Antoine Fourrier A vegetable garden for Paris Le Plateau de Saclay: designing with agriculture Samutrakade 727, 1019PV Amsterdam +31 (0)6 17 06 66 28 antoine.fourrier@yahoo.fr linkedin.com/in/antoine-fourrier Landscape Designer at REDscape Landscape and Urbanism & at van Paridon x de Groot landscape architects
Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Graduation Projects 2014-2015
Landscape Architecture
Antoine Fourrier A vegetable garden for Paris Le Plateau de Saclay: designing with agriculture
In the last years, the urban sprawl phenomenon has particularly affected our peri-urban agricultural areas. Due to the growth of our cities and consequent strong demand for housing, farmland is disappearing more and more each year. This has become a source of growing social, ecological and cultural concern. The case of the peri-urban farmland of Saclay in France is a good example of this problem. Located on top of a plateau, Saclay is one of the largest agricultural areas within the outskirts of Paris. The area is part of the Grand Paris urban plan and will become the ‘French Silicon Valley’, a cluster of research and science, in the near future. This is a place of both agricultural and heritage significance. Despite their industrial practices, the farmers of Saclay has been seeking to get closer to the consumer. They have formed community-supported agriculture associations and are greatly appreciated by people. They have also been protesting against the urbanisation of their fertile lands with the support of public opinion. If people are keen to protect Saclay, it is because this place is a heritage landscape. Indeed, the water system of Saclay and its aqueduct used to provide water to the fountains of Versailles in days gone by. The ambition of this project is to transform Saclay into a meaningful agricultural landscape for the metropolis, instead of it being a building reserve. This project will investigate how fresh food production can be a driving force for peri-urban areas. Sustainable and intensive agriculture The future of farming begins with the landscape. We should use all aspects of the landscape to produce more and better food. Nowadays, a new kind of agriculture is being developed together with precision farming, agroecology, and high-tech farming techniques. These new technologies use all the aspects of the landscape to produce food in an optimum way, according to the climate, soil, water or topography of the place. This project develops a strategy to encourage the farmer to work together with the scientific cluster Paris-Saclay and cooperate with the locals in order to produce fresh food. Consequently, instead of being a threat, the urban development of the new scientific cluster is a great opportunity for farmers through the sharing of knowledge and competences. Furthermore, the rationality and the functionality of the agriculture in Saclay can lead to a poetic landscape. Among other things, contemporary farming can create new landscapes and regenerate old structures. For example, clumps of trees can grow in the corners not accessible by automated agricultural machinery, in evocation of wood once used for hunting. Moreover, this wood can be used for other agricultural purposes (mulching, animal feed, etc.). Typical tree alignments from the 17th century can also be brought back with a new agricultural and recreational infrastructure. Finally, the old water system can be used for high-tech aquaponic farming or for more traditional watercress and snail farming. New connections are proposed between the villages and the metropolis. The future metro station Paris-Saclay can be a great location for an agro-logistic hub. Here, people can buy fresh products and see how food is produced and processed. Saclay has remained a curiosity in the French landscape due to its innovative water system from the 18th century. Tomorrow, the technology of the 21st century will transform this place again. This technological revolution will also result in a landscape revolution. Saclay will shift from a monotonous, large-scale landscape to a deeply diverse and subtle landscape. Agriculture can become highly meaningful for the metropolis by connecting the farmers and the people with the beauty of an innovative agricultural landscape. Graduation date 06-07-2016
