Veg.itecture #18

A significant number of Vegetated Architecture examples with facade and rooftop greening strategies. I hope no one suffers from sensory overload with this weekends dual Veg.itecture posts, so without further ado, the projects:
I spotted this project by Veg.itect Jean Nouvel via Dezain for the "Building C1" in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, and it was a pretty interesting form. Some more info showed up on designboom, along with an architect's statement, "'...this non tower is about stratification, about stacking, about finding reasons to invent terraces, fictitious horizons, contrasts, about revealing references, diversities, interferences with nature, a distant dialogue with saint-cloud hillside. the intention is for people to feel that the space that they live or work in is different from their neighbor's place - the people who use this building are not numbers."




:: images via designboom

Another recent example was featured on both Pruned and Treehugger (both via Archinect) for the evolo skyscraper competition entry entitled 'Symbiotic Interlock' by Daekwon Park. Both representationally and conceptually, this project continues the emerging dialogue about the use of facades for more functional uses such as food production and power generation. In terms of tall skyscrapers with small footprints and by default, small roofprints, the greening of the upper surface has certain limitations - so looking at other opportunities for functional greening makes sense. (Read more about this in previous L+U posts 'Building Edges' and 'Defining Moments')


:: image via Treehugger

Quoting Treehugger: "Clipping onto the exterior of existing buildings, a series of prefabricated modules serving different functions would be stacked on top of each other, adding a layer of green space for gardening, wind turbines or social uses to make new green façades and infrastructures."


:: images via Treehugger

The concept of adaptive reuse - or attaching new structures to existing is a novel concept for future increasing of urban density as well by not removal but augmentation of the existing structures - a way of updating without starting over in some cases. It also expands on the concept of using building-related and urban microclimates, particularly for site-specific generation of wind power (see image above) - taking the phenomenon of wind tunnels created due to building mass and creating some benefit from this.


:: image via Pruned

The coverage definitely picks on these threads of maximizing opportunities in urban areas, and the large amount of surface area on urban building facades. Obviously, this brings up certain more challenging technical aspects of the gravity-defying nature of greening building edges, which has been extensively covered here. These concept are still more representational than realistic, but it's compelling in expanding the dialogue (and technical problem solving) of what is possible. The challenge for designers: Make these fantastically wild ideas and make them work.




:: images via Pruned

One of my favorites of the evolo entries summary on Treehugger was from Claudiu Barsan-Pipu, Oana Nituica, Irina Dragomir and Bogdan Ispas and their vision of an 'Urban Bypass' in Bucharest with hanging pods of structured greenery along elevated tracks. Wha?


:: image via Treehugger

Back to Nouvel for a second - a cadre of projects for a current competition for the Tour Signal which envisions a new tower in the La Défense business district in Paris. While representational, it's a testament to the vertical greening phenomenon (and quite provocative idea) of diagrammatically showing the building program and potential form. Also, this seemed to be the only shortlisted submittal (along with Libeskind, Foster+Partners, Jacques Ferrier, and Wilmotte et Associes) with any significant greening (at least of the visible kind.)

:: image via Dezeen

And some new visions. The first from World Architecture News, we go to Dubai (again) and a new building that: "...includes a series of internal and external public spaces with treelined streets, light filled atria and rooftop gardens; places for people to live, work and enjoy life. The project will provide a unique human-scaled urban environment with over 1 million square metres (10 million sq ft) of developable area."

:: image via WAN

And a fantastically simple rooftop pattern garden by una2 architectti associati (via eye candy):

:: image via eye candy

Again the idea of building greening expanding beyond the rooftop to the building facades is a powerful paradigm shift that has gained considerable momentum in the past year or so. As mentioned, the next leap, one that has been handled successfully by Patrick Blanc and a handful of others, is to make this vertical greening a reality through parsing the technical aspects. I have mentioned a couple of times the need to get into the technical details and specifications (systems, plants, media, irrigation) - and it seems a fitting opportunity. Look for more soon.