edible city
book 1
: a productive urban landscape and food logistics hub in dujiangyan, sichuan, china
jack thomas
regernerative design thesis studio 2011/2012 university of oregon dr. hajo neis
table of contents
agriculture + architecture = agritecture...................................................................................01 dujiangyan, sichuan, china...................................................................................................03
context
place
people
a pattern language..............................................................................................................07
summary of the language
patterns
edible urbanism.................................................................................................................15 the market building.............................................................................................................19 the project language...........................................................................................................33 works consulted.................................................................................................................45 contact..............................................................................................................................47
A G R I C U L T U R E A R C H I T E C T U R E
China’s western province of Sichuan, rocked by the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, is undergoing large scale transformation, giving testimony to China’s speedy, often “devil-may-care” attitude regarding urban and rural development. Dujiangyan, neighbor to Sichuan’s largest city of Chengdu, is a city with a stunning landscape which, despite centuries of urban growth, has continued to seep into the urban fabric. The Edible City project is an attempt to stabilize a rapidly changing landscape at both the urban and rural level. The city, as well as the region at large, has a rich connection to water, the landscape, a world-renowned gastronomic heritage, and a colorful multi-ethnic community which this project hopes to inspire and regenerate.
01
“The most startling changes are taking place in China, where 400 million people are expected to urbanise in the next 25 years... as the Chinese abandon the countryside, it seems they are abandoning their rural diets too.� Caroyln Steel, Hungry City
02
dujiangyan, sichuan, china
03
context The city of Dujiangyan is located in China’s Sichuan province in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau. A network of rivers and aqueducts funnels fresh mountain spring water to agricultural lands of the Chengdu plain surrounding the metropolis of Chengdu. For centuries, Dujiangyan City has served as a lifeline to the millions of people relying on this water network for food and livelihood.
Dujiangyan City sits at the base of a series of large hills with
several temples and monasteries hidden away in the foliage. The network of waterways originates at the Northwestern part of the city and fans out across Dujiangyan and out into the Chengdu Plain. The neighborhood where the project site is located is in the heart of the city near the government buildings and within walking distance to many of the cultural sites of the city. This site is also positioned just off of the main thoroughfare of the city which originates at the gate of a large temple.
place A food hub is a place where the complete cycle of food production is to take place from production through consumption. This building type will help build livelihoods for urban dwellers of Dujiangyan and reconnect them to their agrarian heritage. Because many Chinese have migrated from the countryside into the urban areas of the country, many people are still familiar with rural living and agricultural methods. Food security will be heightened due to greater local acess to nutritious, fresh produce. Surpluses of food can be stored in the event of future disaster, not unlike that of the 2008 earthquake which devastated the region.
04
people
The Great Leap Forward brought many Han Chinese, the ethnic majority of China, Westward into the relatively undeveloped provinces of Tibet and Qinghai. In the wake of this migration of people, many ethnic tensions arose creating a divide between the two Chinese halves. Because of Dujiangyan’s position at the edge of China’s rugged Western region, the city has many physical and cultural connections to the Tibetan and Qiang autonomous ethnic regions. At a city level, many of these communities have a siginifcant presence in urban life. Like the Han Chinese who moved West to develop this rugged region, many ethnic minorities moved from their remote villages to the cities in search of opportunity and economic prosperity for their families. Dujiangyan is home to many of these peoples who have migrated East and continue to celebrate that which sets them apart from other communities of Chinese people. A center for cultural exchange would provide an opportunity for these communities to come together and share what sets them apart from one another easing the tensions that have been created throughout the last few decades.
