ecoLOGICAL landSCAPE urbaNISM by Du Chen

eco LOGICAL land SCAPE urba NISM

Portfolio of DU CHEN

2011 2012

Creating a harmonious living enviroment for both human(urba) and nature(land), under the premise of ecological discipline(eco), is the ultimate destination of my professional journey. Base on the knowledge of landscape , a logically-deducing mode of thought that orients for problem solving, is what I call 'Logicial Scapenism'.

'Two Nature' , in Mentougou Beijing CHina

CONTENTS 04

Transparent invisibility

In and between

Digital frabication workshop

Meshing workshop

Drainage Fabrication

Infiltration Urbanism

Compact Network

Prototype workshop

Moving in flow Indexing workshop

Field recycle

Final project Phase 1

Final project Phase 2

Final project Phase 3

Moving in flow Indexing workshop

Terrain of Yongding River valley

Moving in flow Indexing workshop Type: Individual Work Location: Mentougou, Beijing, China Area: 90 km2

Yongding River Valley is one of the most significant corridor in the west of Beijing either in ecological or functional terms. This is the river that runs from west to east as mother river to Beijing city while having served as the water source for western part of the city for centries. Along the river ancient people started their settelments using the river itself and proximities as a way of connection and the initial villages and towns appeared. After the establishment of Shougang Steel Factory, this valley took on another role that was the corridor of transporting and generating raw material. Railway, national roads, mining pit, factories looked for their positions along this valley while complicating the valley into a hybrid belt. This indexing project seeks a way to understand the organization and structure in villages and towns along Yongding River Valley through graphical expressions, in which tries to trace the flow of goods from produced area to destination and to simulate the movement of people living or working there representing potential relation, meanwhile the pollution drawing shows the interference level of these flows to the environment.

Roads in Yongding River Valley

N 6

Exisitng landuse

Yongding river

Village

Farmland

Village

Railway station

Farmland

Railway

Factory

National road

Mining pit

Street

Tourism

Allley

Railway

MIning pit

Flow of material/production According to the study in the working method of all the producing type, a series of drawing show that how these producing units are organized within a certain relationship to each other also to city. The routes of different goods also present the usage condition of transportation network.

Railway station Market Mining material Factory product Farmland crop

Mining material: Pit - Station - Steel factory

Farmland crop: Farmland - Town market - City market

Factory product: Factory - City agency

Flow of people Based on the assumption that all villagers work for their nearest working places, the different constitution of each villages could be noticed and the spatial relationship between all types of landuse is shown. Also the indexing results present the possible daily movements.

Mining worker Farmer Factory worker Tourism staff

Mining pits and village distance: < 1km

Farmland and village distance: < 0.5km

Factory and village distance: < 1km

Tourism spot and village distance: < 0.5km

Flow overlapping Through overlapping both type of movement, not only could the frequency and hierarchy situation of transportation network be told, but also may the inner organization and feature of villages or towns be understood.

Village

Mining worker

Farmland

Farmer

Factory

Factory worker

Mining pit Tourism

Network hierarchy

Village alley

Tourism staff

Spatial type

Town street

National road

Railway

Agricultural village

Industrial village

Linear town

Intereated town

Network pollution Based on the results that come from movement indexing, taking consideration of potential vehicles that serve as the medium of transporting, the pollution level and frequency along the network can be seen.

Motorcycle Car Van Truck Train

Vehicle type Motocycle

Car

Van

Truck

Train

Usage frequency

0.5

Pollution level

0.2

0.4

0.5

0.8

1.6

High

Pollution level

Low

High

Low

Usage frequency

Transparent invisibility Digital frabication workshop

Digital rendering of model

Transparent invisibility Digital frabication workshop Type: Individual Work Location: Mentougou, Beijing, China Area: 60 km2

Based on the work from Indexing workshop, a further study on representing site information and condition was carried on through physical model. Also how to express the real information like 'terrain', 'village', 'road' in an more abstract way is a significant issue to be thought about, as well as to display the main feature of the system. To my previous study on Yongding River Valley, topography and movement network are the two keypoints, that is, the continuous changing hilly area and interrelating flow of items. The popular map for London tube is a successful diagram of abstracting crucial information, which could be an example for the translation in top-view mode for this case. Terrain as a limiting framework should not be ignored while being a subtle background. The final model was build only with two basic elements, threads and stick, in a slight way that tried to erase the individual identity and to emphasize the entirety.

