New Desert Shores: Composing Neo-Settlement for the Post-Flood World

New Desert Shores: Composing Neo-Settlement for the Post-Flood World By: Albert Michael Bellstedt

Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTERS OF ARCHITECTURE Department of Architecture, University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, Canada Advisor: Prof. Eduard Epp Chair: Prof. Lisa Landrum

Copyright Š 2020 Michael Bellstedt - All images have been produced by the author unless otherwise noted.

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Acknowledgements: To Eduard Epp for his guidance, support, critiques, and challenges throughout this process.

Our meetings were filled with passionate dialogue on cities, futures, and global/local implications of challenging the status quo. His voice was invaluable in shaping this body of work.

To Lisa and Ted Landrum for their instruction and input during the M1 year and this year. The astounding breadth of resources, precedent and overall inspiration they offered has had a profound impact on my outlook and aspirations as a designer.

To Leanne for standing by me through the best and the worst of these past two years.

I’m truly grateful for you.

To Nala.

To my Mom, Jean.

To my Brother, Mark.

To my Dad, Ralph.

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Contents: Preface_ A Neo-Settlement

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Section 01_ Research

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Overture of the City The Plight of the Modern City Re-imagining Settlement - Precedent The Speculative Canon

Section 02_ Site

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The Salton Sea Site Photography The Drowning of the Desert - A Proposed Flood Desert Shores

Section 03_ Composing Settlement

Michael Sorkin’s Terms: A Local Code Compositions i-iii Terramorphic Profiles i Composition iv District Sections Composition v (model)

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Section 04_ Development of Primary Infrastructure

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88 90 94 98 100 102

Architecture as Landform / Precedent Terramorphic Profiles ii Terramorphic Nabe Development Preliminary Design - Mountain Terraces Preliminary Design - Desalination Device Preliminary Design - Floating Meshwork

Section 05_ Refining the City

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108 110 114 116

Composition vii Composition viii The Towers - Schematic Design Single Family Dwelling Typology - Schematic Design

Section 06_ New Desert Shores

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120 122 126 136 162

New Desert Shores: A Decentralized Regional Network Final City Compositions in Plan District Terrace-Forma District Terramorph District Gerridae

Reflection

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Appendix I - References

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Appendix II - Technical Details

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A Neo-Settlement This thesis proposes a paradigm shift in human settlement by introducing a radical settlement typology into the speculative discourse. This settlement aims to challenge the infrastructural and morphological status quo of the modern western city with particular attention placed on the world’s climate crisis - and the incoming threat of rising sea levels across the planet.

“Every generation must build its own city. This constant renewal of the architectonic environment will contribute to the victory of futurism which has already been affirmed... And for which we fight without respite against traditionalist cowardice.” 1 - Antonio Sant Elia - “Manifesto of Futurist Architecture” - 1914

1- Antonio Sant’Elia, “Manifesto of Futurist Architecture,” Reading Design, Lacerba, 1914.

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Section 01_ Research “Palliatives are of no use. The dream of untouched nature is over. We have to accept that it will never again be as it once was. The only thing we can do is to build monuments to the new reality so we can recognize the span of urban reality as that of the future.” 2 “The City is Everywhere.”

- Wolf D. Prix

2- Coop Himmelblau: Architecture is Now, Translated by Jo Steinbauer and Roswitha Prix, New York: Rizzoli, 1983. 136.

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Overture of the City Figurative Drawing 01_ City Building Device Cities exist as the result of tension between prevailing global societal cultures and human desire, negotiating untold multitudes of factors which shape their being. Wolfgang Braunfel notes that cities are not designed, rather they “designed themselves as reflections of forms of government and ideals of order.”1 They expand, contract, densify, and degrade organically as human desire acts upon itself through feedback loops built into societal construct.

The architect currently has a finite role to play in the city’s self-regulating machine: architecture is suggested to the city, but is inevitably claimed and altered by versions of the culture that birthed it. According to Spiro Kostof, “the City is never complete, never at rest. Thousands of unwitting acts every day alter its lines in ways that are perceptible only over long periods of time.”2 Braunfel and Kostof speak of cities as cultural and political consequence, rather than collective vision or intent, yet alteration of the city may be instigated for the benefit of humanity by mutating societal perception.

Visionary architects and artists, through various media, periodically attempt to re-imagine the city, particularly regarding lived experience, to accelerate this perceptual change.

1- Spiro Kostof, The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History. London: Thames and Hudson, 1991. 15.

2- Ibid. 13.

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Overture of the City Figurative Drawing 02_ City’s Surreal Body Language has the ability to “allow worlds to shine with the lustre of interrelating beings [in a] multi-dimensional site/event which is the truth wherein human beings dwell.�1 It permits city artifacts to be interpreted, described and perceived, and this perception creates a sense of place. Such forms the basis of the perceived city, which becomes animated by action and thought of both the individual, and the societal collective.