05
06
a pattern language
charles yan gore
07
City Country Fingers (3) Mosaic of Subcultures (8)
Culturally-Relevant Development
Identifiable Neighborhood (14)
Life Cycle (26)
Soft River Edges
Old People Everywhere (40)
Small Public Squares (61) Dancing in the Street (63) Common Land (67) Individually Owned Shops (87) Edible City Food Stands (93) Silent Pockets
Public Outdoor Room (69)
Dining On the Doorstep Path Shape (121)
Activity Pockets (124) Something Roughly in the Middle (126)
Cascading Terraces
Clean Water Source
Double Eaves
Opening to the Street (165) Eating Atmosphere (182) pattern network
Seat Spots (241)
2008: after Wenchuan earthquake
2010: post-development
08
Mosaic of Subcultures (8)
SELECTED PATTERNS
Identifiable Neighborhood (14) Life Cycle (26) Old People Everywhere (40) Small Public Squares (61) Public Outdoor Room (69) Dancing In the Street (63) Individually Owned Shops (87) Food Stands (93) Path Shape (121) Activity Pockets (124) Opening To the Street (165) Eating Atmosphere (182) Seat Spots (241)
NEW PATTERNS
Soft River Edges Culturally-Relevant Development Edible City Silent Pockets Dining On the Doorstep Cascading Terraces Double Eaves
09
The Three-Eyed Well
LIFE CYCLE (26) “‘All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They
selected patterns
have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.’ Make certain that the full cycle of life is represented and balanced in each community. Set the ideal of a blanaced
from a pattern language by christopher alexander,
life cycle as a principal guide for the evolution of communities.”
et. al
DANCING IN THE STREET (63) “Why is it that people don’t dance in the streets today? Along promenades in squares and evening centers, make a slightly raised platform to form a bandstand, where street musicians and local bands can play. Cover it, and perhaps build in at ground level tiny stalls for refreshment. Surround the bandstand with paved surface for dancing - no admission charge.”
FOOD STANDS (93) “Many of our habits and institutions are bolsered by the fact that we can get simple, inexpensive food on the street, on the way to shopping, work, and friends. Concentrate food stands where cars and paths meet - either portable stands or small huts, or built into the fronts of buildings, half-open to the street.”
EATING ATMOSPHERE (182) “When people eat together, they may actually be together in spirit - or they may be far apart.
Some rooms invite people to eat leisurely and
comfortably and feel together, while others force people to eat as quickly as possible so they can go somewhere else to relax. Put a heavy table in the center of the eating space - large enough for the whole family or the group of people using it. Put a light over the table to create a pool of light over the group and enclose the space with walls or with contrasting darkness. Make the space large enough so the chairs can be pulled back comfortably, and provide shelves and counters lose at hand for things
10
related to the meal.”
THE THREE-EYED WELL The well is an integral piece of the Chinese community. From the village to the city, people congregate at the well to draw water and wash dishes, clothes and food. It is important for people of China to have a public space adequate for completing these daily tasks and rituals that is also safe and sanitary. Often, villagers and urban dwellers alike will practice all these activities in the same, still water increasing the likelihood of illness. Water that is used for washing dishes, food and clothing sometimes comes from the side of the road through the entire city. A three-eyed well is an example of one way in which contemporary Chinese architects have maintained the cultural center of community life that is the well and made it safer and cleaner for people to use.
The
source of running water flows from the top and can be boiled and used as drinking water. The water flows into a second pool which is used to wash clothes, then runs into the last pool which is used to wash dishes. The three-eyed well is one method of implementing design to establish a community center that also helps bring a solution to water safety.
11
EDIBLE CITY While an overabundance of hard surfaces is not conducive to urban life, without a place to sow new life in the city, “the gardener� is unable to thrive and grow. Bringing an edible landscape into the city also brings a way for urban dwellers to escape its severe nature. Many cities, especially those in China, are over-paved, contributing to a serious Heat Island Effect in urban areas.
Though these areas are physiologically stifling, they are
also aesthetically and socially stifling as well. People need soft space to rest, escape the chaos of urban life and activity, and to connect with the natural environment. Gardens provide nutrients, contributing positively to human life and also provide pockets of open space that are green and healthy for cities. A network of urban gardens provides a place for people to reconnect with, be distracted by and take solace in the comforts of nature. Small spaces designated for gardening can be established in the street fronts, becoming a barrier to traffic noise and pollution. Gardens can also be created in public squares and in parks in an effort to bring communities together and inject facets of rural life into the urban life of the city. The responsibilities of managing these spaces, as well as the fruits of which, can be shared and enjoyed communally.
