RBC: Zeekracht (OMA)

Zeekracht | OMA

A related follow-up to the essay by Koolhaas, this short essay explores Zeekracht, a master plan for the North Sea, driven by it's "high wind and consistent wind speeds and shallow waters..." making it "...arguably the world's most suitable area for large-scale wind farming."  The project master plan (below) outlines the strategy.  "Rather than a fixed spatial plan, proposes a system of catalytic elements, that, although intendted for the present, are optimized for long-term sustainability." (72)

From an ecological perspective the proposal looks to incorporate elements call 'Reefs' which are described as "simulated marine ecologies reinforcing the natural ecosystems (and eco-productivity) of the sea." (72)

 

The local implementation is "...designed to be sited, programmed, and phased to meet the evolving demands and plans of North Sea regional development," fulfilling the potential of the area as "...a major player in global energy production and trade through wind power alone." Aside from the energy potential, there is the idea thinking of this in tandem with ecological restoration, as "Farms developed along ecological zones and around existing decomissioned platforms create marine remediation areas, new recreational parks, and recreational sea routes." (72)



The project offers the example mentioned by Koolhaas as a "combination of politics and engineering" (71) that is essential to attain and ecological urbanism, attaining both productivity and remediation: 

images via OMA website
more from the official Zeekracht site


(from Ecological Urbanism, Mostafavi & Doherty, eds. 2010, p.72-77)

Vertical Agriculture (From Outer Space)

While I continue this impromptu study of the current state of Vertical Agriculture - it's important to realize that the ingenuity of humans is always a factor. Industrialization of growing food is a long-standing feature of agriculture - which has probably simultaneously done the most good for productivity and the most harm in severing our connection to the land. Conversely, hard times lead to necessary solutions to make life possible even here on Earth - so the combination of technology needs to be paired with common sense and thought of the consequences beyond economics and efficiency.


:: plans to grow food on the moon - image and story via Palscience

As a rabid sci-fi fan - the more technologically referential proposals provide inspirations of how we may feed ourselves on a trip to the far reaches of the galaxy (or in the distant post-apocalyptic future) - but are less inspiring as solutions to feeding people on this planet due to the fact they seem like they're making something really simple and creating a super complex way of doing it.


:: image via Dezeen

The gee-whiz techno-gadgetry sure is fun though (both to parse and to make fun of). I laugh when I see the commercials for the tomato towers (see Topsy Turvy for the latest) - as I am just waiting for someone to propose version of this under the guise of vertical farming to save the planet and wonder what the benefits are from growing tomatoes the way i've been doing for years - up! While garden space and solar access are always an issue - i'm having a hard time wondering how this vertical solution is better - maybe in zero gravity?


:: image via Charles and Hudson

In all seriousness - the ideas of vertical farming is definitely influenced by the research into space and the ability to grow food both indoors and in close quarters. For those promoting these solutions - it's evident that they see this work as essentially saving the planet.


:: space food - image via NASA

A recent proposal from Philips Design called Biosphere Home Farming is a perfect example that you could see displayed in the mess hall of the Millennium Falcon (although by no means the only one). "We wanted to develop something initially that would supplement the nutritional needs of a family living in high rise accommodation, without drawing electricity or gas."


:: image via City Farmer

One major player in the technology-driven side is Valcent Technologies, which you've probably seen over the years with a range of products (and the addition of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to their board of advisors). My first introduction was the relatively innocuous High Density Vertical Growth (HDVG) panels aimed as maximizing square footage using simple hydroponic techniques.


:: image via Treehugger

This has been followed up with VertiCrop, which is more of a tray based rotating hydroponic system that could smoothly tuck into the food court on the Death Star. "The VertiCrop system grows plants in a suspended tray system moving on an overhead conveyor system. The system is designed to provide maximum sunlight and precisely correct nutrients to each plant. Ultraviolet light and filter systems exclude the need for herbicides and pesticides. Sophisticated control systems gain optimum growth performance through the correct misting of nutrients, the accurate balancing of PH and the delivery of the correct amount of heat, light and water."


:: image via Valcent Technologies

Another new system is called AlphaCrop - which is a bit different and looks like a rotating A-frame to maximize solar access: From their site: "Larger commercial growers may also employ AlphaCrop™ to compliment their VertiCrop™ systems and to produce a wider range of crops including baby carrots, salad potatoes and strawberries." Looks like from the size of the photos, their keeping this one a bit more vague, but you get the idea. Use energy to provide lighting and maximize productivity by using more energy to rotate trays to areas to get more access. Maybe it's worth it - with proper accounting of all externalities - I'd love to see the balance sheet for a project such as the recent installation of VertiCrop at the UK Zoo which boasts a 20-fold increase in per-acre production.

