Fvvd Grvup

INSTITUTE of ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE OF CATALONIA, BARCELONA, SPAIN   |   FALL 2017

FACULTY: MATHILDE MARENGO | TEACHING ASSISTANT: JOHANA MONROY

GROUP MEMBERS: SOFIA CHAVEZ CRUZ AND JESSICA SVED

The Fvvd Grvup garden, clinging to the building envelope of the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, reconsiders and reinvents food production in an urban landscape.

In the existing social and economic system surrounding food, people are detached from the life of their food products until they bring them home from the market. Fvvd Grvup, on the contrary, engages citizens at every step in the food process from production to distribution. Our main objectives are to provide an infrastructure for urban crop yield and to construct a social infrastructure in which the awareness of food production and consumption is brought into the epicenter of physical and social space. To do so, Fvvd Grvp involves the IaaC community, local participants, and users who participate in the growth of food products and data on a global scale.

detail of final prototype

community garden

At the IaaC garden, people can transplant seedlings into their vessels, maintain and harvest plants, attend educational events, assemble vessels, and process waste. The Smart Citizen kit and other accessory sensors will quantify and collect relevant data to maintain the health of the plant.

3 ways to close the loop

We researched the current food system, consumption of crop output, and production of organic waste in order to design a circular food system interdependent on its outputs. These outputs include the ability to reutilize organic waste as compost in a vermicomposting system, as a material source for vessel construction, and as an alternate source for seeds.

Using a structural system of wooden poles, ball joints, and woven nets of jute rope, the structure can be easily constructed and deconstructed to allow for the organic expansion of the system.  

A smartphone application will connect local growers to other individuals; the local plant-growing community as a whole; IAAC and the global FabLab community; and the local community (in IaaC's case, the neighborhood of Poblenou) inclusive of people without vessels. Such functions are essential to each individual's understanding of the marriage between nutritional, sustainable food production and the prosperity of the global community.
 

PROCESS: PLANT CULTIVATION

We began our experiments by testing an array of fava bean, radish, and tomato plants in different growing techniques, carefully tracking their growth and development.

PROCESS: BIOPLASTIC PRODUCTION

We concocted several different bioplastic variations using common household waste products such as banana peels, egg shells, orange rinds, and coffee grinds. The coffee grind bioplastic showed exceptional flexibility and durability. Thanks to the plethora of coffee shops and loyal espresso drinkers in Barcelona, we were sure that this material would be cheap, accessible, and sustainable to future fabricators.

Adhering the bioplastic to jute fabric (like all the ingredients, biodegradable and naturally produced) allowed for ease of fabrication and increased durability for the developing vessel. The addition of beeswax increased its water resistance. Refining our recipe allowed us to refine the shape of the vessel. 

PROCESS: FINAL PROTOTYPE

Assemble this prototype in several easy steps:

1. Mix bioplastic using common, sustainable ingredients.

2. Cut jute and assemble a basic tray using given template. Tape edges of the fabric.

3. Pour bioplastic into tray, then place jute on top of the poured mixture. Wait 24 hours.

4. Remove bioplastic-covered fabric from mold. Remove tape from edges of fabric.

5. Sew 2 sides according to template.
 

6. Laser cut thin plywood pieces using template.

7. Fasten bioplastic sack between 2 pieces of the template using bolts.

8. Insert rockwool cube carrying plant into center of cover. Fasten cover piece. 

9. Hang vessel in net of jute rope. 

After the plant has been harvested and/or has come to the end of its life cycle, reuse the plywood frame, and use the bioplastic mixture to repair jute sack. Insert a new plant, and repeat.

Make sure to compost unused materials!