In this drawing, there exists an image of the city projected by the mind which combines individual and collective identities associated with experienced places. This manifests as a collection of imagined infrastructures which fuse to support each other and form a living body, a cybernetic organism which is constructed for and animated by humanity.

What makes a city authentic? The surreal body speaks toward an authenticity in identity of place, as the forms created must cater to emotion and relation, rather than simply being components of a dead matrix.

1- Bret W. Davis, Martin Heidegger: Key Concepts. Durham: Acumen, 2010. 203.

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Overture of the City Figurative Drawing 03_ The Labyrinth Machine City grids from different eras collide and grind together like gears in a malfunctioning engine. Hierarchies of transportation and divisions in society are visible as moving parts in the city’s machine. The shapes a city may take in plan are directly related to its primary infrastructure. For example, from the metrics of the grid, to the labyrinthine qualities of a favela on a hillside, a city’s chosen transportation organization will distinctly determine its shape.

In this drawing, the landscape is seen as a formal aggressor to the city -- humanity is at odds with its natural surroundings, however, in reality it seems that these roles are reversed. Human infrastructures have become the aggressor to natural formations and systems. This is exemplified in urban sprawl and rising carbon emissions due to car-based transportation requirements.

Political space (including government buildings, and places of protest) within a city is crucial for its wellbeing. Such spaces should be easily publicly accessible to allow for the greatest representation of city issues. The drawing also aims to capture a struggle between political city spaces for the empowerment or oppression of its people.

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The Plight of the Modern City Modern cities serve, to varying degrees of success, the practical purpose which society and culture have assigned them as they’ve manifested.

However, it is possible that infrastructure and city systems, guided by bylaw, zone, code, and money, have lost perceptual relation to architecture. Are modern cities lacking spatial and perceptual authenticity?

“Distinctions between the city, suburbs, and countryside were rendered obsolete with advanced industrial capitalism.” -- “If the city is redefined, so the process of urban growth -- or urbanization -- and the lifestyle of citydwellers -- or urbanism -- must also be redefined.” 1

-Nan Ellin “If the city cannot be thought then, regardless of the quality of its interventions, it ceases to be an object of individual or collective concern. To discredit the idea of urban intelligibility -- the idea of coherent urban form -- is to promote an unspoken acquiescence to the forces which otherwise drive its development.” 2 - Albert Pope Perhaps new rule sets for city building are required; ones that are not skewed toward singular systematic or economic interests, but rather the interests of humanity and ecology. Cities must be designed, not carelessly shaped by action and free market motivations. Michael Sorkin’s Local Code suggests that “Cities are units of human accountability to the planet.”3 This is a timely statement specifically regarding the city’s responsibility to change in an effort to adapt to, and mitigate anthropogenic climate forcing. Cities, more than ever, must become mediation devices between humanity and its harshening environments while becoming authentic places that may allow a sense of choice, freedom, and identity through experiential lustre.

In his book The New City, Lebbeus Woods critiques architects “subservience to lesser ends results,” declaring that “this must end if architecture is to become the instrument of human emergence inherent in its comprehensiveness and universality.”4 The severity of Earth’s climate circumstance coupled with exponential growth rates of urban populations worldwide give urgency to Woods’ suggestions for ideological shifts in architectural practice. This thesis argues that the role of the architect must expand into seeking radically alternative urbanity in the form of large scale infrastructural interventions to both adapt and prepare humanity for unprecedented future scenarios regarding rising temperatures and sea levels on Earth. To what extent can the role of the architect shift toward becoming an agent of change for the accountability of cities to planetary ecology?

1- Nan Ellin, Postmodern Urbanism revised edition, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. 271-272.

2- Albert Pope, Ladders, Houston: Rice University School of Architecture, 1996. 13.

3- Michael Sorkin, Local Code: The Construction of a City at 42 degrees N Latitude. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1993. 11.

4- Lebbeus Woods, The New City. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. x.

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Re-Imagining Settlement Precedent As cultures and environments change, so too must the city.

Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, Constant’s New Babylon, and Le Corbusier’s Radiant City serve as examples where architects and/or artists took it upon themselves to question and redefine possibilities for city dwelling. These propositions are embedded in a speculative canon which consists of theoretical acts that unleash the political nature of architecture while proposing future social and spatial living conditions for humanity. Such propositions appear in fragments across the built world, as their existence influences perceptual and physical change in the city. The presence of these ideas initiates feedback loops between the theoretical realm and physical reality. They are tested and altered accordingly, which then further influences, and predicts shifts in the human condition of settlement. 1

1 - Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City - Drawing

1- CJ Lim, Inhabitable Infrastructures: Science Fiction or Urban Future?, New York: Routledge, 2017. 47.

