Proximal Agritecture

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

Dean Williams Part 2 Year 2

Thesis Book

The Urban Agricultural Exchange The Urban Agriculture Exchange provides and architecture to mediate both the physical and non-physical boundaries surrounding an arrival city in Tianhe District, south China.

The Exchange is to be conceived as a tool for both learning and growing, very much in the hands of the people who use the building, an attempt to break away from architecture used to maintain social control as seen in other parts of China.

The proposal caters for both potential future realities the urban village faces. The proposals primary structure speaks of formality and permanence, while the secondary structure works within the primary structure and in the in-between spaces to allow expansion and an informal element. Should the village be demolished, the Exchange would consist mainly of its formal components, should the village be de-densified, the in-between spaces and expansion strategy will allow a more effective blurring of boundaries.

Focusing on urban agriculture, the proposal harnesses the raw knowledge and experience of the rural migrant workers providing them with opportunities to grow their own food, like being at home, while at the same time increasing the likelihood of the creation of new social links outside of the village. Citizens ‘proper’ are keen to learn how to produce their own vegetables to ensure fresh produce and the continuity of their own supplies in this age of high demand and pressure on traditional rural import foodstuffs.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

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/ the urban agricultural exchange / programme rationale / funding / 1:500 plans

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/ detailed explanations / cross site differences and programme / boundary attitude and new public spaces / raised elements / towers as anchors / clusters of learning

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The Rural to Urban Crossover In 2010, the population of our planet switched from being predominantly rural to consisting of mostly urban dwellers.

The urban population of the world is set to continue along this path of urbanisation, with the urban population set to rapidly increase with the growth of less economically developed countries over the next couple of decades.

This rural to urban crossover is about more than just the number of people living in each environment but about the complete change from rural to urban style in terms of industry structure, employment, living environment, social security and social integration.

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Buenos Aires

London

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Sydney

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This project focuses on China as since 1978 it has experienced the largest internal migration known to man. China serves as an example to the rest of the world, particularly to those just commencing in earnest their rural to urban journey.

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73.59% Rural 26.41% Urban 10,000,000

1990-1995

32,000,000

1995-2000

38,000,000

2000-2005

62,000-500,000 500,000-1m 1m-2m 2m-3m

2012

47.31% Rural 52.69% Urban

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China’s Hukou System Stands in the way of it’s Prosperity The Chinese economy was largely agrarian in the early days of the PRC. Influenced by the Soviet model, China placed high priority on heavy industry to speed up its industrialization.

In order to finance the expansion of heavy industry, the state underpriced agricultural products and overpriced industrial products to induce an unequal exchange between the agricultural and industrial sectors.

To maintain this artificial imbalance under the condition of dual economy, the state had to create a system which blocked free flows of resources (including labour) between industry and agriculture and between city and the countryside.

The hukou system was one of the important institutions to create and maintain such a social and economic configuration. Under this perspective, the hukou system has served the function of migration control.

Tianhe Sports Centre

Linhexi

Gangding

Shipaiqiao Tiyu Xilu

Jangji Dongshankou Martyr’s Park

Zhujiang New Town

The Hukou system and the refusal of Chinese government to allow the floating rural population to claim urban status has directly led to the development of informal walled urban villages between the formal logic bound cities of China. These act to segregate the population and urban environment and it is this physical and social divide that the agricultural exchange aims to straddle and improve at Tianhe Village (below).

South China Normal University

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Key Political Changes which have led to large scale Migration.

Mao Zedong In office: 1945- 1976

1949 1 October The Communist Party of China defeats it’s main rival the Kuomintang (KMT) and assumes full control of mainland China after a lengthy civil war.

Impact on Working Population.

1958 January ‘The Great Leap Forward’ is launched, a five year plan intended to serve as an alternative model to the Soviet model.

Small agricultural organisations were merged into peopled communes and many peasants were ordered to work on massive infrastructure projects and on the production of iron and steel.

Mao used the Hukou System, a form of household register, as a way to control the movement of people between rural and urban areas. Workers were classed as ‘rural’ or ‘urban’ and moving class would require application to the relevant authorities.

1966-1976 Cultural Revolution aimed to enforce communism in the country by removing capitalist traditional and cultural elements from Chinese society. This led to mass persecution in factional struggles across the country and has been regarded as a negative phenomenon since 1976.

Hua Guofeng In office: 1976- 1981

Deng Xiaoping In office: 1976- 1989

1976- 1989 Working on the Central Advisory Commision of the Communist Party under Mao, Deng redefined the Communist Party ideals in China after the split from the Soviet Union counter part. Deng incorporates principles of market economics which lead to rapid and sustained economic growth. Deng was noted for his mild communist stance compared with Mao. Mao’s death enabled Deng to lead the Communist Party in line with a much milder form of Communism.

In this time Deng opened China to foreign investment, the global market and limited provate competition. He is generally credited with developing China into one of the fastest growing economies in the world for over 30 years and raising the standard of living of hundreds of millions of Chinese.

Hu Yaobang In office: 1982- 1987

Zhao Ziyang In office: 1987- 1989

The Communist Party instigated a command economy once in power - where production and investment are planned and controlled by the party.

Both Mao and his predecessor Shaoqi have produced policy dictating the movement of the population. Mao moved privileged urban youth to the rural areas to steer them away from capitalism by experiencing difficult working conditions.

Shaoqi redistributed the population after the Great Chinese Famine.

The cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Guangzhou were all designated Special Economic Zones in which Deng’s reforms could be tested.

Guangzhou is one of the first mainland cities to be opened to the world market with its free trade zone which opened in 1992.

These Special Economic Zones quickly started to bring in international capitol to the region, Guandong Province within which all the above cities are located, is home to 60,000 factories, which every day produce some $300 million worth of goods and account for about 30 percent of China’s exports and one-third of the world’s production of shoes, textiles and toys.

Government introduces the ‘one child policy’ in an attempt to curb population growth.

