Precast Concrete Vertical Garden Prototype

Design/Build Process (green wall for composting site @ UO's Urban Farm) - Part 1

The design problem I have been attempting to solve can be seen below.

This is the current state of the composting facilities at the University's beloved Urban Farm. While it is highly functional it is not exactly a bright, shining light in terms of aesthetics. In short, it is a bit chaotic in appearance; particularly when considering its adjacency to the spectacular wood kiln shed (calling it a shed is doing it a disservice). So I thought I'd make an effort to bring a little style, as well as some order, to the site. In thinking about what might be appropriate in terms of the materials & processes we are learning about in this class I recalled Ron Arad's Concrete Stereo (1983) and thought it would serve both the site and the mission of the class well as inspiration for the project. The aesthetics of Arad's stereo (the speakers in particular) seem to my mind to share a language with the composting process. Namely, a language of decay.

After some discussion with Rich and Harper it was decided that the site should be divided into roughly 1 cubic meter stalls (though dividing walls will have to wait for another time as presently I am only concerning myself with 'end caps' for the row of composting stalls) and that single large, gabion-style units (as opposed to modular units) would probably be the best way to move forward. Below are some quick renderings of the final design. It is essentially a 39" x 8" x 42" (lwh) mesh reinforced concrete gabion wall. The 5" wide x 36" long cavity will be filled with a growing medium. The top will serve as an ordinary planter box while the fully exposed mesh side will serve as a barrier for one end of "compost row" (the idea being that the compost will feed the growing medium). The other side of the wall will be "aged" with a pneumatic hammer (purchased from Harbor Freight for $12.99...only the best!) exposing the re-mesh in a manner reminiscent of Arad's speakers. The openings created with the pneumatic hammer will provide access to the growing medium from which more plants may be grown.

The next step was to design a mold from which the final form could be cast. This task was accomplished in RhinoV5.

Based on the dimensions created in Rhino I then cut the needed pieces out of three 4' x 8' sheets of OSB (waferboard), painted/sealed them with an oil-based primer, and assembled the final mold with 1 1/4" screws.

Pouring will commence next week...

Urbanism in a Shape of “L”

or how landscaping fits in with local surroundings

 

When I think about urban environments, the first thing that comes to my mind is greyness.  Where this color comes from, somebody would ask.  And then the images start to appear into my head - pavements, architectural structures, and roads, parking structures, block walls and gates.  All of the above have something in common --concrete.

Concrete is a construction material, used widely nowadays.  At this point, I will not explain the long history of concrete from Egyptian and Roman times, but in my view it is time to integrate more nature into urban areas.  This could be accomplished by adding more vegetation into existing architectural systems, and with that many environmental problems could be resolved.

Green roofs, living walls and structures are becoming more popular over time, and the benefits of having them are: reducing noise pollution, urban heat, air pollution, runoff quantity, and increasing carbon sequestration.  Moreover, they contribute to cooling, insulation and energy efficiency of the buildings.

Top left: Detail of Louis G. Leroy's Eco-Cathedral.


Top right: Stacked wall of bricks, tiles and clay pipes, with sedums growing along the top. Oase Garden, Holland.


Bottom left: Stacked walls of reclaimed paving slabs create a sunken garden.


Bottom right: Dry stacked retaining walls optimize opportunities for growing alpines. Design by Wolfram Kircher.

Drawing by Swedish green-roof company VegTech

   Inspiration that I found after the studio was over; 
a gabion wall by Cuckoo Farm Studios in Essex

Grass Spills planter by Sean Martindale

The Idea

Steps that I followed to build my project:
1. First "L" side made by concrete.
2. Attaching the hardware cloth during the pouring process of #1.
3. Second "L" side made by concrete with attaching #1 and #2.
4. Gabion basket made by wire mesh.
5. Clothing the interior sides with pressed coco fibers.
6. Inserting soil into the basket.
7. Planting and inserting the basket into the "L" structure.
Note: Planting seeds is the most appropriate method of propagation in this structure.

The idea that I had in my mind was to create a structure that can be freestanding or stacked into a modular wall system.  The final product that I made could be used with interlocking, dry stacked precast concrete blocks of varying dimensions.  Using the shape of letter “L”, a combination of concrete, wire mesh, coco fibers and soil, I created a small prototype of a gabion structure.  This structure is very simple and easy to be built.  It consists of two parallel “L”-shaped concrete walls attached to each other perpendicularly with hardware cloth.  Inside of the structure is expletive a small gabion, made by wire mesh.  The interior walls of the “gabion basket” are clothed with pressed coco fibers, which supposed to hold the soil and water capacity.

  

                         The Process

                      The Final Product

Finally, I created two small structures that could be arranged in a different way to create varied forms.  Vegetation will be able to grow all the way from one module to another one and spread through the plant's root system.

                     Future Applications

I see the combination of the concrete and vegetation into creation of walls, benches, lights and freestanding sculptures.  This would add more GREEN color to the greyness….

Making a Mould and Vessel in Ten Steps

Plants | Light | Modularity

When I was in Naoshima, Japan, I came across a simple stone stair that left a not so simple impression on me. It was a granite slab with a rough cut face. In the bottom left corner, a small and intentional divot was cut. On the particular day that I happened to walk up these steps, this divot was filled with rain water, which created a glowing reflection of the sky. The contrast of the rough masonry against the mirror-like surface of the water was the inspiration for my module.



I attempted to create a vessel that embodied this material relationship, and one that utilized the versatile dimensions of a standard modular brick [3 5/8 x 2 1/2 x 7 5/8]. The idea was to create a vessle that acted as a place to grow and as a water feature. It could be used as a paver, or as a cap for a garden wall.

My Concrete Concoction:
-1 part fine aggregate
-1 part coarse aggregate
-1 part cement
-Add water as needed

Major lessons learned: As for the module itself, I had no major hang-ups since the design was very linear and simple. The blog, however, is where my lesson for assignment lies, and here it is: when you open your post to edit it, make sure you know what you're doing, or else you might just delete it accidentally. Oops; second time's a charm.