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2 - Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City - Model

3 - Constant Nieuwenhuys’ New Babylon - Drawing

4 - Le Corbusier’s Radiant City - Model

Images 1- Ebenezer Howard, Garden City, 1902, Drawing, (originally published in Garden Cities of tomorrow, Sonnenschein publishing,1902), Accessed November 25, 2019, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Garden_ City_Concept_by_Howard.jpg 2- Frank Lloyd Wright, “Broadacre City.” Photograph, Accessed November 25, 2019, https://1sd06y38jhbh1xhqve6fqmc1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/header_rbroadacre-1440x640.jpg 3- Constant Nieuwenhuys, “New Babylon.” Drawing, Accessed November 25, 2019, https://work-body-leisure.hetnieuweinstituut.nl/sites/default/files/styles/pages_slider/public/2abam_1211.jpg?itok=q8Jr31nc 4- Le Corbusier, “Ville Radieuse.” Photograph, Accessed November 25, 2019, https://www.archdaily.com/411878/ad-classics-ville-radieuse-le-corbusier/52001cc3e8e44e6db0000007-ad-classics-ville-radieuse-le-corbusier-image

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The Speculative Canon Master plans of development and grand schemes of ideal cities, urban restoration and resilience form a discourse on the urban retro-future. This includes the many universes and dimensions explored within worlds of art, poetry and science fiction. Whether experienced through still frame images, sculpture, literature, or film, the explored urban conditions within these media seduce the mind and capture the imagination. Through these theoretical acts, the political nature of architecture is unleashed and tested while critiquing the trends of the city through formal and experiential qualities.

This collage, entitled Megalopolis of the Speculative Canon, is a manifestation of existing and speculative city works extracted from various media including: Paintings, sculptures, drawings, films, video games, and built reality. Images are assembled, linked, mixed, and re-mixed as a reflection on my own conception of speculative cities proposed, in their various forms, through time.

The Megalopolis of the Speculative Canon In Situ: Architecture 2 Studio, 4th Floor

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Collage Ingredients Selections from the Speculative Canon: Cities in Film: Metropolis - Metropolis (1927) Los Angeles 2019 - Blade Runner (1982) Neo Tokyo 2019 - Akira (1988) New York 2263 - The Fifth Element (1997) Dark City - Dark City (1998) Chicago 2054 - Minority Report (2002) Howl’s Castle - Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Coruscant - Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005) Treasuretown - Tekkonkinkreet (2006) Zodanga - John Carter (2012) San Fran Sokyo - Big Hero 6 (2014) The Citidel - Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Las Vegas 2049 - Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Video Game Visions: Rapture - Bioshock (2007) New Vegas - Fallout: New Vegas (2010) Sanctuary - Borderlands 2 (2012) Visions of the Architect: Radiant City - Le Corbusier (1924-1933) Broadacre City - Frank Lloyd Wright (1930-1956) Lancaster/Hanover - John Hejduk (1980-1982) The New City - Lebbeus Woods (1992) Weed, Yuma, AZ - Michael Sorkin (1992) Grimm City - Pascal Bronner and Thomas Hillier (2012) Visions of the Artist: Metropolis II - Chris Burden (2011) New Babylon - Constant Nieuwenhuys (1959-1974) The Smoking Fire - Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1749-1750) Multiplication of the Arcs - Yves Tanguy (1954) Visions in Reality: Shibam, Yemen (Established 3rd Century CE) Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong (Demolished 1993-1994)

Leda and the Swan - A motif of inauguration and seduction: Leda and the Swan - Giovanni Francesco Melzi (1515) Leda and the Swan - Michaelangelo (1530) Leda and the Swan - Paul Cezanne (1882) Leda and the Swan - Cy Twombly (1962)

Top: Speculative transportation networks are blended Bottom: Cezanne’s Leda and the Swan leans on Immortan Joe’s Citidel

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Top: Treasuretown - City of Play Bottom: The Centralis - A focal point of seduction around which all images are linked.

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Top Left: The shifting forms of Dark City blend with Neo-Tokyo and Metropolis.

Bottom Left: Michael Sorkin’s Weed becomes entwined with Cy Twombly’s rendition of Leda and the Swan.

Right: Cornelis Bos’ Drawing of Michaelangelo’s Leda and the Swan floats over Coruscant.

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On the reverse-side of the collage, fragments of models are built as an extraction of tectonic elements from each of the different city conditions portrayed on the front side.

This is intended to be a microcosm of dialogue between the speculative and the built. Interactions between these models are encouraged and sought. Specific moments of imagined infrastructural intrigue are named according to terminology detailed in Michael Sorkin’s Local Code.

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Above: Lebbeus Woods’ The New City Below: A Block of Flats Becomes Cut

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Above: Zodanga and New Vegas Below: Towers of Neo Tokyo adjoin Piranesian Arches

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Section 02_ Site The Coachella and Imperial Valleys in Southern California exemplify naturally radical locations because of their extreme temperature, earthquake risk, fire risk, and future flood risk from the rising Pacific Ocean. They are also socially radical, as they host heterotopian settlement which is unique to the desert and its proximity to the Salton Sea. With numerous variables in these areas being noticeably affected by human induced climate change, the sites exist as hinges of extremity between humanity’s current and future living conditions.

