SERVER
Food After Oil

“To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”
Mark Twain

Now, perhaps more than ever, architects are compelled by ‘The City’; by the 50% urbanisation threshold reached in 2008, by problems of density, mass, ‘bigness’… Cities can be (and normally are) drawn as objects on a map, surrounded by white space. Cities are where architects work.

They are also, of course, a myth. The historical reality is that either we move around or goods move around on our behalf. What we call a ‘city’ is in fact a sort of stage-set, which is totally dependent upon the continuous flows of food, goods and resources which work behind the scenes to sustain it.

But the illusion of geographical stasis created by these systems is an increasingly fragile one. Over the last decade, the global concentration of the food system and the rise of ‘just-in-time’ logistics have made more and more of us instantly reliant on fewer and fewer of these ‘server systems’. There is increasing awareness that the vulnerability of the food system, and its huge dependence on cheap oil, has moved us beyond the point at which we can afford to take it for granted.

Faced with these kinds of realities, design is being forced to change its lens. Instead of focusing on cities themselves (often simply furnishing the symptoms of the problem rather than re-thinking the causes), can architecture apply design-thinking to the wider agricultural and industrial processes which cities depend on? Rather than settle for the price-hikes and shortages inherent in the ‘local production’ solution, can we intervene to redefine what is actually meant by the term ‘local’? Can we design a slow, positive transition towards more resilient infrastructures?

Server is a proposed large-scale planning experiment, which is based on a single (almost absurdly obvious) research proposition: Could a motorway be self-sufficient? How are we going to feed cities without oil?

Working with existing processes, prices, communities and capacities, the project takes a section of the M1 motorway in the Midlands and investigates its re-design as a self-sufficient farming system (or “Industrial Ecology”); a belt of knowledge-intensive agriculture, producing no waste and consuming minimal external resources. In getting there, it explores the role of knowledge in the process of feeding cities, and anticipates new forms of citizenship.

The result constitutes a challenge to some of the narrow political dichotomies which currently dominate green politics, and highlights the extent to which many of our assumptions about ‘sustainability’ are themselves by-products of a very crudely designed industrial-economic complex; leftovers of the Industrial Revolution.

To view a 12min video presenting the project:
www.bemakeshift.com/server

Alastair Parvin is a recent graduate of Sheffield University School of Architecture, now a trainee architect, researcher and design writer. He is co-editor of www.bemakeshift.com, an open-content architectural fanzine about architecture, design, economics and society.

The Eden Project

Since opening in 2001, the Eden Project has become one of the most successful tourist attractions in England and a beacon for sustainable design and climate debate. It’s all a far cry from its previous life as a worked-out china clay pit.

Jolyon Brewis, Managing Partner of Grimshaw, explored the design and development of Eden. He addressed how the study of nature, combined with cutting-edge design, turned a derelict industrial site into one of the world’s largest greenhouses, capable of growing bananas in Southern Cornwall.
Jolyon worked on all phases of the Eden Project, including the iconic biomes, and continues to oversee its development.

The Eden Project is the largest plant enclosure in the world, built in the lightest and most ecological way possible. The project is situated in a 15-hectare landscaped site, formerly a worked-out Cornish clay pit. Four phases have been completed to date. The focus of the Eden Project is a sinuous sequence of 8 inter-linked geodesic domes, threading around the site, encapsulating Humid Tropic and Warm Temperate regions. The biomes are an exercise in efficiency, both of space and material. The cladding panels – triple layered pillows of high performance ETFE foil – allow maximum light transmission and minimum structure due to their exceptionally low weight. The biomes were completed in 2001 – a year after the Visitors’ Centre was finished. This building is a working showcase for methods of building with low impact on the environment: green roofing; gabion walling; rammed earth construction and timber cladding. During its first six months of opening, it attracted over half a million visitors to its showcase ‘Big Build’, which offered views of the construction of the biomes from its panoramic galleries.

