Finbar Charleson - Intelligent Assemblies 12109012
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CONTENTS
Atelier Pamphlet CONDITION...............................p5 METHOD....................................p10 Scheme AGENDA....................................p24 TERRITORY..................................p36 . SITE............................................p41 PROGRAM..................................p46 PROGRAM + SITE.......................p55
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Condition The human settlement sits within an increasingly complex framework. Without our knowledge or consent, our resources and systems are being monitored, integrated and optimized (Fuller 2008). With the advent of digital tools we have all become agents of these processes. From food production to banking, we contribute to a rapidly growing database of information, ready to be packaged and commodified (Bentley 2007). These networks are both conducive and symptomatic of a shift to a new cultural epoch, whereby our basic needs are facilitated almost entirely by and within complex systems (Curtis 2011). Although we are all able to contribute to these frameworks, they invariably require a master (Jacobs 1961). Having invested in the most powerful machines, these masters are capable of controlling the enormous systems that we are perpetually constructing. This condition has facilitated an unprecedented quality of life for billions of humans. The same condition, however, has incurred an unprecedented blow to the complex systems to which we owe everything. We have forgotten that we are ourselves embedded within a framework of ecology (Hagen 2001). As we see a new generation embedded within complex systems, we are faced with a number of critical decisions. Do we continue to perform within the digital Fordist condition or do we engage with complexity and gain autonomy? Do we continue to sate our hunger for the resources of our biomes with conventional methods, or do we effect closed and sustainable loops of consumption and production? Do we continue to enact our contract between the ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’ or do we seek to build a single seamless ecology? 4
THE CONTEMPORARY CONDITION
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REGION Flood Risk Areas In 2011 The Greater Manchester Combined Authority was introduced to re encapsulate the 10 Metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and they aim to collaborate between the individual boroughs to look towards future development in the county’s transport, economic development and regeneration. The Stockport Borough links Manchester with the Pennines, and a result, it is subject to a number of complex Urban and Rural conditions.
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Water Polution Levels
HIGH MEDIUM
HIGH MEDIUM LOW
Major transport nodes
Historic market town
Contemporary shopping precinct
Civic Centre
Stockport offers an excellent testbed for the analysis of urban metabolism. As topography is met with heroic and obsolete infrastructure, there is a neeed to understand the impacts of the areas planning history on the present day and future. (Woodward 2011) 7
TOWNSCAPE Stockport’s individual County Council manage the population within their district. The borough can be disected into wards which indicate the different areas of Stockport and this council looks after: - Waste Removal - Council Tax - Recycling - Housing - Planning Housing, in particular, is one of the larger aspects of governing an area and can be divided up into: Owned, Socially Rented and Privately Rented. These sectors offer a comparison to Stockport’s distrbution of housing to the much larger , more developed area of Mancheser.
Mortgaged Owned Outright Council Social Rented Other Privately Rented
STOCKPORT 8
MANCHESTER
Civic Building
Privately Owned
GEDDES AND ENERGETICS The industrial city grows
A problematic urban condition emerges
Planners produce a solution
In a critical text Patrick Geddes proposes ‘conservative surgery’ as a method of planning: ‘big plans (fig.1) have little or no impact, while small scale changes (fig.2) can have an enormous impact’ (Marshall and Batty 2009)
problematic urban area
Building ensues
The city becomes increasingly homogenous
1. The tradional planning model. Communities exist within the industrial city
Urban conditions are discussed and issues brought to the planning bodies
original plan Original Plan - “modern” gridded plan - wipes out most of the residential neighbourhood
Proposals are reviewed and initialized in the city.
conservative surgery plan Conservative Surgery Plan - keep the structurally sound buildings - removing only the most dilapidated housing - creating more open space
Design solutions are produced
2. Conservative Surgery 9
SCENARIO
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GLOBAL CLIMATE PATTERNS Our climate is linked with those of the rest of the world through two global systems:
1.
3.
1. The Polar and Subtropical Jet Streams (fig.1 + 2) : Formed by the coreolis effect, create areas of low and high pressure and resultant weather systems on land. 2. The Global Ocean Conveyor Belt (fig. 3): The movement of ocean currents which largely dictate the weather systems that reach any land mass.
The Gulf Stream (fig. 4) acts in conjunction with the Polar Jet Stream to generate a climate specific to Western Europe. It is predicted that over time, the Jet Streams will become less prominent and produce more variable patterns, as a result of rising sea temperature (Vavrus and Francis 2012).
