S O W. G R O W. R E P E AT. palestine: cultivating seeds of possibilities
CHAPTER 01
CHAPTER 10
Re-representation of Personal Object
The Lost Villages
CHAPTER 02
CHAPTER 11
Fragmented Landscape
Resilience Network
CHAPTER 03
CHAPTER 12
That Never Took Flight
Matrix System
CHAPTER 04
CHAPTER 13
A Device
Reimagined Realities
CHAPTER 05
CHAPTER 14
Curating A Space
Master Plan
CHAPTER 06
CHAPTER 15
The Proposition CHAPTER 07
Moments CHAPTER 16
A Journey to the Land
Spatial Language
CHAPTER 08
CHAPTER 17
The Food Chapter
Working Details
CHAPTER 09
Guerilla Farming
DESIGN STUDIO 4
A JOURNEY ACROSS THE VANISHING LANDSCAPE The theme of this studio aims to take us through a journey across a vanishing landscape where time and mobility have become irrelevant. Within a fragmented map the non-places have become over time into real places, the informal has become formal. This calls for an urgent need for an alternative discourse and critiral form of architectural practiciethat engage with spatial and social realities; one, that can nourish a space of imagination to stitch, heal and empower.
00 GRANDPA’S 55
Re-representation of Personal Object
01 THAT NEVER TOOK OFF
Never Part : A Device in a Digital Garden
02 A SUBVERSIVE FARMING SYSTEM
Palestine: Cultivating Seeds of Possibilities
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00
01
02
United Kingdom
Oxford Brookes University_United Kingdom Malaysia
Grandpa’s 555 Re-representation of Personal Object_Malaysia West Bank
That Never Took Off Never Part : A Device in a Digital Garden_Palestine Palestine
A Subversive Farming System Cultivating Seeds of Possibilities_Palestine
01 02
00
CHAPTER 01
RE-REPRESENTATION OF PERSONAL OBJECT The way in which individual experiences may be ctystallised in ordinary material objects. To kickstart the studio, each of us is to explore re-representation based on an object that is very special to each of us - it can be an object that we bought for ourselves, or one which someone gave it to us.
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
CH AP TER 0 1
An old notebook belonged to my grandpa which my mum pased to me shortly after he passed away. He had always carried it with him whenever and wherever he was, but I had never really paid attention to it and what it meant to me. GRANDPA’S NOTEBOOK
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 1
1980 Johor Malaysia
For as long as I can remem Grandpa had always had a notebook with him. Lim Keat Fook (Grandpa) 1932 Penang Malaysia
1990
1995
G I M S
1989 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Chen Cherng Yu (Me)
Lim Lai Lai (Mum) how to read it: shapes, elements, forms
Singap
travels
2
notebook
daughter born
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
son death
CH AP TER 0 1
While I was never close with my grandpa, we had this unique connection that I never have with anyone else. Until now, I am still very fond of my memory with him, of all the time we spent together not having to worry about anything in the world, of him sleeping and watching television at the same time. GRANDPA AND I
VISUALIZING OUR LIVES
Therefore, looking at his notebook reminded me of my time with him when I was young - of care free, of having fun, of the importance of being with loved ones.
mber, 555
2000
Grandpa and I were very close when was a small kid, at least until I left Malaysia for secondary studies in ingapore.
pore
2002
2005
2010
2015
From the age of 13, I have moved around various countries for education. While this has been a difficult period for me, it is also during this time when I received grandpa’s notebook shortly after he passed away.
?
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Oxford United Kingdom
2009
2012
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 1
The delicate size of the notebook explains why it used to always reside in many pockets as a diary.
At only 36 pages, these notebooks were usually used up and replaced rather quickly.
The lined pages were used as a repository of the owner’s thoughts. doodles and scribbles.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
Most pages were filled lottery numbers my Gran bought almost everyday.
CH AP TER 0 1
Therefore, looking at his notebook reminded me of my time with him when I was young - of care free, of having fun, of the importance of being with loved ones.
Last page of it, though, has my Grandpa’s handritten names of every one of his grandchildren.
It is essentially due to the simple and unassuming design of this notebook that it means different things to different people. It turns out that the main element in this whole process is time. Time is capable of turning something ubiquitous into a personal object, of turning a notebook into a memory, of turning a tangible object into an intangible meaning.
with ndpa
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CH AP TER 0 1
To create a physical manifestation of the memory I shared with my grandpa, a portable seed pod is created from the notebook. This emphasizes the importance of patience when it comes to nature. SEED POD
Realising that the main element in the notebook is the memory we shared and not the notebook itself, it is then decided that there is no point in keeping together the physical form of the notebook.
Grandpa’s notebook will be physically deconstructed into a hollow spherical shell for the seed pod as the first step of moving on.
With dry soil and coffee bean seeds included within the paper shell, the seed pod will be carried with me whenever and wherever I move again.
FIRST STEP
HOLDING ON
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When the time is rig introduced inside the seed pod, seeds. LETTING GO
ght, water can be germinating the
CH AP TER 0 1
The design of seed pod also aims to help with the struggle between holding on and letting go. Making of the seed pod from my grandpa’s notebook is the first step of letting go. However, the portable size of the seed pod means that I am still able to carry it with me - holding on to the memory.
When the plant has grown substantially over some time, it will be moved and planted outside at a permanent location. MOVING ON
CELEBRATE!
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Once I am ready, the plants will grow and, eventually, they need to be planted in proper conditions. That means that I have to let go of it entirely and move on with my life. This plant, in turn, becomes a representation that grows with time and celebrates this unique relationship I have had with my grandpa.
CH AP TER 0 1
Materiality of the seed pod are carefully considered to fully represent the significance of my grandpa’s notebook. THE MAKING OF
The outer layer is made using grandpa’s notebook into a biodegradable hollow spherical paper marche pod.
As grandpa is never seen without a cup of black coffee with him, coffee beans are included as the seed of the plants.
Made of renewable material - coir and coconut husk, the soil block only swells when water is introduced. It represents the idea of stagnancy - frozen in time - to keep the memory in place when I am not ready to move on.
The seed pod is of an appropriate size within a palm’s grasp to be portable and easily carried along with wherever I go. It also acts as a memory or embodiment of the place, to encapsulate a secret.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CHAPTER 02
FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPE “Hiraeth - (n). A homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.” Ruba Salameh
CH AP TER 0 2
For nearly a century, the Jewish community in what is now Israel and Palestinian Arabs have battled over a 10,000 squared mile territory between the Mediterarranean Sea and the Jordan River. Both claim historic and religious ties to the land, so the conflict has become a geopolitical war with far-reaching implications. DRAMATIC AND POLITICALLY VOLATILE LANDSCAPE
Throughout the years of fighting, Israel’s share of the land has grown from about 3 percent in 1917 to 87 percent today. In the West Bank, where Israeli settlements continue to grow and military forces are deployed to systematically restrict freedom of movement for Palestinian people, the area is broken into dozens of small zones that do not necessarily feature full Palestinian autonomy.
