The vertical garden is inspired by ancient irrigation applications that incorporate terra cota's porous clay body in conjunction with plants and soil.
​
​
Proposal
To shade and cool a segment of the building with natural elements
​
Hypothesis
Can the process of slip casting a terracotta clay body provide a porous and strong enough module that can be aggregated to create a vertical garden?
​
Process
​
The process of slip casting provides each module with a hollowed interior that then becomes a soil or water reservoir. Evaporative cooling and irrigation are achieved through a specific wall thickness. As the plaster mold absorbs moisture from the ceramic slip the terra cotta thickens on the molds interior. Varying thicknesses are achieved by allowing the slip to sit longer in the plaster mold.
Testing
CNC milling enabled us to have immense control over the disbursement of water through specific surface patterns and textures. The individual modules are supported vertically with tension cables anchored to lower compression bars. The vertical orientation of the project provides even sun exposure to the succulent occupied spaces. Comprised of eighty-six modules and eight individual faces, Terra Garden aims to shade and cool a segment of the building with natural elements.
​
Clay
Water
​
Plants
![Untitled-2 [Recovered]-01.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/62f97f_dca4ae41cbad48f39f6f0426748db8f9~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_189,h_563,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Untitled-2%20%5BRecovered%5D-01.png)
