RE-PULP - Sustainable Community Garden for an Urban City in Nature
A passion project to meet the goals of Singapore’s Green Plan by tackling space restrictions and promoting gardening across urban areas. Exploring materials and emotions to create a gardening system that can be used at home or in public places. Distributed to the community for user testing, Re-pulp is an ongoing passion project undergoing further refinement. Currently, there are plans to explore the installation of Re-pulp at a local community center here in Singapore. The goal is to implement Re-Pulp into the local community to transform urban spaces into glowing gardens. To have an interconnected system of plants that come alive at night to provide a one-of-a-kind experience.
Background Context
In line with Singapore’s goal to encourage its locals to engage in nature to morph a garden city into a city in a garden, the concept of community gardens has successfully been adopted, boasting over 1,900 varying designated areas for development.
However, should you wish to grow your edibles, the 2,192 provided personal allotment garden slots are entirely leased out. With a population of over 5 million and Singapore’s Green Plan 30-by-30 target to produce 30% of our nutritional needs locally and sustainably, there is a desire for more allocated spaces closer to urban areas. With land scarcity as a crucial limiting factor, the only way forward is to build up.
Ideation
How might we allow locals to garden across space-restricted urban areas while encouraging recycling of our plastic waste?
Inspired by the pitcher plant, I explored the potential of creating vertical “pitcher” pots that repurpose recycled plastics to empower gardening in urban areas. The idea was to create a simple recycled plant pot that could be used within homes or communal areas without visually populating the space.
Design Concept
A bamboo steel garden, Re-Pulp, can be scattered across urban areas, houses, and public areas with limited space. While not as effective as hydroponic rack systems, a sense of individualism facilitates a closer sense of ownership toward their plants. Made with recycled plastic, Re-Pulp can reduce plastic waste while encouraging locals to repurpose their plastic bottles. Coated with luminescence powder, Re-Pulp can glow in low light, creating stimulating public spaces that showcase a living, breathing ecosystem.
Prototyping & Experimentation
1. Exploring form and scale in CAD Software (Rhinoceros 3D)
2. 3D printing different models to physically test forms
3. Testing finalized design and tolerance of drainage screws
4. Spray painting texture and coating prototype with luminescence powder
5. Testing luminescence powder glow strength in the dark
6. Testing harnessing my prototype onto scrap metal pipes
7. Painting final prototypes to simulate compressed recycled plastic
8. User-testing prototypes to house indoor plants
9. Creating a vase stand to enable Re-Pulp to be used without a vertical pole