LEBANON
LEBANON SYRIA
SYRIA
TEL AVIV
TEL AVIV
TEL AVIV JERUSALEM JERUSALEM (INTERNATIONAL ZONE) GAZA
GAZA
GAZA
TRANSJORDAN
EGYPT
JORDAN
EGYPT
EGYPT
ARAB STATE PALESTINE
1917
JEWISH STATE
Palestine before the creation of Israel
1947
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GAZA STRIP (OCCUPIED BY EGYPT)
Proposed borders under the U.N. Partition Plan
CH AP TER 0 2
LEBANON
LEBANON
LEBANON SYRIA
SYRIA
SYRIA
GOLAN HEIGHTS
GOLAN HEIGHTS
TEL AVIV
TEL AVIV
JERUSALEM (DIVIDED) WEST BANK (OCCUPIED BY JORDAN)
JERUSALEM
WEST BANK (OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL)
GAZA GAZA STRIP (OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL)
JORDAN
EGYPT
ISRAEL
1948
Formation of Israel
SINAI PENINSULA (RETURNED TO EGYPT IN 1982)
WEST BANK
GAZA STRIP
JORDAN
PALESTINE
GAZA
JORDAN
EGYPT
PALESTINE
PALESTINE
ISRAEL
ISRAEL
OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL
OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL
1967
After the Six-Day War
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
PRESENT
BARRIER AREA INACCESSIBLE TO PALESTINIANS/ SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES CHECKPOINT/AGRICULTURE GATES
“Occupied Palestinian Territories” (OPT) are descriptions often used to describe the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. After Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, Palestinians lived in the West Bank and Gaza. GEOPOLITICAL MAPPING
The threat inside Palestine comes from confiscation of land and economic difficulties that are driving a distance between villagers and the land as a means of production, and thus undermining the concrete foundations of Palestinian national identity. Culturally, the difficult situation at present also restricts the diversity and openness to the world that characterized Palestine throughout its long history.
SEA OF GALILEE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
NABLUS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA TULKARM
NABLUS
RAMALLAH WEST BANK JERICHO JERUSALEM BETHLEHEM
HEBRON
GAZA GAZA STRIP
ISRAEL
DEAD SEA
CH AP TER 0 2
Cars with Palestinian license plates are not allowed on Israeli roads, regardless of the identification held by the driver. Even on Palestinian roads, cars with Palestinian plates have restricted access, face endless delays at checkpoints and are subject to regular road blocks. Cars with Israeli plates experience none of these difficulties. SEGREGATED ROAD SYSTEM
ISRAELI LICENSE PLATE
A road system in which the color of one’s license plate determines his/her mobility further enhances the fragmentation of Palestinian’s landscape.
PALESTINIAN LICENSE PLATE
Accessible to Israelis
Not Accessible to Palestinians
Accessible to Israelis
Restricted to Palestinians
Accessible to Israelis (Except in Gaza)
Accessible to Palestinians
TYPOLOGIES OF SEGREGATION
ALL ROADS
Land expropriated by Israel on either side of major roads.
ROAD 557
Underpass roads between Palestinian enclaves, with access often restricted by gates.
ALL ROADS
Fully segregated roads running in parallel to one another.
ROAD 443
Road blocks/trenches prevent access to main roads and travel between Palestinian enclaves.
ROAD
ROAD 45
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Checkpoints along and adjacent to all restricted roads.
60 Israeli-only bridges and tunnels connecting Israeli settlements east of separation wall.
CHAPTER 03
THAT NEVER TOOK FLIGHT “I hope God gives me this gift, to go up in the sky like a bird, on Palestinian wings. Hey, we have Palestinian passports now. I can travel with my Palestinian passport on a Palestinian plane. This is Palestine!” Lying in ruins in the desert after years of neglect and war, the airport never really took off. Dana Mas’ad, Tulkarem
The Cairo Agreement which came after the Oslo Agreement in 1994, allowed the Palestinian Authority to build airports in the Palestinians Territories and to form an airline, so after the return of some Palestinians in 1994, Yasser Arafat issued a decision to establish an international airport in Palestine in the Gaza Strip. YASSER ARAFAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The construction, Suleiman claims, started even before the protocols and agreements with the Israeli side were final. In December 1998, Yasser Arafat, in the presence of Bill Clinton, opened Yasser Arafat International Airport. The airport was later destroyed in the Second Intifada in 2001 after the Israeli Occupation bombed main runway. After the destruction of the airport, Al-Arish airport in Egypt near the borders with Gaza was used as an alternative for the residents of Gaza, and continues to serve as an alternative till today.
CH AP TER 0 3
A pilot, president of the Civil Aviation Authority and former president of Yasser Arafat International Airport, Salman Abu Haleeb has photos and documents from the Yasser Arafat International Airport - photos of the inauguration, first plane to depart; pictures of Yasser Arafat inspecting the new Boeing plane, of Nelson Mandela landing in the airport (left) and more. SALMAN ABU HALEEB
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YASSER ARAFAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
AIRPORT IN OPERATION AIRPORT NOT IN OPERATION
CH AP TER 0 3
HISTORY OF YASSER ARAFAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
1991
1998
The beginning of the first Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
YASSER ARAFAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
END OF FIRST INTIFADA
2001
Th Palestinian uprising Israeli occupation also about a period of in Israeli-Palestinian viole SECOND INTIFADA
Palestinians celebrating at the opening of the Gaza International Airport on Nov 24th, 1998.
1990
1995 1993 An attempt to set up a framwork that would lead to the resolution of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. OSLO AGREEMENT
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1997
2000
Established on 1 January 1995 and started operations from June 1997. Flights included to Amman, Istanbul, Larnace, Cairp, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha. PALESTINIAN AIRLINES
2001 SHORT-LIVED SOURCE
The airport closed in 2 the radio station and tower were bombarded forces. Runway was to by bulldozers.
CH AP TER 0 3
2005
What stands out the most in this narrative when we looked into the history of Yasser Arafat International Airport is the fact that the 400-plus airport workers showed up for work daily for almost 4 years after it stopped functioning. THAT NEVER TOOK OFF
GROUNDED IN GAZA, BUT HOPING
400 Palestinians show up for work daily at nonfunctioning airport. TO FLY AGAIN
While the airport eventually fails to reopen, the level of optimism in these workers - or even the Palestinians as a whole - is remarkable and deserves to be celebrated. However, the quote ‘that never was’ is also equally fitting in the context of Palestine-Israel conflict. The airport that never was, the hope that never was, the dream to return home that never was, the peace that never was.
“We’re trying to keep things safe and ready for whenever the airport reopens.” Abu Ali
Therefore, it is decided that these opposing and ironic elements, a product of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are what we want to celebrate and to invite discussion.
