Dan Seiser, "Designing for Now – Planning for the Future"
Dan Seiser, AIA, SCUP, of Bezek Durst Seiser (BDS), Architects and Planners in Anchorage, Alaska
Summary: Mr. Seiser’s presentation was a great portrayal of the complex issues involved in rural Alaskan community design. His example showed how a “simple” planning and design project to renovate an old school led his company from one question to another. His conclusion gave the impression that these issues remain unresolved and left the audience pondering the predicament.
Mr. Seiser’s presentation, “Designing for Now – Planning for the Future, a Sample Scenario in the Challenges of Rural Sustainability” discussed the challenges his architectural firm, BDS, faces in the planning of a new school in Kongiganek, a small village of 400 residents without road access near the delta of the Kuskokwim River in Alaska. The river is changing course and it is only a matter of time before the river engulfs the school and much of the village surrounding it. Fuel and everything else is barged into this river community and the fuel tank farm has already been moved to higher ground.
The school was built in 1972 and was scheduled for state funded renovations but the elders in the village advised against it due not only to the river threat but also permafrost degradation, site congestion, land title problems, code issues, student capacity, asbestos, and the disruption to students. Also the design used an open classroom layout that was not very conducive to learning. Project costs were estimated at $26 million to build a new school twice as big (32,000 SF) as the old one (16,000 SF). Original renovation costs had been $22 million which shows how expensive renovation can be. A community decision to add temporary modular classroom space to the old school during the construction phase increased the project cost to $28.1 million.
They brought all the community “stakeholders” into the design process: the Native Regional Council, the Traditional Village Council, the Village Corporation, the Dept. of Education, the School District, the School Board, the utility company (which is developing a future wind farm on the edge of the new school site to provide power), the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, and the Denali Commission (federal funding source). They had to consider issues such as boggy ground requiring stilt foundations and board walks, seasonal flooding which messes up the boardwalks and creates other problems, maintenance issues, lack of expertise in the village, and lack of available labor and materials. They have to consider what types of materials and mechanical systems to use that can be easily maintained. They must consider energy conservation issues and design concepts that reduce energy usage.
In conclusion, Mr. Seiser discussed how their design plan for the school led to numerous other issues and how to integrate them all in a sustainable way. The school site plan is to place the new school beyond the airstrip along an existing boardwalk. Since the river is estimated to consume the village, they included several site plan options to move the village as well; creating new teacher housing, subdivisions around the school and incorporating the new residences already built apart from the village on higher ground. Moving the village away from the river creates other issues to consider such as: the “connectivity” of the villagers with each other (which adds social value and prevents mental health issues caused by isolation), the ability and safety of children to walk to school, and the proximity to the river and subsistence activities. They also have to plan for new community public buildings such as the General Store, Post Office, Health Clinic, churches, etc. to make the community “whole”. This raised issues on what to do with the existing community structures including the old school – demolish them, use them for other purposes until the river takes them, or move them?