AEON by Sandra Poliakov

MASTER IN ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE Design with Nature

2014/15

AEON

(aeon - originally meant “life” or “being”, though it then intended to mean “age” in the sense of “time”, “forever” or “for eternity”). An adaptable and accessible agroecological system, that enhaces biodiversity and a healthyer lifestyle.

BARCELONA

MASTER IN ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE Thesis Project Title: AEON

Research Studio: DESIGN WITH NATURE

Faculty: Javier Pena, Rodrigo Rubio Faculty Assistant: Oriol Carrasco Assistant: Alessio Verdolino

Maria Alexandra Polyakova Raissa Paz Pertierra Wilton Machado Neves

INDEX 01 manifesto ........................................................................... 7 02 research ............................................................................ 15 03 design ............................................................................... 27 04 assembling process and materials ....................................... 33 05 conclusions ........................................................................ 37 06 references ......................................................................... 41

# 01

YANG YONGLIANG “WAXING CRESCENT MOON”

MANIFESTO

MANIFESTO Food is one of the basic needs of every human being. Not long ago it was effortful to obtain food, now we can get products from all over the world in our supermarkets. Almost 30% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s population are overweight, and at the same time 2 billion people are hungry or eat unhealthy food. Agriculture and cities have always been bound together since the beginning of civilization. Mesopotamia, widely considered to be the cradle of civilization in the west is the best example. By 3000 b.c. egyptian and mesopotamian farmers developed the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s first large-scale irrigation system. Nowadays 38,6% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s land area is agricultural, while undeveloped - not modified by human land is 46,5%. Countries with higher commercial land agricultural area tend to have a high rate of deforestation. This is due to the fact that the main driver of deforestation is agricultiral land allotment. Also, nearly half of the crops grown are used as food for animals. Our goal is to combile farming technology and agroecologycal strategies for increasinf local food production, fighting climate change and poverty, protecting soil and water while maintaining healthy, livable communities and local economies, motivating positive behaviour changes for sustainable lifestyle.

MAP OF DEFORESTATION AREA

CROPLAND PRODUCTION GAP dark spots (mainly the biggest production countries) indicate locations where significantly more wheat, maize and rice could be produced without deforestation

DR of Congo 87%, 199 MHa tree cover

China 18%, 163 MHa tree cover

Spain 22%, 11 MHa tree cover

Indonesia 86%, 161 MHa tree cover

Brazil 62%, 519 MHa tree cover

USA 30%, 279 MHa tree cover

TREE COVERAGE

Brazil

USA

Indonesia

DR of Congo

China Spain

HECTARS OF TREES LOST PER YEAR 2002-2014

A VISION OF THE FUTURE AN ELEMENT OF THE PAST Past and future ideologies must coexist in a harmonious way, linkingtraditional nature-centered design concepts and innovative/technologycal advancements of the future. Learning about the science behind nature is essential to understanding the process on how we are able to sustainably use our resourses and how we can adapt to the ever changing environment. The integration of nature and design is a building block of utopian notions we all are visioning for.

# 02

RESEARCH

AEON AEON is a project of a vertical garden, which combines agroforestry and an urban orchard concept, aimed to fight agroecological problems all over the world. It’s a metabolic cycle that includes economical and sustainable use of resources. To make it work and to be able to test it we researched about the ecosystems, plants and animals inside the forest of valldaura.

“To be sufficent we must mimic the forest’s invisible “social structures” and how forests change through times” Eric Toensmeier, Dvid Jake “Edible Forest Gardens”

Canopy The broad, irregular crowns of these trees form a tight, continuous canopy 60 to 90 feet above the ground. The branches are often densely covered with other plants (epiphytes) and tied together with vines (lianas). The canopy is home to 90% of the organisms found in the rain forest; many seeking the brighter light in the treetops. Understory Receiving only 2-15% of the sunlight that falls on the canopy, the understory is a dark place. It is relatively open and contains young trees and leafy herbaceous plants that tolerate low light. Many popular house plants come from this layer. Only along rivers and roadways and in treefall and cut areas is sunlight sufficient to allow growth to become thick and impenetrable Forest Floor The forest floor receives less than 2% of the sunlight and consequently, little grows here except plants adapted to very low light. On the floor is a thin layer of fallen leaves, seeds, fruits, and branches that very quickly decomposes. Only a thin layer of decaying organic matter is found, unlike in temperate deciduous forests.

