Terraforming Cultivation

Page 1

Terraforming Cultivation landformation for agricultural continuity

1


Pacha Year

2


mama I 2273

Ica Valley, Peru lat -14.15째 lon -14.08째 3


C

icero descended the B-Plot terrace, taking a left at the production plant the way he always used to. He hadn’t been here in over sixty years. Nobody had. Back then it was always sandas, shovel in hand, the faded Pashama logo on his father’s cap. The Barra Plaza, once a place of cool, was now a barren wasteland, home to whatever creatures dared face the scorching sun.

4


5


6


W

hy was he here? What did he hope ot achieve?

Gone was the asparagus, the fog catchers, the community. What once was Ica Valley’s pioneer settlement was now old sculpture, earth shaped ruins, symbolizing a global stand against the harsh extremities of climate. To understand Cicero is to understand the ground he walked on. To know Cicero is to know Terraforming.

7


Welcome to Terraforming

8


Enjoy your stay

9


Climate

10

Landform


Terraform

New Localized Climate

11


T

oday, a gargantuan 35-gigatons of earth are moved annually, a number that rivals that of geomorphologic processes. The sculpting of the planet’s surface has fallen on human hands, along with the reshaping and reclamation of the uninhabitable. Although dominated by titans of industry and engineering, this is a crucial role that lies at the very foundations of the landscape discipline. From Capability Brown’s Croome Park to Alphand’s Parc des Buttes Chaumont, adapting land for human use through large topographic moves has always been part of landscape architecture. In a clever twist of fate, present day conditions have paved the way towards repossessing this act and pushing it to new levels.

12


Due to climate change, temperature is projected to shift greatly over the next two-hundred years, placing many of the world’s major agricultural production zones at risk. Enter terraforming: the design of dissipative multi-scalar land-formations in order to create viable microclimates for agricultural productivity. Through careful manipulation of geometry, agricultural risk can be mediated by curating specific microclimates, altering temperature, solar exposure, wind velocity and hydrologic retention. From crop to landform, from terraform to a new form of agriculture settlement, from localized climate interventions to a catalogue of terraform typologies. This thesis is centered on the geometric composition, formation, and implications of terraforming for agricultural productivity. The goal is a developed system of terraforming, applicable to multiple sites, that functions as a reference for the future landscape architect and a tool for dissipative land formation.

13


Reverse Climatic Morphogenics 14


How far can landform be pushed to generate new localized climates?

15


Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI 16


The Road to Terraforming

p.18-29

Ground Zero: The Ica Valley

p.30-53

Terraform Investigations

p.54-87

Terraformation Processes

p.88-125

Terraform Designs

p.126-163

Looking Ahead

p.164-177

17


hapter I The Road to Terraforming

We find ourselves at a crossroads. A series of trends lie ahead, coalescing to form a singular opportunity. These trends lie within the discipline of landscape architecture, emerge from farming practices, and engage issues of climatic change.

18


19


Projected Shifts in Agricultural Productivity, 2100

Maple Syrup, Vermont

Rice, Mekong Delta

Asparagus, Ica Valeey

-50%

20

-15%

0%

15%


Our food is in a state of risk. Global climate projections indicate a sharp decrease in agricultural productivity over the next 100 years. A large percentage of the world’s most productive food regions are in danger, most of which are economically, socially, physiologically, and culturally dependent on the crops they produce.

35%

no data 21


13°C 12°C

The world is getting (much) warmer. Temperature projections demonstrate a specific 120 year span, “The Terraform Zone”, where elevated temperatures inhibit agricultural productivity and where landformed microclimates can still mediate this 8 degree change.

