AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE Master’s Thesis Author: Srinidhi R. Chettiar Winter Semester 20-21 Master of Science in Architecture (MSc Arch) Design Supervisors: Prof. Arch ETH/SIA Dietrich Schwarz Dipl. Ing. Robert Mair University of Liechtenstein Fürst-Franz-Josef-Strasse 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
“The practice of architecture is the most delightful of all pursuits. Also, next to agriculture, it is the most necessary to man. One must eat, one must have shelter. Next to religious worship itself, it is the spiritual handmaiden of our deepest convictions.� (Philip Johnson, 1979, n.p.)
Abstract The aim of this thesis is to research by design an approach to sustainability, regarding the Wollishofen neighbourhood in Zurich. The study started within the Preliminary Study, researching upon the social aspect of architecture. As nowadays the division between the age levels in society seems to become a present problem, the rupture between young and old is affecting not only on a societal level, but it also leads to a blockage in the transmission of information and knowledge. To a bigger scale, this could lead to a loss of tradition and local values. The Preliminary Study concluded in the concept of togetherness, by engaging the young and the old into four sectors-program. This inclusion will develop trust and create a solid bond, setting the fundamentals of a future society, based on leading a healthier life. The four sectors are: food production, education, health-care and public spaces. As the last three stated already exist in the urban system, the main focus of the thesis is set on food production. The book unfolds in the first chapter an analysis on a global scale. The main subject is the global agricultural crisis, revealing numbers referring to the land usage and demography. The matter of phosphorus crisis is also tackled, as it is a major problem not only for the humans, but also for the health of the planet. And so the following research questions arise: Can Urban Agriculture contribute to bringing the old and young generation together to create a coexisting society in Urban Cities? Can Agriculture be combined with Architecture to create a novel concept of AgriTecture in the Urban Cities? Taking Wollishofen as a case study and intervention site, a radical approach is tested. The concept of the forest on top of the city is meant to bring the greenery in the urban settlement, bringing the topic of food production and education into discussion. Rote Fabrik will be the main focus of the project, becoming a role model for future developments as such. Now a cultural centre, the factory will be preserved as it is, the proposed intervention will be placed on top of the building. Therefore, the topic of GrĂźnFabrik is introduced.
Table of Content
Introduction
A
Preliminary Study Design Brief Intervention Aim & Research Question
i iii v vii
Global Agriculture Scenario
20
A.1 A.2
B
The Phosphorous Crisis B.1 B.2 B.3
C
Introduction The Significance
Introduction Environmental Impacts Alternatives
Rural Farming C.1 C.2
Introduction The Experience
22 24
26 28 32 33
34 36 38
D
Fauna & Flora D.1 D.2
E
Radical Approach to Wollishofen
46 48 52
Rote Fabrik: Wollishofen
54
F.1 F.2 F.3 F.4
G
42 44
Grünplan Forest Above the City
E.1 E.2
F
Fauna Exploration Flora Exploration
40
Intervention Building Analysis Drawings Structural Reinforcement
56 64 68 72
Grün Fabrik: Wollishofen
74
Concept Project Drawings The Intermediate The Learning Centre The Barn The Grün Fabrik
76 80 94 96 98 100
G.1 G.3 G.4 G.5 G.6 G.7
Conclusion
102
List of References
106
List of Figures
107
Affidavit
108
Introduction
Introduction
Preliminary Study Publications such as Designing for the Third Age by Architectural Design (2014) helps in getting the perspective of other architects who have been working to address this challenge over the past. “Begin at home� - as quoted by many, with respect to different aspects, the prologue then transits from a global to a personal scale. Self reflection helps to study the reality of the problem at home and how we are contributing and responding to it personally.
The preliminary study consists of three main parts - A Prologue, an Analogue and an Epilogue. The prologue introduces the key topics revolving around the demographic challenges. In order to understand the challenges faced on a global scale, data from global organizations such as the United Nations helps to visualize the problem in numbers. Literature from various books like Aging in the Past by David I. Kertzer and Peter Laslett (1995), The Age of Aging by George Magnus (2009) and Urban Utopias of an Aging Society by Deane Simpson (2015), helps to study the evolution of the novel challenge.
It concludes with a brief quantitative and qualitative comparison of the aspects related to the megatrends. A comparison between parents who are
Fig. 01 : Preliminary Study (Author)
i
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
Tracing back to the migration patterns analysed during the process of selfreflection, helped to land at a site for intervention - Wollishofen, ZĂźrich. In order to design a coexisting society for the future, the study further continues to explore how we are coexisting now amidst a pandemic which is a major threat to the aging population. This leads to the formulation of an architectural project for the thesis and a design brief for the same.
in the Third Age and myself who is in the Second Age. The second part of the study, the Analogue, expands back to a global scale, but this time to compare other people of the two ages globally. Talking with the young people who are already away from their parents and the old people who are away from their homes, gives a perspective of the similarities between two things that are otherwise dissimilar. This helps to understand a possible scenario of our future cities if the current trends tend to continue the same way. The derived analogy further reinforces the need of a coexisting society, leading to the concept of Neustart Schweiz as a case study. The ideological concept first proposed in 2012, for the region of Switzerland, helps to develop a neighbourhood based on the consumption of resources and energy.
