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| urban_permaculture_kits [2008-05-12 11:31] – sanjeev | urban_permaculture_kits [2008-05-15 17:04] (current) – sanjeev |
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| 1. **Seed Spot Project** | 1. **Seed Spot Project** |
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| During the course of this journey, the researcher has begun to question the proposed duality between rural and urban. Instead of partitioning and segmenting one field or one reality from the other, our true strength lies in synthesising both realities. We need to create a new complex reality. We need to create strong linkages between rural and urban systems. We need to have cities which have 'villages' or rural spaces growing and thriving within them. Can we imagine urban inhabitants looking out their of windows onto rice paddies and vegetable gardens, and beyond to forested and natural resource lands? Can we see migrant birds nesting in our homes(or on the building skins) in a symbiotic manner? How can we learn from the communal get-together patterns of urban wild-life and conciously simulate them in our built fabric? How can the quality of life in Brussels or any other urban settlement start having a more healthy, diverse and holistic character? | During the course of this journey, the researcher began questioning the proposed duality between rural and urban. Instead of partitioning and segmenting one realm from the other, our true strength lies in synthesising both the realms. We need to create a new reality, which links rural and urban systems. We need to have cities which have 'villages' or rural spaces growing and thriving within them. Can we imagine urban inhabitants looking out of their windows onto rice paddies and vegetable gardens, and beyond, to forested areas? Can we see birds nesting in our homes(or on the building skins) in a symbiotic manner? How can we learn from the communal get-together patterns of urban wild-life and conciously simulate them in our built fabric? How can the quality of life in Brussels or any other urban settlement have a more healthy, diverse and holistic character? |
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| Certain parts of Delhi( e.g. Chandni Chowk) and Bombay(e.g. pigeon feeding junctions) create a sense of 'rural' time and space. Could these dual character spaces be catalysts for growth? Can a city be fragmented into time zones relative to its sense of speed or spatial quality, wherein, zones which are in a greater state of flux or have a more //structured// feel become closer to an 'urban' definition and are therefore treated differently? Can such information inform future urban planning proposals where the spatial quality is defiined by its sense of speed and time ? This complimentary character defines Indian cities. A 'true' city ought to be defined by its variables, its idiocyncracies, the changes in its character and the constant state of flux. This makes it heterogenous, dynamic, resilient and self sustaining. It should thrive in complexity. The next question should be, can we introduce complexity? And if we can, then how should we do it? One of the principles of creating a complex, self sustaining system is to relinquish power. People should be given tools to create their own change. | Certain parts of Delhi( e.g. Chandni Chowk) and Bombay(e.g. pigeon feeding junctions) create a sense of 'rural' time and space. Could these dual character spaces be catalysts for growth? Can a city be fragmented into time zones relative to its sense of speed or spatial quality, wherein, zones which are in a greater state of flux or have a more //structured// feel become closer to an 'urban' definition and are therefore treated differently? Can such information inform future urban planning proposals where the spatial quality is defined by its sense of speed and time ? This despite the fact that what architects and urban designers perceive and value about a specific site is to some extent limited by their ability to represent it! The dual character which defines Indian cities is interesting. A 'true' city ought to be defined by its variables, its idiocyncracies, the changes in its character and the constant state of flux. This makes it heterogenous, dynamic, resilient and self sustaining. It should thrive in complexity. The next question should be, can we introduce complexity? And if we can, then how should we do it? One of the principles of creating a complex, self sustaining system is to relinquish power. People should be given tools to create their own change. |
| We could start with an attempt to declare spaces within a city as '**community seed spots**' which are owned by everyone. The idea is inspired by the communal get togethers of village heads in India. Called the '//panchayat//', here everyone sits under a tree and discusses village issues. Located in urban public areas, these spots would be periodically 'sowed' with green ideas (real and virtual) which would become catalysts for change and exchange. The ideas would be by the people and for the people. The community would nourish and maintain the idea. There would be a sense of pride, competition and festivity. Sometimes these ideas could be about a group of housewives and school children planting seasonal plants to create a kitchen garden or a refreshing gettogether where people dance and sing in public sharing folk tales and knowledge about