Cities are concentrations of diverse populations that undergo continual transformation over time. This thesis deals with the question, how does the individual make place in a constantly changing environment? The entry point for this study was looking at neglected places in urban environments. I looked specifically at the Don River Valley in Toronto, Ontario and how it has developed as an open-ended and complex system. The site research is presented through a series of stories describing specific events or places in the Don Valley that have taken place over the past 200 years. This thesis offers a mongrel approach to design for a site within the Don Valley. “The Mongrel Approach” is an opportunistic way of building that is committed to survival and open as to how this can be achieved. The design proposes a series of intimate yet public infrastructural devices; a toilet, water fountain, shelter and bridge that are presented in a set of hand drawings as well as through an “Explanatory Tale.” A magpie narrates this short story, which is part true, part fiction and part wishful thinking. As the earth’s population becomes more urban than rural and increasingly mobile, contemporary cities are becoming home to a diverse range of individuals with complex and layered identities. The Mongrel Approach offers a way of building that can handle difference and contradiction and accommodate incongruous or inharmonious parts. It positions the designer as a conjurer or first mover. This thesis proposes Mongrel buildings that respond to change by transforming slowly and incrementally over time with the involvement of multiple authors; but at each moment, a register of time and human ritual.

Lead exposure poses as a risk factor for various adverse health effects including intellectual delays, reduced IQ, and behavioural problems in children, as well as cognitive decline in adults. Lead enters drinking water through corrosion of leaded materials such as lead pipes, solder, and brass devices. Three rounds of residential and non-residential lead monitoring were conducted to evaluate the corrosion control implemented by Halifax Water, and to identify sites with elevated lead concentrations. Follow-up testing was conducted at several sites to determine the sources of lead, and the factors that contributed to high lead release. Finally, a bench scale experiment was conducted to determine the impacts of plumbing flux on metal release. The lead action level for residential testing was exceeded only in the round that was conducted during the winter. Lead concentrations were also higher in the winter rounds than the fall round of non-residential sampling. The seasonal lead variation was likely caused by fluctuations in aluminum residuals in the water leaving the plant. Frequency of use, age, and outlet manufacturer were factors that were associated with elevated lead levels. Follow-up studies were conducted at several fountains to determine the source of elevated lead levels. These fountains typically contained several leaded components and received infrequent use. Fountains with leaded components that received high, regular usage had often provided samples with low lead levels. Drinking fountains that were banned and recalled in the US for potentially containing lead lined cooling tanks were found at eight locations throughout the study area. It was found that three of the eight likely contained the lined cooling tanks. High lead levels were present in samples collected from these fountains, even at sites with frequent usage. Low-use sites with the lead lined tank produced the highest lead levels in this study. Fountains suspected of containing lead lined tanks were removed and replaced, and the lead levels were significantly reduced at these sites. The impact of plumbing flux on metal concentrations was relatively short in duration, lasting only a week for most metals, with the exception of tin. Lead levels were found to stabilize under all flux conditions following roughly 40 L of flushing. Flux type was the main factor contributing to the elevated metals. The traditional petroleum flux was much more resistant to flushing than the water soluble flux, as it caused elevated tin levels for several weeks and a tacky flux deposition in the copper pipe remained even three months after the start of the experiment. The high amount of chloride from the flux was aggressive towards the copper corrosion, but it is unclear if this would have led to copper pitting corrosion.

Cities are concentrations of diverse populations that undergo continual transformation over time. This thesis deals with the question, how does the individual make place in a constantly changing environment? The entry point for this study was looking at neglected places in urban environments. I looked specifically at the Don River Valley in Toronto, Ontario and how it has developed as an open-ended and complex system. The site research is presented through a series of stories describing specific events or places in the Don Valley that have taken place over the past 200 years. This thesis offers a mongrel approach to design for a site within the Don Valley. “The Mongrel Approach” is an opportunistic way of building that is committed to survival and open as to how this can be achieved. The design proposes a series of intimate yet public infrastructural devices; a toilet, water fountain, shelter and bridge that are presented in a set of hand drawings as well as through an “Explanatory Tale.” A magpie narrates this short story, which is part true, part fiction and part wishful thinking. As the earth’s population becomes more urban than rural and increasingly mobile, contemporary cities are becoming home to a diverse range of individuals with complex and layered identities. The Mongrel Approach offers a way of building that can handle difference and contradiction and accommodate incongruous or inharmonious parts. It positions the designer as a conjurer or first mover. This thesis proposes Mongrel buildings that respond to change by transforming slowly and incrementally over time with the involvement of multiple authors; but at each moment, a register of time and human ritual.

Águas subterrâneas são corpos dágua que podem aflorar na superfície por meio de fontes ou bicas dágua, comumente utilizadas pelo homem para as mais diversas atividades. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o padrão de potabilidade da água de 12 bicas de uso público da cidade de Taubaté-SP, para o consumo humano. Os parâmetros utilizados para avaliação foram: bacteriológico contagem de coliformes totais e E.coli; físico-químico concentração de turbidez e nitrato; parasitológico presença de Cryptosporidium spp e Giardia spp. As amostras de água foram coletadas de acordo com a metodologia estabelecida por Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA, 1998), em três etapas diferentes, no ano 2005. Os resultados das análises, em conformidade com a Portaria no 518/2004, do Ministério da Saúde, revelaram que, das 36 amostras de água analisadas, foram consideradas potáveis: 67%, quanto ao padrão bacteriológico; 92%, quanto ao padrão físico-químico; e 100%, quanto ao padrão parasitológico. Considerando-se todos os parâmetros analisados nas três coletas, conclui-se que 58% das amostras de água das bicas de uso público estudadas foram consideradas potáveis. Salientamos que, durante o estudo, não se identificou nenhum tipo de monitoramento da qualidade da água das bicas estudadas, o que pode colocar em risco a saúde da população. / Subterranean water is body water which can emerge by means of water fountains that are usually used for various activities by mankind. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potability standard of 12 water fountains in Taubaté city for human consumption. The parameters that were used for the evaluation were: bacteriological counting of total coliformes (intestinal bacteria) and E. coli; physicochemical concentration of turbidity and nitrate; parasitological presence of Cryptosporidium spp and Giardia spp. The water samples were collected according to the established methodology by Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA, 1998), in three stages in the year 2005. The results of the analyses, are in compliance with Portaria no 518 from the Ministry of Health in the year 2004 evidenced that the 36 samples of analyzed water, 67% were considered drinkable to the bacteriological standard, 92% were considered drinkable to the physicochemical standard and 100% were considered drinkable to the parasitological standard. Taking into account all the analyzed parameters in 3 collects, one concluded that 58% of the water samples from the studied water fountains were considered drinkable. One points out that during the study, it was not identified any kind of quality monitoring of the studied water fountains, which can endanger the populations health.