Global-Mean Air Surface Temperature Relative to 1840-1899

11°C 10°C 9°C 8°C 7°C 6°C 5°C 4°C 3°C 2°C 1°C 0°C -1°C

1900

22


Temperature Projections, 2220

The Terraform Zone

±8°C

Crop Risk

Crop Ideal

120 Year Span

1920

1940

1960

1980

2000

2020

2040

2060

2080

2100

2120

2140

2160

2180

2200

2220

SRES A1F1 Global-Mean Surface Temperature Projections

23


Developments in Agricultural Land Techniques

500 BC Aztec Andenes Terraced Farming 1200 BC Mesopotamian Irrigation Ditches

2500 BC

24

1800 Mechanization 800 Clearings and Crop Rotation

1980 Precision Autom and Forecasti


Agricultural methods have evolved substantially. 2040 Terraform Strategies

From the early terrace farming of the Incas, to crop rotation techniques, to mechanization, to the use of precision forecasting, agricultural methods have developed to the extent where new possibilities emerge.

mation ing

Through a combination of these new techniques, the ability to control localized climates through landforming is within our reach. 2500

25


The landscape architect holds the key to terraforming. From Capability Brown’s Croome Park to Battle i Roig’s Vall d’en Joan, the landscape architect has always manipulated topography to domesticate uninhabitable sites. The profession’s increased use of simulation techniques, paired with its expertise in geometry, attunement to ecoligcal flows, and knowledge of shaping the ground, make the landscape architect well-equipped to deal with large scale terraforming.

26

Croome Capability 1752


Park y Brown 2

Parc des Buttes Chaumont Jean-Charles Alphand 1867

Vall d’en Joan Battle i Roig 2010

Landscape Architecture and Terraforming in Time

27


28


New, more dissipative formations are required. Existing agricultural forms are ill-equipped to deal with climate change’s increased input of thermal energy. They will fail and implode, with substantial repercussions. Terraforming offers a more dissipative formation, better suited to engage this thermal influx.

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30


hapter II Ground Zero: The Ica Valley

Peru is the world’s largest exporter of fresh green asparagus, and home to one of the greatest ancient landforming agricultural civilizations. The Ica Valley is its largest and most endangered producer of asparagus. It is a region in risk, whose longstanding Incan history makes it the perfect starting point for processes of terraformation.

31


The Ica Valley Located in the southwestern desert region of Peru, the Ica Valley is a major global supplier of asparagus. It is facing several issues tied to climate change and the intensity of its agricultural activities.

32


Rainforest

Coastal Desert

Major Routes

Mountains

Ica Valley

34% of Global Asparagus Exports 1950

2014

33


Global Asparagus

Ica Valley Asp Active Months

Active Months

Jan

Dec

Jan

Productive Life-Span

2 Years

Productive Life-S

22 Years

2 Years

Optimal Temperature

O C

Optimal Temperatu

18-22 C

O C

Solar Exposure

Solar Exposure

6 Hours

5 Mt/ha

8 Hours

Irrigation

Irrigation

Yield Rate

Yield Rate

Sandy Soil Low Wind Velocities

34

18

11 Mt/ha


paragus

Dec

Span

ure

8-22 C

e

22 Years

The most effective producer of asparagus The Ica Valley produces asparagus at a rate that is nearly double that of other global asparagus producers. This happens because of its ideal sandy soil, subtle variations in temperature, and constant irrigation, which allows asparagus to grow throughout the entire year.

35


36


jan

feb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Mexico USA Canada Argentina Chile Ecuador Peru China Spain France Netherlands Italy Portugal Germany New Zealand Australia

37


Temper

Why the Ica Valley? The Ica Valley is facing three major issues that make it the perfect testing ground for agricultural terraformation.

-1째C 1900

1920

1940

First, it is at immediate risk from climate change. Temperature projections make asparagus unfeasible in the Ica Valley starting from 2030.

1960

1980

2000

2020

Second, it is facing issues of drought and water shortage. Its current water usage has almost depleted the Ica Aquifer, impacting surrounding communities.

2040

2060

2080

2100

Third, it is a region that exists solely due to asparagus production. Over 60% of the population works in the asparagus industry, which has led a previously impoverished region into having 0% unemployment.

2120

2140

2160

2180

2200

2220

38

0째C

1째C


rature Increase

2°C

3°C

4°C

5°C

6°C

7°C

8°C

9°C

Drought/Water Shortage

Regional Dependency

10°C 11°C 12°C 13°C

Asparagus Production Risk Line

Asparagus Employment

317 million cubic meters/year

0%

unemployment

Depleting Ica Aquifer

39


a History of Agricu

40


ultural Landforming

41


42


Agricultural Terraces of the Inca Large-scale landforming for agricultural use is a key characteristic of the Inca civilization. The remains of these topographic moves can be seen throughout Peru. One particular site is of interest, the Moray Agriculture Lab, sunken terraces that manipulate local temperatures. Terraforming emerges as an evolution of these methods, a hybrid of the old and new.