Abstract diagraming of London tube

N 20

Model decomposition Linkage - Flow

Node detail

Volume - Terrain

Path - road, street

Exchange - station, market

Terminal - mine pit, factory

Original movement indexing

Flow routine

System translation

Space 7mm

An orthogonal grid with an offsetting repetition provides a geographical abstracting background also a coordinate refference for nodes and linkage. The real spatial position were represented as specific points in coordinate with emphasis for the joints. All types of movement flow could be displayed in the way of grid lines in not only top-view but also 3D perspective.

Villager Tourist Crop

Height - according to terrain

Diameter 3mm

Commodity Product Mine

Grid - Coordinate

Grid base 5mm 4mm 17mm

5mm 26mm

Movement indexing abstraction

Laser cutting process

Threads preparation

Sticks preparation

Indexical frabication

Physical model panorama 24

Flow along terrain

Overlapping movement 26

Potential routine

Spatial nodes representaition 27

In and between Meshing workshop

Structures based on changing water infulences

In and between Meshing workshop Type: Individual Work Location: Yizhuang, Beijing, China Area: 20 km2

Yizhuang is a newly planned and constructed new town in the southeast of Beijing, which is supposed to contain residential and industrial area. The popular pattern of orthogonal grid network splits this new town into pieces, while a canal for storm drainage runs through it in a more soft form, leaving the last sense of nature there, but also remaining as a boundary for both river banks. Rather than considering the river belt as an edge of area, I try to merge this space with the public plot in Yizhuang new town, within a sprawling way of invasion and connection from river to inner urban area. Meanwhile, the invisible water process should not be ignored there, since the canal always serves as a drainage pouring container. It is possible to tell how this canal is affected seasonally not only by upstream water but also storm drainage for urban area, which could be another basis for the re-organization of river space. Taking the potential area in Yizhuang new town as site, this project tends to look for a complex linkage between nature, urban and human process or activity just in the area known as fringe, as well as a modified inner structure to be the medium for urban merge.

Urban construction along Yizhuang canal

Plot availability According to exsiting landuse, only few of the plots are able to be used as public space or green area, which I try to combine all of them together to form a contious spatial occupancy.

River accessbility Residential Village Commercial Facility Industry

Assuming every plot is a starting point of people to head to river area as a major public area and taking brancing system as a typical model, an accumulation of movement routine could be simulated, which serves as a referrence for potential access joint from urban to river.

Greenland Farmland

Branching accumulation of movement routine

Site

Density guideline Based on the result of most possible access joint, a series of west-east direction density guideline could be produced to represent the invisible urban force of site area, which is supported by a model of the human staying behaviour along network.

Quantity of people

Branch street

Main road

Branch street

Model of human staying behaviour along network

Changing scenario 1 The change in urban plot which means the growth of population will effect the movement accumulation, so that a series of contious changing density guideline could reflect this situation.

Drainage accumulation With the level of plot permeability, combining the area of it, with the knowlegde that drainage will pour into the canal through the exsiting network, a treelike drainage system could be produced, showing the quantity and feature of each plot drainage also the accumulation condition together.

Water streamline Plot permeability level Farmland

Village

Residential

Industry

Commercial

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0.9

V=PXS

V: Each branch drainage volume P: Plot permeability S: Plot area

Each continuous streamline presents a different branch of water source, according to which it is possible to understand how water might occupy this area in its own opretation process. The relative position of streamlines are due to the water volume they contain inside. D Da

VA VB

CP1 Db1

Db2

Db1 Da=D/2

Da Da=D/2

CP1

Da=D/2

Db1=D*(VB/(VA+VB)) Db2=D*(VA/(VA+VB))*0.5

Db2

CP2 DC1 DC2

DC2 DC3

VC Db1=D*(VB/(VA+VB)) Db2=D*(VA/(VA+VB))*0.5 DC1=D*(VB/(VA+VB+VC)) DC2=D*(VA/(VA+VB+VC))*0.5 DC3=D*(VC/(VA+VB+VC))

Overlapping frame Based on the study of density guideline and water streamline, a comprehensive frame structure is produced to show how these forces will effect on this field and also the potentil of site will adapt to external conditions.

