ROOFSCAPES - A Pilot Project in Karachi.

Roofscapes.

A PILOT PROJECT IN KARACHI

2018-19 maib34 - Asia studio - Hypertransformations www.internationalmasterofarchitecture.be Tutors : Martine De Maeseneer Caroline Newton Asiya Sadiq

martine.demaeseneer@kuleuven.be caroline.newton@kuleuven.be asiya.sadiq@kuleuven.be

Students : Nicolas Ronchetti Simon Desimpelaere

nicolas.ronchetti@student.kuleuven.be nicoronchetti@hotmail.com simon.desimpelaere1@student.kuleuven.be simon_desimpelaere@hotmail.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

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ISSUES OF KARACHI

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IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN

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Site choice

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concept

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Design proposal

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AFTERTHOUGHT

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Preface Karachi, a megacity with more than 23 million inhabitants. No other developing city in the world is growing and densifying as rapidly as Karachi. One of the biggest threats facing Pakistan, and especially Karachi because of it’s maritime location, is the possibility of climate change and its environmental impacts. These impacts are very likely to destabilize the city of Karachi, which is considered to bethe economic backbone of the country.

Every year Karachi suffers from flooding, droughts, extreme heat events and rising sea levels. For instance, dense cities such as Karachi are more susceptible to heat waves due to a phenomena known as the “Urban heat island effect”, which causes temperatures to be 5-8°C higher than on the countryside. The impact of the climate change will only get worse, year after year. People are suffering and are in urgent need of sustainable solutions in the city.

In addition to this, there is a growin need for safe collective spaces in the city.

This pilot project aims to awaken a desire to work towards a sustainable community, focused on making life easier and safer for the residents, while providing solutions for the impacts of climate change.

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ISSUES OF KARACHI Being a megacity, Karachi has to deal with a lot of challenges. Having over 23 million inhabitants at the time of this project, housing and sustainable living circumstances are problematic. We decided, however, to focus on the effect that global warming has on these cities. In Karachi, the effects of global warming are even worse due to the proximity to the sea, the climate, the dense population...This chapter deals with these particular challenges.

/ KARACHI AS A MEGACITY

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/ LOCATION AND CLIMATE Karachi is a city lying on the Pakistani coast of the Arabian sea.

Characteristic features of these climate zone are very high solar radiation and very low relative air humidity of 10-50%. Also typical for these zones is a low amount of precipitation, often occurring as short strong rain falls.

As we will see further on, a megacity in this kind of climate is closely related to the impacts of climate change. / POPULATION

Karachi density. This frame shows approx.

20 million people

Rapid growth in population

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/ CLIMATE CHANGE

While predictions and projections are often quite uncertain and variable, it is a growing consensus that the global climate is changing. Average temperatures are rising and extreme weather conditions like droughts, extreme heat waves and flooding events are occurring more often. It has become clear that human influence is largely responsible for these changes.

We have, for example, strongly increased the amount of green house gases and thus increased the green house effect, which holds energy in the atmosphere. This in turns increased temperatues on earth.

Fig: average global temperature is rising

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There is a strong link between climate change and megacities. In 2008, less than 3% of the earth’s surface was occupied by urban areas, even though these areas are inhabited by more than 50% of the world’s population. This rapid urbanization is mainly occurring in developing countries where massive demographic shifts have enormous implications in terms of poverty, natural resources and the environment. This should be alarming because these developing countries are the least equipped to adapt to the possible consequences of climate change.

The present response to these climate challenges are geared towards mitigation and adaptation.

Mitigation refers to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and their capture and storage.

Adaptation means reducing the vulnerability of a system (e.g. a city) to the impacts of anticipated climate change. Mitigation and adaptation together result in resilience, which is what megacities such as Karachi should strive towards in combatting climate change and its consequences.

Our preliminary research mainly focuses on some of the important impacts of climate change in Karachi, being droughts, sea level rise, extreme heat events and flooding. Having a better understanding of this would give us a better overview and idea of possible solutions towards a resilient city.

“The resilience of any population group to climate change interacts with its resilience to other dynamic pressures, including economic change, conflict, and violence.”

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/ DROUGHT

Droughts are caused by a lack of sufficient rainfall. They can be short and sharp, or prolonged. Within this context, 2 focus areas are being considered.

/ PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY

In Karachi, 90% of the water is supplied by the KW&SB (Karachi water & sewerage board). This water is provided through pipelines and tankers.

The remaining 10% is provided by groundwater.

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This system is already under great stress. Although the basic cost of piped water is low, the indirect costs are unreasonably high. In addition to this, the phenomenal increase in population creates an even bigger demand in water, which can’t be fulfilled.

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Looking at the water demand in Karachi, we can see a shortage in the water supply. Even in times of minimum water demand (2872 million liters) the supply doensn’t provide enough water. There is thus a constant water shortage.

An additional factor is the Hub river / dam service area which is at risk.

This system should provide 5 million inhabitants with water, but recent events (1995 - 2003) show that this dam knows periods without being filled up.

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/ URBAN FARMING AND AGRICULTURE

Karachi lies at the edge of a hinterland which creates a possibility for a complex agro-urban comples, using urban wastes to support the production of a big part of the food supply need for the urban population.

But in regards to this rural Karachi, there are 2 serious resource management challenges: - The rapid lowering of the groundwater level caused by waterintensive farming, over-abstraction and other factors.

- The uncontrolled sand mining and extraction which is often unregulated and can lead to the destruction of the aquifer.

Some places have already reached critically low levels. This can lead to more issues such as salt seawater intrusion.

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/ ASSESSING DROUGHTS IN THE FUTURE

The probability of a drought affecting Karachi would depend upon how much rain falls, how long are periods of rainfall, and how sensitive the supply-demand balance for various service areas is to drought.

A drought scenario will not bring a crisis, it may aggravate an already existing crisis.

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/ SEA LEVEL RISE Climate change, and in particular global warming, cause the sea temperate to heat up and thus expands, which in turn makes the sea level rise. Since Karachi has a pronounced maritime geographical location, the city will probably be susceptible to land flooding caused by the rising sea levels.

This is very problematic for a megacity with a poor population.

/ Data and projections

From 1993 - 2003, Karachi witnessed a sea level rise of 3,1mm per year on average. It has also been found that tropical cyclones are related to rising sea levels.

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/ FOCUS AREAS AND STRATEGY Sea level rise can have some worrysome consequences for Karachi.

Some of these include:

- People at risk: exposure and vulnerability

Karachi has a lot of fishing communities along the coastline. The share of fisheries in GDP is only 0,3%, but they support a significant human livelihood.

Estimations show that around 130.000 people depend on fisheries.

- Infrastructure at risk: public and private

Public installations such as the nuclear power plant, harbor, water treatment plant and naval installations are at risk of being damaged by sea level rise. Disruption of these installations even for a day can have disastrous economic consequences.

In terms of private installation, lots of residential, commercial and recreational areas have been built along the coastline, without giving much thought to the impact on the ecosystem.

- Destruction of ecosystems

Irreversible damage to ecosystems such as the mangroves, which are being turned into mudflats or filled for urban development, which is often low-elevation, so at high risk for storm surges and rising sea levels.

The Sandspit / Hawksbay habitat of seaturtles is threatened.

The destruction of ecosystems elevates the chances of tropical cyclones and urban flooding.

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/ FLOODING Climate change can bring about short but extreme moments of rainfall, which the sewerage and piping systems of Karachi cannot handle. On top of that, the drains are easily blocked by drains or covered up by encroachments.

Encroachments and squatter settlements on the bed and along the banks of the Malir River are major cause of flooding.

In context to this, an important aspect is preparedness to flooding. How well is Karachi prepared in case the nala’s or sewers overflow?

-Possible impacts of flooding

Vulnerable communities such as the Katchi abadis, low lying localities and hill settlements are at grave danger in case of flooding. Secondly, flooding can cause direct damage to property and infrastructure, and can cause contamination and diseases from flood and sewer water. Ultimately, flooding can lead to the forced relocation of certain communities, which is never a good thing and can create social unrest.

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The flood probability is usually expressed as a return period, or as an annual percentage that may be altered as climate change may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weater. So in the future it’s possible that a flooding will occur with a possible greater intensity.

Karachi thus needs spatial planning, improved flood defences and drainage systems, flood storage areas as well as green spaces which act as natural defences.

