Bogdan Ilie_Water as a tool for interweaving systematic landscapes

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water as a tool for interweaving systematic landscapes

1. Tirana - DurrĂŤs highway: superimposition of systematic landscapes 1.1 Two systematic landscapes.

1.2 Structuring elements of the systematic landscapes.

1.3 Hybrid character and functionality of the Tirana - DurrĂŤs Highway.

1.4 The hybrid urban expansion in relation to the water subsystems.

2. Physical and functional transformation of the Kashar subsystem 2.1 Physical transformation of the Kashar subsystem 2002-2012.

2.2 Functional transformation of the Kashar subsystem : From the original to today.

3. An adapted water system for the present and future context 3.1 Exploring the potential of the artificial reservoirs as drinking water sources.

3.2 Cleaning the water and making it drinkable.

3.3 Using constructed wetlands for cleaning the water output of the urban area before reaching the agriculture enclaves.

4. Interweaving the systematic landscapes 4.1 Using the water system as a tool.

4.2 Enhancing the character and functionality.

4.3 Enhancing the qualities.

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How can the water system as the most powerful structuring element of the territory inform the transformation of a mixed landscape into an integrated one ? How can its role as an agriculture supporting device be adapted in an urbanizing context and how can it serve for preserving the qualities of the landscape ?

Water system today used as sewage outlet for the new urbanization.

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View of Tirana - DurrĂŤs highway in the background with Kashar lake in the foreground showing the mixed character of the landscape.

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Arnen Sula, 2013

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Along the Tirana - Durrës highway.

Mixed land use at the back of the Tirana - Durrës highway.

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Zhongkai Zhou, 2013

Zhongkai Zhou, 2013

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Mixed land use at the back of the Tirana - Durrës highway.

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Zhongkai Zhou, 2013

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1. Tirana - DurrĂŤs highway: superimposition of systematic landscapes 1.1 Two systematic landscapes.

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Two dynamics The Tirana - Durrës highway is the hard-spine of development in the region. It links the main harbor of Albania, Durrës , with the administrative capital Tirana creating a very strong dynamic between the two. It is also dubbed by the railroad linking the two cities, and linking to the north of the country. The presence of these two very powerful elements and the relatively short distance between the two cities of only 37 km has induced, in the years after the collapse of the communist regime, a ribbon development to emerge along it.

At the same time the most strongest structuring element of the territory is the inherited irrigation system. A monument of engineering, it channels the water stored in artificial lakes along the two valleys of the Lanë and Erzeni rivers, distributing it to the agricultural lands in the planes.

In the past years agriculture in the region has been in decline while the demand for urbanization is on the rise due to the presence of the two major poles of attraction in Albania.

This led to the occupation of many agricultural plots with urban developments in a dispersed pattern. Due to the switch in property rights that came with the fall of communism, the lands of the large cooperatives was transferred to individual owners . The structure of the plots created was dictated by the irrigation network which in turn influenced the pattern of the recent urban expansion.

The urbanization that is taking place along the Tirana - Durrës highway is influenced by these two dynamics. On the one hand the development is in a direct relationship with the highway, due to its dependence on traffic, but on the other hand it’s organized in a pattern informed by the water system. It generates a strip where these two systematic landscapes are superimposed.

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1.2 Structuring elements of the systematic landscapes.

Water system and highway

Structuring elements of the systematic landscapes Isolating the structuring elements of the systematic landscapes we can see that they are the road networks, that the urban developments depend on and the water system, that dictates the plot pattern.

The Tirana - DurrĂŤs highway is the most powerful trigger for development in the region due to its strategic position in relation to the attraction poles of the two major cities and the connections with the airport and the rest of the country.

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Water subsystem and highway

Multi-dimensional water system Upon a closer examination of the water system, as a structuring element, and its flows, we can see that what is seemingly one-dimensional is actually composed out o a series of subsystems with different characters and capacities. This gives hints to the fact that development could have more potential for diversity if it would be structured in a tighter relationship with the water system.

