marcosandmarjan’s ABC of the Future
Marjan Colletti, Marcos Cruz (marcosandmarjan). Published in FUTURISTIC, VISIONS OF FUTURE LIVING, daab 2012.
The future is…:
Augmented
Bio-technological
Convoluted
Digital
Experiential
Figural
Gelatinous
Hybrid
Inlucent
Jelly-like
Kaleidoskopic
Latent
Mutant
Neoplasmatic
Ornamental
Poetic
Quirky
Robotic
Soft
Threeandahalf-dimensional
Unpredictable
Voluptuous
Whimsical
X-uberant
Yippee
Zealous
Khataba
(Al Jadida) Agropolis - Self-Sufficient City
Design team: marcosandmarjan
Collaboration: Rocky Marchant, Sana Hassan, Nisha Patel, Heba Layas, Kapil Amarnani Chawla
Collaboration: Rocky Marchant, Sana Hassan, Nisha Patel, Heba Layas, Kapil Amarnani Chawla
This proposal redirects the uncontrolled urban sprawl around Cairo and Alexandria into new agro-urban settlements along the Nile Delta that grow in accordance to local farming activity. Khataba (Al Jadida) is the first of these settlements, designed as a semi-urban and semi-agricultural self-sufficient environment - an Agropolis.
Linear and circular agricultural patterns provide the
morphological structure for the Agropolis and other new settlements to grow. A
matrix of interconnected and complementary urban nuclei would develop in the
midst of new agricultural land, in particular in the interstices between gridded
fields and large irrigation circles (a very efficient system using with very
little water extracted from existing aquifers, which in turn are regularly
refilled by the Nile). Instead of mono-cultural/zoning strategies, largely used
in the mid and late 20th-century urbanism, an ecologically balanced and diverse
agricultural production would provide enough food for the whole community in a
sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Moreover, Khataba (Al-Jadida) is
designed as a 0 carbon foot print agglomeration. Different types of waste
products, including sewage, household garbage, energy, etc. are to be recycled.
Liquid waste is to be re-utilized and help irrigating surrounding farmland,
whilst energy is to be gained almost totally from sun energy, being located on
the building's roofs, facades and some of the circular fields.
The ground levels host facilities for agricultural
manufacturing, housing for mid/low income people), along with small and
mid-scale commerce, workshops for local craftsmen, and
cultural/educational/health services on a main street (souk). The upper levels
host offices and other ancillary services, and housing for mid/high income
people, which instead of sprawling in the periphery of Cairo and Alexandria could
choose to settle in a more healthy and sustainable environment. A new
high-speed train would shorten commuting time to and from Cairo to 30 minutes.