43


Moray, the first Agricultural Terraform The Moray, a series of terraced depressions, makes use of level changes and existing shade generating topography to create an agriculture lab of varying microclimates. There is an 8째C temperature variation from the bottom of the landform to the top. It is the basis for new processes of terraformation.

44


45


“La Panza de Burro”

46


Identifying a Prototype Transect A viable Ica Valley transect, for terraform investigations, is located based on proximity to the existing asparagus infrastructure and the large coastal fog event named “La Panza de Burro�. It must contain several highpoints and is sized in accordance to existing production by hectare standards.

47


Ica Valley

1 Hec

7000 hectares

14 tons

385,645 tons (2014)

5 Full t

0.1 Proc

“Panza de Burro�

Identifying 48


ctare

Prototype Site

of Asparagus

time Employees

cessing Plants

80-100 Hectares 1400 tons of Asparagus 500 Full time Employees 10 Processing Plants

10km

Asparagus Farms

4km x 2.5km

a Transect 49


2km x

Drainage + Wind Exposure 50


500m

Solar Radiation 51


52


Terraforming a Desert The identified transect is a barren, un-utilized space. It stands as a topographic canvas for the articulation of new, cooler localized climates. It is the new home for asparagus farming in the Ica Valley.

53


hapter III Terraform Investigations

Geometry is key in the design of landformations for the production of new microclimates. Using a wide range of methods, from simulation to precedents to deliberate diagramming, a series of context-dependent terraforms are produced. These establish the underlying logic for terraforming the Ica Valley.

54


55


56


Method I: Precedents Preliminary investigations identified advantages and disadvantages in using each specific method of design inquiry. Designing through the use of precedents was beneficial in that it provided concrete, functional examples that could be appropriated for further design. At the same time, however, precedents did not provide the dynamism, innovation, or site relations needed for designing terraforms.

57


58


Method II: Simulation The use of simulation software allowed for rapid testing and projections of fluid and temporal flows. Simulation proved beneficial when designing for wind movement, solar exposure, and radiation retention. Nonetheless, simulation also provided all of the known issues associated with the managerial surface. Closed boundaries, limited variables, and biased organizational logics reinforced the mistake of relying solely on simulation techniques.

59


+

60

-

+


Method III: Deliberate Diagramming Method III consisted of diagrammatic investigations based on extensive research. Mimicking the investigative potential of the flow diagrams of Howard Odum, these allowed for rapid inferences, free experimentation, and the constant questioning adjustments of system boundaries. Despite this, Method III relied heavily on conjecture and a non-statistical, mostly pre-modern approach. The key to designing microclimatic terraforms is in not relying heavily on any one of these methods but constantly jumping between all three.