Changing scenario 2

Density guideline

Water streamline

The annual rainfall change may effect the water source volume, which a series of contious changing water streamlines could reflect this situation. 38

Meshing step1

Meshing step2

Taking the previous pattern of framework and also its adaptive possiblities, a mesh based on rhomboid unit is produced which has a flexible system that not only benefits urban accessbility but also water process.

The potential expansion of green area is explored through walking space from river area into urban space, which is based on the assumption the more frequently the streets are used also the closer they are to river, the greater possibility there will be for growth.

Final meshing structure A comprehensive meshing structure produced during this project will be a referrence for understanding the exsiting process and also a guideline for futre spatial organization. 42

Field recycle Prototype workshop

Digital rendering of slope proctetion unit

Field recycle Indexing workshop Type: Group Work Location: Mentougou, Beijing, China Area: 10 km2

Mentougou district has been a resource supply not only for coal mine but also limestone since the establishment of Shougang Steel Factory, resulting a number of mining pits locate in this area. Addition to it, some village settlements began to emerge around these mining pits as labour provision. As the close of these mining pits due, on one hand there will be a chance for environmental improvement, the other hand the nearby villagers will lost their economic income and have to leave their home for work which might lead to migration and settlements demolishing. However, the opportunity lies on that most mining pits have quite convinient access to transportation network just as railway station and the left flat and spacious area is nice base for construction. These factors will support a renewal development for these mining pits as a solution for Beijing's rapid urban sprwal and a cradle for Mentougou's new economic growing nodes. Before these area are used for urbanization, there some issues must be noticed which this workshop project seeks to offer an answer to, that is, the remediation and reorganization of site. In this project, we tried to determine the siginificant factors that will affect site construction and establish a system of prototype within an adaptive meshing structure to solve the problems.

View from abandoned house window

N 46

Pollution remediation Slope protection

3D Slope analysis

Due to complicated terrain condition in mining pit, protection against landslide is in need to apply. Analysis combining slopeness and water erosion will be a solid base for it.

3D water runoff analysis

The excavation process for mining resources and its remains will be a source for pollution as surface drainage running through. Understanding the scale and tendency of contamination through indexing study will be a referrence. 51

Exisiting condition

Treatment zoning

Urban availability

Pollution remediation

Slope protection

Meshing process This generating process is divided into several steps: ·To identify the existing network's potential to be converted into a new infrastructure. ·Map and zoning the area for different treatments like slope protection or pollution remediation. ·Take the maximum slopeness for urban development as a extreme plot dimension to generate the first part of mesh from the existing important network nodes. ·Apply the remediation prototype according to its dimension as a referrence of adaption when come into the area for pollution treatment. ·Use the slope protection prototype to fill in the area which is in need of actions to prevent landslide. 52

3D meshing structure 54

Prototype adaption

Pollution remediation prototype

Master plan by Ignacio

Slope protection prototype

Panorama in Yongding River Valley

Drainage Fabrication Final project Phase 1

Drainage Fabrication Final project Phase 1 Type: Group Work Location: Mentougou, Beijing, China Area: 60 km2

Mentougou (M.T.G.) district situates at the west end of main axis of Beijing city, surrounded by continuous hills thus playing an edge role between nature and urban. Due to proximity to steel factory, from the beginning of last century M.T.G. developed a seried of industries relating to it forming a development mode based on source excavation, while has been deteriorating the environment there. The close of steel factory and mining pits, M.T.G. caught a change for ecological surroundings, even more, also experienced 'deindustrilization' which may lead to loss the main economic source and the district organization collapse. As an ecological buffering for the main city, M.T.G. is always considered to be a greenery area promoting sustainable future development such as high-tech or eco-agriculture. Considering the new master planning for M.T.G. as an opportunistic way of intervening this area, we try to modify the mechanic problems from this new planning through LU approaches while taking this deindustrilizationing area as a typical model for the rest of China. These works as the first stage of the project seek a way to understand the drainage and water process in this area because of water source is a crucial element for the re-developing progress in M.T.G. district especially in overwhelming water crisis. Through a series of study, an integrated watershed structure is finished as a guideline for coming research.