Commission members Ruut van Paridon Gianluca Tramutola Jana Crepon
Additional members for the examination Harm Veenenbos Niké van Keulen
Antoine Fourrier
Landscape Architecture
FISH
BEETS
CHICKEN
TEA THEA
COCONUTS SUGAR
CHICKEN
PEPPER
CACAO COFFEE
TEA SUGAR
SUGAR
BANANA
APPLE PEARS
ORANGES
ORANGE APPLE
SHEEP
DAIRY PRODUCT KIWI APPLE
GRAPES
ONION
COFFEE
CACAO
SUNFLOWER
BEAN ORANGE SOY
STRAWBERRIES
OIL BEEF
COFFEE
SUGAR
PEANUT
THEA
COFFEE
CABBAGE
SOY BEAN
PEANUT
COFFEE
APPLE
MANGO
RICE
THEA
TEA FRENCH BEANS
CITRUS CASHEWS
TEA COFFEE MAIZE
COCOA
PORK
CHICKEN
FISH
COFFEE
CACAO
FRENCH BEANS
COFFEE
COFFEE
COFFEE
OIL CACAO
COFFEE
CACAO
MANGO
COFFEE CACAO
ORANGE
COFFEECOFFEE
BERRIES BERRIES COFFEE COFFEE
CABBAGE CHICKEN POTATO RICE ONION CABBAGE PORK CHICKEN ONION
FISH
WHEAT
MELON
GRAPE
KIWI
BEEF
WHEAT CORN MILK PRODUCTS
OAT WHEAT
CARROTS
SUNFLOWER OIL WATER MELON STRAW STRAWDATE FIG
CACAO
OAT
POTATO
WHEAT RYE POTATO WHEAT
BANANA MILK
MANGO
CACAO COFFEE
CABBAGE
CORN APPLES
VODKA
BARLEY
POTATO
FISH
CITRUS
CACAO
CACAO
MILK
COFFEE
CACAO
COFFEE
EGGS
CACAO
BANANA
COFFEE ASPERGE
CHICKEN
CACAO
KIWI
FENCH BEANS
FENCH BEANS
ORANGES
FISH
SUGAR CACAO
WINE
DATE
FISH
COFFEE
BANANA
Location of Saclay
KIWI
SUGAR
BANANA
Saclay
FRENCH BEANS
SUGAR
TOMATOES
SUGAR
OAT RYE SUNFLOWER OAT
APPLE EGGS MILK BEEF
LETTUCE
ORANGE
COFFEE
Versailles
CUCUMBER
CORN BARLEY CABBAGE
LETTUCE MILK CARROTS WHEAT TOMATO PORK CARROTS BARLEY
PORK
OAT
ORANGES
APPLE
MILK
WHEAT STRAWBERRIES
Paris
MILK
FISH
FISH POTATO
CORN BEEF BARLEY MILK
An unsustainable food system - where does our food come from?
Marshlands Paris
Se
FISH PRODUCTS
MILK
FISH SHELLFISH MAPLE SYRUP SOY
Versailles
ine
Se
1300
Fresh food production
Defence line 1814-1870
ine
Se
Saclay Saclay
Saclay
18th century
20th century
Fresh food production
Se
ine
ine
Saclay
Today
Paris grew in tandem with its agriculture
Ditch 1
Underground aqueduct
2
Lake of Saclay
Underground aqueduct
Yvette river
3
1 Ditch
5 Versailles 4 Acqueduct of Buc La Bièvre
Saclay, a heritage landscape: a landscape to provide water to the fountains of Versailles by using the swamps and the lakes of Saclay
Urban development in Île-de-France - Source: Jean-Luc de Bry, Le cauchemar pavillonaire, Apr. 2012
Demonstration against the urbanisation of the Plateau de Saclay - Source: ADEVE, Dec. 2013
Antoine Fourrier Urban area Built-up area New metro line Water
Agriculture & research Existing water
Aquaculture
New water
Wetland agriculture
Landscape structure
A vision for Saclay: creating an attractive and diverse landscape through innovative agriculture
The Agri-Cluster at Saclay metro station: an entrance to an agricultural park
Fruit contour farming
Path along ditch
Fruit polyculture
Agri-infrastructure
Tomatoes & cucurbitaceae polyculture
Historical tree alignment
Root crops & legumes contour farming
Fort
Root crops, legumes & nuts contour farming
Path
Leaf vegetable polyculture
Combined metro line & agri-infrastructure
Fields for research
Landscape Architecture I - Conditions
II - Landscape framework
III - Farming typology
IV - Ownership
Polyculture
Big farm (more than 300ha)
Agroforestry
Medium farm (100 - 300ha)
Contour farming
Small farm (50 - 100ha)
Topography
Contour farming + agroforestry
Cooperative farming
Hydrometry
Niche farming
Municipality, Private & Science Cluster
°C
Climate Use
Cultural history
Water
Pedology
Nutrients
NO3 Landscape structure
Strategy and design principles
Silt contour farming: root crops and legumes
Silt poly culture: fruit & leaf vegetables, legumes
Silt poly culture: fruits & condiments
Clay contour farming: fruits
Sand Contour farming: root crops & nuts
Shallow waters: watercress & condiments
Lakes & ponds: fish & leaf vegetables
Wetland: sheep & amphibians
‘Foodscapes’ according to the different conditions of the landscape
Innovative agriculture generating a new landscape structure - Location: Orsigny area
Antoine Fourrier
Farm entrance
Farmer route through the fields
