JAPA Architects shared with us their proposal, Dyv-net, Dynamic Vertical Networks, which deals with the development of modern, efficient, and environmentally acceptable farming structures. Located in the Tai Po District, the second-largest administrative district in Hong Kong the architects foresee a paradigm shift to vertical agriculture structures that can be integrated into a national network along with the country. More images and architects' description after the break
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Architects: JAPA Architects
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Location: Tai Po District, Hong Kong, China
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Award: Reference in FuturArc Award 2013
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Project Year: 2013
Since 2000, China’s cities have expanded at an average rate of 10% annually. Although China’s agricultural output is the largest in the world, only about 15% of its total land area can be cultivated. China’s arable land, representing 10% of the entire arable land in the world, supports over 20% of the world’s population. Of this approximately 1.4 million square kilometers of arable land, only about 1.2% (116,580 square kilometers) permanently support crops, and 525,800 square kilometers are irrigated. The area is divided into approximately 200 million households, with an average land allocation of just 0.65 hectares (1.6 acres).
China’s limited space for farming has been a problem throughout its history, leading to a chronic food shortage. While the production efficiency of farmland has grown over time, efforts to expand to the west and the north have held limited success, as such land is generally colder and drier than traditional farmlands to the east. Since the 1950s, farm space has been pressured by the increasing land needs of industry and cities.
With an area of some 14,800 hectares in the northeast New Territories, it’s proximity to the high-rise developments of the Kowloon-Hong Kong area is a positive aspect to propose a low food mileage production infrastructure which can feed the city population (close to the urban centers).
Inspired by traditional China’s rice farming agriculture amazing shifting terraces and by the earlier agricultural hardware which shows a tensile use of materials to produce structures which are resistant and at the same time can be light, our proposal emphasizes the use of shifting floor plates and light structural systems which incorporates recycled metallic material. The 187.50 meters structures will attract locals & international visitors and become new places for education and agricultural research.
Reference: Alison Furuto. "Dyv-net, Dynamic Vertical Networks Proposal / JAPA Architects" 13 Jul 2013. ArchDaily. <https://www.archdaily.com/401343/dyv-net-dynamic-vertical-networks-proposal-japa-architects> ISSN 0719-8884