Emelia Ross

Advisor: Mercedes Garcia-Holguera

Drawings of childhood memories
These drawings explore my memories of childhood summers spent in Killarney. Memories of the family farm, visits to grandma’s, the family cabin on the hill, and days spent on the beach are my fondest childhood treasures. My memories of small-town summers are a particular motivation for this thesis project.
Axonometric projections of the Killarney Lake Regenerative Center adjacent to Erin Park.
Axonometric projections of the Killarney Lake Regenerative Center adjacent to Erin Park.
Killarney Lake Regenerative Center: Living Machine water filtration system removing excess nutrients from the Lake.
Killarney Lake Regenerative Center: Living Machine water filtration system removing excess nutrients from the Lake.
Visitors explore the story of place and learn about the regenerative capacity of the Center in the interactive discovery lookout.
Visitors explore the story of place and learn about the regenerative capacity of the Center in the interactive discovery lookout.
Interior rendering
Inside the Living Machine, visitors can get up close to the regenerative features of the Center. This space allows researchers and facility managers to work and provide tours to visitors. In the winter months, the space continues to filter water and sediment and provides visitors with the ability to walk amongst the vegetation and enjoy the warm interior.
Exterior rendering
Floating Island infrastructure: an extension of Erin Park, playground, boat launch, fishing spot, and biomass growth vessel. Like the islands scattered throughout the Lake, these docks hold sediment and nutrients as part of the Living Machine water filtration process.
Rending of floating island structure
Out on the Lake, the floating island playground provides the opportunity for visitors to enjoy the Lake as the island simultaneously holds sediment and enables biomass growth as the Lake becomes healthier, year after year. These experiences allow the visitor to make their own treasured memories of Killarney while also playing an active yet subconscious role in the regeneration of the Lake and the community

Applying the Regenerative-Adaptive Design Model: An Exploration on Rural Resiliency in the Age of Climate Change

While climate change is a significant concern globally, rural communities throughout the Canadian prairies are particularly vulnerable to its impacts due to their geographic isolation, limited economic diversity, aging populations, and high dependence upon natural resources related to livelihood and community structure. Increases in average annual temperature, environmental volatility, more frequent and intense weather events, water scarcity, flooding, and wildfire are some of the manifestations of climate change already impacting rural communities throughout the Canadian prairies. 

Responding to the threats of climate change will require rural communities to implement significant adaptation strategies to new and existing infrastructure systems. One such response to the threats of climate change impacting rural communities is the implementation of a Regenerative-Adaptive Design Model (Roos, 2021). The impacts of climate change are variable when considering the geographic location and are highly specific to place and local context. For this reason, the Regenerative Adaptive Design Model requires deep investigation and research to best understand the vulnerabilities of that specific community. Part of this methodology requires deep investigation into understanding and defining place to establish what the place strives to contribute to itself as a community and to the world. Through this process, different aspects of the community are identified to establish a Regenerative-Adaptive design plan. 

This thesis project explores the Manitoban rural community of Killarney to identify the impacts of climate change on rural communities in the Canadian Prairies. Through the application of the Regenerative Adaptive Design Model Methodology, the town of Killarney is used as a case study to explore the implementation of Regenerative Design and its role in increasing rural resiliency to climate change. Three major impacts were identified as significant concerns related to climate change for the town of Killarney, Manitoba. The first concern indicates an increase in annual average temperatures leading to increased incidents of heatwaves, drought and wildfire. The second major concern indicates variabilities in precipitation leading to increased incidence of floods, drought, and intense weather systems. The third major concern involves the increased incidence of freshwater eutrophication. Warmer, longer summers, coupled with changes to rain events cause nutrients to be swept into lakes, creating a favourable environment for algal blooms and eutrophication. Through a mixed methodological approach, these concerns are investigated, and Regenerative Design mitigation strategies are explored.