Shougang Steel Facotry and Yongding River

History of urban growth

Role in hydrology system A number of dams were constructed from the source of Yongding River to downstream blocking majority of river water. The dam in M.T.G. is the last dam before the river runs through the city which means M.T.G. turns out to be 'source' of the river. How to recharge for river in M.T.G. with limited water accquaintance becomes an issue to study on.

Before 'Shougang'

Due to natural isolation, the connection between villages in M.T.G. area and Beijing city almost didn't exist, the ecological condition in M.T.G. remained in a good status.

Diagram drawn by David

Integrated water management During 'Shougang'

The establishment of Shougang Steel factory, relating industries also emerged in M.T.G. area while stimulating the growth of this area at the same time pollution from industries started to affect the environment.

Due the specific geographic condition in M.T.G., most rainfall there used to be drainage that ran through urban area before pouring into river, which meaned the recharge water was always polluted and without any treatment. As 200% of greenland is increased in the new master planning, other than 'pure' parks, these greenland should carry on more functions. Taking the advantage of greenland, it is possible to modify the process of water there while using these parks as retention or purification area, providing a cleaner recharge for river and storing more water along the year. And a spatial organization could be formed based on this new process. Existing landuse

Existing water management process

Proposing landuse

Proposing water management process

After 'Shougang'

The close of steel factory and mining pits will cause loss of main economic source and majority of unemployment and may lead to depression and other social issues.

Another future?

The master planning for M.T.G. is just a huge grid block swiping all conditions and relations in this area. Could it be another efficient way of solving the deindustrilization situation?

Site area 33 km2

As a basin area M.T.G. it is, original rainfall drainage runs along the terrain to recharge Yongding River while various watershed boundaries (hill ridge) could be noticed as for drainage control area.

Hyde park area 1.4 km2

Terrain runoff watershed

Annual receivable rainfall volume 800,000 m3

X 24

X 6O cm 65

Urban development area The urban area in site has extended to almost every possible corner of terrain conditions also just situating in the center of basin area, blocking all the runoff down from hill. The quantity and quality of recharging water for river was greatly affected by urban area.

Popullation in site: 80,000 Annual water consumption: 20,000,000 m3 Annual water sewage: 10,000,000 m3

Site area: 33 km2 Urban development area: 15 km2 15 km2 45%

Urban drainage network All the road network could be considered as potential network to collect drainage from urban area. Three canals serve as main branch for drainage let-out to river with several waterspout sin certain distance lacking of any treatment facilitites. Dam

Canal

River

Plot permeability Different landuse means various type of surface, which limits the quantity of rainfall permeateing into ground or pouring out into street. The level of plot permeability turns out to be a reference for drainage quantity simulation.

Farm & park

Mining pit

Village

Urban

Urban drainage accumulation With the conclusion of plot permeability, combining the area of it, while assuming drainage will pour into the canal within the nearest waterspout along canal, a tree-like drainage system could be produced, showing the quantity and feature of each plot drainage also the accumulation condition together. 72

V=PXS

V: Each branch drainage volume P: Plot permeability S: Plot area Drainage branching accumulation 73

Urban drainage network hierarchy The hierarchy in tree-branching system is able to be noticed as it is in this drainage network, from which the position of plot in system could be understood. Using voronoi whose unit is a standard rainfall catchment measurement as abstract pattern, the spatial organization according to drainage is shown clearly. 74

Tree-branching system hierarchy

Voronoi pattern for rainfall measurement 75

Urban drainage sector Based on previous drawings, it is able to tell different drainage sector from each other which is practical for managing rainfall control. Also, taking landuse into consideration, typical treatments could be applied.

Integrated drainage watershed Rather than neglecting the connection between natural and urban watershed system, I try to unify them into one system while using similar logic. Meanwhile, utilizing the increasing greenland as potential joint for two system, a new watershed structure is built.