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1.3 Hybrid character and functionality of the Tirana - Durrës highway.

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Captions with the back of the highway along the train tracks going from Tirana to DurrĂŤs showing a mixed use development.

Hybrid character and function of the highway The original agricultural character of the plain crossed by the highway has shifted to a more urbanized one creating a mix of uses. Big-box developments with programs raging from retail, light industries, educational facilities, anchor themselves to the life line of the highway and the roads radiating from it while at the back large agriculture plots are still in use with scattered housing developments between them.

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1.4 The hybrid urban expansion in relation to the water subsystems.

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Linear centrality Observing the development along the highway we see that the mixed use urban expansion takes place along it creating a linear centrality while at the back the land use is more oriented to housing and agriculture.

This linear centrality generates a dynamic that breaks apart the two sides of the highway, especially in depth. Overlaying this dynamic with the water structure we see that although disconnected the two sides of the highway share the same subsystem. The subsystems give transversality to the dynamic of the highway and define distinct segments with different characters.

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2. Physical and functional transformation of the kashar subsystem 2.1 Physical transformation of the Kashar subsystem 2002-2012.

Tirana - Durrës Highway, Kashar sub-system, 2002 - 2012

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Google Earth, 2013

Physical transformation of Kashar subsystem Kashar subsystem is situated in the Kashar commune bordering the municipality of Tirana. This proximity triggered an explosion in development that occurred mostly along the highway linking to DurrĂŤs consisting of mixed uses like hotels, services and light industries.

The infrastructure needed to expand with service roads to cope with the demand in traffic which led to a more abrupt separation between the two sides of the highway.

The continuity of agriculture plots has been broken leaving just enclaves that are still cultivated. Along with their productive role these agriculture enclaves give a certain quality to the environment and create pockets of open space in the compact linear development.

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2.2 Functional transformation of the Kashar subsystem : From the original to today.

Original functionality of the water system as support for intensive agriculture

Original water flow 188 

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Original functionality The irrigation system was designed between the late 1960’s and early 1980’s to support the intensive agriculture in the planes.

The rain water is retained in large artificial lakes and then fed to the agriculture lands through a network of canals.

There is a main canal that runs on the highest slope and then distributes the water down in the valley through a series of antennas.

The water is then collected by a collector canal that feeds it to the next subsystem.

Today’s functionality of the water system as sewage outlet for the urban expansion and source of pollution for the remaining agriculture

Today’s water flow

Today’s functionality Today the water still flows through the system in the same way, according to topography. The urban development uses the antennas for sewage outlet so the pollution caused by it is then carried to the agriculture enclaves that use the same water for irrigation.

This creates tension between the two.

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3. AN Adapted water system for the present and future context.

Today’s functionality of the water system as sewage outlet for the urban expansion and source of pollution for the remaining agriculture

Today’s water flow 190

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Today’s functionality The urban pattern although it follows the structure of the water system does not acknowledge the water as a resource.

Proposed functionality of the water system

Proposed water flow in relation with the existing and future developments

Proposal for future functionality of the water system The proposed adaptation of the water system addresses the new urban character and the future urban expansion by providing drinking water. It balances the tensions between the built and the enclaves of agriculture by cleaning the water before it reaches the ladder.

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3.1 Exploring the potential of the artificial reservoirs as drinking water sources.

Precipitations in Albania throughout the year

worldweatheronline.com

Water as an abundant but poorly managed resource With the average rainfall quantity of 72 mm water is not a scarce resource except for the summer months. The artificial lakes have been built to store the water that is abundant in the rest of the seasons to provide a constant flow of water for the agriculture lands throughout the year.

The new dispersed urbanization occupies these lands making the use of the reservoir obsolete. At the same time the informal character of the development means that there is no drinking water infrastructure leading to every building having its own well. This generates a drying up of the underground water bed in the summer and in the case of the Kashar subsystem the need to import water from the neighboring municipality of Tirana.