A multifunctional farmer infrastructure
A new water system for agricultural irrigation - Location: West side of Saclay Lake
Watercress farming and snail farming - Location: Corbeville ditch
A diverse and attractive agricultural landscape - Location: North of Saclay village
Landscape Architecture
Nature reserve
DGA thrusters trials, Military Base N118 motorway Rare connections Bird reserve to the landscape
An isolated landscape monument - Location: Lake of Saclay (existing)
Buc
Experimental fields
Aquaponic Farm entrance
Aquaculture
Tree alignment along new agricultural infrastructure
Route along the ditches Ditch for water storage & watercress culture
A productive water system - Location: Lake of Saclay (proposal)
Biochemistry
Enclaved farm
Experimental fields Seed research
Valley
Research centre
Farmer infrastructure
Guyancourt
Connection from the city to the research fields Connection to the farm
An enclave experimental field - Location: La Minière (existing)
An agri-research park - Location: La Minière (proposal)
New path ‘Designed by agriculture’
New tree clumps for wood production Fruit polyculture Contour farming Agriculture
Modern and diverse agriculture - Location: Orsigny
Connection to the valley Vegetable polyculture
Antoine Fourrier
Bringing back an old tree structure for farmers & recreational use - Location: Domanial ditch
The experimental fields of the Paris-Saclay science cluster - Location: Moulon
A water structure upgraded for new use for recreational purposes - Location: Orsigny ditch
Architect, Master of Science Urbanist, Master of Science Landscape Architect, Master of Science Architects, urbanists and landscape architects learn the profession at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture through an intensive combination of work and study. They work in small, partly interdisciplinary groups and are supervised by a select group of practising fellow professionals. There is a wide range of options within the programme so that students can put together their own trajectory and specialisation. With the inclusion of the course in Urbanism in 1957 and Landscape Architecture in 1972, the Academy is the only architecture school in the Netherlands to bring together the three spatial design disciplines under one roof. Some 350 guest tutors are involved in teaching every year. Each of them is a practising designer or a specific expert in his or her particular subject. The three heads of department also have design practices of their own in addition to their work for the Academy. This structure yields an enormous dynamism and energy and ensures that the courses remain closely linked to the current state of the discipline. The courses consist of projects, exercises and lectures. First-year and second-year students also engage in morphological studies. Students work on their own or in small groups. The design
projects form the backbone of the syllabus. On the basis of a specific design assignment, students develop knowledge, insight and skills. The exercises are focused on training in those skills that are essential for recognising and solving design problems, such as analytical techniques, knowledge of the repertoire, the use of materials, text analysis, and writing. Many of the exercises are linked to the design projects. The morphological studies concentrate on the making of spatial objects, with the emphasis on creative process and implementation. Students experiment with materials and media forms and gain experience in converting an idea into a creation. During the periods between the terms there are workshops, study trips in the Netherlands and abroad, and other activities. This is also the preferred moment for international exchange projects. The Academy regularly invites foreign students for the workshops and recruits wellknown designers from the Netherlands and further afield as tutors. Graduates from the Academy of Architecture are entitled to the following titles: Architect, Master of Science; Urbanist, Master of Science and Landscape Architect, Master of Science.
Landscape Architecture
Amsterdam Academy of Architecture