developed a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) system for evaluating and communicating a product's ecological footprint, and designed a family of Ecosa logos to include the Institute, the Artifacts Catalog, and the newly formed Ecosa Design Studio.

Ecosa Artifacts Catalog Two students' combined interests in business and graphic design opened the opportunity for Ecosa to explore the beginnings of an eco-products catalog as a sustainable business venture for the school. Carefully selected items from designs by Ecosa friends, faculty, and students would be sold through an online and paper catalog to a niche market for high-quality, ecologically-responsible goods. The project team conducted market research, drafted a business plan, developed a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) system for evaluating and communicating a product's ecological footprint, and designed a family of Ecosa logos to include the Institute, the Artifacts Catalog, and the newly formed Ecosa Design Studio.



Branching from the original Ecosa Institute logo, the student created a "family" of Ecosa logos including Ecosa Artifacts (center) and the newly-formed Ecosa Design Studio (right). Click on the logo images to see a .pdf image of sample product information.