Valley

Angled Depression

Sloped Mountain

Berm Combination

61


Valley

Angled Depression

Sloped Mountain

Berm Combination

Wind Barrier

Angled Terraces

High Point Depression

Full Enclosure

Precedent In 62


Wind Barrier

Stepped Deppression

Slant Upright 2째

Angled Terraces

High Point Depression

Full Enclosure

Stepped Terrace

Semi-Closed Enclosure

Half Enclosure

Slant Upright 10째

Slant Down 3째

Slant Form 30째

nvestigations 63


Stepped Deppression

Stepped Terrace

Semi-Closed Enclosure

Half Enclosure

Slant Upright 2째

Slant Upright 10째

Slant Down 3째

Slant Form 30째

Heating/Cooling Slope Investigations 64


Heating/Cooling Slope Site Adapatations 65


Wind Flow Dynamics for Fog Collection 66


Fog Collection Adaptations 67


AM-PM Shade Investigations 68


350°

N

10° 20°

°

340

30

° 30

3

°

10°

40

° 20

°

3

50

31 0°

20°

°

30°

30 0°

°

60

40°

290

70°

°

50°

60°

280°

80°

70°

80°

E

100°

260°

W

250

°

110 °

2

° 40

12

°

23

13 0

14

22

15

21

160

°

200

° 170°

S

190°

Ica Valley Sun Path 69


Transect Type I

Catalogue of Terraforms Transect Type II

Transect Type III

70


Design Methodology

Terraform Settlement Typologies

Site Deployment

71


+

-

+

pm

Terraform ID: T1

72

noon

am

+

+

Function:Cooling Terraces


+

Terraform ID: T2-f

-

+

Function: Cooling Fin

73


Terraform ID: Ts1-am

74

Function: Shade Structure PM Minor


Terraform ID: TS2-pm

Function: Shade Structure AM Major

75


Terraform ID: WH1

76

Function: Fog Collector Major


Terraform ID: wH2

Function: Fog Collector Dendritic Minor

77


Terraform ID: h1

78

Function: Shaded Irrigation Channel


Terraform ID: H2-Re

Function: Groundwater Recharge Well

79


Terraform ID: H2

80

Function: Crop Irrigation Channels


crops skylight

Terraform ID: THo1

Function: Slope Housing Structure

81


Temperature Gradient

82

Shade Topography

Fog Collector


Drainage System

Crop Fields

Circulation

Aggregation Study I 83


Temperature Gradient

84

Shade Topography

Wind Exposure


Drainage System

Crop Fields

Circulation

Aggregation Study II 85


Temperature Gradient

86

Shade Topography

Fog Collector


Drainage System

Crop Fields

Circulation

Aggregation Study III 87


88


hapter IV Terraformation Processes

Peru is the world’s largest exporter of fresh green asparagus, and home to one of the greatest ancient landforming agricultural civilizations. The Ica Valley is its largest and most endangered producer of asparagus. It is a region in risk, whose longstanding Incan history makes it the perfect starting point for processes of terraformation.

89


The Asparagus Economy The Ica Valley’s asparagus production chain is heavily subsidized, sponsored by research universities and government institutions alike. It consists of a series of inputs common to traditional farming methods, with significant emphasis placed on logistics. Dealing primarily with fresh green asparagus, logistics of exportation are crucial.

90


Inputs

The Asparagus Process

Financial Services

Fertilizer

Seeds

Related

Institutions for Collaboration (IPEH,ADEX,AGAP,PROMPEX)

Gastronomy

Logistics

Pesticides

Ports

Asparagus Growers Irrigation

Machinery

Green Asparagus

Cold Chain Transportation

Railways

Processing Equipment Airports

Packing Material

Government Institutions (PROMPERU,SENASA,UNAM,ANTCS)

Customs Agencies

Other

91


The Asparagus Structure The Ica Valley’s agricultural structures have evolved to make use of greater vertical integration. Large agricultural corporations, like Camposol S/A, have integrated farms and processing plants in order to streamline the distribution of fresh asparagus. This vertical integration allows corporations to create an extensive distribution infrastructure, allowing for regular sale to importers and distributors as well as direct sales to major supermarket chains in Europe.

92


Structural Organization

Coordination of Processes

Agricultural Corporations

Corporate farms Drip irrigation Hybrid Seeds Professional Agronomists

Processing Plants

Direct Sales Importers+ Distributors

Wholesale Markets

Retailers

U.S. Market

Supermarket Chains

European Market 93


Farm Entity Distribution

Large Corporate

94

Medium-Scale Farms

Small-Scale Farms

Market Share Distributio

Large Corporate

Medium-Scale Farms

Small-Sc Farms


on

Unbalanced Market Share The current state of the asparagus economy is an unsustainable one. While small and medium-scale farmers occupy a large portion of the asparagus farms, they only contribute to a small portion of all asparagus sales. As a result, they are projected to be subject to fluctuations in employment and profit.

cale s

95


A Manual Process The asparagus farming process in the Ica Valley is both labor intensive and mostly manual. Tractors are only used for initial terrain preparation, at which point manual methods are used to sow, cut, and process green asparagus. Key to the process is large scale crown plantation followed by crown transplants.

96


97


How can terraforming b re-structure th

98


be integrated into and hese dynamics?