Natural watershed pattern based on terrain condition

Urban watershed pattern based on network hierarhcy 79

Spatial structure A spatial strucutre based on water process is built on previous conclusions, which could be used a guideline for future landuse re-arrangement and refference for water purification treatment or collecting method. 80

Infiltration Urbanism Final Project Phase 2

Infiltration Urbanism Final Project Phase 2 Type: Group Work Location: Mentougou, Beijing, China Area: 60 km2 Considering urban agriculture as one of main economic process that will happen in the new development area, we try to take it as a driving mechanism for the new urbanism. Relative program spatial requirements are analysed to provide physical conditions and relationship for guiding new organisation. On the same time, based on the deindustrilization process that will leave available land for development, a type of gradual growing is applied into the site which will present both spatial and economic relationship of urban agriculture. Branching system brings a way of infiltrating the vacant area from few single nodes within a gradual and emitting structure, which merges with the existing context in terms of network. All together this research represents a structure that will serve for the main urbanism target in a physical and economic mechanism.

Bird's eye view of The New City By Ludwig Hilberseimer

N 85

Deindustrilization Process According to exsiting industry types and local policies, we can foresee a sequence of factories removal leaving vacant land with various sizes and polluted condition. Also, the nearby villages used to serve as labour source give hints to information of themselves.

Phase 1: Decommission Origin Removal Shougang steel plant Coal mining pit

Phase 4: Other Industry Removal Clothes factory Plastic product factory Artifact factory Chemical plant

Phase 2: High-Related Industry Removal Casting factory Steel process plant Mining facility factory Coal refinement plant

Phase 5: Farmland Removal

Phase 3: Low-Related Industry Removal Instrument product factory Cement product plant Stone product plant Furniture factory

Total Vacant Land and Urban Villag

Urban Agriculture Strategy Existing Landuse Besides industry footprints, most available area in Mentougou is still occupied by cropland as a boundary between different villages. The economic income is fairly low in land-based agriculture.

Vertical Agriculture Vertical agriculture development provides another solution for balancing urban development and agriculture industry. While this mode only stays on a level of seperate produce system in each building.

Total Avenue: $$$ Agriculture: $$$

Total Avenue: $$$$$$$$ Housing: $$$$ Industry: $$ Agriculture: $$

Urbanism Demand In traditional way of urban development, farmland will be erased for housing and industry construction which will bring a mount of income while deprives the job for lesseducated dwellers also demolish previous ecological system.

Compact System An integrated system of agriculture producing, water management and public accessibilty not only raises the efficiency of agriculture but also creates a framework for a new social network.

Total Avenue: $$$$$$ Housing: $$$$ Industry: $$

Total Avenue: $$$$$$$$$$$$ Housing: $$$$$ Industry: $$$ Agriculture: $$$$

Economic Spatiality According to previous masterplan description and study, we can know the expectation growth of this site in terms of population and construction area. This statisctics somehow could be translated into a physical condition that is the porpotion and space needed for food production area relating to this site. With this analysis we are able to understand what to organise in the vacant site in before noticing a way of organising them.

Food Industry Organisation Whole Site As a economic process of urban agriculture, a large scale structure will gurantee the possibility of operation that may involve the whole area into one system. Different existing condition will imply various potential development due to their population composition, site availability and infrastructure ect. A transition from traditional heavy industry area may turn into green industry to support the economic demand.

Research and development (School and college)

Food producing (Previous farmer)

Regional distribution (Vacant site and infrastructure) Housing (Existing village)

Urban agriculture process structure

Site Infiltration Most vacant sites are wrapped by existing area that contain various features in terms of program and population composition. More important, this area will play a role as an intriger for new development due to its labour force and infrastructure conditions.

1. Existing conditions including potential attraction and infrastructure.

2. Utilize the advantages of context and develop relating programs according to node feature.

3. Continue develop relating programs adjacent to nodes and infrastructure.

4. Finalise the whole arrangement to form an integrated system.

INFILTRATION URBANISM 91

Branching Growth Growing Rule In order to arrange various program around nodes, we identify a catalogue of program footprint that will give information about spatiality on site. Then we utilize this area to subdivide the radiant layer growing pattern to provide the base for applying branching system that benefits the centrification tendency to nodes as well as efficient and economical linkage system

Agriculture Node

Nodal Node

Agriculture Node Program footprint catalogue

Branching system adaptation

Node Pattern According to program adjacency and node conditions, a series of growth pattern could be generated to represent the urban agriculture process and possible linkage system.