2. Polar Jet Stream
4.
Sub tropical Jet Stream
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NATIONAL WEATHER PATTERNS Polar Maritime: Cold, wet air
PolarContinental: Cold, dry air
2050 2030
2013 2012 2011
Tropical Continental: Hot, dry air Tropical Maritime: Warm, moist air
The Tropical Maritime and Tropical Continental air masses bring a mixture of hot, dry, warm and moist air that collides with the cold, wet air from the Polar air masses. This creates an ever changing jet stream which influences our weather patterns. Weather forecasts can predict when a buckle along this front of air will cause more or less rain etc. so that local authorities can alert the population, especially in extreme scenarios.
KEY Projected Jet Stream Path Previous Jet Stream Path ‘Previous jet stream paths’ are based on data acquired from the archives of www.weathercharts.org.
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CASE STUDY: CALIFORNIA Severe Drought 2013-2014 The state of California has been subject to one of the most severe droughts on record in the nations history. This most recent drought has lasted for 4 years causing a reduced average in precipitation due to a vast high pressure front. This high pressure formation has been stopping Pacific winter storms from reaching the coast and instead deflecting them towards Alaska and British Columbia.
River Oroville - July 20th, 2011
River Oroville - August 19th, 2014
Paul Hames/California Department of Water Resources via Getty Images
January 01, 2013
This has a knock on effect to the naturally arid area in terms of social, environmental and politcal problems. Reservoirs that the state depend on as a backup are slowly depleting, rivers, such as the River Oroville, are drying out and leaving a dusty depression in the earth.
February 25, 2014
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TIMELINE PREDICTIONS
2030 - Warm anticyclones in the UK mean that summers are becoming drier. - Less than one third of the normal precipitation is occuring for the time of year. - The south east of England is the most affected region.
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- Ground water levels drop, providing conditions for wild fire to occur. - Lack of moisture underground means trees lose moisture and become flammable.
2038 - Summers are becoming hotter and drier, and winters are becoming colder and foggier. - River and reservior levels are falling as rainfall fails to counteract evaporation. - Water rationing has begun.
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2053 - Crops are depleting as the soil isn’t containing sufficient moisture, causing an economic impact and food prices to rise. - Set amounts of water are given to each house in their neighbourhood.
2050 - People are starting to migrate from the south east to the north west, the area of the UK which has been least affected by the lack of precipitation. - People who have stayed in the south are beggining to adapt to their conditions. [Scenario begins]
2070 - People are beginning to adapt to drought conditions. - People are paid to remove grass and put in desert landscaping. - Farmers invest in alternative drought tolerant crops.
2060 - Measures are brought in in an effort to save water, such as media campaigns, hosepipe bans, conserving any non essential supplies of water and only allowing water for a specific amount of time each day.
2090 - The Met Office predicts that by the year 2080. changes in precitation in the UK will fall by about 50% in the summer and the mean daily maximum temperature will rise by 6 degrees celcius
2080 - People’s gardens and public parks become Xeriscaped. - There is more planting of vegetation that is resistant to drought, such as cacti, eliminating the need for supplemental water from irrigation.
FORECAST The environmental problems faced by the UK are very real. The water security of the North West is to be under formidable stress as the weather systems are altered and our infrastructure continues to age.
River Goyt
Vernon Park
Cheadle 15
METHOD
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BIOLOGICAL PRECEDENTS
Harvesting
Circulation
Retention
Biological precedents are central to development of intelligent strategies in the face of climate change (Pawlin 2011). Many creatures of the natural world have developed biological systems in order to cope with drought condition. These processes are categorized as follows: Methods of harvesting water from either the vapour in the air, or through desalination. Efficient circulatory systems ensure no time is wasted in the consumption of the liguid. Water retention strategies are found in situations where rainwater is sporadic, and liguid is needed over a long time.
Image: Monaryx
Image: Solvin Zankl
Image: National Geographic
2. 1.
Saline enters
Heated by solar radiation
1. Cells walls screte poison to deter predators from penetrating. Condenses as fresh water
Complex vascular system ensures efficient passage of liquid.
2. Thick trunk capable of storing large ammounts of water.
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CACTI Our environment is subject to both seasonal and diurnal changes. As a result, Cacti are adapted to their harsh envrionment in two ways:
2.