99


100


Looking to the Incan Mit’a The Mit’a was a form ofpublic service used by the Inca civilization. The Inca people would devote 65 days of labor per year, working mostly in construction. In exchange, the Inca government would provide food, security, irrigation, and farming infrastructure. Considered to be one of the premier forms of ancient utopic socialism, it allowed the Incas to construct enormous structures. Terraforming provides a perfect opportunity to establish a new Mit’a contract, creating a new dynamic for construction, farming, and profiting in the Ica Valley.

101


EL CONTRATO MIT’A

102

“Asegur futuro Valle d


Ca

osol Mi mp

A

t’a

rando un para el de Ica�

en colaboracion con

E

M

I

Agricultores de Ica

Dep. Ica

103


Ca

A

E

M

I

Agricultores de Ica

104

osol Mi mp

t’a

t’a

osol Mi mp

Construccion del campo local y agricultura

Ca

Construccion del campo empresarial y formacion

A

E

M

Pos-construccio mantenimiento y servicios

I

Agricultores de Ica

Dep. Ica


on o

A Construction Based Contract The new Mit’a contract would be an agreement between a major asparagus corporation, like Camposol S/A, the largest producer of Asparagus in the country, and the local farmers of the region. The local farmers would help in the construction of three major corporation terraform farms. In exchange, they would receive terraform training and receive land plots to terraform their own farms. The corporation would provide irrigation, transit infrastructure, and processing services in exchange. Local terraformed farms would sell asparagus directly to the corporation, which would focus on export logistics.

105


Mit’a Phase I Local farmers help construct large, corporate, terraforms. They receive training in terraformation techniques. The Corporation gains labor for construction at low immediate costs.

106


Construccion del campo empresarial y formacion 107


Mit’a Phase II The Corporation provides the local farmers with group land plots. The Corporation also provides the irrigation, transit, and mechanic support for terraforming and asparagus farming. Local farmeres terraform their own farms. The Corporation begins to profit from their already constructed terraforms.

108


Construccion del campo local y agricultura 109


Mit’a Phase III Local farmers provide a year long supply of asparagus, recieving in exchange the consistency of year long asparagus sales. The Corporation faces minimum production competition, gaining significant income from a depleted marketplace. As more local farms are constructed, local government and subsidies provide support through hospitals, police stations, and road maintenance.

110


Pos-construccion mantenimiento y servicios 111


Mit’a Contract Services Exchange

Corporate Terrafarm Terraform Training

Terraforming

Crown Growth

Crown Growth

Land

Individual Terraformation

Irrigation

Asparagus Growth

Processing Exports

112


An Exchange of Services

Individua Terrafarm

The interplay between the major corporation and local farmers establishes a mutually beneficial agreement, where collaboration allows for the proliferation of terraforming as a viable agricultural method and a more balanced flow of goods. A new economic model is developed, focusing on vertical integration in regards to export processes while re-balancing market share distribution.

113


New Economic Model

Mutually Beneficial Contract

Agricultural Export Corporation

114

Small/Medium Farms

Supermark Chains

Processing Plants

Wholesal Markets

Corporate farms Importers+ Distributors

Retailer


European Market

ket s

Nueva Distribucion Economica

U.S. Market

le s

rs

Corporacion

Agricultores Medianos

Agricultores Menores

115


A Collaborative Ica

While corporate and local farmers come together, through the Mit’a contract, to create a new form of agricultural practice, the government and subsidy organizations provide the funding and support to make these terraformed spaces functional living spaces: agricultural settlements built on large landforms.

oso mp

Ca

The new economy of the terraformed Ica consists of a collaborative relationship between large corporations, local farmers, government agencies, and economic subsidies.

Camposol

Corporate

116


Support Services

Funding

Health/Security

Pachamama Terraform

Mit’a Contract

t’a

ol M i

l Mit’a

e Entity

A

E

M

I

Agricultores de Ica

ICA

AEMI

Departamento de Ica

AGAP

Agricultores de Esparragos Mit’a de Ica

Local Government

Asociacion de Gremios Productores Agrarios del Peru

117


Distributing the Land Key to the Mit’a contract is a process of land distribution, where large corporate farms with processing plants anchor smaller local terraform plots, which can range from small to medium-scale group farms.