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month Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

month Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

precipitation (per month) mm

75 105 99 75 48 48 18 36 69 75 129 87

precipitation (per month) mm

75 105 99 75 48 48 18 36 69 75 129 87

Average store in basin m3 liter per capita per day m3 per capita per day m3 per capita per month amount of people with system cleaning system m3 per day

area m2

3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00

area m2

3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00 3,500,000.00

189,000.00 500 0.5 15.25 12,393.44 6,196.72

rain water collection m3

196,875.00 275,625.00 259,875.00 196,875.00 126,000.00 126,000.00 47,250.00 94,500.00 181,125.00 196,875.00 338,625.00 228,375.00

rain water collection m3

196,875.00 275,625.00 259,875.00 196,875.00 126,000.00 126,000.00 47,250.00 94,500.00 181,125.00 196,875.00 338,625.00 228,375.00

water in basin

consumption

m3

(per month) m3

water in basin

consumption

m3

(per month) m3

385,875.00 472,500.00 543,375.00 551,250.00 488,250.00 425,250.00 283,500.00 189,000.00 181,125.00 189,000.00 338,625.00 378,000.00

385,875.00 509,000.00 616,375.00 660,750.00 634,250.00 607,750.00 502,500.00 444,500.00 473,125.00 517,500.00 703,625.00 779,500.00

end of month

189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00 189,000.00

152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00 152,500.00

m3

196,875.00 283,500.00 354,375.00 362,250.00 299,250.00 236,250.00 94,500.00 0.00 7,875.00 0.00 149,625.00 189,000.00

end of month m3

233,375.00 356,500.00 463,875.00 508,250.00 481,750.00 455,250.00 350,000.00 292,000.00 320,625.00 365,000.00 551,125.00 627,000.00

152,500.00 500 0.5 15.25 10,000.00 5,000.00

Tables showing the relationship between population and the volume of water that can be consumed without depleting the lake

The lake as a renewable source of water and the population that it can sustain With a catchment area of 350 Ha and a run-off coefficient of 0,75 the lake can have an average volume of 189.000 m3. Out of this for it to be sustainable throughout the year taking into consideration an average consumption of water of 500L a day per capita only 152.500 m3 can be used giving a population of 10.000 inhabitants for Kashar subsystem.

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3.2 Cleaning the water and making it drinkable.

Pressure loss due to friction in the pipes principle

Luna B. Leopold, Water: A Primer, page 32

Mott, MacDonald, Agricultural Dams Study Dam Report, Kashari Reservoir

Height reached by water at outlet due to friction loss in pipes for Kashar reservoir 194 

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Technical section for slow sand filter.

Slow sand filter, Seoul Waterworks

L.Huisman, Slow Sand Filtration, page 18

Robert Koehler, 2008

Using a slow sand filter for getting water to drinking quality The friction in the pipes causes a height loss of 14 m. This means that by the time the water reaches the base of the dam the pressure it has can lift it only two meters of the ground. This height can be used to get the water into a slow sand filtering system that requires 1 square meters to clean 1 cubic meter of water per hour. It is a very good system for getting fresh water to drinking quality. It requires little or no mechanical power, chemicals or replaceable parts, and minimal operator training with only periodic maintenance.

The uplift created by the water pressure allows water to get into the filter without needing a pump.

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3.3 Using constructed wetlands for cleaning the water output of the urban area before reaching the agriculture enclaves.

Average low and average high temperatures throughout the year in Albania

worldweatheronline.com

Increase of anaerobic digestion of biological waste with the rise of temperature above 10 degrees Celsius Constructed Wetlands as a buffer between the urban developments and the agricultural enclaves Constructed Wetlands are a natural, low-cost, Eco-technological, biological wastewater treatment technology designed to mimic processes found in natural wetland ecosystems, which is now standing as the potential alternative or supplementary systems for the treatment of wastewater.

Relationship of flow-weighted concentration of total suspended solids (TSS, top) and of total phosphorus (TP, bottom) with water temperature at the outlet 196 

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The graphs show the influence of temperature on various chemicals present in the wastewater. The performance increases with temperatures above 10-14 degrees and in the case of the region with an annual average of 15,9 degrees Celsius such a system can be highly per-formant.