Wen Jiabao

In office: 2003- 2008

2003- 2008 Instead of concentrating on GDP growth in large cities and rich coastal areas, Wen advocated for a more balanced approach in developing China’s hinterland regions, and advancing policies considered more favourable towards farmers and migrant workers.

Wen is currently overseeing the continuation of China's economic reforms and has been involved in shifting national goals from economic growth at all costs to growth which also emphasizes more egalitarian wealth, along with other social goals, such as public health and education.

Xiaokang Loosely translated as a “basically well-off” society in which the people are able to live relatively comfortably, albeit ordinarily. Deng Xiaoping used the terms Xiaokang society in 1979 as the eventual goal of Chinese modernization. Wen Jiabao’s government attempts to ensure the overall wellbeing of the Chinese population is improved, in line with Deng’s Xiaokang society. The life of the migrant worker, may be about to improve.

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Typical migrant story from Guangxi and Yunnan provinces to Guangzhou.

Having travelled from the more rural provinces of Guangxi or Yunnan in search of a better life, most migrant workers spend their first night sleeping on the streets. A popular location for new arrivals is outside the railway station, which serves as a hub for this floating population. Every morning guards send the migrants away and each evening they return.

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Almost all migrants send money back to their villages of origin, some aim to help their elders, others intend on moving back to the village later in their life. To some migrants, being recognised in the Hukou System is the end goal, to others this is something to avoid at all costs. Those that intend on returning to their rural roots send money back to build a better house in the village and do not want to give it up in order to be recognised in the city where they work.

The luckiest of migrants manage to find themselves a place to work where employers provide accommodation, however if migrants lose their job, they also lose their place to sleep.

Those that decide to stay accept enrolment on the Household Register or the ‘Hukou System’ relinquish all rural land but will officially be recognised as a citizen of the area to which they have moved.

Some migrants come to terms with the fact that their home within the city may be pulled down at any point and decide to grow businesses in the city which harness the cheap labour workforce to which they once belonged.

Those that have skills to offer may manage to find a shop or workshop to join. Often these workers sleep where they work or head to the streets, or the railway station for somewhere to sleep.

Those that manage to stay in the city for longer periods of time and are earning enough money are able to move into urban villages. These are full of migrant workers and normally built on cheap land designated for construction. If these are pulled down, the workers will have to sleep on the streets again.

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Form follows Power - What is next for 21st Century China?

The Holy Field King Ping of Zhou Ruled: 770 - 720 BC

Original diagram

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Plan of Chengzhou

‘On building a city, rectangular layout with nine by nine lanes, three gates per each side...’

The Rites of Zhou The construction (ying) of capital cities follows a 9 li (~3 km) grid, with three gates; 9 longitudinal and 9 latitudinal lines which divide the interior of the city with north to south road 9 times the carriage gauge in width (9 gui). The city palace is in the middle with the ancestral temple to the left and Sheji altars for the god of land and the god of grains on the right. The palace faces the imperial court and is backed by the market and the courts.

Soviet Perimeter Block Planning Mao Zedong 1950’s

“Learn all the ways from Soviet!”

Mao Zedong

People’s Commune 1960’s

“Learn all the ways from Soviet!”

Mao Zedong

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Form follows Power - What is next for 21st Century China?

Gated Communities Deng Xiaoping 1980’s

“Let some people be rich first!”

Deng Xiaoping

Cultural Quarters Hu Jintao 2000’s

‘The society that we build is a socialist harmonious society with a democracy and law, equality and justice, sincerity and vitality, stability and perfect integrations of human living and nature.’

Hu Jintao

Xi Jinping 2010’s

‘Xi Jinping Values Longtime Development over One-time Fame’ Having completed many urban development projects under Hu Jintao which have been mainly focused around securing sustainable improvements for local areas Xi looks set to continue paying attention to all levels of the community, promoting development that is suited to individual community needs. Xi has been reported to approach development from a scientific perspective, and has worked with grass roots initiatives to reform housing policies recently.

Xi Jinping looks sympathetic to the migrant worker condition and is likely to see the benefit in contributing funding to the Urban Agricultural Exchange as the proposal seeks to blur the boundaries between migrant workers and citizens ‘proper’ as well as providing urban vegetable growth and the opportunity for start up businessesreported recently by scientists as key methods which aide in alleviating poverty.

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The Rise of the Urban Gated Community Aihwa Ong - Professor of Anthropology at Berkeley.

Ong researches the interaction between systems of governance, politics, technology and culture, and how the environment formed by these interactions shape the human values ​​and practices in Asia.

The Chinese government have inadvertently welcomed an increase in the diversity of spaces and people within their cities as a result of opening their doors to international trade.

The Urban Agricultural Exchange seeks to maximise on this inadvertent move away from completely governed architecture and spaces, providing an architecture which is truly in the hands of the citizens - no matter who they are or what Hukou status they hold.

Gated communities are known to segregate and fragment the urban environment, the Chinese Government use them to retain a form of social control and classification in this new age of global market trade and adaptation.

Samer Bagaeen - Gated Communities: Social Sustainability in Contemporary and Historical Gated Developments.

Traditional housing techniques have followed migrants from rural areas and can be found wherever there is a new influx of people in the city. Tianhe urban village would have started out with a similar form to that of the traditional chinese village.

Over time, the courtyards and alleyways at Tianhe Village lost the fight with the need for new developments. Courtyards slowly disappear and become very rare whereas the network of pathways becomes much more complicated, especially given the vast increase in the average building height.

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The Future of the Urban Village - Two Possible Realities

De-densification and Gentrification De-densification and gentrification is most likely to occur in relation to the main arterial routes through the village. These will be given more importance with widening and improvements to shop fronts and access.

Existing courtyards will be given more prominence, with widening and access improvements.

Towers will be removed to generally open the space up more, this may lead to more formal tower blocks being built to accommodate those displaced.

Demolition and Formalisation

A lot more money can be made by developers if the site is cleared and new tower blocks are built. The old migrant population could be housed here or relocated and there would still be an abundance of flats for new purchasers.