The epilogue concludes the study by comparing the four sectors - Health Care, Education, Public Spaces and Food Production where an architect could play his role in creating a coexisting society.
ii
Introduction
Design Brief Health Care: With a sustainable health care system in place, there may not arise a need to build new hospital facilities with hundreds of beds, however a bottom up approach to improve the health and lifestyle should be the main focus.
lower traffic movements and develop small interventions. Also, the larger public spaces which are already being popularly used by all, should be made more accessible to all age groups. Food Production: The production of food requires primary attention as it is yet to even be introduced in the urban areas. The availability of huge open fields for farming is a luxury in any city, but with the help of modern technology, permaculture gardens and vertical farms should be developed on a large scale. This could not only provide the required amount of food for the district, but also for the entire city itself. This can also open up job opportunities for everyone irrespective of their age and help in bringing back the old traditional culture of farming back to the society.
Education: Digitally equipped libraries, workshops, working studios and digital classrooms should be introduced closer to the living quarters. Larger educational institutes should introduce learning programs for the old and young people to study and work alongside each other. Public Spaces: With very high hopes of a car-free society in the near future, integration of public spaces to make them more pedestrian and cycle friendly is the need of the hour. It can start with the identification of key pockets within the district with Fig. 02 : The four sectors (Author)
iii
Health Care
Education
Food Production Public Spaces
Introduction
Intervention Wollishofen was included into the city of Zürich in the year 1893, after a cantonal referendum. Though it was included against its will initially, it went on to form the second district of the city along with Enge and Leimbach. Various social problems and a huge expenditure on the development of infrastructure such as housing and schools is what led to the need of its unification with the city of Zürich. Located on the left bank of Lake Zürich, it is one of seven districts on the shores of the lake. Another water body in the quarter is the river Sihl. This forms the western border of the quarter with Leimbach. To the north, Wollishofen borders on the city quarters Enge, Wiedikon and Friesenberg. It covers an area of 406 hectares (excluding water bodies) and has a population of around 18,900 (2019). Until the end of the 18th century Wollishofen was almost exclusively
inhabited by farmers. They were engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding and especially in viticulture. Around 1720 a silk weaving mill was opened and soon several smaller businesses were providing new jobs. The great development to today’s Wollishofen began in 1885 with the inauguration of the railway station and in 1900 with the construction of the electric tram to Morgental. Commercial enterprises were established along the lake, which are now slowly but surely being put to new uses in the “leisure age”. Today only 15 minutes separate Wollishofen from the centre of Zurich. For some people, Wollishofen is a place where it is simply good to live, for others a pleasant place to work and for more and more people, a place to meet & greet. (Quartierspiegel, 2015)
Fig. 03 : Wollishoffen Schwarzplan showing the selected zone for intervention (Author)
v
Zürich See
Selected Zone
Introduction
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
Aim & Research Question The research began with the question As the focus of the project is going to - Can the new socio-demographic be in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, there is an evident lack of fertile category of the 21st century - The Third and cultivable land for purpose of Age - help to reshape the traditional traditional agriculture. retirement industry - to Thus, there is a need to rather create a coexisting Can Agriculture develop novel ways of and an inclusive society? be combined with farming in there areas, one of which is Urban The findings of the Architecture to Agricultire (UA). research focused light create a novel onto food production The thesis also aims to which could be a possible concept called find a suitable kind of sector that can bring the AgriTecture to Urban Agriculture for two generations together and help in creating a develop the idea of the selected intervention site which allows to do coexisting society. Urban Agriculture farming on a commercial scale and also be As agriculture is more for our cities? profitable to the society focused in rural areas as well as reap some kind of the world compared of financial benefit due to the urban areas, the to its high costs that incurs building aim of this thesis project is to find the concept of AgriTecture. possible ways to introduce the concept of Urban Agriculture to the cities.
viii
A
Global Agriculture Scenario
A - Global Scenario
Introduction everything widespread and available on a large scale throughout the year, all over the world. Meanwhile, The United Nation (UN) predicts the population to grow to nearly 10 billion by the year 2050 with each of them requiring a minimum of diet of 1500 calories each day,which increases the need of food production by almost 70% of what is produced today (UN, 2015).