Agriculture Node

Market Node

Nodal Node

Market Node

Agriculture Node Industry Node Nodal Node

Village Agriculture Node

Commercial

Remaining industry

Facility Removed industry

Residential Education

Farmland

Node Identification

Industry Node

Determine growing nodes based on analysis of existing conditions such as population, landuse, infrastructure accessbility, previous adjacent program ect. to provide basic information for furture development. INFILTRATION URBANISM 93

Existing area Existing network

Node

Growth layer

Existing area

Main road

Secondary road

Proposed connection

Site Reorganization

Infiltration Network

Use nodes as the starting point for growth and arrange layer pattern to certain node to layout the proposed connection structure meanwhile responding to existing road network.

Based on the connecting structure, we classify the road level according to exisitng junction and future traffice load. In this sense, the proposed network operates with the old one seamlessly while provding a new way of urban process.

Bird view of whole site structure By David Witte

Compact Network Final Project Phase 3

Compact Network Final Project Phase 3 Type: Group Work Location: Mentougou, Beijing, China Area: 60 km2

Intention Rather than stepping back to the traditional way of planning falling into the program zoning and network arranegement, which is a fair top-down and subjective methodology when less emphasing real site conditions ,we try to explore a bypass that is generated upon site features and situation while combining the proposed agriculture process into an integrated system. Urban fabrication is not only a visible geometrical feature of the city which provides dwellers the daily experience for their urban life, but also a abstract representation of urban development condition. We identify the conditions both economical and spatial for all surrounding boundary of vacant area as a guideline. Utilize exsiting network infrastructure as physical base and clarify a series of urban fabrication from village to urban in order to create a continuous structural field base to fuse the contradictory situation for future development and urban context. In this project, the physical connection in agricultural industry and daily activity stays a high position. We research on the process that will happen physically and utilize the minimal path to provide an efficient type of linking especially in the condition of limited connections due to the river. A hierarchical branching system is also applied to introduce an economical type other than the overabundant grid network. Furthermore, in the aim of collecting most rainfall to support agriculture development, we transform the road network that used to be thought as source for rainfall drainage pollution source into a 'machine' to collect and clean drainage, which is designed according to site topography. In this sense, this drainage system is highly tighten with the road network as well as the site and together to form a spatial base for urbanism process.

Urban fabrication in Barcelona

N 99

Site Identification According to exsiting industry types and local policies, we can foresee a sequence of factories removal leaving vacant land with various sizes and polluted condition. The nearby land used to serve as labour source give hints to information of their composition. Also the existing and remaining infrastructure like railway station and market will play as a crucial node for contextualising the site.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Phase 1 - Decommision Origin Shougang Steel Factory, Coal Mining Pits Phase 2 - Highly Related Industry Casting Plant, Steel Process Plant, Mining Facility Factory, Coal Refinement Plant Phase 3 - Low Related Industry Instrument Product Factory, Cement and Stone Product Factory Phase 4 - Other Industry Plastic Facotry, Chemical Plant

Available Vancant Area: 2,737 Ha. = 21 Hyde Park (130 Ha.) = 8 Central Park (340 Ha)

Remaing Area Phase 1 Area Phase 2 Area Phase 3 Area Phase 4 Area Farmland Area

100

101

Urban Fabrication

Representing Structure

Fabrication Fusion Various landuse remain at the edge of available area such as village, housing and factories ect which display totally different scale and type of fabrication, meanwhile, new urban development requiring a certain type of fabrication should be harmonized in the site rather than colliding with the context. As a result, a mechanism of merging fabrication is to be explored in this case.

According to research on the geometric relation between different scale of urban fabric and rhomboid units, we create a catalogue of rhomboid conditions that can reflect the conditions, in which the distance of the arc comes from the adjacent network and the angel means the denisty of the fabrication. With the information from site identification, we are able to apply this layer stacking method to generate a gradually changing fabrication over the site.

Point Distance 50m

100m

150m

200m

250m

90`

120`

150`

180`

210` Arc Degree

50X50 m Village

Rhomboid units geometric catalogue

100X100 m Residential/Commercial

200X200 m Industry/Greenhouse

90`

120`

Dense unit (Boundary)

150`

180`

210`

Arc Degree

Loose unit (Vacancy)

Fabrication density change from boundary towards vacancy

100m Small unit (Village)

150m

250m

350m

Point Distance

Large unit (Urban)

Fabrication size change from village towards urban

Fabrication Translation To find out a structure to represent and foresee the urban fabrication could utilize the geomitric feature from existing fabric. Taking one vacant area boundary as example, even if we create a grid network on it as we used to do, this grid could also be translated into a rhomboid mesh which represents the existing condition and future development.