1. Concertina skeleton (fig. 1) allows the plant to expand to take in large ammounts of water, to be stored for long dry spells. 2. Stomata (fig. 2 + fig. 3) expand and contract diurnally to retain moistures and acces airborne water vapour.
1.
Dry conditions
3.
High rainfall
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MECHANISMS
Concertina Skeleton
The processes of retention through both the stomata and the expansion of the plant are simulated through working models. It is possible to deconstruct and abstract the operations within the Cacti, for use within the built environment. In using biological precedents in this way, we can produce buildings that are both efficient and adaptive. (Khoury, R. et al. 2012)
Stomata
Concertina
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AUTOMATON The Automaton was a direct manifestation of the biological precedents researched. By looking to Architectural precents such as the Al Bahr towers (AEDAS Architects) is was possible to see how cellular structures could be replaced with manufacturable member, whilst retaining the core system strategy. (Peters 2011)
Relays environmental information to
DHT11 Humidity Sensor 20
Triggers a movement of
Micro-processor
Servo Motor
The mechanism lends itself to being scaled. The logical next step would be to develop a facade system, which is able to react to changes in humidity in the same way the stomata of the Cacti have done.
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SYNTHESIS We are concerned with the contemporary city, but we understand that conditions can not emerge in isolation. In grasping the climatic conditions that lead to drought conditions at different scales, we have gained a holistic understanding of the issues we may face in the future.
SPECULATIVE SCENARIO
AUTOMATON
STOCKPORT ANALYSIS
MACRO
MESO
MICRO CRITICAL TEXTS
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AGENDA
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CRITICAL TEXTS
Braungart, M. & McDonough, W. (2007) Cradle to Cradle. Remaking the Way We Make Things.
CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS RE-USE WASTE CONCIOUSNESS
Image: Green World Conference < http://www.greenworldconferences.com/ produkt_24_swmt_solid_waste_management_technology_brazil.htm>
Woodward, C. Learning from Detroit or Edensor, T. Waste Matter - The Debris of Indus- Marshall, S & Batty, M. (2009) The Evolu‘the wrong kind of ruins’. trial Ruins and the Disordering of the Material tion of Cities: Geddes, Abercrombie and the World. Journal of Material Culture 10 (3) New Physicalism. Town Planning Review 80 (6).
ECOLOGY IN THE URBAN REALM OBSOLESCANCE
Image: Stormfront < https://www.stormfront.org/forum/ t938210/>
MATERIALITY AESTHETICS INDUSTRIAL RUINS
Image: Sauer-Thompson <http://www.sauer-thompson.com/junkforcode/archives/2010/07/industrial-ruin.html>
ENERGETICS BOTTOM-UP VS. TOP DOWN PLANNING
Image: Rotterdam from Google Maps
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ENERGETICS
Since 1989, United Utilities have been responsible for supplying the North West with drinking water.
Regional Map indicating the locations and water levels of the main reservoirs in the North West. The 90 mile Haweswater aqueduct links the lakes to Greater Manchester. As of October 2014 the levels of these reservoirs is just 57%. 26
REGION
A West-East pipeline transports potable water between Liverpool and Manchester. A major reservoir in Heaton Park serves as a terminal for greater Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water supply.
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WASTE
The waste systems in Stockport largely follow the patterns of the rest of the UK, with aging and invisible infrastructure . The city center is host to complex network of aging pipework, with much of the industrial surface water running directly into the Mersey.
Combined sewage pipe Surface run-off Trainline Mersey 28
INDUSTRY AND THE CITY
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Rotterdam is situated in the largest port in Europe. Complex infrastructure emerges to meet the needs of a combination of social, industrial and ecological conditions.
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A man responsible for dredging the bottom of the canal jumps across his boat in order to leave for home. Amongst the industrial relics, he is shown in an immediate and scalar relationship the mechanism used to clear the waste from the city.
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PARALLEL SITE Situated in Shiemond, in the Port of Rotterdam. The site merged as a space that would need to address many of the conditions outlined in the critical texts.
Macro, in the context of Europoort.
Mezzo, in the context of the immediate harbour.
Resedential Developments Waterfront Condition Existing Ecology The site sits within an industrial and post-industrial condition, whereby high end developments sit alongside large scale factories.
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Decaying Infrastructure
CRITICAL CONDITIONS Following the knowladge gained from the study trip as well as the key texts explored in weekly symposiums, 10 critical conditions have emerged. These are mechanisms in the contemporary city which I shall explore in the following scheme, thus building the foundation of the agenda.
