Ninon Weber- Hybrid Cities MA Portfolio

::: PRACTICE 1 ::: THEORY, PROPOSITION & PLACE NINON WEBER Student Number: 11070601

MA/BLA Landscape Architecture Year 4/Level 7 Unit 14041002 14021103_Theory Proposition and Place

PERSONAL PROPOSITION

A hybrid’s POTENTIAL LIES IN THE DIFFERENCE

between its initial elements.*

* A hybrid is the combination of two or more elements into one. Hybridity naturally occurs as a process within evolution. However, humanity has taken its principle and adapted it through technological innovation, overcoming more and more barriers, utilizing the abilty to combine desireable qualities in order to shape the human environment to its wishes.

Looking at numerous examples of these hybrids, we can spot a common feature: The most potent hybrids are often those with the most different initial elements. They have the most potential when it comes to diversity, strength or to the ability to fascinate. However, there is a point of difference, at which the barriers between the elements are too strong making hybridization impossible.

Difference

Point of no possible hybridization

Potential

Forms and tension Complementary colour theory

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MAQUETTE

PERSONAL PROPOSITION ::: MAQUETTE

I have chosen the way electric charges work as a metaphor for my Personal Proposition. Electric charges are a physical property of matter, which causes them to experience a force when near other electrically charged matter. Two objects of the same charge experience a mutual repulsive force, whilst two objects of different charge experience an attractive force.

The dynamics resulting from this attractive force create a functionial unity between the objects. Even though they don’t unite phsically, I would call this functional unity a hybrid. It is a hybrid because it’s not the physical combination of matter that is essence to the idea hybrid, it is the combination of its qualities.

PERSONAL PROPOSITION ::: STRATEGY

Hybridizing cities Because of situational and historical factors, cities develop in different specialized zones of certain land use, structure, social character and appearance. This process is noted as a pressing factor to the “Multiple Nuclei Model”.

The Multiple Nuclei Model describes the layout of a city and was put forth by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman in the 1945 article for example, leading to a pattern of urban zones.

The theory was formed based on the fact that people are becoming increasingly mobile due to improving technologies that enpower them to move great distances from zone to zone. Because people need and want different qualities – for example housing, education, This shows how essential differences are for cities. One zone is connected to the other, nourishing from its difference and thus forming a net of functional unities throughout the city, which provides diversity and dynamics – qualities which make cities more and more to humans most favourite living environment.

Point of no possible hybridization Sometimes zones seem to fall out of the city’s net. This happens when the nature of the zone is too different from other zones, forming a barrier that prevents exchange. An example for such a barrier could be social status, spatial structure or a type of land use that is very introverted, e.g. industrial parks. Isolated zones like this are lost for the dynamics of the city and can even form a barrier hindering dynamics. Consequences can be among other things longer travel distances, social segregation and the loss of the potential the zone may have to offer for the rest of the city.

DESIGN ::: BARROW IN FURNESS Project Site /////////

54° 7’ 0” North, 3° 14’ 0” West

District Cumbria

Borough Barrow-in-Furness

Town Barrow-in-Furness

ANALYSIS ::: BARROW IN FURNESS Structure/Density/Volume

Most areas show a high density, structured almost monotonous patterns and relatively small buildings. Exception case is the area adjacent to Barrow’s coastline and Barrow Island: Compared to the rest of the city, this area shows a high percentage of unbuild land. Furthermore the structure is very unsystematic as well as heterogenous and the buildings differ in volume.

ANALYSIS ::: BARROW IN FURNESS Land use

area of Barrow lies like a belt attached to the coastline indicating a blockage from the rest of the city to the sea.

ANALYSIS ::: BARROW IN FURNESS Movement currents

Walney Island. There is little activity in the housing areas and the coastal area of Barrow.

ANALYSIS ::: BARROW IN FURNESS Deprivation

worst 20%

worst 21-50%

worst 21-50%

Statistics show that the most deprivated area in Barrow is the coastal area and city centre. This is quite unfortunate because these areas naturally have a lot of potential attracting tourists and offering popular public spaces.

