The Adaptation Project

Khofra farming communities

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 12:41:00 +0300

Khofra is an area in Libya in the middle of the Sahara desert.Al Jawf, the capital of Khofra, receives almost no rain whatsoever, averaging only 2.5mm per year. Summer high temperatures average above 37.8°C.

The city lies in the largest and the most heavily irrigated oasis in the Kufra basin of Sahara.

The water to this town is supplied by an underground water network which drills thousands of feet to tap fossil water and distribute it to the space around. This space is being used efficiently by farmers so far.

Hexagonal shaped communities are created consisting of a central square surrounded by sixteen farms. This way these communities are able to efficiently deliver water to each farmer through an underground well in this central square.The hexagonal forms consist of clusters of houses in the middle and farmland radiating out. The land of each farmer stretches out for 500 meters behind their farm.

In total there are 15 of these communities, and they are gradually building more of them.

These farms make use of the center pivot irrigation system which is basically a method of agricultural irrigation which results in a circular field of crops.It consists of a huge column of sprinklers, fixed to the ground at one end, slowly travels around in a circle whilst spraying the crops below. We can see the sprinkler arms, some of which can reach a kilometre in length.

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Energy Storage - Batteries One of the earlier forms of...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 03:11:00 +0300

Energy Storage - Batteries

One of the earlier forms of electricity production, storage and use.

A 2 horsepower vertical gasoline or kerosine engine belted to a 900 watt compound-wound 32 volt dynamo (DC generator), powering a maximum of 42 20-watt or 50 15-watt 32-volt tungsten lamps.

The storage battery has 16 cells supplying up to 4.5 amps of power for 7.5 hours at 32 volts. This can supply 7 20-watt bulbs or 9 15-watt bulbs for 7.5 hours.

The switchboard is arranged so as to give 24 hours a day continuous service. It is customary to run the engine for most of the lighting period and just use the batteries late at night.

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Something Fantastic

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:48:00 +0300

“WE KNOW OUR EARTH NOW:THERE IS NO OUTSIDE. NEW TERRITORIES ARE TO BE DISCOVERED WITHIN THE EXISTING AND ACROSS PROFESSIONS.”

Something fantastic.A manifesto by three young architects, on worlds, people, cities, and houses by Ruby Press

Farming

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:47:00 +0300

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food (produce, grains, or livestock), fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single individual, family, community, corporation or a company. A farm can be a holding of any size.

A circular or round farm is a quite new type of farm that is based on a center pivot irrigation system wich pumps water from a well located to the center of the farm, that tries to minimize water loss and to equeally water the farm. Round farms are used in many places such as USA, Canada and even Sahara desert in Africa.(image 2)

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A crop circle in the Saudi Arabian desert. An installed...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:46:00 +0300

A crop circle in the Saudi Arabian desert. An installed quarter-mile-long center pivot system costs about $70,000 to $120,000 on average. The pivot’s speed is adjustable. It takes 36 hours to make a full circle on 167 acres, putting down a half-inch of water.

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Mobility.Key to Climate Change Adaptation

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:33:16 +0300

“Migration and mobility are always seen as exceptions but they are the norm. Mobility helps people get out of poverty…”

“If people affected by climate change lack access to resources or need to diversify their income sources, this lack should be [addressed] rather than be seen as a problem.”

“With many aspects of climate change mitigation it will be local governments that can make the most difference.”

“Rather than foment panic, leaders should apply lessons from the past to inform both migration and climate change mitigation policies in years to come…”

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Solar Cooking Project @ Darfur refugee camp in Chad, Africa

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:47:55 +0300

Solar Cooking Project

@ Darfur refugee camp in Chad, Africa

One liter of light A social project uses pop bottles to provide...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:31:12 +0300

One liter of light

A social project uses pop bottles to provide indoor lighting for the poor

[developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)]

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor...

Wed, 30 May 2012 08:19:00 +0300

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin

Proper location of shelters next to a river. Ways for drawing...

Wed, 30 May 2012 02:44:00 +0300

Proper location of shelters next to a river.

Ways for drawing water for domestic use, cleaning and animal farming.

by UNHCR

Dam spillway. A structure used to provide the controlled release...

Tue, 29 May 2012 05:05:00 +0300

Dam spillway.

A structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed.

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Fog Harvesting Select an appropriate site for fog harvesting...

Tue, 29 May 2012 04:45:00 +0300

Fog Harvesting

Select an appropriate site for fog harvesting according to these factors:

Global Wind Patterns: Persistent winds from one direction are ideal for fog collection.
Topography: It is necessary to have sufficient topographic relief to intercept the fogs/clouds like coastal mountains, isolated hills or coastal dunes.