In 2002 Grimshaw completed phase three, the Foundation building. It was built to accommodate the increase in staffing levels, a direct consequence of Eden visitor numbers exceeding projections by 200%. The design meets extremely high sustainability targets. Under BREEAM for Offices 2002, it achieved a rating of ‘Excellent’.

The fourth phase of the Eden Project, the Core, is an education centre completed in 2005.  Designed with the sculptor, Peter Randall-Page, the building is in itself an expression of the geometric principles of plant growth, and represents a true collaboration between all members of the client, design and construction teams.

A fifth phase, The Edge, is currently in design. It will contain plant life from the Dry Tropics alongside a series of permanent and temporary exhibits on climate change and other environmental issues

” 2KM LIGHT DENSITY GRADIENT LANDSCAPE” by Phil Watson

The red chicken in the corner at closing time meets the nano pod bodily forms of a laptop, whilst..THE SUNSET SKIN SOFA GROWS HAIRY TELEPHONE FOR SNAKE DANCER…Phil Watson, thinker and lecturer at The Bartlett and Nottingham University will discuss the Surreal romance of an architecture surmised on the promises of new technologies. Here the alchemical feats of the imagination place architecture firmly back in the body; where these emergent technologies of: nano-mechanics, biological cell engineering and artificial nerve and skin growth allow for a fantastical testing: testing the old ideas of space with the creation of new limits and boundaries that ignore the staus quo once called environment. The inspiration of Jarry and the processes of non-association and linear alignment and swerve serve as a rich seam for poetic techno inversion and delightful textured by fear and bodily transformation.

To demonstrate our commitment to the environment and support for the COP15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Various Architects AS of Oslo, Norway together with engineers from Ramboll UK in Bristol and Pollen Architecture in Austin, Tx have designed the Skagen ØKOntor (“eco-office”) as a model for sustainable low-energy/low embedded carbon office buildings that are suited to the Nordic climate. With a calculated net energy consumption of 72 kWhr/m2/yr* the ØKOntor is the most sustainable office building currently planned in Norway:

“We wanted to present the developer with an environmentally friendly alternative for their site that was both innovative and buildable. This design is site specific, but it contains many concepts that can be applied elsewhere in the Nordic countries.”

- Jim Dodson, Partner at Various Architects

The building’s wooden facade of individually operable insulated shutters is it’s most visible and dynamic feature. Floor height shutters can be opened during the day to allow in daylight and passive solar heat, or closed after sunset on cold days for added insulation. The shutters can transform the facade from 60% to 20% window area. The inside surface of the shutters are tiled with LED lights to produce artificial daylight during the dark winter months to help provide a well-lit and healthy working environment year round. The insulated shutters are calculated to provide an additional 15% savings on heating yearly.

The natural resources of the seafront site are all carefully utilized by the design. 4 Quiet Revolution wind turbines on the roof provide 24.000 kWhr of clean energy (10% of the building’s energy demand). The windy and often overcast weather on the norwegian west coast, combined with long dark winter nights made wind a more efficient alternative to solar panels in this case. The sun is controlled for solar shading and passive heat in the west facing atrium space, and through the many south facing windows. Sea water is used as an energy source for both heating and cooling via water cooled heat pumps and sea water free cooling. This, coupled with high efficiency air heat recovery, demand led controls, and high levels of thermal insulation have significantly reduced the thermal plant demand. Natural ventilation is possible for most of the year, with cooling through refrigeration only necessary when sea water temperatures are at their peak (no more than 4-8 weeks a year). Green roof surfaces collect and filter the area’s prodigious rainfall in rooftop water tanks for use in low-water fixtures and fittings, reducing the need to waste treated water.

Low embodied carbon materials were chosen where possible to reduce the project’s overall CO2 footprint. A structural system of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel walls and floors was chosen for being locally sourced with a high level of carbon sequestration. CLT represents a significant reduction in embodied CO2 compared to a traditional concrete or steel frame. The building exterior and insulated shutters are clad in Kebony, a norwegian wood product that is sustainable, low-maintenance, and suitable for the exposed seaside climate.