This makes the location an ideal testing ground for speculative architectures which are resilient to growing desert conditions across the planet, rising global temperatures, and changing ocean levels.

Such an effort could also reclaim and re-purpose a lost desert dream for the Salton Sea by providing desirable desert living conditions, and a refuge for those displaced from future flooded coastal regions. Finally, if an experimental settlement typology is deemed successful in this area, it can plausibly be applied to geographically similar climate-forced locations across the globe to stave off mass displacement and exodus of humanity from volatile coastal and desert environments.

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The Salton Sea The Salton Sea is the result of an engineering disaster which occurred in 1905.1 At the time, the California Development Company envisioned the Imperial Valley as an untapped agricultural resource, and decided to divert the Colorado River into the valley for irrigation purposes.2 The result was the Imperial Canal, which after a storm water surge in 1905, burst and created a massive flow of water into the barren “Salton Sink.”3 The sink has been flooded and drained periodically through history (filled as recently as the mid 1500s).

During this time, the body of water occupying the sink was known as Lake Cahuilla, which was six times the size of the current Salton Sea.4 When first formed, the Salton Sea level was 195’ below global sea level, however it has since shrunk to 238’ below global sea level due to extreme summer temperatures causing evaporation.5 The sea has become an ecological disaster: fish and barnacle die-offs and bird botulism plague the shores, and algal blooms occur frequently as salinity increases.6 Current salt levels are 60 ppt, compared to the Ocean’s 35ppt.7 Though it continues to shrink, efforts from the Government of California to preserve the sea persist to varying levels of commitment. Furthermore, some of those who inhabit the sea’s surrounding settlements have curated unique and creative lives for themselves in this eccentric landscape.

The Sea is elongated from North to South, creating a rift in the desert landscape. Thus, settlement around the Salton Sea exists in two halves - the West shore and the East shore. Upon visiting, it is evident that distinct cultures have formed on either side of the Sea. On the East shores lie the towns of Bombay Beach (i) and Slab City (ii), as well as the State Recreation Area (iii) and Sonny Bono Wildlife Reservation (iv). There exists a sense of pride and identity in these towns, as they act as refuges for those who choose to live on the edge of society. Numerous sculptural art installations and modified dwellings also show adaptation and sensitivity to the natural threats of the desert. Conversely, the locus of the West shore Salton Sea settlements reads of ecological and economic defeat, as the architecture lies misplaced and disconnected from its surroundings. Desert Shores (v) and the Salton City (vi) were, at one time, seen as the future resort capitals on the Sea, however, they’ve become neglected since developers pulled economic backing from these larger infrastructural projects. What remains are dried up shells of marinas, and undeveloped neighborhoods with roads and boulevards leading to nowhere. Yet, even in its dilapidated state, with lot prices as low as $3000, these settlements are still viewed as investment opportunities for individuals waiting for their dream in the desert to come true.

1- Salton Sea Authority, “Timeline of Salton Sea History.” http://saltonseaauthority. org/get-informed/history/. Accessed Novemver 13 2019.

2- Ibid.

3- Ibid.

4- Ibid.

5- Ibid.

6- Ibid.

7- Ibid.

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Miracle in the Desert By the mid 1950s, the Salton Sea was thought of as a tourism boon for California -- the State intended to develop the entire waterfront around the Sea as a resort paradise. With the backing of politicians and celebrities alike, state recreation areas were established, along with yacht clubs, marinas, and settlement infrastructures. During this time, the Salton Sea became known as “The Miracle in the Desert,” and investors and developers were quick to establish roots in what would surely be profitable towns and cities in the future.1 However, the sea did not function in a sustainable fashion. After repeated flooding in the mid-1970s, developer optimism halted along with the ravenous building, as supplementary water flow from the Colorado river was cut off from the Salton Sea soon after.2

A 1961 Postcard from Desert Shores California

1- Salton Sea Authority, “Timeline of Salton Sea History.” http://saltonseaauthority.org/get-informed/history/. Accessed Novemver 13 2019.

2- Ibid.

Image: “Greetings from the Salton Sea.” Postcard. 1961. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saltonsea-postcard.jpg

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Dead Barnacles on the Shore of the Salton Sea

A dried up boat launch - Salton Sea State Recreation Area

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Saltbrush scrub vegetation, the sea, and the Santa Rosa Mountains

The Shoreline - The sea emits a foul odor

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The Bombay Beach Biennale The town of Bombay Beach on the East shores of the Salton Sea plays host to an assortment of artistic artifacts and compositions. These works are assembled on private property, abandoned lots, and on the beach itself. Each work is an assemblage of recycled materials and relics of the past which take on new meaning in relation to each other, and the desert setting.

