Future wars will be fought
for water, not oil, and they will be fought in cities.
I propose to develop a hydroponic vegetable garden on top of a roof
on a privately owned site in the city of Siena. The project focuses
on notions of self-sustainability and private space. This is a small-scale
project and can use local prefabricated and recyclable materials.
The structure is an addition to an existing building. Basically,
it is a roof that collects rainwater. Other extensions are also
possible in the form of horizontal and
vertical screens (for example, to protect against extreme temperatures
during summer and winter).
Hydroponic gardens do not use soil. The garden on the roof supplies
the owner of the roof with vegetables. Rainwater is harvested from
the garden roof and can be tapped from other roofs as well (this
is a traditional way of gathering water in
Mediterranean cities). The water, stored in containers, can be used
for non-drinking purposes, thus providing the owner with a twin
water system.
Context: The World Bank recommends the development of urban agriculture
for fast-growing cities like Cairo. It is already implemented in
Caracas. A month ago, when I was walking through the streets of
Siena and San Gimignano, it seemed to me that history was weighing
these cities down. With the urban agriculture project, I want to
emphasize contemporary urban issues, lifestyles and needs in the
context of Siena.
         
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