At the output from the Constructed Wetlands system the water becomes usable for the irrigation of agriculture.

Area requirement for the Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetland A specific area requirement of 1–2 m2 per person would be required of horizontal flow constructed wetland.

(UN-HABITAT, Constructed Wetlands Manual, page 31)

Area requirement for the Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland A specific area requirement of 0.8-1.5 m2 per person would be required of vertical flow constructed wetland. (UN-HABITAT, Constructed

Wetlands Manual, page 31)

Constructed Wetlands Typologies and technical sections

Chouchai Wetland Park

UN-HABITAT, Constructed Wetlands Manual, page 19

k720.kcg.gov.tw

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4. Interweaving the systematic landscapes 4.1 Using the water system as a tool.

Existing subsystem flow.

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Proposed subsystem flow and functionality.

Water as a tool for interweaving systematic landscapes The proposed water subsystem is organized in using the existing structure and flow in two parts. The first part is housed in pipes and distributes the drinkable water to the existing and new developments. Water is retained by the existing reservoir, cleaned by a slow sand filter and stored previous to it being pumped in the network from a centralized pumping station.

This allows for energy savings and water savings individual wells being no longer needed and thus saving the resource of the underground water bed.

After use the water is released in a system of constructed wetlands that use the natural flow of the water and vegetation to purify it before reaching the agriculture in use.

The proposal uses the infrastructure provided by the existing subsystem but restructures the flows to support the new urban developments and the developments to come.

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4.2 Enhancing the character and functionality.

Existing typologies and programs along the highway The character of the development is hybrid but the existing typologies don’t consider the depth.

Retail / Services

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Housing

Educational facilities

Proposed typologies and programs New typologies that add a new scale dimension and new programs to further emphasize the mixed character of the development.

Multi story housing

EPFLEcole Polytechnique FĂŠdĂŠrale de Lausanne, plan.epfl.ch

University campus

Office buildings Departement Gezondheidszorg en Technologie, KHL Leuven, khleuven.be

Rice Campus, turenscape.com

Light industries

Rice Campus, turenscape.com

The deep highway The existing functions show a highly mixed character that the proposal tries to preserve and enhance through the addition of a larger array of new programs and by reorganizing the relationships between plots in order to create new public spaces and networks for soft traffic that can sustain the new facilities.

At the same time the proposal intends to add a new dimension to the linear development along the highway by adding a second layer of development in depth. This layer intends to take advantage of the agricultural landscape as part of the urban environment.

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4.3 Enhancing the qualities.

Existing systematic landscapes

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Existing landscape, mixed but not integrated The existing systematic landscapes,the water system with the supported agriculture and the highway with attached urbanization generate a mixed use landscape with high potential and qualities but strong tensions.

These tensions arise on the one hand from the fight for space along the highway and on the other hand from the inadequate use of the water subsystem as sewage outlet.

The map shows the land use and orientation of the existing buildings emphasizing their dependency on the high way and the secondary roads radiating from it.

The bidirectional water flow through the irrigation system and its relationship with the urban layer gives an overview to the extent to which the agricultural lands are influenced by the formers pollution.

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Proposed interweaving of systematic landscapes

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Interweaving the systematic landscapes The proposed water system, with the Kashar reservoir as a drinking water source, enables a high density of development to take place inside it. Its existing structure along with the status of the land use with urbanized, to be urbanized and not in use plots, can inform the strategic spaces where the new development is to take place. At the same time the presence of large productive agriculture plots, that give quality to the landscape, along with the water flow through the system can inform on the strategic positioning of the wetlands.

These two dynamics given by the proposed water system create a platform for clustering development. The new density takes advantage of the agricultural landscape as part of the urbanized environment by positioning itself in the second layer giving depth to the highway.

The public programs plugged in the depth of the highway create deep public spaces, in relationship with the agricultural landscape. At the same time their positioning on both sides of the highway enable transversal connections, that are enforced both on a functional level, by the water system, and on a spacial level.

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