City Retrofitting through Cultivable Envelopes

Abstract

As the world’s population continues to increase at a rapid rate, our requirement for food production also increases although the amount of arable land available for food production is not likely to increase. Despite the fact that a large majority of Earth’s surface is occupied by agriculture, millions of people still suffer from malnourishment. If soil-based agriculture cannot meet the requirements of food production, how can we respond to the global food crisis through architectural and urban design methods? Highly developed urbanisation creates a modern, comfortable and convenient environment for people to live in but also creates challenges; intensive industry and environmental degradation as a result of human activity put pressure on maintaining sustainable development. Building resilient cities that efficiently respond to unpredictable natural forces and assist in resolving the concerns of the world’s rapidly increasing population and subsequent food shortages are matters that must be addressed as a matter of priority. This thesis is a study of how to resolve those issues by implementing highly advanced and innovative new systems constituted by hydroponics and seismic retrofitting structures. These systems will create sustainable and technologically focused solutions combined with the advantages of green roof and green facade techniques in order to future-proof against food crises and environmental catastrophe. In these systems plant life will be used to improve the urban environment and its ecosystem, promoting wellbeing, seeking to solve the problems of food shortages and socioeconomic disparity. Similarly, seismic retrofitted structures will be used to guard against natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami and soil failure. This thesis reveals how architectural and urban designs are capable of making contributions in solving the global food crisis, providing the preferred ecosystem services of the future through the use of cultivable envelopes.