courtesy Orproject
BUBBLES FOR THE CITY
As a response to the bad air quality which is affecting many cities in Asia, Orproject proposes the construction of an enclosed park within the city. The park houses a botanical garden, the air inside the park is filtered, and temperature and humidity are controlled throughout the year. The buildings surrounding the park, which are connected to the controlled air system, can house apartments, offices and retail, but may also offer sports or medical facilities which make specific use of the healthy air.
courtesy Orproject
ECONOMIC CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
The idea of covering larger areas of a city by a transparent surface has most famously been proposed by Buckminster Fuller with his dome over New York, although his proposal was conceptual and would not be feasible to construct. However, together with a specialist contractor Orproject has developed a new type of construction system which is light-weight and affordable. The costs of the canopy can then be covered by the development of the surrounding buildings.
courtesy Orproject
The geometry of the structural system has been generated using an algorithm which simulates the development of veins in leaves or butterfly wings. The heating and cooling of the air is done through a ground source heat exchange system. Electricity for the project can be generated by solar cells integrated into the canopy surface.
courtesy Orproject
CLEAN AIR AND PLANTS
Botanical gardens exist as attractions in many cities in the developed world and are starting to appear also in many Asian cities. Inside the green houses, the temperature and humidity are controlled throughout the year, which allows the growth of plants from all over the world.
The proposed roof system can be used to enclose an urban botanical garden, but the system also lends itself for many other applications at various scales: It can be used to economically enclose playgrounds or school yards, it can form the atrium of an office building or shopping mall, or it can be used to cover the gardens of an apartment complex.
+ PROJECT CREDITS
Title: Bubbles
Architects: Orproject
All images copyright by Orproject.
www.orproject.com