Any new development is likely to follow a similar logic to the existing surrounding context - formally organised towers, normally with either retail on the ground floor or private entrances.

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China

Guangdong province Area: 177,900km² Capital: Guangzhou Population: 104,303,132 GDP: 5.3 trillion CNY Density: 536/km²

Guangzhou Area: 7,434km² Population: 12,700,800 GDP: 1,242.34 billion CNY Density: 1,708/km²

Tianhe District Area: 141km² Population: 645,453 Density: 4,600/km²

Location within Tianhe District

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Local area - block level context.

Site Location - Straddling between the urban village and city ‘proper.’

Tianhe urban village Area:0.029km² Population:40,000 Tianhe Village is an arrival city, located between the rationally ordered tower blocks of Guangzhou. Its dense, irregular form appears as an anomaly in the cityscape, clustered in the shadows of tower blocks.

Site Plan 1:1250 @ A3

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Mainly residential towers ranging between 9 and 12 storeys.

Tianhe urban village buildings between 4 and 7 storeys.

High Street

Mainly residential towers ranging between 9 and 12 storeys.

North south axonometric section through village and immediate context.

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A new form typology for The Urban Agricultural Exchange.

There are three main types of space between the buildings, which repeat around the village in an organic, irregular fashion. These typologies exist in the formal city too, and the Agricultural Exchange combines each of these typologies to create a new typology in one building that mediates between the village and the city ‘proper.’

Linear Space

Linear space through the village promotes movement rather than static congregation. The main arterial routes in and around the site are of this form.

Pointlike Space

These spaces are surrounded by buildings, the larger spaces are connected by narrow alleyways. These spaces are rare and not used as well as they could be.

Planar Space

Large open space is the rarest type of space within the village - created with the destruction of existing buildings.

The Agricultural Exchange combines the three main existing typologies of form found within the urban village and in the adjacent city ‘proper’ combining them to its advantage. The linear elements help to draw people through the site along the north south axis whist providing shading along the east west axis. Private programme is raised from the ground floor, channelling light through the proposal creating point like space on the porous, open ground level. These point like spaces create the more defined public learning areas, focused by sharp burst of light from above and being recessed into the ‘carpet’ of the building. The ground level is open allowing a hgh level of porosity and flow through the proposal, this also aides in ventilation in the hot and humid country.

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Deliveries are received at the side closest to the main road and the side that is widest so that large construction materials can be brought into the site both during the construction of the proposal and when materials are required for the village improvement workshop/ expansion.

New courtyards and open spaces created by the proposal.

New artery routes and connections.

Existing village administration security posts and rent offices.

Village temple and only gathering space.

1:2500 @ A3

Main arterial routes in and around the village.

Retail based shops

Fast food based shops

Service based shops

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Shenzhen serves as a glimpse into the future for China.

It is vital for China to realise the importance of it floating population formed mainly of migrant workers, without them, much of the Chinese economy would not be sustainable.

Urban villages in China are here to stay, and are definitely not something that should be erased in a tabula rasa approach.

Although this appears to ‘tidy’ the city, it is in fact destroying the very foundations upon which it was built.

The trajectory of informal growth.

The Exchange responds to the exiting trajectories of the urban village and is built upon reflection of the implied density. Using the average tower footprint size found in the village, the footprint of the village was extended to the south east corner, across the site revealing areas of implied density and sparsity.

Axonometric view of The Agricultural Exchange, raised above it’s site showing the dense south west and north with the sparse middle section.

/ the urban agriculture exchange / programme rationale and client / funding / 1:500 plans

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The Urban Agricultural Exchange - Client and programme rationale The proposal provides a purposeful architecture which the migrant workers and citizens ‘proper’ can appropriate to merge in the common aim of learning about, and producing urban agriculture in a combination of formal and informal manners.

The proposal serves as an interface for these activities and as such provides more than just an overlap of activities, truly blending the users of the building as it is used.

Urban Agriculture

Migrant workers

Citizens ‘proper’

SPARC

Learning

What is SPARC? SPARC stands for the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres and is one of the largest Indian nongovernmental organisations working on the issues raised by the largest phase of urbanisation the world has ever seen.

SPARC supports the people in organising the people to come together, articulate their concerns and collectively produce solutions to the problems they face. In doing so, communities are knit. Below are the SPARC fields of work:

Enumerations and Surveys

Inhabitant Exchanges

Dialogue and Partnership Building

Savings and Credit

The Urban Agriculture Exchange provides: Village Improvement Workshop S, M, L and adaptable meeting spaces Adaptable gallery space Knowledge Library Food preparation and eating areas Growing fosters dialogue and partnership building

Exhibitions

Area Resource Centres

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Who is funding the Urban Agricultural Exchange?

SPARC

SPARC

SYNDICATE

Tianhe Village Syndicate

SPARC

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all.

The university takes agricultural sciences as its priority and life sciences as its highlight, focusing on both research and teaching the University is a forerunner in multi- disciplinaryagriculture. The University is situated within 15 minutes walking distance of the Tianhe urban village.

Initial funding for the early stages of the project would come from the urban village syndicate. These are ex-migrant workers who originally founded the village and currently collect rent from migrant workers. The syndicate is responsible for managing the village at the moment. Once a savings fund has been established by SPARC, this could help pay for the continued running of the center.

Xi Linping’s preference for long term investments over one time fame projects will mean that the Urban Agriculture Learning Centre is of great interest to his government. Having led the way in housing reform earlier in his career, the location of this proposal and its endeavours run in parallel to his earlier work- setting a precedent for the future of migrant integration and making waves for Hukou reform.

Advances in urban agriculture will benefit his growing country and could help to mitigate the pollution of car centric China.

The complex and fragmented nature of the funding for the proposal means that there are a lot of vested interests in how the money is spent both during construction and design as well as in the future running of The Urban Agricultural Exchange.

