Designing for Loss

Abstract

Floods are the number one most common natural disaster in the United States. Each year they kill hundreds of people and cause billions of dollars in damages to both the natural and the built environment. They are both unpredictable and unforgiving. They can be both swift and long-lasting. When they strike, whether we are prepared or not, they strike with full force. And as much as we try to prepare and protect ourselves, we’re fighting a fight against Nature; a fight that we are likely to lose. So what can we do to turn this loss into a victory? By finding the balance between the destructive forces of a flood and the valuable characteristics of water, we can use Nature to our advantage. By realizing that we are fighting a losing battle, we can design with priorities in mind, and take a vulnerable site and turn it into a beneficial one. This thesis intends on finding that balance, and using it to change the way we think about “controlling” floods.