An Urbane Farm in an Urban Jungle
27th April 2013
Times of india
Can you create functional,green spaces in a crowded city like Mumbai Yes,you can.Nicola Antaki & Adrienne Thadani explain how
Fresh & Local is an initiative to transform underused spaces into productive,community areas through urban farming.Not only can urban farming improve the environment and health of Mumbai and its residents,it can also create jobs and raise awareness about organic farming practices.Fresh & Local collaborates with architect Nicola Antaki,who is currently working on her PhD Architecture as a Teacher in Mumbai.
Flyover Farm
Fresh & Locals flagship project in Mumbai is a research,teaching and community rooftop farm in the busiest part of the city.The farm is a demonstration site that showcases urban farming techniques and aims to inspire city residents to make the most of spaces that surround them.Aside from making use of as much space as possible to grow fruit,herbs and vegetables,we incorporated a plant nursery,a shaded activity space and walking path into the design.
A Pop-Up Garden
It is a user-generated design project to create a garden space for women.The project was inspired by a 2012 PUKAR report that highlighted safe public spaces and privacy as the top needs of Mumbais women.Along with 30 women from the NGO SNEHA,we designed a structure that uses a variety of plants to create a semi-private,beautiful and productive outdoor space.The garden can grow edible,medicinal,fragrant and air-filtering plants.It also contains composting units that convert kitchen waste into necessary plant nutrients to sustain the garden.The shaded room created by the garden measures about 3m x 3m and can be used for a multitude of activities,including gardening,holding meetings,relaxing and exercising.
PermacultureinaBox
|
|
Working mostly in containers,weve developed and adapted farming techniques for the conditions prevalent in Mumbai.We use permaculture principles to design smallscale containers that require less maintenance and water.We layer soil,compost,mulch,twigs and coconut shells to make healthy,living soil,and plant a diverse variety of crops that grow well together.We also use an old-fashioned watering technique in which we embed an unglazed clay pot in the soil to allow water to seep out as needed.Strategically designing each planter allows us to make the most of a small space. |
Seaside Farm @ Breach Candy Club
A tropical forest garden,vegetable and herb kitchen garden and edible landscape all work together to create a lush and abundant community farm.This is one of our few projects,and demonstrates how to create a harmonious system where plants can share nutrients across a large area.The farm was also designed to foster a community feeling and create potential revenue streams through a plant nursery and activity space.
Muktangan Lovegrove Playground
Another element of Architecture as a Teacher,a design proposal for a community-built vegetable garden for children at Lovegrove School,is gradually taking shape.The garden will be a space for pupils to be with nature,grow their own fruit and vegetables,learn how to compost,take some physical exercise and experience urban farming in their school yard.
Fresh Air Desk
Part of Nicolas live practice-led research project with Muktangan school,the fresh air desk design came from a series of workshops with children of standard V at Lovegrove school,Lower Parel.The desk uses chemicalreducing plants to clean the air,thereby helping you concentrate.The desk itself is made from recycled TetraPak containers,thanks to a collaboration with waste management organisation RuR.