The tree – Self-sufficient system
ATTENTION: THIS PROJECT IS THE RESULT OF A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS BETWEEN CTRL+Z AND LUCIANO FURCAS, WITH THE COLLABORATION OF IRINI SFYRY. IT WAS BUILT WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF MANY VOLUNTEERS. THANKS TO THE GARDEN OF THE MOORISH KING THE OPPORTUNITY AND SUPPORT ALREADY RECEIVED BY JAVIER NAVARRO THE PHOTOGRAPHIC MONITORING OF THE INSTALLATION.
Background
At Ctrl+Z we are always interested in implementing work schemes that establish synergies between the needs of initiatives already active at a local level and those of advancing our research, being able to test their intuitions and results by carrying out specific projects. To do this, we usually incorporate and rely on materials discarded by urban cycles, as part of the environmental and social sustainability of the proposed activities.
The idea of reusing shutter slats to build a geodesic greenhouse dates back to 2012 during the research that led to the design of “Marcello's House”.
The San Julián neighbourhood of Seville is lucky enough to witness and enjoy the work of permaculture specialist Luciano Furcas. Together with many volunteers, he develops ecological initiatives in spaces such as the “Colegio de Santa Marina” or the “Huerta del Rey Moro”, a neighbourhood garden just a few metres from our studio.
Over the last two years, there has been talk on several occasions about the possibility of building a permanent geodesic structure in the garden for the development of activities, a proposal that, due to its importance, is being discussed within the assembly that manages it.
In the fall of 2014, however, the possibility of implementing a temporary structure as a seedbed arose, an idea that gradually materialized into a geodesic greenhouse with shutters to support the school garden program that is developed in this space.
Being a light and temporary intervention, we were able to manage its construction more quickly and almost immediately with Luciano.
In the fall of 2014, however, the possibility of implementing a temporary structure as a seedbed arose, an idea that gradually materialized into a geodesic greenhouse with shutters to support the school garden program that is developed in this space.
Being a light and temporary intervention, we were able to manage its construction more quickly and almost immediately with Luciano.
Greenhouse and shutters
We began to familiarise ourselves with the different types of shutters present in the “market” of abandoned shutters on the streets of Seville. After a few days we had found a good number of them, enough to complete half of the structure.
Although we were unable to finish the structure with these first findings, their presence in the garden made it easier to find the ones we were missing.
We actually thought, perhaps naively, of solving the problem by contacting the "clean points" of Lipasam (the municipal Public Cleaning company of the Seville City Council), but they told us that once they had entered the relevant materials they could not leave.
We also contacted blinds installation companies, almost all of which told us that the law requires them to take the removed blinds to recycling centres when installing the new ones.
In any case, thanks to the creation of an efficient network of friends of the garden or of Ctrl+Z who ctrl+z architecture collective work tracked the streets on their daily routes as “informants” alerting us of their presence, we were able to recover the wide-slat blinds needed to finish the structure in just one week.
Zome
The first day of work on January 10 with the presence of Catalina, Luciano and Arturo was followed by a second day on the following Saturday in which the structure was finished with the help of more friends such as Nacho, Jaunito and Ciro.
In the end, the structure was not a geodesic structure but a “Zome”, a term coined by Steve Durkee in 1968 by merging the words “zonohedron” and “dome”. Zomes are not based on a spherical or elliptical system but are geometric volumes composed of facets arranged in a double spiral.
However, from a technological point of view we consider this project as a natural evolution and continuation of the first experiments on self-built urban equipment, the “axial knot of curved bar” system for the construction of geodesic structures, explored in the iron structure of Temazcal in Mexico in 2010 and evolved with the bamboo structure built in Brazil in 2013.
The assembly of the zome was quick and without incidents, allowing us to check and demonstrate that the patterns we had created during and for the construction of geodesic domes are viable and directly and immediately applicable to different geometric configurations.
Furthermore, the success of this construction demonstrates once again that a reused material, even if not in perfect condition, can be perfectly suitable for a new function, after it has fulfilled the previous one and before it ends up in the trash (we really hope for recycling).
It is also shown that these structures are not so complex and that, if low-tech solutions focused on self-construction are investigated for them, specific and highly technological materials are not needed for their implementation.
