food | water | energy | resources | waste
holistic community :
exploring the urban ecovillage and reconnecting communities with their basic needs nick alexander
“modern man no longer regards Nature as in any sense divine and feels perfectly free to behave toward her as an overweening conqueror and tyrant.” - Aldous Huxley
“we have forgotten who we are, we have lost our sense of wonder and connectedness, we have degraded the earth and our fellow creatures, and we have nowhere else to go...” - Earth Charter
“by becoming active partners in regenerating the health of their localities - and, in a less dramatic way, of the Earth as a whole - people start to reverse the soul-numbing patterns of exploiting and abusing the source of so many life-sustaining gifts. they also begin to release the often-repressed, but nonetheless crippling, emotions - guilt and shame, grief and despair, loneliness and powerlessness - associated with going along with the relentless machinery of corporate consumer culture.” - Elan Shapiro
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the city and consumption
final design
disconnected from our food
site illustrations
a paradigm shift ecovillages
4:food focus_
earthaven twin oaks
5:water focus_
the farm camphill kimberton
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ecovillage synopsis permaculture
7:summary_
case studies design principles
2:conceptual design_ site analysis history of the canal water purification a water problem conceptual community design site models nick alexander | instructor josh coggeshall | advisor harry eggink
in the last century, cities have become the primary habitat for the human race. The world population living in cities
has grown exponentially - 10% in 1900, 50% in 2007, and an estimated 75% by 2050.1 not only are we growing in number,
we are congregating in urban areas. congregation leads to more and more environmental stresses that demand attention.
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the city and consumption_ “Our world is undergoing a period of change and transformation that is unprecedented in ancient or modern times. The world population grew in leaps and bounds throughout the twentieth century - from 1.7 billion in 1900...to 6.5 billion in 2007 - and is projected to expand by another 2.6 billion people in the next 50 years.”2 The Endless City As governments, city planners, and designers all continue searching for the right combination of “green” planning strategies, our world continues to grow in unparalleled ways. In the last century, towns and cities have become the primary habitat for the human race. In the year 1850, only two cities on the Earth had populations of one million. By 1900, 11 cities housed that many; by 1950, 83 cities; and in 2009, there are and a staggering 476 cities of one million or more. Not only have we seen human population rise exponentially in the last century, but that rise has occurred specifically in urban settings. In 1900, 10% of the world population lived in cities. By 2007, that proportion jumped to 50% - half of the world now lives in a city setting. That population is projected to increase to 75% by the year 2050.3 It’s important here that we address the way in which we use the word ‘city’, that we are including the sprawling suburbs of many metropolitan populations across the country and the world. The automobile has allowed many cities-proper to expand their edges outward, especially along freeways. As an example, Metropolitan New York’s population has grown only five percent in the last 25 years while its surface area has grown 61%, consuming farmlands and wild habitats in the process.4
We really need to begin asking what happens when city populations increase at this alarming rate. How does the relationship between rural and suburban/urban settings change as more people move to the city? And more specifically, how do the consuming patterns of cities affect the way we design? consumerism_ In a world of cities it is crucial to take a new look at the way the city functions, where resources come from, and where wastes end up. Let’s look specifically here in the U.S. American’s make up 5% of the world’s population but consume 24% of the world’s energy. It would take more than five Earths to be able to sustain the world population if everyone consumed resources at that rate. Likewise, American’s throw out 200,000 tons of edible food daily. And yet most of us know something of the 800 or so million people in the world who don’t have enough food to sustain a healthy life. Water usage is just as bad - the average American consumes 159 gallons of water a day, while more than half of the world lives on 25 gallons a day.5 How can we think this is right? So many are concerned with sustainability, but small solutions aren’t going to change the world. A fundamental shift is needed if we really want to address our ability to survive indefinitely into the future. As stated by the writer Herbert Girardet, “across the world, we need a revolution in ‘futureproofing’ our cities, dramatically increasing their energy efficiency, switching to renewable energy technology and mimicking natural zerowaste ecosystems.”6
cities of one million inhabitants7 1850 - 2 cities
1900 - 11 cities
1950 - 83 cities
2009 - 476 cities
trucked, and own in across the world from somewhere, anywhere, nevermind where. consumerism relies on our ability to
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industrial farming feeds much of the world - food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to plate.8 it is shipped,
look the other way - we rarely stop to ask where our food comes from, what’s in it, and what it took to get it here.
disconnected from our food_ City living has its unsustainable qualities, but so does every other human living arrangement on the earth. If we have proof of population shifts towards the city, there shouldn’t be a question of right or wrong but questioning of how to adapt. This questioning has been around for some time now; sustainability is the buzzword in almost any industry today. The problem with our mainstream discussion of sustainability is that food is far too often omitted from design solutions, particularly in city planning. But how can we forget about our food? We put so much importance on energy consumption, pollution, transportation, and resource management - don’t these subjects have everything to do with growing, harvesting, packaging, distributing, and consuming food? Likewise, our livelihood depends on our health, and our health depends on the food we eat. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with our food? our disconnection_ As it is, our food and consumer goods are shipped, trucked, and flown in across the world from somewhere, anywhere, nevermind where. Many of us have no idea what’s in our food - that is if it really is “food” - where it comes from, and what it took to get it here. We simply enjoy the convenience of stopping at the local “whatever-mart” to pick up a few of the 45,000 over-processed and over-packaged goods without thinking twice.9 Likewise, we’ve been disconnected from our food so long that we don’t even understand it anymore. We need expert consultants - nutritionists, dietitians, and food scientists - to explain to us what we should eat. But eating used to about so much more than health. It was about pleasure, community, family, spirituality, identity, a relationship with nature, and culture in general. It defined who we were and where we came from. Instead,
modern industrialized farming has lead to industrialized eating and a national eating disorder. industrialized farming_ Today, much of our food finds its origins on large-scale industrial farms. Yes, there are obvious benefits to this method of growing food increased quantities, decreased costs, and the convenience to the consumer. But let’s not just accept the system because it seems to work. Increased quantities do not equal increased quality. In fact, many agribusiness operations are more interested in profit via increased size and quantity of their yield without any real regard for the food quality. Pesticides are needed to grow the massive monocultures in nutrient-depleted soil and to resist pest intrusion. Decreased costs help out the consumer, but the farmers working within the system make very little on what they grow - 10 to 20 cents on the dollar - as the rest goes to processors, packagers, and distributors. This might force farmers to make otherwise unethical decisions so that they can feed their own families, such as the use of dangerous pesticides - the steroids for plant growth. Quality is sacrificed for quantity. And convenience? Convenience isn’t everything. If we all really stopped and thought about the industrial farming system, would we continue to use it? In the United States, our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to plate. Think of all the resources needed just in distribution. In fact, 17% of all fossil fuel used in the U.S. is consumed by the food production system.10 Not to mention other factors like soil erosion, air pollution, or water contamination.
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Driving distances compared to U.S. food travel * U.S. average by Natural Resources Defense Council
Farm to Plate*
1,500 mi
Indy to L.A.
2,060 mi
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Indy to Miami
1,190 mi
Indy to Denver
1,060 mi
Indy to New York Indy to Chicago
730 mi 190 mi
Speaking of which - agricultural practices are responsible for 70% of all pollution in U.S. rivers and streams. Convenient? Maybe today, but how does this system continue indefinitely? But maybe there’s a more important question - is there any other way? Is it even possible at this point to feed ourselves? victory gardens_ During both World Wars, Americans were encouraged by their government to support the war effort by growing their own food. In 1943, 20 million American Victory Gardens accounted for nearly half of the production of fresh fruit and vegetables consumed nationally.11 Sure it was a different world 60 years ago, but half of the nation was able to feed itself! And not only that, Americans were actually improving their health. During WWII, Americans were eating less meat, butter, eggs, and processed foods. They were eating more locally grown produce, more fish, and they were getting more exercise. Why? The nation was rationing both food and fuel - industry was being refocused to supply troops overseas. And so Americans at home were asked to live more locally in the name of patriotism. The success of the Victory Garden goes to show the possibilities of growing food locally. Admittingly, it took a great world-wide conflict, nationalistic pride, and a sense of duty to motivate the shift to local production. Even so, we have evidence that a shift is possible and even arguably beneficial.
where we are_ After the decline of home-gardening following WWII, we haven’t seen any real movement towards local production until the last couple of decades. Local agriculture is slowly making its way back to the city in the form of farmer’s markets, organic farming, community supported agriculture, and even the reintroduction of Victory Gardens. Farmer’s markets in particular have really caught on, maybe because they enable farmers to keep closer to 90 cents on the dollar (spent by the consumer) compared to 10 cents on the dollar when working within agribusiness corporations. the direction_ So we have the issues. We need food. Real food. Real local food. The Victory Garden offered that need but doesn’t entirely translate to today’s cities. Farmer’s markets and CSAs are sprouting up in cities across the nation. But is this enough? We know that in the next 40 years our world population in cities will increase by 25% - how will we feed those millions of mouths so far from their food source? As our fuel sources become more and more expensive and unreliable, how do we get food from farm to plate? As a solution, can we better integrate food and nature within our cities? If so, where can we look for direction and inspiration? Where else can we find examples of complete human environments where food is included with all other necessary functions?
a tale of two tomatoes...
Average American Tomato12
CO2 Emissions: 3/4 lb.
CO2 Emissions: none!
Travel Distance: 1500 miles (avg.)
Travel Distance: a few feet
Pesticides: 300 mg
Pesticides: none!
Fuel: 1/2 ounce diesel
Fuel: none!
Income Potential: 10-20 cents per dollar spent
Income Potential: 80-90 cents per dollar spent
Home-Grown Tomato
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fossil fuels pol lut ion
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fossil fuels pol lut ion
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are you a grower or non-grower? what do you know about your food?
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paradigm shift | how do we begin to reconnect city dwellers with the land and with their food? how do cities respond
to a more integrated and wholistic approach to sustainable community design? and what deďŹ nes a wholistic community
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anyways? what elements need to be addressed? where can we begin to look for study, for precedent, or even inspiration?