2014
he second against o brought ntensified ence.
Once a major symbol of Palestinian national aspirations, Gaza’s short-lived airport remains in ruins today and never takes off. DASHED DREAMS
2010 OF HOPE
2001 after d control by Israeli orn apart
2015 2010 RIP APART With construction materials in short supply, people are digging up tarmace for stones. TARMAC
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CHAPTER 04
A DEVICE A 4-week project in collaboration with Palestine Museum, ‘Never Part’ is an inaugural event where artists and architects from different parts of the world come together to explore the notion of ‘displacement and identity’. Using objects/possessions of people, narratives of the individual and the collective, the project seeks to question and open up geographical boundaries. Working in groups and working closely with Palestine Museum, we are to design and make devices inspired from the real ‘objects and narratives’ that would be of a diaspora community. These devices are to document and share the narratives.
GROUP PROJECT QATRUN NADHRAH BINTI SAMAT YAHYA, TIMOTHY HO YEUNG LEUNG & CHERNG YU CHEN
CH AP TER 0 4
What we take from this part of Palestinian’s history and its stories would be the quote “that never was” and how fitting it is about the Palestinians in the context of Palestine-Israel conflict. The airport that never was, the hope that never was, the dream to return home that never was, the peace that never was. CONCEPTUAL MODEL
In this project, instead of representing a specific memory of an individual, we decide that the device should be designed to capture the collective spirits as well as the constantly opposing elements in the everyday lives of the Palestinians. A literal take on the airport and what it means to the pilot as well as the Palestinians in general, the conceptual model aims to narrate the story through the play of materiality and and the use of everyday’s objects to provoke and invite discussion.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 4
To represent the constant tension between hopes and disappointments, the distance between aspiration and realities that the Palestinians so often experience, the very initial proposal comes in the form of a concrete plane. CONCRETE PLANE
A model plane with the materiality of concrete aims to intentionally toy with the notion that planes are and need to be made of strong but lightweight materials. Its impracticality and absurdity serve to ridicule the existing situation in Palestine.
1st Attempt
To reproduce a concrete plane model, a two-part silicone mold is made due to its complexity in form.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
2nd Attempt
CH AP TER 0 4
During the process of conceptual exploration, it is discussed that a paper plane in concrete form would have simpler geometries but with similar, if not stronger, message. PAPER PLANE
In fact, paper planes may even better embody the concept due to its usual representation of the meaning of youth, whimsical ideas and freedom. Paper plane also represents frivolous pursuits, which reflect the unwavering spirit of Palestinians in refusing to give up despite the negative circumstances.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 4
The ways in which paper plane is folded are studied to derive the form for the concrete paper plane that best represents it visually.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 4
These fragile objects, as is the hope of the unfortunate people of Palestine, do not soar - it takes off, but for only a short moment before it eventually crashes back to the ground and breaks into pieces. CONCRETE PAPER PLANE
These broken pieces are the debrises - an aftermath of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the rubble found in abundance along the damaged runway that prevented the airport from fully functioning again.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 4
1st Attempt
2nd Attempt
3rd Attempt
As the concrete paper plane consists of only 4 planes with no intricate details, its thickness and size can be adjusted easily to suit our design intention.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CHAPTER 05
CURATING A SPACE “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Alan Kay
CH AP TER 0 5
To invite public participation and interaction with the device - concrete paper plane, a suspended glass box within which the participants are encouraged to launch the concrete paper planes from a platform is proposed. GLASS BOX
The suspended glass box in which the installation will take place aims to represent the invisible boundary surrounding the Palestinians’ daily lives - the restriction on movements, freedom, rights, etc. The concrete paper planes can only travel as far as the size of the glass box allows - a way to represent the hopes of the Palestinians that are constantly limited by the invisible boundary.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
View from the bottom of the suspended glass box with the debris of broken concrete paper planes.
The scale of the proposed space needs to be dramatic to highlight the magnitude of the conflict and its effects on Palestinians.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
With the previous proposal deemed infeasible in terms of project size and cost, further exploration is carried out. The main focus lies on how the device itself can be used or displayed to communicate the group’s intention. SUSPENDED MOTION
Upon multiple experimentations, the group decided to work on the potential of the concrete paper plane suspended in motion. It is felt as if theses planes are somewhere between movement and stillness, and thus in possession of a certain energy.
The contrast between the use of material and its choice of display - suspension of a heavy object - fully displays the sense of fragility and a lack of solidity in the concrete paper plane - not unlike the lives and hopes of fellow Palestinians in the current geopolitical context.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
In curating a space to display these concrete paper planes, the use of suspension to create something akin to freeze frames can be magnified through putting thousands of them together within a space. THE POWER OF MULTIPLY
With the suspended concrete paper planes appear to fly in static formations, it aims to highlight the evidence of gravity - or the lack of it - that is inherent in these scenarios. Also, it will contrast dramatically with the visitors, who will be constantly in motion.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
The approach in the form of a linear experience aims to engage participants across the timeline of Palestinian history where they move through the past to the present and, eventually, the future. A LINEAR JOURNEY
Fluid, projectile paths of thousands of suspended concrete paper planes are introduced in the space to simulate the action in which they push on relentlessly through the space.
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The visitors will enter from one end and exit from another where they will be exposed to a change of experience in the form of senses when they travel across the space.
CH AP TER 0 5
Exploring the idea of invisible boundary, it is proposed that while some of the concrete paper planes, upon hitting the invisible wall, fall and break apart, the rest push through and emerge as white paper planes. It is hoped to celebrate the unwavering optimism in the people of Palestine, in which they remain hopeful despite the adverse conditions and constant disappointments they face repeatedly.
Unlike concrete paper planes, the white paper planes are only suspended from above. This, in turn, allows for the introduction of motion among them depending on the air movement, creating a contrast to the other side of the invisible wall. To enhance the linear journey and to make the contrast more dramatic, the difference in experience when moving from one ‘space’ to another is carried out through the use of lighting or lackthereof.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
The way in which daylighting can be introduced in the intended space is studied to enhance the contrast between different parts of the journey experienced by the participants. DAYLIGHTING
While the dark section aims to induce a more introverted and intimate experience, the second half of the journey, through the introduction of bold daylight, needs to be more connected to and raise the awareness of the participants of the sky.
View at entrance with the simulation of daylighting at the final model.
A deep light shaft is, therefore, proposed to bring down daylight, whenever possible, within the intended space without spilling over to the ‘dark’ space.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
To enhance participants’ engagement in the installation, torchlights are handed out to visitors prior to entering the installation space to navigate their ways through the dark space. SHADOWS
When multiple torchlights are turn on simultaneously, the multiple layers of shadows casted at the side walls will further amplify the experience intended for the participants when they move through thousands of suspended concrete paper planes.