Edge of vacant area

102

Proposal urban grid

1. Set activating points for proposed mesh according to exsiting networks accessbility.

2. Generate arches from activating points based on the certain condition of this boundary to adapt its fabrication density and size.

3. Use density lines to control and fuse the growth of urban fabrication according to different surrounding conditions.

4. Create the rhomboid mesh to represent the probable urban fabrication pattern as a spatial guideline.

Gradual density representation

103

Gradual Changing Urban Fabrication Using the previous mentioned rules and logic, we explore the condition that preserves and extends the existing fabric while providing potential framework for future urbaism process.

Village fabric Activating point distance: 50-100m

City fabric Activating point distance: 100-200m

Road fabric Activating point distance: 200-250m

104

105

Fabrication Density Control Control lines are used to adapt and adjust the fabrication density based on different node identification. Node Area Fabric Fast transforming density

Arc Degree 210` 180` 150` 120` 90`

Normal Area Fabric Medium transforming density

Arc Degree 180` 180` 150` 150` 120` 90`

Infrastructure Area Fabric Slow transforming density

Arc Degree 150` 120` 120` 120` 90` 90` 90`

106

107

Structural Fabrication Base This continuous and flexible mesh could be understood as a combination of existing fabric extension and future development implication.

High Density Fabric

Medium Density Fabric

Low Density Fabric

108

109

Urban Agriculture Process

Adaptive Network System

Economical Relationship A successful agriculture system should provide a whole process which needs different types of organisation and linkage which could be projected to actual site.

Rather than providing an over-abundant grid network without any relationship to urban process that is a waste of precious land, we try to create a framework based on study for urban agriculture system via the method of minimal path which is a perfect sample of efficient connection system.

1. Generic vacant site mode with various boundary conditions

2. Possible program adjacency spatial relation according to context.

Spatial Adjacency Based the study of boundary situation, as well as the possible tendency of future development, we can find out a series of spatial adjacency relationship for different node or boundary. With this analysis, the urban process could be displayed in a spatial form. Water Treatment

R & D Institution

Market Boundary

Nodal Boundary

Processing Factory

Housing

Community Center

School

Agriculture Boundary 110

Supermarket

Local Market

Local Market Medium End Housing

Community Center Sport Plot

Local Market Housing

Housing School

Local Market

Regional Distribution

Urban Agriculture Supermarket

Processing Factory

Urban Agriculture

Sport Plot

Regional Distribution

R & D Institution Processing Factory

Urban Agriculture

R & D Institution

3. Identify main connection between crucial nodes as linkage framework.

Public Service/ Office

Processing Factory

Storage

Community Center

Sport Plot

Public Space

Regional Distribution Commercial

Sport Plot

Water Treatment

Industry Boundary

Urban Agriculture

Storage

Regional Distribution

4. Utilize minimal path system as an efficient sample to reorganise the main network system. 111

Efficient Network System Due to the natural constraints on site, that is the Yongding River seperates this area into two parts and only a few connections exist, the increasing demand for daily transportation in west-east direction needs to be met in order to improve infrastructure accessbility. Meanwhile, the interconnection between different area inside this area should not be ignored as well. A more efficient way of connection system should be generated to solve both problems.

Network Materialization Since different levels of road have certain regulations such as speed limitation, intersection distance and turning angel, we try to analyze the possible condtions of them when applying them into branching system. Road Level Width Speed Limitation Intersection Distance Turning Angel

Tertiary Road 2 (1+1) Lanes < 20km/h > 100m < 60’

Secondary Road 4 (2+2) Lanes < 40km/h > 150m < 45’

Regional distribution Local market Bridge Possible linkage

Connections and constraints

Branching Network We adopt the branching system as the logic for network arrangement due to two reasons. The first one is that this system has the feature of integrating scattering parts into few main streams that solves the problem of limited connection in the site. Another reason is that the hierarchy in branching system will imply an accurate way for arrange different types of roads according to site conditions so that gurantees the high efficiency in the network operation.