The cost to build the Exchange is relatively low, using mainly steel and concrete. China is one of the largest producers of steel in the world and it therefore should be cheap to source. Precast concrete elements mean that labour and construction expertise is minimal and time on site can be low, ensuring a low outlay on construction costs overall.

The structure of this proposal is intended to be developed and expanded and as a result, responsibility for wear and tear falls to the users of the building, maintenance and developments can be made with the help of SPARC and will actually help to break social barriers between migrant workers and the citizens ‘proper.’ This reduces the need for ongoing funding, especially as the Exchange starts to make money through the sale of vegetables produced.

If the Exchange is a success, it will serve as a precedent for how to begin to deal with the floating migrant worker situation in China, which as a result may secure more funding in the future.

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Why urban agriculture?

Village

Many research papers speak of the importance of urban agriculture in poverty alleviation. AgEcon recently published a report about the importance of managing the assets of poor communities. This is where SPARC is able to help - collecting and sharing the raw agricultural skills of migrant workers to improve their lives and the village environment itself.

The assets of the urban poor: Human Capital: Health status, which determines the poor’s capacity for work, education and skills.

Productive Assets: for poor urban households, housing and infrastructure are viewed as more important in this category.

Household Relations: a mechanism for pooling income and sharing consumption.

Social Capital: this refers to reciprocity within communities and households based on trust deriving from complex social ties, networks and associations.

Labour: which is commonly recognised as the most important asset of the poor.

China

Traditionally Chinese cities have been known to mix agricultural activities within the urban setting.

Due to large and growing population in China, the government supports urban self-sufficiency in food production.

Shenzhen serves as an example of how a traditional village structure with sustainable methods can be integrated with new agricultural advancements initiated by the government. The city farms are located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from city centre in a two-tier perishability system. “The city plans to invest 8.82 billion yuan in 39 agricultural projects, including a safe agricultural base, an agricultural high-tech park, agricultural processing and distribution, forestry, agricultural tourism, which will form an urban agriculture with typical Shenzhen characteristics.�

Some of this investment should be spent on developing a third tier of agricultural production one that is based at community levels promoting the social dynamic of food production which must not go ignored and be pushed to the outskirts of the city.

Global

It is thought that 15 percent of all food consumed within urban areas worldwide is sourced from urban agriculture, and this is set to double over the next twenty years.

The role of urban agriculture in the food supply of cities and towns, as a complement to rural agriculture, is becoming an important issue in a globalising world economy.

It is estimated that 800 million people worldwide engage in urban agriculture. With there being more and more people to feed and less people seeing rural agriculture as a viable career - urban agriculture is a necessary development, required for the success and continued growth of our urban planet.

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Why urban learning?

The Agricultural Exchange is designed around the logic of social development theory - with an architecture that facilitates urban agricultural learning in this manner. The building is a tool for learning, and it translates the themes of social interaction, the more knowledgable other and the zone of proximal development in order to create and maintain the desire to learn at the Agricultural Exchange.

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The Urban Agricultural Exchange is a Tool.

Programme as tool

Materials as tool

Structure as tool

Tool maintenance

The Urban Agricultural Exchange provides the tools to create revenue which will help to alleviate poverty and build extra income for all users.

The proposal is a tool for learning in a social manner, with clusters of learning all with the potential to be appropriated as required with an open logic for accidental participation and easy knowledge dissemination. The proposal is a tool for social integration, breaking the social barriers between migrant workers and citizens ‘proper through common tasks of learning and growing. The proposal opens up connection routes, increasing the public awareness of the situation.

Cheap and robust materials match the cheap and robust programmatic requirements of the building.

The nature of the funding of this proposal means that money is scarce and materials need to be able to withstand future wear and tear. The materials are honest to their purpose, only what is needed is used. Steel and concrete are readily available materials and can be sourced very cheaply- these are the materials used in the surrounding context. People are aware of how these materials can be used in construction and are therefore more inclined to repair or expand the Exchange.

Precast concrete elements reduce the construction skill and time on site making savings. Precast concrete columns and beams speak of a permanence and a structure to build around. The secondary elements are lighter and made from steel and can be altered easily. The legible and honest nature of the structure encourages development and repair and for new innovations to the building adding to the sense of ownership users will develop for the building.

The programme has been used as a tool by both SPARC and the village syndicate to provide a civic building that through public operation, requires little management and once running, will keep itself active with the task of growing and teaching. An honest approach to materiality presents the proposal as open for repair and maintenance without specialist knowledge. A tool requires little maintenance, for it is normally used to maintain something else - in this case, the proposal maintains both the facility to grow and the desire to learn.

Underground boxes in the inbetween spaces provide external waterproof power sockets and steel pad foundation footings for informal expansion. This allows provision for expansion but with some architectural control.

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1. Hydroponic and aquaponic water reserve tank.

2. Small unprogrammed learning cluster.

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Basement Level

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1. Existing unused market forecourt.

2. South west ramp to knowledge library.

3. Staircase/ informal seating area leading to first level.

4. Hydroponic and aquaponic reserve water tank.

5. Steel columns to be used to house new enclosures and expansion to create learning or activity space.

6. Toilets.

7. Expansion unit storage.

8. Partially enclosed and expandable meeting/ learning spaces.

9. Outdoor informal auditorium space.

10. North ramp to first level.

11. Growing structure support wall and food preparation area.

12. Internal section of adaptable village improvement workshop.

13. New courtyard/ external section of adaptable village improvement workshop.

14. Expansion unit storage.

15. Under-floor steel frame footing and external power supply for potential market/ small business expansion.

16. Gallery/ large meeting space/ additional workshop space.

17. Gallery expansion space with external power supply.

18. External seating and food preparation area.

19. Greenhouse/ allotment.

20. Expansion anchor structure/ tower.

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Ground Level

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1. Medium meeting space/ knowledge library study zone.