12
CASCADING TERRACES In the case of China, where much of the urban environment is already incredibly dense, a balance in density must be introduced.
While
public squares are quite frequent in many Chinese cities, the jump in scale between vast, flat squares and the towering urban buildings is not appropriate for human scale. Cascading terraces bleed the exterior urban space into the interior. This type of space is prevalent in traditional architecture of the Tibetan peoples who reside in the Western reaches of Sichuan. In these types of dwellings, terraces provide places for social gathering between families. In the urban context, cascading terraces blur the lines between interior and exterior as well as elevation off the ground. These spaces provide public spaces for people to gather and also those for more private meetings between smaller groups.
13
D O U B L E E AV E S Climate becomes an issue for many regions within China and more specifically in China’s expansive, concrete-covered urban areas. People require shade from the sun as well as cover from downpours which occur on an almost daily basis in China’s tropical areas. Intense and inclement weather becomes a serious problem for many Chinese urban dwellers as contemporary Chinese architects and developers do not always consider climatic issues in architectural designs.
Many
buildings do little to protect the interior from the harsh tropical sun or the streetscape from a sudden downpoor. Traditionally, Chinese vernacular architects designed double eaves to protect inhabitants from the unpredictable climate. A second eave shoots out from the main roof to provide a covered arcade for people to move through or rest under. A return to this traditional architectural practice connects future Chinese architecture to its past legacy as well as tuning into the needs of users in regards to environmental control systems.
14
edible urbanism
15
continuous
: strategy for the coherent integration of urban agriculture into urban space and planning.
productive
:considers urban agriculture to be an essential element of sustainable infrastructure
urban landscapes (cpuls)
photos of a CPUL model in Cuba ; Viljoen and Bohn.
[From Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes: Designing Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities by AndrĂŠ Viljoen and Katrin Bohn.]
16
permaculture
per路ma路cul路ture: the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.
This agricultural practice of human settlement built in a way that mimics nature and promotes land stewardship, community well-being, personal health, and local economy. At the Maru a Pula School in Botswana, youth learn farming methods and develop a permaculture system for their village. Produce is collected and distributed to hungry families in the local area. Permaculture systems like this one in Botswana bolster community life, instill a deeper connection to food, and provide a viable means of economic stimulus.
17
precedent 02
precedent 01
urban forest park london, united kingdom
south central farm los angeles, california, usa 14 acres
18
the market building
“The shopping centre which can do more than fulfil practical shopping needs, the one that will afford an opportunity for cultural, social, civic and recreational activities will reap the greatest benefits.� -Victor Gruen
19
20
case study 01 FOOD CITY, NATE WOOTEN NEW YORK CITY, USA
21
In his Master of Architecture thesis project, Nathaniel Wooten explores the middle ground between food production and consumption. Food city is a distribution center serving the greater New York City metropolitan area of almost 19 million people.
New York City has a humid subtropical climate with warm, balmy summers and cool, wet winters. Given the projects adjacency to the New Jersey Turnpike, train lines and the transitory nature of the site, engagement with a large commuter public was an essential part to the development of the design.
22
Wooten’s project program is primarily composed of cold storage facilites with a large amount of office, market and dock space. Because of the large amount of employee and customer traffic, the food city project also requires service spaces such as restrooms, restaurants, a barber and a convenience store.
23
Steel-frame towers rise up from the main distribution space.
In the
section above, an outdoor auditorium allows passersby to observe the goings on of the interior. Similarly, a pedestrian corridor wraps the vertical architecture and hovers over the dock allowing for a connection between the built and social space of the project.
24
Wooten divides his program into two distinct landscapes:
the
public
the logistic landscape.
landscape
and
Similarly, horizontal
programmatic elements are pushed across the lower levels while vertical elements rise up from below.