STRATEGY ::: BARROW IN FURNESS Diagram 1:5000

creating interest in the site attracting visitors

The site I chose Barrow’s northern industrial area as laboratory site. Because of the site’s industrial introverted nature, the site does not appeal to the people of the city. Beeing a purely industrial area, there are no activities and features to attract residents and tourists. It even forms a blockage to the city’s coastline wasting potential for keeping people in the city instead of loosing them to surrounding areas, e.g. Walney Island.

The site has to become more lively and extroverted in order to appeal to people and connect to the rest of the city. To maintain the productive character of the site, which is a clear difference to the rest of the city and an interesting feature to create dynamics, I want to turn the site into urban agricultural land.

1st Phase: Identifying suitable land for urban agriculture. Possibly cleaning polluted soils by running biomass production. Supplying infrastructure.

starting interaction with rest of the city

opening up of the water front

2nd Phase

3rd Phase

Starting smaller projects that involve people in the design and processes of the site. These could be school gardens, allotments, sponsorships, open-air events, outlets for produced products etc.

Having opened up the site to the public, the city’s coastline could be revaluated and boost Barrow’s attractiveness for visitors as well as its residents’ quality of life.

::: PRACTICE 2 ::: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 1 NINON WEBER Student Number: 11070601

MA/BLA Landscape Architecture Year 4/Level 7 Unit 14041002 14021103_Design Development 1

BARROW IN FURNESS Project Site : Northern Industrial belt /////////

54° 7’ 0” North, 3° 14’ 0” West

Town Barrow-in-Furness

Ward Hindpool

Project site

Norther part of Barrow’s industrial belt 32 ha

ANALYSIS Infrastructure

High percentage of large non-public parking lots for warehouses and retail units dissecting the area

of lack of viewshafts and discontinuous road layout

Existing but hidden well maintained footpath along Walney Channel. Foot connection to landscape in the North

ANALYSIS Green infrastructure

Green with high sojourn quality* Green with low sojourn quality* * due to planting quality, general open space design and quality of adjacent areas

ANALYSIS

Iron and Steel works, Grease and Oil works ware houses, factories, car retail

Iron and Steel works, Ship building yards

1950 - 1970 today

1931 - 1938

History and soil contamination

Zone of possible soil contamination Precedents for industries of this kind and railway use indicate a probable pollution with Heavy Metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn).

ANALYSIS Land use

ANALYSIS Views

VIEW OVER WALNEY CHANNEL WALNEY ISLAND AT HIGH TIDE

VIEW FROM FOOTPATH TO THE LAKE DISTRICT

TYPICAL STREET, EPHEMERAL ARCHITECTURE AND LARGE PARKING LOTS

TYPICAL STREET, DIFFICULT ORIENTATION

ANALYSIS Views

POSSIBLE INTERVENTION SITE 1

POSSIBLE INTERVENTION SITE 2

POSSIBLE INTERVENTION SITE 3

ANALYSIS CONCLUSION Challenges for Barrow’s industrial belt

DEPRIVATION

INTROVERTED CHARACTER

UNCLEAR STRUCTURE, ISOLATION

The Index of Multiple Deprivation shows that the

The majority of properties on the northern part of

The lack of viewshafts and the dissection of the

most deprived areas of Barrow-in-Furness are its

the industrial belt are warehouses, factories and car

area due to many large non-public properties make it hard for visitors to orient themselves. In

coastal zone and its city centre, with the coastal zone even being among the worst 3%.

The ward Hindpool, in which the project site is located, is in the bottom 10% of areas in England when it comes to employment, health and quality of living environment. Hindpool is the most densely built area and has little public and private green. Furthermore the area has the highest per-

and only infrastructural green with little sojourn

combination with the lack of attractions and the

quality. Merely two locations – Furness College and

general appearance of the deprived area this

a gym – have an attracting effect. Otherwise the

results in a general shunning of the site.

area does not appeal to any social or recreational needs and is therefore relatively scarcely frequented except for people who work there.

more attractive environment for the area particularly with regard to socially and economically disadvantaged people?

Walney Channel. This is unfortunate because the waterfront would have great potential for recreational use and public green which the area is underserved with at the moment.

But how can a landscape become a source of economic activity and vitality and a destination for the whole city?

least deprived

most deprived

orientation and the general appearance of the area, especially the infrastructure?