The proposed landscape park would provide an educative layout of different environmental technologies on display for the public, as well as the production of electricity via solar, bio-gas, and bio-fuel production. The Hub Park creates a mini polder landscape where different technologies can be demonstrated, whereas the larger park area would be used for the cleaning of de-icing fluid, generation of electricity, and recycling of organic waste. Overall the park would provide a new public promenade for local residents, visitors, and plane spotters alike.

The Mobile Performance Venue (MPV) will represent Arts Alliance Productions and their performance “ID – Identity of the Soul” worldwide in 2009. ID is a five-screen cinematic performance based on Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s epic poem Terje Vigen and Mahmoud Darwish’s poem A Soldier Dreams of White Lillies. Associative images of the poem, interspersed with filmed images of an actor presenting it are projected onto five 12mx7m HD-video screens. Live dancers perform in front of, behind, and between the screens throughout the show.

The client brief for the project is for a lightweight and easily transportable venue that meets their technical requirements for projection screens and surround sound system, while also creating a unique and iconic structure. The current design (end of schematic design phase) makes the MPV the largest mobile venue in the world. The dynamic oval form is 90m x 60m, ranges from 10m to 17m tall, and has 3900m2 of covered space. The central performance space (2000m2) will hold a standing audience of 3500 people. Optional configurations include optional stadium seating and conversion of the central screen to a stage for live performances. The project is divided into 20 structural segments which allow varying configurations ranging from 2000 to 3900 m2 total area if needed.

The public plaza is formed by an arcade of open hexagons at ground level that mark a clear entrance to the otherwise closed form. This plaza contains all of the necessary front-of-house functions such as ticketing, cloak room, and restrooms. A mezzanine area above can be used for refreshments, catering, exhibition, or VIP functions. The back-of-house skin has a more complex and closed pattern. This serves to protect the projectors, sound systems, personell, and dancers behind the screens.

Sustainability is a difficult and complex topic for a project of this size that requires transport. Our main goal was to make the structure as lightweight and compact as possible to reduce shipping weight and volume. One example of this is the self-supporting PVC skin of hexagonal inflated tubes and cushions that form the front-of-house and back-of-house spaces. The specified fire resistant PVC fabric is durable and 100% recyclable.

An extremely efficient ‘bicycle wheel’ truss provides lateral stability for the project and full or partial coverage of the performance space. Supported by standard aluminum staging components this structure is also lightweight and recyclable. Optional mesh or solid pvc covers would provide shade in hot dry climates or rain protection in wet ones. The central oculus can also be covered with an inflatable cap. Water tank foundations remove the need to transport heavy weights. The entire project can be transported in 30 standard 40’ containers (20 if roof is omitted). The structure requires 2 weeks for assembly and one week for disassembly. This estimate is conservative, but represents an extremely low shipping volume for a structure of this size.

Various Architects’ project “Yorkshire Diamond” was a finalist in the open international competition for a mobile pavilion for Yorkshire Forward. The Yorkshire Diamond Pavilion is a unique and iconic venue that is designed to represent Yorkshire Forward at events around Yorkshire and Humber or further abroad.

The project is an attraction in itself with a striking exterior in the form of inflatable tubes arranged in the atomic structure of diamonds. The 20 x 26 x 10 meter diamond grid volume is mined out to form a cavernous interior space reminiscent of the coal mines of Yorkshire. Light and air shafts pierce the structure providing natural light and ventilation. At night the translucent shafts and outer skin radiate light in all colors and directions like a diamond twinkling in the sunlight.

A focus on flexibility gives the pavilion multiple configurations which allow it to be used for everything from small gatherings to large conferences or public presentations. The voluminous internal space will surprise and delight when installed in close quartered public squares. The pavilion can also be turned ‘inside out’ to open up a large covered area to open outdoor spaces to create the ultimate mobile venue for concerts or big-screen events.

