EpiphtiCity: Another Future of chinas Cities

Bo Cao extreme environment nataly gettegno

Kukkogia Architects

Extreme China
(over)population
1.34 billion

urbanization
46.6%

farmland
14.2%

water resource
2743.4billion m3

forest cover
20.36%

farmer population
0.8 billion

urban population 0.66 billion

farmland per capita

water per capita

forest per capita

(over)population
0.3 billion

urbanization
80.0%

farmland
19.5%

water resource
2780billion m 3

forest cover
33%

farmer population
0.006 billion

urban population 0.24 billion

farmland per capita

water per capita

forest per capita

a rb

ion t za i

ge vera o est c for

Agriculture Production

1950

1996

2008

demographic distribution in Beijing

Population Density

250 200 150 100 50 0

Beijing
25 20 15 10 5 0 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Birth Rate

1978

2008

Population

1978

2008

China
35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 150000 120000 90000 60000 30000 0

Age 0-14

1982

2008

Age Above 65

1982

2008

Population

1982

2008

water usage

Beijing Water Footprint

agriculture

2009
agriculture living

2008

living

industry

environment

industry

environment

water supply 2009

south water surface water

2008
south water surface water

underground water

recycle water

recycle water

underground water

precipitation

surface water resources

reservoir storage

groundwater resources

total water resources

water from south

800

2008

700

600

25

500

400

2009
6

2009
15 1.0 10

300

20

2009

1.5

15

2009

2009

2.0

12

20

2008

30

2008

2008

2.5

15

25

35

2008

2009

2008

200

10

100

0.0

0.5

water volume
200

150

100

50

Eastern

Central

Western

Route Length
1500 1200

900

600

300

Eastern

Central

Western

Beijing
Shijiazhuang Western Route Tianjian

Water Distribution of Central Route (First Phase)

Tianjin Beijing

Hebei

Central Route

Eastern Route
nanjing wuhan shanghai

Henan

Three Gorges Dam chongqing

Migration per year

20

15

10

South-North

Three Gorges Dam

Cost
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

South-North

Three Gorges Dam

Dryland Coverage
17.6%

Shelter forest

160 km

Beijing

Beijing

Expasion of Gobi Desert 1990-2000

Mongolia

Gobi Desert
Beijing

LEARNING FROM NATURE

Ephiphyte Swarm Intelligence

Kokkugia Architects

Tillandsia exuosa Drawing Penrith Go

epiphyte: An epiphyte (or air plant) is a plant that grows upon another plant (such as a tree)non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object (such as a building or a telegraph wire), derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone. - wikipedia

a layer of spaces

eco- lter

epiphtye

a layer of ecosystem

epiphytiCity

vertical urbanization

a layer of landscape

new urban landscape

epiphytiCity: An epiphytiCity is a city that symbiotically grows upon another city derives its energy from its own self-supplied system and can ecologically bene t its host city as a part of greater ecosystem.

Tank Bromeliad

provide nutrients and inhabitance for other species

water catchment

photosynthesis

CO2

O2

Roots that function structurally and biogically

Sarang Semut
Anthill

photosynthesis

CO2

O2

Roots that function structurally and biogically

Ant Nest Bark Humus Twig

prefer more humidity

very sensitive to drought most tolerant to adverse moisture conditions

Project Amazonia: Characterization - Biotic - Epiphytes http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2006/ nal/characterization/biotic_epiphytes.htm

ecological performace

2
2

2
2

2
2

2
2

2
2

2
2

2
2

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

ROOT

TREE BRANCH

Swarm intelligence
Separation

like any other population composed of a large number of smaller discrete elements, such as colonies of ants, ocks of birds, networks of neurons or even the global economy, it displays a bottom-up collective intelligence that is more sophisticated than the behaviour of its parts. In short, the city operates through a form of swarm intelligence . - Neil Leach

Finding the shortest path

Alignment Pheromone Food source

Cohesion

Pheromone

Alignment

Separation

Resource

Cohesion

Aggregation of Epiphytic Agents