Village/ Greenhouse

Center/ Region market

Tertiary Road 2 (1+1) Lanes

112

Secondary Road 4 (2+2) Lanes

Primary Road 6 (3+3) Lanes

Main Road 8 (4+4) Lanes

Primary Road 6 (3+3) Lanes < 60km/h < 250m < 30’

Main Road 8 (4+4) Lanes < 80km/h < 350m < 15’

113

Connection Demand Based on the research of urban agriculture process and crucial nodes in the site, we determine the main connections needed including daily transportation and product delievery which will guide the framework of road network.

114

115

Efficient Linking Pattern With the main connections that are created in previous study, use minimal path rules to generate a system to serve as a guideline for transportation solution.

Direct Connection

Minimal Path

4 Point Linkage

5 Point Linkage

6 Point Linkage

116

117

Finalised Road Network We start to merge the road network on one hand from exsiting significant infrastructures on the other hand from urban fabrication, while referring to minimal path guideline and taking the branching system as a materialising way to construct the final road network.

350m

250m

100m 100m150m

Road application on fabrication base

Dense network near regional market

Normal network in city proximity

Loose network near village area

118

119

Water Collection Roof Drainage For the exisiting urban area, due to construction conditions, only roof drainage is feasible to be kept and recycled. All this water is clean enough and needs no treatment so that it could be collected and storaged in the vacant area which is near to its source and also at a lower level, serving for roof agriculture usage. Pipe

Roof Drainage

Road slope

Planter Inlet

Street planter

Drainage Path

Pipe

Roof Drainage Water Storage

Road Drainage

Road Drainage In new development area, rather than letting drainage on the road flow away we consider that road network itself is a medium for drainage collection and cleanning. This process is constituted by a so-called 'green infrastructure' which not only plays a role as water treatment but also a nature framework that is highly linked to new road network and existing context.

Pump

Roof Greenhouse

Water Storage Road Drainage

Site terrain

Road slope

Planter Inlet

Drainage Path

Street planter

Pump

Roof Greenhouse

Site terrain

Road drainage collection process

Roof drainage collection process Building

Street Planter

Road

Road drainage

Cleaning Area

Drainage Corridor

Water Collection

Drainage path

Roof drainage

Drainage collection generic process

Green Infrastructure We consider that green area is more than ornamental feature to urban space but as a framework that could function as a drainage treatment system. Based on the drainage purifying process and local terrain, a spatial organisation that modifies the drainage path is generated accoring to various site conditions. Main Road 100m

1. Arrange drainage inlets along the road at 100m distance and determine parcel low point.

Low point

Primary Road 100m

Low point

Secondary Road 100m

Tertiary Road 100m

Low point

3. According to drainage catment ability, use 100m as one sector to extend and connect various branches.

Water collection and storage mechanism By David Witte

120

60m

80m

100m

2. Set cleansing area distance according to road level for drainage quantity and join the purified streams

0m 10

40m

Roof drainage quantity analysis By David Witte

0m 10

4. Connect all the drainage streams back to low points to finalise the whole system.

121

Drainage Condition Identify all base conditions for the establishment of road drainage system. Firstly, subdivide the roads into 100m sectors for drainage outlet and street planter. Secondly, classify the road levels in ordet to determine corresponding drainage cleansing area. Last but not the least is to look for the low point in each parcel to clarify the main drainage direction.

Main road area with longer cleansing distance

Tertiary road area with shorter cleansing distance

Planter inlet

Site Low Point Street Inlet Cleansing Area

Street planter

122

123

Drainage Path We consider that green area is more than ornamental feature to urban space but as a framework that could function as a drainage treatment system. Based on the drainage purifying process and local terrain, a spatial organisation that modifies the drainage path is generated accoring to various site conditions.

Looser drainage path along roads

Denser drainage path near urban boundary

Drainage Path

Water Storage

124

125

Green Infrastructure Taking the drainage accumulation along this system, a hierarchical organization is established while this organization not only provides the whole functional treatment process but also a potential frame for urban forestation, more important that this is a methodology of reorganising the terrain according to future urban development and site landscape process.

Main Road Proximity

Primary Road Proximity

Village Proximity

126

127