In January 2017, I was one of only three students at the University of Miami's School of Architecture accepted into the exclusive and intensive Professional Advancement, Internship + Research Program. This opportunity required 40 hours per week of interning with Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces while conducting research on Sustainable Technology for Park Design. The topic was determined by assessing the needs of the department, which led me to discover that the material lab at Parks, which contains paving and building products for employees to resource during the design process, lacked modern ideas regarding sustainable design and failed to enter the technological realm. Throughout my study, I discovered that Florida is third heaviest ecological debtor in the nation, yet had incredible potential for harnessing alternative energy sources. The department's current Water and Energy Sustainability Plan had only implemented 3 solutions to the problem of resource depletion, only one which included alternative energy, so I created a book for all employees to access which displays this research and includes a catalog section outlining 24 commercial products, some which are still in development, across the globe that work toward energy and water conservation and can enhance the design of parks in Miami-Dade County.
I encourage you to peruse the digitized booklet below in widescreen mode.