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| Porous coral structure (https://peerj.com/articles/208/) |
The design of the expansion of
Mumbai has to do with the idea of symbiosis
– long term interaction between
two or more different biological species[1]-. This project aims to the creation of a beneficial
symbiosis between humans and water, through a medium, which is the city fabric
that it is proposed. Water is an element, not a living organism, but its’
ability of transforming, of flow or of changing its consistence according to
environmental or physical parameters is something that could be translated as
‘living’ as there is not a stable condition. The effects in the city due to
this unpredictability are concerning my research. Taking into consideration the
upcoming floods and the projected sea level rise that is expected to occur in
Mumbai, my project is rethinking previously used design methods that have
created a boundary between water and human life. Today, this boundary leads to
floods and pollution in the case of Mumbai. The purpose of the new city is to
invite people and water to cooperate. In this project habitation will be based
on water currents and flows, something that architecture in Mumbai should had
already start doing, due to the significant destruction that the original unity
of the seven islands has caused to the physical environment and to peoples’
lives.
Is it necessary to create a boundary
for water? I believe that blocking water flow can only cause problems. Water is
an essential element for living organisms and especially for humans. So, why do
our cities always try to block it away? With appropriate architectural design a
symbiosis between water and humans, could be beneficial for both and for the
city fabric. The new city that this project propose has the same purpose as the
‘typical’ city, that of protection. The difference is in the way that this will
be accomplished.
The expansion of the city will be in
the water, due to many reasons. Water is part of Mumbaikers society since their
first colonization there, as fishermen. However, the relationship between this
two is doubtful regarded the quality of everyday life that is producing. They used
to be fishermen’s, now they observe water as a sightseeing full of rubbish. They
used to use it in their everyday activities, now they observed it from
distance. The city after a flood is full of mud, which causes dirtiness and
illnesses, before the reclamation physical water flow was filtrate the polluted
water. Moreover, they used to have a physical ventilation system during the
very high temperatures, now the atmosphere is full of smog. They used to wash
their clothes in the river, now they wash them in the streets. The boundary
that the reclamation causes between them and the water is the main reason for the
existing conditions. The future expansion of the city should be in the water. Except
from the already existing relationship between water and Mumbaikers, a second
reason for this design proposal is the idea of ‘city efficiency’. Many
urbanists claim that there is a threshold between expansion distance and
efficiency, meaning the maximum distance from the city center in order -city,
distance and time- to work beneficially for the economical and sociological growth
of the city. As Alain Bertaud argues Mumbai’s’ unique geomorphology causes many
problems in the city efficiency. -‘Because
of the absence of bridges, the land area accessible at less than 25 km from the
CBD is only 230 km2, as compared to 1523 km2 for Jakarta and 1864 km2 for
Seoul. Because of its geographical location Mumbai has only 15% of the land
available in Jakarta, which is also a sea port.’[2]-
Therefore, the expansion of
Mumbai inside the radius of 25km from the city center is essential element for its
urban growth. The 25km from the city center are composed from less land than
water. Due to all the reasons that I mentioned above, the expansion inside the
water is unavoidable.
The design method that I propose is
influenced from the Atolls found in Maldives, southwest of India. Their organic
shapes have occurred due to the hydrodynamics of the water. Several small
islands, instead of one big region will allow the water to flow freely in
Mumbai. After the consideration of the hydrodynamics and the bathymetries of
the creek and the Arabian Sea that surrounding Mumbai, I am proposing the
expansion in the side of the Arabian Sea. An expansion in the side of the creek will
affect the water currents, resulting in similar problems that the city faces
today. Moreover, shrinking the Creek of Mithi River, could lead in a fast
flowing water current that could result in erosions so, in destruction of the
land. Last, according to the bathymetries, the contours in the side of Arabian
Sea are less than in the creek, which means that the height differences inside
the sea are moderate. Therefore a construction for the side of the Sea is more
effective.
Most urban planning is concerned
primarily with city organization. The proposing masterplan however, takes physical
environment into consideration first, while the zoning of the city will occur
according to its physical characteristics. The reason behind this proposal is the
significant role that the physical environment and especially the water have in
the formation of Mumbai and the every day citizens lives. As I have already mention in my previous post
treating nature with hardness will only result in problems, as the
unpredictability of nature is something that none of the today constructions
can come up against. The proposing
expansion takes into account that the Arabian Sea is actually part of the Indian
Ocean, as a result strong waves could occasionally occur, which could lead in
destructions. In order to avoid damage from the water, multiple layers of
protection will be used that their characteristics will also create the zoning.
Influenced from the atolls protection zoning, the first layer of protection
will be a submerged continuous infrastructure that will mostly function as a
wave breaker. There could be manufacture area, energy generator or even the
port, zones that could survive semi submerged in the water. In the second layer
of protection the development of the city will start. Influenced from coral
reefs each island will be composed from semi submerged porous systems, so water
can either pass inside or over it without blocking its flow. This porous system
will be combined from multiple size openings. The openings are being used part for
the freely water flow and part for the city structure. In the periphery they will
function as a secondary wave breaker while they will also divide the physical
flow of the water in multiple directions in order to slow down the strong water
currents. In the center of the island the different size of the openings will
arrange the zoning. Smaller openings that tend to create a compact land will
create the infrastructure for public space, while larger openings will be used for
building constructions. Buildings will attach to the openings like corals are
attaches to the reefs. They could be part submerged in the water and part on
the surface of the island.
This system is similar to the infrastructure cities
have today, the difference is that instead of building on the land the
constructions will be on the water. In this way city expansion on the water
could be developed without damaging the physical environment or blocking the
water flow. Also the unite of the city construction – buildings, infrastructure-
will be beneficial against the strong waves and water currents, a lesson learned
also from the coral reefs structure. The islands size will be equal or smaller
to the original 7 islands, because they had occurred from natural processes and
their symbiosis with the water were successful. The connectivity between the
islands will take place through submerged subways or bridges. This new sprawl
design of the city of Mumbai is essential for its future development. The
disurbanism that is introduced in this project will result in beneficial future
for the city, as it will not only decongest the city center, but it will
respect the physical environment and it will adapt to its characteristics.
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