Babylon’s Balcony – space efficient urban gardening system
BA Product Design Project
2020
semester
Due to urbanization, more and more people are moving to the conurbations. The cities are congested, there is hardly any living space, not to mention the lack of green areas. Usually a small balcony is the only open air space people have in their homes. However, trends such as urban gardening or balcony gardens show the deep desire of people to be close to nature. The hanging garden solves the problem of lack of space and time for cultivation and maintenance.
The oldest known hanging garden was the hanging garden of Babylon, which the Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II is said to have built
for his beloved wife Queen Amytis, who longed for the green fields of her homeland in the desert. This wonder of the ancient world, whether it really existed or not, inspired the design. The approach to create a little paradise in a dreary environment, whether in the arid desert or in the monotonous concrete jungle of big cities, is as important today as it was then.
The project “Babylon’s Balcony” gives people the opportunity to realize this dream of their own little garden. It combines functional design and sustainable materials, providing many advantages over conventional gardening.
The structure is extremely space efficient and can be hung on any balcony, no matter how small, either on the wall or on the ceiling while the floor remains free. It allows gardening with minimal time and effort. As soon as the plants are planted, all that is left to do is watering and some fertilizing. There is no need to tie up the stems, weed or remove vermin and the plants are not affected by ground frost, fungi or other root diseases.
The particular shape of the pot allows for targeted planting and also reduces the overall weight. Large-rooting herbs such as rosemary can be planted over the deepest point while herbs with few roots can be planted at the shallow edge. The side filled with pumice makes it easy to water the pot. Excess water collects at the base of the construction, so nothing drips through the higher bottom openings. In addition, the filling of lava granules, pumice and earth helps to store a large amount of water and evaporation is prevented.
The Object is eco-friendly and made out of regional beech wood, coconut rope, untreated cotton impregnated with locally harvested bee wax and copper connectors, who can be recycled without loss of quality.
All this makes “Babylon’s Balcony” the perfect gardening tool that conjures a green thumb even for the most inexperienced gardener.