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ecovillage | low-impact communities where building technologies, material and resource needs, food production, water management, waste cycles, and energy usage are holistically addressed through integrated design13
ecovillages_ Around the 1960s and 1970s, an active movement of “hippies and treehuggers” formed in reaction to the globallyspreading Western lifestyle specifically American consumerism and perceived imperialism. Small groups of like-minded individuals in search of an alternative society and screaming “revolution” found shelter in the middle of nowhere - deep in the forest, high up in the hills - places far from the city’s reach in settlements called ecovillages. Although their origins might have been in revolution, isolation, communism, and radical experimentation, many of those same ecovillages that were established over 40 years ago have refocused to prioritize the exact same issues our mainstream culture is facing today - global warming, peak oil, energy use, and resource efficiency. How can the human race manage to indefinitely exist with and on a resource-limited planet? Ecovillages offer an alternative habitat that address such issues. They are full featured settlements in which the major functions of life - food provision, manufacturing, leisure, social life, and commerce - are all present in balanced proportions and where human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world. They are generally smaller in scale than one might expect in the city or even in the suburbs for that matter - somewhere between 50 and a few hundred members sharing hundreds of acres of land. Ecovillages share a rigorous set of ecological, social, and cultural values. Ultimately, most of these communities are striving for selfsufficiency. They’d like to be able to provide most of what they need for themselves. This includes disconnection from centralized energy, water, and waste systems.
Likewise, many ecovillages are actively combatting the inappropriate consumption of resources. Instead, they encourage local production and consumption - if they can’t grow it or make it themselves, then find it at the next nearest place. This not only discourages the needless destruction of natural habitats, but it also supports the local economy. Overall, they believe in transitioning towards a life of simplicity, living lightly on the earth, and practicing appropriate land stewardship. Before we begin criticizing the practices and philosophies utilized by ecovillage communities, let’s study a few examples more closely. And what better way to understand a foreign place or an alternative lifestyle than to experience it firsthand? And so, a week-long field study of American ecovillages was conducted in the name of experiential learning. The tour included visitation of four established villages in the eastern United States, including Earthaven (outside Asheville, NC), Twin Oaks (outside Charlottesville, VA), The Farm (outside Nashville, TN), and Camphill Kimberton (outside Philadelphia, PA). The understanding of community function and the integration of countless principles for design were even more apparent when seen with the eyes and experienced by the body. After these studies, we can begin to criticize ecovillage design and principles with a broader knowledge base. Likewise, we will be able to focus on specific ideologies incorporated in villages across the world - mainly Permaculture. We can then develop a new set of design guidelines or principles from which we can refer to for future community and building design.
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earthaven_ Earthaven is a mountain forest community started in the midnineties whereas the following three communities had been established at the movement’s beginning (late 60s, early 70s). Earthaven is the only one of the four that actively uses Permaculture as a set of design and living guidelines. disconnection from the grid_ Site selection had to do with natural resources available. Converging waters running down the hillsides could provide more than drinking or irrigation water. They now provide a source of energy - hydroelectric. Earthaven also utilizes countless arrays of photovoltaic cells. When these two sources aren’t providing enough energy, members adapt as there is no connection to the grid. homesite gardens_ As opposed to conventional methods of farming where monocultures cover entire fields, farming at Earthaven is done in more diverse and smallscale gardens. One lives within their food, which grows around and up onto the home. Gardening is then done in bits and pieces on one’s way to a meal or to work. Food is a source of life, and so it is a part of every member’s daily routine. building and land clearing_ Before new construction, a year of site analysis is conducted so as to properly design form for passive heating and cooling and also to assess available building materials on site. All materials cleared are then used in the construction of the new building or are used somewhere else in the community - waste is a resource, not something to be ultimately disposed of. multiuse of livestock_ Chickens and pigs are for more than food. They eat the weeds out of farmland at the beginning of growing season and their droppings get used as fertilizer.
cultivating sustainable renaissance - “Earthaven is where the human community is bonding with the Earth in a manner
capable of healing the devastation of the past and inspiring a new grandeur for the future. At Earthaven, even for
a brief while, we experience what it is to return to ourselves.� - Thomas Berry, author of The Dream of the Earth
Its inspiration comes from B.F. Skinner’s book Walden Two, which describes a behaviorist society. Although behaviorism
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Twin Oaks is committed to nonviolence, egalitarianism, cooperation, income-sharing, and sustainabilit as an ecovillage.
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is no longer practiced, the initial organizational structure and the original labor-credit system are still in place.
twin oaks_ Twin Oaks is in rural central Virginia and is made up of 85 adults and 15 children. Since the community’s beginning in 1967, their way of life reflects values of cooperation, sharing, nonviolence, equality, and ecology. Of the toured ecovillages, Twin Oaks is by far the closest to resembling a true commune. self-supporting economy_ A week’s work of labor is exchanged for food, shelter, healthcare, and personal funds. Labor includes gardening, building, cooking, childcare, and a number of incomeproducing activities. Many contribute through a variety of work. connections with the outside_ A hand-made hammock business, soyfood industry, and book indexing connect Twin Oaks with the outside world. In fact, the community’s livelihood is dependent upon this extended business. equality and sustainability_ How are equal living arrangements addressed when microclimatic properties vary on opposing sides of a building? Rooms on the north side are smaller in area but have large windows to let in indirect sunlight. Rooms on the south are larger in area but have smaller windows and supplement direct sunlight with skylights to prevent overheating. passive building systems_ Technologies are not discouraged, but passive systems are valued over active. As a result, all members are highly conscious of building performance and are constantly manipulating their living spaces. humanity and the earth_ When a child is born into the community, the afterbirth is planted in the earth with plant seeds. The growth of that plant thus symbolizes the growth of the individual and nutures a strong relationship between humanity and nature.
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The Training Center assists transition towards a sustainable society by instruction in meeting basic needs for food,
shelther, energy, and community. It helps in understanding the needs of Earth’s systems and the human role in healing.
the farm_ The Farm was started in 1971 when 60 buses loaded with hippies from San Francisco rolled into Tennessee. It was started with the goal of establishing a cohesive, outwardly-directed community promoting change by action and example. Today, they are 175 members strong. educational tool_ The Farm holds the bi-annual Farm Experience Weekend where outsiders can experience how the community operates. It is used as a tool for exposing the alternative lifestyle where visitors attend workshops, work the land, and eat meals alongside residents. The Farm’s livelihood has ultimately depended on this interaction as an educational tool. It has been inspiration for the beginnings of many other ecovillages. natural building materials_ The Ecovillage Training Center is a living laboratory of alternative construction methods with natural building materials such as straw bale and cob (clay, sand, straw, and water) construction. They utilize on site materials for all of their new work. The process of building is viewed as a way for the individual to connect with their living environment, so buildings are given character and takes on handmade qualities.
camphill kimberton_ Founded in 1972, Camphill Kimberton is a vibrant farming and handcrafting community that includes adults with developmental disabilities. Residents create a living and working environment where everyone, especially those with special needs, can discover their full potential. social responsibility_ Kimberton is interested in more than ecological design. Residents work and live with adults with disabilities. As with other ecovillages, this symbolizes the broad range of values shared in the communities. community supported agriculture_ Connections are made with the outside via a biodynamic, 15-acre CSA that feeds 200 people. The same farmland feeds the entire community. The community’s well-being is thus tied to the success of the garden. community and food_ Carols are sung by candlelight to the dairy cows on Christmas Eve. This quaint event symbolizes a unique relationship between members and animals and nature, both detrimental to the community’s livelihood.
Camphill Kimberton provides the opportunity to gain experience in biodynamic, organic, and sustainable methods of
agriculture and land stewardship within a socially therapeutic setting that includes developmentally disabled adults.
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de to l t th ran s e ci lat ty e ?
ho in w do is ol we s at io hare n? ho surv w th do ival e es ec ov il la ge mo
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ecovillages synopsis_ ecological rigor_ These and other ecovillages offer intensities of sustainable living that are only dreamed of in cities. The wide spread of design principles - food production, renewable energy use, reclaimed and local building materials, and general self-sufficiency - offers a rigorous integration of strategies that blow mainstream attempts of sustainable development out of the water. We have a contemporary habit of “greenwashing” architecture with terms like “green” and “eco-friendly”, but small improvements won’t instigate massive change. Instead, we can look to ecovillages and understand a vastly integrated approach is needed. The rigor demonstrated offers hope for future city design. It’s just a matter of translating concepts from these isolated settings into the city. humanity and nature in harmony_ Ecovillages demonstrate a true reconnection between people and the land, and the solution is more than planting a few trees where we live. It’s about edible landscapes replacing the ornamental, about human habitats mimicking natural ecosystems, and about members constantly caring for the earth and their food. The respect community members have for the earth is nearly spiritual - there is true gratitude for the gifts mother nature provides. integration of life functions_ All functions of human life are addressed in ecovillage communities. Though there might appear to be a focus on ecological living, other domains are nonetheless equally important. Economics, governance, social life, spirituality - these are all a crucial to the multidimensionality of eco-living. humanity and the built environment_ Modern systems and technologies are often discouraged and even considered unacceptable in some ecovillage arrangements. This denial of technology isn’t necessarily advantaeous as technologies do offer potential for reducing our impact on the planet. But the concept that members are actively responding to a building’s performance is a critical concept. Technologies often allow building users to act complacently within the built environment photovoltaics will collect the sun’s rays and turbines will spin in the wind so that I can keep my lights on all day. This is the mindset of mainstream Western society - the building systems will correct our bad habits. The ecovillage model of user-manipulated building systems and passive solutions requires that every member is conscious of the way they live. How can this user conciousness be combined with appropriate modern technologies? connections + education_ Many ecovillages have become much less introverted in recent decades. Not only have they learned the value in doing business with the outside world, but they’ve begun to understand the value in sharing their ideals with non-members. Encouraging eco-tours of their villages allows outsiders to fully experience the dramatically alternative lifestyle. These tours sometimes propogate the foundation of new villages. More often they inspire tourists to simplify their own lives as they return to mainstream society. In any case, the new openness of ecovillage communities provides the outside world with an educational tool worth investigation. isolation_ Experimentation is much easier in isolation as there are far fewer variables to crash the system. But understanding that half the world’s population lives in cities and that that figure is expected to rise in the future, how does an isolated - albeit self-sustaining community in the woods help the global condition? How do you “share survival” when living in isolation? The dilemma here is that ecovillage living is extremely sustainble, but to have a greater effect for mankind, the principles used have to be translated to the city. How does that translation take place?
