Rainwater Topographies

Riyad Al Joucka Fatemeh NasseriMohammad Ali MirzaeiPablo Zamorano

Emergent Technoogies and DesignCore Studio 02, 2011Rainwater Topographies

11.2 lt of rain per m2 per week

In the UK every week, 11.2 lt of rain falls per square metre.

7.48 lt of rain per m2 per week collectable

The current technologies of rain water collection al-low to collect 7.48 lt per square metre per week.

contentsIntro Rain in London

Strategy Vertical organization

Site Program Ctalogue

System Topological structure System Phases Vertical Network Water collectors placement

Water Connectivity Network Water Network Crops Network Water and Height control

Urban Farming Agriculture in the UK Vertical farming types Market Placement Section types

Scenarios Crops topography iterations it.06-01 it.06-02Conclusions

References

Appendix

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Riyad Al Joucka - Fatemeh Nasseri - Mohammad Ali Mirzaei - Pablo ZamoranoRainwater Topographies 5

intro The following pages are the result of an exploration on reviving an urban tissue by introducing a sequence of programs within a system that utilizes rainwater collection. The intervention was treated as a generator of pro-gram within the urban fabric. Program in this case is apprehended as a main contributor to the overall regeneration of the tissue in an attempt to reach stability within the tissue.

The urban farming in this case is heavily dependant on rainwater collec-tion, as well as a generative set of rules, which would be set to work at a neighbourhood scale. These rules are set with the intention of producing a new urban tissue that supplements the existing and breathes a new life into it.

The utopian idea of collecting rainwater to create self-sustaining environ-ments has been explored architecturally in a number of precedent works. These works revolve primarily around presenting theoretic and environ-mentally sustainable solutions to the urban environments.

The proposed topography adds an element of data collection that influ-ences the overall form and system to enhance its performance. The pro-posed model is tested digitally to produce approximations of expected performance criteria. The data gathering process consequently com-menced with a thorough study of the environmental factors affecting the climate of the UK and London in specific.

Rainwater Topographies 6

The gathered information showed that the provisional total of rainfall in London is 583.6 mm per annum. Which means 11.2 mm of rainfall per week on average falls on London. From these statistics, a ratio was calculated to get the amount of water needed to grow crops from the collect-ed rainwater, which is about 3.9 L per m2 per week.

rain in london


strategy The strategy to start formalizing these ideas started with a diagram-matic layout of the program sequence. The program was perceived as a sequence of events laid out in a vertical organization scheme. This se-quence starts with the rain falling on catchment surfaces, where it is then channeled vertically down to storage compartments. The cultivation exists in-between these two ends, on the topography and the existing building’s vertical farms.


Water Collection

Vertical Farming

Public Space

Water Collection

Market-Public Space

Water Collection

vertical organizationstrategy


66197 m2 of unused space in the site = 495153.56 litres of water

siteThe proposed site for this intervention is the area around London Broadway Market near the Canal and London Fields. We focused on the influences of the program in different areas on the site, in an attempt to define the fittest areas of intervention. The main objective of the site study was to give an indication on how to generate activity in the areas that were observed as being less vibrant on the pro-posed site.


N

MEDIAL AXIS OF SURFACESBUILDINGS

BLOCKSVORONOI OF BUILT

R & M

Residential

Work Space

Residential & Market

Public Commercial

Parking

Garage

Unused

Church

School

N

N



R & M

Residential

Work Space

Residential & Market

Public Commercial

Parking

Garage

Unused

Church

School

N

A comprehensive catalogue of uses in the area was produce to define a new surface for water collection and use.

programThe initial analysis of the site concentrated on identifying the program of the buildings. A site map was produced to aid the visualization of these programs. At the north west of the site is Broadway market, marked in yellow on the diagram. Broadway market was observed to be the important element responsible for bringing people into the area, especially on weekends.