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/ EXTREME HEAT EVENTS Climate change in megacities located in sub saharan areas, like Karachi, means there will be more frequent and intense extreme heat events such

/ DATA AND TRENDS During the last century, the average temperature in Pakistan has increased by 0,6째C. According to projections, the temperature will increase by 2,52,8째C in 2050 and by almost 4째C in 2080. This is way higher than the expected global increase by the end of the century (around 3째C).

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A great example of such extreme heat events was the heat wave that hit Pakistan in 2015. During that period a maximum temperature of 44,8°C was measured, with a heat index of 66°C due to the low air pressure and wind speed, and high relative humidity.

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/ CRITICAL CHALLENGES

There are some critical challenges in relation to extreme heat events

- Major gaps in understanding overheating risks and priority areas - General shrinking green cover in Karachi - A transport infrastructure that focuses on using private vehicles - High water and energy losses during transmission - Water usage. With heat events comes increased water usage from a system already under stress ( as seen under /DROUGHT)

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/ URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT (UHI) The urban heat island effect is the phenomenon where air temperatures are higher in cities than in surrounding rural areas. This is especially true for megacities like Karachi, with a huge population and industry.

This difference amounts to 1-3°C for the average city and can even be as high as 12°C. Possible contributors to the UHI are

- the low albedo and high heat capacity of built-up surfaces (concrete, asphalt) - the lack of vegetation -the density of a city - the urban morphology, which dictates wind passing through: the urban canyon effect.

Also, a megacity like Karachi has lots of transport congestion and industrial emissions of green house gases, which enhance the UHI.

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/ SOME FACTORS THAT PLAY A ROLE IN THERMAL COMFORT

- Density and height of buildings: higher density causes higher temperatures.

- Vegetation has a higher cooling effect with taller buildings. There is a difference between the type and amount of green.

- Vegetation is more effective with higher temperatures and lower RH - Vegetation on the ground is more effective than green roofs - Green roofs are more effective in terms of cooling load of buildings and more important in cities with no available space - The albedo of construction materials plays a big role

In the next chapter, we will go deeper into using greenery as a solution to the urban heat island effect, while also helping preventing floods.

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/ UHI CASE STUDY TEHRAN

A case study has been done analysing the mitigation of the UHI in the city of Tehran, Iran. In order to conduct this research, a little part of the city was chosen to analyse.

3 scenarios were proposed:

1. In the first scenario concrete materials with an albedo of 0.3 were replaced by concrete with coating (albedo 0.85). Same thing happened for asphalt and soil, which were replaced by brighter and lighter variants with higher albedos.

2. In the second case 44% of the area was covered with vegetation (ground and roofs).

3. A hybrid version of the above scenarios

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Results: Scenario 1 decreased the overall temperature by around 1K, scenario 2 saw a reduction of 2-3K during the day and 3-4K during nighttime, while scenario 4 caused a reduction of more than 4K. This shows that greenery in the city has a high impact on reducing the extreme heat situations a megacity can experience and that combined with the use of high albedo materials a pleasant environment can be achieved.

Of course this raises the question if all this green is worth the water usage needed for it. A possible solution could be the use of waste water for irrigation.

It has been shown that a reduction of the maximum temperature with with 2-3K reduces energy consumption by 5-10%.

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IMPLEMENTION OF GREEN Adding more green to the city seems to be one of the most efficient solutions to the urban heat island effect and flooding events. In addition to this, greenery in the city improves the mental health of citizens and promotes the use of public urban space.

/ GREEN IN KARACHI

Green has been vanishing and with it its cooling effect on the city. The greater cause for alarm is the rate at which these already minimal green spaces are disappearing. The rate of deterioration of green cover is dramatic after 2000 when extensive development activities started in the transportation sector.

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/ GREEN AS A SOLUTION TO HEAT Urban vegetation can cool the city through 2 main processes: shading and evapotranspiration.

There are different types of urban vegetation:

- Parks and gardens

- Greenery in the streets

- Green facades

- Green rooftops

- Bioswales -...

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/ WATER MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE Next to the addition of more green to the city, water management infrastructures have an impact on heat and UHI. Replacing traditional concrete piping infrastructure by green and blue alternatives will help in cooling the surroundings.

