Client:
SiciliaMia
Professional work Internship
Sep-May 2024/25​
Water management landscape design
An entirely off-grid and closed loop system.
Sicily has a water shortage problem
as the climate is changing and ground water reservoirs are rapidly decreasing. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do farming because of it, and let alone run a luxury truism business as the collaborator SiciliaMia is building.
In collaboration with Muhammad Ameen Keryo, a pioneer within wastewater treatment I developed a plan included water catchment, filtration, storage and solid waste management on site. An entirely off-grid and closed loop system to help recharge the ground water of where the luxury tourism farm is to be built.​​
Rainwater harvest
Primary filtration
Principle structure
An entirely off-grid and closed loop system
to help recharge the groundwater.
Secondary filtration
(Septic tank/ Baffle reactor)
UV/ chemical treatment
Constructed wetland
(Pollutant filtration)
Irrigation
Sludge/ Solids drying bed
Compost/ Ferteliser
Main design challange
Combining Luxury with nature based solutions
Luxury clients are likely not going to accept a composting toilet. It was important to integrate solutions that break the association between nature based solution and primitive/lesser than.
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Zone analysis
Avoiding disturbing the guests
Zone analysis is a permaculture design tool used to identify where the guest would mostly be where (Zone 0-1) in relation to less visited areas (zone 3-5) to place the water filtration and waste management elements.
With the help of Zone anysis and on-site observation, we were able to place the elements in a way to respect the already existing elements of the land whilst also not disturbing the guests.
Observation
Digital tools combined with on-site observations
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Top view
By numerous field visits on-site, and a highly accurate terrain model combined with a render layout of the site as it will become, we were able to place the elements in a way to respect the already existing elements of the land whilst also making sure the water circulation system was not imposing on the luxury experience.
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View of Waste management system from the ground
Before the plan could take shape
1. Aerial survaying
2. Processing Drone footage and RTK data into a presice pointcloude
3. Digital terrain model
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4. Populating the 3D model with assets and landscaping plan
As a landscape architect, the main job was to create a realistic terrain model for the architects, suggest improvements and visualise the landscaping plan of the abandoned farm land in south Sicily that was to be turned into a sustainable agriculture tourist villa.
Water infiltration test field
Together with the team at SiciliaMia and two external permaculture consultants, a test field with swales and cover crops to increase water infiltration was established as research to later be implemented on BonCampello.
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Due to difficulties with machine acess, only one swale was completed as it had to be dug manually.
Tools used
Waypointmap.com
Collaboration
