On Site 2020 - "The Art of Letting grow" by Urban Ecology-TU Delft

2021

2050?

G(R)O(W) THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W) THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W)

THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W) THE ART OF LETTING

ON SITE 2020

ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W) THE ART OF LETTING THE

G(R)O(W) THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W) THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W) THE

INTRODUCTION Landscape Architecture ON SITE is a Master elective course by the Landscape Architecture Department at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of TU Delft and it is conducted during the 4th quarter. This elective course provides 27 students from different master tracks that worked in multiple groups, the opportunity to carry out a series of learning and experimental exercises which include workshops, lectures, and constructing pilot, experimental projects at the TU Delft campus. This year, 2020, was different from the previous ones. The Covid-19 virus that hit the whole world, led to quarantine measures being taken. Physical contact and attendance at the university were no longer possible. New ways had to be found to start the course and work on a radical virtual redefinition of the TU Delft campus in a new intangible, online environment. The goal of this year was to explore the TU Delft campus through different, unexpected, non-human perspectives, search about innovative ideas and new answers to the environmental problems, like the CO2 emissions and the climate change, and go towards a more self-sustaining, climate adaptive and biodiverse ECOcampus. These explorations took several forms during the quarter, from seeing the area through the lens of an insect to an immersive, virtual 3D representation of this ECOcampus vision. During this process, technical knowledge and input on issues like water purification, forestry, biodiversity, and maintenance were important tools for the project. In addition, the digital environment in which the course started, gave the opportunity to think more imaginative landscapes, based of course on existing bio-topological conditions. In that way, these creative scenarios can become true and be built immediately, when the Covid-19 paralysis passes.

through a non-human lens, then developing various eco-scenarios of the future choosing a specific perspective, in order at the end to form a united ECO-vision and site-specific design, using multiple tools, like film and animation, virtual reality and online/interactive platforms. In the end, all students have acquired theoretical and physical knowledge of campus landscape, have studied, visualized and edited its topography and spatial qualities, extend their knowledge base in multiple disciplines and fields like geology, ecology, and art.

Tudelft Mekel Park

Landscape Architecture ON SITE: ECOcampus: The campus as a new garden of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Edenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Different stages during the quarter gave structure to this unexpected quarantined-situation. Students started working on mapping the conditions, habitats, and biotopes of this urbanized, complex and with a specific functional identity area,

CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 ECO VISION -SPECIES -SITE ANALYSIS -ECO CAMPUS VISION

5-20

CHAPTER 2 FACTSHEET -FACTSHEETS

21-26

CHAPTER 3 DESIGN -DESIGN

27-32

CHAPTER 4 BUILD-UP -DESIGN+BUILD

33-38

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION -METHOD -RESULT -DISCUSSION

39-42

TIMELINE CHAPTER 1

1 WEEK

2 WEEK

3-4 WEEK

SPECIES

SITE ANALYSIS

ECO CAMPUS VISION

6 GROUPS

JOURNALS IMMERSIVE FILMS

CLIMATE WATER BIODIVERSITY

FRESH AIR E-COLAB NEW HORIZONS 4E.CO ECO-IS-LAND PHOENIX IMMERSIVE FILMS 1 GROUP FILM

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

5-6 WEEK

7-8 WEEK

9-11 WEEK

FACTSHEETS

DESIGN

DESIGN+BUILD

4 GROUPS

3 GROUPS

WATER VEGETATION SURFACE OVERALL

BK PARKING PAVEMENT MIEN RUYS PARK RIETVELD MONUMENT

ON SITE

DOCUMENTARY 1 GROUP FILM

ONLINE TOOL 1 GROUP WEB

REPORT 1 GROUP DOCUMENT

VIRTUAL REALITY 1 GROUP VR

CHAPTER 1

ECO VISION

1.1 NON-HUMAN PERSPECTIVE-26 SPECIES DRAGONFLYDAMSELFLY, WESTERN HONEYBEE, OTTER, TAXUS BACCATA,................. LANDSCAPE WITHIN LANDSCAPE

ECO-IS-LAND 1.2 SITE ANALYSIS BIODIVERSITY PHOENIX

1.2 SITE ANALYSIS WATER E-COLAB NEW HORIZONS

1.3 ECO VISIONS

FRESH AIR

THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W) NATURE FIRST

1.3 ECO VISIONS THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W)

AQUAMPUS, A VENICE IN DELFT NEW HORIZONS

1.2 SITE ANALYSIS CLIMATE EXTREME MICRO CLIMATE 6

4E.CO

1.1 NON-HUMAN PERSPECTIVE-26 SPECIES

In the first weeks of the course, as the measures for Covid-19 had already been implemented, visit the campus had to be done only individually. There, the existing natural network consists of various systems that connect all the living and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;non-livingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; species. Creatures that grow together and interact with each other within their different growth cycles and lifespans. They live in a wider but common environment that must provide them with all the different characteristics they need to survive, in the TU Delft campus. Each student undertook one of these species, animals, insects, or plants, and tried to understand how they perceive the world, through creating a narrative that expresses their impact on the direct environment and vice versa. How do they move? What will they eat? Where they find shelter? How do they grow? What environmental conditions do they need? Etc. All the material, the impressions, and experiences collected from their perspective and described through maps, photos, drawings, recordings and stories of colors, patterns, forms, and structures, contributed to the creation of an Individual Journal, a coherent narrative of the species that move between the microscale and the macro scale and explains the impact of this species on the direct environment, and the impact of the environment on the species. This research helped the students understand what can be found on the campus, what the insights from an alternative site are, what their ecological value is and how to deal with the conflicting perspectives.