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permaculture_ Permaculture is a globally recognized environmental design methodology that is specifically being utilized by ecovillages worldwide. It is a whole systems approach to ecological planning and design that addresses the need for sustainable human settlements. As such, it addresses the way humans can live harmoniously with the land, integrating microclimate, functional plants, animals, soils, water management, and human needs into an intricately connected, highly productive, and shared habitat. It is, likewise, a design tool for food production, landscape modeling, house building, alternative economic systems, village governments, and communities in whole. “Permaculture looks for the patterns embedded in our natural world as inspirations for designing solutions to the many challenges we are presented with today. Permaculture encourages individuals to be resourceful and self-reliant and to become a conscious part of the solution to the many problems which face us both locally and globally. Permaculture means thinking carefully about our environment, our use of resources, and how we supply our needs. It aims to create systems that will sustain not only for the present, but also for future generations. The idea is one of co-operation with nature and each other, of caring for the earth and its people.”14 The term “Permaculture” (“permanent” and “agriculture”) was coined in the mid1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren to describe a new approach to using the land. It was said that landscapes should be edible and animals should be abundant; our local outdoor environments should be highly productive. Since then, “Permaculture” has evolved to include “permanent” and “culture”. The definition has expanded to include all human activites, not just food. As a result, many ecovillages have picked up this ideology and used it to organize their own communities.
The ethics of Permaculture are broken down into three broad maxims or principles: Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Shares. Under Earth Care, humans are called upon to look after the earth as we depend on it for our survival. Earth Care highlights caring for the soil - the source for terrestrial life - and for all living things as every lifeform has intrinsic value. People Care calls for developing ourselves as individuals and accepting personal responsiblity for our situation as far as possible. People Care also addresses strong connections with family, friends, and community and the notion of spirituality. The third maxim - Fair Shares - recognizes that the earth is not infinite and so our appetites cannot be either. There is no substitute for reducing our personal consumption of non-renewable resources. In the book Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability, author David Holmgren elaborates on the three ethical maxiums and develops 12 general principles for following the ideology of Permaculture (see following pages for principles). These principles are far from prescriptive. Instead, they act as broad concepts that encourage readers to work and live more harmoniously with nature. They encourage analysis of natural systems and for humans to imitate those systems as much as possible - treat your garden like a natural forest but populate it with food-bearing species as an example.15 Permaculture gives structure to the ecovillage concept. By citing principles for design, it also provides us a basic framework from which we can extrapolate guidelines for designing in the city. In fact, even Holmgren acknowledges the need for solutions in the city. In his writings, he points out the enormous amounts of energy being consumed in construction and food transportation. He recognizes the need for a shift from an industrial culture to a sustainable culture.
Characteristics of two cultural systems16 (Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability)
Characteristic
Industrial Culture
Sustainable Culture
Energy Material Flows Natural Assets Organization Scale Movement Feedback Focus Activity Thinking Gender
Non-Renewable Linear Consumption Centralized Large Fast Positive Center Episodic Change Reductionist Masculine
Renewable Cyclical Storage Distributed Small Slow Negative Edge Rythmic Stability Wholistic Feminine
Key domains required to create a sustainable culture17
LAND AND NATURE STEWARDSHIP
BUILDING Building_ passive solar design, natural construction materials, water harvesting + reuse, biotechture, pattern language Tools + Technology_ hand tools, fuels from organic waste, co-generation, energy storage, transition engineering
LAND TENURE AND COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE
TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY Ethics and Design Principles
Health + Spiritual Well-Being_ body/mind/spirit disciplines, spirit of place, indigenous culture revival
EDUCATION AND CULTURE
FINANCES AND ECONOMICS
HEALTH AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING
Education + Culture_ social ecology, behaviorism, arts + music, action learning
Finances + Economics_ local + regional currencies, fair trade, farmers markets + CSAs, work for food exchange Land Tenure + Governance_ cooperatives, cohousing + ecovillages, consensus decision making Land + Nature Stewardship_ forest gardenings, seed saving, organic agriculture, biodynamics, aquaculture
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permaculture design principles_ The following principles were developed by David Holmgren, co-originator of the Permaculture concept. He has created these principles as a framework for challenging the way humans inhabit the world. They are meant to be guidelines for all scales of wholistic design.18
1. Observe and Interact_ “By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.” Be a part of things. Engage with the site, the materials, the people.
7. Design from Patterns to Details_ “Stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of design, with details filled in as we go.” Look to nature’s functional beauty for design.
2. Catch and Store Energy_ “By developing systems that collect resources when they are abundant, we can use them in times of need.” Not just with technologies. Energy can be stored in many ways.
8. Integrate Rather than Segregate_ “By putting the right things in the right place, relationships form between things - they work together to support each other.” Everything has multiple functions, connections, value.
3. Obtain a Yield_ “Ensure that you are getting truely useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.” Get a return on your investments. You can’t work on an empty stomach.
9. Use Small and Slow Solutions_ “Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and producing more sustainable outcomes.” Focus on what you can do now.
4. Apply Self-regulation & Accept Feedback_ “Discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.” Keep tabs on your habits. Check that your solutions are working.
10. Use and Value Diversity_ “Diversity reduces vulnerability and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.” Reduce risk and increase quality with a variety of solutions.
5. Use & Value Renewable Resources/Services_ “Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.” Be efficient, be independent, and reduce your impact.
11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal_ “The interface between things is where interesting events occur - these are often the most valuable, diverse, and productive areas in the system.” Design with the edges and the spaces between.
6. Produce No Waste_ “By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.” Make use of everything. Design elements to work cyclically.
12. Creatively Use & Respond to Change_ “We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.” Improvise, adapt, and overcome. Be flexible.
Can we reinterpret Holmgren’s 12 principles for Permaculture design and devise a set of guidelines of our own? Those guidelines
could then be used in future phases of design, whether we’re confronting a single architectural component or an entire community.
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case studies and rubric_ The following case studies were conducted on various works pertaining to wholistic solutions in community planning, integrated design, and self-sufficiency. Some are built architectural communities. Others are visionary works on paper. The rests are technologies or small-scale projects. All of them relate to the idea of designing more complete communities in that they offer something to the concept of wholistic design. To look at them with some sort of initiative, a visual rubric has been created (below). The categories in the rubric are deriven from a combination of general sustainable practices and from the principles found in the last sections on ecovillage design and Permaculture. Some of these categories are extremely tangible. They can be quantitively anaylzed to measure how efficiently a building or a community performs. Energy, water management, and material use are such categories. Others are slightly harder to calculate such as transportation, food systems, and waste cycles. These are obviously important categories when it comes to our carbon footprint and the wholistic design of our living environments, but their complex nature makes them hard to accurately quantify. The rest of the categories are more qualitative. They bring sustainable qualities to communities that cannot necessarily be calulcated with figures. These include integration, connectivity, inclusiveness, adaptability, and educational components. As we’ve seen in examples of ecovillages and in the principles of Permaculture, these categories play a crucial role in sustainable and wholistic design.
energy_ renewables, new systems, grid connections, zero energy
integration_ systems, program, building functions, landscape
water management_ low consumption, rainwater and greywater harvesting
connectivity_ to the site, existing context, people, activities
material use_ recycled, reclaimed, natural, renewable, eco-friendly
inclusiveness_ transparency, public and private involvment
transportation_ mass transit, shared vehicles, no fossil fuels
adaptability_ ability to change over time, flexibility, reactive
summary_
food systems_ local, homesite gardening, organic, community supported
waste cycles_ no waste, recycled, reused, bio-fuel, fertilizer
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education_ outreach via education, teaching tool
BedZED_ Bill Dunster Architects London, England “If the sustainability concept is to have any sort of meaningful effect on the environment, it must move into the volume mainstream...”19 The Beddington Zero Fossil Energy Development (BedZED) is a community of 82 homes, 18 work/live units, and about 17,000 square feet of work space and communal facilities that occupies an urban brownfield site. The project attempts to demonstrate a higher-quality, affordable lifeand workstyle in the London suburb with the priority of reducing the human carbon footprint. “The challenge...was to show that it is possible to provide a holistic living/working community enjoying a high overall quality of life, while limiting its consumption of scarce national resources.” (BedZED) The facility is not meant to appeal to the niche green consumer. Occupants are fundamentally accepting an alternative lifestyle that demands an enlighted self-consciousness about the way people dwell. Carbon footprint was ultimately addressed through three categories of energy and resource usage - building performance, transportation, and foodmiles. These categories were prioritized as the average UK household’s carbon emissions break down into thirds - one-third for heating and powering their home, one-third for land-based travel, and one-third for foodmiles with the average UK meal traveling over 2,000 miles from farm to plate. This shows that although building performance is crucial, so too are other aspects of everyday life. Sources (Information + Images) Sustainable Urban Design www.arup.com
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building design_ Passive systems are enhanced enough to negate the need for expensive active systems. BedZED experiements with this by eliminating conventional space heating altogether, supplemented with superinsulation, triple-glazing, south-facing sunspaces, thermal mass, good daylighting, and passive stack effect via wind cowls. The designers addressed active systems options but noted that “covering a building in photovoltaic (PV) solar electric collectors may show environmental awareness and highlight new energy technologies, but...PV’s modest output and current high cost suggest their may be more pragmatic ways to provide renewable energy.” (BedZED) Subsequently, PVs were added to the project as part of a grant for EU demonstration, powering electric vehicles among other things. The premise, however, is that passive design was prioritized over add-on technologies. Massing and orientation were equally important for the live/work community. Work spaces and public amentities were oriented to the north side of buildings - to reduce solar heat gain - as there is potential for larger internal heat gain from high occupancy levels and office equipment. Homes on the otherhand were oriented on the south side of buildings as they receive less heat from internal sources. By facing south, they enjoy the benefit of solar heat gain. But how do you then address excessive gain? Preventing summertime overheating is addressed through south-facing, double-skin sunspaces. These spaces accept and transmit solar heat gain to the rest of the unit in the winter. In the summer, the sunspace is shaded to prevent that heat gain while operable windows on the outer skin can be opened to promote airflow. energy generation_ The goal was for each building to be energy-autonomous, operating solely on energy it could produce through PV, thermal collectors, and small wind turbines. The cost of this solution was impractical so a community-scaled energy source became necessary. A biofuelled combined heating and power (CHP) system was implemented, coverting urban tree waste into woodchips that can be used as a fuel. Not only does this provide a renewable resource for enegy, it removes the resource from the waste stream - urban tree waste is typically sent to landfill. A gasifier converts the woodchips to a wood-gas suitable for running an engine. Electricity is then generated and shared by the community. Extra energy produced can be returned to the grid; likewise, when more energy is needed it can be pulled from the grid. The heat generated from the engine is used to heat water for the facility and to dry the woodchips before gasification. At BedZED, energy generation alone addresses renewable energies and resources, closed-loop waste cycles, and the multiuse of components in a system. transportation_ A green transport plan promotes walking, cycling, and the use of nearby public tranport, as well as working on site, tele-commuting, carpooling, and the use of electrical vehicles provided for the community. In fact, the PV panel installation provides enough energy to operate 40 small electric cars a year. Using the PVs for car charging reduces a typical payback on PVs from 75 years to 15 years. Materials for building construction are sourced within a 35-mile radius of the site to reduce the embodied energy of construction. foodmiles_ In the UK, households import between 60 and 80 percent of trend, BedZED provides users with private garden space their own food. Likewise, a number of nearby small, mixed delivery food to the community without using fossil fuels
their food. To mitigate this and encourages them to grow farms are being organized to or packaging.
