Biocirnom Green Port: Biophilic & Biomimicry circular Nomads Green Port
Anna Nowak, Maximilian Tyniec & Karolina Beinarovica
Poland
© Anna Nowak, Maximilian Tyniec & Karolina Beinarovica
© Anna Nowak, Maximilian Tyniec & Karolina Beinarovica
Il. 2. Diagram of different bio design strategies implemented in BIOCIRNOM GREEN PORT DESIGN. Source: Own source
© Anna Nowak, Maximilian Tyniec & Karolina Beinarovica
The design proposal is located in Warsaw's Port Praski area (Poland). The location of the project is not accidental. It was decided upon due to the following elements:
-proximity to the right river front of the Vistula River, which is preserved in its natural form, as a unique phenomenon in the scale of European Union capital cities;
- Landscape view connection while at the same time the area is well connected (subway line, car, bus and streetcar transportation, city railroad station);
- the presence of docks, which allow the city to turn back to nature and make possible application of new forms of mobile development in the area.
- the need to revitalize the Prague Port area in accordance with the principle of developing the city inward.
- great potential for introducing circular economy principles in the area.
- the designation of the area in planning documents for residential and mixed use.
A design plan has been developed for this site that does not take full advantage of the landscape connections in the area and plans to develop most of the area with intensive housing, in order to maximize returns on investment. However, the biophilic approach gives the site a much greater opportunity to realize its potential, creating a place where people want to live, not just a bedroom community. Access to the area should be much more public and its development should allow for the activation of the local community.
MAIN DESIGN STRATEGY FOR THE BIOPHILIC PRINCIPLES
According to the idea of biophilia, there is a need to reformulate the meaning of the Vitruvian Triad. Durability should be understood as the need to design facilities that are durable and meet technical requirements for years, but are flexible in their structure, that they can adapt to the changing needs of users and conditions without significant changes and increase waste production. Particularly important in this context is the creation of durable landscape and view connections with the surrounding nature. These relationships should be an important element in the formation of biophilic human habitat and should be interpreted as a holistic solution of the ecosystem with all the relationships within it in the context of energy and waste in circle. Utility understood as not only the functional adaptation of the building, but also the environment of the building, in which nature should play an important role. Elements shaping the public space should include natural elements and should activate the public to contact with nature and stay in a more natural environment and in active way, for example, through the creation of allotments, community gardens, semi-public green areas, where the community has a significant impact on the shape, character of these areas and undertake to some extent work to protect it. In this context, it is also important to think about functional connections on the site and its immediate surroundings in the context of chains according to the idea of circular economy. Complementing usability is the concept of the building materials used, which can be biodegradable, recycled or reused in another facility. Design for dissasembly is an equally important strategy, which can be implemented through, among other things, the use of prefabrication and other solutions that allow mobility and disassembly of the building in line with the circular economy. Also, the use of bionic, or smart, materials can be an element that positively impacts the environment through, among other things, technologies that purify the air (titanium dioxide photocatalytic surfaces, green walls, biological concrete panels that allow mosses and lichens to grow on the surface of a concrete panel) and extend the life of materials (self-repairing concrete). Beauty in this context can be understood as an element of a building's harmony with its surroundings through landscape references, the use of natural, biodegradable materials with a low carbon footprint, construction technologies that allow visual contact with nature, and low invasiveness and degradation of the existing site during the construction, use and demolition process. Bioforms and bionic architecture built according to the principles of minimizing energy consumption and optimizing the form of living organisms can be an important element affecting the aesthetic perception of the entire design concept. The applied building technologies in accordance with the idea of bionics, which are the transfer of processes and systems observed in living organisms, can also affect the aesthetics of the interior and exterior space.
FUNCTIONAL ARRANGMENT
In the design on the plot were placed:
- Pavilions in Park, pavilions inspired and working together with nature help us understand and appreciate it. Artists and engineers can work together to create useful art.
- Natural Footbridges, connect parks and elevate the pedestrians to have beautiful views of the district. Accessible for all people, including people with special needs.
- Single Family Nomad Housing will have floating gardens that are adaptable for the families. Nomad because we want the houses to be movable if wanted.
- Waterfront Viewpoint/Social Public Area, inspired by one of the favorite local spots in Warsaw, this would be a place for people to socialize and have beautiful views.
- Crane for land-to-water transport of everything in the district. If residents wish to move out with their nomad house the crane can simply move the house to a land vehicle and transport it.
- Multi-Family Residential Housing, terraced design, to let every family have personal garden to always be close to nature with good natural sunlight. Private, semi-private and public gardens are close-by for the families.
- Public Park, between single-family housing and water. Inside there are several simple pavilions to create more personal spaces for smaller groups of people.
- Biophilic Footbridge, connecting parts of the unique layout of the port. Inspired by bio structures to minimize on materials used by evolutionary structural optimization.
- Office Buildings, tall enough to block the loud street east of our district. New close-by job opportunities for the people living in the district. Green balconies and roofs to be as close to greenery as possible.
- Recycling Workshop, a place where families from our district can walk to, where they would learn how to recycle and reuse together.
- Floating Restaurants with Roof Gardens, the roof gardens would be shared between the restaurant, and the vegetables would be used in the restaurant.
- Multifunctional Center, cultural, social and commercial activities are possible in this large center. Adaptable to the needs of the people.