“The Bombay Beach Biennale is a renegade celebration of art, music, and philosophy that takes place on the literal edge of western civilization, at the shores of the Salton Sea. The Biennale, founded in 2015, transforms abandoned housing, vacant lots, and decaying shoreline into a unique canvas for creative expression. Artists, philosophers, creators and makers across many mediums donate their time and talents to the volunteer-led happening.”1 1 - “Bombay Beach Biennale.” About. Accessed October 23 2019. http://www.bombaybeachbiennale.org/

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Salvation Mountain at Slab City CA - under construction since 1984.

Salvation Mountain’s interior structure.

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Tower at East Jesus Artist Sanctuary - Slab City CA 39

Boat Launch (closed for season) - Desert Shores CA

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Beach Facility - Salton City CA

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Unrealized Subdivision - Desert Shores CA

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Deserted Marina Bay - Desert Shores CA

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The Drowning of the Desert A Proposed Flood: Joel E. Cohen noted in 1995 that the “finiteness of the earth guarantees that ceilings on human numbers do exist.”1 However, he also noted that economic, and political forces will play equally integral roles in shaping the sustainability of the earth’s population, and its footprint on the ecology of the planet.

Presently, as the world’s population charges toward 10 billion people, and with greenhouse gas emissions continually on the rise, human impact on the natural systems which sustain our livelihood has never been greater.2 Reckless resource consumption and production on a global scale reflect political barriers, as nationalist prosperity among the world’s countries is sought with little regard for the sustenance of collective humanity. Currently, the manner in which western society dwells is unsustainable, and the American dream has become a pervasive idea which encourages consumption without accountability to the greater ecology of the planet. Yet, the dream persists, and without drastic societal or political reform on the horizon, negative trends in climate change will be accelerated. The IPCC’s 2013 report on the ocean and climate change states that “Sea level rise will continue beyond 2100 even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C in the 21st century (high confidence). Marine ice sheet instability in Antarctica and/or irreversible loss of the Greenland ice sheet could result in multi-metre rise in sea level. These instabilities could be triggered at around 1.5°C to 2°C of global warming (medium confidence).”2 A simulation is proposed in which the site will change based on the aforementioned projected climate metrics. An anticipated flood resulting from the collapse of one of the world’s three major ice sheets (East Antarctic, West Antarctic, or Greenland) will impose a radically changed site - the Salton Sea will swell to six times its current size.3 This alteration in site will test how architecture can be a crucial component in responding to climate change.

How will a speculative city design begin to adapt to this change? Post-flood city architectures in this neo-future will utilize a subject (individual) and object (architecture) to create relationships and animate the speculative city as a live matrix. Specific architectures within the city will be designed in detail to channel the mandate of this new method of settlement.

1- Joel E. Cohen, “How Many People Can the Earth Support?,” The Sciences 35, no. 6 (1995): 19.

2- IPCC, Long-Term Climate Change: Projections, Commitments and Irreversibility, London: Cambridge University Press, 2013, 1112.

3- 10- Chris Clarke, “Global Warming, Storm Surges & the Mother Of All Desert Floods,” Socal Focus, September 14, 2011. https://www.kcet. org/socal-focus/global-warming-storm-surges-the-motherof-all-desert-floods.

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A layered map of the proposed flood of the Imperial Valley shows the path of a storm surge originating from the Sea of Cortez. The path of this surge assumes 2o planetary warming, resulting in the collapse of one major ice sheet, and a 6m rise in global sea level.

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The Colorado River Delta Thousands of years of sediment buildup separates the Sea of Cortez from the Imperial and Coachella valleys. This barrier is no more than 9m above sea level at any point.

Current Land Use of Imperial and Coachella Valleys 46

Storm Surge and the Swelling of the Sea

If action is not taken to quell anthropogenic climate change, global sea levels may rise as much as 60m with all ice sheets melting.

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Desert Shores Desert Shores CA, located at the Northwest tip of the Salton Sea, was supposed to be a bustling resort town.

However, its current state of dilapidation is a direct result of the Salton Sea’s recession and ecological peril. The current population of the town has dwindled to approximately 1100 people.

Yet, close proximity to the southern tip of the Santa Rosa Mountain range creates geographical variety and intrigue for this town. Of all the various settlement around the sea, Desert Shores is deemed the ideal location for experimentation.

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A 37 km2 site transect is the area of focus centered around the existing town of Desert Shores. Rather than the town itself, the geographical qualities of the selected region are prioritized in site investigations. A future flood zone is then determined with respect to the proposed sea level rise.