25
26
case study 02 ROTTERDAM MARKET HALL, MVRDV ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
27
Located near Rotterdam’s historic St. Laurens Church, the MVRDV market hall is a public building
that
literally
emerges
from
housing
spaces. The building’s distinctive form is sparked from traditional market hall typology and meshed with contemporary housing form. The interior bustles with activity while the exterior features private apartment balconies.
28
246 apartments, 100 market stalls, 3,000 sqm of shops and restaurants 1,600sqm catering area on the ground level and first floor 1,100 parking spaces 1,800sqm underground supermarket
Due to new hygenic constraints of Dutch law, open air markets must be covered. A conglomeration of community-supporting uses such as food, leisure, living and parking direct the form of the building, which becomes an arc and shelters the interior market.
29
30
An interior facade is ever-changing, lit by LEDs featuring images of fresh produce.
31
The MVRDV Rotterdam Market Hall becomes a new urban typology in the process of regenerating Rotterdam’s pre-war center.
32
the project language
“When ‘anything goes’ in the gastronomic mix, food loses one of its greatest gifts - its cultural identity.” Carolyn Steel, Hungry City
33
vision
Sichuan’s southwestern city of Dujiangyan lies in between the vast Chengdu Plain and the rugged region of Western China. On a brutally humid, summer’s day, it is hard to escape the sounds of screeching cicadas, the chaotic honking of vehicle traffic and passersby speaking in loud “Sichuanhua”.
Walking across the city’s ornate covered
bridge and then down one of Dujiangyan’s main roads, one is able to catch a glimpse of a nearby alleyway overgrown by tall grass. Just steps away from the main street lies a pathway through the city. An array of crops line the narrow path. Corn, Chinese eggplant, and melon plants poke out from the adjacent soil. At the other side of this pathway, entrepreneurs open their storefronts. Screaming hot woks sizzle and boast an assortment of colorful vegetables and meats as a cloud of steam hovers over the gastronomic thoroughfare and chokes those not familiar with its devastatingly hot Sichuan Pepper. Patrons dine on the paved, stepped storefronts, scooping rice and fresh vegetables into their mouths. Upon futher investigation of this passage through the city, the pathway opens up to a clearing. People hover over their crops, preparing the soil for planting and harvesting ripe produce that they will later take to the public market. A canvas covering provides a place for rest and shade from the sun. Apartments and business line the edges of the clearing and the pedestrian pathways mark the boundaries of agricultural plots. Passing through the clearing, the pathway narrows once again. Chickens scurry through the bean plots back to their coops to lay fresh eggs that might later be hard-boiled, soaked in salt and tea and then sold with fluffy, steamed bao zi for breakfast. The path takes a jog and directs pedestrians to a large bustling expanse of walkways and agricultural terraces. Urbanites sample the food sold on the dining terrace and walk beneath a rice paddy system into a market hall. Vendors sell fresh produce and meat from local livestock owners. People scour the baskets for the best ingredients. Overhead, workers take part in the parts of the food cycle. Food is collected from the various farmers, processed and then distributed to other areas in and around Dujiangyan. Waste too, is collected and prepared as compost for urban farmers who will cultivate an edible landscape in the Chinese city. . .
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values
AREA
VALUE
SAFETY
constant accessibility to food
ECONOMIC
meshing food systems with livelihoods
HUMAN
healthy, local food
CULTURAL
prizing gastronomy and agrarianism
ENVIRONMENTAL
ruralizing the city
TECHNOLOGICAL
completing the food cycle
TEMPORAL
a lasting Chinese heritage
AESTHETIC
culturally-connected design
35
GOAL
PRIORITY
support accessibility to healthy, local food at all times, especially in disaster
1
foster livelihoods connected to food systems
2
build a framework for community around food as a necessary resource
3
strengthen ties to a gastronomic culture and agrarian hertiage
4
bring an existing productive landscape into the city
5
integrate technological systems as a means of completing the food cycle
6
nurturing a lifestyle connected to the Chinese culture and landscape for future generations
7
maintain cultural ties to Chinese vernacular building culture
8
36
building program (qualitative)
URBAN AGRICULTURE (COMMERCIAL SCALE) Farmers wander through rows of crops which weave through both the urban and building fabric. Produce from these crops is brought to the processing facility of the building to be processed, packaged, and distributed. Stormwater and waste will be treated on site in this project via this network of productive green space.