Photos taken from interior of final model showing the intended effects acheived through introducing the use of torchlights.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 5
Disorientation when moving across the installation space is also enhanced in the form of sound. Repetitive recordings of Palestinians of differing lengths are played over omnispeaker positioned at different spots of the installation at differing heights. THE LOST VOICES
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CHAPTER 06
THE PROPOSITION “Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.� George Bernard Shaw
Image sequences exported from collaged video (attached) showcasing intended experiential journey through installation space for devices. SEQUENCES OF EXPERIENCE
CH AP TER 0 6
As conditions of installation space have yet to be known, two sets of design drawings have been prepared: one for an outdoor standalone structure while another for within an existing space/structure. INSTALLATION SPACES
Both drawings function as template of the installation design instead of the conventional final design. In any case in which the space layout and conditions defer from drawings, the information can be modified easily to suit the existing built environment.
Drawings of reflected ceiling plan (above) and floor plan (below) for installation in an outdoor standalone structure.
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CH AP TER 0 6
Sectional drawings of installation in an outdoor standalone structure.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 6
Drawings of reflected ceiling plan (above) and floor plan (below) for installation within existing structure.
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CH AP TER 0 6
Sectional drawings of installation within existing structure.
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CH AP TER 0 6
The possibility of having the concrete paper plane casted outside and delivered into Palestine is not an option. The alternative is, therefore, to provide a cast in which the concrete paper plane model can be created. SELF-ASSEMBLED CAST
The original idea was to make a two-part solid cast, possibly similar to the one we tried with concrete plane. Through practical considerations, we propose an interlocked system where slotted assemblies are created to go together without the need for adhesive.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 6
It is proposed that the drawings (left) will be sent over to relevant personnels over at Palestinian Museum which will laser cut them over corrugated cardboard. These pieces will then be assembled to form the 3d 2-part cast.
Such approach allows multiple casts to be made at the same time to maximise outputs of the concrete paper planes. The choice of corrugated cardboards is also appropriate as they are easily available and of low cost.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
This coincides with the group’s intention of involving the public in setting up the installation. The designed system of creating the cast is easily understood, therefore no technical expertise will be required.
CH AP TER 0 6
Due to the nature of installation, the design information, in particular the positions of each plane in x, y and z, cannot be communicated through traditional architectural dtawings of just plans, section and elevations. DESIGN COMMUNICATION
A system to carry out the installation over by Palestine Museum will, therefore, need to be set up. This will be developed together with the way in which information of design is relayed to ensure a high level of precision.
The main consideration when coming up with the system to relay confirmation is that it needs to be flexible and adaptable to spaces of different sizes.
Installation of devices will be carried out in a series of panels and information of each panel will be provided independently to prevent unnecessary confusion due to the design’s complexity.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 6
The way in which installation at Slow Food Nation by Lift Architects are carried out has been studied and translated to a system that suits our design. CASE STUDY
For each panel, information will be provided in the form of a table with data relating each device to their respective lengths from and coordinates within its panel.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 6
To facilitate the ease of installation with the assistance from public, an assembly instruction booklet is prepared to provide guidance step-by-step on how to put together the installations. ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Precedent studies such as Ikea’s instruction booklet were looked into to ensure that the information and its graphics are easily understood by layperson.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CHAPTER 07
A JOURNEY TO THE LAND “He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” J. R. R. Tolkien
STUDY TRIP DESTINATIONS ISRAELI WEST BANK SEPARATION WALL
CH AP TER 07
In November 2015, both tutors and students of DS04 embarked on a study trip to Palestine. Many of the destinations we visited are directly or indirectly affected by the Israeli West Bank separation barrier.
JOURNEY TO THE FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPE
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 07
The easiest way to enter Palestine is through flight into Israel’s airport, which also means to enter Israel territory. This, unfortunately, becomes an issue for Malaysian. CONFLICT OF RELATIONSHIPS
Being a Malaysian, a visa application is required with application processed and approved before landing in Israel. This is because Malaysia is one of the active members of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and does not recognise Israel as a country.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 07
Being a Malaysian passport holder, security check at Bel Gurion’s Airport took up more than 180 minutes before the flight back to London. Plenty of questions were asked at the immigration with extensive body and luggage check.
Undeterred by the diplomatic inconvenience, multiple trips were made to Israeli’s embassy in London for visa application as various documents were requested and thus prepared at various points of the application process. While visa was issued only one day before the flight, the 10-day trip was unfortunately cut short due to visa’s validity of only 7 days.
A barcode was also stucked on each of our passports and luggages. It was said that the first digit of the barcode denotes the “threat” level which we are perceived as, with 1 being harmless and 6 at the other end of the spectrum.
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01
02
03
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Israeli settlement as viewed from the ruins at Beit Iksa. 02 Israeli settlement at the background near Jericho on the way to 01
Dead Sea. 03 Walking through narrow walkways of checkpoint from Jerusalem to Bethehelm. 04 Israeli West Bank separation barrier at the trapped village of Saffa. 05 Driving along Israeli West Bank separation barrier opposite Al-Quds University.
05
04
06
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07
09
10
07, 08 08
Informal yellow taxi network spotted everywhere across Palestinian landscape. 09 A bread shop
in Ramallah selling ‘kmaaj’ or pita bread - a Palestinian staple. 10 Enjoying traditional Palestinian food in Ramallah. 11, 12, 13 Al-Bireh central vegetable and fresh produce market in Ramallah.
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CH AP TER 0 1
11
12
13
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CHAPTER 08
THE FOOD CHAPTER “Food offers a tangible and concrete window into the illusive concept of national identity. It is useful particularly because it is not a pure category, but rather, it is implicated in and influenced by historical changes, political and ideological shifts, and economic considerations.� E. J. Hobsbaum
CH AP TER 0 8
And on our eyelashes the grass of Galilee, This land absorbs the skins of martyrs, This land promises wheat and stars. Agriculture has a strong significance for Palestinian identity due to its affiliation to land, cultural heritage and social life. For Palestinians, agriculture is more than a source of income or an economic category in budgets and plans. It is tied to the people’s history, identity, and self-expression. AGRICULTURE IN PALESTINE
The value of the land underlies much Palestinian poetry and literature, including the work of Tawfiq Zayyad, Mahmoud Darwish (above) and Ghassan Kanafani. Unfortunately, the threat inside Palestine comes from confiscation of land and economic difficulties that are driving a distance between villagers and the land as a means of production, and thus undermining the concrete foundations of Palestinian national identity.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 0 8
FOOD INSECURITY
Food insecurity in the
occupied Palestinian territory is driven primarily by poverty linked to the occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip, not the lack of food, which makes sufficient, nutritious food out of reach for many.
Land confiscation and restrictions by Israeli authorities over water resources and market exports have left 33 percent of households, or 1.6 million Palestinians, unable to meet their basic food and households expenses, rendering them “food insecure�.