synopsis_ BedZED obviously demonstrates a fuller understanding of wholistic design with respect to our carbon footprint and our effects on the environment. Even so, much of the project’s ideal goals are not met. Many people still own and drive personal vehicles. Many don’t grow their own food. The buildings definitely outperform typical housing in the UK, but that is due to design and not necessarily a change in living habits. The moral of the story is that buildings can be designed to be more efficient and support programs can be initiated to encourage healthier living, but if individuals don’t actively engage these opportunities, sustainable principles are only ideal. Maybe there needs to be some major purpose or enterprise that unites community members? Perhaps community is addressed but not to the necessary extent? How does each member relate to and rely on other members? How are members held accountable?
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Bio-fuelled combined heat and power system...
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meter electricity to buildings
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Ecological footprint for UK lifestyle in ha/person, based on a four-person household (BioRegional)
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Jackson Place_ Casa Verde Columbus, IN Jackson Place is a residential and commercial development focused on sustainable design, energy efficiency, air quality, and owner comfort. To ensure it meets its objectives, it will be certified through LEED. The project addresses environmental design mainly through materials and equipment. Jackson Place utilizes high performance insulation, Energy Star rated windows and doors, certified harvested wood, Formaldehyde-free cabinetry, lowVOC paints, and bamboo flooring. It also uses high efficiency heating and cooling systems, on-demand tankless water heating, water efficient fixtures, and other Energy Star rated appliances. Jackson Place goes through the standard hoops of modern sustainable design, specifically by meeting LEED requirements. Renewable materials and energy efficient equipment are definitely better solutions that some alternatives, but to truely call such a development “green” or “eco-friendly” could be considered a stretch. Many of the materials chosen are not even close to local - take the Energy Star rated windows and doors. Maybe these are more efficient products, but they also come from Pella’s facilities in Iowa. The water treatment systems come from Connecticut. Shipping of these and other products consumes vast quantities of fossil fuel and pollutes our air. Jackson Place offers a typical case study for sustainable development today, but how do we advance? What can such developments take from ecovillage design to provide more wholistic solutions in the city? Sources (Information + Images) www.jacksonplaceliving.com
Madison Street_ Christian Rushing Chattanooga, TN The Madison Street neighborhood promises to offer Chattanooga’s first LEED certified homes. Each house is designed with efficiency and sustainability as guiding principles and proclaims these concepts to be integral to design and not merely “green-washing”. The intended benefits include lower energy and water bills, reduced carbon emissions, and reduced exposure to mold, mildew, and other toxins. Like at Jackson Place, this project goes through the gammut of sustainable design solutions. Many material selections are durable, recyclable, low VOC, and locally manufactured and harvested when possible. 75% of construction waste is recycled or reused. Energy Star equipment and appliances are chosen for their efficiency. Units are oriented east-west to promote passive heating and daylighting. Is this not just another example of sustainable design being used as a cliche marketing tool to capture buyers? Where does sustainable design really have an impact? Material selction is a good start, but by itself it does not offer a wholistic solution. Energy use is also extremely important, but installing efficient equipment doesn’t challenge the way we live. How is our consumer lifestyle challenged? Where do architecture and nature embrace one another? Where is community addressed? Where are connections made with the wider context? Sources (Information + Images) www.madisonmoderns.com
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Forwarding Dallas_ Atelier DATA & MOOV Dallas, TX Initial ivestigation recognized natural cycles and focused on how to replicate them architecturally. Working with the natural form and diverse system of a hillside, the space is organized as valleys, slopes, and hilltops, which maximize solar gain, views, and productive surfaces. The dynamic composition of buildings creates large voids for open green spaces and the angled roofs function as green roofs for agricultural purposes. The hills function to maximize the harvest of solar thermal, photovoltaic, and wind energy - together providing for 100% of the energy needs of the 850 or so residents. Water will be collected on the rooftop, recycled, and stored underground for grey water usage and irrigation. Though the shape of the facility appears extremely foreign and arguably out-of-place, the design team went through a rigorous study of form. The solution reacts to climatic conditions - access to sunlight, cross breezes, energy solutions, important views, and serves to deďŹ ne public space. Looking towards nature and mimicking the form of a hillside for growth, the project efďŹ ciently uses facade/ roof surfaces to vertically grow food. This method of form-making follows the stratgies instigated by principles of Permacultures, as does the integration of food production into the building skin. But how does this integration change the way people live? How is the idea replicated in cold climates? Sources (Information + Images) www.urbanrevision.com
CO-OP Canyon_ Standard LLP : Architect Dallas, TX CO-Op Canyon is a cooperative community of 1,000 people living together in terraced cliff dwellings overlooking a lush urban canyon. Residents gain equity in the co-op through participation in construction, agriculture, maintenance, education and conservation programs central to the sustenance of the community, much like the operations at Twin Oaks. Garden allotments, both concentrated in the community farm and dispersed throughout private garden terraces, allow residents to grow, exchange, and share canyongrown produce. Produce from the community farm is consumed in the community kitchen and sold in the market spaces below. The community kitchen offers regular classes and food tasting focused on nutrition, locally grown produce, and sharing cultural traditions. The project offers a nice variety of private and public production spaces, from shared community farms to private front- and backyard garden terraces. This is an interesting area of study when considering communal agriculture in urban areas, that of private vs. public and opportunities for overlap or exchange such as a community market or kitchen. The notion of the co-op also deserves study. Participation in the movement - in the form of construction, agriculture, maintenance, etc. - from the individual is key to the community’s survival. This reiterates the importance of community and relationships in a more self-sufďŹ cient community. Sources (Information + Images) www.urbanrevision.com
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Bumper Crop_ Miller Hull Architects Arizona Parking Lot Bumper Crop is a soil-less farm irrigated with reclaimed waste water and suspended above the strip mall parking lot to shade the ground plane and reverse the heat-island effect. By means of a membrane bioreactor, reclaimed water from the city sewer main supplies the overhead crop with nutrient-rich irrigation water. Land currently used for parking only is reclaimed for urban agricultural production thereby preserving undeveloped land and repairing the ecosystems that have been sacriďŹ ced for soil-based agriculture. Also, by repurposing the back edge to address the parking lot and the alley, the strip mall becomes accessible by foot for the adjacent residential community. Upzoning the residential properties adjacent to the strip mall alley allows for live-work structures to promote small business opportunities within walking distance of homes. The project addresses the possibility of reclaiming unused spaces for agricultural production - in this case using surface parking lots for more than just storing cars. The use of a lightweight, suspended structure for growth is made possible with aeroponic farming. A vapor mist is used to deliver water and nutrients through a sealed root chamber, negating the need for heavy soil. The project also extracts wastewater from the city sewer system and, after treatment, reuses it as an unlimited supply of irrigation water in the desert. The project thus reclaims city waste as a resource for plant growth. Sources (Information + Images) www.re-burbia.com www.millerhull.com
Plant Species
Seed Plug
Root Chamber Galvanized Tray Stiffener Rib Spray Nozzle Condensed Water Collected
Science Barge_ New York Sun Works Yonkers, NY The Science Barge is a sustainable urban farm and education center powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified river water. It is the only fully functioning demonstration of renewable energy supporting sustainable food production in New York City. The Barge grows produce with zero net carbon emissions, zero chemical pesticides, zero runoff, no net water consumption, and no waste stream. It uses a system called recirculating greenhouse hydroponics, where plants’ roots draw driectly from nutrient-rich water that flows through tubes. The water falls into a tank filled with living catfish where it can be replenished with nourishing catfish waste and pumped back to the plants. The vegetables grown on the barge require seven times less land and four times less water than field crops. Enough vegetables are grown for anywhere between 25 and 50 people for a year. The Barge is an interesting example of self-sufficiency and agricultural production in a cold climate without ties to the city grid. It produces its own energy and provides its own water and nutrients via components installed on the barge itself. It also investigates the notion of growing produce on an unusual or atypical site that otherwise wouldn’t be considered for growth in this case, a moble water craft on the Hudson River. The Barge serves the purpose of an educational tool to help stimulate sustainable development in New York City. Sources (Information + Images) www.brightfarmsystems.com www.nysunworks.org
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Aquaponics_ Growing Power, Inc. Milwaukee, WI Aquaculture is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a re-circulating system. Growing Power uses Tilapia and Yellow Perch to fertilize a variety of crops and herbs using aquaponics, the method of growing crops and fish together in a re-circulating system. In the Growing Power aquaponics model crops grow vertically on raised beds. The Tilapia and Yellow Perch are used because they are easy to raise and are marketable to restaurants and markets. Using gravity as a transport, the water is drained from the fish to a gravel bed where beneficial bacteria break down the toxic ammonia in fish waste to Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plant development. The filtered water is pumped to the growing beds where a variety of crops are grown - from salad greens to tomatoes. The water is wicked up the crops’ roots with the help of coir, a byproduct of coconut shells. The water eventually flows back into the fish tank where it recycles through the system. A strong symbiotic relationship between components in a system is an extremely efficient method for growth. In this case, plants rely on the fish for nutrition (via fish waste) and the fish rely on the plants for cleaning their living environment (the water). The multiuse of elements in the system is also worth recognition. Fish provide nutrients for the plants through their waste while they also are sold to local restaurants for income. Both concepts - symbiotic relationships and the multiuse of elements - could easily be translated to programming and architectural systems. Sources (Information + Images) www.growingpower.org/aquaponics
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Vertically Integrated Greenhouse_ Kiss + Cathcart Architects New York, NY The Vertically Integrated Greenhouse (VIG) combines a double-skin building facade with a hydroponic greenhouse, offering one pathway towards energy efficient buildings that can grow their own food. This system is a highly productive, lightweight, and climatically responsive system for growing vegetables within a double skin façade (DSF). Compared to a conventional greenhouse, the VIG provides increased production in winter, when produce prices peak. Plants are grown on trays suspended by a simple cable system, and all crop management occurs at the bottom level. Systems modules can rise as high as 10 or 20 stories each. An adaptive control system alters the angles between rows of plants in the manner of Venetian blind, maximizing solar absorption diurnally and seasonally.Greenhouse crops add a significant financial return to the base case for a DSF, which centers on enhanced winter heat gain and noise control. The major point here involves integrating food production within our building envelope. How can we grow year-round in a cold climate? The VIG offers an initial possibility by sandwiching produce in our building facades. Likewise, the system here attempts multifunctionality - it provides food to the building users and is also an important heating, cooling, and shading mechanism. Sources (Information + Images) Architectural Design V.78 Issue 3 www.brightfarmsystems.com
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design principles_ These principles derive in whole from all investigations to this point but take much of their insight from the study of ecovillages and Permaculture principles. They are written as guidelines for the next phases of design. They may pertain to programming, architectural form, building systems - anything from the conceptual to the literal, from the details to the whole. They are not meant to be prescriptive. Instead, they are guidelines to question future decision-making. They are meant to inspire.