pressing issues through street plays. On other occassions the community could get together to create an educational installation out of 'waste', demonstrating the need for reuse at a community level. Often these seed spots could become free **performance libraries**, brainstorming areas or public arenas but in a very permeable and informal kind of way. The idea is to create a series of platforms for the community to create thinkers and leaders. It is to create a grass root, bottom up solution where the power is given to the people to discuss their issues and find solutions. It is a kind of reintepretation of creating a public, self sustaining, infinitely multiplying global, urban version of FoAM ! No two seed spots will be the same. They will have their own character, their unique stories. They might grow, evolve and spread over time. They would become reflectors of the community and of the city in general. | We could start with an attempt to declare spaces within a city as '**community seed spots**' which are owned by everyone. The idea is inspired by the communal get togethers of village heads in India. Called the '//panchayat//', here everyone sits under a tree and discusses village issues. Located in urban public areas, these spots would be periodically 'sowed' with green ideas (real and virtual) which would become catalysts for change and exchange. The ideas would be by the people and for the people. The community would nourish and maintain the idea. There would be a sense of pride, competition and festivity. Sometimes these ideas could be about a group of housewives and school children planting seasonal plants to create a kitchen garden or a refreshing gettogether where people dance and sing in public sharing folk tales and knowledge about pressing issues through street plays. On other occassions the community could get together to create an educational installation out of 'waste', demonstrating the need for reuse at a community level. Often these seed spots could become free **performance libraries**, brainstorming areas or public arenas but in a very permeable and informal kind of way. The idea is to create a series of platforms for the community to create thinkers and leaders. It is to create a grass root, bottom up solution where the power is given to the people to discuss their issues and find solutions. It is a kind of reintepretation of creating a public, self sustaining, infinitely multiplying global, urban version of FoAM ! No two seed spots will be the same. They will have their own character, their unique stories. They might grow, evolve and spread over time. They would become reflectors of the community and of the city in general. |
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| The message here is, we will not cut back on the scale and pace of growth in urban realms but we //can// feed life and fertility into that growth and make it a green growth. For complete details on the proposal please click on the following link: {{:ubiquitous_planting_and_green_bricks.pdf|}} | The message here is, we will not cut back on the scale and pace of growth in urban realms but we //can// feed life and fertility into that growth and make it a green growth. There are numerous threads worth exploring. For example, How would the mental construct of an inert 'brick' |
| | change with the integration of a life form? Would every single unit turn into a possible nest? Could it become a breeding ground for more life forms and increase biodiversity? For complete details on the proposal please click on the following link: {{:ubiquitous_planting_and_green_bricks.pdf|}} |
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| The next stage of the green tile could be to create an **enhanced, biorenewable moss tile**. This could be self replicating and possibly generate electricity by acting as sun catchers. By behaving as water retainers they could also contribute to regulating the ambient temperature. Existing building skins could gradually be replaced by these tiles. | The next stage of this project could be to create a **self replicating, intelligent, renewable moss tile** which acts as an ecological performer. It could generate energy, retain water and even control ambient temperature thereby acting like a next generation green sensor! |
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| 3. **Live threads**: A natural fibre string (possibly made of jute or coconut husk to allow water transmission through capillary action) that can be strung between buildings. The string holds improvised seed balls, which hold within their 'envelopes' a mixture of seeds, nutrients and a soil-like medium. With time the seeds germinate and we have suspended plantations. Interesting possibilities could result over time with plants growing at an angle or upside down. The kit could actually pick up on the way prayer beads and flower garlands are assembled in India and would be an interesting complement to the existing trend of seed-balling. | 3. **Live threads**: A natural fibre string (possibly made of jute or coconut husk to allow water transmission through capillary action) that can be strung between buildings. The string holds improvised seed balls, which hold within their 'envelopes' a mixture of seeds, nutrients and a soil-like medium. With time the seeds germinate and we have suspended plantations. Interesting possibilities could result over time with plants growing at an angle or upside down. The kit could actually pick up on the way prayer beads and flower garlands are assembled in India and would be an interesting complement to the existing trend of seed-balling. |