The basic needs of humankind have evolved largely over the years, however, food and shelter still remain on the top of the priority list. Globalization has led to the industrialization of food production creating a global food system. At least three out of the five ingredients used to cook a meal today, mostly comes from another country. The food industry also makes
9.8b
Projected Global Population
68%
Projected Urbanization
Fig. 04 : United Nations projection for 2050 (Author)
22
70%
Increase in Food Production
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Population
Density
Food Production
Available Land
=
=
Food and Agriculture
Climate Change urban population in 1950 to almost 70% already in 2010, and is only expected to rise by 2050. The projected increase in population results in an increasing demand for food production on one hand whereas, with an estimated area of more 2 billion acres to meet these demands (FAO, 2017), the increasing urban density affects the available land to produce food to meet these demands. This makes the challenges of the food and agriculture industry equal to, if not a greater than the crisis of climate change faced by humanity.
The advancement achieved in science and technology within the food and agriculture industry over the decades have helped to significantly increase the agricultural output in order to meet the global demands. Sadly, the challenges faced by humanity due to the rapid urbanization, which is expected to reach 68% globally by 2050, affects both climate change and the food industry simultaneously. Since the 20th century, there has been a rapid increase in urbanization where parts of Europe have gone from 50% Fig. 05 : Crisis Comparison (Author)
23
A - Global Scenario
The Significance There has been a need to develop novel agricultural techniques and improve the ways we produce food for several years. This need is evident when we study the various problems faced by the agricultural industry over the years. One of the main problems has been the scarcity of fertile land which can be used to produce crops alongside with an estimated world population
of 9.8 billion people in 2050 and a shortage of water, it gives us more than one reason to solve this crisis at the earliest. Another major problem that comes along with the industrialization of the food production on the global scale is food waste. Globally, nearly one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, equalling a total of 1.3. billion tonnes
1/3rd
Total Food Production
Expired Thrown away
30%
Supermarkets
Annual Food Waste
Restaurants
Fig. 06 : Annual Food Waste (Author)
24
1.6 bn Tons
Transportation
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
70% of the world’s available freshwater, which would otherwise be available for drinking. The use of phosphorus as a fertilizer has resulted in reinforcing global food security over the years, however, as phosphate rocks are a non-renewable resource, estimates predict that we have only 54 years of phosphorus reserves, leading to a global phosphorus crisis.
of food per year (Gustavsson et al., 2011). The resource intensive food production, storage, transportation and waste management are also indirectly impacting environmental aspects such as soil erosion, water and air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. Additionally, the large scale use of fertilizers and pesticides has resulted in the consumption of
15
30.974
P
Phosphorus
600mn Annual Food Safety Cases
70%
Global Fresh Water Usage
Fig. 07 : The Threats (Author)
25
54
Years of Phosphorus left
B
The Phosphorous Crisis
B - Phosphorus Crisis
Introduction A confusion is created about the depletion of the global phosphorus reserve as it is expected to last anywhere between the next 48 to 400 years depending on various experts. Most of the phosphorus used in the fertilizers for food production comes from a finite resource formed on the earth’s crust over millions of years the phosphate rocks. “Ninety percent of the world’s mined phosphate rocks is used in agriculture and food production, mostly as fertilizers, less as animal feel and food additives.” (Cho, 2013) However, the fact is, there is a plenty of phosphorus left on earth as animals and humans excrete almost one hundred percent of the consumed phosphorus as it is not essential of them. Traditional agricultural systems, used the phosphorus in manure and waste as part of a natural cycle, returning the phosphorus to the soil to aid crop production.
Phosphorus (P) is one of the most essential elements for the growth of all plants, along with Nitrogen (N) and Potassium (K). The 11th most common element available on earth is also fundamentally essential for the existence of all living things. Over the decades, global food security has been able to meet its demands because of the use of phosphorus as a fertilizer for the production of food. However, as phosphorus is a non-renewable resource, the continued availability of phosphorus plays a very important role in order to secure the increase in food production for the estimated 10 Billion population growth by 2050. (Heintz, 2014) The estimation of the remaining global phosphorus reserves vary, as there is no global organization currently in place to manage the availability and the use of this limited resource. Fig. 08 : NPK as fertilizers (Author)
28
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE 71
N
4.007
Nitrogen
Healthy Foliage
15
30.974
P
19
All Round Health
Strong Roots
Substitute?
Mined Phosphate rocks used for Food Production
29
K
Potassium
Phosphorus
90%
39.098
100%
Phosphorus in Humans and Animals excreta
Fig. 09 : Phosphate ore being dug up in Idaho, (Spokesman Washington, 2020)
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE 30.974
P
Production Waste
15
Phosphorus
90%
Yield
Global Phosphate Mining locations
China
MOROCCO United States
Jordan
South Africa
B - Phosphorus Crisis
Environmental Impacts present in detergent which are dumped down the drains. This causes the Eutrophication of surface water bodies, rivers and the coastal and marine ecosystems.