Because of its introverted character the industrial belt forms a barrier between the housing areas and

How can my project help create a healthier and

How can I create/modify structures to improve

public/extroverted

Deprivation, introvertedness and its unclear structure isolate Barrow’s industrial belt. To remain with the image of my personal proposition: The area is beyond the point of possible hybridization. It is so different in its character and in what it has to offer that it does not appeal to people and thus falls out of the city’s network of functional dynamics.

private/introverted

closed to public

semi public

ANALYSIS CONCLUSION Opportunities for Barrow’s industrial belt

SPACIOUS & HETEROGENEOUS

PRODUCTIVE SPIRIT

LOCATION

-

Being a planned town, Barrow-in-Furness is

The industrial belt is running along Barrow’s coast-

quite structured with many grid like streets and

ness in 1839 the coastal zone of Barrow is formed

line adjacent to Walney Channel. Walney Chan-

homogeneous districts. However, the indus-

by industrial land use. By the late 19th century,

nel is a 15 km long narrow stretch of shallow tidal

trial belt, repeatedly transformed over time,

Barrow was home to the largest steelworks in the

water separating Walney Island from Barrow-in-

presents a strong contrast to the rest of the

world. Today all original built fabric in the north-

Furness on England’s mainland. The channel dries

ern part of the industrial belt is gone, however, a

at low tide, which is an interesting dynamic feature.

its volume, form and alignment. The density

strong spirit of productiveness remains. This spirit

of the area is much lower, giving a feeling of

sets the area apart from the rest of the town and

spaciousness, which is not found often in the

has potential to offer unusual, interesting spaces.

rest of Barrow.

How can I retain or even emphasize the produc-

How can my project respond to the particular

tive character of the area but give it a strong social

spatial character of the area?

component, which is able to attract people?

At this point of time there are three large der-

What form of production can I introduce, which daily basis?

the Waterfront.

How can I make use of derelict spaces this -

Possible intervention site 1 2,4 ha

Possible intervention site 2 2,2 ha

Possible intervention site 3 1,9 ha

movement currents between Walney Island and Barrow – thus helping to integrate the industrial belt.

Nice views towards the Lake District and over Walney Channel give the site the potential to become a leisure location and green corridor, which would connect the South of the city to the rural landscape

elict spaces, which are also well situated near

row and creates necessary dynamics?

Restoring the old foot causeways would enable new

STRATEGY ::: 5 CELLS 1 BODY Integrating Barrow’s industrial belt via urban farming network

IDENTITIY ACTIVATION

SOCIAL RENEWAL

Creating awareness of the area. Making the industrial belt’s productive and unusual character accessible and relatable to people by giving chances for recreation and interaction. Thus integrating the area functionally into the dynamics and functional network of the city.

Helping people to access healthy, affordable food. Giving them the

ECONOMICAL ENHANCEMENT

ECOLOGICAL RENEWAL

Creating new jobs, e.g in farming, constructing and teaching. Giving chances for neighbourhood businesses to settle. This could be shops selling healthy lunches with locally produced food, bike shops for renting bikes to start off to the Lake District or any creative business

Using derelict and misused land to create and link green spaces, which improve biodiversity, wildlife migration and human environment. Production of organic food with few to no food miles and encouragement of cultivar diversity. Bioremediation of polluted areas and increasing awareness of soil functions.

area.

e.g. Aquaponics and closed circle sustainability. Giving them space to come together, interact and create in an unusual environment.

FRAMEWORK PLAN 1:1250 area

CELL 1 Bioremediation park Dynamic coppicing Wildlife habitat

Cell 2 Fruit trees Productive understory

Cell 3 Restored causeway + new stairs Mussel piles

Cell 4 Open market Aquaponic systems Windbreak belt Sart up space Gastronomy

Cell 5 Soil production, composting Seed production Bioremediation

PROGRAM ::: CELL 1 Recreation and Education

Wildlife habitat

Education Botany and Bioremediation Informel sports

Recreation

Phytoextraction

PROGRAM ::: CELL 2 Steering and Orientation

green link for wildlife

Fruit and nut trees as guideposts indicating way to main sites

Productive understory

PROGRAM ::: CELL 3 Tideland exploration

Mussel piles

Restored footbridge between Walney Island and Barrow Starting point to tideland hike