| 5. To create **green spider kits** which result in **spatial green micro environments** at an architectural level. Initially a playful framework which can be installed on existing vertical faces of buildings and finally creating a green envelope at a local level. The framework could be made of thin, colorful bamboo rings/loops combined with a tensile wire frame which supports appropriate plantations requiring minimum maintainance. The frames could be modularly attached over and over again. Over time the spatial framework will become invisible and the plantation layer ubiquitous. Such green bubbles would gradually become **spatial green rivers**, a regular feature in urban settings and over time evolve to become self sustaining ( they might develop features to catch mist from the air and fulfill their water requirements ! ) An important issue here would be to make this kit playful and modular such that middle class families could assemble and install it at an individual household level or community level. Further the source of the plants: the seed pod, could be residing inside these homes. This would create much needed awareness and sensitivity through a participatory approach resulting in effective, collective action. In certain areas which have buildings close to each other, say around a courtyard or continuous open space, these rivers would be more like green bridges, creating numerous overhead cross linkages through which sun light sprinkles down. The bridges could also be made of a string or a wire generating and evolving in a manner depending on what form the communty wants it to take. One of the interesting possibilities could be using seed balls which are strung together and suspended between buildings. Overtime these would sprout and act as green catalysts. As humans we would provide the structure and the geometry for the plantation. Some of the plants suitable for this could be **epiphytic or air plants**, for example orchids, ferns, mosses to name a few. | 5. To create **green spider kits** which result in **spatial green micro environments** at an architectural level. Initially a playful framework which can be installed on existing vertical faces of buildings and finally creating a green envelope at a local level. The framework could be made of thin, colorful bamboo rings/loops combined with a tensile wire frame which supports appropriate plantations requiring minimum maintainance. The frames could be modularly attached over and over again. Over time the spatial framework will become invisible and the plantation layer ubiquitous. Such green bubbles would gradually become **spatial green rivers**, a regular feature in urban settings and over time evolve to become self sustaining ( they might develop features to catch mist from the air and fulfill their water requirements ! ) An important issue here would be to make this kit playful and modular such that middle class families could assemble and install it at an individual household level or community level. Further the source of the plants: the seed pod, could be residing inside these homes. This would create much needed awareness and sensitivity through a participatory approach resulting in effective, collective action. In certain areas which have buildings close to each other, say around a courtyard or continuous open space, these rivers would be more like green bridges, creating numerous overhead cross linkages through which sun light sprinkles down. The bridges could also be made of a string or a wire generating and evolving in a manner depending on what form the communty wants it to take. One of the interesting possibilities could be using seed balls which are strung together and suspended between buildings. Overtime these would sprout and act as green catalysts. As humans we would provide the structure and the geometry for the plantation. Some of the plants suitable for this could be **epiphytic or air plants**, for example orchids, ferns, mosses to name a few. |
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| 6. To provide safe drinking water through modular **water purification kits** which use water purifying plants/algae or bacteria. This could again bring a strong connection between plants and humans with pure water being a serious concern in the developing world. An interesting project is the Ó Oxygen generator by Mathieu Lehanneur which contains oxygen-producing organisms called Spirulina platensis. Another project by the same designer, BEL AIR utilizes plants to act as an air filtering system. | 6. To provide safe drinking water through modular **water purification kits** which use water purifying plants/algae or bacteria. This could again bring a strong connection between plants and humans with pure water being a serious concern in the developing world. Similarly, air purification kits can also be deeveloped based on the filtering abilities of plants_namely gerbera, philodendron, spathyphillum, pathos and cholorophythum. An interesting project is the Ó Oxygen generator by Mathieu Lehanneur which contains oxygen-producing organisms called Spirulina platensis. Another project by the same designer, BEL AIR utilizes plants to act as an air filtering system. |
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sanjeev