Update VII

After I reconstructed work on both my brainstorming and alternate solutions, I thought, "why don't I also do some extra work on my selection/rejection/intention report?". This is why yesterday i made some major changes to that section of the blog. Also, for some reason I cannot seem to get my font to change colors on the blog. I will have to ask Mrs. Hoffman how to do that when I get a chance.

Update VI

I decided that my brainstorming could use some work, so i utilized the time that i had this week to try and perfect my brainstorming report. This section has been re-posted on the blog.

Update V

As I suspected, my alternate solutions needed some work. However, I recieved some positive feedback from my mentor and my instructors, and with a little hard work over the weekend, I believe that they are now more than sufficient. Soon week I hope to begin work on my model.

Update IV

Today my alternate solutions and brainstorming were due along with my selection/rejection/intention report. I had them finished on thursday night so all i had to do today was put them up on my blog and print out hard copies for the instructors. My alternate solutions may need some final touches done. I will see what my instructors think.

Current Blueprints

Selection/Rejection/Intentions

I have now developed several ideas for a solution to my design project. It is now time to sort through my ideas and determine which is the most viable idea to continue to develop. In order to do so, I will judge my ideas against the specifications and limitations in a chart called a specification matrix.


Specifications Matrix
Scale 1(worst) – 5(best)
Specifications
Solution 1:
Solution 2:
Solution 3:
Accommodations for vessels up to 200 Feet on land
5
1
5
75 dry storage spaces for boats up to 200 feet
5
1
5
30, 50 and 100 amp single and three phase electrical serviceUtilities
4
1
5
Complete marine repair facilities
3
1
5
88-ton travel lift and yardBoat brokerage sales and services
5
1
5
24-hour security
3
3
4
Dock Store – gifts, snacks, bait & tackle, and necessities.
3
2
5
Shower and laundry facilities
1
1
2
Attractive entrance with flagpole and signage
1
1
1
Parking for 500, 2% handicapped. 100 staff, 2% handicapped
4
3
5
Vehicular access roads with two entrances from the main roads
1
1
2
Fire Lanes
1
1
3
Catch basin with fencing/Rain gardens
5
1
5
Use environmentally preferred materials
3
4
5

Design for water conservation
3
1
5
Design to prevent discharge of wash or processed water or oil laden bilge water
2
3
3

TOTAL:

49

26

65




For the civil aspect of this project, I designed 3 entirely civil area of the marina located in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. The top photo is the currently existing design of the marina, and the 3 bottom photos are my improved designs. These designs have been created in order to best deliver the results of an environmentally friendly marina. The aspects of the marina that I have changed should help to make this marina as green as possible.
As you can see by the chart, the best design that I created was solution #3. This alternate solution best fits all the aspects needed in order to redesign this marina, making it “green”. The second best solution was solution #2. It had most of the areas covered that were required, but in the long run it still could not stand up to the criteria of the 3rd solution. Solution #2 is a long shot and did not even come close in the running. I will explain why in the following paragraphs.
For solution #1 I decided that it would be most efficient to leave all the building where they were and build around them. Over to the right you can see I added in a lift, storage areas, and electrical service utilities. Some of the parking lot was removed in the middle to make room for a rain garden and catch basin. The rain garden will collect all the runoff and rain water and funnel it to the surrounding plants and flowers. These small changes were not enough to re-design the marina; therefore this will not be the chosen solution.
Solution #2 was a disaster. I moved all the main buildings at the marina, such as the restaurant, bait and tackle store and senior citizens center, and moved them next to the shore casino. This idea was made to mimic a sort of mini mall type area, in which all of these necessities would be easily accessible in one area. This solution however, does not include the majority of the criteria listed above in the grid, and therefore this solution is by far the worst of all 3 (and that’s being nice about it).
My chosen solution is solution #3. It meets all of the necessary criteria and more. For this solution, I based my design around a park theme. In the center of the parking lot there exists a nature area with trees and flowers, gazebos, and a fountain. Rainwater runoff will all be converged to this area, where it will filter in to catch basins that run into the fountain, so that the fountain will always be running off of recycled rainwater. This “wishing fountain” will also make money off of people who throw their coins into the fountain, and the money shall be used to benefit the environment. Besides that, this solution also has extra storage spaces, and an area for people to winterize their boats. Also, the parking spaces have been arranged on angles to allow for more room for parking. Best of all it matches up perfectly with my partner’s structural solution.

Update III

For the next four days i will be working on finalizing my alternate solutions and my brainstorming. They are both due to be up on my blog by this friday. I have them both pretty much finished; only a few minor changes will be added.