Relief in the surrounding areas: It is important that there is no major obstacle to the wind within a few kilometers upwind of the site.

Altitude:A desirable working altitude is at two-thirds of the cloud thickness above the base. This portion of the cloud will normally have the highest liquid water content. In Chile and Peru, the working altitudes range from 400 m to 1 000 m above sea level.

Orientation of the topographic features: It is important that the longitudinal axis of the mountain range, hills, or dune system be approximately perpendicular to the direction of the wind bringing the clouds from the ocean. The clouds will flow over the ridge lines and through passes, with the fog often dissipating on the downwind side.

Distance from the coastline: Areas of high relief near the coastline are generally preferred sites for fog harvesting.

Space for collectors: Ridge lines and the upwind edges of flat-topped mountains are good fog harvesting sites. When long fog water collectors are used, they should be placed at intervals of about 4.0 m to allow the wind to blow around the collectors.

Crestline and upwind locations: Slightly lower-altitude upwind locations are acceptable, as are constant-altitude locations on a flat terrain. But locations behind a ridge or hill, especially where the wind is flowing downslope, should be avoided.

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Comparison of two water infrastructure types. A human scale camp...

Tue, 29 May 2012 04:11:00 +0300

Comparison of two water infrastructure types.

A human scale camp shower and a pillow dam.

Same material, same idea. Different scale and use.

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Tue, 29 May 2012 04:08:00 +0300

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Photo

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:13:00 +0300

Photo

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:10:00 +0300

Water footprint

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:40:00 +0300

Water footprint

Mumbai is facing water problems. Residents in several areas of...

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:52:00 +0300

Mumbai is facing water problems.

Residents in several areas of Mumbai are concerned about having to buy water from private water supply tankers as the five main lakes which supply the city now have levels between four to 10 metres lower than at this time last year.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) supplies water to India’s financial capital for no more than six hours a day.BMC has urged citizens to save water and use it sparingly.This means that each household is provided with water at specific hours/minutes per day.

The city is supplied 3,350 million litres per day (mld) from five lakes. That’s 33,500 tankers of water a day. Yet, every Mumbai household knows the water announcements: Get ready, the water will go soon! Fill the buckets! Don’t wash your hair!

Jayshree Ranade, a resident of Girgaum, south Mumbai, says that her household barely gets 45 minutes of water supply a day.

“We get water at about 4.45 am and it’s gone before 5.45 am. Earlier we used to get water for more than two hours,” she told the BBC.

“In my building all the families wake up at 4.30 am and everyone has to have a shower, wash clothes, utensils and fill up the water tank - all before 5.45 am. It’s a mad rush. Children wake up, get ready and go back to sleep.”

On the other hand, Mumbai has enough water for its 14 million citizens, enough for a 24-hour supply. So say experts. So says the BMC. So says a World Bank study.

“Mumbai has enough water for a 24-hour supply but water gets wasted because there are too many leakages in the old pipe network,” said David Ehrhardt, chief executive of Castalia Ltd, a global infrastructure consultancy firm that in June 2007 studied Mumbai’s water supply — in Andheri with money from the World Bank.

Mumbai loses 670 mld of water. If there is a 24-hour supply, water will simply flow out if there’s a leak; sewage will not get in. When pipes are empty, contamination is easy, said Ehrhardt. Contamination is highest during the monsoons, between June and October.

The answer according to the experts is a new water-pipe system and no more slums built on the water pipe.

///// Is this enough? And what about the people living in the slums? The Adaptation Project

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"Unintentional Community"

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:54:00 +0300

Alternative communities, eco-villages, communes, eco-communities that are supposed to offer an alternative way of life are often called “intentional communities”.

An “intentional community” is defined as a group of people who have chosen to live together with a common purpose, working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values.

An “intentional community” therefore requires careful selection of residents while it is supposed to serve as a free-living community. A “values curriculum” is needed to get accepted.

We define as “unintentional community” a group of people who have not chosen to live together, and may not share a common purpose, but have to work cooperatively to survive. They might not care about lifestyle, but that is a lifestyle on its own.

One Community Pod One “Pod one is designed to consist of...

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:33:00 +0300

One Community Pod One

“Pod one is designed to consist of thirty-two 200 square foot semi-subterranean “dry pod” earthbag hotel room styled cabanas placed in a circle with thirty-two separate 200 square foot “wet pod” bathrooms forming a second inner-circle. Like a hotel, the dry pods will consist of a bed, a closet, and a small sitting area and desk. The wet pods will be a solar heated passive shower, sink, passive toilet, and walk-in closet/storage. Additional storage will be available between the two Pods with a small patio and additional sitting area.”

///// Why do they have to call it a hotel ? The Adaptation Project