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INCIDENCE OF FOOD INSECURITY
> 0.10 0.10 - 0.14 0.15 - 0.19 JENIN
0.20 - 0.28 < 0.28 Principal Towns TULKARM
TUBAS QALQILIYA
SALFIT
RAMALLAH JERICHO
JERUSALEM
HEBRO
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The production processes and concerns of food in Palestine are studied to identify the existing issues in the Palestinian context that cause food insecurity. FOOD PRODUCTION
CO-OPERATIVE
FARMER
TRANSPORTER
PREPARATION: INPUTS
PRODUCTION: GROWING/PRODUCING
SEEDS FERTILISERS MACHINERY IRRIGATION ENERGY
SORTER GRADER PACKAGER LOGISTICS ENERGY MATERIALS
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MAN
PROCESSING/ MANUFACTURING
FOOD MANUFACTUR FOOD PREPARERS ADDITIVE
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UFACTURER
G
RERS S
TRANSPORTER
WHOLESALER
DISTRIBUTION: DISTRIBUTING/ AGGREGATION
CONSUMER
MARKETING/ SELLING
PACKAGERS BRANDING ENERGY INPUT LOGISTICS
FARMER MARKET GROCERIES FOOD STORES
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The production processes and concerns of food in Palestine are studied to identify the existing issues in the Palestinian context that cause food insecurity. FOOD PRODUCTION
PREPARATION: INPUTS
PRODUCTION: GROWING/PRODUCING
PROCESSING/ MANUFACTURING
DISTR DISTRIBUTIN
PRODUCTION OF C LESS COMPETITIVE
INCREASE IN SOIL SALINITY & ACCELERATE SOIL DEGRADATION
ACCESS TO FARM LANDS RESTRICTED/FLOW OF LABOR AFFECTED
PHYSICAL ACCESS RESTRICTION ON MOVEMENTS: BARRIERS/CHECKPOINTS/ AGRICULTURAL GATES
IMPORT OF REQUIRED QUALITY HERBICIDES/PESTICIDES RESTRICTED AND UNAFFORDABLE
FLOW OF GOOD AND COMMERCE AFFECTED: UNPREDICTABLE TRANSPORTATION TIME CAUSING PRODUCE TO ROT
ECONOMIC ACCESS DECREASE IN PURCHASING POWER
ACCESS TO WATER RESOURCES LIMITED
LACK OF BASIC FACILITIES FOR FOOD-PROCESSING
BASIC ACCESS
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RIBUTION: NG/AGGREGATION
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MARKETING: SELLING
CROPS THAT ARE IN MARKET
LOWER DEMAND OF LOCAL PRODUCE AND CHEAPER ISRAELI PRODUCE OF LOWER QUALITY TO BE PREFERRED
HIGHER COST OF PRODUCTION
HIGHER MARKET PRICE OF LOCAL PRODUCE BEYOND AFFORDABILITY
E PRODUCTION DECISIONS SHIFTED TOWARDS ISRAEL MARKET DEMAND INSTEAD OF LOCAL FOOD SECURITY
FOOD AVAILABILITY ACCESS TO FOOD
FOOD INSECURITY
OVERPRODUCTION/ UNDERPRODUCTION
INCOME UNPREDICTABLE AND UNDEPENDABLE: LOWER PURCHASING POWER
FOOD DIVERSITY NUTRITIONAL VALUES
SHIFT TOWARD PRODUCTION OF CROPS WITH LONGER SHELF LIFE FOR BETTER FINANCIAL SECURITY
Restrictions on physical access, economic access and basic access as a result of the existing Palestine-Israel conflict have various effects on the food production chain. Together, their effects on the production of food are prominent and, therefore, need to be addressed in the intervention. CONCERNS
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CHAPTER 09
GUERILLA FARMING “The point of what we’re doing is to encourage people to grow the seeds that our grandparents and ancestors used to plant. By planting imported seeds we risk losing our Palestinian farming culture.” Dana Mas’ad, Tulkarem
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The introduction of “resistance economy” is a growing concept among political economists and policy makers engaged with the state of affairs in Palestine. This alternative economic model aims at achieving self-reliance, self-sufficiency and defeat the Palestinian economy’s state of dependency over the Israeli occupation. FARMING WITHOUT LAND
It is crucial to understand that small scale, self-sustained agriculture practices by local Palestinian farmers is an important type of resistance economy. Farming is in fact a quintessentially Palestinian source of livelihood. Taken to scale, this would gradually reduce and eventually end this dependence on food aid. It could also serve to reconnect millions of encamped Palestinians to land-based livelihoods. Food production in Palestine means so much to its people because they see farming not only as a source of income but a great part of who they are. Therefore, the question to be tackled here is: how to farm when land is not a constant? This project, therefore, seeks to challenge the conventional system and practice of agriculture and ridicule the volatile and fragile landscape of Palestine.
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The proposal at the regional scale calls for a new system of food production through mobile farming that takes place across the fragmented Palestinian landscape enhanced by the existing transportation network and existing migratory bird paths. REGIONAL NETWORK STRATEGY
Honey Production: An old tradition of Palestine
Utilising the high amount of migratory birds that passes through Palestine annually for pollination and spreading of seeds across Palestinian landscape, which usually is not possible at ground.
Mobile Vegetable Farm
Pollination + Spreading of Seeds Spread across Palestinian landscapes
Mobile Bee-Farm 'As a shepherd takes his herd from a field to another, a beekeper moves his hives following the flowers with the best nectar'. Mobile / Guerilla Farming To be flexible and agile in response to constantly shifting and disappearing landscape.
Mobile Architecture
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CHAPTER 10
THE LOST VILLAGES “Erase memory and you wash away the blood from the perpetrator’s hands, you undo the done deed, make it disappear from history. Erase memories of atrocities and you tempt future perpetrators with immunity.” Miraslov Volf
The 1948 Palestinian exodus, which saw more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, took place during the 1948 Palestine-Israel war. More than 400 Palestinian villages were abandoned, evacuated and/or destroyed during this dark period. THE NAKBA
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The conflict results in absorption of the remains of over 400 Palestinian villages scattered across historic Palestine into the Israeli geographical landscape. For most of those who have been abandoned or demolished, the area they used to stand remain vacant. CONFISCATED LANDSCAPE
A series of laws were later passed by the first Israeli government to prevent the refugees from returning to their homes, or claiming their property, namely Prevent of Infiltration Law, Land and Property Laws and, most notably, Absenteesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Property Laws. These villages remain a cloudy reality passed down through the generations in stories and memories.
Palestine/Israel map with lost villages highlighted.
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Many of the depopulated villages share similar physical characteristics and built forms - the terraced landscape of these villages sometimes make it impossible to decipher the street and rooftop levels, as it is possible to climb almost seamlessly from ground to rooftop without knowing it. COMMON LANDSCAPE
These affected Palestinian landscapes had become vulnerable under the impact of socio-cultural and geo-political transformations, which could bring irreversible damage to its authenticity and integrity over time.
