Lanzarote Living Crater
In order to live more sustainably we as a human race need to live, breathe, think & interact within a more circular economy, one that embraces local materials, labour, resources as well as waste.
The objective of our proposal, for this open architectural competition, is to create a mini ecosystem that provides human accommodation and public function whilst embracing local biodiversity that flourishes within a system of circular resource management.
Building blocks made locally from local reconstituted lava stone, assembled in a low-tech manner to create the familiar Catalan Vault that not only provides shelter but harvests natural resources as well as provides a landscape that can be inhabited from above and below & become an integral part of urban landscape.
LOCAL(ity)
Every effort must be made to use locally sourced materials. This encourages innovation within the scope of what is locally available, negates the need to import materials, reduces the carbon footprint (manufacturing and shipping) and encourages one to live in harmony with the local environment & its available resources.
BIO(diversity)
Identify, understand & reintroduce local plants, insects and ecosystems. The aim is to create an environment where human activity operates hand in hand with local biodiversity and via versa. Relieve Pressure : By embracing local plants that are used to limited rainfall / intense sun one does not increase environmental pressure on the local ecosystems. This combined with water harvesting, passive cooling techniques & photovoltaics all aid in making the development more energy neutral rather than adding strain to existing systems. Ecology : This project intends to bring natural systems together with human needs in a more harmonious symbiotic relationship. A relationship where interaction results in continued education around the issues of consumption, waste & the value of natural limited resources.
WASTE
Currently a container load of waste leaves Lanzarote every month for mainland Spain, Portugal & Morocco where it is recycled / disposed of. Our intention is to take the waste created and repurpose / recycle it into building materials that can then be used on the island to improve the ur- ban realm. Circular Economy : Our idea is to demonstrate the effects of waste, more importantly that waste need not be waste but rather a commodity. If communities were forced to deal with their own waste rather than getting rid of it we may see a shift in the way we consume, waste and recycle. The intention for this project is to take, for example, the plastic waste and repurpose it into reconstituted decking planks that can be used to create the stage for events, park benches etc.