MARKET HALL People bustle in the market hall of the food hub. Vendors sell the produce brought in from their emerging produce plots and meats that are brought in from the local area surrounding the city.
RESTAURANT/VENDORS Restauranteurs cook a variety of foods in a space that surrounds communal and individual tables.
PROCESSING / PACKING / DISTRIBUTION FACILITY A large volume houses a facility where produce is brought in from the food hub’s agricultural system, processed, packaged and shipped to customers in and around the city of Dujiangyan.
WORKFORCE HOUSING Surrounding the food hub are apartments to be rented to the employees that work at the food hub. Housing that is in close proximity to the work site elminates the need for transit and therefore pollution and emissions.
37
LOADING DOCK Space must be given to an area for loading produce and supplies into and out of mid-size trucks.
CLASSROOMS Classrooms for food education have a place in the food hub program. These spaces will be used by users of all ages to learn about food security, local foods and culinary skills.
MEETING ROOMS/MULTIPURPOSE Users can utilize meeting spaces to organize trips to surrounding farms in the region, discuss food cooparatives or for community events that might take place.
RESTROOMS
CIRCULATION
SERVICE
38
site program (qualitative)
A public square opens up out of a narrow passage in the streetfront. People bustle between rows of crops. The productive urban landscape that cuts through the city directs itself into the project site. Surrounding the square, apartments peer into the agricultural spaces below. Groups of people laugh and chat over bubbling vats of hotpot and beer. Woks sizzle with the produce gathered from the market hall and kids chase chickens into the emergent crops at the housing frontages.
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COMMUNITY HOUSING Stout buildings of white stucco and tile roofs hover over a variety of uses.
A woman hangs clothes out to dry on a
clotheslined balcony. A pair of elderly men smoke cigarettes and shout over a game of majong.
FOOD STREET At the foot of the community housing, vendors advertise fresh fruit, household goods and clothing. Teenagers sit at tables piled high with skewers of spice rubbed meats, vegetables, and steamy dumplings.
URBAN AGRICULTURE Lining the city streets are fruit trees heavy with lychee fruit and chestnuts. Women washing clothes kneel into the long grass that protects the water running through the city. A child is sent by his mother to gather vegetables for the next meal. He plucks a string bean and fingers an eggplant not quite ripe enough to pull from its vine.
PUBLIC SQUARE In the muggy evening a group of women gather at the public square to practice tai chi. They flow like water in a synchronized rhythm. Children chase eachother and young people meet to eat at a nearby restaurant.
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building program (quantitative)
URBAN AGRICULTURE (COMMERCIAL SCALE)
16%
-
16,000 S.F.
MARKET HALL
7%
-
7,000 S.F.
RESTAURANT/VENDORS
10%
100 STALLS
10,000 S.F.
PROCESSING / PACKING / DISTRIBUTION FACILITY
20%
-
20,000 S.F.
LOADING DOCK
9%
SPACE FOR 10 TRUCKS
9,000 S.F.
OFFICES
6%
25
6,000 S.F
RESTROOMS
3%
16
3,000 S.F.
CLASSROOMS
6%
2
6,000 S.F.
MEETING ROOMS
5%
2
5,000 S.F.
CIRCULATION
9%
-
9,000 S.F.
SERVICE
6%
-
6,000 S.F.
100,000 S.F.
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site program (quantitative)
WORKFORCE HOUSING
50%
200 UNITS (500 S.F.)
100,000 S.F.
RESTAURANTS/VENDORS/RETAIL
20%
50 UNITS (400 S.F.)
20,000 S.F
URBAN AGRICULTURE (EMERGENT)
15%
100 PLOTS (150 S.F.)
15,000 S.F.
PUBLIC SQUARE
15%
1
15,000S.F.
200,000 S.F.