This brings up space age point number 2. While the sun our amazingly cheap grow lamp, but also a great limiting factor in food production especially when fighting against density and shading from buildings, lack of horizontal surfaces, and many other factors. In this vein, are there times when supplemental electricity (perhaps from renewable sources) makes sense to grow plants indoors? Does the cost to produce electricity and grow food with it outweigh or at least equalize our cost of transportation? There's a long lineage of hydroponic growing indoors - from the winter tomato to the kind bud - but the question does still remain - even with high-efficiency lighting, as to the efficacy of these systems. Valcent has a proposal for a large scale installation in a warehouse using artificial lighting and information on their collaboration with Phillips.


:: image via Valcent

A number of posts delve into this, such as the transformation of a steel factory in Japan to growing hydroponic lettuce, and also City Farmer discussing the rise of indoor food production facilities in that country of which space is a premium. In 2005 they took a basement space and "Pasona Inc, a human resources service company, built the greenhouse in order to introduce the pleasure of agriculture also to train aspiring farmers in the city."


:: image via City Farmer

Another to this list is the Omega Garden Hydroponic 'Ferris Wheel' which takes the space age vibe to the extreme with rotating cylinders of growth around supplemental lighting. Check out the photo and video below for more info.


:: image via Treehugger



Another interesting proposal in the vein of the less commercial is the urban space station , which is a "parasite architecture," the semi-permanent structure sits atop any roof as it filters air, grows food, and re-uses organic waste for inhabitants."




:: images via Jetson Green

As mentioned on Jetson Green, the project (and maybe outer fantastic urban ag solutions) may be most important as a conceptual thought exercise that generates discussion and innovation, versus providing the silver bullet solution: "While the feasibility a system like this that actually works well is very low, this concept does have some relevance to the green building community. Perhaps above all, the urban space station is important as a built experiment. "

Designer Natalie Jeremijenko states:

"It's most important function [is] as an icon for future possibilities." It is a creative attempt to push the boundaries of urban design, and to continue the conversation around sustainable living solutions. As the green movement matures, it is critical to continually produce new concepts to challenge the ways of the past, and to ensure that the movement is more than a media-driven fad."

Oh, I can't wait for that day.

Personal Infrastructures

Working on some link house-cleaning and came up with a few posts that seems to thread together in an interesting narrative. The first of this was a beautiful installation for the 'Flower Street BioReactor' via Dezeen: "Los Angeles architects Emergent have designed an installation filled with green algae that produce oil by photosynthesis." This sort of decentralization of energy generation, which seemed to be a 2009 emerging idea.




:: images via Dezeen

Another is a more functional pavement called Pavegen, which uses the ability to capture the continual motion of urban footsteps (via Inhabitat): "Every time a rubber Pavegen stone is stepped on it bends, producing kinetic energy that is either stored within lithium polymer batteries or distributed to nearby lights, information displays, and much more. Just five slabs spread over a lively sidewalk has the ability to generate enough energy to illuminate a bus stop throughout the night."


:: image via Inhabitat

We also carry with us powerful communication infrastructure, which uses more and more energy to stay powered. This leads to small-scale personal solar power for small devices, such as these skins for I-phones.


:: image via Treehugger

Or dual solar / wind charging like the K2 from Kinesis:


:: image via Treehugger

The ability to embed the landscape with energy-generation is one thing, but the logical next step will include a variety of wearable and portable and thus will become ubiquitous, as mentioned on Treehugger: "Yanko Design shows off an idea for a personal solar power pole. It's hardly a new idea (or hardly a bad idea...we love personal solar power around here), but the designer's concept image might slap us out of a gadget-obsessed stupor. When a beach scene looks like this, we know we're done for."


:: image via Treehugger

Perhaps this is just more junk to keep our ever expanding amount of junk running. When this is happening on the beach, it may be time to unplug.

More Fake Trees

And They're Pretty Handy if we are Attacked by Giant Interstellar Swarms of Flies:


:: image via Inhabitat

Via Inhabitat: "A report published last Thursday from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME) suggested that a forest of 100,000 artificial “trees” could be “planted” near depleted oil and gas reserves to trap carbon in a filter and bury it underground. The carbon suckers look more like fly swatters than actual arbors, but researchers say that once fully developed, the “trees” could remove thousands of times more carbon than a real tree."

