Collaborative Design Planting Design Working Group 5

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Collaborative case study of Gerdab (Gerdab-e Ben, the Ben lagoon) گرداب بِن

Name	Gerdab-e Ben (The Ben lagoon)
Location	Ben, Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari
Country	Iran
Authors	Majid Amani Beni Carolina Esteves Flores Leon Plahuta

Landscape and/or urban context of your case

Gerdab is a beautiful lagoon that is located in the suburbs of city Ben in Iran. It´s a very important tourist attraction that has a significant cultural and economical role for city of Ben. The lagoon measures 38,000 m2 and green spaces around (that were established in 1950) take up 100,000 m2 of the landscape´s surface. Gerdab is placed near two mountains which in combination with the mentioned trees make a beautiful scenery. In addition , the reflection of mountains on the lagoon itself makes an eye-catching sight that many tourists capture. Gerdab was also chosen as an outstanding tourist region of Iran in 2010.

There´s a strong interaction between nature and culture in Gerdab. In the first days of the Iranian new year (called Norooz celebration) which is simultaneous with the beginning of spring, many people go to have a recreation in Gerdab. In the enterance way of the lagoon, there is a statue of one of the Iranian poets and writers from the 18th century Mirza Habib and near it there is an inscription that mentiones his biography. It seems that in Gerdab, nature has a stronger force than culture. It seems that way because of the natural aestethics and the combination of natural elements (lagoon, trees and mountains). Near the lagoon there are some facilities like a supermarket, a coffee shop, a sailing camp, a children´s park, and a gas and petrol station. These help tourists to have a more comfotable stay. However, some human/cultural impact is neccessary for improving the touristic situation. For example the problem of heavy traffic, especially in summer, should be solved. Also with regard to tourist population, there is a great potential to construct some cultural centers for introducing cultural values of the city.

It is believed that an ecological approach to planting design in Gerdab can help improve the quality of the landscape itself and create a sustainable landscape along the way. It idea can also decline the maintenance costs. There are a few problems regarding green spaces and landscapes of Gerdab. Discontinuous tree lines on the eastern side of the lagoon (A, 3rd representation) and the disconnection between green spaces of the lagoon and the city (B, 3rd representation) are the biggest ones. A planting design that would consider the ecological principles (for example using native plants) could possibly solve mentioned problems and cause a more sustainable landscape.

Keywords: nature and culture, Ecological planting design, sustainable landscape.

• Visual representations of the contex
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  Ground plan of the contex

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  Facilities and roads

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  Problems of green surfaces

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  Summer and Winter dynamic

What are the objectives of your design?

Please give a short written argumentation (not more than 150 words). It is ok if you have different or even contradicting objectives within your group. Just make it explicit at the beginning of your process

Analytical drawings

Please add four analytical sketches/drawings (or montages/schemes) of your case. Every group member needs to contribute at least one drawing.

• Analytical Drawings
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  The site inventory

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  analytical drawing 2

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  analytical drawing 4

Projective drawings

Please add four projective sketches/drawings (or montages/schemes), of course with an emphasis on planting design/vegetation aspects. Every group member needs to contribute at least one drawing representing his/her individual ideas.

• Projective Drawings
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  projective drawing 1

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  projective drawing 2

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  projective drawing 4

Design Synthesis

Please analyse the individual approaches presented so far and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses (you may use the SWOTanalysis model). Try to create a synthesis and represent it with a plan and some sketches. You can still use drawings/sketches.

• Design Synthesis Drawings
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  synthesis drawing 1

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  synthesis drawing 2

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  synthesis drawing 3

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  synthesis drawing 4

Summary of the collaborative process

Please reflect on your collaborative design process. Which potentials have you encountered? What was most difficult? What does collaborative design mean for you? (approx 150 words).

Image Gallery

• Image Gallery
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  image 4

References

• [1] Aryanpour, Yahya., Az Saba Ta Nima (From Saba to Nima), Zavvar Publication, 1971, Vol 1, Tehran, Iran.

• [2] Hitchmough, J., & Woudstra, J. (1999). The ecology of exotic herbaceous perennials grown in managed, native grassy vegetation in urban landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 45(2-3), 107-121.

• [3] Kingsbury, N (2004). Contemporary overview of naturalistic planting design. In the dynamic landscape, N. Dunnett & J. Hitchmough (Eds). (pp 58). London: Taylor & Francis.

• [4] Municipality of Ben, from: http://www.shahrdarieben.ir/fa/%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D9%86

• - Images: Personal photographs + Municipality of Ben (above link) + Google Maps: https://maps.google.com

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