Research

The first website that my partner and I researched over the summer was logically the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Website. Once there, we read through several pages of information until we found a page about clean marinas at:  http://www.nj.gov/dep/njcleanmarina/certified-greencove.htm

Once there, we discovered http://www.njcleanmarina.org/.

We used this website for a large majority of our summer research. This website is for a program created by the D.E.P. to protect these critical habitat areas that are home to a variety of species including algae, plankton, shellfish, and finfish. The program encourages marina owners, yacht clubs, boatyards and boaters to adopt practices that help prevent adverse impacts to water quality, sensitive habitats, and living resources in proximity to marinas. 

http://www.nj.gov/dep/njcleanmarina/
Helped identify what makes a marina green.

http://www.nj.gov/dep/njcleanmarina/docs/selfassess.xls
Provides a detailed checklist for green marinas.

http://www.columbiaisland.com/green.htm

This is a website for information about the George Washington Memorial Parkway Marina in Arlington Virginia. We used this website because it identified several areas where change was necessary in order for a marina to be considered green. This marina was transformed into a green marina a few years ago, and the process is documented on the website. We plan to use a similar process in the re-design of our marina. 

Update II

This is my second blog update. Today is friday, and our summer work is due to be posted on our blogs. This past week was used to review and revise our summer research and confine it to post up on our blogs. It is now up on the blog as my first "official" post.

Testing Procedure

The current marina in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey


-Meet with client and bring client to site to be sure it meets his/her standards.
-Demonstrate the functionality of the marina.
-Show proof that the marina is more environmentally friendly as compared to a typical marina.
-Show that the proper size vessels could be accommodated.
-Double check to be sure that all areas of the marina run smoothly and efficiently as they currently do.


In order to test the marina we have developed several strategies that could possibly be worst case scenarios for this marina. In order to identify these worst case scenarios, we interviewed several workers along with several customers we currenlty operate at the Highlands Municipal Marina. We found that most problems could be easily solved, and we took those in to account while designing wach of our specific sections of the marina. In order to test these worst case scenarios we will complete a "run-through" of the scenarios on our models using scale model boats and such in order to show how these problems will be solved.

Design Brief

Our Group Design Brief for this project is to completely re-design the marina currently in existence at the Highlands Municipal Marina in order to make it as environmentally friendly and effective as possible, without losing any positive aspects already in existence at the Highlands Municipal Marina, in the form of a site plan scale model for an unspecified client.

Civil Specs and Limits

Site Specifications (civil):
Accommodations for vessels up to 200 Feet on land
75 dry storage spaces for boats up to 200 feet
30, 50 and 100 amp single and three phase electrical service
Utilities for full service fuel dock with sanitary pump-out station
Complete marine repair facilities
88-ton travel lift and yard
Boat brokerage sales and services
24-hour security
Dock Store – gifts, snacks, bait & tackle, and necessities.
Shower and laundry facilities
Attractive entrance with flagpole and signage
Parking for 500, 2% handicapped. 100 staff, 2% handicapped
Vehicular access roads with two entrances from the main roads: may not be closer than 50 feet from intersections. Include lighting and drainage. Consider deliveries of food, mail and equipment.
Pedestrian walk ways
Fire Lanes
Catch basin with fencing/Rain gardens
Identify all existing and new contours and spot elevations at the corners of all structures, parking lots, and catch basins.

Minimize impervious areas and site building, workshops, and storage areas away from the shoreline.
Use environmentally preferred materials
Design for water conservation
Design to prevent discharge of wash or processed water or oil laden bilge water
Design to capture and treat storm water on site
Design to cultivate vegetated areas
Minimize paved areas
Minimize impacts of pressure washing
Address the special sewage handling needs of live-aboads.


Limitations (civil):

· Design must adhere to Green Marina compliances. http://cleanmarinesolutions.com/page/1
· Site design may not extend beyond the provided lot boundaries.
· Disturbances to existing site should be minimized.
· Two trees must be added for every tree removed
· Pedestrians crossing vehicular access roads should be avoided
· Intersections of vehicular access roads should be kept to a minimum
· Access roads must be separated from parking areas
· Cut and fill must e kept to a minimum
· Structures, decks, patios, pools, and paving, must not cover more than 40% of the property.
· Structures may not exceed the projected building lines of the front and side setbacks on corner properties.
· Check town restrictions on setbacks

Original Photos

Update I

Today I started my blog. It will be used to update my progress throughout this course and the project. I am still learning the basics, but hopefully soon i will be a true "blogger".