design from nature_ Find successful ecosystems in nature to inspire concept, form, or operations. Mimick these systems. design for change_ Successful design is dynamic. Adaptable and flexible systems more easily fluctuate in time. Plan for changes in physical and social conditions. Produce solutions that quickly adapt to change. produce no waste_ In nature, the waste from one process is always the resource for another. The negative elements in systems are valuable in someway. Utilize them. Loop all linear processes. reuse and reclaim the unwanted_ Find what others will freely discard and reclaim those resources as your own.
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use disturbances as opportunities_ Even unwanted elements serve a purpose. A pest is only a pest in that it isn’t being utilized properly. Find ways to use pests to your advantage. multiple elements_ Everything should be supported in more than one way.
water_
multiple functions_ Everything should have many uses and functions. A tree provides food, shade, timber, habitat, microclimate. A fire cooks food and heats space. The chicken eats weeds, scratches the soil, lays droppings, and provides food. integrate elements_ Allow components to help each other operate more efficiently. In the “three sisters”, the corn provides structure for the beans. The beans provide nitrogen for the corn and squash. The squash provides moisture control for all three. Replicate such symbiotic relationships.
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layer solutions_ Layering elements allows you to meet your needs with less space. promote consciousness_ Develop active relationships between users and their environment. Promote enlightened self-interest. Give purpose to solutions. Hold all accountable. optimize edges_ The edges between two systems are the most dynamic. The water edge is a diverse environment with gradations between terrestrial and aquatic. Utilize this concept to excite the environment. cultivate connectivity_ design for human connectivity within and promote external connections. spatial relationships_ Organize elements so that those that can benefit one another are in close proximity. If possible, combine those elements into integrated compounds.
multiple functions_ all elements in the system serve multiple purposes
integrate elements_ a symbiotic relationship between elements
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This next phase of the thesis takes all of the information generated in the previous research phases and begins to apply it to the design of a new holistic community in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis is chosen as a model city for the inclusion of an urban ecovillage - although the previous studies could easily be applied to any city - for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Indianapolis is a city with cold winters, meaning that produce cannot easily be grown year-round like it is in warmer climates. This encourages the incorporation of new models for food production such as indoor gardens and vertical farms as well as alternative methods of growth like hydroponics and aeroponics. Likewise, as part of the sprawling Midwest, Indianapolis is a good representation of a typical U.S. city with considerable densities but a poor sense of complete community: mixed-use is more of a fantasy than a reality and individuals are more like commuters than pedestrians as the city’s functions are significantly segmented. People live, work, eat, and play in entirely different zones. Defining a new mode of community attempts to rectify these and other issues of city life. There is also an abundance of underutilized space in the form of massive parking lots, abandoned sites and structures, and empty lots, all which provide adequate area for the development of new communities in the heart of a city. The following work starts by selecting a number of sites in and around Indianapolis, each to be analyzed for their intrinsic attributes and to determine how a community might sustain itself in that new context. After analysis, one site is to be chosen for the proposed community design. The further study of that single site should help inform the program design for that community. This act of “program-mining” through exploring historic and current functions on and around the site should be key in the design. Not only does it validate a community’s existence by satisfying the immediate needs of the existing context, it helps the new community better integrate into that context. With an initial program established, the urban design scheme should reflect both the design principles developed in previous phases as well as the new functions the community satisfies. Likewise, architectural form, tectonics, aesthetics, and program should simultaneously be informed by the new community function. The intent is to develop both the urban design and initial architectural concepts here so that work in the spring semester can quickly progress into more detailed studies of individual buildings and programs.
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site analysis_ Three sites in or around downtown Indianapolis were chosen for analysis and future development. These locations were selected based on their proximity to the downtown center but also because each consists of underutilized and abandoned lots on the city’s fringes - areas along and within the freeway, derelict land adjacent to waterways, and zones of the city that have been vacated and unkept by their previous or current owner. Likewise, many of these same sites run adjacent to old railway corridors, providing potential for local and regional connections via new modes of mass transit. Such sites offer ample space for developing new communities that are highly self-sufficient. A core value of holistic community is that the creation of a that community not only benefits the new residents but that it also supports the existing context by mending discontinuities - a general concept that many isolated ecovillages have discovered is essential to their own longevity. Each of the three sites is program-mined to see if the new community can’t pick up on some of those local functions or immediate needs. This method of defining the function(s) of a new community on the necessities of the local context better validates that new community’s placement.
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The ďŹ rst site at Fall Creek and the Central Canal has always been an important piece of property along the city’s main supply of drinking water and has, therefore, always been extremely secured. Today, most of the site is heavily dilapidated and underutilized. The only critical element is an existing water treatment facility that is constantly in need of updating. Reclaiming this site for a new holistic community would take on the challenge of stitching back together the separated neighborhoods along the central canal for social and cultural purposes. Likewise, it would rethink the way cities design, build, and utilize major infrastructure - in this case, water treatment facilities - in far more integrated ways.
The second proposed site at the nexus of Interstates 65 and 70, northeast of downtown Indianapolis, questions how we can reclaim the interstitial spaces along and within our freeways. The interstate system arbitrarily divided vibrant neighborhoods in cities all over the United States, resulting in the massive segregation of people and places. Reclaiming such a site for an urban ecovillage not only provides adequate space for development, it does so with land that is entirely unused anyways. The design of the community would promote the remending of a once-vibrant city fabric. Likewise, the design could easily translate to other contexts as similar conditions exist in most U.S. cities.
The third proposed site is bordered by the White River, Interstate 70, and the Old National Road or Washington Street. This site was selected as a representation of the industrial fringes in cities all over the country. Such areas often run adjacent to rich cultural sectors of our downtowns; however, we rarely utilize them for their potential. To better connect downtowns with their nearby working classes and those industrial processes which allow cities to exist, the community design for this site would holistically rethink the manufacturing process as a far more integrated and public event. Existing railways would be better utilized as a complete regional exchange network.
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site 1_ Site 1 at Fall Creek and the Indianapolis Central Canal was chosen for the opportunity to reactivate an extremely disconnected point in the center of the city. Areas north and south of the site have revitalized their portions of the canal for recreational purposes, but this specific point on the waterway serves infrastructural purposes alone - water purification. The design of a new community here aims to rethink the water purification process by making it a more public enterprise. Likewise, the canal becomes much more multifunctional water gets used for drinking as well as for recreation, the production of energy, education, travel, trade, and irrigation.
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The Central Canal was originally intended to transverse the landlocked center of the state and connect Indiana’s capitol to the rest of the world for trade and commerce. The success of the Erie Canal had caused the spread of “canal fever” all over the nation, including in the state of Indiana. The state’s proposed Central Canal was expected to connect the Erie Canal to the Ohio river, running 296 miles from Peru, Indiana to Evansville, Indiana. The depression of the 1830s and 1840s, however, halted the project in its tracks. Decades later, the railroad would define a new mode of exchange and render the canal inefficient as a transportation network. Instead, it would find use as a drinking water supply, an energy producer, and eventually as a recreational and cultural spine in parts of the city.
Broad Ripple
Butler University
Major Moments20:
Fall Creek
1836 - The Mammoth Internal Improvement Act is approved and construction on the canal begins 1838 - The state of Indiana goes bankrupt and construction on the canal stops completely. Portions of the canal are dug all over the state but most are never to be used. The only significant portion complete is in Indianapolis, from Broad Ripple to Pleasant Run (south of the city).
I-65 Indianapolis Museum of Art
1839 - The watered portion of the canal, eight miles in length, is in service. Woolen mills, cotton mills, paper mills and sawmills were erected along its route to utilize the water power. The canal is also used for light navigation by freight barges and excursion boats pulled by horses.
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1871 - Water Works Company of Indianapolis begins public water utility operations, including canal water turbines for pumping into the system. 1881 - Indianapolis Water Company (current canal owner) takes ownership of the canal 1976 - The Indianapolis Water Company deeds 2.25 miles of the canal to the city. 1985 - The canal south of I-65 is drained, lowered, and rebuilt. Today, it is known as the Indianapolis Canal Walk. The upper portion is now part of a Central Canal Towpath, an Indy Greenway Trail. This portion of the canal continues beyond the end of the towpath at 30th St. to the existing water treatment facility.