Oddly enough, these even make our typical interstate highways look better. Then again flyswatters, although removing lots of carbon, don't have the multiple benefits of real vegetation.


:: image via Inhabitat

The Future is Now

The Wall Street Journal asked a trio of designers to imagine the 'Green House of the Future', with energy efficiency as a point-of-departure. This group came up with some inventive visions - although it's telling that all of these ideas and problems could be envisioned right now with our available technology and materials. Nonetheless, the visions tell us a bit about where we're at in the mainstream and the futuristic - begging the question - what really is going to be the future. The very different visions offer a range of opportunities, from the vegetal to the technological - showing the myriad ways to solve similar problems. The question, of course is will technology or inventiveness be the key? I have my opinions (of course) but would love to hear other viewpoints.

In my opinion, the most compelling and complete entry (albeit perhaps aesthetically challenging to ones neighbors) comes from Rios Clementi Hale Studios. The project "...has a garden façade that includes chickpeas, tomatoes and other plants. The plants also provide shade and cooling. A rooftop reservoir collects water and keeps the building cool, while rooftop windmills generate energy."

I really enjoy the graphics as well - much more sketchy and visual. The green seems less integrated than 'tacked on' - sort of a growth emerging from the south facade and a traditional 3 level box opposite. It's also interesting that there are specific plants for the garden chosen... an energy, aesthetic, or personal choice?


:: image via WSJ

Next is the same story from WMD+Partners - using the powerful metaphor that has made a career - the idea of a building like a tree. Expanding the ideas of biomimicry in architecutre: "The "bark" of the house is made up of thin, insulating films that would self-clean and self-heal if damaged. A curved roof with large eaves provides shade, which lowers the heat load in summer. The "trunk," or the frame of the home, consists of carbon tubes, while the "roots" are a heat-pump system buried in the yard."

I think theoretically there is a lot of technical rigor to this proposal, as well as many of WMDs projects... and in this case it is specifically integrated... relying both of the vegetation and natural projects as well as technological adds (such as the self-healing 'bark').


:: image via WSJ

Cook + Fox take a tecno-architectural turn, with a building skin straight out of the transmaterial ideology of Star Trek. The "...house reacts to the weather, turning dark in the bright sun to insulate the house from heat and turning clear on dark days to absorb light and heat. The façade also captures rain and condensation to fill the household's water needs. Inside, walls and furniture are on rollers to take advantage of the fact that some spaces, such as bedrooms, are underutilized most of the day."

I like the form and mutability of space - but the reliance on technology feels like a cop-out. We try to solve so many problems with techno-fixes - when good design, based on micro-climate and context can do it without the patents and high-technology... and probably a lot cheaper.


:: image via WSJ

The most yawn-inducing, yet grounded design comes last - from Mouzon Design - looking at the natural environmental design techniques incorporated into a neo-traditional frame, the design: "...uses tomorrow's technologies -- as well as ancient techniques to reduce energy use. Solar paneling built into the roof and façade provides electricity and hot water. The house also employs a "breeze chimney," an ancient architectural tool, as a kind of air conditioning."

There are some laudable and interesting concepts, but none of this seems specifically futuristic or innovative - even what they envision as 'melon cradles' for growing vertical foods... seems like a future for a place that is still designing houses like they were in 1995... I guess saying it's sort of like a future happening right now.


:: image via WSJ

All in all, these exercises are somewhat interesting in giving some quick speculative idea generation potential to problem solving - and putting them into some quickly accessible visuals. This is similar to the work of Good Magazine - or the densely concentrated containers of competition graphics... but in the end, I'd say these are more the pulse of the present and less the vision of the future... So, what's really next?

White House, Green Garden

No shortage of speculation about the plans for the 'farmer-in-chief' and what this means for some instant credibility to the burgeoning urban agriculture movement. Also, the latest search for the White House Farmer is getting the conversation elevated to a new superstar echelon of uber gardeners. Enough to make conservatives cringe and comment on the fad: "One columnist at the Weekly Standard predicts what is coming, instead of tax cuts and paving trains: Look out for organic broccoli farm and arugula awareness earmarks in the stimulus." I intend to.


:: image via Treehugger

And for some historical context, this 'school house rock'-esque you tube video on the history of gardening in the white house... amusing (thanks Kat for this link!).


While we ponder this, it makes me think of some other options. What about replacing in grand form the solar panels that were installed by President Carter and removed by Reagan in a short but sweet summary of the republican agenda of the 1980s. Not adding more is one thing... taking them off - is just plain assholish.


