mowing to growing

openfabric

francesco garofalo, barbara costantino, matteo bettoni mowing to growing, productive green space in cities competition_ may 2010

dufferent solutions for different building types productive parasite

Food production will colonize the city with different solutions that respond to the wide range of building typologies that characterize the American city. For smaller typologies, a parasite is added to the building to bring new space for agriculture. For bigger typologies, a matrix of typologies are composed to form new levels. The composition of the levels, can be various: agriculture, agriculture and residential, agriculture and offices. Old program is now mixed with food production for a new type of mixed use.

TYPOLOGIES_parasite TYPOLOGIES_layering + working and producing

producing

living and producing

+

PLANTING from the White House kitchen garden

broccoli

butterhead lettuce

carrots

chamomile

chard

chives

cilantro

collards

dill

fennel

garlic chives

green oakleaf lettuce hyssop

kale

lettuce

marjoram

onions

oregano

parsley

parsley

red oakleaf lettuce

red romain lettuce

rhubarb

rosemary

sage

shallot

shell peas

sugar snap peas

thyme

spinach

1025

food production back to cities 1_agriculture from countryside to cities 2_adapt cities to global warming 3_involve citizens with food orientated agriculture 4_economic and ecological improovment (due to reduced transport) 5_use of urban organic waste for agriculture 6_reuse of irrigation water

-1oC

water

2010 transportation

waste

food production and ecology

nature as a reference seeds

2050

80

matrix

80% of the Nation's consumptive water use goes for agricoltural use

(or more in 60 60% some cases) of all

2

2% of America’s food is locally grown

of every dollar’s 12 12% worth of food consumed at home comes from transportation costs

municipal waste is organic matter

+1.5°c

+1.5°c increased temperature in American cities from 1900 till now

-5o

differentiation

sunflower

typologies

water

rotation

waste

transportation

global warming

To bring agricultural production back to the American city means to change the American city. Our proposal is a strategy, a long term strategy, where green production colonizes the urban fabric aiming to recover the space that the city stole.

colonization overgrowth

The contemporary city offers a wide range of urban voids: vertical surfaces, roofs and unused spaces in which agriculture could easily find a place to be. However, solving the major ecological issues of water consumption, the reuse of organic waste, the reduction of food transportation and global warming will require more than the leftovers of the urban fabric. Agriculture must become a fundamental part of urban life if we are to offer a foundation for real change.

A strategy of green colonization is a process that will evolve as natural dynamics do. Seeds, movement, biodiversity and overgrowth became the reference for a new urban dynamic in which matrix, typologies, rotation and colonization are the main actors.

MATRIX matrix for a new urbanity working

production

living

The matrix works as seeds do for plants: adaption and mutation generates different typologies which produce a diverse and various environment. The matrix is a collection of cubes inserted into existing buildings, the cube itself has a shape which is flexible to adapt to different structural systems and dimensions. They can be living units, working units and agricultural production units, which together form a matrix for a new urbanity, changing the existing situation into a farm type urban setting.

february

march

april

may

june

july

august

sept.

october

nov.

december

new level-type old level-type residencial offices agro-production

january

peas level_18,19,20 radishes level_15,16,17 level_14

NOW I KNOW WHERE OUR FOOD COMES FROM...

kale level_11,12,13 chard

level_8,9,10

level_7 radishes level_4,5,6 level_3 level_2 level_1

ROTATION retail

half sun

living

growth

harvest rotation

growth

+

harvest

shade

half shade

sun

offices

growth

void

=

rotation

In nature, planting species are able to turn themselves to face the sun, for a better orientation. In the same way, in the layering typologies, the levels can rotate and move along rails providing the agriculture production a better efficiency. In mixed use typologies, the living and working matrix will also rotate giving the food production units a functional supremacy. The rotation will cause infinite variety in the facades with the buildings adjusting themselves inline the seasons - a temporal variety as in nature.

harvest

can a building change with seasons?

january

february

march

april

may

june

july

august

september

october

november

december

A AA

A AA

A A AA A A

A A AA AA

AAA A A A B BB

AAA A A A AAA A A A B B BB B B B B BB B B

A AA BBB B B B C CC

BBB B B B C C CC CC

BBB B B B B BB C C C C C C CCC C C C CCC C C C CCC C C C DDD D D DD D D D D D D D D

C CC DDD D D D E E E

DDD D D D DDD D D D DDD E E EE E E E E E E E E EEE E E E EEE E E E F F F F F FF FF

A AA BB B

BB B

B B B BB B

B BB

B BB CC C

CC C

C C C CC C

C CC

C CC DD D

DD D

D D D DD D

D DD

D DD EE E

typology A

EE E

E E E EE E

E EE

E EE FF F

TYPOLOGY LINE

FF F

F F F FF F

F FF

F FF GG G

typology B

GG G

typology C

typology D

BBB

BBB CCC

CCC

CCC DDD

DDD

DDD E E E

typology E

E E E

E E E F F F

F F F

F F F GGG

GGG

GGG

COLONIZATION With time all building types will become hybrids that provide food, re-use the water needed for irrigation, whilst retaining existing program. Little by little the green colonization will reduce food transport from country side to cities changing radically the agricultural production system.

the green colonisation_ a processual vision

typology F TIME LINE

typology G typology A B C D E F G bulding building typology

colonization food production residential/commercial residential/commercial water waterre-use re-use colonisation phase food production

G GG