Indy IUPUI
White River State Park
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water purification_ The standard processes for water purification - most of which is used at the existing White River treatment facility - is studied as a means for developing program.21 These stages of water treatment will later correlate with sectors of a new community which clean the city’s drinking water. pre-treatment_ Water must be pumped from its source into pipes, holding tanks, or reservoirs. Often, there is an initial screening to remove large debris before this pre-treatment storage area. screening and filtering_ The water is first filtered using a simple screen. This retains the largest pieces of waste found in the water - leaves, insects, particles larger than 1 mm. It then passes through fine metal meshes which retain the smaller pieces of waste. flocculation and sedimentation_ A coagulating product is added to the water thereby bringing together into flocs any waste still present in the water - dust, soil particles, fish eggs, etc. As these flocs are heavier than the water, they settle at the bottom of the sedimentation tank. 90% of suspended matter is removed. filtration_ The water passes through a filter, either a fine sand filter bed and/or an activated carbon filter. Sand filtration removes matter still visible to the naked eye. Activated carbon filters retain micro-pollutants such as pesticides and consume some of the organic matter “broken down” by the ozone. There are other even more robust filtration processes such as membrane filtration. chemical treatment_ Disinfection is accomplished by adding chemicals in the last step of purification. Chemicals include chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone, UV radiation, and others. These chemical additions break down organic matter, improve the color and taste of the water, and prevent bacteria from developing in the distribution system.
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biological techniques_ In addition to these large-scale industrial processes for water treatment, biological processes can be used to simultaneously aid in purification. Constructed wetlands act as a biofilter, removing sediments and pollutants such as heavy metals from the water. They can be used to treat wastewater and stormwater runoff while providing habitat for wildlife.
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Can we manipulate the water treatment process so that some stages take on the form of biological treatment? This way, the costly infrastructure can serve dual functions - as a water cleaner and as public landscapes.
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THOUGHTS: How do you mimic the water treatment process but do so in a transparent and public way while maintaining security when and where it’s needed? How can the public better experience such an important piece of infrastructure?
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a water problem_ To pay for current infrastructural upgrades, water rates in Indianapolis are projected to increase 35% in the next year. Extended upgrades through the year 2025 are expected to increase water rates by 112% and wastewater rates by 427%.22 Mayor Greg Ballard and city officials are currently searching for ideas on how to reduce those costs and the subsequent public outcry.23 The latest remedy involves soliciting proposals that innovatively address the dilemma, whether through new ownership, economic strategies, or even operation. Perhaps it’s time to rethink the way we design infrastructure altogether rather than continually updating an obsolete operation. Perhaps investment would make more sense if the thing we’re investing in has more value and more use.
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conceptual community design_ The formal layout originates from a number of sources. It primarily derives from the five zones established by ecovillages and permacultural design principles in which the innermost zone is the most “manmade” and the outermost zone is the most “natural”. These zones are concentric circles in theory, typically modified by topography. Seeing that the chosen site is primarily flat, this design utilizes the theoretical concept as a fairly literal grid in which a new waterway infrastructure defines the network. The circular orientation of the community also refers to the importance of completing cycles in holistic systems. Each neighborhood within the community begins at a central spine - the Indianapolis Canal - and takes on the form of a circle which moves away from the spine and then makes its way back. Five neighborhood circles are thus established, each defined by its phase in the water purification process - screening, filtering, natural treatment, chemical treatment, and storage/distribution. The architectures within these neighborhoods are consequently defined by each neighborhoods function as well - i.e. the screening neighborhood would be populated by “screening” or “screened” architecture and so forth. As a result, each neighborhood would have a distinct identity from the others. Reclaimed Central Canal_ The project relinks the vibrant portions of the canal to the north and south. The canal fulfills a once intended purpose of socially and culturally linking areas of the city. Floating Market_ The revitalized canal satisfies its original purpose as a network for trade. Markets at points along the waterway allow for individual growers to gather and sell produce throughout the city.
food_
Reclaimed Wetlands Park_ The existing water treatment facility is consumed by nature in the form of a wetlands park. The element once contained on this property now consumes the facility ruins. Algae Energy Ponds_ The canal was once utilized as an energy generator. Today, it will do the same as algae ponds in the community collect the resource that is to be used as a local biofuel.
Edible Landscapes_ Ornamental landscapes are replaced by the edible. Farming corridors populate the community. Building Materials Forests_ Land is set aside for the controlled growing of building materials. Although not all material needs can be met through these resources, they create a starting point for rethinking “local”.
summary_
energy_
water_
Natural Water Treatment_ A highly mechanized and industrial process is retrofitted to include biological processes through controlled wetlands canals.
Ecovillage Design
Center
Shift
Re-center
Cut
Multiply
I-65
Ce nt ra l Ca na l
streets + mass transit en
re
sc
r
te
ďŹ l
reek Fall C
r
te
ďŹ l
ďŹ gure ground
t
d
ce
se
en
im
n an tral d m fa ar rm ke t
en
t
algae pond
em ch
algae pond
.t
re
at
m
algae pond
water infrastructure reclaimed wetlands (old water treatment)
store
store
building materials forest
store
store
edible landscapes
water treatment
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
site models_ Site section models illustrate spatial qualities along the canal as well as the integration of architecture, landscape, and water. Building skins are expressed as vegetated surfaces and perforated skins, each highlighting the opportunity for building systems that aid in the process of water puriďŹ cation. New programs are implied as a new community on the water specializes in the growing and exchanging of food on the refurbished canal.
research_ conceptual_
final design_ Since the conceptual design phase, this thesis has evolved into the holistic exploration that it originally intended to be. Like the isolated ecovillage, this project attempts to be about more than just food production and consumption. These self-sufficient ecovillages weren’t just producing their own food, they were also generating their own energy, filtering and managing their own drinking water, properly using local resources, and reusing most of their waste. They were truly more holistic communities that were much more involved with their basic needs. However, their solutions for survival have proved to work for only small populations in the middle of nowhere. So the big question-
How can the isolated ecovillage model be translated into a city setting? And more specifically, how can we reunite communities with many of their basic needs such as food, water, and energy?
site_
The primary objective of this thesis is to address the following:
proximity to transparency
-a community’s
-methods for and exposure of typically hidden industrialized processes such as food production, energy generation, and water purification -the
education
of a community about these integrated industrial processes
food_
-establishing some level of
activation
or
participation
in these functions
The following method for study involves exploring the urban ecovillage at various scales to better illustrate the complexities of community design. An urban design will illustrate the big moves while more detailed solutions will be explored through a number of site sections, each focusing on reconnecting the community with one of its basic needs - food, water, and energy.
urban form_
summary_
energy_
water_
its basic needs
Remend
1. the Central Canal and allow the renovated waterway to act as the backbone for the community.
Unfold
extend
2. and the canal to “collect” the site, forming dynamic edges and secondary canal system.
3. Define nodes along the canal, each with a focus on critical lifesources - food, water, energy, resources, and waste.
4.
Extend the
city grid
shift
onto the site and it so that it responds to the angles of the canal.
urban design_
I-65
mich
ce l
ra
ll
igan
nt
fa
cr
na
k
rd.
ca
ee
bl
l
vd
.
e
existing conditions
2
f
fall creek
a
grid + transit
3
d
1
g ďŹ gure ground 16th st. CK LO K
C LO
CK LO
K
C LO CK LO
K
LOCK
LOCK
LOCK
CK LO
b
LOCK
C LO
c
canal infrastructure
edible landscapes
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
reclaimed central canal_ The northern portion of the Central Canal has been primarily abandoned south of the Indianapolis Museum of Art - in fact the canal no longer ows below the project site. Currently, the canal is dammed south of Fall Creek Parkway and is solely collected by the Indianapolis Water Company for treatment, storage, and distribution as drinking water. The community design aims to reconnect the recently upgraded downtown canal walk - amidst countless cultural venues, schools, and vibrant neighborhoods - with the areas north of downtown along the canal. The new community will be a key location on the revitalized waterway, acting as a central producer and distributor of local produce. The canal itself, previously satisfying the singular function of a drinking water supply, will now be utilized for other vital purposes as well: recreation, health, commerce, energy supply, and the general remending of critical physical and cultural connections in the middle of the city.
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_ research_
floating market_ Revamping and reconnecting the sleepy portions of the Central Canal offers a new opportunity for an old need. In the spirit of its historical purpose as a commercial spine in the city, the canal is reprogrammed as a floating farmer’s market. Food growers can travel north and south on the canal - both in and out of the water - to sell produce. Stations will be established at critical points along the canal for weekly produce sales.
Before
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_ research_
wetlands park + water treatment_ The new community on the central canal includes updated facilities to clean the city’s drinking water. With this new infrastructure in place, the old White River treatment facility would naturally be torn down or left to rot behind locked gates. Instead, the design leaves the facility in place to be reused as a new wetlands park. After all the necessary remediation, the grounds will be planted with a variety of local wetlands materials and left to mother nature thereafter. Raised boardwalks will take visitors around the old treatment site and through the abandoned facilities. Along the walks, signage and information kiosks provide historic data showing the evolution of the site. To promote the regular ooding of the park, the Fall Creek levee is pulled back from the creek’s eastern edge. At times of high watershed, it is possible that parts of the old treatment facility would then be entirely consumed by the element they once contained - water. Vegetation will grow more and more wild every year, slowly consuming the ruins of the old facility.
Before
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_
wetlands park_ Parts of the old White River water treatment infrastructure will also be used in the controlled farming of heirloom products to be sold outside of the community. The existing basins provide the needed separation between an uncontrolled natural wetlands park and a semicontrolled farming area.
summary_
energy_
Before
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
algae energy ponds_ A number of pools off of the Central Canal promote the buildup of algae in the village. This build up can be extracted and used in the generation of local energy. In fact, algae is 30 times more efďŹ cient than the next best crop for producing biofuel. The housing and programs built up around these community ponds will be focused on this production and extraction of algae as a renewable energy source. These surrounding buildings will house indoor installations of vertically grown algae bioreactors for the year round production of the biofuel. In the true spirit of multifunctionality and systems integration, a natural ecosystem in the middle of the community not only offers aesthetic qualities but is also being tapped into for energy production.
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_ research_
natural water treatment_ At the center of the village, a series of wetlands canals naturally filters the pre-drinking water supply of harmful elements and pollutants. Although the output water from these canals will not be drinkable as the city mandates the additional chemical treatment of drinking water, it is clean enough at this point to be used in the irrigation of non-edible landscaping and for greywater purposes. Likewise, the wetlands “boulevards” provide a scenic natural backdrop for the neighborhood. In a sense, this method of natural water treatment camouflages an otherwise unsightly operation and places it in the heart of a densely populated setting. By developing our water cleaning system as a more public and multifunctional process, the spending of city tax dollars and the increasing of utility rates can be more appropriately justified.
