The Living Landscape The emanation of the commons
K u Le u v e n U n i v e r s i t y, Facult y O f Architecture, Campus Sint Lucas, Brussels
Pooja Thoria
Tu t o r s Patrick Moyersoen Jasmien Wouters Petra P ferdmenges
Designer’s
note
Unifications affirms the rights of the individual to the natural landscape and speaks to the responsibility of the city to care for the natural systems sustaining life. This project is meant to serve as an example of how collective action projects about farming can lead to bring together commons to one place. I hope this project provokes conversations surrounding the ways in which our cities develop, and how the collective action projects can initiate an atmosphere of social and ecological harmony. Let us begin a new conversation about collective actions, community involvement and quality of life. Let us design a new city that speaks to the human experience. And let us start this conversation on the micro-level by discussing the potential of urban farming initiative in Maximillian Park, Brussels. Thank you for joining the conversation, Pooja Thoria
Project
Narrative
01.
The sit e
04 - 05
02.
Prop o s a l s cheme
06 - 08
03.
Sit e a nd t he cit y
09 - 11
04.
Pla nning o f s p a ces
12 - 22
05.
Lay e rs o f t he b uilt fo r m
23 - 25
06.
S m a l ler element s o f t he s it e
26 - 26
About the site
Wall of insecurity
Maximillian park located in the Business district of Brussels has become home to many refugees in the area which has lead the park deserted by the commons around the place.
The s i t e
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Observations
Gare du Nord
Business complexes
Regular straightforward routine movement from the station to the offices
Student housing Wall of insecurity
Maximillian park
Creation of insecurity towards the park in terms of safety
Super market
Housing
Presence of just one supermarket in the neighborhood The s i te
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Objective The project aims to create a community place for the residents of the neighborhood inviting a range of public/collective activities in order to break the monotony of the corporate neighborhood and generate opportunities for people to interact. It would provide a space for cultivating vegetables and fruits which would be utilized by the farmer’s market and serve the proposed cafe within the community place. The place would also organize activities and workshops like culinary arts for interactive learning as well reinforcing the existence of the place itself. With a philanthropic perspective, the food cultivated in the yard would be serving the needs of the immigrants which are residing within the neighborhood. The project through it programmatic structure, intends to build an atmosphere of social and ecological harmony.
Collection
Growing fields
Multipurpose space
Cafe
Market
Meeting places
Fig 01 - Proposed activities (Production/Consumption)
Pro pos a l s ch e m e
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The living productive landscape for the future
Fig 02 - Different components of the site
Pro pos a l s ch e m e
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Production / comsumption cycle
Built form as a place for comsumption
Void as an binding space
Open fields for production
Fig 03 - Layers of production / comsumption cycle
Pro pos a l s ch e m e
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Evolution of the consumption block
A rectangular mass of block
Removing a part of block in order to respond to the site context
Chamfering the roof surface to integrate with the ground plane
Extracting parts from the mass to create inside / outside connection
Roof used as a production surface and green space
Fig 04 - Evolution of the built form
Pro pos a l s ch e m e
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Integrating the volume with the site
Si te a n d t h e ci t y
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Retaining the openness in the vertical landscape
Fig 05 - Isometric of the site
Si te a n d t h e ci t y
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07
04 06
Entry 05 04
09 10
03
04 08 04
08
Entry
04 01 02 08
Entry
Site plan 01. Multipurpose space 02. Organic cafe
Pl anni n g of s pa c e s
03. Open gathering space 04. Growing fields
shared spaces for all
05. Pavillion 06. Water harvesting pond
07. Park 08. Existing trees
09. Green house 10. Compost area
N Scale - 1:750
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Fig 06 - Gateway to the common’s land
Pl anni n g of s pa c es
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Front elevation -
Pl anni n g of s pa c e s
An inviting facade (transparency) in midst of trees
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Pl anni n g of s pa c es
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Fig 07 - The walk towards the building through the cultivation fields
Pl anni n g of s pa c es
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Fig 08 - A pavillion in-between the fields
Pl anni n g of s pa c es
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A’ B
06 08
05
07
04
01 02
03
Entry
B’
A
Plan 01. Courtyard 02. Multi purpose space
Pl anni n g of s pa c e s
03. Organic cafe 04. Deck
inside spaces
05. Semi-open sitting 06. Storage
07. Shared gardening 08. Toilets
N Scale - 1:200
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Fig 09 - Shared spaces in and around the built mass
Pl anni n g of s pa c e s
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S e c t i o n A A’
0
5
Pl anni n g of s pa c e s
15
30m
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0
5
15
30m
Section BB’
Pl anni n g of s pa c es
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Fig 10 - An indulging atmosphere for all
Pl anni n g of s pa c e s
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Skin of the built mass
Production skin - Green roof
Inside skin - Brick and glass walls
Exterior skin - Wooden structure
Fig 11 - Three layers combined together to form an inviting and transparent facade on either sides
Layers of th e b u ilt fo r m
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Wall section 01
Open area
Semi - open space
Courtyard
Purlins Coping
Vegetation
Fascia
Growing medium Plywood 75mm
Built- up curb
Lvl +3.5m
Wooden beam 300 x 200 mm
Tie beam 200 x 150 mm
Lvl +0.9m
Lvl +0.15m
Lvl +0.00m
Lvl +0.0m Circulation passage Plinth beam
Sc a le - 1 :2 0 Layers of th e b u ilt fo r m
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Wall section 02
Closed space
Vegetation Purlins
Fascia
Growing medium Plywood 75mm
Wooden structure
Aluminium frame
Glass par tition
Wood bracing
Lvl +0.15m
Multipurpose space
Plinth beam
Wooden deck
Sc a le - 1 :2 0 Layers of th e b u ilt fo r m
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Smaller elements of the site
Composts
Phytodepuration - A natural way to depollute wastewater
Rain water harvesting system Small e r e l e m e n t s o f t he s it e
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A
p l a c e
f o r
s h a r i n g
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Pooja Thoria Master of Architecture p o oj a ro hitb ha i.tho ria @stud ent. k uleu ven .be