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TERRITORY
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TERRITORY A number of sites in the city adress the condition dense urban drainage.
Dalyhurst Sewage treatment centre.
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Brinksway
Bus Station
SITES
Merseyway shopping precinct
Merseyway industrial park
Vernon Park
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DALYHURST Stockport Waster Water Treatment Centre
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AWP ARCHITECTS Evry Water Treatment Plant
‘Located beside the Seine to the south of the city, the Évry Water-Treatment Plant was first established in the 1970s. Following a design competition in 2003, AWP developed a new masterplan for the site, adding four new buildings and a surrounding landscape of trees and gardens that will all be accesible to visitors.’ From < http://www.dezeen. com/2013/05/16/water-treatmentplant-by-awp/>
Engineering: Bonnard & Gardel (leading engineer) Net surface: 6000 sqm (buildings) Budget: €42 million Competition: 2003 Delivery: 2012
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‘On a limited budget of around $5 per square foot, this project raises the bar for municipal infrastructure design. Using techniques adapted from restoration ecology and bioengineering, the landscape creates a microcosm of the surrounding regional watershed, from mountain source to reservoir. The result is a rich, humanely scaled terrain that invites neighbors to engage with the land from the perspective of the water that flows through it.’ From < http://www.asla.org/2010awards/105.html>
Civil Engineer Tighe and Bond Consulting Engineers, Westfield, MA USA Structural Engineer CH2M, Boston USA
SITE
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1950s garage cantilevers over waterfront
Existing warehouses are occupied by a hairdressers and two gyms.
Viaduct reaches a height of 34m
Built int the 1980s, Regents House sits partially over the canalised route.
Wear Mill built 1840
Neighboring mill is occupied by a timber yard.
Bus station is a primary interchange, occupied 24 hours a day. The point at which the viaduct intersects with the River Mersey is a major transport node. Although the area receives much footfall, there are quiet pockets within the territory. The scheme will occcupy the existing car parks and the disused waterfront. 42
A
Criticl sections through the site show grate variations in scale, as all the buildings were contructed through different decades, employing different construction methods.
B
B
The site will bridge the gap between the victorian infrastructure and modernist towers.
A section aa
section bb
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HISTORY
1850s
© Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2014. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
Scale 1:750 0
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60
70
80
100 m
90
1890s
© Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2014. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
Scale 1:1250 0
The Wear Mill was built in two parts between 1830 and 1840. Coinciding with the construction of the viaduct, it sits between an archway, and was used to construct the railway both intially and when it was widened. These industrial relics were constructed at the same time with the same materials. Whereas the viaduct has adapted to contemporary conditions, the Wear Mill has fallen into a state of disrepair. ‘One can say that the city itself is a collective memory of its people, and like memory it is assocciated with objects and places.’
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60
70
80
90
1950s
© Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown copyright 2014. FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
Scale 1:750 0
(Rossi 1982)
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1980s
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60
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80
90
100 m
100 m
Access to the waters edge is restricted through Stockportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city centre. It is only fromhere though, that the towns monuments can be admired. The project looks to build at basement level.
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PROGRAM
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CLIENT: UNITED UTILITIES Concise Corporate Timeline
2001 1989
2010
For the first time, the United Utilities brand appears on water bills, vehicles, adverts and clothing across the North West of England.
North West Water is privatised.
Completion of major contracts reach ÂŁ600 million in enterprise value.
1995
2007
United Utilities is formed following the acquisition of Norweb.
United Utilities delists from the New York Stock Exchange
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184 Reservoirs 56,000 hectares of catchment land
United utilites have seen an increasing demand for water as popoulations increase in the North West. It is not currently possible to upgrade all of the infrastructure to accommodate the freshwater demands, so UU have focused much of their funds on the treatment and reuse of wastewater.
Fresh Water
The Centre for Urban Ecology is commited to developing a closed loop water system. The program of the building is dictated by the Educate people on the methods of harvesting, circulating and retaining water at home. Develop new methods of treating sludge and testing water for animals and humans alike. Attract investment into the infrastructural changes needed to implement large scale solutions.
The company will continue to establish By analysing the waste of greater Manchester, they are searching for new methods of reusing our wastewater.
