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Pneumatic Greenhouse

    
Proposal for an air-supported greenhouse enclosure to be located in specific sites in Iceland
pneumatic greenhouse image   detail
Huldafolk, or 'hidden people' in Icelandic tradition live under hills, in rocks and behind waterfalls. They live a parallel life to ours, but they also have the ability to see into the future.
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brief
To provide a sustainable mechanism for growing trees to help combat soil erosion in Iceland, whilst leaving a legacy for inhabitation.

concept
Whether it was sorcery, or man's ignorance of the balance of nature, Icelanders have been left with the legacy of an island, once richly vegetated, now little more than barren; the fragile equilibrium of nature's forces upset by human intervention.

This intervention has endangered human existence on the island and compromised the Icelanders' independence, often with foreign intervention sapping and monopolising the island for its remaining resources. Our understanding of the environment is far more comprehensive than it was in the days of the early settlers. We have learnt how to re-address the balance of nature, creating the foundation of a sustainable existence.
Prior to human settlement 25% of Iceland's land area was covered by trees. Today only 1% of this area remains wooded. The destruction of woodland was caused by the building of dwellings and boats and the need for fuel. The most remedial solution for the fight against soil erosion is aforestation. The greenhouse provides a system for the cultivation of the young trees until they are ready to be planted into the harsh landscape. The trees would form part of a man-made landscape, brought about by the fight against soil erosion, expressing architectural and sculptural aspects of the landscape, adding volume and texture.

The infrastructure from the greenhouse is left over when the task is complete. All elements of this exercise can then be either relocated, or utilised for alternative human inhabitation, i.e. dwellings, agriculture, industry or leisure.