It was noticed from the team’s visits to the site that the dynamism of the market on a weekend is strongly con-trasted by the dull nature of the unused areas south of the plot. The canal and railway that cut through the site add to its industrial nature and were seen to have potential while developing the design.

site

N

A134706BLOCK AREA12923RESIDENTIAL5771MARKET

12090WORKSHOP0PUBLIC BUILDING

4241PRIVATE GARDEN5055TRAIN

0CANAL6941CIRCULATION6111UNUSED

201MARKET NUMBER 805MARKET AREA

5305UNUSED

B28846BLOCK AREA1353RESIDENTIAL523MARKET

4720WORKSHOP0PUBLIC BUILDING0PRIVATE GARDEN0TRAIN0CANAL

1769CIRCULATION4000UNUSED


3639UNUSED

C36720BLOCK AREA6702RESIDENTIAL

0MARKET0WORKSHOP0PUBLIC BUILDING

2944PRIVATE GARDEN0TRAIN0CANAL


112MARKET NUMBER 1787MARKET AREA-937UNUSED

Garage

RESIDENTIALWORKSHOPR & MARKETPUBLIC BUILDING

1 FLOOR2 FLOOR3 FLOOR4 FLOOR5 FLOOR6 FLOOR8 FLOOR

FUNCTIONHEIGHTUNUSED SPACEUNUSED SPACE - GARDEN

A134706BLOCK AREA12923RESIDENTIAL5771MARKET

12090WORKSHOP0PUBLIC BUILDING




5305UNUSED

B28846BLOCK AREA1353RESIDENTIAL523MARKET

4720WORKSHOP0PUBLIC BUILDING0PRIVATE GARDEN0TRAIN0CANAL



3639UNUSED

C36720BLOCK AREA6702RESIDENTIAL


2944PRIVATE GARDEN0TRAIN0CANAL


112MARKET NUMBER 1787MARKET AREA-937UNUSED







D493828BLOCK AREA27817RESIDENTIAL





21044UNUSED

E566432BLOCK AREA19146RESIDENTIAL

944MARKET37484WORKSHOP

0PUBLIC BUILDING3113PRIVATE GARDEN6612TRAIN



10767UNUSED

F623367BLOCK AREA15141RESIDENTIAL

695MARKET18456WORKSHOP

0PUBLIC BUILDING7136PRIVATE GARDEN

0TRAIN0CANAL



-2335UNUSED

D4.21044 - C3.937 = D4.20107D4.20107 - F6.2335 = D4.17772

site


site


systemThe design strategy commenced with identifying the empty and unused areas of the site. These areas were seen as areas with potential for devel-opment. Rather than intervening with the site by removing the existing, the intent was to add on to the existing, to introduce a tissue that works with it. The vertical system was dissected in layers within the site each working in sequence towards fulfilling the programmatic requirements.

This ideology was translated in the mathematical algorithm that generated the layout for the design. The geometrical model of the Medial Axis was used for this purpose. The strategy is to identify a set of points that are the closest points between the boundary of a surface (in this case the city blocks) and the islands within the boundary (in this case the buildings).

The medial axis was written as an algorithm that creates a voronoi mesh for each of the islands and the boundaries within a given surface. Within the intersection of the voronoi meshes, a line is produced marking a set of closest points from the boundary to the islands. This topological spine would give the ideal spatial location for the growth of the potential inter-vention. The algorithm was applied to the entire site to compare the differ-ent blocks in terms of space available for building.


1. Select all unused areas on site.2, Get medial-axis for all areas3. Place water cells according to area4. Set height of cells according to program 5. Join all pick points on system and create topography6. mutate according to environmetal factors.

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topological structuresystem


system

system phasesBased on the data gathered from the site catalogue, we chose block D4 to test our system. The algorithm was divided into 4 hierarchical phases; each of them increased the level of complexity and allowed us to manage the process in a systematic way.

Phase 1From the boundaries (block edge) the Topological Spine is generated. After the spine is generated, the inter-section points of the spine are set to locate the water collectors, which make the basic cells of the proposed system. The algorithm is then run again to create a spine that takes the collectors, as well as the buildings as internal islands.

Phase 2The points from the first spine are used to generate the first sequence of meta-balls charged with the ratio of the distance from the edge of the block.The points from the second spine are used to grow the water surface containers charged with the distance be-tween the surfaces and the closest buildings.Finally the heights are changed according to the surroundings and the new topography is lifted up to interact with its surroundings at ground level.

Phase 2A second layer of topography is generated to create a leisure space, water collector ponds and to cover mar-kets with vertical crops. An urban ecology devoted to public space and urban gardening.

