This Garden City shaped like a crescent moon will bring sustainable living to the suburbs of Paris

Titled the ‘Garden City of the Crescent Moon’, this eco-urban project by architecture studio Rescubika locates itself on the eastern fringes of Paris within the Bois de Vincennes, the city’s largest public park. Although conceptual for now, the hypothetical project explores how new health, ecological, energy, climate, and sociological challenges will help redefine architecture and urban environments.

The self-sustaining mini-city is built around the Lac des Minimes, a naturally occurring lake, following its crescent shape and embracing the surrounding islands. Rescubika’s lead architect Benoit Patterlini describes the city as addressing two main themes: Proximity and Instantaneity.

The theme of proximity focuses on self-reliance by putting all aspects needed for sustenance within the boundaries of the city. This meant embracing urban agriculture on a massive scale. “First of all, urban agriculture allows us to produce food within the city”, says Benoit. “Whether it is yards, roofs, or even public spaces, they can be used to produce basic commodities such as corn, beans as well as herbs and spices, etc., and make cattle breeding directly in town, such as dairy production activities.” This would then foster the rise of local shops and markets, bringing citizens closer to their local markets and communities, and allowing all necessary resources to be within ‘proximal distance’ of the residents. On a side note, urban agriculture would also help improve soil quality and reduce air pollution, promoting healthier living.

The idea of instantaneity is ‘purely related to being able to enjoy urban facilities’. A direct result of the proximity built into the city’s design, Rescubika hopes the Garden City’s dwellers will rediscover the notion of time, given that all of the city’s hallmarks, from its offices to houses, recreational spaces, sports complexes, and cultural facilities, are just a heartbeat away from each other.

The fact that the Garden City was envisioned on the outskirts of Paris is very telling. It isn’t just about creating a model city where there’s ample space for construction, it’s also emblematic of a revival, a redefinition of the city as we know it… designed to exist outside of the ‘old city’ area of Paris, both literally and figuratively.

Designer: Benoit Patterlini, Rescubika

This smart indoor gardening system uses an automated irrigation system to take care of your plants!

If we learned one thing during quarantine, it was to not underestimate the power of plants. Bedrooms and workspaces alike seem to open up once we incorporate some greenery into the mix. Due to tight corners and lack of natural sunlight, city apartments don’t tend to plants too well. To provide a modular, compact gardening system fit for city living, Elif Bulut created Loop, a smart plant pot that takes care of your greenery while you’re away.

Loop is a smart planting system that feeds and tends to your plants while you’re away through an automated irrigation system. The agriculture system is shaped like a plume, flowering from the top and the bottom, keeping the seed modules in a radial row to form a skirt. Each seed module is detachable and securely locks onto one another through junction sockets, forming a link. Along the underbridge of the system’s lid, LEDs disperse light over the plants, adjusting their levels according to the time of day.

Users simply add seeds to the modules, position the modules to match up with the irrigation system, lock the top water reservoir into place, then watch as the water drips and the plants grow. Loop’s top lid links the system’s base with its irrigation pool so that users can also adjust the amount of water that flows into each module, ranging from sparse or open flow to frequent irrigation. Once the irrigation measure is settled on, the system’s integrated smart technology tends to each plant and keeps track of their condition to achieve optimal indoor settings. Loop provides a way for those who live in the city to still have access to gardening and all of the perks that come with it.

Designer: Elif Bulut

Shaped like a double-sided trumpet, Loop takes the familiar shape of many modern-day home appliances.

Equipped with plant modules and an automated irrigation system, Loop is designed for easy operation.

Loop comes with an integrated LED light system that nourishes plants with energy.

The brightness of the LED lights change according to the time of day.

Loop’s irrigation system allows users to adjust the drip between sparse and frequent amounts.

The modules lock into place with the irrigation system’s faucets.

Each plant module forms the system’s skirt by linking up at junction points.