Finding new life in abandoned spaces

Third-year Department of Architectural Science student Tatiana Estrina won first place in an international competition, beating out undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. Estrina placed first in the open category in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Steel competition for her submission, UPROOT: Once a Mine, Now a Garden.

UPROOT aims to redevelop open-pit mines into community farmland, giving mines new life after their closure. Each level of the pit serves a purpose for planting seeds, crop maintenance and tool storage, water pumps, and a communal space during harvest season for farming classes, school groups and crop tasting.

Check out the graphics below of Estrina’s design.

For more details on Estrina’s project, please visit the ACSA website (external link) .

Photos: Aerial view of the redeveloped mine; An inside look at the mine and the central communal space for harvest season; An annotation of each level; A view of the walkway.