The parameters controlled here are the height of the slopes, which respond to the distance from the surround-ing buildings, the streets and the water collection cells. Also the volume of water that could be contained is measured to evaluate the amount of water that could be collected, the amount of crops, public space and markets.

Phase 3The values that the digital model produces are then collected. Specifically the water volume collected, the amount of crops that could be grown along the surfaces of the topology and the amounts of produce that could be cultivated are also calculated. The data is used to re-evaluate the digital model.


Empty space and built surface recognition

Topologic structure for the unbuilt

Water collectors at intersections

Re-evaluation of topological structure

Crops and public space surface

system

vertical network

1

2

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4

5


system

water collector placementVolume of water needed : 0.003401 x Available Area


system

Once the algorithm is set to be tested on block D4, we run the first sequence for the water collector’s placement. Our basic cells, here once positioned on the inter-sections of the topological structure of the site, start to attract each other and to connect between them based on the distance from each other and the charge of each cell. As a first experiment this sequence shows us the need to introduce another factor to control the connectivity based on the surface that would collect water on top of the cells and to iterate to reach the volume of water to be stored on each area (0.003401 x Surface Area).


water connectivity networkThe intervention was conceived as one that works with its surroundings and gives back to the area it occupies. Since the main driver of the generation of the urban farms is the collection of rainwater from a topological sur-face, the rainwater that is shed on the rooftops of the buildings could be regarded as a wasted opportunity.

The connection system adds to the main topological surface of crops, the rooftops of the buildings as catch-ment surfaces that feed into the system. The surface area of all the rooftops was measured and the amount of rainwater that could be harvested from these rooftops was calculated. It became necessary to connect the dif-ferent elements that make up the intervention.

Within the connectivity system, the Medial Axis first defines the distances from which growth starts; the inter-section points on the axis are defined as the central pockets of rainwater collection. The water surfaces and rooftop collection channels are seen as clusters that feed into the system, and are connected through an algo-rithm that calculates the closest point for efficient connection.


Medial Axis

WaterNetwork

Distance

Centrality

Clusters

Connectivity Network

1197.0

380.0

885.0

838.0

1430.0

798.0

868.0

302.0

578.0

214.0

393.0

922.0

399.0

900.0

2395.06207.0

257.0

water connectivity network water network

Water Network

Topological Structure


Topography

WaterNetwork

crops network

90000.3 m2

The intervention proposes gathering rainwater from surfaces to use the water for irrigation. The irrigation sys-tem is connected to a distribution system to grow crops. Within this proposed system, the topography channels water down to the water surfaces and rainwater collectors. The rainwater collected from rooftops is channeled using a vertical farming system that is retrofitted onto the buildings façade. The density of the vertical garden changes in proportion according to a ratio of roof surface area to facade area of each building. The introduction of the system is reliant on the proposed topography, working as part of it not independently.

Roof Surface 11.2 L per m2 per week collected from surface.Crop Growth 3.9 L per m2 per week

Total Surface Area = 5.606*10^4 m2 Total m2 of Crop Growth on Buildings = 2.186*10^5 m2

At least 4856 m2 per person is required in order to maintain dietary standards 1970That area decreased to 1⁄2 in 2000 due to advancements in hydroponics and soilless planting.

The area is supposed to drop in size by 1/3 in 2050.

water connectivity network


height

waterWater follows the topography and is gathered at two instances; first as ponds and water surfaces related to the public spaces. These water bodies transport water by gravity to the underground water collectors. The volume for the collectors is calculated with the total surface area multiplied by the factor 0.003401 which represents the maxi-mum amount of water storable using current technologies.

The topography starts growing in height from the medial axis and is attracted to the ground by the built surface and the water collectors. The height of the neigh-bouring buildings controls the height of the topology to interact with it at a more compatible level.

water connectivity network

2,5 mt.

2,5 mt.


urban farmingAfter a thorough research on agricultural data in the UK, we calculated the average amount of rainwater that crops need, which is about 3.9 litres per week. Two types of farming methods used in the UK were implemented within the system. Horticulture, which is used to produce flowers, vegeta-bles and ornament plants and Market gardening, which grows fruits and vegetables.

In addition, it was taken into consideration that plants have different sizes of roots and therefore need different sizes of pots to grow in. Among di-verse plants that could be grown in the UK, we selected culinary vegeta-bles, which have medium size of roots such as lettuce and spring onion. Moreover, table (1) ¬illustrates how each specific crop grows in different time of the year.