Innovative sustainable features that can generate energy during transport and while installed, together with lightweight recyclable materials will demonstrate Yorkshire Forward’s commitment to the environment wherever the pavilion is situated. Creative new uses of existing proven technologies make this pavilion design possible to produce and operate for a reasonable price.

“Dynamic Sculpture” is a design that will showcase Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. The iconic retractable wall achieves the required 7 dB sound reduction by combining new materials, sustainable design, and a simple yet spectacular lifting solution. The proposed Environmental Hub educational building and associated sustainable landscape park will create a world-class focus point for green technology and design. Together, these elements form a complex that would attract and educate visitors while also actively cleaning the environment, generating green energy, and recycling airport waste.

The competition parameters for sound reduction combined with the relevant airport and municipal regulations for building made it clear that a dynamic structure was necessary to meet all of the program requirements. The necessary ground noise reduction is achieved by designing a retractable wall of optimum height and closeness to the runway. Sound insulation of the wall is provided by the surface mass of the folded thermoplastic panels and by air-sealed connections when in the upright position. The position and shape of the wall are formed in response to the changing noise levels along the length of the runway, at the beginning of the runway the wall is placed relatively closer. It gently curves further away as the sound levels decrease with distance.

The 2.1km undulating wall is faceted into 10m sections comprised of: folded horizontal thermoplastic panels, steel lifting poles, a rolling counterweight connected to electric motors, and a base structure of precast elements. A high degree of prefabrication is specified to reduce on-site construction time and provide the necessary tolerances between the pieces. All aspects of the project have been designed to minimize the disruption of airport activity and to ensure that it can be built within the required 18 month construction schedule.

The development of a rolling counterweight lifting system provides the extreme reliability necessary for installations in the demanding airport environment. It also ensures a short conversion time for extension (3 min.) and retraction (1 min.) of the wall. The rolling counterweight on rails provides a spectacular visual element in the park and ensures the synchronised lifting of the wall. A redundant system of motors combined with a high mechanical efficiency and low friction moving components ensures that the wall will not get stuck in the up position, even under high wind loads. The mechanical nature of the counterweight connection of the wall to the counterweight ensures that the wall can be lifted and retracted, even in the extreme case of 10% motor failures.

Open international design competition for a 450 meter tall observation tower in Cheongna, Incheon, South Korea.

The design of the tower is inspired by hyperbolic geometry, elegant mathematical forms, and the dynamic yet infinitely balanced taegeuk. The result is an iconic sculptural form that is reminiscent of natural phenomenon. The lattice tower design removes the central core which is archetypical of tall observation towers and replaces it with a lightweight and transparent structure. Within the vast vertical interior space two spheroid volumes that contain the observation platform and educational / entertainment program are suspended in the void creating a tower that is both introvert and extrovert.

The Cheongna City Tower is to be a dramatic statement of design quality and technological innovation whilst also being of a form which is economic and practicable to build. We have attempted to create a dynamic tower proposal that will add an unique iconic element to the IFEZ Cheongna Central Lake Park development. This tower will surely become a symbol of economic growth in South Korea, a national landmark, and an international tourism destination.

We believe that our solution is unique to observation towers in that the tower functions are contained in volumes suspended on the inside of the structure, creating an opportunity for dramatic views both outside of, and inside the tower itself. In addition to high-speed inclined elevators on the tower interior we have also proposed a one-of-a-kind external panorama ride that would lift visitors to the top of the observation tower while slowly spiralling through 450 degrees of views.

This project has been designed to give an end result that is both sculptural, exciting, practical, and with economical use of material. Sculptural design sketches have been translated into circular and elliptical hyperboloids of revolution. These forms extend upwards to create a tower where the plan of the building is dynamic and changing in perfect balance about an invisible central point.