ADAPTABILITY DESERT: •evaporation of salt water, collected through condensation

•fog catcher, where water is collected as tiny droplets of moisture condense on big nets

RAINFOREST: •rainwater collectors, with stores at high altitudes

•plant condensation through photosyntesis

VALLDAURA ‘Learning from nature to change the world’ Valldaura’s aim is to be a self suffiecient laboratory which research is based on ecological principles with the use of modern technology. Part of the research was to create the prototype for the Valldaura landscape, which is a forested area. Local plants and animals were taken into account, as to maximize the production yield. Animals aid in ways like pollination and pest control. Harmoniously linking nature and humans. Valldaura has a lack of arable land and sources of water, the Aeon’s aeroponics system allows soil-less planting and lesser amount of water used.

ANIMAL SPECIES IN COLLSEROLA ANIMALS THAT CAN BE AFFECTED BY AGROFORESTRY

CATALOGUE OF PLANTS

PLANTS SUITABLE TO PLANT IN COLLSEROLA FOREST ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS IN THE LAYERS OF THE FOREST.

Leisure Education center Private house Hotel Restaurant Fountains 24

# 03

PROTOTYPE

Use of local materials Reduce transportation costs Integrate agriculture and forest Fight deforestation Stop landscape degradation

ECONOMICAL WATER CYCLE The Aeon uses an aeroponics system which is a process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium. The basic principle of aeroponic growing is to grow plants suspended in a closed or semi-closed environment by spraying the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dangling roots and lower stem with an atomizer.

Stop landscape degradation Increase biodiversity and soil richness Increase of production Increase local economies Motivate a healthier lifestyle This system reduces water usage by 98%, fertilizer by 60% and pesticides by 100%; allowing us to produce at least 6 times more than in a common geoponics system using the same amont of land.

The main source of water can be tapped from any water reservoir/collector. Each pod can have 2 or 3 layers depending on the size of the plants, and every layer will have a sprinkler attached. The interior of the pods are covered with latex to help collect the water, while the pipe below the pods transfers the excess water from one pod to the other.

METABOLYC DIAGRAM The diagram show the cycle of the different factors affecting the Aeon. Different components and attractors are used to close the cycle and make it metabolic, it combines nature, science and design to create living structures and make architecture as mutable and adaptable as nature. The first column in the diagram shows the yield factors. The second column shows the benefits that occur. The third column shows the effects. And the fourth column shows the outcome. Basically it improves the environment, local economy and social well-being.

# 04

ASSEMBLING PROCESS AND MATERIALS

PROCESS

MATERIALS

•foam •white, fast drying, non bake clay •3mm plywood sheets MILLING MOULDS

MOULDING THE CLAY

LASER CUTTING DETAILS

•4mm silicone pipes •rope •sprinklers

ABSORBING MOISTURE

HANGING 36

ASSEMBLING

WAITING FOR DRYING

HARVESTING

IRRIGATING 36

# 05

CONCLUSIONS

“The goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings” --Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution “We cannot solve the significant problems we face at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them” Picture yourself in a forest where everything around you is food. Fruit trees forming an open canopy; assorted native wild edibles, herbs and vegetables thickly cover the ground and are consequently hung from the trees. Food and natural medicine can be easily harvested, and in today’s world since the price of both are steadily increasing it is important to find new ways to cultivate them easily and on any site. The ultimate goal of forest gardening is not only the growing of crops but also, the cultivation and perfectionof a new way of seeing, thinking and acting in the world. By this we can help change people’s lifestyles and habits to a healthier and more productive one.

The Aeon is a system that promotes sustainability since it targets environmental, social and economic factors. Environmentally, through the increase in plant and animal biodiversity, natural resource use, and pollution prevention . Socially, through the promotion of a healthier lifestyle, education and community interaction. Economically, through cost savings and research/ development.

Consumerism has become a big problem now, people tend to buy all the goods they need rather than finding ways to create it themselves. Take for example the FabLabs, they are promoting do-it -yourself projects which not only aid us economically but also mentally and physically.

# 06

REFERENCES

REFERENCES Holmgren, David. Permaculture: “Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability” Holmgren Design Services (2010) Jacke, Dave; Toensmeier, Eric. “Edible Forest Garden” Chelsea Green Publishing (2005) Crawford, Martin. “Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops”. UIT Cambridge Ltd (2010) “Consorci del Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola” parcnaturalcollserola.cat/en/pages/habitats Wilcock, Drew. “Fully Automated Greenhouse Arduino“(2014) youtube.com/watch?v=V6Gtxq6MIvU Foley, Jonathan. Feeding 9 billion people. National Geographic (2014) nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/feeding-9-billion Global Forest Watch (2015) globalforestwatch.org NOAA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Agriculture: Cropland Production Gap sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/dataset.php?id=329 McKay, Christopher; Graham, James; Zubrin, Robert; Marinova, Margarita. The Big Idea - Making Mars the New Earth. National Geographic (2010) ngm.nationalgeographic.com/big-idea/07/mars