2. Hanging light box.

3. Water gullies delivering water back to the reservoir tank below.

4. Private study classroom/ small meeting room.

5. Cut out concrete slab revealing views into learning enclosures below.

6. Growing tower access and maintenance point.

7. Panels opened up or slotted into existing structure to create new spaces around anchor points.

8. Knowledge library book storage.

9. Knowledge library reading or computer room.

10. Computer/ reading area.

11. Knowledge ‘spine’ walkway offering views into the gallery, workshop, market and food preparation areas.

12. Informal cafe/ eating area.

13. Growing box to be attached to over-arching growing structure.

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First Level

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4. 2.

7.

7.

13.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ 1:500 plans

1. Ramp from unused existing market forecourt to second level.

2. Open air water storage, home to fish and intended for access.

3. Medium meeting space/ aquaponics classroom.

4. Aquaponics workspace/ mahjong space.

5. Small meeting room.

6. Medium meeting room/ hydroponics classroom.

7. Open air water storage for growing purposes.

8. Concrete slab with cut out sections for learning opportunities and expansion purposes.

9. Ad-hoc growth around intended growth anchor point.

10. Medium expandable meeting space/ reading room.

11. Growing tower access and maintenance point.

12. Growing tower maintenance classroom.

13. Up turned hollow breeze block cladding housing small growth pockets.

14. Informal rooftop auditorium space/ gathering space.

15. Restaurant balcony overlooking expansion zone.

16. Restaurant seating area.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ 1:500 plans

Second Level

12.

13.

14.

11.

10.

15.

9.

11.

7.

6.

8.

3.

2.

1.

4.

5.

11.

11.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ 1:500 plans

1. Over-arching growing tower. Houses growing boxes on a pulley system aswell as providing a primary structure from which users of the building can expand. In addition, power supplies can be hung from this structure providing power to just about anywhere on the site.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ 1:500 plans

Aerial Level

1.

1.

1.

/ detailed explanations / cross site differences and programme / boundary attitude and new public spaces / raised elements / towers as anchors / clusters of learning

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

Mediating the boundary between the Urban Village and the City ‘proper’ 1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

4.

4.

5.

5.

1.Concentrated, 2.Informal

5.Rare

1.Diffused,

organisation.

3.Sporadically 4.Lower

restricted light.

2.Formal

busy.

organisation.

3.Regularly

in height.

4.Taller

open space.

5.Rare

1.

1.

5.

2.

unrestricted light.

busy.

in height.

narrow space.

3.

4.

1.

1.

2.

2.

5.

4.

South China Climate The Chinese climate differs greatly from the climate of the UK- the lowest annual temperature in China is similar to the maximum annual temperature in the UK. Rainfall is dramatically lower in China, creating a warm and dry/humid climate on average.

32.6 °C

21.2 °C

17.5 mm

59 mm

Summer

Summer

Summer

Summer

Guangzhou

London

Guangzhou

London

Winter

Winter

Winter

2 °C

-4 mm

Winter

18.3 °C

Temperature

Precipitation

39 mm

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

Mediating the boundary between the Urban Village and the City ‘proper’ Not so close together Close together

Informal organisation Subtle transition between areas.

Memory not landmarks.

People approaching from less busy, closed surroundings.

Lower in height

Concentrated light

Taller in height

Diffused light

Formal organisation People approaching from busy, open surroundings.

Statement landmarks to differentiate position.

Towers as mediators of the transition between informal and formal conditions.

City ‘proper’

Tianhe Village

Towers on the north west edge of the site are butted up against the village, mimicking the light and spatial conditions found within the village. Light is brought through the towers and hits the ground floor in a focused burst. The towers are sized in a similar proportion to the blocks of the village continuing the language of informality. The heights of these towers are the lowest of all the towers in the proposal, the tower heights step up across the site from the village to the formal city.

Towers toward the centre of the proposal still direct light through the floors of the proposal but at ground level the light si contained.

Each of these towers has the option for expansion at the ground level, starting to break away from the block nature of the village but still carrying a theme of informality across the site. These towers are of medium height, between the lower sized village and the taller formal tower blocks of the city ‘proper.’

Here the towers are situated further away from the formal tower blocks mimicking the larger open spaces to be found within the city ‘proper.’ The towers reach their highest height here providing the height for the growing boxes to receive adequate light. These tall towers provide a landmark at the entrance from the high street into the Exchange.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

Relative Programme Sizes and Requirements

Requires Both Defined Space Undefined Space

Knowledge Library 23%

Knowledge Spine 23%

Multi-use Lecture Space 7% Market 7% S, M, L Unprogrammed Workspaces 2.5%

Requires Both Loud

Quiet

Eat 3% Urban Food Growing 7% Village Improvement Workshop 9% Gallery 3%

Programme Sized and Divided

Requires Both Public

Private

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

Rationale Behind Programme Application on site.

Step 1.

Align initial square area diagrams in the same order as programme bar.

Step 2.

Divide area strip in two, through the middle.

Step 3.

Double the height of one of the halves.

Step 4.

Align the middle of the shorter half with the middle of the longer half.

Step 5.

Part the longer programme to make space for the shorter programme.

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Step 4.

Step 5.

Step 6.

Topologically altering the squared areas of the programme elements in this manner, leads to unforseen potential relationships between spaces by dividing the elements and placing them randomly within the strip.

Topological Step 6.

New unexpected relationships are indicated after topological alteration.

The study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

A Day at The Tianhe Urban Agriculture Exchange: User Overlap and Interface.

Typical Journey Through Building during one day.

City Citizen ‘proper’

Migrant Worker

SPARC Empoyee

Visitor

Migrant Worker

9am

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

10am

City Citizen ‘proper’

12am x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x 1pm

Visitor

2pm x

x

x

x

x

x 3pm

SPARC Empoyee

4pm

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

5pm

6pm Knowledge Library

Gallery

Herbarium

Lecture / Multi-use Space

Market

Unprogrammed Workspace

Food Preparation and Management

Eat

Allotments

Urban Food Cultivation

Village Improvement Workshop

Type of Space

Time of the Day.