Nearly ninety percent of the global phosphate rocks reserves are located in just five countries - Morocco, China, South Africa, Jordan and the United States, out of which Morocco holds upto 85% of the total remaining reserve and is a major exporter of phosphate rocks. Only a small amount of the total available resources can be mined due to various physical, economical, energy and legal constraints (Cho, 2013). Through the heavy industrial process that goes into mining the phosphate rocks, nearly 30% of it is wasted from quarry to finish product and another 50% wasted in the food chain between the farms and consumers.
Eutrophication can trigger major oceanic events creating severe impacts to the marine ecosystems and further unpredictable global implications and thus, phosphorus is considered as one of the major planetary boundaries (Heintz, 2014). The process of eutrophication causes a major water pollution which sees a huge bloom in algae growth because of the excess amount of minerals present, which in turn consumes a large amount of oxygen and finally creates a “dead zone� where no form of life can live. Moreover, increasingly expensive fossil fuels are also needed in order to transport the phosphate rocks and fertilizers around the world (Cho, 2013).
The wasted phosphorus is creating an environmental impact on an unimaginable level, with most of the waste entering our rivers, lakes and oceans through soil run-off from agricultural fields and the phosphates
32
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
Alternatives oceans. Consumption of meat and dairy products should be reduced and replaced with a plant based diet. The use of phosphorus should be reduced and be recovered from human waste.
The depletion of phosphorus may still be a debatable topic until there is an international body in place to determine the actual amount of resources available on earth. However, the environmental impacts created due the mining of phosphate rocks, especially eutrophication, is a major concern to humanity and thus finding alternative sources is a must.
According to some studies, there are enough nutrients in one person’s urine to grow almost 50 to 100 percent of the food needed by another person. The advancements in science and technology has made it possible to recover nearly 85% of phosphorus present in human water waste and turn it into fertilizers which can act as a major replacement for the mined phosphorus.
There was a time in the past when there were no fertilizers used in food production, rather a natural process created a balanced cycle in the environment. Looking back at how it was done, the integration of livestock and food production should be more focused as the manure can become a replacement for fertilizers again. Promoting no-till farming or contour tilling can largely prevent soil erosion which helps in reducing agricultural run-offs to the lakes, rivers and
33
C
Rural Farming
C - Rural Farming
Introduction the urban and the rural areas, called the urban-rural relationship. However, the process of urbanization and modernization is creating a contrast between a “prosperous urban” and an “under-developed rural” resulting in the problem of a rural recession or rural crisis around the globe. The development of the urbanrural relationship is considered as a sustainable development by all countries.
Urban and rural areas are not just two major terms describing the geographical spaces but are also two of the very important components playing a role in the social and economic development of a country. The land and the soil in the rural areas of any country serves a large variety of functions and provides the society with a number of services. Some of them being a vital land for the production of our daily needs such food, timber and energy. The rural land also plays a major role in the regulation of climate factors on a macro level and helps in protecting the biodiversity, water quality, cultural and recreational landscapes, flood and soil management.
Farming has always been the main fabric of any rural society and acts as the main economic activity in many developing and developed countries of the world even today. Rural areas around the world use agriculture as a predominant land use and plays a very important role in the development of rural areas.
With the rapid growth in urbanization faced globally under the conditions of large-scale production, an interactive relationship is being created between Fig. 10 : Organic Farms in Liechtenstein (Author) Fig. 11 : Personal Experience as a Farmer (Author)
36
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE Organic Biofarms Liechtenstein
Experience
Summer 2020
37
C - Rural Farming
The Experience Hailing from an urban background myself, and not having had any connection with farming or farmers in or around family circles, the idea of learning to farm and know everything about agriculture had only remained a dream since childhood. The fact that a tiny little ant or a honey bee can produce its own food, but a “smart”, “educated” and “well-read” human like myself has to depend on a multi-billion dollar food industry,which employs hundreds of thousands of people, in order to have one wholesome meal on my table, always disturbed me. Learning how to produce my own food became a passion, and the summers of the year 2020, gave the opportunity. A thesis project revolving around the topic of food production gave me a chance to get my hands dirty on the organic bio farms of Liechtenstein for a period of three months. Having started
as a helper to other farmers on the field, it gave me an opportunity to learn the entire process of getting a field ready to sow a new crop to the process of harvesting them. As most farms around the region of Liechtenstein follow an organic agricultural process, I also
Fig. 12 : Personal Experience as a Farmer (Author)
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AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
got to see and work on developing a “green manure� using the waste plants from the previous harvest. This experience gave me a chance to learn the production of various crops such as carrots, spinach, cherries, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and berries to name a few. The field also had workers of different age groups and nationalities working together hand in hand. Fig. 13 : Organic Farms in Liechtenstein (Author) Fig. 14 : Driving a tractor (Author)
39
D
Flora & Fauna
D - Fauna & Flora
Fauna Exploration method of organic farming allows these tiny little creatures to live in peace and harmony, whereas the use of pesticides and fertilizers kills them in order to get more yield in food production. They also contribute in making the soil more richer and fertile as they undergo a natural process of life and death in these fields. They play a vital role in increasing the amount of air and water that seeps into the soil and also break down organic matters like leaves, grass and weeds into fertilizers that benefit for the crop production.