Evolution of use and concept
Over time, those responsible for school garden activities had expressed their doubts about the opportunity to occupy the area at their disposal with an enclosed space.
At the same time, the reed structure present in the garden and which provided shade was showing signs of collapsing, so before the process went any further it was decided to dismantle it and reuse its materials. The reeds were used to make the raised beds for the school gardens, while the stones and wood were reused for the base of the new structure.
Following all these events, the idea of providing the urban garden with a greenhouse nursery was transformed. Luciano designed a closed water cycle based on the structure and different plant species to configure a sustainable and synergistic system that will also include a water harvesting tower and composting.
The base
During the month of February, the base was built from materials found in the garden and in April the interior surface was equipped with vertical planters to plant climbing plants that will cover the zome, providing shade. These were built by reconfiguring mining prospecting boxes. The oil needed for its protection was provided by the kitchen of a local restaurant, which Luciano filtered, perfumed and prepared to make it suitable as a protection for the wood.
The exterior was covered with reed rolls also recovered from the street, these contribute to the aesthetics of the whole and offer the climbing plants the necessary grip.
Once again we were able to count on a diverse and energetic group of volunteers including JuanRa, Sara, Marta, Miguel, Catalina, Irini, Berta, Joso and Marcos.
Next objectives
The research activity developed together with Luciano and Irini will now allow us to begin implementing the “fog catcher”, “the engine” that will provide self-sufficiency to the system.
The proximity of the orchard has allowed us, and will allow us in the future, to constantly and closely monitor the evolution of the project, adapting it to new demands and responding to the different situations that arose during the process.
We will continue to collaborate with Luciano and the “Rey Moro” team to consolidate this initiative and transform it into a useful facility for this wonderful “urban oasis”.
Below is a text written in collaboration with Eirini Sfyri Triantafyllos and based on her conversations with Luciano Furcas:
Design concepts
Water is a limited resource and urban gardens often suffer from a lack of land as they are compressed in the dense structure of cities. Therefore, both when planting and obtaining the water that a garden requires, it is also important to consider the vertical dimension.
For planting, a structural base can be created so that the plants can rise and begin to develop towards the air, taking up less land. To obtain water, we can be inspired by the structure of trees, which as organisms do not require special care and take up little horizontal space and more vertical space.
Based on these two concepts, the dome has been designed as a “system” with the intention of adding mechanisms that reproduce functions similar to those of trees and thus create a self-sufficient system within the Moorish king’s orchard.
The tree system
The tree system is a natural and self-sufficient system that, with its mechanisms, participates in the general water cycle and at the same time creates its own particular one.
It participates first by absorbing rainwater and transforming it into vapor through the transpiration of the leaves (1).
The second begins with the morning dew. When the sun rises, it warms the ground and the exposed part of the tree, leaving the lower part cold. When the vapour comes into contact with this cold part of the leaves, it condenses into water droplets that descend through the trunk to the ground and thus feed the roots again (2).
Furthermore, the leaves that fall to the ground at the end of their life cycle decompose, thus feeding the soil and the roots (3).
It participates first by absorbing rainwater and transforming it into vapor through the transpiration of the leaves (1).
The second begins with the morning dew. When the sun rises, it warms the ground and the exposed part of the tree, leaving the lower part cold. When the vapour comes into contact with this cold part of the leaves, it condenses into water droplets that descend through the trunk to the ground and thus feed the roots again (2).
Furthermore, the leaves that fall to the ground at the end of their life cycle decompose, thus feeding the soil and the roots (3).
THE DOME
The structure
The dome was constructed from reused and reclaimed materials as dictated by the garden's philosophy. The base made of pallets and stones (reclaimed from the previous structure) was covered with panels from a university prototype and the dome was assembled from used plastic shutters (reclaimed from the street).
On the inside of the base, a structure of wooden boxes was installed, which were reconfigured and treated so that they could serve as flower pots.
The plants
In an attempt to recreate an autonomous and self-sufficient system similar to that of trees, the interior and exterior of the dome will be covered with “perennial plants.”
Perennial plants are fast-growing herbaceous plants. With the arrival of winter, their stems and leaves dry out, but their roots remain alive underground, sprouting again in spring.
We will start by planting nasturtiums, and then we will further study the local species to choose the most appropriate ones.