Al Nabi Yushaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Safad
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For most of the traditional Palestinian houses in the depopulated villages, the main building materials used are stone and unbaked brick. They are now in various states of decay with a small number of them being almost entirely unhabitable. TIME ISOLATED
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Besides the practicality of the design of fellah dwelling in suiting to the climate of the country, there is a sense of “rootedness” and “unmediated connectedness” which characterized Palestinian Arab vernacular architecture.
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Along with the initial proposed regional network strategy, we believe that similar interventions can also be expanded to take place across these abandoned villages, stitching the fragmented landscapes together, reclaiming the lost lands and assisting in food production process at the same time. FARMING FOR FREEDOM
Palestine/Israel map with lost villages highlighted.
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It is hoped that this initiative will be turned into a sustainable economy, while simultaneously developing local community, culture, and identity, expanding it to the rest of Palestine, not just to the West Bank. Therefore, this project aims to also focus on the increasing importance of preservation both as a tool of developing the space and as a vehicle of cultural-social-political change. It is hoped that this can be a means for managing the transformation of development and urban renewal, within a complex economical-social-political reality.
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Near the highway leading out of Jerusalem towards Tel Aviv in the valley below lay the ruins of the ancient Palestinian village of Lifta. The population was driven out during the Arab-Jewish hostilities of 1947/48 and the efforts to relieve the Siege of Jerusalem (1948). THE LOST VILLAGE
The village, which is mainly intact, is located on a hillside between the western entrance to Jerusalem and the Romema neighbourhood. In 2012, plans to rebuild the village as an upscale neighborhood were rejected by the Jerusalem District Court.
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Liftaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s climate is said to be ideal, with its relatively high altitude ensuring a hot summer Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. January is the coldest month of the year. A day in most part of Palestine has, on average, 9.3 hours of sunshine. The summer months are usually rainless with rain occuring almost entirely between October and May. CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS: CLIMATE
EXISTING RUINS
TEL AVIV-JERUSALEM HIGHWAY
CONTOUR
N
W
JERUSALEM BUILT-UP AREA
E
S SUNPATH DIAGRAM
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For many Palestinians, Lifta is a symbol of the Nakba, literally the "catastrophe", of 1948 in which 700,000 people were dispossessed. It embodies their longing for their land, and their bitterness at their continued refugee status. It is, wrote Palestinian author Ghada Karmi in a letter to the Los Angeles Times, "a physical memory of injustice and survival". EYEWITNESS OF HISTORY
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CHAPTER 11
RESILIENCE NETWORK “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” Jamais Cascio
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Yellow Fords have flooded the Palestinian landscape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; found at the edge of main roads and even in the middle of nowhere, waiting to pick up anyone who have not managed to cross the Israeli checkpoints. EXISTING MOBILE NETWORK
Operating in-between the West Bank and Israeli cities has given these Ford van drivers a newfound source of power and authority; they have transformed themselves fairly quickly into an active information network.
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A true example of a resilience system, this existing informal transportation network taking place among the fragmented landscape should be taken advantage of and be integrated as a key player in the intervention.
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It is believed that two extreme options facing the village - a massive development or non-intervention in the country - will cause the demise of its current form. Through guerilla farming at Lifta, it is hoped that in order to salvage the village from destruction and decay and the pressures of real estate, a temporary intervention needs to be made in place. CONCEPTUAL SECTION
This project examines options in the form of minimal and unobtrusive design that preserves the tradition and the past of the village, as well as the diverse social fabric, different uses and public nature incurred over the last sixty years in the abandoned village. The proposed solution through intervention at the villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architecture does not change the land line, allowing a touch of Lifta site while leaving it in full conservation for generations to come. It also allows Palestinians to reclaim a vital part of their Palestinian identity.
The mobile farms parasiting on existing structures as structural support with scaffolding system for easy assembling and disassembling, preventing physical damage and alterations to them.
Platforms for birds for the purpose of disseminating and collection of seeds.
Existing structures to be adapted for shelter and/or production/post-processing space and/or storeroom/ seed bank, with some of the functions headed by women.
Bee farms can also be introduced to complete the self-sustainable ecosystem.
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Intervention at Empty Site of Lost Villages
Intervention at Trapped Villages Exploration of the relationship between system of intervention and proposed regional network strategy and how one complements another. It hopes to connect farmers to consumers in a two way relationship where both sides benefit, which is the idea behind co-production. STITCHING THE LANDSCAPES
The Palestinian farmers, instead of being marginalized in favor of Israeli products, sell their fruits, vegetables, and dairy to consumers who in turn become actively interested in how the food they are eating is produced, which leads them to support the farmers.
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Intervention at Depopulated Villagesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ruins
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CHAPTER 12
MATRIX SYSTEM “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” John Donne, No Man Is An Island - Meditation XVII
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Instead of a singular building, the intervention takes place across a series of spaces. The various combinations of structures, materials and functions into multiple typologies taking place across the landscape of Lifta will be explored to ensure resilience of the system. COLLAGE OF SPACES
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Exploring the potential of proposed intervention evolving at one space over a period of time, there needs to be flexibility in the configuration of spaces and structures. This allows the same approach to be applied onto different buildings in the same village but with very different outcomes to adapt to individual need, contributing to its possibility in expanding/developing/creating a kind of organisation/network across the Palestinian landscape. THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING
ABANDONING
BUILDING
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SELF-GROWING
MATERIAL
EXPANSION
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SHELTER
SEED BANK
MOVING
HARVEST
GREENHOUSE
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ABANDONING
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To exhibit and experiment on the potential of such configuration, various possible functions that are crucial not only in agricultural cultivation but also in cultivation of memory and hope are proposed. These functions will be interdependent of each other and can be combined and arranged to suit its context and the needs at the moment, thus creating an endless possibility of typologies. ONE OF ITS KIND
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The program will be decided according to the life cycle of the Palestinian food produce: growing, harvesting, storing and composting, which restarts the cycle. PROGRAMMES
All participants help to complete each stage, allowing the structure to become a platform for group learning and gathering activities throughout the year. Community participation extends and completes the life cycle of local foods, which is a symbiotic relationship.
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CHAPTER 13
RE-IMAGINED REALITIES “A learning experience is one of those things that says, ‘You know that thing you just did? Don’t do that.” Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt
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Together, the concept of multiple typologies and the proposed structural approach of intervention will allow creation of various zones with different programmatic possibilities. EXPLORATION OF INTERVENTION
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EXPLORATION OF INTERVENTION
Spaces and Activities
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EXPLORATION OF INTERVENTION
Spatial Response and Configuration
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CHAPTER 14
MASTER PLAN “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forwards. They may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
TRANSPORT
Week 17 YELLOW VANS NETWORK
HARVEST
Week 20
MODULAR GARDEN #51 PLANTING
Week 4
HARVEST
Week 14 PLANTLING
Week 4
MODULAR GARDEN #65
VERTICAL FARM #34
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HARVEST
Week 8
YELLOW VANS NETWORK
PLANTING
Week 2 PLANTING TRANSPORT
Week 2
Week 12
VERTICAL FARM #08
SEED GERMINATION
MODULAR GARDEN #91
GERMINATION ROOM #15
To better illustrate the proposed system of food production and its intervention across the lost villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built environment and landscape, three key examples of the many typologies are imagined here in the scenario at Lifta. THE INTERDEPENDENT SYSTEM
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Each of them has different approach in intervention according to both existing conditions of the different remnants and different spatial representations. They carry distinct and different functions that supplement and complement one another.
