Elements of Sustainability was an advanced architectural studio led by Gordon Kipping, structured around a critical re-examination of Rem Koolhaas’ fourteen “Elements of Architecture” — floor, wall, ceiling, roof, façade, window, door, corridor, balcony, fireplace, toilet, stair, escalator, and elevator — through a sustainability-driven lens. Based on the environmental urgency of the building sector’s carbon footprint, the studio emphasized adaptive reuse over demolition. The proposal for Pier 76 reframed the existing steel platform as the structural armature for a year-round public botanical garden, conceived as an enclosed extension of the High Line. Supported by GIS-based site analysis and land-use mapping, the project responded to the area’s rapid residential growth and lack of protected public space, introducing a multimodally accessible civic interior integrating recreational, cultural, and community programs. Environmental strategies, including a retractable shading system and a differentiated double-skin façade, established a bioclimatic envelope, positioning the Hudson Botanical Garden as a low-carbon, energy-efficient civic condenser embedded within the evolving Hudson River waterfront.
Columbia University
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Professor: Gordon Kipping
Student: Violeta Mastronardi, Eiwa Colburn