Along with them, the emergence of “spontaneous or opportunistic plants” is encouraged, which take advantage of the humidity of the dome system and are incorporated into the system. Spontaneous plants are plants that emerge without the help, will or direct mediation of humans and therefore grow independently of them.
Volunteer plants are often considered “bad” plants, but instead they have beneficial effects, such as attracting pollinating insects, conserving biodiversity, restoring altered ecosystems, slowing erosion, storing toxins, or even being edible and medicinal plants. In the case of our system, they will also be the ones that keep the system functioning during the autumn and winter months when the perennial plants dry out.
Climbing plants will cover the entire top of the dome. In this way, the sun, just like a tree, will warm the exposed part and the interior of the dome will remain cooler.
The fog catcher
Finally, for our system to be self-sufficient, it needs to be able to autonomously obtain the water necessary for its operation. To do this, a “fog-catcher” type structure will be installed inside the dome, that is, a Raschel mesh will be installed, capable of capturing the morning dew, the humidity of the air and the steam produced by the transpiration of the plants and transforming them into water droplets through condensation.
Once formed, the drops will begin to fall and accumulate in a fountain in the centre of the dome. At the bottom of the fog catcher, another type of fabric will be used, capable of collecting both dew and rain water. The fountain will always be full of water and, through a distribution system based on geotextile, all the plants that participate in the system will be controlled.
As with all systems, there will be some surpluses, such as moisture that is not transformed into water that will feed the spontaneous plants, dry leaves that fall on the ground and create a layer of mulch that maintains the soil's moisture and protects it, or excess water from the source, which will be transferred and stored in another place outside the system and will be used to irrigate the rest of the garden.
The human being
Creating a self-sufficient mechanism is a slow process, but it is a system that works by itself without the need for “motors”. We will do what is necessary to “raise” and “activate” the entire organism so that it then works on its own. All its systems perform functions similar to those of the organs in the human body. There will be humidity that condenses with the difference in temperature and the water produced will feed the “digestion”.
Even though it is a self-sufficient system, humans will also be part of it naturally. By entering and moving around inside the dome, they help the air circulate and activate the system with their energy.
2018, The closing of a cycle
During its years of life, numerous climbing plants such as bougainvillea, jasmine and wisteria climbed up the structure, combining it with palm leaves from the same orchard, thus helping to maintain humidity and freshness, a very important aspect in Seville.
At the end of spring 2018, the structure had been damaged by unknown persons. At the request of the users of the garden who appreciated its presence as a positive element for the garden, maintenance days were organised with them to completely replace the lower rings of the structure and reinforce the upper ones.
In September of the same year, a new destructive action took place. The recently replaced base rings were irreparably damaged, and without them the structure had dangerously leaned to one side. Therefore, a community architecture participatory workshop decided to clear the structure, which was not an easy task, however.
Despite the situation in which it was found, the remaining portion of the structure offered a lot of resistance and it was not possible to destroy it, not even by hanging on to it. This obstacle was probably the factor that made those who tried to destroy it give up.
It was necessary to dismantle the structure, bar by bar and screw by screw, demonstrating once again the robustness of a structure based on used blinds that assumed, for four years, a structural function for which they were never intended.
The screws have been saved to be used for new purposes in the garden, and even if, in the garden community, the appropriate conditions arise in the future, to rebuild a new structure, more solid and beautiful if possible…
One of the main lessons we can learn from this experience is, however, a consequence of observing its evolution, which has developed in parallel with the evolution of the community that develops around it. It is no coincidence that its construction and growth have coincided with the presence of a community in harmony, while damages appear in parallel with conflicts.
This only reinforces, once again, the idea that in order to create resilient projects, one must not only focus on the materials, but also, and above all, on the relationships that these projects can establish with the communities that appropriated them.
The screws have been saved to be used for new purposes in the garden, and even if, in the garden community, the appropriate conditions arise in the future, to rebuild a new structure, more solid and beautiful if possible…
One of the main lessons we can learn from this experience is, however, a consequence of observing its evolution, which has developed in parallel with the evolution of the community that develops around it. It is no coincidence that its construction and growth have coincided with the presence of a community in harmony, while damages appear in parallel with conflicts.
This only reinforces, once again, the idea that in order to create resilient projects, one must not only focus on the materials, but also, and above all, on the relationships that these projects can establish with the communities that appropriated them.