Regarding the stress on water use, it could be benefitial for the residents to try to collect as much rainwater as possible. Current trends related to climate change make monsoon periods less frequent and rainfall less common, but in case of rain, lots of water could be harvested.

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/ URBAN FARMING A green strategy that could be benefitial for a city like Karachi is urban farming, the process in which people grow crops in the city. Karachi is surrounded by agricultural land and has a rich history in agriculture.

On top of being green, urban farming is a way of socializing and forming a sustainable community.

This can happen on facades and rooftops, since there is a serious lack of space in Karachi.

Experiment done at school to illustrate the low-cost and efficiency of a green wall

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Site choice

At this point it was clear to us that we wanted to tackle the potential flooding and extreme events by providing more green and water harvesting in the city. Our attention went to facades and rooftops, in particular. The aim is to provide a prototype project in a small area and analyse the effects of our interventions.

The chosen area is a zone located in Burns Road, in the center of Karachi.

/ BURNS ROAD

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“I was overwhelmed when I first got to Burns Road. My senses could not cope with the countless details all around me. One minute I was waddling amidst cages of live poultry, getting blood and feathers on my slippers and the next I was right next to the searing flames of a kebab stall while the traffic blared past just inches from my face.�

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/ FACTS AND FIGURES

Burns Road is a residential and commercial area located in the center of Karachi. It is often referred to as the Walhalla of streetfood in Karachi, since you can find foodstalls and hawkers everywhere on the streets. They are the most prominent feature of Burns Road.

Most of these eating places are 50 years old and serve the most traditional foods Karachi has to offer.

All life happens on the streets. People eat, drink, socialize between the glaring traffic.

Children play. The streets seem very chaotic, but are in fact orderly in their own way. Still, this doesn’t mean this living space is safe. There is still a lack of collective safe spaces.

This is also why we are going deeper in the social aspects of Burns Road, in order to come to a sustainable rooftop system.

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/ SOCIAL CONDITIONS

Dominant land use and consequent street condition

Commercial use on the groundfloor with apartments on top. Residential streetsare mostly used for recreation, economic and social activities like children playing, parking of cars and socializing. 40% of the children play on the streets and 55% play in the nearby area level park

Privacy

Fair, the unplanned house extensions have lead to a breach of privacy as one neighbour can look into the adjacent houses. Residents don’t seem to be bothered by it and manage by putting curtains or blinds.

Sense of belonging to community

95% have a strong sense of belonging to the community, and almost 100% of the residents have been living in the area since childhood and have developed strong social ties.

Community center

60% of the residents believed that there is no requirement for a community center

Advantages of location

Proximity to the city centre and work + family proximity & social networks

Disadvantages of location

Poor infrastructure conditions (85%) / security issues (38%)

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concept

Our initial conceptual approach was to provide more green collective spaces by making the rooftops available to the citizens. Up until now, rooftops are barely used: some private storage or as private spaces during summer. In any case they are not green, and this is a missed oppurtunity to cool down the city while providing more usable space.

/ SELF-SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES The initial concept is to create a self-sustainable micro-community in this neighbourhood that can maintain itself by independent effort. This is realized by utilizing the rooftops as extra useable spaces.

Our starting point are the residents. They, and in particular children and women, are in need of safe collective spaces. We tried incorporating the streetscapes with all different kinds of activities happening in the buildings and the roofscapes. Additionally, we still kept the intention of making this space as green as possible to combat the impacts of climate change. This was done by approaching the project from 3 different perspectives

- Ecological approach - Social approach - Economical approach

The residents need an incentive to participate in such project: doing urban farming on the roofs should provide them with food or money in case they sell it, extra space on the roofs can be rented out or used as own storage.

As long as there is some kind of profit to be had by the residents while complementing the community, this project works.

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/ ACCESSIBILITY OF ROOFTOPS We then started looking into ways of getting residents onto the roofs. A main option was the use of the ever present courtyards. A courtyard is an element which is widely used in these countries and is of great architectural value.

Light is able to enter and natural ventilation occurrs. Using the commercial ground level of buildings, people can access the inner courtyards and get up to the roofs.

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Current section

Proposed section

A low-lying roof can be found in this zone, which prompted us to envision a safe playground for kids.