PLANTS

INSECTS Damselfly

Taxus baccata

I represented the dragonfly and damselfly community. ‘As one, I was born near or on the water on some floating plants. As a nymph, I spent almost years underwater and fed from water mites. Then I climbed emergent rooted plants and execute my metamorphosis. Now and for some time on I will live near wetlands, will be fed by mosquitos, butterflies and so on, as the best hunter, but trying to avoid my enemies, the birds, ducks, and frogs. To the humankind and ecology, I am very beneficial. I eat the mosquitos that can carry diseases and I indicate the clean water. I play an important role in ecology, not only as predator that benefit people and their environment, but also as prey of others. And so, I contribute to the biodiversity.’

ovule bracts

Habitat Food

bracts

Thrush

SYMBIOTIC micro sporangia

Reproduction

Female flowers

Male flowers Blackbird

Grey/red squirrel

Mosquito

Spider

Fruits

C OD

Bird nest

Ants’ nest

Caterpillars of Satin beauty moth

seed

Moss

Ivy

aril scale

Fruit

Western Honeybee Diary of a workerbee

27-04

Sleeping dry and well in the hive at night, having a nightmare of a VERROA MITE!

Ah bzzz I am still alive! It must be night, it is dark in the hive..

I wake up by the ﬁrst beams of sun I see my sisters ﬂy and run

Oh this beautifull day, so sunny Off I go for making honey!

Flying over, the ﬁelds are scanned choosing on which ﬂower to land

Up closer I check for enemies, it’s a tought world for bees

As a real collector I drink a lot of nectar

The yellow stuff comes of the stems, I save some of these little gems

With my belly full, hours passed We ﬂy back to the hive, guys not so fast!!

I spit my nectar into the other’s belly, to make beesbread, honey and royal jelly

We beat our wings for water evaporation covering the comb with wax for honey creation

I leaned that each bee will do a tiny thing, toghether we ﬂy uder our mothers wing.

Fagus

MAMMALS AND OTHERS

SPECIES PARADIES

Smooth Coat Otter

After the first exploration of the species themselves, students continued visualizing a paradise for each of these species. A more specific image that expresses the environment with all the necessary requirements, conditions, and spatial qualities, essentially shows the species’ paradise. This paradise is of course located on the TU Delft campus. In that way, many alternative depictions of this well-known landscape gave a whole new vision, a new perspective. Seeing the campus as a bird or insect paradise and imagining it as a wetland or forest area, was a very interesting and creative exercise.

Hello! I am a smooth coated otter(Lutrogale perscpicillata)! I am currently residing in Singapore and my cousin, the eurasian otter (lutra lutra) is in the Netherlands. We are extremely social, curious and energetic creatures. I have webbed paws and a thick outer fur coat which keeps the under fur dry. Being monogamous, we have a small family group and can live up to 10 years old. We live near waterways and 75% of my diet consists of fishes like the catfish and tilapia. So how does a typical day of mine look like? I wake up before sunrise at 6am and together with my family, we head out to hunt for food and we can travel up to 10km. We would teach the young to swim and to fish and by noon, we would find a nice sunny spot to relax and cuddle. We are well adapted to the urban environment and learn to live alongside humans, climb ladders to reach canals, scale stairs and explore urban parks. With the COVID19, you can see us exploring the neighbourhood markets and even the hospitals!

Earthworm

The results of the ‘Species Paradise’ exercise provided also a lot of inspiration for the next stage of thinking an ECO-vision. It gave a lot of freedom to the students to think more freely out of the box since apart of the chosen animal and the visualization of their habitat, extreme scenarios of landscapes had to be implemented on the campus. Sidelined characters came to the focal point, habitants that usually come second in importance, after the two-leg, standing ones, and conquered the area.

1.2 SITE ANALYSIS During the next weeks of the course, students made groups in order to map the conditions related to the habitats On-Site. The research had to be conducted based on three different aspects, water, climate, and biodiversity. Students gathered information and maps and unraveled socio-ecological patterns, processes, and flows that shaped the existing landscape of the campus. Searching about the water quality, the flows, the micro temperatures, the wind and surfaces, the current level of biodiversity, and the state of succession ended up in, significant results and conclusion maps, necessary for the following parts of the visions and design. Apart from the categorization based on the three aspects, the teams had to choose also a perspective from which to do the analysis. So, three teams searched about the three aspects from a human perspective and the other three the same aspects from the non-human perspective. In addition, the comparison between these two views, it also proved to generate fruitful discussions on several topics on nature lenses.

ECO-IS-LAND

BIODIVERSITY PHOENIX

‘Located in the middle of the area between Rotterdam and Den Haag, our TU campus is found surrounded by a vast agricultural landscape of often monoculture practices. Sparse and fragmented pieces of more ecological green and so biodiverse spots appear around. In this way of thought, the TU Campus, by creating conditions can become a biodiversity core, part of the bigger ecological network. The university, since 2000, with the first step of the green-roofed library construction, started the journey to a more biodiverse environment. Chemicals are no longer used to treat weeds on pavements and more flower seed beds are sown where it is possible. These blooming areas attract bees and butterflies, an outcome that improves biodiversity. Moreover, in some areas, mainly in the northern part of the campus, the maintenance is done in more sustainable ways, with a flock of sheep keeping the grasses trimmed.

‘The Phoenix Group divided the TUD campus environment into seven categories. Excluding the large-scale paving, the remaining green spaces are 6 types, namely lawn, tree in lawn, tree in paving, park, thickets, and the third landscape. In each different green space, there are corresponding species. In summary, places with complex plant structures, such as Parks, and Third landscape have better biodiversity (from the ground to the ground), the Lawn, Trees in lawn, and Trees in paving, then has low biodiversity.’

In order to analyze further the biodiversity on campus, from a non-human perspective, as a team we did a distribution mapping of the eco elements. For trees, an extensive area they in the botanical garden and the Jaffa cemetery can be found. Some trees species and their locations are marked in the campus map, like Acer, Tilia etc. The shrubs also create groups in the cemetery area. Apart from that, we also defined the waterbody and aquatic plants in the campus. One kind of interrelation among these three eco elements is the animals. Their food chain, habitat and activity range are highly relevant and replied on the eco elements. By overlaying the three layers, we proposed that the Botanical garden, the Cemetery and the two smaller water-body areas, have high potentials for increasing the abundant biodiversity.’

WATER FRESH AIR

‘In the collage we looked at the complete landscape of the campus from nature perspective. It is not only a water system, but also a living environment for species. Biodiversity is an important factor on the ecocampus. Many species are influenced by the water, such as mole, cherry tree, nettles and butterfly which we researched individually. For example, the mole requires an appropriate moisture to live. Because if the soil is too wet, it is difficult to search food. If it is too dry, it is hard to dig. Therefore, if the water system is managed in a good way, we can create a good biodiverse eco-campus.’ E-COLAB PRECIPITATION Average amount of precipitation per month in mm

Part of the natural water cycle. Supplies plants and animals with water and replenishes groundwater.