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Desert Shores: A Geographic Section

Left: Mountainous Desert Condition Center: Flat Desert Condition Right: Flat Desert meets the Receded Sea 50

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Moon Over Dwelling - Dan Namingha

1- Dan Namingha, Moon Over Dwelling 1, Painting, Accessed December 1, 2019, https://korologosgallery.com/wp-content/ uploads/2015/02/MoonOverDwelling1_26x46-lg.jpg

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Section 03_ Composing Settlement

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City Plans in Automata Cities in plan are composed of line and shape. Lines are interpreted as infrastructure and systems connecting city nodes and architectures. As cities expand, similar to a drawing, each successive line of connectivity is based upon previous construction. Lines themselves embody realized prevailing desires of the city and its inhabitants.

The act of automatic drawing focuses on desire embedded in the subconscious as a composition manifests simply by beginning. Each new line or shape adds different quality and specificity to each plan.

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The Desert in Automata Automatic sketches are composed on site during the October 2019 trip to the Salton Sea. Their focus is on the prospect of inhabiting the desert and constructing in the desert. Their inspiration can be credited to Dan Namingha, an Indigenous American artist whose Hopi ancestry informs his depictions of inhabiting the desert.

While sitting in the heat drawing with pastel and ink, certain words became important, and are embedded in each sketch: Heat - Cracks - Sun - Rock - Jagged - Quake - Dig - Span Thirst - Sweat - Water - Shade - Dry - Red - Grit - Fire Smoke - Dust.

Borrego Springs i

Desert Shores i

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Ocotillo Wells i

Ocotillo Wells ii

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The Sunbaked Heat

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The Injected Oasis

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Michael Sorkin’s Terms - A Local Code The language which Michael Sorkin uses in his book Local Code: The Constitution of a City at 42 o N Latitude poetically outlines an ideal composition for a desert city. It may be interpreted as a fiction itself, similar to other pieces in the speculative canon, yet it was recognized as one of the most applicable resources for providing boundless potential for imaginative stimulation, and guidance in successful city composition. Throughout the process of composing settlement, selections from Sorkin’s array of terminology proved invaluable by informing the various iterations of New Desert Shores.

Sorkin, Michael. Weed. Sketch. 1992. http://www.sorkinstudio.com/weed

Selected Elements: Grade - “IV-3.4 - There will be no limitation to the number of grades established throughout the city.” (40) Blue - “IV-4.1 - A Waterway may occupy any grade.” (42) “IV-4.7 - Waterways may be stacked.” (42) Green - “IV-5.2 - The upper surface of the city is to be predominantly green.” “IV-5.7 - The total area of wilderness shall, at a minimum, be twice the Habbed area of the city.” (45) Nabe - “IV-6.1 - The Nabe is the fundamental constituent of the organization of the city.” (50) Net - “IV-8.1 - Delineated means of circulation within the city and between Habs shall be known as Nets.” (55) Gate - “IV-9.7 - An Architectural Gate is an autonomous construction which serves to mark, frame, or otherwise delineate the moment of entry.”(60) Place - “IV-10.1 - A Place is a publicly perceptible and spatially distinct portion of the city that exhibits special coherence.” (62) Center - “IV-11.1 - Certain centers will be established throughout the city. These will be both places of assembly and points of measure.” (63) “Each Nabe will have a Center.” (63) Edge - “IV-12.1 - An Edge is a seam or boundary which distinguishes two differing conditions within the city.” (64) Public Space - “IV-13.4 - No Public Space may be unlinked. The public area of the city is to be continuous.” (66) Hab - “IV-17 .1 - Hab is the physical delimitation of inhabitation.” (74) “IV-17.3 - Hab is the primary increment of construction in the city.” (74) “ IV-17.4 - Habmass is the continuous aggregation of one or more habs.” (74) Party Wall - “IV-18.1 - Party Walls are localized structures of commonality in the city.” (77) “IV-18.3 - The Party Wall may contain anything that is common to those Habs: bicycle storage, meeting space, garden, service space, Goodsnet End, communal kitchen or bath, play room, squash court, wine cellar, etc.” (77) Structures - “IV-19.3 - Structures will have uses.” (78) Tectons - “IV-20.1 - Tectons are the particular formal and material conventions of the city and the basic increment of its physical character.” (79) Subterranea - “IV-21.1 - The constructed area of the city lying below the designated First Grade and not meeting the general daylight requirements shall be known as Subterranea.” (81) Piazzas - “IV-22.9 - Piazzas are not green.” (83) “IV-22.10 - Each Class A Piazza shall contain a timepiece.” (83) Restaurants and Cafes - “IV-25.1 - Each Nabe will be provided with Restaurants and Cafes on sites specified for them.” (88) Selected Tectons: Beach - “V1.3 - Between Habbed areas of the Beach and the water will be a sand beach of a width no less than 200 feet.” (91) Heliotropolis - “V-3.3 - No Hab-Cluster in Heliotropolis shall cast a shadow on another.” (95) Ravines - “V-5.2 - Ravines may range in depth from 16 to 65 feet, measured from adjoining grade.” (99) Woods - “V-8.1 - The Green area of the Woods is to be equivalent to 90% of the area of First Grade within the Woods.” (104) Hills - “V-7.1 - The minimum angle of inclination of a Hill shall be at least 15 degrees in its initial shift from adjacent grade.” (102) Towers - “V17.3 - The Tower will be a minimum of 100 feet higher than the next highest structure in the Nabe.”