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Design proposal

In order to get to a safe, green and self-sufficient city, we propose an intervention which will happen in multiple steps. The idea is to make rooftops accessible which creates open spaces for the people and offers multiple possibilities to combat the urban heat problems. These rooftops are then divided into clusters to give a meaning to the residents to provide for themselves while creating a safe and collective space for everyone.

ROOFTOP CLUSTERS

INTRO The social approach is one of the three crucial aspects to achieve a self-sufficient community. A community will become more self-sufficient when there is a substantial amount of cohesiveness between the local residents. In our design proposal we specifically focused on the local residents, especially women, living above the shops and restaurants in Burns Road. The enormous lack of green in open and collective spaces has a serious negative impact on their daily lives.

The rooftops are provided with open and collective spaces for defined community activities as it encourages socio-cultural integration. These open and collective spaces include recreational facilities and are designed in that way local residents can easily gather together. The fundamental idea of these spaces is that they should be covered with a large amount of greenery, where the local residents can unwind after being in the noisy and vibrant streets of Burns Road. In these open and collective spaces social, but also religious events can be organized. The spatial interventions will encourage social interaction, better communication and a friendlier environment among the local residents. This interactivity between the residents will foster good relationship and trust. Eventually, trust translates to a safer neighbourhood.

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Incremental growth of the clusters

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AXONOMETRIC VIEW CLUSTER #1 BURNS ROAD - KARACHI S 1:75

AXONOMETRIC SECTION CLUSTER #1 BURNS ROAD - KARACHI S 1:60

ELEVATION VIEW CLUSTER #1 BURNS ROAD - KARACHI S 1:50

SOCIAL APPROACH

Local residents Open & collective spaces

INTRO The social approach is one of the three crucial aspects to achieve a self-sufficient community. A community will become more self-sufficient when there is a substantial amount of cohesiveness between the local residents. In our design proposal we specifically focused on the local residents, especially women, living above the shops and restaurants in Burns Road. The enormous lack of green in open and collective spaces has a serious negative impact on their daily lives.

The rooftops are provided with open and collective spaces for defined community activities as it encourages socio-cultural integration. These open and collective spaces include recreational facilities and are designed in that way local residents can easily gather together. The fundamental idea of these spaces is that they should be covered with a large amount of greenery, where the local residents can unwind after being in the noisy and vibrant streets of Burns Road. In these open and collective spaces social, but also religious events can be organized. The spatial interventions will encourage social interaction, better communication and a friendlier environment among the local residents. This interactivity between the residents will foster good relationship and trust. Eventually, trust translates to a safer neighbourhood.

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LOCAL RESIDENTS Population density

1100 people per hectare

Average household size

8,5

Average families per plot

Average built up floors Average apartment floor size Typology groundfloor

3 Mostly extended families Groundfloor +3 or +4 66m2 Commercial / economical activities

€ Average income per household

Rs. 8000 - 87€

“All houses have developed incrementally accomodating 2-3 generations and most people know each other.”

MEN GOING TO WORK 32% - Works within 2km of Burns Road 68% - Travel to get to and from work

They don’t have enough time for social interaction on week days

The street as interface between private & public

THE CONDITION OF THE HOUSES The condition of the houses

The narrow roads are used for small gatherings and functions

- Houses have streets on the front and back - Share a common wall with houses next door and stand as row houses - Most of the houses are designed around spill over spaces for different activities - All the houses are reinforced cement concrete structures: British-built yellow limestone buildings, interspersed with gray concrete blocks of mid 20thcentury brutalist architecture

- Children use the street in the evenings as a play space

70% of the children with an age over 14 play on streets unsupervised 60% of the children with an age under 14 play in neighborhood playgrounds and parks

- Men use it to hang around - Women are not found socializing on the streets - Streets are often used for marriages ceremonies

7% Of the residents say that they earned additional income through having a shop in the house, renting a portion of the house or having tuitions and tailoring activities within their houses

OPEN SPACES & THEIR USE Rooftops, courtyards and other such outdoor spaces within the houses are important for lightning, ventilation and relief purposes in the hot weather.

Of the population believed that the locality requires properly designed recreation spaces that cater to all age groups

Thus frequent usage and activity is observed in the area level park and it is well utilized.

