Watt Community Rowing Center: High-Performance Athletes Yield High-Performance Architecture

The Watt Community Rowing Center (WCRC) is a conceptual project that will demonstrate and quantify how an architectural design response can be both spatially evocative and technologically grounded. The WCRC is an architectural design evolving the typical rectangular boathouse into an energy-efficient boathouse that stimulates 'out of the box', forward thought, focused both on architectural form and sustainable design. The WCRC is a synthesis of architecture, environment, and athletics and is a conceptual design and theoretical research exploration. The proposed architectural solution motivates a new form in sustainable architecture that encourages the participation of building occupants. The interaction between individuals and architecture will promote energy efficiency. Athletes will be viewed as a viable source of energy as the watts generated during ergometer workouts will be recycled back into the grid.;In the advancement of our technological age, new and innovative means of discovery can improve current trends and practices for future generations, a true sustainable thought.The proposed thesis is a catalyst to show how athletes and active individuals can contribute to energy production via athletic gait. Rowing for Power is the idea that energy produced by rowers during common indoor training ergometer workouts can serve as a potential for energy harvesting. The concept serves a site specific design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but can be applied globally. Sports serve as a great segway to promote sustainability due to high fan populations and the natural draw of attention from the surrounding local community. High-performance athletes are role models who have the capability to yield high-performance architecture, which was explored in this design. Watts generated during ergometer workouts will be recycled back to the grid to offset energy demands.;The Watt Community Rowing Center (WCRC) is an accommodating design for the Temple University Crew in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area rowing community. The rowing center provides indoor exercise facilities that support rowing related conditioning year-round as well as adequate boat storage and waterway access. The architecture is an engaging experience for rowers, coaches, and visitors as it displays the energy produced and achievements earned by the rowers during training sessions and conditioning.