118


119


Driven by Irrigation The distribution of the larger corporate farms and the smaller local farm parcels is defined by the site’s existing topographic basis. Large corporate farms are located on highpoints for maximum fog collection, while smaller land plots areas are defined by irrigation channels. The forms of these channels are informed by gravitational pull, generating a series of irregular spaces in which one or multiple small scale farms can exist.

120


I Existing Site

II High Point: Corporate Farm + Fog Collection

121


III Hydrologic Land Distribution

IV Local Farm Construction

122


VI Support Components

V Local Farm Proliferation

123


A2B

A5B

A4

A5A

A3B

A6B

A6A

A7B

A7A

A3A

A2A

A7C

A1

B1

A8C

B5B

B4

B3

A9

A8B

B2

B5A

B6

A8A

A12B

A12B

A10

A11 A12C B12

A12D

B11C A13A

A14

Zone A

A13B

Zone B

B10E

Land Distrib 124


B7E

B7D

B8F

C11

C3 C4C

C10A

C2D B8E

B7C

C5B C8C

B8D

B8C

B7B

C5A

C2C

C12B C6D

B8B

B7A

C9A

C6C

C8B

C7C

C4B

C2B

C6C

C6B

C8A

C7B

B11A

C12A B8A

C1

C4A

B10A

B11B

C2A C6A

C6B

C6

C7A C13C

C13A

B10B

C13B

B10C

B10D

C18

B9A

B9B

C14

C16

Zone C

C17

C15A

C15B

C15C

bution Plan 125


126


hapter V Terraform Designs

Geometry is key in the design of landformations for the production of new microclimates. Using a wide range of methods, from simulation to precedents to deliberate diagramming, a series of context-dependent terraforms are produced. These establish the underlying logic for terraforming the Ica Valley.

127


Corporate Farm Designs

128

Local Farm


Typologies

Construction

129


The Corporate Farms The Ica Valley Terrraform consists of three major corporate farms, operating at a significant agricultural scale, collecting irrigation wtater through fog collectors, and holding processing plants that serve large portions of the region. These three farms represent three terraform typologies and are each defined by large public spaces. The corporate farms provide water, processing infrastructure, and civic spaces to the local farmers of the Ica Valley Terraform.

130


131


132


Pachamama I: the Stadium 133


Ataguchu I: the Slope 134


135


136


Apu I: the Sling 137


138


The Local Farms The Local Farms operate within the land distribution irrigation channel and coordinate point system. As a result, a series of typologies emerge, where variables of downslope and upslope, single or dual coordinate point, and unified or segregated farms are key. These Local Farms allow for freedom of design, where the distribution of crop, open, and living space can be adapted based on individual or group preferences.

139


N

CA TA D1: The Standard 1 Coordinate Point | Downslope | No Subdivision

140


N

CA TA D2: The Valleys 1 Coordinate Point | Downslope | Subdivided

141


N

CA TB D1: The Exposed 1 Coordinate Point | Upslope | No Subdivision

142


N

CA TB D2: Central Artery 1 Coordinate Point | Upslope | Subdivided

143


N

CB TA D1: The Elongated Standard 2 Coordinate Points | Downslope | No Subdivision 144


N

CB TA D2: Double Valleys 2 Coordinate Points | Downslope | Subdivided 145


N

CB TB D1: Double Exposure 2 Coordinate Points | Upslope | No Subdivision 146


N

CB TB D2: The Artery Split 2 Coordinate Points | Upslope | Subdivided 147


Market Plaza

CS A

Security/Policing Structure

Processing STructure Hospital Structure

Asparagus Processing 28 cubic meters

148

Ica 12 cubi


Police ic meters

CS B CS C

Service Centers Through the combination of corporate and livable, local farms, an agricultural settlement formation emerges. As a result, the necessity of support infrastructure is required. This support is manifested through Service Centers, containing asparagus processing, hospital, and police structures as well as a market plaza space for the exchange of external goods.

Hospital 18 cubic meters

Market Plaza 1200 square meters

149


Terraform Moments Diving deeper into the complexities of terraform construction, one finds a series of moments. These deal with hybrid circulation and irrigation systems, reinforced cooling slopes, excess material redistribution strategies, stair-irrigation hybrids, and joint mound-processing structures. One of these is the cooling slope, constructed with sandstone retention structures.