Spaces Accessible to each User

11am

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

Urban Agriculture Exchange Areas per use, per user.

TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

SCANNER

COMPUTER

PLOTTER

PRINTER

LASER CUTTER

3D PRINTER

CNC

Knowledge Library: 850m² 6.6m² TUTOR TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH SCANNER

UG STUDENT COMPUTER

PG STUDENT PLOTTER

GB

EU

PRINTER

LASER CUTTER

WORLD 3D PRINTER

CNC

Knowledge Spine: 950m² 6.6m² TUTOR

TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH

SCANNER

UG STUDENT

COMPUTER

PG STUDENT

PLOTTER

GB

PRINTER

EU

LASER CUTTER

WORLD

3D PRINTER

CNC

Multi-use Lecture Spaces: 300m² 2m² TUTOR TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH SCANNER

UG STUDENT COMPUTER

PG STUDENT PLOTTER

GB PRINTER

EU

LASER CUTTER

WORLD 3D PRINTER

CNC

Market space: ~300m² 2m² TUTOR TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH SCANNER

UG STUDENT COMPUTER

PG STUDENT PLOTTER

GB PRINTER

EU LASER CUTTER

WORLD 3D PRINTER

CNC

S M L Unprogrammed Workspaces: 80m² 0.5m² TUTOR

TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH

SCANNER

UG STUDENT

COMPUTER

PG STUDENT

PLOTTER

GB

PRINTER

EU

LASER CUTTER

WORLD

3D PRINTER

CNC

Eat and Food Preparation: ~310m² 2m² TUTOR

TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH

SCANNER

UG STUDENT

COMPUTER

PG STUDENT

PLOTTER

GB

PRINTER

EU

LASER CUTTER

WORLD

3D PRINTER

CNC

Urban Food Growing: ~450m² 2m² TUTOR

TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH

SCANNER

UG STUDENT

COMPUTER

PG STUDENT

PLOTTER

GB

PRINTER

EU

LASER CUTTER

WORLD

3D PRINTER

CNC

Village Improvement Workshop: 350m² 2m² TUTOR TOILET

BOOKS (LIBRARY)

RESEARCH SCANNER

UG STUDENT COMPUTER

PG STUDENT PLOTTER

GB PRINTER

EU LASER CUTTER

WORLD 3D PRINTER

CNC

Gallery: 150m² 1m² TUTOR

RESEARCH

UG STUDENT

PG STUDENT

GB

EU

WORLD

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

/ boundary attitude

Informal Formal Informal Informal Informal

Informal Formal Formal Formal Formal Informal Informal Formal Formal Formal Informal

Formal

The proposal fronts all sides of the site, through topological manipulation it organically wraps around the site pulling away at parts to create new internal and external open spaces and through routes.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

4

3

1

2

Courtyard 1: The Agriculture Exchange closes off the open end of an existing courtyard with an informal seating area which can double as an informal lecture area or ad hoc outdoor classroom. Currently migrant workers sit in this area, perching on any ledge they can find. The existing trees in this courtyard will act as anchors in the surrounding allotment development.

Courtyard 2: A loop is formed creating a cross roads at the centre of the proposal, a key viewpoint and programme crossover point. The ground floor is unprogrammed space and will be appropriated to form markets, shops, eating and growing areas as and when required.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

/ raised and lowered elements

The Agricultural Exchange is raised off the ground level creating a new public place and providing important open space.

The private elements of each programmatic element are elevated further.

Spaces with restricted occupancy or a requirement for relatively high skill levels are also raised to ensure a limited use level.

Some programmatic elements touch ground level to provide access or additional user space. Left over space is assigned to non-defined programmatic elements, not previously wrapped around the site or will be used as spaces for informal ad-hoc development.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

Programmatic overview

Over arching hydroponic growth structure

Exhibition area

Private classrooms and meeting spaces

Growth structure maintenance points

Informal lecture/gathering space

Porous ground floor public space

Greenhouses

Village improvement workshop

Hydroponic and aquaponic outdoor formal classroom space

Cafe/Eating area

Appropriable urban agriculture learning environment.

Urban agriculture library (relevant to adjacent programme) Hanging light shaft

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

/ towers as anchors There are three types of tower used around the Agricultural Exchange - these provide pockets of enclosed space in an otherwise open proposal. Each type of tower serves slightly different functions speaking as architectural elements as well as performing different programmatic and pragmatic tasks. The towers act as larger scale anchors of proximal development acting as places to go to learn new things. The overspill areas are spaces in which one can learn by watching others (the more knowledgable other).

1. These towers house the private classrooms, small group learning areas and more private programmatic components and perch on the edge of the main body of the proposal. These towers are situated closest to the urban village and mimic both the tower formation of the village and the lighting conditions found within the village. Light it captured at the top of these towers and concentrated via a light chute, which delivers small bursts of light to the spaces within the tower and a bright concentrated slice of light to the porous ground floor public level.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

2.

1.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

1. Precast concrete panels, tied back to precast concrete columns.

2. Precast concrete panels angled to act as solar shading.

3. Precast concrete columns with steel tension cable cross bracing to support cantilever.

4. Mild steel supports for precast concrete louvres which continue to extremity of tower providing more refined solar shading for solar chute.

5. Precast concrete beams with cut out sections for floor slab to slot into.

6. Thin precast white panels to more powerfully reflect light within the light chute. Panels separate to allow sharp bursts of light into the private programmatic elements within the towers.

7. Precast concrete floor slab planks.

8. Large concrete tile clad steel frame on awning style hinge, with support housings for secondary structure to outer edge.

9. Recessed food preparation/ outdoor informal gathering space receiving light from above.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

2. Situated toward the middle of the site, these towers act as anchor points for future informal growth. At ground floor precast concrete and steel framed panels are hinged to the primary precast concrete structure allowing for immediate expansion into the in-between spaces. With removable precast concrete and steel framed panel sides at higher level and a modular precast concrete structure, future growth into these unprogrammed spaces is also catered for.

