1.Wetland and Architecture

INTERWEAVING ARCHITECTURE AND ECOLOGY

A THESIS SYNOPSIS Submitted by

DEEPTHI T Reg. No: 11RBAR011 Enr. No: COA-016745 SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

For the Award of the Degree of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE August 2016 5

Faculty of Architecture

KARPAGAM UNIVERSITY (Established under Section 3 of UGC Act 1956)

Karpagam Academy of Higher Education Pollachi Main Road, Eachanari Post, Coimbatore Tamilnadu-641021, India

INTRODUCTION ‘Ecology’ is the study of living systems and their relations to one another. A living system is an integrated whole whose properties emerge from the relations between its individual parts. Each part reflects the whole but the whole is always different from the mere sum of its parts. Through this basic definition of a living system we can begin to identify the main difference between living and non-living systems. In a non-living system (in our case – buildings) the components together form the whole through a hierarchical structure of construction – each part of the system has its own function and is built specifically to perform this function. The interaction between the components serves the whole but we cannot say that the whole emerges from the interactions between the parts. Experience architecture (XA) is the art of articulating a clear user story/journey through an Information architecture, Interaction design and Experience design that an end user navigates across products and services offered by the client or as intended by the designer. Ecological design is as "any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes. Ecological design is an integrative ecologically responsible design discipline. Ecological Building is both a design process and the structure that is a result of such a design process. An Ecological Building is a structure that is designed to create and sustain mutually beneficial relationships with all of the elements of its local ecology.

ILLUSTRATION A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil. ROLE OF WETLANDS Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, carbon sink and shoreline stability. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. THREATS TO WETLANDS The wildlife Institute of India’s survey reveals that 70%-80% of individual freshwater marshes and lakes in the Gangetic flood plains have been lost in the last five decades. At present, only 50 percent of India’s wetlands remain. They are disappearing at a rate of 2% to 3% every year.

RESEARCH QUESTION    

What can architecture learn from ecology? 2How will Ecological design and ecological building benefit the ecology? Need of incorporating Experience architecture in a design? Can architecture be a solution to the problem of the ecology?

RATIONALE AND JUSTIFICATION The reason for the preoccupation with this subject was the importance of the wetland and its inevitable role in shaping the ecosystem. The restoration of wetland and developing a design will also enhance the Culture, Tradition, Environment, Nature and Identity of the site and its neighbourhood. NATURE IS THE FIRST AND BEST ARCHITECT

AIM 

To study the analogy between ecology and architecture that can benefit architectural design through the concept of wetlands.



To use Architectural as a tool for the nourishment of the land and to mutate into something new; something different and purify and heals the site.

OBJECTIVES          



Introduce architecture and human activities that could reinforce the active protection of the specific ecosystem in accordance with the surrounding environment. Proposed activities will be in accordance with the surrounding environment which adds to the designation of the original characteristics of the scenery. Designing structures that minimizes negative environmental impacts of building by integrating itself with living processes of the ecosystem. Exhibiting the possible symbiosis – architectural and ecology Studying the structures of the Wetlands In depth analysis of the site and its surroundings The physical and intrinsic qualities of the site will be studied in order to inform the design. Understanding the physical and biological elements and their interactions. Conservation of the existing site. By the selection of materials that adjusts with the existing image of the site. Developing a project for the community in a Wetland while the restoration process is taking place.

SUB-OBJECTIVES    

To create a close proximity to water and in direct contact with water. Intends to set an example for a potential public place. Constructing artificial wetlands for waste water recycling. To have a management process developed in phases thorough time to understand the process that had happened and happening in the site at present.

METHOD

STAGE 1

•study of several topics •synopsis •selection of a topic

STAGE 2

•research investigation •literature study and live case study •analysis and inference

STAGE 3

•site selection •site inventory •site analysis

STAGE 4

•programme formulation •design development •schematic drawings and master plan

STAGE 5

•analysis of the output design •final presentation •3d model

SCOPE         

Relation between architecture and nature interpreted. Ecological design and ecological building User based design – Experience architecture Incorporates documentation and deep analysis of the site. Concern for the conservation of the site Multi functionality design. i.e. ancillary functions. Incorporates landscape design Design and Details of construction techniques. Incorporates the study of materials and its characteristics.

LIMITATION 

The depth of the study of the wetlands is limited to the type of the wetland in which the site is located.

LITERATURE CASE STUDY       

National Wetland Park – Hangzhou, China Hong Kong Wetland Park – China Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve – Singapore Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park – Japan Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre – Canada London Wetland Centre – UK Qunli Storm water Wetland Park – Hong Kong

LIVE CASE STUDY    

Freshwater Biology Regional Centre (FRBC) – Hyderabad Marine Biology Regional Centre (MBRC) – Chennai Western Ghats Regional Centre (WGRC) – Kozhikode Keoladeo National Park / Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary - Rajasthan

BIBLIOGRAPHY          

   

https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~bezbarua/em/casestudies.html - Deepor Beel wetland (Assam) http://www.ramsar.org/ - Official RAMSAR Website http://zsi.gov.in/ - Zoological Survey Of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/75-acre-wetland-park-plannednear-Rajarhat/articleshow/4061334.cms - Proposal Of Wetland Park at Kolkata http://www.ekwma.com/ - East Coast Wetland Management Authority http://envfor.nic.in/division/national-wetland-conservation-programme-nwcp http://www.wetlandpark.gov.hk/en/index.asp http://www.discoverhongkong.com/in/see-do/great-outdoors/nature-parks/hongkong-wetland-park.jsp http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/types_index.cfm http://www.personal.ceu.hu/students/03/nature_conservation/wwddetail/Types_cl assif.htmlA Wetland Design - Robert L. France Detail in Contemporary Landscape Architecture - Virginia McLeod Wetlands - Greg Reid Form and fabric in Landscape Architecture – Catherine Dee

SITE SELECTION CRITERIA RAMSAR The Ramsar Convention (formally, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. It provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971. The Ramsar Convention works closely with five other organisations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are Birdlife International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Wetlands International and WWF International. WORLD WETLAND DAY – FEBRAUARY 2nd

RAMSAR SITES IN INDIA

South Asia is home to many wetlands. In India alone there are 25 Ramsar sites.

Potential wetland loss [%] (India, 2m SLR) http://cigrasp.pik-potsdam.de/maps/potential-wetland-loss-india-2m-slr

The above map displays the area of wetlands (in percentage) that may potentially be lost due to a 2m global mean sea-level rise under the assumption that no protective measures are in place. This means that wetlands, which are currently only temporarily flooded, may be permanently inundated due to sea-level rise and the vegetation in those wetlands will be affected by salt intrusion. This may change present vegetation composition and also alter or hinder the provisioning of ecosystem services presently available. The map displays the area of wetland loss based on second level administrative units. The darker the legend colour in the map is, the larger the total wetland area or wetland area lost is relative to the administration units.