(117) “17.4 - The top of each Tower will be publicly accessible.” (117) Mysterioso - “V-11.1 - Each Nabe is to contain an unmapped enclave.” (109) Collegetown - “V-13.2 - The Use component of Collegetown is a University.” (111) Clouds - “V-15.2 - The Clouds are generally the uppermost Habmasses in the City.” (114) “V-15.6 - Clouds may move.” (114) Cuts - “V-18.3 - The volume of a Cut is determined by the volume of displaced Habmass or Earthmass through which it passes.” (118) Burrows - “V-21.1 - Burrows, which carry a Strong Negative Vector, are passages through other Tectons.” (121) Coils - “V-23.1 - The Coil is a Strong-Vectored Tecton which curves.” (123) All above entries originated from the following source, their specific corresponding page number is featured in brackets above.

Sorkin, Michael. Local Code: The Construction of a City at 42 degrees N Latitude. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1993. 40-123.

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Compositions i and ii Initial iterations of a Neo-Settlement are based on an introductory set of rules: 1 - The Jeffersonian Grid will not be referenced.

2 - Car-based transport will not be considered. Regional transport will be track-based. The city should be walkable.

3 - Power sources are to be renewable. As this is the desert, they will be predominantly solar.

4 - The city should be self-sufficient for its food, water, waste, and power needs.

5 - There are to be more than two city grades.

6 - The Skyline is to be publicly accessible.

7 - The city must ecologically rehabilitate and maintain the Salton Sea and the surrounding desert biome.

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Composition ii

Composition i 63

Composition iii Composition iii is conceived as a continuous regional entity enclosed by a ring of infrastructure. Self-sufficiency and integration with existing natural systems are prioritized as circular districts form clusters of program. Distinct shapes form both nodes, and webbing between track-based transportation and city systems. In plan they exist as rough outlines, hollow or shaded, however each form is imagined as its own entity whether it be public plaza, mid-rise dwelling, floating cafe, sun terrace, community garden, swimming channel etc.

Bottom Left: Satellite Infrastructure Top Right: Floating District Bottom Right: Seaport Condition Far Right: Composition iii

64

65

Terraforming The city is to have a site-specific dialogue with the Santa-Rosa mountain range. Aggregate material will be extracted from the mountains to create subterranean crevasses in the rock.

The removed aggregate will be used in turn to create floodinteractive infrastructures on the flat desert terrain.

A 1:1250 Desert Testing Ground is built to begin actualizing the dialogue of Cut and Fill. Granular mixes are concocted and cast into different forms using excavated sand matter.

The cast mixture had to be perfected to create a stable solid which resulted in an archaeological quality to some of the initial casts, as they broke when the formwork was taken away.

These events were embraced and celebrated, and are viewed as a byproduct of the aggregate’s material language.

Excavation Area with Spanning Construction

Aggregate Mix 66

Formwork Structure

Constructed Landform i - Plan View

Constructed Landform i 67

Terramorphic Profiles i In order to withstand rapid-onset floods on the flat desertscape, it is proposed that massive landform constructions - known as terramorphic profiles - are designed to act as a primary infrastructure on which to construct parasitic architecture. These landform structures are architectural themselves, and will be designed using a combination of contemporary, and ancient building techniques/technologies. In particular, ancient techniques of Roman brickwork and Chinese rammed earth are investigated alongside the latest steel sheet piling and gabion wall details to provide a robust constructed landscape on which a settlement will thrive.

Sketched Profiles.

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Drafted Profile i

Drafted Profile ii 69

The Desert Testing Ground is once again utilized to discover solid/void relationships in the terramorphic constructions.

These constructions may serve as substrates for shade structures, housing, and park/recreation conditions. The voided areas between casts are viewed as inhabitable as well, allowing each morphed landscape to have interior spaces unto themselves.

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The concept of terraforming begins to affect the city composition in section.

Movement of water through the city is considered.

To what extent can the city facilitate the rehabilitation of the Salton Sea’s water quality?

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Diagram of cyclical and linear relationships between water, land, light, wind, and the city.

These relationships shape the city.

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Composition iv New Desert Shores begins to be considered in three zones: Mountainous Desert, Flat Desert, and Sea. Districts are divided based on 1.6km diameters - the distance at which a person can comfortably walk for 15 minutes. Additionally, green areas of recreation and agriculture, and blue water canals and pools are composed in plan. Terramorphic profiles, and cut/fill dialogue between the mountainous and flat zones are imagined as well.