Planet Earth, the only planet known to have life so far, is a beautiful place to live in. No matter which part of the world we are in, there are a humongous amount of plants, flowers, animals and tiny creatures that catch our attention. Living in a technological era where humans interact more with gadgets than with nature, the experience of working in organic farms brought me closer to various fauna and flora present in nature. The origin of the word Fauna, according to Roman myths, refers to the goddess of fertility and is also linked to Fauns, which means the spirit of the forest. However, the definition of the term is, a group of indigenous animals present in any geographical region.
It is also amusing to see so many different kinds of creatures, of different sizes and abilities coexisting by themselves and giving back to nature without their own knowledge.
The pictures on the right show some of the various fauna living and coexisting in the farms of Liechtenstein. The Fig. 15 : Collection of Fauna Exploration (Author)
42
43
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
D - Fauna & Flora
Flora Exploration The origin of the word Flora is derived from the latin language, which means the goddess of flowers and plants and thus the plant kingdom that grows in a certain geographical area, or once grew in a given period of time is collectively known as Flora. The study of the plant kingdom also further classifies them in sub-categories as there are millions of different kinds of plants on earth. Plants that grow in the mountains are very different compared to those that grow in deserts, similarly the plants that live and grow underwater are also very different from those on land. Every flora has its own significance and importance based on the region of its existence. The presence of a healthy flora and fauna is not only essential for the life of humans but also completes the ecosystem and helps to develop a healthy permaculture.
Fig. 16 : Collection of Flora Exploration (Author) Fig. 17 : Collection of Flora Exploration (Author)
44
45
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
E
Radical Approach to Wollishofen
E - Radical Approach to Wollishofen
Grünplan drugs, medicines and chemicals, with the help of modern science, to create a solution to these problems. The society has shown an improvement in the mortality rate, but the health conditions and the lifestyles of people are more bad than good in the current scenario. However, it is now believed that a “bottom-up” approach to improve the lifestyle of people, like decreasing the consumption of meat and promoting a plant based diet, decreasing the consumption of processed and packed food by providing fresh and healthy produce and focusing on reducing the stress created by an “urban-lifestyle” could be a way forward in creating a more sustainable and balanced society.
Wollishofen, a district in Zurich city which was exclusively habited by farmers until the end of the 18th century, witnessed urban development during the age of the Industrial Revolution. Family farming was slowly brought to an halt when modern factory jobs began to take its place. Today, it is part of the second district of one of the most urban cities in the world, Zurich. Can the old culture of farming be introduced back into this urban sprawl? Along with the rapid urbanizations of our cities in the late 20th century, the approach taken towards the lifestyle of its inhabitants have been “topdown”. Various governing bodies and organizations have been set up to solve the problems of emerging diseases like diabetes, lung diseases, cancer, mental health, etc by pumping financial aid in the research and development of new
Introducing the concept of “Urban Agriculture” could not only help us take a substantially bottom-up approach to these problems faced in urban areas,
Fig. 18 : Grünplan of Wollishofen (Author)
48
Wollishoffen District
Zürich See
Grünplan
E - Radical Approach to Wollishofen but also help in fixing the broken food system and assure food security to the estimated 10 Billion population growth by 2050.
urban sprawl of a city. By converting the roof of every building in the urban district into a “Green Roof”, can we now visualize them using a “Grünplan” or a “Green Plan” and create a “Forest above the City”.
As architects, we have always visualized the maps of a city using a “schwarzplan” or a “black plan”, which shows all the built-up areas of the city highlighted in black, without the roads, parks, pavements and other public spaces which complete the
18,900 Population of Wollishoffen
30 square meter of space per person on a vegan diet, would be sufficient to produce enough food required for a year.
50m2/P Living area in Wollishoffen
Fig. 19 : Area required to live and produce food (Author) Fig. 20 : Current usage of a family house (Author)
50
30m2/P
Area required for Greenhouse
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
Wollishoffen District Grünplan
Familienhaus 02
Zürich See
Familienhaus 01
840
M3
Attic/ Storage
3360
600
M3
1800
M3
M3
Living Volume
280
M2 01
150
Floor Area
51
M2
02
E - Radical Approach to Wollishofen
,Forest above the City’ An “Urban Agriculture” system practiced on a personal, community or a commercial scale on every roof of the district of Wollishofen, could provide at least 65% of its inhabitants with local food security, fresh and healthy produce, shorten the food supply chain and help in fighting climate change. This would also give the opportunity to grow and sell their own produce within city limits and give rise to new business opportunities and provide more jobs to all age groups.