PROGRAM ::: CELL 4 Open Farm Communication, Distribution, Education

Closed circle sustaiability

Fruit Nutrients

Bee hive

Growing Aisles Produce sold on site

Education Interaction

Rainwater harvest

PROGRAM ::: CELL 5 Backup Soil and Seeds

Neighbourhood Compost Bank

Bioremediation

Seed production

CELL 4 ::: OPEN FARM Growing Aisles

Fruit Trees

Seating areas

Vegetables

Herbs

Permeable surface

Mound of cleaned soil

CELL 4 ::: OPEN FARM Fish Aisles

Phytoextraction of heavy metals through rotational planting Biomassproduction until soil is cleaned, subsequently food production

Water pumped from rainwater harvesting via pipes

Retention area for

Water pumped

::: PRACTICE 3 ::: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 2 NINON WEBER Student Number: 11070601

MA/BLA Landscape Architecture Year 4/Level 7 Unit 14041002 14021103_Design Development 2

DESIGN STATEMENT ::: 5 CELLS 1 BODY

A hybrid’s POTENTIAL LIES IN THE DIFFERENCE

between its initial elements.*

* The most potent hybrids are often those with the most different initial elements. They have the most potential when it comes to diversity, strength or to the ability to fascinate. However, there is a point of difference, at which the barriers between the elements are too strong making hybridization impossible.

When you transfer this image onto the human environment, you can observe a special form of hybridization. One, which is not physical, but functional and emotional. I base the principle of urban dynamic hybridity on the urban nuclei model, which shows that cities evolve in patterns of specialized zones, each with its own typical social, economic, aesthetic and structural DNA. People increasingly need and want different qualities in their lives – for example quite housing, educapresence, products, money and memory. This way the nuclei nourish from their differences and thus form a net of functional unities throughout the city. However, in cities there too is a point of difference, which is so extreme that it is destructive. The industrial belt in Barrow-in-Furness is one of these. It differs strongly in its urban structure, general character and land use from the rest of the city, which has a lot of potential to offer unusual and interesting places. However, its qualities How can Barrow’s industrial belt start hybridizing with the rest of the city?

Instead of trying to make it more conventional by proposing another housing area, business district or shopping mall, I see the solution in even strengthening the area’s differences. Since the beginnings of Barrow-in-Furness this area has been all about productiveness and creation. Today the former busyness of peopropose to build on this spirit by introducing a form of productive use, which has a strong social component: A network of diverse urban agriculture sites.

BIO CELL ::: REMEDIATION FIELDS DESIGN STATEMENT

Phytoremediation In the days of charcoal iron production in England, most woods in iron making regions were managed as coppices, usually being cut on a cycle of about 16 years. In this way, fuel could be provided for that industry, in principle, forever. Today resurrecting parts of this history – coppicing – could be the solution for the problems the iron industry caused: soils contaminated with heavy metals like Cadmium, Chromium, Copper or Zinc.

Coppicing is a necessary part in a biological process, which remediates contaminated soil: Phytoremediation. Plants are able to bioaccumulate toxins in their above-ground parts, which are then harvested for removal. The heavy metals in the harvested biomass may be further concentrated which are set out by weathered steel beams. These also act as a reminder of the site’s history of metal production.

Connection Through the site there will be an Observation footpath, which creates a new, clear link from the housing areas to the existing footpath along the channel, which connects the 5 cells and leads to the countryside. It also provides a new connection to the tideland of Walney Channel by ending in a staircase structure, which is inspired by the ironworks industrial towers. The extensive views in all directions from the different levels of the tower create a visual connection to Hindpool, Walney Island and the rest of the city, helps orientation and perceiving the cities identity from above.

Education corten steal beams is proposed. The changes can be observed from the footpath and especially 5 info-terminals along the observation footpath.

They show information about the project and the collected data but they can also be used to gather information about weather, hiking tracks,

the micro scale and create a new perception of the site.

Integration Together with the other cells, the Bio-Cell can help give the industrial belt a new identity of social, biological and educational productiveness and reintegrate the area into the city’s dynamic network of movement between its different nuclei.