TYPOLOGY #1: THE MODULAR GARDEN
Low and Wide Modular Soil-based Farms; Seed Library; Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting PLANT TYPES Wheat; Rice; Barley
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUINS POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS
TYPOLOGY #2: THE VERTICAL FARM
Tall and Narrow Modular Soil-Based Farms; Viewing Platform, Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting PLANT TYPES Tomato; Cabbage; Spinach; Strawberry; Citrus
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUINS POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS
INFORMAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK: THE YELLOW VANS
Fords Operating in between West Bank and Israeli cities
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS
TYPOLOGY #3: THE GERMINATION ROOM PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUINS
Almost Non-existent Seed Germination Room; Plantling Collection Area; Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting PLANT TYPES Plantlings
POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS
CHAPTER 15
MOMENTS “Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.” Sarah Ban Breathnach
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To create appropriate architecture as a platform for the intended activities to take place, it is essential to zoom in on the three typologies and their individual designs. A sensitive and careful approach is necessary in response to the existing built environment while encouraging the potential of the intended cultivations. GOD IS IN THE DETAILS
TYPOLOGY #1 THE MODULAR GARDEN
Physical Characteristics of Ruins: Low and Wide Possible Functions: Modular Soil-based Farms; Seed Library; Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
CEREAL
Wheat
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Rice
Barley
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TYPOLOGY #2: THE VERTICAL FARM
TYPOLOGY #3: THE GERMINATION ROOM
Physical Characteristics of Ruins: Tall and Narrow Possible Functions: Modular Soil-Based Farms; Viewing Platform, Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
Physical Characteristics of Ruins: Almost Non-existent Possible Functions: Seed Germination Room, Plantling Collection Area, Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
VEGETABLE AND FRUITS
Tomato
Cabbage
PLANTLINGS
Spinach
Strawberry
Citrus
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TYPOLOGY #1: THE MODULAR GARDEN
Physical Characteristics of Ruins: Low and Wide Possible Functions: Modular Farms; Seed Library; Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
CEREAL
Wheat
Rice
Barley
The modular farm and viewing platform are placed above to suit the planting requirement for cereal plants. At the same time, it helps with concealing and creating microclimate essential for seed library and other functions placed below.
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UPPER PLAN
1:300
SECTION A-A
1:150
N
LOWER PLAN
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A
03
01
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A
LOWER PLAN 01 02 03 04
1:100
Seed Library Workshop Dwelling Units Bathhouse
N
A
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01
A
UPPER PLAN 01 02
1:100
Viewing Platform Modular Farms
N
02
04
01
03
SECTION A-A 01 02 02 02
1:75
Viewing Platform Modular Farms Seed Bank Workshop
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TYPOLOGY #2: THE VERTICAL FARM
Physical Characteristics of Ruins: Tall and Narrow Possible Functions: Modular Farms; Viewing Platform, Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
VEGETABLE AND FRUITS
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Tomato
Cabbage
Strawberry
Citrus
Spinach
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Designed for produce with shorter heights and root depth, the vertical and stacked spatial arrangement of this typology also challenges visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience as they walk along the existing walls of the ruins.
UPPER PLAN
1:300
SECTION A-A
1:300
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A
04
03
01
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05
A
UPPER PLAN 01 02 03 04 05
1:100
Working Bench Viewing Corridor Hanging Planter Boxes Workshop Temporary Catwalk
N
02 01
04
05
01
02
03
06
SECTION A-A 01 02 03 04 05 06
1:100
Working Bench Viewing Corridor Hanging Planter Boxes Workshop Catwalk Dwelling Unit
05
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TYPOLOGY #3: THE GERMINATION ROOM
Physical Characteristics of Ruins: Near Non-existent Possible Functions: Seed Germination Room, Plantling Collection Area, Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
PLANTLINGS
Housing greenhouses mainly for germination of seeds and plantings before they are moved to outdoor, the typology also allows visitors to either contribute genuine Palestinian seeds or take away plantlings for propagation and cultivation at where they come from.
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UPPER PLAN
1:300
SECTION A-A
1:150
N
LOWER PLAN
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N
A
03
01
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A
LOWER PLAN 01 02 03 04
1:100
Entrance Greenhouse Dwelling Unit Workshop
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UPPER PLAN 01 02 03
1:100
Entrance Elevated Platform Plantling Tables
N
01
03
02
04
05
SECTION A-A 01 02 03 04 05
1:75
Planting Tables Elevated Platform Greenhouse Dwelling Unit Courtyard
THE GERMINATION ROOM
Seed Germination Room, Plantling Collection Area, Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
THE VERTI
Modular Soil-Based Farms (Fr Platform, Temporary Dwelling
ICAL FARM
ruits and Vegetable); Viewing Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
THE MODULAR GARDEN
Modular Soil-based Farms (Cereal); Seed Library; Temporary Dwelling Unit; Workshop; Tree Planting
CHAPTER 16
SPATIAL LANGUAGE “Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” Frank Lloyd Wright
Being the ‘last village’, physical interventions at the existing ruins of Lifta are to be executed in a sensitive and delicate approach. Minimal but necessary alterations are carried out on the existing buildings to ensure sound structural integrity and maximise the functional efficiency of interventions. A LIGHT TOUCH
This, therefore, asks for a unique design strategy that will fulfill the intentions of cultivations for Palestine’s future and preservation of its past.
The intervention at Lifta, in response to the concept of evovling and changing functions, begins with the introduction of a structural frame over existing ruins. This leaves enough freedom for its users to curate spaces based on their neccessity which may change or evolve over time while serving as a contrast to whatever is left of the existing house. FRAME STRUCTURE
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Serving as a contrast to both physicality and materiality of the thick stone walls of existing ruins, the intervention takes form in timber frames as primary structure. The structural approach also allows the possibility of changes in functions through reconfiguration of spaces with the introduction of scaffolding system as secondary structure. FRAMES AND VOIDS
Having these modular systems in a regular grid grants the intervention a great amount of freedom to react to changing needs and priorities.