Total roof area of all buildings in Wollishoffen
30 sqm
Per person for Greenhouse
12,300
Population that can be fed Fig. 21 : Forest above the City (Author)
65% Population
370,000 sqm
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
F
Rote Fabrik: Wollishofen
F - Rote Fabrik
Intervention The first step towards building a “Forest Above the City’’ in the district of Wollishofen will begin on the roof of the 130 year old building - “Rote Fabrik”. Since it was built in the year 1892 at the peak of the industrial revolution to house a silk factory for the Henneberg Silk Company, the factory building has been providing a new lifestyle to the people of Wollishofen ever since. Later acquired by the Stünzi Söhne Silk Weaving Mill in the year 1899, it had served the purpose of a silk factory for nearly 50 years. It was in 1940 when the function of the building first changed from a silk factory to house a telephone and radio company, called the Standard Telephon & Radio AG. After being the central manufacturing unit for the telecom company for 30 years, the building was left abandoned for the first time in its history until the local municipality of Stadt Zürich acquired it in 1972. (Rote Fabrik, n.d.) Fig. 22 : Rote Fabrik: Wollishofen (Rote Fabrik, n.d.)
1892 - Built Henneberg Silk Company 1899 - Taken over Stünzi Söhne Silk weaving mill 1940 - Taken over Standard Telephon & Radio AG 1972 - Acquired Stadt Zürich 1980 - Cultural Center IG Rote Fabrik
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
Fig. 23 : Graffiti of Rote Fabrik (Maier, 2019) Fig. 24 : Demonstration to re-open Rote Fabrik as a youth cultural center (Rote Fabrik, n.d.)
Two years later, the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland proposed an initiative to create a public cultural and leisure centre in the abandoned factory building. Very little happened in the initial years of the proposal and some of the spaces were being rented out to artists to be used as their studio and the building stood empty and acted as a storage space for some local business and the opera house. Many other youth groups joined together with a common voice of “bringing life back to the dead factory” and proposed the idea of a youth cultural centre or the “Jungendzentrum”. Months of protests and demonstrations by the youth of the city supported and backed by the Social Democratic Party, led to the creation of a cultural centre in May 1980 after which it got the name “Rote Fabrik”. It was initially opened for seven provisional years until the people of the district voted in approval for the permanent use of the factory as a cultural centre. It has remained and developed over 40 years as one of the most noted building in the city of Zurich. (Rote Fabrik, n.p.)
F - Rote Fabrik
The Rote Fabrik was initially designed by Architect Carl Arnold SĂŠquin and Hilarius Knobel. Their firm Sequin and Knobel formed in 1895 was known for designing over 250 industrial buildings such as cotton mills and weaving sheds. The Rote Fabrik is one of their most noted buildings. (Wikipedia, n.p.) The Cultural centre that was formed in 1940 have taken great initiative towards promoting various youth cultures such as theatre, drama, movies, dancing, literature, printing, concerts and pub culture. However, it raises a question - Where is Agri Culture? Which is one of the oldest cultures of Switzerland.
Fig. 25 : Illustration by Standard Telecom (Rote Fabrik, n.d.) Fig. 26 : Proposal to use Rote fabrik as a cultural centre (Rote Fabrik, n.d.) Fig. 27 : Plan showing the Rote Fabrik located in the selected zone for intervention (Author)
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Selected Zone
Zürich See
Rote Fabrik
Fig. 28 : Plan highlighting the roof for new construction (Author) Fig. 29 : Cultures promoted at Rote Fabrik (Author)
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE
Where is AGRIculture?
Theatre / Drama
Movies
Literature
Printing
Dancing
Concert
Cafe / Bar Fabrik Theatre Ludothek
Art & Cultural Centre
Cafe / Bar
1000
M2
3500
M2 1500
M2
63
The Site The site of the Rote Fabrik is located in the second district of Zurich City, Wollishofen. Situated by the side of the ZurichSee and connected by the street Seestrasse, it is strategically well placed in terms of connectivity and with a beautiful view to the lake side.
5,000 sqm and a smaller building “B” which consists of the Ludothek and administration offices measuring to an area of around 1,000 sqm. The third building “C” with a sloped roof is smaller and located closer to the lake with an area close to 1,000 sqm. The two buildings considered for the intervention project have a uniform structural grid with the concrete roof which can provide base for a new construction.