Fig. 3. Natural water cycle. Source: Sydney Water

COMPONENT Precipitation is directly linked to all water components.

Fig. 1. Precipitation. Data: KNMI

Precipitation rates

PLACE

Fig. 2. Precipitation rates. Source: Meteoblue.

The bar chart of the average amount of precipitation per month (fig. 1.) is based on historical KNMI measurement data, measured at the weather station in Rotterdam, in the years 1974 to 2019. The precipitation rate diagram (fig. 2) shows on how many days per month certain amounts of precipitation fall. It is based on 30 years of Meteoblue hourly model simulations. Using the surface size (fig. 4) it is possible to calculate how much precipitation falls on campus.

REFERENCES Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut. (n.d.-a). Klimatologie; maandgegevens neerslagsom; station Rotterdam. Retrieved 20 May 2020, from https://cdn.knmi.nl/knmi/map/page/klimatologie/gegevens/ maandgegevens/mndgeg_344_rh24.txt Meteoblue. (n.d.). Klimaat Delft. Retrieved 20 May 2020, from https:// www.meteoblue.com/nl/weer/historyclimate/climatemodelled/delft_ nederland_2757345 Sydney Water. (n.d.). Natural water cycle [Illustration]. Retrieved from https:// alternate.sydneywater.com.au/SW/education/drinking-water/Naturalwater-cycle/index.htm

Fig. 4. Area and perimeter TU Delft campus

‘The vegetation mapping allows us to understand the current tree and ground cover species. The planting reveals the site condition, for instance whether it is wet or dry, sunny or shaded. The section across different parts of the campus reveals the different bank conditions with accessible gentle gradient slope or steep boundary edges. The water body represent different spatial qualities with the surrounding site context and the vegetation type.’

‘Water is an important part in campus operation. Since our campus belongs to the bigger polder system, all the water in polder will be transferred to our campus, as you can see from this map. The water flows from west to east and then pumped out by the main pump. Therefore, our campus is a final station of the water. There are many stories of water we observed on the campus. This image shows an outline. Water pollution is always a problem. There are at least three pollution points we observed in our campus, the first one is the water way that besides the Aesculus cycling route. Many falling leaves and ducks make it nutrient. Except that, near the building, or inside the forest, the water quality is also negative. As we all know, the water body in front of Aula is very popular, students would like to sit in front of it, learning or chatting. Even during IP there are some activities that let some people jump into the water.The green roof of the library, everyone knows it, a huge grass roof combined with water retention and recreation. It can effectively slow down the run-off speed. Also, an appropriate slope provide students laying and sitting down.The last thing is the river bank, nearly all the river banks are eco-friendly, except the one beside faculty civil engineering, which is a hard river bank. It looks like formal and feels totally different when people walk along it.’

SYSTEM

CLIMATE

4E.CO

NEW HORIZONS ‘New Horizons group studies the climate on campus from human perspectives. Vegetation types, buildings, heat island effects, cooling effects, and wind direction lead to the final climate map and different natural elements. There are close connections between vegetation types and the cooling effects.’

‘4E.CO group studies the microclimate condition on campus from human perspectives. According to the analysis of temperature, wind, water and light, we categorize our campus into several extreme microclimate conditions. Spots with extreme problems in flooding, strong wind and heat stress etc. are point out on the map with climate circle. It is interesting that pavements have some connection with several extreme climate spots.’

‘The current number of different biotopes on campus is limited. Few kinds of habitats are inserted into the human-dominant environment as decorations. The boundary between different biotopes is very clear, due to the vegetation types and other human interventions. In our vision we make a gradient instead of a boundary between different habitats to increase biodiversity.’

1.3 ECO VISIONS Based on the previous Mapping analysis of the three aspects, each group experimented with possible concept scenarios about the new ECO-campus. The teams could keep the two different perspectives and transform the area. Moreover, they positioned these scenarios in the context of a self-sustaining, circular, and healthy environment. At this point, extremes, imaginative, radical worlds can be created. The new landscapes, however, are of course based on existing bio-topological conditions, on what it is possible, what can thrive there, and should enhance also the perception of the existing qualities of the campus.

FRESH AIR NATURE FIRST

‘On one hand, our vision is to slow down the pump speed, storing water in the campus, which means that there will be more wetland and swamp on the campus. We follow the gradient from dry to wet, creating there main biotopes- forest-meadow-swamp. Forest: the northern area is kept dry by carrying off the water quickly, here a more bushy vegetation of trees and shrubs can be found. The already mature vegetation of the cemetery will form the base for this biotope, home to various forest birds. Meadow: with less maintenance the middle part can develop in a rough meadow with wildflowers and herbs. Creating more beneficial habits for insects like bees and butterflies. Swamp: with a higher water table a peat swamp biotope can develop. Aquatic plants like reed and cattail can grow here, which forms the habitat for marsh birds like the bittern and heron. As we increase the retention time of water in the campus, more possibilities also emerge. The water flow is no longer linear, but circular. Rainwater flows from all directions to the swamp, which can be both purified and stored. The water can provide habitat for wild animals and plants, and can also be reused. On the other, eco-campus is still a campus, which needs to function for human. Connectivity between buildings is required and on the conceptual map you see the cycling paths, sidewalks and tramlines system. To limit human intervention, we leave only the least paths which serve for the connectivity between buildings’ entrances, which are necessary for basic function of the campus, and cover other areas with nature layer. Also, mostly used buildings are connected by direct straight path. Besides, to reach the goal of ‘car-free Campus’, several parking lots are set at the entrance of campus.’

NEW HORIZONS NEW HORIZONS

‘In the current situation, the TU campus is still human dominant which means some decisions are only made for human benefits. But concluded from the previous analysis, there is still high potential in biodiversity on the TU Delft campus. We want to reconsider the relationship between nature and humans, give more space for nature to boom.’

‘The intention is to create a more coherent and diverse biosystem, which contains several layers in both horizontal and vertical levels. In this vision nature and human society are one. the building may work as the cliff, mountain element in a natural way. By digging and rearrange the soil, the Wet-Dry condition gradually changes from North to South and also East to West. In the valley, every community has its own place/layer. So, instead of separating humans from nature, humans are simply one of many communities that are shown in the concept drawing. To achieve this goal, different toolboxes are created in terms of climate, nature biotope, and also a human experience, to deal with different situations and maximize the biodiversity and optimize human experience.’

4E.CO EXTREME MICRO CLIMATE

‘Our concept is explained in this concept diagram, showing that the 4 elements: peak rainfall, heatwave, extreme winds & shade, will be either used or produced. Existing micro climates will be exaggerated and new ones will be created. Doing so, gradients will occur, highlighting different climate conditions. This will enhance biodiversity and regenerative energy can be produced. TU Delft envisioned as a circular and resilient ECO-Campus having a drastically varying ecological gradient with micro climates that transform it to a stepping stone for species in the region. Using the elements, we created a toolbox with components to use and produce micro climates. Added to this, is a list of circumstances that will have an effect on different organisms. This way habitats can be created for the entire ecosystem. To conclude, we created a section where different climates throughout the campus can be seen. We created specific conditions that flow into new ones along gradients. This diversity will create huge opportunities for biodiversity and make regenerative energy possible.’

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PHOENIX

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The aim of The Campus of Living Things: The Art of Letting G(r)o(w) is improving the coexistence of people and wildlife. We envision a symbiotic relationship in which the built environment becomes a part of a larger ecosystem. In this approach we work as much as possible with what is already on the campus like soil, building materials, bio-waste, but also taking into account the spatial qualities that also exist. The Art of Letting G(r) o(w) is based on allowing more vegetation to grow spontaneously and creating more diverse habitats, more biotopes that will actually refer to the nonhuman species that are often a marginalized part of the urban environment. We will take a close look at the current maintenance plan to see what changes we can apply in order to create a richer biodiverse environment. Different areas will be maintained in different stages of succession, other areas will be allowed to go all the way through this cycle. In addition, small interventions can be done to establish more gradient in the landscape and create a better starting point for nature development.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

THE ART OF LETTING G(R)O(W)

ECO-IS-LAND LANDSCAPE WITHIN LANDSCAPE

‘The Eco-is-land team started thinking about the new eco-campus from the non-human perspective. We recognized some poor qualities of the habitats on the campus and so our priority was to improve them, by creating better biotopes. Analyzing the campus area we also distinguished some attributes that can be transformed into strengths and based on these we made a classification about the types of landscape that the species depend on. So the interpretation of our scenario on the campus will be the ‘landscapes within the landscape’, a concept that proposes a forest land on the north side, where natural processes will form a condensed bird biotope, an open area of the meadowland that offers grass and flower paradise, an insect biotope with willows, reeds and water plants that also play the role of purification managers and finally, in the southern and lowest part, a more organized purification plant system with bigger water bodies. Moreover components that are related to these landscape types were formed by scales and categorized according to the types. Some refer to long term plans, such as the aerial bridge for the two-leg, standing species, but others can be applied immediately and in a ‘do it yourself’ way, such as the nests, the insect hotels, and the transformation of existing elements on campus like the TUDELFT sign, into more ecological, insects’ art pieces.’

E-COLAB

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;As a part of the Eco Campus strategy, the E-colab group is turning the water challenge that TU Delft is currently facing into an opportunity for biodiversity rejuvenation. Increasing water levels will cause disturbances on campus. By making use of flood-maps, we mapped out areas susceptible to floods, creating a scenario where water reclaims the land. However, instead of obstructing, we embrace the idea of nature overtaking. We see opportunity in allowing water to fill the campus, creating island and canals. Instead of the uncontrolled flood, we propose an adaptive plan to make use of present and upcoming water. Creating the gradient between water and land, we create opportunities to enlarge biodiversity. The dream is that, when the water, which is always present, is shown permanently, the buildings will be the addition to this &#39;lake like campus&#39;. The experience would be a symbiotic relationship between flora &amp; fauna on campus, where canals replace the hardened streets by excavating and using this to create gradients in order to create the opportunity to enlarge the biodiversity within TU Delft campus.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

AQUAMPUS, A VENICE IN DELFT

FINAL VISION After the presentation of the six ECO-visions, a choice had to be made. Students had to choose one of these visions as the main leading concept for the site-specific design for the following stage. So, all students voted the three, for them, favorite visions, the ones that see themselves working on for the next weeks. Discussions also clarified details of the scenarios and especially the one that was selected, the vision of the ‘Art of letting grow’ by the Phoenix team. However, just because one of them was selected didn’t mean that the rest would be rejected, but they would be integrated with the first one as the leading strategy.

MASTERPLAN YEAR 0

Forest

Herby meadow Forest

Herby meadow

Wildflower meadow

Forest

Wet meadow

Wildflower meadow

Wet meadow Wildflower meadow

Herby meadow

Wildflower meadow

P Forest

Herby meadow

Herby meadow Herby meadow

Forest

Forest Wet meadow

Wildflower meadow

Wildflower meadow Forest

‘The design principles of let it grow are to be based on the biotopes that are already there and to explore how they would look like in more natural states. The meadows of the Mekelpark if left to their own natural devices would probably develop into natural flower meadows with wild grasses and herbs. While the more forest oriented parts of the campus already look much like a forest their undergrowth could develop more and result in a more natural forest where decay and growth are a natural balance.’

MASTERPLAN YEAR 20

MASTERPLAN YEAR 50

Forest

Forest Forest

Herby meadow

Herby meadow Herby meadow

Roof nature

Wildflower meadow

Herby meadow Forest

Wildflower Wildflower meadow meadow

P Forest

Roof nature

Herby meadow

Herby meadow Forest

Herby meadow

P Herby meadow

Forest

Wet Wet meadow meadow Roof nature

Forest

Herby meadow

Herby Herby meadow meadow

Forest

Roof nature

Herby Herby meadow meadow

Roof nature

Wildflower meadow

Roof nature

Wildflower Wildflower meadow meadow

Herby meadow

Forest

Herby meadow

Forest

Herby Herby meadow meadow Roof nature

Wildflower meadow

Wet meadow Wet meadow

Roof nature

Forest

Wildflower meadow

Herby meadow

Roof nature

Forest

Wet meadow

Wildflower meadow

Wet meadow

Herby meadow

Roof nature

Forest

Wet meadow

Forest Forest

Wildflower meadow

Forest

Herby meadow

Forest

Wet Wet meadow meadow Roof nature

Wildflower meadow

Wildflower Wildflower meadow meadow Forest

Forest

Forest Wildflower meadow

CHAPTER 2

FACTSHEET

2.1 WATER

FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND WATER SQUARE GREEN ROOF CONSTRUCTED WATER TREATMEMTS WETLAND GREYWATER TREATMENT GREEN ROOF PUDDLE MOSAIC MEADOW

2.2 VEGETATION

VERTICAL GREENING WILDFLOWER MEADOW GREEN TRACK HOUSE OF INSECTS ECO-STRUCTURES POROSITY-GRASSCRETE TERRA ECO-FURNITURE

2.3 SURFACE

ECO-RIDGES 22

TOOLBOX (FACTSHEET)

2.1 WATER

Floating treatment wetland

Water square

Green Roof

Constructed Water Treatments Wetland

Green Roof

The campus is situated in a polder, which means the water level is regulated. Without this regulation the water level would rise quickly. Climate change is expected to lead to an increase in extreme precipitation and drought. Principles:

dealt with by ecological method rather than too much artificial interventions. On the other hand, storm water can be utilized more effectively and improve the water system for climate change. The initial phase consists of small scale, low cost interventions that could be ideally carried out tomorrow by students or maintenance workers. Applying something small and then letting go could have a big influence on the way water is treated and used on campus.

The principle of water group have 6 aspects. First of all, less maintenance and low-cost intervention is the most important one which follows the concept, let it grow. Based on that, we propose water can go back to surface water or release to the soil naturally rather than drained and pumped out. The dry area could be kept as the drought-tolerant plants can adapt. The grey water can be

The next phase will have bigger scale interventions and will also need specialists to implement them. The idea behind these kind of interventions is to regulate the water system more to dissolve problems regarding water to make the TU Delft campus more resilient to climate change. Green roofs and artificial wetland can

Greywater treatment Green Roof

be applied which can bring more biodiversity. The last phase consists of large scale interventions that will be higher in price, take longer and are implemented on a bigger scale. Also, these interventions cannot be carried out by students but specialists are required. The aim of this phase is to take another step towards a sustainable and resilient campus regarding water management. Green/blue roofs, greywater treatment system can be constructed and these are connected to Interventions from previous phases. In the end, this connections create one system that will hold and clean more water on TU Delft campus.

LARGE MEDIUM SMALL

MAINTENANCE

2.2 VEGETATION category

MEADOW

FOREST

scale

The vegetation components are based on a series of principles which closely connected to ‘The Art of Letting Grow’. First, we try to work with what is already there, using local species and following the basic site form. Second, high cost and massive interventions are not recommended. Instead, small scale changes are popular to optimize the biodiversity. Third, these components are focus on less human disturbance and maintenance, Finally, evolving process over time replaces the static phase in designing components.

INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED

XS puddle

The scales of these components vary from small to medium, being divided into four categories: meadow, forest, waterscape and structure related. Also, they all follow the principles mentioned above. Many ecological implements are taken, such as creating more space for trees by depavement, building biodiverse organism habitats by using various plant compositions, constructing more green roofs, and digging extra puddles for rain water.

solitary tree

The puddle meadow is a good component in these components. It shows a dynamic process since the water level changes as the weather and season. Different substrate, size, depth and slope angle accommodate create appropriate living conditions for multiple flora and fauna. Vegetations are required into corresponding water level.

S mosaic meadow

avenue 1

greenroof

vertical greening

Starting from a practical angle, it is addressed of how to build these components. Because less intervention and maintenance means more feasible. So related data are collected to draw an IKEA instruction, just like when you buy a furniture, the instruction will guide you how to assemble. The component instruction can teach people what materials are needed, how to build and maintain them.

wildﬂower meadow

puddle meadow

green track

2.3 SURFACE

The surface components are an approach to the ‘Art of letting grow’-concept in a variety of implementations. To ‘letting go’ does not mean we assume it will grow as intended and no design would be needed. However, to increase biodiversity, we instead aim to decrease the mandatory maintenance of the campus with subtle, yet effective interventions and by implementing greening solutions for the existing infrastructure.

From the smallest to largest scale, the components tangle with reshaping the surfaces, creating wildlife habitats, earth ecofurniture, and permaculture hills. Permeable pavements and ecostructures made of recycled building materials provide more nature and water resilient places. The network of buildings is also integrated into the concept with smaller or bigger interventions, becoming eco-friendly structures that enhance the campus ecosystem.

‘The Art of Letting go’ without guidance is not feasible for all approaches. Designing components that are conducive for ecology and human experience, while demanding non or low maintenance and are durable, is the link to create a campus that can be “advantageous to all living things, humans naturally included”. To have an overview on which component is most suitable in this concept, we value “easy to build”, “of low cost” as important factors. As a proposal; Eco-structures, terra eco-furniture, and wildlife habitats are components that could be implemented immediately, relatively low cost and so, an objective of the materialization (experimentation if you will) procedure on campus.

“But what does this mean for the surface components? To let go; to let go of our unconditional will to control every aspect of the human environment. The surface components are designed for culture and nature to meet, merge, and to give birth to a world of living things. Allowing buildings to get overgrown, to be hospitable to other species but also to reuse their materials and extend their lifespans in meaningful ways. For nature overtaking.”

TINY FOREST

GRAYWATER TREATMENT

ECO-RIDGES

LIVING WALL

HOUTSINGEL

FLOATING TREATMENT

MOSAIC MOWING

GREEN ROOF BUS STOP

ECO STRUCTURES

PUDDLE MEADOW

WILDFLOWER LAWN

HEDGEHOG HOUSE

GREEN ROOF

GREEN BANKS

WILDFLOWER PUDDLE

INSECT HOTEL

POROSITY GAPS

ECOLOGICALY FRIENDLY BANKS

HEDGEHOG HOUSE

HUGELKULTUR

GREEN ROOF WATER COLLECTION

NETTERJACK TOADS

INSECT HOTEL

ECO STRUCTURES

WATER SQUARE

ECO STRUCTURES

HUGELKULTUR

SOLITARY TREES

ECO STRUCTURES

AVENUE

TRAM LILNE

VERTICAL GREEN

MOSS WALL

TERRA ECO FURNITURE

CHAPTER 3

DESIGN

CONCEPT

MIEN RUYS PARK

CONCEPT

RIETVELD MONUMENT

CONCEPT 28

OVERALL DESIGN

BK PARKING PAVEMENT

OVERALL DESIGN Vision 2050 The campus of the TU Delft is by 2050 transformed into an Eco-campus. Unnecessary pavement made place for a new water infrastructure and vegetation that fits the existing ecosystems in this area. Three habitats are created from North to South: the forest, the meadow and the swamp. The forestry area helps counteracting the urban heat island effect and air pollution. The increased canopy density leads to shadow, air filtration and is a great habitat for birds and insects. For humans, the forest can be experienced as a place to wander, to walk through and think. The spatial qualities of the forest fit the needs of the students, who are now able to have a relaxing walk during a break. The Mekelpark is evolved into a wildflower meadow, which attracts pollinators whilst adding aesthetic value to the place. Entrances of many faculties are placed around this park, which makes it a good meeting point. Eco-friendly furniture is made for people to sit, to meet, to gather. The openness of the place makes it easy to see and recognise others. People come here to sit and talk or just watch the cyclist around them. The swamp area is enriched by a natural swimming pond for the students. Due to the water purification using reeds, the old sports fields turned into the natural environment that provides space for events like introduction activities of student associations or festivals. The Mien Ruys park has become an escape from the big buildings on campus, for humans as well as for other species. The swamp is a place to move, to be moved. The eco-structures, made of reused tiles, offer a home to a lot of insects, while shaping the atmosphere at this spot. Deep within the reeds, a coolness and stillness force you to experience a symbiosis between manmade and nature.

By the philosophy of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The art of letting g(r)o(w)â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a campus appeared that not only offers space for the growth of students and the expansion of the University, but also increases biodiversity and becomes a wonderful example of a balanced ecosystem within a manmade environment.

BK PARKING PAVEMENT

NFRAUCTURE LATED

COMPONENTS FROM FACTSHEETS

Perennials

Annuals

Climbing

vertical greening Symphytum officinale 20-40 cm, Clay + Sand

Alchemilla 30-50 cm, Clay + Sand

Calendula 15-40 cm, Clay + Sand

Poppies 15-60 cm, Clay + Sand

Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Veitchii’

reenroof

’BK pavement site consists of the south-east side of the BK building, where the car parking area and the Bouwpub are located. This space is characterized by a vast paved area, which increases the heat island effect. On the other hand, limited opportunities for rainwater infiltration are putting more pressure on the sewer system. Replacing tiles with plants and creating space for nature will counter these problems while providing several benefits for the environment. The team took, after a small analysis, immediate action, de-paving some spots in order to experiment with the surfaces. The design proposal for this site gathers seven spots and suggests different de-paving and greening actions. From faced and bench gardens to lamp post green stepping stones, all designs consist of taking the hard, solid pavement out and create the condition for plants to grow, according to the ‘art of letting grow’ strategy. After the general design proposal, one area was chosen to construct and implement the idea and that was the facade and bench garden in the south-east corner of the BK building. There, an extensive surface was de-paved and a planting scheme was held, with perennial and annual plants that will grow, creating a pleasant environment to sit and giving a new genius loci to this empty space.’

A’

A 21 m

Stepping stones - section • addition of more stones which fill in the huge gaps, creating a coherent path • addition of wooden musical poles which work as handles, but also as musical objects • scratching the end of each stone to make it less slippery and safer • addition of stones not only to the existing path from the north to the west entrance, but also in scattered spots around of it, converting the area to an adventurous and playfull ground

category

MEADOW vertical greening

FOREST

ale

The soil was excavated, leaving a long ditch. In this ditch, the changes in water level and slope are very rich, providing conditions for the growth of various plants. The excess soil was piled up into a small hill. In the future, this mound will be covered with grass, and it can be used as an interesting space for speech, relaxation and entertainment. At the same time, the design of the hill also considers people's sight and site characteristics---- the huge chestnut tree and that colorful sculpture.’

reen track

puddle

solitary tree

reenroof

INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED

The shaded area behind the building is regarded as the best place for plants to grow, so many pavements have been removed. Climbing plants, structural plants and other wildstyle plants are grown. In addition, in order to highlight the design concept, we also added a moss wall with a ‘’let it grow‘’ logo.

CHAPTER 4

BUILD-UP

THE START OF BUILD-UP

01 JUNE After 1st June, because of the better of the corona situation, students can finally have the opportunity to work on-site in campus.

05 JUNE - FIRST MEETING ON SITE Students and teachers had the first on-site meeting in social-distance in campus with Rene, who manages the maintenance in campus. The range of sites, the material, and the machine which can be used, are first-time discussed. Because of the limitation of time and materials etc. visions of each site can not be fully achieved. After that, students started to adjust their design plan to a constructive one.

15 JUNE - SECOND MEETING ON SITE

Representatives of each group, teachers, and Rene had a second meeting in campus. The final constructive design was confirmed, which based on the limitation of time and materials. After this meeting, most of students devoted themselves in construction work.

BK PARKING PAVEMENT

MIEN RUYS PARK

RIETVELD MONUMENT

THE END OF BUILD-UP?

FOLLOW-UP

Plants on sites still need to be watered in the coming summer days, and some adjustment would be done. After this, plants would take over the role of builder. They would grow and create a green garden and new diverse habitat for new guest. Some of plants might die, but others would grow in that spot then. Plants, animals and human would continusly build up the sites together in future.

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

4.1 METHODS Throughout this quarter, from the beginning until the end of the course, all students used various methods for all the exercises, workshops, and projects. All the analysis stages required collection of data through an online search, on-site exploration, and mapping. For other parts, case studies of projects, literature, and other references needed to be examined, in order to give inspiration, technical information, and theoretical knowledge. Moreover, the parallel projects that continued, such as the report, the online tool, and the immersive and documentary film, more methods proved to be a necessity. Interviews with people from the maintenance and university staff of the campus, students, and external teachers were a unique way to enrich the products. In that way, in this course, the students practiced their known methods of research and work throughout all the stages of the given theme of designing the new ECO-campus, but they also learned about new and fun ones that were implemented perfectly in the corresponding parts.

4.2 RESULT 1. Immersive film: A group of the students chose to engage in the production of an immersive film. ‘The film shows the ‘art of letting grow’ strategy that as the ON-SITE team, we chose to guide as in the process of designing a new TUD ECO-campus, through the lenses of species that already live and can grow there. The GROWTH as an immersive representation and illustration, is a film that tried to capture the ambiances, feelings, and experiences that people can perceive in this new landscape, and how the other creatures understand and live in it. As a team, we worked methodically and with the help of Marleine van der Werf, all the experimental filming and editing processes gave us important experience and a lot of fun.’

3. VR: VR shows the three sites in an ideal state through a virtual model. Use these models to help people feel the future ECO Tudelft-campus. https://irisvr.com/library/shared?code=FJ9W8F

4. Website: The website records all the achievements in On Site in 2020. https://www.urbanecologytudelft.org/

5. New gardens on campus: (1) BK PARKING PAVEMENT (2) MIEN RUYS PARK

(3) RIETVELD MONUMENT

https://youtu.be/WctDzJAjEQY

https://youtu.be/DyyYByMxZPM

2. Documentary film: The documentary is another unconventional medium for the tutors and students of this course to communicate their creation and development of the TU Delft Campus into an ECO Campus of the future. The aim of the documentary is to showcase the process of the course development and the challenges we faced. ‘Regarding the content of the documentary, the diverse groups created an outline concept before creating the required visual photography that synthesizes the film. Immersive films, presentations on zoom, eco-visions, technical drawings and illustrations of the overall concept of “the art of letting grow” formed the material. These materials were developed despite the challenges of working online and from a distance. Moreover, for the creation of the documentary, us students and tutors consulted with stakeholders to be interviewed and share their opinions on our project. Film also includes shots of small interventions, in the context of the concept of “the art of letting grow”, that were finally made on campus which is a positive conclusion of the Q4 quarter, considering that landscape on-site was mostly executed on-line.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8VHTmOtNlQ&list=LLMDcnorUZ5KYtVYkNRO33tA&index=2&t=6s

4.3 DISCUSSION This quarter was a unique experience. Not only because of the new teaching way in the online, virtual environment and non-physical appearance on site but also because of the new creative alternatives that came with this sudden quarantine-situation.

“Through this course I learned that you don’t necessarily need a lot of funding to create a pleasant and eco-friendly outdoor space. Just some good ideas and collaborative effort. Time will do the rest. “ - Jan Houweling - Landscape Architecture

The purpose remained the same, to work on a site-specific design through different scales, using various disciplines, within a unique theme. This year was the time for the campus to be seen as the ECO-campus of the future, a possible condition that can contribute to the biodiversity enhancement, the urban ecology, and sustainability of the campus. The course had from the beginning many goals, that in the end they were achieved. The students learned in-depth about the different aspects of the campus, such as the vegetation and water system, about the natural processes and flows that take place there, and about the relationships between all the different fields that are closely related to landscape architecture. The students also took valuable knowledge, from the practical workshops, such as the planting workshop, which were fun and constructive lessons for everyday life too, and theoretical and technical knowledge from the frequent lectures. Many students worked also in subjects totally new for them, such as the film making and the VR, and in general, all expressed their interests within this course. Finally, despite the fact that most of the quarter took place online, at the end many students managed to work actually ON SITE, according, of course, to the regulations, and indeed realized some of the design proposals, fulfilling a part, or the start, of the TUD ECOvision. The road, though, wasn’t always easy. Working in multiple groups was many times, for all students, a struggle. Especially during that time, when physical contact and appearance on campus wasn’t an option, and working all day inside a very specific space, the routine sometimes became unbearable. However, all teachers gave a lot of support and all students tried to encourage and help each other because everyone was going through the same. So, despite the struggles, in the end, looking back through the entire journey and seeing also the outcome and what has been accomplished, the course was a success. Of course, research and designing never stop. It is a continuing process for development. This report and all of the results must be seen as part of this journey, and they should definitely be taken as a starting point and guidance for future exploration.

“Because the Covid-19, most of the on-site course has to be performed online. However, I saw that all the tutors and students are enthusiastically to complete every assignment, every meeting and every drawing well. I am impressed by the building weeks, a small drawing on plan, a big change on site. Besides, I also like the immersive film, it teaches me a new way to observe the world. For myself, personally, it really makes me a shutterbug. I have to shot beautiful footages of the campus for the documentary. And I really calm down to feel the space and atmosphere. Gradually, I started to like to record my life, I make pictures when I hang out with friends, and I male videos when I see something interesting. It do change my life, since in my earlier life. I never do this.” - Kailun Qi - Landscape Architecture “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that we have to look at urban green space with different eyes if we want it to contribute to biodiversity. I liked being able to come up with something extreme for once with our group, as I usually stay more on the safe side. I wondered how an on-site course would work without actually being on site, but this worked out very well. The fact that in the end we were able to do something physical on site and that we will be able to see it develop, is a nice bonus!” - Anne-Mieke - Urbanism “I didn’t expect for the virtual world to become an everyday reality, under these circumstances, that fast. I wasn’t ready, I was uncertain, I was even hesitant. But I was excited to work once again with my familiar landscape classmates and teachers, and meet new ones, even, through the laptop’s screen. And despite all the first uncharted lands we were going through, the course was a unique surprise. The unconventional, experimental, and immersive ways we used to think, perceive, analyze, design, and in general express, gave me, and I think all students, huge inspiration and joy. I’ve learned many things during this time, such as the importance of altering our (human) perspective, the difficulties in the implementation of a design, and more importantly, sometimes you NEED to LET IT G(R)O(W)…” - Ioanna Kokkona - Landscape Architecture

