Designed by Architetto Matteo Ascani (AMA), their horizontal farm proposal is a flowing architecture system where the farming world meets the Indian slum in New Dehli. The project aims to create a balanced mix with farms, working areas and housing to improve the living conditions for the inhabitants. By doing this, their design is able to avoid the slum situations to enhance the micro-economy. ‘Farmandala’ also provides an urban scale development, involving the street life and a territorial scale development based on vertical flowing connections. This is done by means of ramps that climb shops, farms and the recycle factory connecting to walking trails in the fields on the top of the hills. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Farmandala doesn’t want to be only a green-mechanism based on its functionalism, but it will be also a landmark with a familiar aesthetics, easily recognizable by everybody as a positive symbol of prosperity: the design concept is taken from a characteristic Indian Mandala, which is used and redesigned to create an artificial landscape where farm and shops are closer, directly connected with the housing system, developed in the cylinder volumes above. The project is an endeavour to concentrate housing with farms, giving a chance to survive with the agriculture products and shops.
The competition area is a void in the geometrical structure of New Delhi urban design; the project plans to reorganize a social economic fabric, the area will be integrated into daily dynamics where people can enjoy the shops located on the road, and working closer their home. Shopping areas are located on the main roads, in front of each entrance there is an open market; the shop inside are designed on a duplex system, so that during the rain period the open areas become water collection basins and the main entrances move at the upper level accessible by ramps.
Farmandala is a complex of ramps and crops field on the roof, the farm system is developed in its length and the vertical density optimized with artificial light. The new pedestrian flows that would be created due to ramps and to the ease access in the houses will give the opportunity to meet different suggestions: “the man with his land and the consciousness of future”.
The house building is a cylinder shape volume organized with a duplex and central corridor on the north side and external access from balcony on south. This typology allows to have a good solar radiation and good views.
Architects: Architetto Matteo Ascani (AMA) Location: New Delhi, India Collaborators: Gabriele Meluzzi, Giulia Druda, Gloria Cioppi, Janca Zackova, Alessandro Liuti, Cecilia Santoni, Matteo Tonucci, Matteo Vitali Year: 2012
