PHYTO

Architectural section of a modern building with grassy roof and labeled areas.
  • PHYTO logo with brown text and a small beige plant sprout above the "O".
    PHYTO 1
  • Map showing a neighborhood with locations marked by red pins, a legend, and historical photos.
    PHYTO 2
  • Map showing neighborhood soil testing with contamination levels marked by red pins and remediation sites.
    PHYTO 3
  • Map of urban layout with labeled locations, roads, green spaces, and research facility highlighted.
    PHYTO 4
  • Illustrated map with planting patterns for grasslands, annuals, and wetlands pinned on paper.
    PHYTO 5
  • Diagram of a suburban layout, showing roads, buildings, and open greenspaces with contour lines.
    PHYTO 6
  • Phytoremediation concepts with plant examples and a soil diagram showcasing pollution extraction processes.
    PHYTO 7
  • Two labeled facility floor plans pinned to a cork board, showcasing levels 1 and 2.
    PHYTO 8
  • Architectural section of a modern building with grassy roof and labeled areas.
    PHYTO 9
  • Modern building with glass front, sloped green roof, and grassy surroundings.
    PHYTO 10
  • Section diagram of a modern building with green roof and underground areas.
    PHYTO 11
  • Reception area with people; desk with logo "PHYT"; stairs lead upwards in sunlight.
    PHYTO 12
  • Dimly lit exhibit space with people viewing displays amid tall dividers. Shadows cast across the floor.
    PHYTO 13
  • Scientists in a lab with microscopes and computers, large window showing greenery outside.
    PHYTO 14
  • Red brick building surrounded by greenery, people walking, and sunflowers in the background.
    PHYTO 15
  • Construction site with excavator, workers, dump truck, and scattered debris.
    PHYTO 16
  • Modern building entrance with people walking, sitting, and gardening; angled black beams and warm tones.
    PHYTO 17

Team:

Jessica Shafer, Meagan Willoughby, & Seb Toalson

DSGN410 Collaborate / FALL 2020

Phyto provides a minimally invasive long-term solution to the city of Omaha, Nebraska’s lead pollution problem. Omaha is home to the largest residential EPA Superfund site in the country, due to the pollution created by multiple lead smelting and manufacturing plants that left behind over 100 years worth of lead contamination across Omaha, which disproportionately and severely affect the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations today.

Phytoremediation, from which the name Phyto is obtained, refers to the use of plants to remove pollutants in soil or groundwater. This site would be the headquarters for a network of phytoremediative test plots. It is an opportunity for research on these processes to be done on a large scale, while simultaneously remedying the destructive effects on Omaha lead continues to cause. The expanse of contaminated land in Omaha would enable this to extend outwards as needed, and has the potential to develop in other regions.

The architecture on our site is research focused with an emphasis on public interface, including lab spaces and research areas, a gallery space to display discoveries, along with an auditorium space to present work to the local residents. The landscape functions as both research into different methods of phytoremediation and an educational tool for the public.

Redlining confined vulnerable populations to our site due to its proximity to the lead smelting plants. The disrepair and neglect carried out by the City of Omaha has had lasting and severe effects which can still be seen today in the many unremediated plots of land and the affected health and wellbeing of residents.