The living landscape

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