weak grounds elements of adaptation of self-built communities
TRANSCRIPT
GroundwaterfloodingGroundwaterflooding Landslides LandslidesSubsidence SubsidenceSubsidence Landslides
Learnhowtocohabitateinwet,waste,andsteepgroundsThisplacesarenotappropriatebutweneedtomakeitappropriate
• Dharaví (Mumbai)• MarikinaSettlement(Manila)• Klong (Bangkok)
• Kibera (Nairobi)• Kampung Muara (Jakarta)• SmokeyMountain(Manila)
• Comuna 08(Medellin)• Campamentos (Valparaiso)• Ate(Lima)
Groundwaterflooding
Wetgrounds Wastegrounds Steepgrounds
GroundwaterfloodingGroundwaterflooding Landslides LandslidesSubsidence SubsidenceSubsidence Landslides
Learnhowtocohabitateinwet,waste,andsteepgroundsThisplacesarenotappropriatebutweneedtomakeitappropriate
• Dharaví (Mumbai)• MarikinaSettlement(Manila)• Klong (Bangkok)
• Kibera (Nairobi)• Kampung Muara (Jakarta)• SmokeyMountain(Manila)
• Comuna 08(Medellin)• Campamentos (Valparaiso)• Ate(Lima)
Groundwaterflooding
Wetgrounds Wastegrounds SteepgroundsWetgrounds Wastegrounds Steepgrounds• Riverbanks• Swamps• Coastalareas• Waterfronts
• Rubbishmountains• Landfillareas• Chemicaldumps
• Steephills• Volcanoslopes
Vehar Lake
Vehar Lake
Pawai Lake
Pawai Lake
MAN
GRO
VESM
AHIM
BAY
WORK
ELECTRICITY
ALLEY
LADDER
SOIL
MANGROVES
Koli fishermen clean the pools
Window grille
TILESSwimming pool effect to clean
TILESTo clean easily
Matka
Storage water
Water distribution
ROOF
BIRDS
FISH
Black Kite
Grey Manglare
Images taken from The Perfect Slum by Sytse de Maat
Blue plastic sheet
Groundwater table Groundwater tableGroundwater table
Groundwater table
Aerial connectivity
ResidentialSecond floor
WaterproofingBlue Plastic Sheet
Shikara Eurasian Wryneck Little Green Bee EaterBarn SwallowBluethroatPurple Sunbird
Concrete waste dumping
Concrete waste dumping
Landfill
Groundwater table
Groundwater table
Sand & gravel
Sand & gravel
Sand & gravel
Black Marine Clay and stiff clay
Black Marine Clay and stiff clay
Great Egret
CrabsPrawns
SurmaiCatla
SeacatfirshWolfherring
Karli
Greater CoucalLaughing Dove
Fishing
Fishing
Fishing
Pottery
Pottery
Recycling
Recycling
Street sellers
Street sellers
SecurityDry clothes
Storing drinking water
Self-installed by communities
Water distributionInstalled by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
Self-built blocksSelf-installed by communities
StorageExtension
BathingToileting
Washing clothes
FOUNDATION
PLINTH
ROOF
LADDER
WATER
TILES
ELECTRICITY
ResidentialSecond floor
CommercialFirst floor
Concrete waste dumping
Concrete waste dumping
Landfill
Groundwater table
Groundwater table
Sand & gravel
Sand & gravel
Sand & gravel
Black Marine Clay and stiff clay
Black Marine Clay and stiff clay
Thick tiles + strong mortarIt endures between 3 to 5 years
SteepsAverage of 0.30m plinth
SpaceFor motor, blue containers, etc.
TubeTo evacuate water
1.5m.
OULETSAbove 1.5m.
Blue plastic sheetWater proofing membrane
Liquid rubberProtect to humidity
Metal ladderEvacuation and to connect commercial to residential area
MatkaStoring drinking water
Reel of pipeto bring water from a tap away from the house.