150


Sandstone Slope Retention

151


crop ramp drainage ditch

152

stair circulation


The Drainage Stair The Drainage Stair integrates three major flows: irrigation flows, human circulation flows, and asparagus crop flows. By combining stairs, slopes, and ditches, all three flows coalesce into a single formation.

153


6m

5m

12.5m

154


The Shade Irrigation Road The irrigation infrastructure that organizes land distribution in the Ica Valley Terraform also functions as a road. The road is depressed in order to generate significant shade, maintaining the irrigation water cool and shielding man and vehicles from the heat.

155


Cut + Fill/Structure

156


The Integrated Processing Structure Located within large shade mounds, the Asparagus processing structure is acessible at multiple elevations, linking asparagus terraces directly to the site’s road infrastructure for efficient movement of goods.

157


158


Excess Material Distribution Mounds Excess material is organized in order to create temporal terraces, providing sitewide views, that ultimately erode to allow for downward circulation.

159


350°

N

10°

20°

°

340

30

33

°

10°

40

°

0 32

°

° 50

31 0°

20°

30°

0° 30

° 60

40°

70°

290 °

50°

60°

280°

80°

70°

80°

E

100°

260°

W

°

° 250

110

24

12 0°

23

13

14

22 15

21

160

°

200

°

170°

S

190°

Downslope

Land Surveying

160

Initial E


Excavation

Calcium Nitrate Bacteria Solution

Frame

Sandbrick Retention Structures

Urea

Sand microbial-induced calcite precipitation

Sand Brick Formation

161


The Terraform Toolbox While initial excavation is conducted by heavy machinery, the details of terraform design are produced through manual means. The key to this manual construction is the Terraform Toolbox, consisting of the Terraform Shovel, a hybrid shovel including thermometer, compass, and digital protractor elements, a Terraform Manual, explaining a step by step process, and a calcium nitrate solution for sandstone brick construction.

162


163


Footrest Dig/Trench Shovel Head Hybrid

164

Minor


Compass/Thermometer Keychain

Digital Protractor Grip

Major Grip

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hapter VI Looking Ahead

Geometry is key in the design of landformations for the production of new microclimates. Using a wide range of methods, from simulation to precedents to deliberate diagramming, a series of context-dependent terraforms are produced. These establish the underlying logic for terraforming the Ica Valley.

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Ica Valley 2015 A barren desert. 167


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Ica Valley 2030 Initial Excavations 169


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Ica Valley 2060 A fully functioning Ica Terraform. 171


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Ica Valley 2080 A flourishing agricultural settlement. 173


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Ica Valley 2150 Depleting agriculture, new methods of shade are found. 175


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Ica Valley 2200 Home to builiding structures. 177


18th century, Khmer reg

19th cent French ca system

Looking Beyond Salvaging asparagus farming in the Ica Valley is the first step in a larger terraform strategy. It is also only one of several other regions around the world facing significant agricultural risk.

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imports

1962

In order to test the effectiveness of terraforming, the next sites must operate and different scales and must face very different climatic issues. Looking at major agricultural regions, two stand out: rice plantations in the Meekong Delta and maple syrup production in Vermont.

Doi Moi Reform

2050 Sea Level Rise

71% of Asian rice Exports

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gime

17th century, Morse ancestors

tury anal

Civil War Metal bucket tap

exports

US

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Canada

2030 Northern Migration

20% of Global rice Exports

40% of United States Production

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Pacha mama I Year 2273

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Epilogue Climatic Terraformations

Cicero paced himself. He was looking for something but did not know what. He was driven by an all consuming madness, a desire to find hope in an age of disillusionment. And so he searched. Amidst the land formations, deep within the lonely heart of Kon 1, he found life.

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and so it

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t goes...

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Room Key

start

Presentation Path

Wanderer Path


Terraforming Cultivation landformation for agricultural continuity by Timothy Wei advised by David Mah

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Terraforming Cultivation landformation for agricultural continuity by Timothy Wei advised by David Mah

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