There are three buildings already built on the site which measures 12,750 sqm with the largest building “A” which houses the main hall of the cultural center measuring to an area of nearly
Site Area 12,750m2
ch
ri
Zu
Built Area 820m2
e
Se
Built Area 1,070m2
Built Area 4,965m2
se
as
tr
es
Se Fig. 30 : The Site (Author) Fig. 31 : Activity Zones (Author)
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Activity Zones The un-built area of the site can be further divided into two activity zones - Primary and Secondary. The primary activity zone consists of all the main entrances to the existing buildings and is used as the main pedestrian zone. The secondary activity zone however serves the purpose of temporary constructions and activities during certain events. It also acts as the service zone for activities such as movements of trucks, temporary parking and a zone to host concerts.
Primary Activity Zone 2,225m2
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Building Restrictions The buildings are divided into many levels which creates terraces of different heights, with building A having its lowest terrace at 10m height and Building B with the highest terrace at 18m height. There are also some sky lights located at the terraces, some of which have a functional value while the others do not. Even though the roof of Building C is not going to be used for a new construction, the chimney will be considered as the maximum height restriction capped at 40m.
Max Height 40m
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Sun Direction Light being one of the most important factors to consider for the growing of plants, the direction of sun is studied to understand the facade that receive the maximum sunlight throughout the day.
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East
Rote Fabrik Drawings
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AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE ZÃœRICH SEE
4 D B M F
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
SEESTRASSE
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SEESTRASSE
AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE ZÃœRICH SEE
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SECOND FLOOR PLAN
SEESTRASSE
Reinforcement The major challenge to build above a 130 year old building is its structural stability. There is always the question of whether the existing building will be able to hold any new structure built above it. The lack of structural drawings also creates a problem to study and understand how much more additional reinforcement is required to build a new structure above.
buildings, the method of adding steel reinforcements as shown is Fig. 34. Hotel Stamba located in Tbilisi, Georgia was referred to as a case study, which has made use of this system to build above an existing old structure.
After careful study and research on different methods to achieve the structural reinforcement to existing
Fig. 34 : Structural Reinforcements (Stamba Hotel, n.p.) Fig. 35 : Structural Axonometric (Author)
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Concept Development Additional beams on the roof by repeating the existing structural grid reinforces the structure even more and also acts as the foundation for the new construction. New columns of varying heights placed on the exact location of the existing grid distributes the load evenly and creates a balanced new level which can house a large structure above. With the focus being on “Food Production”, the largest footprint of the new construction will be used to house a “Grün Fabrik” which holds the function of producing, processing and packaging food for the local community. The intermediate column space created between the existing Rote Fabrik and the new Grün Fabrik, will provide additional functions such as public spaces, educational spaces and
administration offices required to run the new food production factory. The Barn provides access to the intermediate levels and the Grün Fabrik. It also acts as an experience center where anyone who enters it or walks around it can witness and gain interest in the process of food production.
GRÃœN FABRIK
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THE BARN
Food Production Process & Package
Education Administration Public Space
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to create 3 intermediate levels. The first level is used to build a farmers market and a couple of outdoor cafes which can be used to sell the produce from the factory above. The existing skylights are replaced with 2 large ones, which provides light and visual connection to the cultural center below. The rest of the terrace is used as a public space with a view to the beautiful lake.
The key plan on the left shows the growth of the new construction on every floor, with the darker areas highlighting the build spaces and the lighter ones highlighting open spaces and terraces. Everything drawn in red is a part of the new construction whereas the parts hatched in grey remains preserved from the existing situation. A small part of the secondary activity zone on the ground floor is used to construct The Barn, which acts as an entrance and provides access to the next levels and also acts as an experience centre showing off the greens through an ample amount of glass on its facade.
The Barn, the landscaped steps and another staircase next to the cafes, brings you to the intermediate level 2. Here, you can access the learning center, which is the new educational hub of the city. With an auditorium which can be used to present new agricultural ideas to about 150 people at the same time, a library with 100s of books, some discussion and meeting rooms, here you can gain academic
The Barn then brings you to the first intermediate level and connects to the currently unused terrace of the Rote Fabrik with a bridge. The 9m height difference gave an opportunity
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ROOF TOP +37.0m
FABRIK 03 +29.5m
FABRIK 02 +23.0m
FABRIK 01 +16.5m INTER 03 +13.0m INTER 02 +10.0m INTER 01 +6.5m
4 D B M F
S E C T I O N A A'
ROOF TOP +37.0m
FABRIK 03 +29.5m
FABRIK 02 +23.0m
FABRIK 01 +16.5m INTER 03 +13.0m INTER 02 +10.0m INTER 01 +6.5m
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4 D B M F
A typical floor plan multiplied to three more levels focusses completely on the production and processing of food for the local community. Each vertical farming stand can produce enough food for one person for a year. With 200 stands on each floor, the GrĂźn Fabrik can produce fresh food for about 600 people. The smaller part of the factory can be used for the production of exotic plants and produce, which require a special condition to grow compared to regular ones in the larger part.
and practical knowledge about urban farming. This level also provides entry to the administration office and the factory itself. Both these buildings are connected by a cafe and bar. The intermediate level 3, however is accessible only from inside the learning center and the administration block. With spaces like project rooms, a room for collaborative learning, conference rooms and a break room to enjoy a coffee, the learning centre becomes complete on this level. The administration block grows towards the Seestrasse with some office spaces, cabins and meeting rooms. The two blocks are connected with a common research lab which allows to come up with new technologies for urban farming and study new plants. It also provides access to the factory building above with a new core.
