| Current environmental crises and increasing resource scarcity are altering the way we build. A building that provides food, water, and energy, in addition to shelter, utilizing only on-site resources, is a logical step toward ultimate sustainability. This MDP examines the relationship between renewable resources and how they are metabolized at different levels of the city. The carrying capacity, or sustainable population, of a particular site is determined by the availability of water, food, and energy. Providing for resources directly on-site eliminates the need for complex external infrastructures and their related energy and materials use.;Bridgeland-Riverside provides an urban test site for using carrying capacity as a building strategy. The urban context of the site creates the aim toward as high a population as possible, while maintaining activated public surfaces. Synergistic integration of building systems is necessary to intensify the site usage, maximizing the available resources. The relationship of living and working spaces attempts to maintain the flexibility of the units while providing the opportunity for interface with the public. As a whole, the project embodies one possible solution to the scarcity of resources within the urban context.;Key words. carrying capacity, metabolism, sustainability, resource autonomy, urban agriculture, urban intensification, wastewater. |