Asparagus

Beetroot

Broad Beans

Brussel Sprouts

Broccoli

Broccoli

Red Cabbage

Savoy Cabbage

Summer Cabbage

Sweetheart Cabbage

Winter Cabbage

Carrots

Novem

ber

Docem

ber

October

Septem

ber

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

JanuaryCauliflower

Courgettes

Fennel

French Beans

Kale

Leeks

Marrow

Onions

New Potatoes

Pak Choi

Potatoes

Parsnips

Spinach

Squash

Swede

Sweetcorn

Peas

Runner Beans

Turnips

Different Types of Farming: Arable crops Mixed farming crops and animals Horticulture production of flower, vegetable, ornament plants Market gardening production of fruit and vegetable Viticulture production of grapes

Agriculture in UK:

Culinary Vegetable:

Leafy and salad vegetable Fruits Flowers Padded vegetable Bulb and stem vegetables Root vegetables

Principle Crops: Wheat Barley Potatoes Sugar beet (UK is the fifth largest production) Vegetable Fruits Oil seed rape

urban farming

Table 01agriculture in UK


Within the proposed urban farming system, there are three types of vertical farming methods that are being utilized.

The first one is hydroponics method, which dispenses a mineral nutrient solution in water instead of soil; these min-erals are essential for plant growth. Excess rainwater is filtered and channelled to the water collectors.

The second method is an Aeroponic-farming method. The Aeroponic method is conducted without a growing me-dium. This method sprays the plant’s dangling roots and lower stem with nutrient rich water solution.

The last method utilizes sand with different size of particles instead of soil. This method helps to grow bulb, stem and root vegetable.

urban farming

vertical farming types


Agriculture in UK:

A

B

D

Climate Height 2Relative DistanceWidthHeight 1A : C : D :B :Culinary Vegetable :

cool, rain, no direct sun light15 cm30 cm16 cmLettuce (Romaine, Round, Iceberge)Leafy Vwarmer soil, good drainage1200 cm46 cm90 cm8 cmCucumberFruitRegular Watering8 cm15 cm17 cmBroccoliFlowerWarm, Weet Condition200 cm10 cm76 cm30 cmGreen Bean ( Broad, French, Runner)Padded VDry, sunny position10 cm23 cm46 cmOnion (Spring, Leeks, Onion)Bulb VWarm Soil, Sunny, Drainage10 cm15 cm30 cmCarrotRoot V

Season: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Lettuce X X X X X X X X X X

Cucumber X X X X X X

Broccoli X X X X X X X X X X X X

Bean X X X X X X X

Onion X X X X X X X X X X X

Carrot X X X X X X X X X X X X

Crops Map from May to Sep

LettuceCucumberBroccoliBeanOnionCarrot

urban farming

Each type of crop needs a different size and condition of place to grow. Table 2 indicates this information; moreover, Table 3 demonstrates suitable seasons to grow specific crops.Consequently, the topography within the system is controlled by three parameters as shown in the diagram, (D, B, A) each corresponding to the width, length and height of the plantation surface. The topography dimensions changes to accommodate the different types of crops used in different parts of the structure.

Agriculture in UK:

A

B

D

Climate Height 2Relative DistanceWidthHeight 1A : C : D :B :Culinary Vegetable :

cool, rain, no direct sun light15 cm30 cm16 cmLettuce (Romaine, Round, Iceberge)Leafy Vwarmer soil, good drainage1200 cm46 cm90 cm8 cmCucumberFruitRegular Watering8 cm15 cm17 cmBroccoliFlowerWarm, Weet Condition200 cm10 cm76 cm30 cmGreen Bean ( Broad, French, Runner)Padded VDry, sunny position10 cm23 cm46 cmOnion (Spring, Leeks, Onion)Bulb VWarm Soil, Sunny, Drainage10 cm15 cm30 cmCarrotRoot V

Season: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Lettuce X X X X X X X X X X

