Remediation and reuse of a former manufactured gas plant site in Champaign, IL
The purpose of this thesis was to review effective technologies for eliminating contamination associated with manufactured gas plant sites by using in situ remediation. Another aim was to speculate an adaptive reuse of the site through revelatory design such that it unfolds the history of manufactured gas plants as they existed in 1800s to mid 1900s and also to educate the public about the remediation processes implemented on the site. The thesis argues that excavation – transportation – land filling is not an environmentally sound approach to site remediation but is only a temporary solution. Steps involved studying the timeline and site dynamics to understand the production processes and transformation of the site over nearly 8 decades of operation. Studying locations of each component of the gas plant and comparing them with current areas of contamination helped to draw parallels about the probable sources and structures causing contamination and health concerns. Horizontal and vertical mapping of toxic compounds clarified the extent of below ground contamination and migration over the years. In situ remediation technologies were chosen based on nature and extent of contamination on the site. The techniques chosen were robust and capable of handling deep below ground contamination. Cost and temporal analysis were used to compare a range of techniques for their cost effectiveness and site clean up duration. Speculative projections for the site were based on remediation needs and shaped the conceptual site design. Possibilities of cultivating history and memory as part of the cleanup process were also tested with one scenario. Revelatory designs were proposed to function only for the time the remediation process was active or only a limited time after clean up. The last part of the thesis addressed social concerns associated with exposure to contaminants during clean up. In addition, to give the site a regional context, it is proposed that since the site’s location offered a unique advantage of connectivity to other towns, it could be part of a future recreation corridor. The study also has the potential to serve as a brownfield remediation and redevelopment primer for the 67 other manufacturing gas plant sites in the state of Illinois.
Brownfields, Manufactured gas Plants, Landscape Architecture, Remediation and Reuse, Systems, Site context, Regional context, Design
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign