VISUALIZING DECOMPOSITION

The Banana Slug Berm provides opportunities for active play, learning, as well as adds topography to the site. The play loop cuts through the berm and creates various spacial experiences as kids pass through, around, and over. The berm itself uses Hugelkultur to provide nutrients to fruit trees and teach kids about the process of decomposition. The process originating in Denmark involves burying large, bulky organic matter in a long ditch, covering with humus and soil, and planting on top. Over time, this ephemeral feature will sustain interest from students, while establishing a legacy of fruit trees for the school. Outside of school hours the berm also plays an important role as seating for the community soccer field.

25 yrs

5 yrs

Top soil

Humus

Bulky Organics

0 yrs

Implementation At Northgate

Self Irrigating Planter

In addition to envisioning the long-term neighborhood and site interventions, I also focused on crafting a short-term design solution that would support handson ecological and cultural learning and be easily integrated into the students’ current curriculum requirements. The self watering planters met these design goals and helps Northgate Elementary to make a tangible step toward a more resilient education model.

Learning Benefits

Systems Thinking

The mobile planter facilitates experimentation with various environmental conditions and teaches kids about environmental systems through hands-on interaction.

Cultural Exchange

Diverse edibles can be grown for cultural learning and used to reflect the diversity of the students. Nutrition and cooking classes extend learning to cultural values surrounding food.

Play

The bright, playful colors and knot pattern invite students to see and use the planter as a fun tool for learning about and interacting with plants.

Collaboration

Planters promote sharing and team work among students to ensure a successful harvest. Also, each planter weighs a couple hundred pounds requiring a joint effort to move them.

PRECEDENT– TAGTOMAT (COPENHAGEN, DK)

Tagtomat, a Denmark-based company built selfirrigating planters on the roof of an unused garden shed in a multi-family apartment building. The owner’s goals included increasing accessibility to urban farming, building a sense of community, and creating a modular model for more sustainable food production.

image source:www.tagtomat.dk/ image source:www.tagtomat.dk/

Fabrication Process

One of the goals of the planter design is to make the fabrication process easily accessible to schools. With a stepped, graphic design manual, planters can be constructed with minimal tools by champions at schools and in the community. A video of the fabrication process will also accompany the graphic manual. This guide is meant to empower users passionate about environmental and cultural education to create a multi- functional learning tool, as well as learn throughout the process of building. DESIGN ELEMENTS

EFFICIENT GROWING SYSTEM

IRRIGATE 1

2 STORE

3 CAPILLARY ACTION

4 GROW

5 OVERFLOW

Barrel

A1

Barrel Deconstruction

MEASURE – Using the Circumference Precision Jig 20” from the top and 4” from the botttom

CUT – Using the jigsaw, a friend/ clamps

Wicking Basket A2

CUT – 28” x 6” rectangle

CUT CUT

TOP

SOIL LID A3

1/8” hole

CLAMP – into cylinder with ends overlapping at least 2”

DRILL – 6-8 staggered 1/8” holes

RIVET – use stainless steel 1/8” pop rivets

3/8” hole

BOTTOM

CUT – a center hole 1/2” smaller than diameter of wicking basket

DRILL – 3/8” holes evenly on face

1/4” hole

DRILL – 1/4” holes in the wicking basket and bottom

FASTEN – with 4 zip ties

DRILL – Using drill press make atleast 3 rows of 3/8” holes

DRILL – hole for irrigation pipe

1 5/8” hole

A4 B1

Rope Holes

3/8” hole

DRILL – using a hole saw bit drill overflow hole and holes for rope attachment

The overflow hole should end just below the height of the wicking basket

6 pairs of evenly spaced holes should be drilled for rope attachments

B Base

Plywood Base

Measure two 2ft squares of 3/4” plywood and cut

GLUE & CLAMP – Let cure for 24 hours

B2 B3

Wheel Attachment

Cut 23” Circle with jigsaw

PAINT – waterproof sealant

CUT – wood blocks for wheel base

GLUE– wood blocks to base

ATTACH – wheels to blocks

BASE + BARREL ASSEMBLY

DRILL– 4 3/8” holes in barrel and wood base

FASTEN– 5/16” carriage bolts to lock nuts with Lock Sealant to avoid loosening

CAULK– the heads of the carriage bolts to create a water-tight seal

See video for knot tying tutorials

PLANTING DAY : JUNE 1ST

The collaborative design/build process of the self irrigating planters culminated in a planting day with children at Northgate Elementary. The principal requested that the planters become the responsibility of groups of children with the hope of heightened engagement and focus at school. After we explained the self-irrigating system and the plant benefits, we encouraged the children to add soil, plants, and water to the planters.

The kids were focused and excited about all of the new edibles they planted and especially loved the drama of water pouring from the overflow holes. We hope the planters inspire teachers to form a regular garden curriculum and possibly nutrition and cooking classes.