- Preschool, in new residential districts preschools are useful to have, so that new families moving in will have a possibility of letting their kids learn and play together. Always close to nature.
- Sports Park, a simple open field, close to the preschool for children and adults alike to have healthy recreational activities at arm’s reach.
STRATEGY FOR USED BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
The project assumes the use of prefabricated building technologies, which allow less degeneration of the plot during construction and allow the building to be demolished after the need for its use has ceased (design for disassembly) or moved to another location. The project also proposes solutions related to the use of floating structures as residential structures. This solution is a response to the growing need for mobility in today's world. It allows for the realization of the main idea, which is to change the location while respecting the environment and only moving the object and not building it in another place. The modern Nomad idea is an approach which allows you to take your home anywhere in the world without significant environmental damage compared to traditional construction.
STRATEGY FOR MATERIALS SOLUTIONS
In the building exterior design were used materials such as:
- Biological concrete panels on the elevations (especially North sides) which allows mosses to grow on them;
- Green walls in the south elevations;
- Self-cleaning glass as an analogy to the lotus leaf;
- On the elevations in which is possibility to have an overheating problem is used thermochromic glass (smart material) and solar glass to minimize the impact;
- Thermoisolations used in the design should be biomaterials or materials produced in recycling process such as a foam glass (with can be produced in 60% from the glass used before f.e. from the demolition of existing buildings on the plot);
- Sustainable workshop will be build in the earth technology which can be extracted from the plot.
In the building interiors design were used many different natural building materials such as:
- fragrant alpine grass and delicate red rose petals form this natural surface, as wallpaper on a strong self-adhesive film as an alternative for commonly used wallpapers finishing;
- carton cellulose boards or mycelium boards for finishing interiors with plaster;
- biobricks made from biocement produced by bacteria as a brick finishing to have a lower carbon footprint impact;
- green walls (hydroponic walls or green walls created as a set of pots or pockets in geomembrane) with plants or living moss;
- water curtains in public buildings to ensure adequate purification and humidification of the air in the building;
- mycelium panels and cork panels to finish the interior surfaces;
- shown used materials for the construction as timber to show how it was constructed and exposed natural materials;
- light, warm colors from the natural color palette have been used for interior finishes, ensuring inclusivity in design given the needs of neuroatypical people.
In the public spaces, the materials and technologies used will be such as:
- photocatalytic layer from titanium dioxide on plasters, renders and paths, walkways (existing concrete) to minimize pollution;
- all existing concrete elements should be covered with the self-healing layer with bacteria that will fill cracks in concrete with the lime;
- all new concrete elements should be done in the way of self-healing concrete (bioconcrete). If the high strength of concrete is not needed (for example for concrete walkway elements or different elements for street furniture) it should be done with using biocement;
- street furniture and garden pavilion in the parks will be done with reuse of materials that were obtained from the demolition of existing buildings on the plot. In the pavilion, transparent elements will be done from transparent wood which is a prototype of substitute for a glass;
- in plazas and paths with a paved surface, water-permeable concrete will be used to ensure adequate water retention.
DESIGN FOR ALL STRATEGY
In the plot, there are planned residential buildings which will include the flat standards for the accessible apartments. In some buildings are also planned assisted living floors. In the plot there is possible to communicate without architectural barriers because of used ramps, paved surfaces for the paths, lifts when there is bigger difference of high. In the floating houses can be individually designed for special needs. All edges of the space are marked for the blind and visually impaired. The change in the use of the surface is reflected in a perceptible way through the use of edging made of a different material, which improves orientation in the space. Where colorful, contrasting pavement elements or surfaces are necessary for the visually impaired, the palette of bright colors is limited to the use of yellow to make the space also accessible to neuroatypical people. With a view to ensuring safety at the harbor docks for the blind, visually impaired and children, access will be restricted by opening barriers with information in Braille or massive pieces of landscaping (e.g., permanently installed benches), which, when placed in rows, will restrict access to the dangerous zone (following the example of solutions used on beaches in Barcelona).
ENERGY AND CIRCULAR STRATEGY
On the plot, the maximum of the waste from the existing buildings will be used in the street furniture or will be recycled into other materials and components. The waste which will be produced to form the greenery and from restaurants will be used to produce the biogass (to be used in buildings as an additional energy source for heating system), compost or could be used as substrate (sawdust from cut branches) to harvest mushrooms in the sustainable workshop technology. Some examples of chains are presented on the diagram below.
In the buildings will be photovoltaic panels and wind turbines with vertical axis of rotation after analysis of the sun light and wind flow. All of the elements are part of an architectural ecosystem that seeks to maximize and balance energy harvesting on the plot through an appropriate balance of open and built spaces.
SUMMARY
The BIOCIRNOM GREEN PORT project incorporates solutions related to the biophilic approach in the context of the design of urban complexes of housing developments and residential buildings. The design concept pays attention to various references to nature from natural forms, landscape-visual connections, through the availability of green areas, natural material solutions, minimally invasive and environmentally friendly construction technologies up to bionic, biomimetic solutions that introduce principles and processes found in nature in the form of functional connections, minimization of material consumption through the use of algorithms based on the optimization of structural solutions analogous to homology. According to circular economics, an appropriate functional division of buildings and public spaces was determined to ensure an adequate level of biophilia and favorable proportions of space as a place to live. The project is an amalgamation of various bio-design ideas that can be applied to architectural design, as shown in the diagram below.