REFLECTION FROM PARTICIPANTS

- Emmanouela Armoutaki - Landscape Architecture

- Anne Leltz - Urbanism

“Participating and “attending” the course Landscape On Site was a new experience in terms of online execution as well as switching to diverse groups of different working phases and students-members we needed to meet and learn to collaborate with, from the beginning, in online space. Students’ responsibility and presence during the whole time negated partially the distance. In addition, planting workshops apart from adding knowledge were also fun and an insightful basis before working on site. Finally, working on site was an essential procedure that promotes students’ understanding of our ideas and believing that nature may indeed gain ground in the urban environment. Even not working on site on myself, I imagine clearer the consequences of these small interventions and they are a pleasant call to return on campus and explore them. ”

“As a student from the Urbanism master track, I was not very sure what to expect in this course, and the online education made it even harder to have expectations. However, I really enjoyed the course and also the chances we had because of the online education. We had very exciting lectures from people all over the world which we would have been able to have in Delft. Furthermore, I liked how practical this course turned out, especially in the end. We really learned how to work together in both an online environment as we did on site and how to turn a design into reality, which I think many of us had not done before. Also, I think this course has given me an entire new perspective on designing, as this course was mainly focused on designing for ALL kinds of species instead of only humans and that a design is something that is dynamic and grows instead of a solid drawing. ”

- Anouk Sanders - Urbanism “The ON Site Landscape studio was a big change of perspective for me. Getting to learn about the different processes of nature, growing and studying plants and turning the knowledge into a design build project was extremely satisfying. The variety of projects throughout the semester really gave me another mindset when it comes to landscape and how to incorporate it in the urban fabric.” - David Aldana Trujillo - Urbanism “I never thought I would start being an earthworm fan because of a course. I never thought I would start to care about biodiversity. I never thought that I would start to appreciate the “messy” nature. I never thought I would dig soil and move tiles every day in order to create better habitats for plants and animals. But everything happened because I chose the very attractive On Site. ” - Pu Jiang - Landscape Architecture “Over the span of 11 weeks, I have really enjoyed the untraditional methodology of this course, experimenting from a non-human perspective, the otter, to video creation and working on site. The process from brainstorming of an overall vision through zoom to the execution of a feasible design through working with stakeholders was nothing short of a fulfilling and meaningful experience. I have learnt more about the struggles during transformation of a design into reality and also the importance of rallying others to support our vision and idea of giving more space to nature so that we can achieve a long-term sustainability of the project. ” - Su Xin Liaw - Landscape Architecture “Through the course, I learned transition one’s perspective from human to plants or animals helps to achieve a real home for biodiversity. Minimal interventions, with low cost and little effort, can improve the ecosystem. I saw how our design works for living creatures and how people accept and participate in our design. It is a chance for me, as an urbanist, to think about the relationship between nature and a city“ - Hanvit Lee - Urbanism “Working with the Delft student team was both challenging and rewarding! I found it rewarding in the sense that the students contributed a refreshing depth of creativity under the themes and across a wide variety of channels via visual and immersive elements. It was a bit challenging to orchestrate a tight production schedule given the diversity of inputs and contributions that had to come together across multiple time zones and within the students’ busy academic schedules.” - Steven Poe (Documentary)

“How has it been to work with the students? It was inspiring to collaborate with students that are trained in a different discipline and bring their own kind of creativity. It was wonderful to see all the different techniques that the students experimented with to visualize their vision. Although it was difficult to connect with all the students, because of the online setting of the workshops, I felt that people asked for support and were motivated to discover the ‘film’ medium. Sometimes it was difficult, because not everyone was as vocal, but students took initiative and showed leadership qualities and a strong imagination. Although they had a lot of different tasks, they worked hard to create one ‘final’ film that became a beautiful collaborative project. Would you like to repeat this experience again? I would improve certain aspects, based on my own experience during the workshop and the feedback of the students. But overall I think it was a great experience and I am happy to repeat it. What did you learn from students? In my own artistic practice, I work mainly with the human point of view. So, it was really interesting to change my own perspective to other species. I gained new insights by sharing my methods and to see which methods and techniques the students used. The practical assignments worked really well in the ‘online-setting’ and the students were fast learners and eager to discover how to use film as a tool to show their vision. What is your opinion about eco campus? The end-presentation was impressive and gave a good insight of all the different aspects that you worked on for the eco campus. It’s a really important question to re-think how we design and for whom. To see all the theoretical and practical ideas the students worked on made the idea about an eco campus tactile. It showed how we can change a lot of things now and not only for the future. This was inspiring. ” - Marleine van der Werf (Immersive film)

ACKNOWLEDGE We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our tutors, Nico Tillie, Frits van Loon, Saskia de Wit, Pierre Oskam, for giving us the opportunity to do research and providing invaluable guidance throughout this research. We are extremely grateful to our report team, David Aldana Trujillo, Francesca Mazza, Ioanna Kokkona, Pu Jiang, Yu Zheng, for collecting and organizing information, writing the entire report. Also we express our thanks to studio team, Anne Leltz, Dimitrios Trompoukis, Emmanouela Maria Armoutaki, Jan Houwelling, Liaw Su Xin, KaiLun Qi, Anouk Sanders, Jelle Dekker, Loen Sung, Anne Mieke Boerendonk, Farnoosh Bazrafkan, Floris Beijer, Marloes Willemsen, Yayun Gao, Gary Gilson, Ran Yan, Xinyu He, Hanvit Lee, Yann Ninot, Huiying Liu, Zhaotun Chen. Thank the support from Machiel van Dorst - Head of the department of Urbanism, Rene Hoonhout - Head of maintenance, Maria Hänsch, Campus and Real Estate, Rob Roggema Hanze Hogeschool Groningen. Finally, our thanks go to TU Delft Faculty of Architecture + Built Environment, department of Urbanism, section Landscape Architectur, for concept and implementation.

“This last quarter was my first experience within the landscape architecture field, and it started off in a very unique way from the perspective of a non-human organism. Most of the quarter was spent indoors behind my computer screen, communicating via Zoom and Whatsapp which made it extra special that we could work on-site in the end. I did really enjoy working together in real life and feeling tired of physical work instead of Zoom meetings. This course taught me a lot about flora, fauna, finding different perspectives and the importance of offline education.”