Preliminary Site Study & Research

Project 1A

Technology is basically a systematic way of doing things or solving problems for the good of mankind In architecture, technology is used to create innovative designs "Agritecture" is the art, science, and practice of subsuming agriculture into the built environment This integration can be either inside of the building or outside of the building depending on which kind of issues can be solved throughout the building design Agritecture is one challenging to alter the current industrial scale agriculture by bringing food production to urban, local architectural environments

Pests can have adverse and damaging impacts on agricultural production, market access, the natural environment, and our lifestyle Pests may cause problems by damaging crops and food production as well as be a health hazard to humans Pesticides and harmful chemicals are normally used to get rid of these pests and is often the easiest and cheapest option

Due to the increasing amount of greenhouse gases being released into the Earth's atmosphere everyday, heat gets trapped as a result of the greenhouse effect, also known as global warming Green technology like renewable energy sources and self-sustaining architecture can reduce our reliance on technology which affects our natural environment

When soil loses its stability making it impossible for farming mainly due to overgrazing, soil erosion, salinization, deforestation, flooding, mining and more Efforts can be done to prevent degradation like preserving flora, avoid walking on soft soil, growing plants, block wind from blowing the soft soil away, reduce watering which could flush out minerals

Monoculture is the practice of planting one crop species in a field at a time Mainly used to boost productivity, ease management, and harvesting of a certain crop Planting one crop in a specified area can put the land at risk of flooding due to excess water which would've been absorbed and used by smaller or larger plants around it The root systems are not sufficient to maintain the soil structure around the plants

Traditional farming (horizontal farming) takes up a large amount of farmland In turn, there is limited land to be used for more crops and farming Technology such as the systems in urban farming (hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming, roof top farming) use optimal space and would be essential in small areas These systems usually require non-soil mediums and minimizes the energy cost of farming as it uses 95% less water

Usually farms are located in the suburban and rural areas, making transporting the yield from the factories and farms costly and adds on more labour Community farms, for example, are both local and accessible to a number of people within a close range of the farm

With large scale farms, keeping track of yield, water use, transportation, labour and more, can be strenuous work Technological advancements in Artificial Intelligence, robotics, drones, and sensor-based mechanisms can take on the task without failure

Pros of Technology In Architecture

- 3D Printing Machines Make Buildings Better.

- Digital Sketchbooks Make Saving and Displaying Renderings Easy.

- Smart Technology Affects Home Designs and Building Designs.

- Virtual Reality Makes Models More Realistic Than Ever

- Climate Change Predictive Software

Cons of Technology In Architecture

- Intellectual dependency

- Over-optimization

- Maintenance

- Less Jobs

- Labour

- Costly

- Breakdown of Equipment and Systems

- Community