Treatise Presentation 25 October 2010

Here is the presentation that we produced in response to 'intelligence'. Our chosen approach focuses on the understanding of landscape as an idea and how this has evolved and will continue to evolve into our future, with particular reference to the dynamic relationship between anthropocentric and biocentric.

Enjoy!

Laura

Floating City for Climate Change Refugees

 

There are very few urban design solutions that address housing the inevitable tide of displaced people that could arise as oceans swell under global warming. Certainly none are as spectacular as this one. The Lilypad, by Vincent Callebaut, is a concept for a completely self-sufficient floating city intended to provide shelter for future climate change refugees. The intent of the concept itself is laudable, but it is Callebaut’s phenomenal design that has captured our imagination.

 

Biomimicry was clearly the inspiration behind the design. The Lilypad, which was designed to look like a waterlily, is intended to be a zero emission city afloat in the ocean. Through a number of technologies (solar, wind, tidal, biomass), it is envisioned that the project would be able to not only produce it’s own energy, but be able to process CO2 in the atmosphere and absorb it into its titanium dioxide skin.

Each of these floating cities are designed to hold approximately around 50,000 people. A mixed terrain man-made landscape, provided by an artificial lagoon and three ridges, create a diverse environment for the inhabitants. Each Lilypad is intended to be either near a coast, or floating around in the ocean, traveling from the equator to the northern seas, according to where the gulf stream takes it.
The project isn’t even close to happening anytime soon, but there is value in future forward designs like the Lilypad. They inspire creative solutions, which at some point, may actually provide a real solution to the climate change problem.
+ Lilypad, a floating ecopolis for climate refugees

future designs

Green in 3D: 16 Vertical Farm & Skyscraper Park Designs

In increasingly dense urban areas, sometimes the only way to build is up. And with a movement to grow more food locally and to add more green to our urban environments so too has grown the impulse to build skyscraper farms, solar tower parks and other unique and uncanny forms of vertical vegetecture such as the sixteen shown here.

Green roofs have recently become almost the industry standard for urban architectural designs, found on many major civic projects but also in residential complexes and office parks. In turn, these have given way to vertically vegetated surfaces and structures – skyscraper farms were the almost inevitable next step.

Many initial vertical urban farm ideas were theoretical, at least to begin with. They involved layering buildings with levels of greenery or applying a green layer to their facades – in short, they were attempts to integrate green alongside traditional architectural forms and functions.

Subsequent ideas for building up and green have further integrated greenery into the very function of buildings, from pragmatic passive cooling and filtering systems to organic forms that reflect the function of these hybrid structures.

As the idea of an urban green space within a city has evolved so too have the functional complexities of the proposals, from solar-power-generating modular park towers to mixed-use office, residential and agricultural structures.

Many current urban farm and skyscraper park proposals are also incredibly thought-out to the tiniest details, including the species of plant that will work best in various positions throughout the structure.

If this all still sounds far-fetched and futuristic to you, consider this design competition for downtown Dallas which involves structures with all of the above: green roofs, vertical vegetation and layered park-and-farm levels throughout.

Still, while some remarkable green buildings are being built tall in the here and now and near future, many of the most remarkable ideas will not be constructed for decades. This Dragonfly design for downtown New York has sustainable solar, wind and waste management systems – a self-sufficient ecotopia – but is beyond anything likely to be built for many years to come.

http://dornob.com/

Motorway moves out of sight

A move away from Hitlers idea of creating motorways which allow the people to admire the landscape as they travelled.

It is a design for the A2 in Maastricht  "It offers a wonderful opportunity to revitalize the now fragmented Country Estate zone, a number of individual country estates of significant ecological and recreational value" West 8 website   

Happy Isles

When thinking about Intelligent landscapes of future -  a higher level of understanding on climate change and biocentric issues mean man can develop new landscapes to deal with changes that may threaten them.

"The Happy Isles Consortium - West 8 and Svasek– drew up a plan which combines an agenda for safety, and the necessity of new land.  The participants offer the metropolis a new perspective by proposing a series of new, sprayed-up sand islands off the coast of Belgium and The Netherlands. These dune islands, measuring up to 150.000 hectares in size, will break the increasing waves. Also, thanks to ingenious engineering of the gullies, the off-shore under tow will cause the sea level to drop during north-western storms.

On the biggest island, Hollandsoog, 150.000-200.000 ha. in size, a broad representation of the community will be able to obtain a lease. The economy of this island will be based on leisure and nature experience; a happy island for family, lonely-hearts, poets and festivals." From west 8 website

Good blog on landscape, architecture and urbanism

http://landscapeandurbanism.blogspot.com

And as he's an MMU alumnus:

www.fieldoperations.net

Giant Wooden Clip

Designed by Mehmet Ali Uysal the giant paper clip is in the Chaudfontaine park, Belgium as part of a contemporary art exhibition. Like it - lets have an art in the landscape section so we can include this picture!!