Plastic hoseTo channel rain water
Blue containersStoring water for washing and cleaning
Corrugated roof panelProtection against rainfall
Blue plastic sheetsTo protect the house of water infiltration but also to channel rain water
WEAK GROUNDS
DharaviRajiv Gandhi Nagar
Increase of the water table level - G
roundwater �ooding -
Studio WorkWet grounds - Dharavi, Mumbai
26 July, 2015
Migratory bird
s - Winter
visito
rs - M
ahim
Bay
-
“T
he sh
ore
wat
er is
inha
bite
d by
27
diffe
rent
.” -
Dr.
Kish
ori S
inna
rkar
Brahminy Kite Garden Lizard Mongoose Butterfly-eastern-tiger
Sirohi goat
Black_Kite
Fruit Bat
Mongoose
Sirohi goat G
reen Bee-eater Striped ground squirrel
Fruit Bat
wryneck
Sirohi goat Striped ground squirrel Butterflies - eastern-tiger-sw
allowtail
Blue Tige
r
Curlew Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Brow
n Head
ed Se
agull
Litt
le Te
rn
Mar
sh S
andp
iper
Ba
rn S
wal
low
La
rge
Egre
t
Ja
nuar
y
Feb
ruar
y
March April May
June July
August
September October Noverm
ber
Dec
embe
r
Swamp & Garbage Dump
Janu
ary
F
ebru
ary
March April May
June July
August
September October Noverm
ber
Dec
embe
r
A
cant
hus i
licifo
liu
A
vicen
nia M
ari
na
Ceriops tagal
815.9 mm.
475.1 mm.
579.3 mm.
328.4 mm
.
93.7 mm
.
8.2m
m.
29.6
mm
.
2.4
m
m.
1.2 mm
.
Monsoon
Winter -
Post M
onsoon
Summer - Pre Monsoon
Studio WorkWet ground - Dharavi
Field WorkWet ground - Dharavi
Geology Informal Settlements Disasters & Adaptations
+ +
Davis, Mike. "Slum Ecology." Orion 25, no. 2 (2006): 16-23.
Tectonic composition
+ +
Self-built settlements Vulnerabilities
Elements of adaptation of self-built communities
People who live in informal settlements have had to learn how to cohabitate with their environmental vulnerabilities, such as swamps, floodplains, and riversides, which are all wet grounds susceptible to groundwater flooding; rubbish mountains, which are waste grounds vulnerable to subsidence; and, un-stable hillsides and steep slopes, categorized as steep grounds susceptible to landslides.
This research seeks to theorize, document, and highlight al-ternative elements of adaptation made by local residents by inhabiting weak grounds, categorized as wet, waste, and steep grounds. I review one case study for each ground type and analyze it through archival, studio, and field works. I chose the most representatives and oldest self-built settlements that have endured environmental hazards and learned from fail-ures. Regarding wet grounds, I visited Dharavi in Mumbai, India; regarding waste grounds, I worked with the Kibera community in Nairobi, Kenia; and regarding steep grounds, I researched about Comuna 03 in Medellin, Colombia.
This research project calls attention to new narratives in the un-derstanding of self-built settlements in the intersection among tectonic substructures, vulnerabilities of those grounds, and the adaptation responses of people in their built environments. The knowledge produced by communities strikethrough the term weak and highlights unseen resourceful strategies and ecological flux systems that enable people to inhabit those en-vironments.
Elements of architectureadaptation
What isgroundwater flooding?
When does it occur?
How can you protect your habitat against groundwater flooding?
Groundwater flooding is defined as the emergence of groundwa-ter at surface level away from perennial river channels or the ris-ing of groundwater into man-made or natural grounds. More-over, it occurs when the natural underground drainage system cannot drain rainfall away quickly enough, and the water table rises up from rocks or soils to above (the) ground level, causing flooding to occur at the surface.
This tends to occur during and after season-long periods of high rainfall, and in the case of Dharavi, during the monsoon season. The rainfall infiltrates the ground, causing the water table to rise above normal levels. Additionally, the rainfall increases the water level of ponds and rivers next to some settlements, and the water presses the unsaturated grounds and increases the groundwater level.
Groundwater flooding takes more time to dissipate, and it breaks and weakens tiles and solid surfaces. People who have struggled with these vulnerabilities for many years have developed physical strategies to cope with this phenomenon. These resourceful and low-tech adaptive solutions can teach everyone how to inhabit these wet grounds—from the composition of a foundation to a roof.