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This on buildings with plants (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by Lilnino@lemmy.world to c/solarpunk@slrpnk.net

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I have worked in building maintenance and repair. One thing that is extremely hazardous to a concrete building is too much water. I have seen many concrete planters that crack and result in water leaks for lower levels. Standing water in concrete structures is a huge no no. I do not have a lot of experience in engineering on this matter, but whenever I see a solar punk sky scraper with vegetation on its exterior, I think "cool, but maintenance and inspection must be horrible! Repairs must cost a fortune when those roots and moisture degree the concrete."

What engineering controls does one need to create a durable structure while exposed to constant moisture needed for vegetation, and the vegetation itself? I know there are green sky scrapers with gardens all over. What is the maintenance of those structures? Do they hold up\last as long as bare concrete structures?

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[–] cerement@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@MxRemy mentions self-healing concrete
- there’s also fungal concrete
- looking back through time, Roman concrete was also self-healing (as well as being longer lasting and cheaper to manufacture (as well as using slightly less energy))
as a personal opinion, skyscrapers really don’t have any place in a solarpunk future
- following along the lines of Christopher Alexander’s “21. Four-Story Limit” from A Pattern Language
  - “There is abundant evidence to show that high buildings make people crazy.”
  - “In any urban area, no matter how dense, keep the majority of buildings four stories high or less. It is possible that certain buildings should exceed this limit, but they should never be buildings for human habitation.”
- we already have plenty of land space – if we re-cluster our suburbs into medium density, we can easily absorb the excess from de-clustering large cities

[–] Lilnino@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like neighborhoods and cities with mid or low rise housing. I spent a lot of time in Turin, Italy (I'm American) and most that city (and other European cities) have mid rise apartments. They're in the 6 to 8 story range a lot of times, but still no high rises. It makes for a great walkable city. The street I lived on in Turin was this huge wide boulevard that probably could have accommodated six to eight lanes of traffic with a turn lane in the middle. Instead there was a two-lane road in the middle with turn lanes, followed by streetcar rails further out, then a line of gorgeous trees, then parking for local businesses, then a side street to access the local parking and finally a nice wide sidewalk in front of the shops and apartments.

It's a great looking city for anyone who happens to be in Northwest Italy!

[–] cerement@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago

Christopher Alexander picked the Four Story Limit for aesthetic and mental reasons – but historically, older buildings were generally limited to four stories because of climbing too many stairs – the six to eight story limit of most European city cores comes from the introduction of the first elevators that couldn’t really handle more than six stories