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
edible landscapes_ Edible landscaping offers an alternative to conventional residential landscapes that are designed solely for ornamental purposes by using food-producing plants in the constructed landscape. Edible landscapes combine fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, edible owers, and even livestock into the design of attractive community landscapes. By growing this food locally, the community increases its food security and can better control the quality and quantity of produce. It also provides a source of income as produce can be sold outside of the village. These edible landscapes can be found along the refurbished Central Canal as well in a number of landscape corridors that branch from the central spine.
g
site_
1.1
1.4
1.5
1.2 1.6
PARKING
GRAZING
1.3
GROW + LIVE LOCAL MEALS SHARED GREENHOUSE
SKY GARDEN
SHARED KITCHENS FOOD STORAGE
EDUCATION CENTER WINTER GARDENS PARKING
food FLOATING MARKET CANAL WALK EDIBLE LANDSCAPE LIGHT RAIL/TRANSIT OUTDOOR MARKET
energy_ summary_
GROW + LIVE ROOFTOP FARMING
FISHERY GEOTHERMAL PONDS WATER PURIFY
research_ conceptual_ site_
With the acknowledged statistics of a world population shifting towards cities and the vast resources consumed in the processing, packaging, and distributing of food to these populations, a community centered around food growth is nearly essential in forward-thinking community design. This section explores the means and methods for reconnecting people to their food - and simultaneously other basic needs as well. Food growth is addressed at various scales, from large-scale agri-business to private residential gardens. Selected programs are highlighted to reinforce the unique lifestyle of a food-focused society. Shared kitchens are utilized as sociallyand culturally-rich collective spaces where individuals can celebrate food together. Local meals restaurants illustrate to guests the story of a meal from beginning to end. Farmers markets mix growers with nongrowers in the exchange of produce and knowledge. The society that evolves is one where everyone has something a stake. Some grow for themselves, some grow for others, and some don’t grow at all, but each person has an interest in enriching his or her own life with a reconnection to food and other basic needs.
water_
food_
food focus_
program_
research_
flexible shading
grow + live
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_
edible landscape
fishery + geothermal
food site section 1
1.1
rooftop farming
winter shared gardens kitchens
heirloom sky farm
edible facades farmers market local meals
food s torag e parki ng
water purific ation
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
food growth_ Food growth in a community that intends to feed itself - and others - occurs at different scales and intensities. Large-scale farming will still be a necessity, but unlike current industrialized agriculture, it will be fresher, healthier, and less energy- and resource-intensive as the processing, packaging, and distribution stages of food production are no longer needed. A form of organized agri-business would run this large-scaled food growth, mainly in the form of rooftop farming. Interested residents would then have an opportunity for employment in this industry. Other forms of largescaled farming include heirloom sky gardens, a more specialized method of growing food. The indoor environment of these “greenhouse towers” would be fully controlled - air temperature, moisture, sunlight, etc. - so that a vast variety of crop species could be grown. So, instead of growing one kind of tomato over an entire acre, tens or even hundreds of different varieties of that tomato could be grown (and because of its scarcity, could be sold for a higher cost). In essence, many of these heirloom varieties would eventually become non-heirloom species once their availability is significantly increased. Public gardening takes on the form of community gardens and vertical greenhouses, facilities that are shared by residents within the community. Private garden space is allotted in every unit, although it is not expected that every individual will grow his or her own food. The culture that evolves when growers and non-growers - both interested in local, fresh, and “real” food - come together is the main intent here. Lives are to be enriched by the reconnection with food and a corresponding social change.
age food stor
marina edible landscape
winter gardens rooftop farming parking
grow + live
heirloom sky farm
redens a h s tch ki floating market
outdoor farmers market
canal walk transit line
1.2
RR
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_ research_
urban ecovillage_ One of the major principles in ecovillage design is that everything serves multiple functions. A tree provides food, shade, timber, habitat, and microclimate. The architectural design within a holistic community addresses this principle of multi-functionality and multi-use. Here, local fisheries provide a constant source of lean, healthy meat. These fisheries double as geothermal ponds where piping runs horizontally below swimming fish. Likewise, the ponds work as part of a small-scale water purification facility. The fish waste within these ponds is filtered from the water, treated, and reused as fertilizer for the adjacent landscapes. Landscapes are also addressed in terms of multi-functionality. Traditional landscaping serves aesthetic purposes alone, but here, non-edible vegetation is replaced with foodproducing plants. The architecture itself is designed in a way that the distinction between building and landscape is significantly blurred. Although this is an important formal gesture, it also serves the functional purpose of allowing rooftop farms to be easily accessed throughout the site. As a result, the entire community can be characterized as one continual urban farmscape as all elevated farmscapes can be accessed from the canal or grade.
1.3
research_ conceptual_ site_
As a way to educate visitors and raise food awareness beyond the community, a local meals restaurant demonstrates the story of a meal from beginning to end. Guests sit and order a meal like anywhere else, only here their chef not only cooks their food, he or she is an educator of food growth, harvest, selection, and preparation. Imagine that your meal is ordered. Your chef walks out into the garden and picks the greens, vegetables, and herbs for your salad and selects the chicken that is to be your main course. Both are prepared in view as the chef explains each step and every ingredient. Although this ultraexposure of food preparation may seem gruesome at ďŹ rst, the intent is to re-train individuals to understand and respect this process as a natural and truthful event and to empower them to take on their own food projects.
1.6
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
local meals restaurant_
exible shading_ Much of the architecture here is designed like inhabitable greenhouses as a means for food to legitimately be grown year-round. In order to mitigate the overheating of living spaces, adjustable louver panels are applied to building exteriors. In warmer months, panels can be closed for portions of the day. In cooler months, panels can be left open for food growth and for the passive heating of interior living spaces. The individual control of these louvered panels by each resident allows for a highly variable patterning of the building facade.
winter gardens_
1.4 canal market_ The revitalized canal market includes a number of critical programs. A light rail transit system stops at a platform that doubles as an outdoor farmers market. The adjacent 7-day indoor market can spill onto this platform space when weather permits. Visitors then interact with residents, non-growers with growers. A culture is shared and exchanged in this highly interactive social space. The market is visually characterized by the bombardment of food. Edible landscapes run parallel to the revitalized central canal while edible building facades exhibit a variety of foods and colors and visually distinguish one unit from the next - “That’s where I live, in the strawberry unit!”
1.5
Community gardens are a critical element in a food-focused community but traditional methods must be modified for a cold-climate city like Indianapolis. As a means to allow for year-round food growth for residents, community growing spaces are designed as indoor/ outdoor winter gardens. A glass canopy above the courtyard is designed as a operable system to adapt to changing weather. In warmer months, half of the glazing slides open and allows for cross breezes in the garden and adjacent units as well as rainfall for the vegetation below. In colder months, the canopy is sealed allowing for the courtyard to stay heated. Food can then be grown yearround and the adjacent units can utilize the heat gain from this greenhouse-courtyard space.
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_
private garden
units_ Unit size and layout are designed for efďŹ ciency. Each unit is roughly 600 square feet, enough for one bedroom, a compressed wet core, small kitchen space, and eating and growing space. Sliding party walls can be opened to combine adjacent units into larger residences for families. Shared facilities, like the community kitchen, are then made possible and allowed to be the focus of design.
it un +) g ( in SF liv 0
energy_
When lifestyles are focused upon a reconnection with food, the kitchen becomes a programmatic jewel in the design. This often utilitarian space is transformed into a culturally-rich and socially-active space. The design utilizes shared community kitchens where lobbies and landings would traditionally be located. That way, the kitchen is constantly activated by both cooks and eaters, users and passersby. Imagine: a resident comes home from a long day of work and heads up to her unit. On the way, she passes through the kitchen to ďŹ nd neighbors cooking some interesting dish with an amazing aroma. Recipes are exchanged. Dinners are shared. The shared kitchen evolves into a celebration of food, friendship, and education.
60
summary_
kitchen/ bath core
shared kitchens_
circu l
ate
moveable party-wall
rooftop farming
herb wall
salad garden
outd oor k itche n
flexible shading
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
shared kitchen_ The shared community kitchens incorporate elements that allow for a celebration of food at various stages - growing, harvesting, cooking, and eating. Herb walls and salad gardens provide fresh ingredients for daily use that can be picked and immediately used for cooking. Like the local meals restaurant, food has a beginning and end at the same location here in the shared kitchen.
STORAGE
kitchen design_ EAT ING E AG OR ST
G TIN EA
STORAGE
SHELVING
G TIN SIT
KING COO
E AG OR ST
G TIN SIT
KING COO
The folding gesture found in the urban design and architectural form is utilized once again in the scale of interior design. Here, a folding furniture element visually connects multiple oors of the shared community kitchen. Above, shared seating and small storage space starts the journey. The furniture folds down towards the lower level, allowing for vertical shelving. On the lower oor, the furniture folds back into more shared seating space and into cooking surfaces for stove tops, ovens, and so forth. Here, cooks can entertain their guests or meal-recepients as they prepare the food right in front of them. Finally, the furniture folds outdoors into a barbecue area where these gatherings to celebrate food can be hosted outside.
2.4
site_
2.2
2.3
RETAIL ROOFTOP FARMING
NATURAL WATER PURIFY ALGAE PRODUCTION
MARINA/DOCKS
WATER PARK PUBLIC POOL
EDUCATION GROW + LIVE WATER PURIFY
AQUAPONICS
CENTRAL CANAL LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT
water ICE PRODUCTION GROW + LIVE
ICE SKATING ROOFTOP FARMING
PARKING PRIVATE SWIM RETAIL
Reconnecting people with their food has obvious relevance, but reconnecting people with other basic needs is equally critical. Drinking water is a convenience most of us can take for granted. We simply open our faucets and, as if by magic, clean drinking water is abundantly available. But for almost 1/5 of the world population, clean drinking water is not an option. In a holistic community, this set of issues is addressed by integrating water purification infrastructure into the design. Rather than building such infrastructure away from where people live and behind impenetrable gates, the intent is to expose that infrastructure by building it into a mixed use development. People live, work, and are entertained where their water is cleaned, stored, and distributed. Likewise, this infrastructure should have multiple uses. Beyond utilitarian needs, a water purification infrastructure can be used as an educational tool and can be used in conjunction with other water-related programs like a public swimming pool, ice production, algae energy production, and so on. As a result, the culture described in the food section evolves into an even more holistic culture that includes a deeper understanding and appreciation of water, the element of life.
