Designing for Flood Risk: European Strategies for Climate Adaptation

Presenter: Adria Boynton, Resiliency Specialist, Weston & Sampson

The history of Florence is a story of a city and its river.

The Arno shrank as the city expanded, as weirs were built to support the textile industry, as the riverbanks became the Lungarni embankments, and as human intervention transformed the meandering river painstakingly documented by Leonardo da Vinci to the narrower and straighter course that exists today.

This project focused on design strategies for climate change adaptation, using the 1966 Arno River flood in Florence as a case study.

Since existing buildings - especially historic structures - play a key role in GHG mitigation, an increased focus on realistic adaptation measures is necessary. This presentation will prioritize building-scale strategies for climate adaptation, including the Basilica di Santa Croce, Querini Stampalia, St. Giobbe +160, and the Flood Resilient Repair Home. This project was sponsored by the Harvard University Sinclair Kennedy Traveling Fellowship, in affiliation with the Università degli Studi di Firenze.

Adria Boynton is interested in design solutions that make spaces and structures more resilient to sea level rise, storms, and other extreme events. She is a Resiliency Specialist at Weston & Sampson. Adria is a recipient of the Harvard GSD Community Service Fellowship and holds a Master in Design Studies Risk and Resilience from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and both a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.

^{Image: Adria Boynton}

For those who qualify, 1.5 LU/HSWs are available.

To learn more about the Committee on Resilient Environments, visit architects.org/committees/committee-resilient-environments-core

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