Observation line and footpath

coppicing strategy

Existing topography

BIO CELL ::: PLANTING DESIGN PLANTING PLAN

A

B

C

D

1

2 E

3

4

F

G

H

I

5

6

Existing vegetation Pine and Hawthorn remains

All trees are to be planted in rows, where they take turns and have a distance of 1,5m from each other. All trees have to be min. 150cm tall, 10-12cm girth, root balls.

A1 111 Salix exigua / 111 Betula pendula

B1 138 Salix exigua / 138 Alnus glutinosa

C1 142 Salix exigua / 142 Alnus glutinosa

D1 160 Salix exigua / 160 Alnus glutinosa

A2 83 Salix exigua / 83 Betula pendula

B2 138 Populus B-81 / 138 Alnus glutinosa

C2 133 Populus B-81 / 133 Alnus glutinosa

D2 133 Populus B-81 / 133 Alnus glutinosa

A3 58 Salix exigua / 58 Betula pendula

B3 145 Populus B-81 / 145 Alnus glutinosa

C3 133 Populus B-81 / 133 Alnus glutinosa

D3 133 Populus B-81 / 133 Alnus glutinosa

A4 62 Salix exigua / 62 Betula pendula

B4 86 Populus B-81

C4 95 Populus B-81 / 95 Alnus glutinosa

D4 98 Populus B-81

B5 115 Populus B-81

C5 116 Populus B-81

D6 88 Populus B-81

E1 68 Populus B-81 / 68 Betula pendula

F4 66 Populus B-81 / Betula pendula

G4 88 Populus B-81 / Betula pendula

H4 115 Populus B-81 / Betula pendula

E2 106 Populus B-81 / 106 Betula pendula

F5 124 Populus B-81

G5 136 Populus B-81

H5 119 Populus B-81

E3 64 Populus B-81 / 64 Betula pendula

F6 24 Populus B-81

G6 61 Populus B-81

H6 58 Populus B-81

E4 36 Populus B-81 E6 30 Populus B-81

I4 128 Populus B-81 / 128 Betula pendula I5 68 Populus B-81 / 68 Betula pendula I6 23 Populus B-81 / 23 Betula pendula

BIO CELL ::: PLANTING DESIGN DESIGN STATEMENT

were selected, which have shown good success for heavy metal tolerance and uptake. They either are hyper-accumulators or high biomass plants, so they are able to absorb high quantities of toxins from the soil.

Stage 1 : lock it up combinations: Betula pendula with the super-accumulator Populus B-81, Salix exigua with Alnus glutinosa, Populus B-81 and Alnus glutinosa and Salix exigua with Betula pendula.

The roots of the trees lockup the heavy metals and inhibit further leaching.

Stage 2 : remove and append Now the trees start to take up the toxins and store them in the plant tissue: Heavy metals start the soil’s fertility. The coppice strategy, which schedules the intervals and subjects of the

turns with a gap of 3-5 years to increase the general height, but also the diversity of heights, a sheltered space in the middle. The wood produce can be used to generate heat and energy for the buildings and technology in the other project cells, surplus can be sold.

Stage 3: alternate Data about the contamination levels of the soil are continuously collected and presented.

The mono-cultures and partnerships including the super-accumulant Populus B-81 aim on cleaning the soil in a relatively short period of time. As soon as the levels in the lower soil layers have become non-hazardous, stage 3 is reached and the Poplars can be removed by perennials, which also have the ability to take up heavy metals, e.g. Helianthus annuus or Brassica juncea. These new additions add further interst and more rapid visual change during the vegetation period and over the years. They have to be harvested and removed before the winter, so the toxins do not return into the soil.

Stage 4: open up

which then can be designed to be accessible for everyday human use. Because there were meadow, which can be used for sunbathing and play.

Stage 5: reconsider the dimensions of time. It can be presumed though that it will take one or many decades. In this time the surroundings of the site could change in their form and use. Maybe the business will open, that could be framed or should be concealed. Reaction to the surrounding issues establish a moldable, dynamic equilibrium.

BIO CELL ::: PLANTING DESIGN COPPICE STRATEGY