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MEN

Under 40

37% of the families have one working male member and 27% of the households have 2 working male members 40% - Private jobs

Teacher, maid, hospital staff, driver, laboratory in charge

31% - Labor Tailoring, embroidery, beautician

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20-30 yea

60+ years

UNDER 40 YE

(57% OF POP

Over the next ten to fifteen years the further extension

A large percentage of the locality is occupied by gives the area a sense of belonging and histo values and as

WOMEN

r 40 years old

0 years old

years old

0 YEARS OLD

OPULATION)

84% of the households have no women working (women are mostly home during the day and involved in daily chores)

rs there would be a great demand for nsions of houses

pied by new communities. The older community d history, whereas the new one brings in new and aspiration

DELHI WALLAHS - STREETFOOD The majority of the people in this middle class neighborhood are Mohajirs (refugees) who migrated from India (especially Delhi) after the independence of Pakistan. They call themselves Delhi Wallahs, the ‘Ones from Delhi’.

Most of the shopowners in Burns Road are these Mohajirs from India serving their traditional streetfood from their home country.

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GREEN VEGETATION

GRASS LAWNS

SHADED SITTING PLACES

THE PREFERENCES IN THE CONTENT OF GREEN SPACES IN KARACHI

CLEAN AREAS

FLOWER GARDENS

SEATED PLACES PLACE FOR PRAYERS

LIGHTING

NICE VIEWS Source: Green Space Functionality Along an Urban Gradient in Karachi, Pakistan:

A Socio-Ecological Study - S. Qureshi & J. H. Breuste & S. J. Lindley

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Vegetation

Shaded spaces

Vegetation

Spaces to gather Place for prayers Grass lawns Recreational facilities

Design proposal open & collective rooftop spaces

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ECOLOGICAL APPROACH

Activity-based community projects based on green strategies

INTRO The ecological approach in our proposal is seen as activity-based community projects based on green strategies. The activities that are proposed to be done collectively include urban farming through permaculture techniques, seeds and organic fertilizers, urban rainwater harvesting, composting and poultry farming on a small scale. In our project we especially focused on urban farming, it is the activity that contributes the most towards a self-sufficient community. The cultivated patches of soil on the rooftops offer freshly grown vegetables that can be consumed by local residents or can be sold to other clusters or local vegetable markets if there is a surplus.

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URBAN FARMING - ADVANTAGES ECOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES • • • • • • •

Could provide food & vegetables for local residents or sold to local markets Green has a cooling effect & offers insulation (evatranspiration – tackling down UHIE) Slows down water run-off during heavy rain, storms and cyclones.

Cleans the air and store carbon Providing habitats for birds & insects Food security Provides ecosystem services

SOCIAL ADVANTAGES • • • • •

Creates social cohesion and reduces isolation and living costs Improves mental health Improves physical health through exercise Improved diet through an increase in fresh vegetables and fruits Appreciation of other cultures and their cuisines

URBAN FARMING - WOMEN

PERISHABLE LEAFY VEGETABLES

the households have no women working (women are 84% ofmostly home during the day and involved in daily chores) • Women are not found socializing during the day • 65% of urban farmers are women

Lettuces, parsly, Broccolli, Brussels sprouts, Carrots, Celery, Onion, Patatoes,…

Women can continue their daily chores (laundry) during the day but also do urban farming with other female residents to socialize with each other while the men are at work.

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These vegetable industries have short marketing chains with lower price differentials between farmers and consumers than longer chains.

URBAN FARMING - DIFFERENT LOW-COST TECHNIQUES 1 INTENSIVE ORGANOPONICS

SYSTEM

Materials - Wood beams - Masonry blocks - Sail for shadow - Seeds - Soil

Complexity

2 URBAN FARMING + TREES Materials - 4 Wood palets - Soil - Seeds

Complexity

3 HERB GARDEN Materials Complexity - Oil barrels - Soil - Seeds

4 AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM Materials

- Wood slats - PVC tubes - Huge sail for shadow - Water reservoir - Intensive organoponics system

Complexity

5 GREEN WALL Materials - Support structure - Soil - Seeds - Planter

Complexity

!

Covering the city roofs with trees, as a process would take at least half a decade to reach fruition, but is essential for the city to prosper.

Planting 15-20% of the same species is not ideal as in case of an outbreak of disease.