Cucumber X X X X X X

Broccoli X X X X X X X X X X X X

Bean X X X X X X X

Onion X X X X X X X X X X X

Carrot X X X X X X X X X X X X

Crops Map from May to Sep

LettuceCucumberBroccoliBeanOnionCarrot

Table 02

Table 03

vertical farming types


market placementDifferent Typologies of market were studied to understand how this program could be introduced into the system. The available area for the market was defined by the edge of the water collectors and the topography. The areas that were not suitable for circulation and or extra were assigned to storage for the crops.

mar

ket t

ypes

stu

dy


sections types

mar

ket-p

ublic

spa

ce

mar

ket-p

ublic

spa

ce

publ

ic s

pace

-cro

ps

These sections indicate the combination of different typologies of agriculture. As a result, the top of our (semi-open) structure acts as a farm and also it creates shade and rain protection for the market and the store which is located under the structure.


exterior view from the urban crops and public space


interior view from the covered market.


scenarios The algorithm was fed with data from the site and climate as input parameters. After the initial test, the algorithm was then run for several iterations starting from an extreme flat condition to the maximum height. It was obvious from these digital experiments that as the height of the topography increased, the surface area of the topography increased as well. The model gave output data that gave better num-bers in terms of water collection was more at level. The evaluation of placing the peaks and valleys of the topography was determined by these rules. The overall topography that generated the most efficient output data was considered the fittest.

The spatial and volumetric characteristics of the fittest topography gave insight to possible programmatic functions that could be implemented within the spaces of the topography. Since the relationship of rain-water, crops, public space and existing buildings was seen as working together in a systematic manner, output data was gathered and analyzed to check whether the proposed system meets the initial inten-tions of providing cultivation for the neighborhood.

One iteration would be picked then to re-run the algorithm and re-evaluate the system in two scenarios: The site with existing buildings and the site as an empty area.

scenarios

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crops surf. 99882 m2water collected 172250 m3













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The height was tested through several iterations of the algorithm. As the height increased, not only the crops area increased, the volume of the space un-derneath did too. This opens the possibility of investigating more complex programs that could go beyond market and public spaces.


scenarios

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The selected iteration is tested with existing buildings on block D4. Although the heights of the topography were set from the previous sequence of iterations, on this scenario the heights are re-evaluated with the water collec-tion data from the existing buildings and the farming information. The results show an important increase in the surface area of the site, including a significant growth of new public space. It also show the crops are in good bal-ance with the water collected. There is also an important amount of water that can be retrofed into the system.

HydroponicsAeroponicsSand

crops distribution

scenarios

it.06-01

topological Structure (TS) water collectors re-evaluated TS re-evaluated Water collectors crops topography

isometric view


Crops surface = 123330 m2Water stored = 922508 lt.Water stored from built area = 14374lt.Water ponds = 1804 lt.Public space Area = 90330 m2

scenarios

it.06-01

water collectors crops topography

north elevation

south elevation

west elevation

east elevation

section sequence plan

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Crops surface = 124100m2Water stored = 928268 lt.Water ponds = 1017lt.Public space Area = 100045 m2

scenarios

it.06-02We see an increase in the crops surface and the volume of water collected. The topography height also in-creased, but because the edge of the block acts as a boundary, the new topography reads as a continuation of the surroundings.

north elevation

south elevation

west elevation

east elevation

section sequence

water collectors crops topography

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conclusions The intention of the described system was to create a model for a pleasant urban tissue. The system attempts to do so by using local conditions to create a sequence of programs that would be the main at-tractor of flows of people.

Rain is a climatic local condition that is perceived as a main parameter shaping the process of generat-ing the sequence. Rainwater collection is hence the igniter of the sequence, allowing for urban harvests and public markets to exist as the main programs in that sequence.

The system presents the potential of being introduced in different urban scenarios, reacting to the envi-ronmental conditions, and re-evaluating itself to generate a new, constantly changing, activated tissue. The objective of the intervention as a data driven exercise differentiate it from a utopian approach, and connects it to a local condition at a more cohesive manner.

referencesRainfall:Met Office Annual 2010: © Crown copyright • www.metoffice.gov.uk

Medial axis references:Mescina: Computational Geometry You Can See http://www.balintmiklos.com/mesecina/socg07.html

ETH Applied Geometry Grouphttp://www.agg.ethz.ch/research/medial_axis

Crops network:UK Agriculture http://www.ukagriculture.com/index.cfm


appendix


Rainwater Topographies

Documents

Transcript of Rainwater Topographies