GROW + LIVE
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
water focus_
2.1
2.5
program_
research_ conceptual_ site_
water culture_ Water from the central canal flows into a central purification facility. As water drops from level to level through the cleaning process, energy is generated and used in the surrounding buildings. From the adjacent public swimming pool, residents can view boats floating in a marina, the swaying of reeds in a natural wetlands canal, and segments of the water purification process, all illustrating the character of a watersaturated neighborhood. The treatment of the architecture even responds to this water culture. Facades are designed in reference to the screens and filters used in water purification. When closed, the perforated panels filter sunlight and precipitation. When folded open, full view and sunlight are adequately abundant. Like with building skins across the community, the variability of opened and closed panels allows for a highly dynamic patterning across building facades.
central canal
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
ice produ ction lecture space + water retention central purification
natural water treatment canal
2.1
public pool
marina
water site section 2
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_ research_
central canal transit line RR
2.2
hydroponic gardens water purification
filter facade live + grow
centralation purific
natural purify
research_ summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_
water uses_
2.4
As a community is redesigned to be better integrated with its infrastructure and basic needs, water management strategies become a critical topic. Water is to be more locally managed and simultaneously used for multiple purposes - for drinking, irrigation,transportation, recreation, and so forth. In exploring a holistic community, many water elements are used. Natural wetlands canals take on the initial stages of water puriďŹ cation free of charge. Vegetation consumes much of the oating pollutants while sediment can be collected at strategic points and utilized as compost elsewhere. These canals also provide a natural backdrop in the city and help in pedestrian orientation. Likewise, recesses in the landscape allow for water to be contained in wet seasons. These pockets of water get used as small ďŹ sheries, marshes, and for recreational purposes - swimming in the summer and skating in the winter.
water purification_ The water purification plaza is a dynamic civic space that bridges two worlds - the inhabitable world and the infrastructural world. Above, residents are exposed to fragments of the purification process as elements of infrastructure run up public stairways and along residential corridors. At grade and below, the water purification central facility cleans water but exposes itself at various points. Waste heat from the purification process is utilized in the residences above, uniting these two worlds both formally and functionally. Recessing folds in the plaza’s ground plane allow for a highly dynamic environment. After heavy rains, the plaza is less accessible as the recesses fill with water while in dryer weather, the plaza is entirely accessible. Some of the voids are utilized as programmatic spaces - a large void is used as an outdoor amphitheater for tours entering the purification facility. The overall design strategy is to incorporate such infrastructures within communities where people live, exposing and educating them in hopes to enrich lives.
2.3 residential>>>
purification>>> stack
penetrate
collect
compress
ROOFTOP FARMING
GROW + LIVE RETAIL
ALGAE ENERGY PONDS
TRANSIT ENERGY GROW + LIVE WORKOUT STATION ALGAE ENERGY ROOFTOP FARMING
CENTRAL CANAL TRANSIT
energy GROW + LIVE ALGAE GROWTH
GROW + LIVE ALGAE GROWTH
site_
WINTER GARDENS DISTRICT UTILITY PARKING
energy_ summary_
ROOFTOP FARMING
BIOMASS RESEARCH GROW + LIVE
research_ conceptual_ site_
The last of the three sections focuses on reconnecting a community to its energy. Electricity, air conditioning, and water heating/cooling are all standard conveniences almost anywhere in the U.S. To address the issues of global warming and peak oil, many projects are incorporating renewable energy technologies like photovoltaic panels and small wind turbines. Although these technologies are a step in the right direction, their installation alone will not dramatically affect global energy consumption. It will simultaneously take the modiďŹ cation of personal lifestyles to address energy consumption more holistically. In this project, personal lifestyles are addressed through the exposure of energy systems, the corresponding education of the individual to conceptually understand these systems, and the active participation by the individual to modify his or her own consumption. Likewise, alternative energy sources - mainly algae production - are investigated here. Other facilities such as a biomass research institute, a district energy utility that utilizes local waste heat sources, and a wellness facility that utilizes human motion as an energy source are also explored.
water_
food_
energy focus_
3.3
3.4
3.2
3.1
program_
summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_ research_
central algae canal station
energy site section 3
algae tube facade grow + live rooftop farming
workout + energy collect
algae ponds
3.1
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
algae energy_ Buildings account for nearly half of our energy consumption in the U.S. Finding methods for providing cleaner and more renewable energies is a critical path. The technology here - algae as biofuel - not only offers a more efficient form of fuel, it is also much cleaner than other fuels. Algae as a biofuel, in fact, has a yield of 30 times the next best biocrop. Plus, the consumption of algae won’t take away from our global food supply like many biofuels. It might be possible that these algae systems could be integrated within individual buildings, providing energy/fuel directly to where it is needed. These various installations could work collectively with a district energy utility where energy is managed more efficiently. Waste heat from industrial processes like water purification, sewage treatment, and transit networks are collected and used to heat water and air for residents across the community.
3.4
biomass research parking
district energy
algae y energ live + grow algae tubes
3.2 energy + water
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ energy_ summary_
wind energy energy meter
energy station exposed systems
algae tubes
unit living_ Residences are designed in ways to expose traditionally hidden infrastructure. The transparency and exposure of systems - hvac, plumbing, electrical wiring, etc. - is a ďŹ rst step in educating the individual. Doing so in controlled and creative ways is key. Floor and wall panels are removed and replaced with glazing so that such systems are visible but not dangerously exposed. Many of these networks culminate within each residential unit at a utility meter where the user can view their current energy and resource usage, the average usage within the building and commmunity, and descriptions on how the individual might reduce their own usage. Providing quick and simple feedback allows the individual to take an active role in his or her energy and resource consumption.
exposed infrastructure_ Algae production as a source for energy is utilized via algae tubes that skin the exterior of buildings and make their way through residential corridors. Each resident would have control over the saturation of algae within his or her own tubes. To increase energy production, saturation would be increased. To increase light penetration and visibility, saturation would be decreased. The variability of these settings would then dynamically activate the building facade through different shades of greens.
research_ conceptual_ site_ food_ water_ summary_
energy_
ďŹ nal presentation_ The folding gesture is made once more in the ďŹ nal presentation. As a way to store and frame the section models, the boards fold off of the backdrop while voids are taken from these folds for the models to be stored.
water >>>>>>>>>> food >>>>>>>>>>> gy ener >>>>>>>>>>>
research_ summary_
energy_
water_
food_
site_
conceptual_
summary_ This work has been an exploration of how an urban community might be more holistically designed in response to the massive shift of populations towards cities and the significant disconnect between people and their basic needs. Taking principles from ecovillage design and translating them into an urban setting, the design solutions mean to integrate food growth, water management and purification, energy generation, and other infrastructural processes within the communities where people live, work, and play. This final product is in no way meant to be a final solution, only a significant step towards rethinking community design as a more holistic endeavor. To truly address our futures in regard to sustainability, many of these topics must be at the forefront of conversation. As these topics continue to be studied, many new questions will arise, both architectural and non-architectural. Where does such a community begin? How does it evolve into the utopia that is illustrated in the presentation? Who is participating and to what magnitude? How does this study translate to other cities across the world? How does such a community affect its existing context?
holistic community :
exploring the urban ecovillage and reconnecting communities with their basic needs nick alexander
Works Referenced_ 1
Burdett, Ricky. The Endless City. London, England: Phaidon Press, 2008. p. 8.
2
Ibid., 476.
3
Ibid., 8.
4
Fox, Warwick. Ethics and the Built Environment. London, England: Taylor and Francis, 2000. p. 18.
5
Ehrlich, Paul. The Population Bomb. Cutchogue, NY: Buccaneer Books, 1995.
6
Girardet, Herbert. Cities People Planet: Liveable Cities for a Sutainable World. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008.
7
Bosselmann, Peter. Urban Transformation: Understanding City Form and Design. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2007. p. 96.
8
Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. How Far Does Your Food Travel? Retrieved from www.cuesa.org. 2009.
9
Food Marketing Institute. Supermarket Facts. Retrieved from www.fmi.org/facts_figs/superfacts. 2009.
10
Horrigan, Leo, Robert Lawerence, and Polly Walker. How Sustainable Agriculture Can Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of Industrial Agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives Vol 110, 5. May 2002.
11
Pollan, Michael. The Food Issue: Farmer in Chief. New York Times, October 12, 2008.
12
New York Sun Works. The Science Barge: The Cost of a Tomato. Retrieved from www.nysunworks.org. 2009.
13
Bang, Jan Martin. Ecovillages: A Practical Guide to Sutainable Communities. British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 2005.
14
Ibid., 45.
15
Holmgren, David. Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability. Victoria, Australia: Holmgren Design Services, 2002.
16
Ibid., xxviii.
17
Ibid., xx.
18
Ibid.
19
Ritchie, Adam and Thomas, Randall. Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach. London, England: Taylor & Francis, 2009.
Bakken, J. Darrell. Now That Time Has Had Its Say: A History of the Indianapolis Canal, 1835-2002. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2002.
20
21
Veolia Water. Treating water to make it safe to drink. Retrieved from www.veoliawater.com/presss/resource/diagrams/521.html, 2009.
22 Gilroy, Leonard. Reason Foundation: 23 Firms Eyeing Indianapolis Superutility. Retrieved from www.reason.org/news/printer/23-firms-eyeingindianapolis-s, 2009. 23
Office of Mayor Gregory A. Ballard. Request For Expression Of Interest. Retrieved from www.indy.gov, 2009.
A Few More Inspirational Readings... Kimbrell, Andrew. Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture. Sausalito, CA: Foundation for Deep Ecology, 2002. Lawson, Laura J. City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America. Los Angeles, CA: UC Press, 2005. National Resources Defense Council. Does Your Food Travel More than You Do? Retrieved from www.nrdc.org/health/foodmiles. 2009. Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. London, England: Penguin Press, 2008. Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. London, England: Penguin Press, 2006. Pretty, Jules. Some Benefits and Drawbacks of Local Food Systems. Briefing Note for TVU/Sustain Agrifood Network, 2001.