:: mmmm... warm - image via Treehugger

And if I may, how about another step... with the White House/Green Roof agenda. As mentioned in the NY Times Blog: "...As my colleague Marian Burros recently reported, during the Clinton administration, a small garden was planted on the roof that provided enough tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and herbs for the first family, but not their guests. The White House also now buys food from local farmers and co-ops, and Laura Bush was reportedly “adamant” about organic foods."

Let's make it much much bigger. The sprawling complex could use some stormwater and heat island mitigation - which may also provide camoflauge from above. Never know... now maybe we can do something about all that lawn.


:: image via airportsbylimo

Energy Dump

Not a lot festering here in terms of energy links, but a couple of interesting ideas related to our electricity infrastructure - coming from two different worlds. The first takes a look at our existing power structure - namely the ubiquitous grid. From InfraNet Lab, this post announces the 'Power of Ecosystems/Ecosystems of Power' - mostly in reference to a comment regarding the naming of our current 'dumb' grid "...on Alexis Madrigal’s site about how the US Department of Energy has now designated the century-old electrical power grid an “ecosystem."


:: image via Infranet Lab

Ok. I'll bite... an ecosystem????. To explain: "Our century-old power grid is the largest interconnected machine on Earth, so massively complex and inextricably linked to human involvement and endeavor that it has alternately (and appropriately) been called an ecosystem." Read more about an exhibit on powerline demarcation - or urban transects - in the post as well including links to the Powerlines Project by Adam Ryder and Brian Rosa. Good stuff.


:: image via Infranet Lab

Moving from the common dumb to the buzzing smart grid, a proposal by OMA has gotten a bunch of digital ink - via Synchronicity: "Office for Metropolitan Architecture recently has presented a masterplan for the North Sea, claiming that wind farms in the North Sea can produce as much energy as the oil from the Persian Gulf is now."


:: image via Synchronicity

Aside from energy independence, the proposal is great for its sheer graphic fun - including some great representation you would expect from OMA. Jump to the post, for more...








:: images via Synchronicity

...and to Inhabitat for some more info, as well as a few of the interesting adverts from the firm’s Zeekracht masterplan - showing that good design and planning still needs good marketing.


:: image via Inhabitat

And if that weren't enough, Treehugger offers news of a 960 million watt offshore windfarm in Germany... enough juice to power a lot of green homes... smart indeed. It will, of course, be interesting to see what we're saying about all these 'new/smart' technologies fifty years from now when they are neither new and smart... and the next big thing has rolled in, allowing us to analyse a forgotten infrastructure of crumbling turbines that have become artificial reefs and marine habitat. Looking forward to it.

Chilean Facades: Consorcio + Concepción

A stunning new example of VIA (i think?) via Urban Greenery presents the The Consorcio Building in Santiago - with an amazing green wall system on significant portions of the facade - which recalls Ken Yeang's Bioclimatic structures in this tropical climate.




:: images via Urban Greenery

Located in Santiago, Chile - the green walls act as a vital environmental mitigation strategy: "The Consorcio Building in Santiago is one of the most sustainable office buildings, with up to 48% less energy usage thanks to its green wall, which turns red in autumn." An illustration of the shading microclimatic functions.




:: images via Urban Greenery

This interesting photo of the interstitial space between the facade and the outer vegetated screen - providing a cooling gap that allows for sun to be reflected, as well as for warm air to escape through the vertical channels instead of heating up the building.


:: image via Urban Greenery

Platforma Arquitectura offers some more imagery of the project - including the views from inside looking out (and follow the link for many more).






:: image via Platforma Arquitectura

I'm actually not sure what this image is trying to tell us for sure... i get the solar diagram, but the figure pushing on the facade is somewhat of a mystery.


:: image via Platforma Arquitectura

And there must be something good going on in Chile , as this project by Enrique Browne Arquitectos, which has been around for a while, has recently re-emerged on both Arch Daily and Inhabitat: "The office itself is composed of three elements. A vertical green wall constructed from locally-sourced wood shields the structure from the sun to the North, East, and west, and acts as a “double green skin” that insulates the interior. The structure’s south wall features a high-performance facade constructed from locally-sourced corrugated metal that helps to insulate the interior and render it highly energy efficient."


:: image via Inhabitat

We used this image a few years ago as a precendent image for a project in Seattle (when I was at my former employer) and it's good to see it again - as it is a stunning example of using a double facade system for cooling in hot climates. Some more pics and an illustration give a little more info to the story, including a glimpse at the plant list, which includes bougainvillea, jasmine, and plumbago.






:: image via Inhabitat