569 wastewater treatment works 76,000 kilometers of sewers
Wastewater
Transport
Treatment 96 Water Treatment Works
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42,000 kilometres of water pipes
THE CENTRE FOR URBAN ECOLOGY
EDUCATION
CORPORATE
LABORATORY
LECTURES
OFFICES
FIELDWORK
SEMINARS
MEETINGS
TREATMENT
CLASSES
CONFERENCES
MONITORING STATIONS
EXHIBITIONS
CPDS
RESEARCH
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PRECEDENTS
Claus en Kaan Architecten Netherland Istitute for Ecology
SKYLAB Architects The Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant, Oregon, USA
The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) has been based in Wageningen since early 2011. At this location, the two former branches of the NIOO in Heteren and Nieuwersluis merged into a newly built complex. For the construction, the Wageningen University (WUR) provided over four acres of land near the campus and in the heart of the Wageningen green knowledge center. The complex of the NIOO comprises a main building with laboratories and offices and various outbuildings such as greenhouses.
“Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) / Claus en Kaan Architecten” 09 Jan 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 24 Nov 2014. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=316294>
“Inspired by the native landscape and its industrial past, the building is an elegant combination of landform, indigenous planting, formal geometry, and durable construction systems that support staff and the public interface,” explained the architect.
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/04/15/wastewater-treatment-plant-skylab-architecture-portland-oregon/
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RESEARCH
Monitoring Station 15sqm
Building as a Microcosm
Plant 30sqm
Fresh Water
Wastewater
Transport
Treatment
Chemistry Laboratory 30sqm
Biology Laboratory 30sqm Office 15sqm
Why do we place our infrastructure away from the people that use it? 52
EDUCATION What will the future of a our infrastructure look like? Seminar/ Lecture theatre 200sqm
Classroom 30sqm
Classroom 30sqm
Locations of Field Study Centres (FSC) across the UK. Targeted at A-Level students, the first Urban Centre was constructed in London in 2012.
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CORPORATE
How can we attract investment for the future of our infrastructure?
Conference Hall 200sqm
Office 50sqm
Meeting Room 15sqm
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Meeting Room 15sqm
Reception/ Office 18sqm
Conference Hall 200sqm
W/Cs 24sqm
Seminar/ Lecture theatre 200sqm
Mini Kitchen 10sqm
Office 50sqm
Storage 12sqm
Plant 25sqm
Classroom 30sqm
Meeting Room 15sqm
Classroom 30sqm
Meeting Room 15sqm
Chemistry Laboratory 30sqm
Office 15sqm
Biology Laboratory 30sqm
Monitoring Station 15sqm
Plant 30sqm
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MASSING The programs are stacked in an orthogonal mass, in order to see what te parameters of the site are. It is likely that the building will need to expand to 3 or even 4 stories with a basement.
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A
Section aa
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B
Section bb
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Francis, Jennifer A.; Vavrus, Stephen J. (2012). “Evidence linking Arctic amplification to extreme weather in mid-latitudes”. Geophysical Research Letters 39 (6): n/a Braungart, M. & McDonough, W. (2007) Cradle to Cradle. Remaking the Way We Make Things (pp. 24 - 67). Vintage, London. Marshall, S & Batty, M. (2009) The Evolution of Cities: Geddes, Abercrombie and the New Physicalism. Town Planning Review 80 (6). Fuller, B. (2008) Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (pp. 15 - 17). Lars Muller, Baden, Switzerland. Peters, T. (ed). (2011) Experimental Green Strategies. Architectural Design, 81 (6) Bennets, H. et al. (2002) Understanding Sustainable Architecture (pp. 81 - 86). Taylor & Francis, London. Bentley, Peter J. (2007) Climbing Through Complexity Ceilings. Princeton Architectural Press, New York. El-Khoury, R. et al. (2012) The Living, Breathing, Thinking Responsive Buildings of the Future. Thames & Hudson, London. Hagen, S. (2001) Taking Shape: A New Contract Between Architecture and Nature (pp. 3 15). Architectural Press, London. Jacobs, J (1961) Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House, New York. Kolarevic, B. (2003). Computing the Performative in Architecture. In Proceedings of the 21th eCAADe Conference: Digital Design. Graz, Austria (pp. 17-20). Pawlin, M. (2011) Biomimicry in Architecture. RIBA Publishing, London. Rossi, A (1982) The Architecture of the Cty. MIT, Cambridge. Woodward, C. Learning from Detroit or ‘the wrong kind of ruins’. in Urban Wildscapes. Routledge, London Weinstock, M. (ed). (2013) System City: Infrastructure and the Space of Flows. Architectural Design, 83 (4).
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