“…from then on I was irredeemable lost as a townsman. I have had to spend long years in cities since then, but never willingly, always in daily exile.”

“The historical evolution of man into a predominantly urban and industrial creature, an un-thinking termite…”

“Never plodding, mechanical, inescapably monotonous.”

Canary Wharf exists as a pre programmed space designed as a habitat for a pre programmed mind. The space often feels numb it seems to lack the spontaneity or discovery that we human beings enjoy. I thought that through the use of nature there could be a fun and exciting way of invigorating this urban area.

The need for a challenge can be provided constructively by using an absurdity placed in an otherwise mundane scenario.

This challenge is designed to stimulate and liberate the people that use this space everyday providing an exciting, humorous release from the day-to-day routine.

This humour would come in the form of absurdity. The Sardine became my absurdity.
His character fit into the canary wharf image well, with i-pod and briefcase he became barely detectable, although for the few that did spot him, often with a second glance, a small smile spread, a rare site on the 6pm commute.

He also played very well with the common expression ‘Crammed in like a Sardine’

These images were displayed in a horizontal light box, left to be discovered, a little snapshot of nature working its way into the city.

This became my credo for the project, employing a constructive device that would bring an element of humour and challenge.

The juxtaposition of the everyday and the absurd was explored at a human scale, the location was Future Systems Canary Wharf to West India Quay Footbridge.

On one side the serious, intense financial bustle the other a much more relaxed atmosphere, dockside side apartments and restaurants. The perfect place for an interaction between different users and activities.

These activities can be anything from the ordinary to the ridiculous, but by putting them together provides a humorous release for both the occupants and passers-by.

Along one side of the bridge the spaces are designed for the mundane, areas for hot-desking, filing and other tedious tasks.

A specification on the drawing allows for:

∑ 32mm concrete screed frames, Surrounding glass panels that allow the passer by an activity to watch. The wall contains:
∑ 6 x Lockers
∑ 2 x Office and filing area
∑ 1 x Communal eating room
∑ 1 x Reading room
∑ 1x African Bushwillow canopy
∑ 1x empty space

By contrast the other side of the wall that brings you from the work side to leisure, home, fun and relaxation contains spaces for bizarre activities that you can explore or enjoy/ laugh at as you walk by.

The specification here reads:

∑ 20mm thick, hatched and coloured glass panels partially conceal the activity inside.

∑ Woollen twist pile carpet gives a fast an accurate material for naked hoovering and allows efficient movement across the surface

∑ The Electrolux B4111 allows for a pleasurable hoovering experience

Whether these spaces are for naked hoovering, Giraffe petting or cooking in the Aquarium it is up to you.

Collages taking this idea of overlapping spaces entwined with nature led to a new verticality that fit in with the Canary wharf profile quite well.

These collages and influences by artist Mark Harris led to the concept moving away from a transition between work and play and into the working lives of the end user. Taking the idea of using nature as a stress buster or a release right up to the office floors and peoples desks.

Can the boundary between the nature outside and the working environment inside be blurred effectively? Can floor plans be designed for both human and chimpanzee?
Most of us enjoy walks in the park and looking after our pets so why not enjoy a pair of parakeets nesting in the corridor on the way to the photocopier, or a rogue lemur on the filing cabinet.

Would the life of this office worker be enriched if every evening after shutting down his computer he had to remove a particularly stubborn parakeet from his office before going home? Would the cleaner mind having to wipe the giraffe lick off the windows?

In order to create this merger I proposed a vertical nature tower built alongside a new or existing office block. A simple steel core and a planted gabion outer structure allow the tower to evolve and grow housing new species each season.

With the floor plates between the two towers aligned it would be possible for both animal and human to wander throughout the new building seamlessly.

Whether that is by the photocopier at lunch or on the roof in the spa after work.

To finish off I’ve included a small clip from a recent Eon advert portraying a similar vision of a new way of life in the office.