Neem / Peepal / Barna / Gul Mohar / Acasia In case of heavy winds, the trees can be provided by three steel wires to prevent from falling.

URBAN RAINWATER HARVESTING

All the tree planters, flower planters and urban farming patches are elevated 15 cm in the air on masonry blocks. This to assure a fluent water run-off during heavy rain, storms or cyclones in the monsoon period. The water will be captured as much as possible in watertanks and be used for irrigation. These watertanks are located on the lowest rooftops of a cluster and should always be positioned in shadow.

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LOAD BEARING CAPACITY

Heavy green elements such as tree planters need to be supported by metal beams (I-profiles). In this way the tree planters won’t damage the rooftops. The loads are transferred to the load bearing walls.

The space in between the beams can be used for drainage frames, in this way the water can easily run-off.

Render showing the implemantation of urban farming on the rooftops

ECONOMICAL APPROACH

People not living in Burns Road Economical activities

INTRO The groundfloor of the houses in Burns Road is always used for economical activities such as vegetable stores, shops, motorcycle and shoe repair stores but especially restaurants selling traditional streetfood from Pakistan and India. Most of the time the shopowners do not live in the area of Burns Road.

The local residents of a cluster can decide if they want to rent a piece of their rooftops to the shopowners that need more space to accomodate their economical activities, such as quiet and calm eating or waiting places with a nice view over the city. People are nowadays eating in the streets while heavy traffic is passing by.

In this way, local residents of a cluster can make themselves financially stronger, they could see it as an extra income to expand and increase the quality the cluster.

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Terracotta bricks

Lightweight modular system Green Wall - Plastic bottles

Storage room

Extra restaurant place

Waiting area (drinking tea)

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EASY & LIGHTWEIGHT MODULAR SYSTEM MULTI-USE FURNITURE

Flexible walls

Tables

TERRACOTTA BRICK INDUSTRY With the arrival of the economical approach a new industry could be launched: terracotta brick industry for making the terracotta structures on the rooftops of a cluster. Every cluster will have two or more structures to house economical activities to have an extra income.

The Indus river has the potential to provide the clay needed to produce the terracotta bricks that can be used for the structure on the rooftops.

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Storage and seats

Render showing the entrance of the pavilion where economical activities can take place

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CIRCULATION

INTRO In order to access the clusters, the residents of this area can get to the rooftops by using a backside circulation, located in the interior of the building blocks. This second circulation layer is accessible through multiple points and loops around the whole block. Both sides of our research area have 2 or more entry points to the elevated path: the already present mosques and a playground that we foresee in both blocks. In addition to this, the informal incremental housing that can be found in the interior has been removed, which opens up spaces for the community, such as a safe place for kids and women, public gardens...

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Access points

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Axonometric circulation proposal

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CIRCULATION GRADIENT AND SAFETY

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ACCESS POINTS TO PATH

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COUnterweight pulley stairs

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AFTERTHOUGHT

Afterthought - the way forward.

Having concluded our design studio, we feel this project deserves a follow up. The topics we touched on (lack of collective space, resilience in regards to climate change issues, social conditions‌.) give way for a broad range of discussions. How can we move forward?

Our proposal is a pilot project for this particular neighborhood in Karachi. We suggested using rooftops as a means of creating a cohesive, safe and self-sustaining community, while tackling some impacts climate change might cause in the near future. A key element in this was the way these rooftops would be accessed; a clear distinction between residents of a cluster community and people using the rooftops for commercial ends.

We also stressed the fact that this cluster system would grow incrementally.

The early phases of this project would require some financial support and this is probably where the government would have to come in. The people will need some starting tools and especially knowledge to set up the beginnings of urban farming and for the development of safe collective spaces. The acquired profits and knowledge from all this will lead to the growth of a cluster and help it become more self-sufficient.

If other neighborhoods or districts would want to adopt a similar strategy, simply looking at our end proposal won’t be enough. Starting with low-cost techniques and by having access to knowledge will give the residents of a cluster the opportunity to grow and create a community that best fits their needs.

Our end proposal is by no means the optimal final result. With our Roofscapes project we tried bringing some important discussion points to light and it is now our hope that our work will prompt action towards a more resilient Karachi.

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