Things I cannot do.

Things I can do with guidance.

Things I can do.

The towers act as larger examples of proximal learning anchors. The middle ring is classed as the zone of proximal development where ‘things I cannot do’ are converted to ‘things I can do’ after watching those with expertise.

A type two tower situated at the heart of the proposal

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

1.

2.

3.

4.

1. Precast concrete flooring slabs gently slope into a ramp, 2. Precast columns remain the same but are interlinked with precast ramp structure.

3. Precast ramp structure fits into cast grooves used for floor slabs.

4. Precast concrete panel wall.

5. Precast ramp structure which interlocks between columns and into beams.

6. Higher up in the ramp section, larger precast interlocking concrete panels are used with additional columns instead of the precast ramp structure used lower down.

5.

5.

Close up axonometric view showing the structural system

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

3. Constructed in unclad steel as opposed to the concrete panel clad precast concrete towers, these towers show their structure and express their workings. Situated nearer the outer edge of the site, away from the urban village, they provide a more formal structure with a specific use. These towers carry the growing boxes on a conveyor belt system over the Agriculture Exchange maximising the amount of sunlight received and providing sun shelter to those below.

The maintenance zones are where the boxes are unloaded and off loaded onto the structure system. Water is delivered from fish tanks that are housed on the roof level of the south western part of the proposal. Boxes are removed to allow them to be replanted and for their produce to be picked. The boxes themselves are used as teaching tools and are to be moved around the agricultural exchange. They are an example of a learning anchor and are another element which create zones of proximal development.

Maintenance zone

Maintenance zone

Hydroponic growth

1.

3.

Fish Produce Waste

The main process of growing combines hydroponic and aquaponic methods of urban agriculture. The vegetables receieve the nutrients they require through water, instead of soil and therefore require much less space to grow. Water is poured in through the top middle opening (1) and drained through the bottom at maintenance locations. The plants rest in trays which are submerged into the water (2).

Plants filter water than returns to fish.

2.

Microbes and worms convert fish waste into fertiliser (nitrate).

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

1.

2.

3.

4.

1. Steel frame - combination of ‘L’, ‘T’ and ‘C’ section steel beams which house steel tension cable on rollers.

2. Steel tension cable loop system which pulls growing boxes around and over the Agricultural Exchange.

3. Aquaponic steel growth boxes with water from aquaponic tank system to west of proposal.

4. Allotment/ greenhouses, confined by steel box frame and corrugated plastic panels fixed and hinged to steel frame (1).

The boxes are guided around the structure by a steel tension cable. Each box is clamped to the cable with a rotating vice, while two sets of wheels provide stability against the steel structure housing the cable. Boxes always hand at 44 degrees as this is the average optimum angle for sunlight in Guangzhou.

3.

1.

2.

1.

3.

2.

44°

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

/ clusters of learning

2.

3.

4.

1.

There are four main clusters of learning at the agricultural exchange, from which activity will overspill. All of the learning clusters interrelate through design for affordance, insight, overview and accidental participation, guided with gentle slopes in the floor slabs. A combination of private and public, formal and informal learning and growing settings aides the subconscious and conscious learning processes while helping to mediate the boundary between the village and the city ‘proper.’ 1. Informal appropriable learning environment.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

The informal appropriable learning environment allows users to alter the floor level to create a network of learning groups for group or individual needs. Bi-steel panels are housed just below ground level, creating a flush ground floor plane.

These can be hoisted up using pulleys attached to the primary precast concrete structure. Once hoisted to the correct level, users can tie the raised panel to the primary structure and rest the corners of the panel in the precast grooves situated in the columns. Safety barriers unfold from within the bi-steel steel panel and click into place. The benefit of manoeuvrable floor height in sections is that a varying and individualised learning environment can be created where the zone of proximal development surrounding an activity is translated from a 2D diagram into a 3D form- knowledge is easily disseminated and the space is truly cross programmed. t

Bi steel panel can be raised from ground level and slotted into any of the recast grooves in the recast concrete columns forming a new enclosed network of working and learning spaces in addition to a varied and gradual descent or rise through the building.

When steel panels are raised, their ground supports become seating for more informal space making.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

1.

2.

3.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

1:100 @A3 1. Precast concrete panel, precast concrete frame tower with more private and formal programmatic elements.

2. Doors wide enough for growing boxes to fit through.

3. Raised roof cut out sections allow light to penetrate through the building but also fold on one side to become an informal network of working/learning spaces, aslo serving as a staircase/ramp.

4. Aquaponic water storage, home to fish. This water is cycled around the agricultural exchange, 5. Copper pipe facade, allowing water to be drawn from the system in the learning environment before entering the storage tank again.

6. Bi-steel panel raised and supported via clamps and chains and held in place above ground level by precast grooves in the concrete columns. When raised, a small two step tier is revealed in the ground floor for gathering/ work spaces.

7. Steel frame and steel mesh panels are to be removed when access to raised ground panels is required.

8. Precast concrete columns with grooves cast to support raised floor panels.

9. Hollow breeze block curtain hung from poured concrete slab, supported on precast column and beams. The bricks are rotated to reveal selected views and partially enclose the learning environment.

10. Raft and pile foundations to suit the clay make up of the ground.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

5.

1. Steel reinforced concrete slab 2. Extended re-bars form hanging structure for hollow bricks. The screen is tied back to the concrete structure at points in line with floor levels.

3. Water pipe work will also fall down alongside the curtain wall.

4. Hollow bricks allow ventilation and a structure which can be adapted by the users of the building - maybe to hand clothes out to dry. Rotating the hollow bricks allows for a screen which controls view corridors and provides a shady corridor as an escape from the sun.

5. Steel re-bars protrude through the bottom of the screen to form seating at lower points.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

2.

The ground floor provides access to a labyrinth of recessed ‘learning boxes,’ each staggered in height to alter the views from both within the spaces and into the spaces as people walk past. Light penetrates through the tower light chutes, and is delivered above the recessed learning boxes.