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climate data
VARIABLE
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
INSOLATION, kWh/m2/day
2.46
2.64
3.04
3.82
4.18
3.94
4.04
3.78
2.94
2.42
2.38
2.32
CLEARNESS, 0-1
0.44
0.38
0.35
0.38
0.38
0.35
0.36
0.36
0.32
0.32
0.39
0.44
TEMPERATURE, ยบC
-1.73
-0.01
4.26
10.42
15.20
18.16
20.30
19.61
15.86
10.42
5.46
0.17
WIND SPEED, m/s
5.10
5.32
5.61
5.79
5.55
5.29
4.52
4.33
4.96
5.06
5.04
5.02
8
12
23
51
89
107
232
223
137
46
20
6
PRECIPITATION, mm
43
adjacencies
distribution housing
urban ag. (commercial)
logistics market hall
housing
distribution
market hall
vendors
food logistics
multipurpose urban ag. (emergent)
urban agric.
square
square
44
rooms service circulation
works consulted Alexander, Christopher, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. N.p.: Oxford University Press, 1977. Brown, Denise S and Christina Crane. Asia Beyond Growth: Urbanization in the World’s Fastest-changing Continent. Ed. AECOM. Berkeley, California: ORO editions, 2010. • Filled with graphics and images of the ever-expanding metropolises of the East, Asia Beyond Growth analyzes the impact of the Asian city on social, natural and built environments. Brown, Crane and contributors describe “an emerging world’s urban moment“ which is a fitting way of expressing the quick and recent explosion in development and urban population. In response to this rapid change, there is an genuine moral urgency of changing the current patterns of development and attempting to remedy the issues of urban morphologies throughout Asia. Darden, Prentiss. Designing Our Way Our of Disaster. n.d. 19 Jan. 2012 <http://prentissdarden.wordpress.com/category/maru-a-pulaschool-botswana/> Mostafavi, Mohsen and Gareth Doherty. ed. Ecological Urbanism. Baden, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers, 2010. Nordahl, Darrin. Public Produce. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2009. • In his book, Public Produce, Darrin Nordahl illustrates the need for food that is cheaper, nutritious, more secure and more accessible to people of all demographics. More specifically, Nordahl explains that public space should be productive and that municipalities should provide opportunities for food production methods within the city.
Nordahl argues that public
produce builds a sense of place, provides economic assistance, promotes food literacy and good health, and allows for “serendiptious sustenance,“ returning the public to a more primitive, albeit human, gastronomic experience. Song, Yan and Chengri Ding. ed. Cambridge, Massachussets: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2007. • Song, Ding, and contributors present an indepth, policy-based analysis of China’s urbanization and the land use planning methods across this era of rapid growh. Significant information in the context of agriculture and urban-rural devlepment can be found in topics relating to urban migration, arable land resources, and farmland protection.
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Steel, Carolyn. Hungry City. London: Chatto & Windus, 2008. • From food waste to sustainable farming, Steel investigates the incredibly close relationship between cities and the food it takes to fuel them.
Hungry City is essentially about how cities eat and the impact food production
has on all facets of the environment. urbanism.
Steel discusses food culture and the art of eating in the context of
More importantly, Steel illustrates ways in which cities can be designed smarter and more efficiently.
Viljoen, André, Katrin Bohn, and Joe Howe. Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes: Designing Urban Agriculture For Sustainable Cities. Ed. Amsterdam: Architectural Press, 2005. • Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes provides an analysis and set of design tools for implementing an urban landscape that is both productive and conducive to the social and economic contexts as well. While a genuine CPUL has yet to be established, the evidence and methodology for doing so is provided in this book. Viljoen discusses the myriad benefits that come with a CPUL and the future this type of planning and design has for sustainable urban-rural development to come. Several case studies give a glimpse of how a CPUL can be integrated and scaled to the needs of a large urban context. White, Mason and Maya Przybylksi. On Farming. N.p.: Infranet Lab, n.d.
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jack thomas
regernerative design thesis studio 2011/2012 university of oregon dr. hajo neis
contact: jackhenrythomas@gmail.com jackhthomas.com
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你吃饭了吗？
have you eaten?