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Part of this project will require scaffolding, but in this case the scaffolding will become part of the aesthetic. Prefabricated tube framing will be attached to the exterior and will rise with the building, allowing for components to be added to the building over time. This is especially crucial due to the volatile landscape of Palestine in its current situation. SPATIAL RESPONSE AND CONFIGURATION
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02
03
04
05
DETAIL: TIMBER STRUCTURE TO CONCRETE FOUNDATION SCALE 1:5 01 02 03 04 05 06
Quadrupled Timber Columns of 75x75mm Galvanised Steel Pins Fixing Galvanised Steel Bolt Fixing Raised Steel Knife Plate Steel Post Base Concrete Footing
06
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CHAPTER 17
WORKING DETAILS “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs
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In response to the volatile landscape, a mobile farming system is introduced to complement the intervention at lost villages for easy installation and removal, as shown in the sketch (right). PORTABLE MODULAR FARM
The modular planter boxes come in different lengths and depths to suit the need of different plants, while their lengths remain constant to be fit onto the scaffolding rail.
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DETAIL: MODULAR FARM SYSTEM SCALE 1:10 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Modular Timber Planter Box 20mm Flexible Irrigation Tube 50mm Organic Compost Naturally Woven Erosion Control Fabric Soil Smart Pot: Fabric Gardening Container Perforated Plywood Base for Drainage 30mm thick Steel Hook to support Planter Box on Bearer/Ledger Tube and Coupler Scaffolding System Reclaimed Timber Planks for Access Adjustable Screw Jack on Base Plate Bolted to Primary Timber Structure Quadrupled Timber Columns as Primary Structure 10mm Transparent Corrugated Polycarbonate Sheet
01 02 04
05 08 06 07 10
09 11
12 13
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Only planted in autumn, wheat plants are still young and small during winter. Its height, together with the staggering of modular planter boxes, allows for maximum daylight and solar penetration into the spaces below the farm.
During summer, the wheat will have grown substantially as it is near harvest season. The plants and soil in planter boxes will absorb the heat during the day while diffusing natural daylight into the spaces below. The semi-open nature of the spaces below also allow for a high level of ventilation throughout the day.
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B
A
Serving as a gene bank to protect the biodiversity of Palestinian agricultural products, a series of seed banks are included within the intervention to encourage frequent reuse and sharing of genuine Palestinian seeds. The purpose is to disseminate them to the public which preserves the shared plant varieties through propagation and further sharing of seed. SEED LIBRARY
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SUMMER STRATEGY
WINTER STRATEGY
To ensure safe long-term viability, the seeds should be stored under the best possible conditions with an active collection area for storage of seeds that are frequently requested by breeders or other users. THE RIGHT CONDITION
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Together with the configurable roof farm and continuous insulation around the seed library, this will allow for a cool, dry environment, if possible, to improve the efficiency of controlling the environment.
02
03
OUTSIDE
INSIDE
02
01
11
12
05 DETAIL A SEED LIBRARY SCALE 1:10 01 02
Existing Floor 100mm Rammed Earth Wall 40X40mm Post And Beam Framing Strawbale Infill To Flush To Front Of Framing Breathable Lime Or Earth Render 03 Structural Timber Frame for Window 04 Drywall 90mm Mineral Wool Batts 50mm Mineral Wool Board Concrete Wall 100mm Expanded Polystyrene 05 Fibre Cement Panel Stucco 06 Damp Proofing Membrane 07 Drainage Mat 08 Capillary Break Over Footing 09 Concrete Footing 10 100mm Concrete Slab 100mm Expanded Polystyrene Vapour Barrier Crushed Stones 11 Crushed Gravel Of Existing Debris 12 100mm Perforated Drain Pipe
04
10 06
07 08
09
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DETAIL B SEED LIBRARY SCALE 1:10 01
20mm Plywood Sheet Waterproof Membrane Timber Joists at Regular Interval Strawbale Infill Insulation Vapour Barrier Plywood Sheet 02 100mm Rammed Earth Wall 40X40mm Post And Beam Framing Strawbale Infill To Flush To Front Of Framing Breathable Lime Or Earth Render 03 Adjustable Screw Jack on Base Plate Bolted to Primary Steel Structure 04 Ladder Beam with Tube and Coupler Scaffolding System 05 Forkhead at Regular Interval Supporting Primary Steel I-Beam with Secondary Timber Beam 06 Reclaimed Timber Planks
02
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Genuine Palestinian seeds, both contributed by the Palestinian community and stored in seed libraries, are germinated in greenhouses (Germination Room) under controlled and proper environmental condition. Once ready, these plantlings will either be moved outdoor to other typologies for further cultivation or exhibited at the plantling tables above. GREENHOUSES
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Part of the germinated plantlings are moved to the plantling tables above, showcasing the biodiversity of Palestinian agriculture to the visitors. These visitors from all over Palestine are encouraged to bring cuttings from their own genuine Palestinian plants, along with an attached story, to swap with others. They can also take away Palestinian plantlings to their homes to be propagated and cultivated. These stories, will eventually be catalogued into a library. THE PLANTLING TABLE
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SOUTH FACADE
SOUTH FACADE
SUMMER STRATEGY
WINTER STRATEGY
In order to provide the adequate environment for seeds to germinate, the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement across the site was analyzed. The greenhouses are designed positioned strategically to protect the young saplings from overexposure to direct sun penetration and heat gain during summer. ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY
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Summer N
E
Northwest Prevailing Wind
Winter
80° W
WEST FACADE
WEST FACADE
SUMMER STRATEGY
WINTER STRATEGY
The typology’s facades, especially its western and southern facade, are planted with grapes, one of the notable food produce in Palestine. Once grown in, it will act as a dynamic shading device that responds to seasonal change. VINES AND WHATNOT
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s
CH AP TER 1 7
Lightweight, easily assembled on site and insertable into grid structures of all typologies, the temporary living unit is insulated using strawbale made from the remains of the wheat harvest - a very good insulating material. MULTI-USE PORTABLE DWELLING UNIT
The thermal comfort of the unit remains quite constant with windows for ventilation being opened when needed. Positioned at the right height, the windows allow for winter sunlight and solar penetration to enter the interior space.
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
02
01
do not require tools, and electrical systems can be integrated into the frame. 01 CLIP-TOGETHER JOINTS
03
with strawbale infill as insulation. Every panel is identical and universal for easy reconfiguration and expansion when neccessary. 02 STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS
mean the units do not required level surface or foundations and can be deployed anywhere. 03 ADJUSTABLE FOOTINGS
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 1 7
has a natural affinity with agricultural practices, with water being such an essential resource to farmers and growers. It is proposed that the collected water is delivered to tanks that are then used to irrigate the plants. RAINWATER HARVESTING
RAINWATER HARVESTED FROM ROOFS
DES IG N S TU DIO 4
CH AP TER 1 7
CISTERN Underground cisterns have the advantage of providing relatively cool water even during the warmest months of the year. Also, water can be collected from ground-level catchment areas. UNDERGROUND
FARMS
TO SEWER
DES IG N S TU DIO 4