The main section of the knowledge library is housed on the first floor, with private reading rooms in the towers at this level. There is also a small provision for computer use, with pull down power cables from the structure above.

The north east edge of the first floor opens up to a learning corridor, which provides circulation space with views on all sides of activities occurring above and below.

At second floor level, growing boxes are maintained, having been removed from the structure above. Ad hoc lessons may occur in this space as well as individual growing activities, Growing opportunities occur around the perimeter of this floor. In addition to providing crucial views through the building, growing boxes can be pulled up through the central ‘atrium’ running through this section of the building.

3.

9.

10.

11.

4.

15.

1. Opened topped anchor tower, supporting overhead growing structure at midpoint and directing light internally. The bottom of this tower is hinged to allow ad-hoc informal growth stitching the inbetween zones with the learning labyrinth and other areas.

2. Hanging aquaponic growth box.

3. The structure is provided inside the tower for future development.

4. Private classroom 5. Growth box return zone.

6. Growth box maintenance zone.

7. Growth box arrival zone.

8. Medium sized private classroom.

9. Where light is required to penetrate, precast concrete slabs are used instead of poured concrete.

10. Cut outs in the poured reinforced concrete slab allow light to penetrate, views to raise curiosity and for growth boxes to be lifted through the building.

11. Reading room 12. Knowledge library information storage.

13. Ramp allows seamless travel from ground floor to first floor, in addition to directly linking the existing village. with the higher floors of the proposal.

14. New route into the village make use of an existing void between buildings.

15. Learning labyrinth - staggered floor levels create a journey of learning and blur the zone of proximal development.

1.

2.

5.

12.

6.

7.

13.

9.

8.

14.

1:100 @ A3

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE / detailed explanations

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

3.

Learning cluster 3 is home to the village improvement workshop. This is separated from learning cluster 2 by an open space which serves as both circulation space but can be appropriated for informal growth when required.

Informal growth is suggested with the use of underground power and steel structural footing boxes. These can be opened up when required and are situated at various points within the proposal. Here, they follow through the proposal under and within the learning loop (explained below.

Recessed power and informal growth box, providing outdoor power socket and steel column footing,

The village improvement workshop is a place where new ad hoc growing methods can be tried out and constructed for use in the village and in the city. The workshop faces a new courtyard and an existing residential building on one side and the internal courtyard space of the proposal on the other.

Corrugated translucent panels in steel frames provide a noise barrier from the residential buildings when the workshop is particularly noisy and can be reallocated at less busy times.

When the workshop does not require the outdoor courtyard, this space provides rare open space to villagers alongside a new street to the east of the proposal.

New outdoor courtyard to be used for expansion if required.

Village improvement workshop with the option for enclosure of workspaces.

Learning cluster 2 - ground floor linked by overhead and underground structure points.

Central courtyard to be used for the expansion/linking of learning cluster 2 & 3.

Underground power and steel secondary structure footing.

Overhead precast concrete structure with steel bracket on underside and in floor grooves to house the addition of partitions.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

9.

7.

8.

1. Over arching steel growing structure 2. Steel box framed steel mesh banisters with steel supports bolted to precast concrete beams.

3. Poured bubble reinforced concrete slab, with precast angled elements for seating and light entrance points in clerestory solar shading system.

4. Steel truss girders supported on precast concrete beam and column system. These run through this section of the building, providing a framework from which secondary structure elements can be attached or from which clothes can be hung to dry.

5. Hollow breeze block screen infill between steel ‘T’ section columns which support the over arching growing structure above. Reinforcement bars from the poured concrete slab continue downwards to provide further support and tie points for the screen.

6. Precast concrete beams. These form a learning loop structure which surrounds the village improvement workshop on the north east side and continues through to support the western learning labyrinth and library sections of the building.

7. Chinese white pine slats act as louvers below roof openings and tighten elsewhere to clad the inside of the workshop. The gays between slats dictate the amount of structure available to be used to bolt secondary structure and hand clothes from.

8. High level precast concrete columns support the over arching growing structure and everything below.

9. Corrugated translucent plastic sheets with steel frames create an alterable divide between the inside and outside sections of the village improvement workshop. These forma a wall when noisy work is being carried out but can be rearranged to form temporary internal partitions when required, using underground floor supports.

10. Tallest, most formally designed section of the proposal forms a landmark to draw people from the east. This section houses greenhouses, gallery space and a space for food preparation and eating with a viewing gallery on the roof.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

1.

3. / detailed explanations

2.

5.

6.

4.

7.

8.

9.

PROXIMAL AGRITECTURE

/ detailed explanations

1:33 Detail through hanging box in learning cluster 1.

1. Extra thick precast concrete wall facing the sun.

Heat is absorbed, stored and released. As it is released, heat is pulled up through the building through the gaps between the precast concrete slabs and also through the wind shaft.

2. Thinner precast white concrete wall serving as boundary for the wind shaft and also directing light through the tower as it bounces down the shaft.

3. Clerestory solar shading. Hollow precast concrete panels supported by 7mm box frame steel supports.

These supports continue down through the building providing additional support for the white precast light chute panel.

4. Precast concrete floor slabs. These slot into the precast concrete beams at every third slab.

5. Precast concrete columns with steel reinforcement bars. Connected to beams with Peikko PCs corbel system. The corbel system also provides a tie back support for the outer precast concrete panel wall.

6. Steel reinforced precast concrete panel screen.

Hung from steel ‘C’ section brackets and tied back to precast concrete frame with corbel system.

7. Precast concrete screen corbel tie back.

8. Recycled plastic ‘bubble’ reinforced poured concrete slab on exterior sides of towers (where light does not need to penetrate through the slab as it does in the towers). The bubble reinforcement retains the same structural integrity as standard reinforcement but reduces the amount of poured concrete by 35% - saving time and money.

9. Raft and rotary pile driven foundations to suit the clay ground make up in southern China.