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ROOF TOP +37.0m
FABRIK 03 +29.5m
FABRIK 02 +23.0m
FABRIK 01 +16.5m INTER 03 +13.0m INTER 02 +10.0m INTER 01 +6.5m
4 D B M F
S E C T I O N B B'
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Conclusion
around the public garden, a café places and restaurant. In this way, the healthcare principle is achieved with a bottom-up approach, by offering fresh and locally produced food, that is not taken through the packing, freezing and transportation process. The Rote Fabrik, proposed as GrünFabrik was a first step in order to achieve the proposed intervention, setting a role model for the rest of the Neighbourhood. In the future, every building of the city could potentially be converted into greenhouses, implemented on three different scales: private, public and commercial. The factory stands in the commercial sector – what it is produced it is being sold to the people. The personal scale becomes the further aim, in the hope of managing to achieve the point where the people`s awareness regarding food production and the necessity of leading a healthier lifestyle will become a purpose.
The topic of this project and the evolution of the journey through the Master`s Thesis have come very close to my interests and allowed me to discover, even through personal experience, and to understand Food and Health Mega-trend of sustainability. Throughout the personal rural farming experienced conducted during the summer I got closer to the topic of food production and it helped me understand this need in the society on a deeper level. And so, the evolution of the project came naturally, bringing a mix of programs and concepts that sustain each other, thus creating a self-sufficient system. The concept of “Forest Above The city” may be an example for the future developments of urban areas, not only in Wollisfohen, but on a larger scale, responding in the same time to Climate Change crisis. The proposed design for the factory itself covers the aspects mentioned in the Preliminary Study. It provides spaces for education, all emerging
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Health Care
Education
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Public Spaces
Food Production
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GRÃœN FABRIK
OOD PRODUCTION) (HEALTH CARE)
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
LEARNING CENTRE
(PUBLIC SPACE)
(EDUCATION)
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List of References Cho, R. (2013, April 1). Phosphorus: Essential to Life—Are We Running Out? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https:// blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2013/04/01/ phosphorus-essential-to-life-are-werunning-out/
rik.ch/de/akteure/ig-rote-fabrik/#/ Simpson, D. (2015) Urban Utopias of an Aging Society. Zürich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers. Stadt Zürich. (2015). Quartierspiegel 2015: Wollishofen.
FAO. 2017. The future of food and agriculture – Trends and challenges. Rome
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights
Heintz, V. (2014). Planetary boundries of Phosphorus (Master’s Thesis). Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin. Kertzer, D. I., & Laslett, P. (1995) Aging in the Past: Demography, Society, and Old Age. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1995 1995. Rote Fabrik IG. (n.p.). Geschichte [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://rotefab-
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List of Figures Fig. 09 : Phosphate ore being dug up in Idaho. [Image] . (2020). Retrieved from https://www.spokesman.com/ stories/2020/jul/29/us-officials-okeastern-idaho-phosphate-mineexpan/
from https://rotefabrik.ch/de/akteure/ ig-rote-fabrik/#/ Fig. 26 : Proposal to use Rote fabrik as a cultural centre . [Image] . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://rotefabrik.ch/ de/akteure/ig-rote-fabrik/#
Fig. 22 : Rote Fabrik: Wollishofen. [Image] . (n.d.). Retrieved from https:// rotefabrik.ch/de/akteure/ig-rotefabrik/#/
Fig. 34 : Structural Reinforcements. [Image] . (n.d.). Retrieved from https:// roomshotels.com/stamba-hotel/
Fig. 23 : Graffiti of Rote Fabrik (Maier, 2019) Fig. 24 : Demonstration to re-open Rote Fabrik as a youth cultural center. [Image] . (n.d.). Retrieved from https:// rotefabrik.ch/de/akteure/ig-rotefabrik/#/ Fig. 25 : Illustration by Standard Telecom. [Image] . (n.d.). Retrieved
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Affidavit I hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the present paper has been prepared independently by myself and without unpermitted aid. Anything that has been taken verbatim or paraphrased from other writings has been identified as such. This paper has hitherto been neither submitted to an examining body in the same or similar form, nor published. Triesen, 14.01.2021 Signature:
Srinidhi Chettiar
FĂźrst-Franz-Josef-Strasse 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
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