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Forest Invasion Plan
Project details
Programme
Cluster
RC11
Team Name
Forest Invasion Plan
A utopia is a place of social harmony. Since the environmental crisis, utopian thought has also incorporated issues related to ecological harmony. This is known as 'ecological utopia'. In an eco-utopia, urban greening is an integral part of the urban design process. Designers have been using the planting and planning of new urban green spaces to realise the ecological benefits of eco-utopia.
La Défense, as the economic center of Paris, is highly subject to human control, which made us want to explore a new way of developing the city. In contrast to human encroachment into nature, we chose to let nature encroach into the city. With one a robust economy of human urbanisation and the other the most pristine of forests, could a CBD be the ideal ecological utopia?
To do this, we used machine learning to complete a simulation of a forest in La Défense, exploring how it chooses to grow without human interference and how it affects the surrounding buildings. Based on this, what model of coexistence would humans choose?
Students
01
Background and Research
La Défense in 2025
In this section we examine the use of utopia in urban design, using it as a core concept to propose forest invasion cities. On the basis of this, we investigate information from the current state of the site.
The Concept
The Concept
The French forest has continued to grow every year since 1985. La Défense, the economic centre of Paris, has seen its vacancy rate continue to rise. This made us want to explore a new way of developing the city; the forest encroaching on the city.
Light and Carbon Emissions in La Défense
Vacancy Rate, Water Sources and Overall Rating
02
Forest Erosion Site Simulation
Genetic Algorithm Models Plants in an Area
Genetic Algorithm Models Plants in an Area
Genetic algorithms are used to calculate the most likely plant species to occur in each block.
Plant Allocation Over 100 Years
Plant Allocation In 2025
Plant Allotment
03
Forest Erosion Building Simulation
Scoring System of Forest Growth on Architecture
In this section, we begin to examine how forests encroach on buildings and live alongside them.
Buildings Colonised by the Forest
Buildings Colonised by the Forest
Calculating the growth of plants at each layer using cellular automata.
Buildings Colonised by the Forest
Buildings Colonised by the Forest
Erosion Result
Erosion Result
Erosion Result
Plant Growth on Buildings
Plant Growth on Buildings
04
Human Recolonisation
Architecture Evolution
The process of forest erosion of buildings is a dynamic process of change, and the transformation of buildings by humans is determined according to the time changes of forest erosion.
Circulation System
The combination of these devices is placed in areas of high building erosion to complete the process of converting plant power and solar energy into electricity.
05
Rendering
Vibrant Wilderness
The architecture of La Défense in 2125 has become organic and romantic, and the inhabitants living here are very much in love with nature and immersed in a vibrant wilderness.
Trees
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