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75

Composition iv1

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Mountainous District Section An urban surface is created.

District construction is continuous.

Variety is sought.

Multi-layered, multi-functional inhabitation infrastructure dances down the mountainside. The terraces and tower structures considered in this section provide views of the imperial valley, while subterranean water reservoir basins give the settlement dedicated water-treatment space. Skeletal architectures support multiple grades, and adjustable solar fins and sails - allowing the built hab-bodies to generate their own power. Transportation tracks and ramps would weave through this architecture. Rather than act as barriers between city spaces, trackbased transportation is considered integral to the architecture both in structure and service.

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Flat Desert District Section Adjustable and floating infrastructures are considered on the flood expectant flat desert plane. Iterations of terramorphic profiles support additional skeletal structures, green spaces and waterways. It is assumed in this iteration that an incoming flood would overcome the height of the profiles. Their empty shells would sit submerged at the bottom of the ocean, acting as anchor points for the skeletal infrastructure floating to the surface. Their presence on the new ocean floor would also act as habitat for aquatic species.

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Composition v Composition V manifests in model form. The 37 km2 site transect is constructed at a scale of 1:5000, equaling a model size of 3’x7’.

Visions of both Flat Desert and Mountainous districts are projected on the constructed site.

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Waterfront Beach and Piers

New construction interacts with the existing Highway 86 and the mapped roads of existing Desert Shores

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Composition v The ridges of the Santa Rosa Mountain range are mapped using a gridded system with corresponding height values. Terraced infrastructure cascades down the mountain ridges, providing views facing outward toward each of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys.

Mountainous District Plan 84

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Michael Heizer - City

Hawkesworth, Jamie. “City�. Photographed for the New Yorker. 2016. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/29/michael-heizers-city

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Section 04_ Development of Primary Infrastructure After a period of time spent designing at a macro-scale of 1:10000 and 1:5000, a varied approach is considered where geographically specific primary infrastructure is designed, then applied to the scale of the city.

This approach will create a dialogue between the infrastructure itself and how the composition of the city responds to it. Initial Terramorphic Profile designs are expanded upon as the central focus of the thesis, while seaspecific and mountain-specific infrastructure are also developed.

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Architecture as Landform The desire for humanity to shape their surrounding landscapes, from digging foundations, and grading land, to orienting built works on a predetermined grid, is deeply ingrained in contemporary building practice. This notion is not limited to terraforming, however, as buildings and built infrastructure works form tangible divisions and forms on the horizon. When combined on a skyline, buildings of different heights become landforms akin to mountains, mesas and rock escarpments alike. In his book Landform Building , Stan Allen compares built works to landforms, stating that “architecture is situated between the biological and the geological — slower than living beings but faster than the underlying geology.”1 Constructed works are considered as semi-permanent structures, however they are fleeting when placed on a geologic time scale. Nevertheless, they act profoundly to shape human experience and interaction through time as long as they exist. As a monumental architecture of ancient times, Khufu’s Great Pyramid is an example of an awe inspiring figure which has shaped the horizon for over 4000 years.2 This structure is, perhaps, equal parts landform and architecture, similar to Ziggurats, Mastabas, and other similar ancient religious temples found across the world. These structures are not “simple sculptural solids, but complex objects creating new relationships between inside and outside,”3 between the unbuilt and built, and the serendipitous and the designed. Adhering city infrastructure to a constructed landform is not a new concept - the 5th century Greek term “Acropolis” or “High City”4 denotes a constructed high point in a city which allowed for easier defense of the city’s most coveted architecture. The most famous acropolis, in Athens, utilizes a natural rock formation as a base for a massive brick terrace structure. This structure acts as a base for several temples, including the Parthenon. The proposed landform constructions for my thesis are similarly intended for defense in the spirit of protecting architecture and the city, however in this case, rising water levels, not enemy forces, are the reason for seeking higher ground.

Michael Jakob’s essay “On Mountains: Scalable and Unscalable,” references the dreamlike drawings of monumental landform/building hybrids and the importance of their layering. The Tower of Babel, drawn by Pieter Bruegel the Elder is noted as a particularly grand religious structure - “a mountain-like construct”5 - which embodies the built-up architectural techniques of the Roman Colosseum.6 Shown as a tower which is falling to pieces, Jakob declares that it is at this moment of ruination wherein the layering, or palimpsest of the artifact, becomes visible.7 The same can be said for an existing built monument such as Khufu’s Pyramid, and equally in the naturally occurring stratum layering found within a mountainside. Considering this concept of layering will become crucial in developing a successful strategy for creating a landform structure which is both impervious to water, and which embodies permanence and stability.

1- Stan Allen and Mark McQuade, Landform Building: Architecture’s New Terrain. Baden: Lars Muller Publishers, 2011, 22.

2- Andrew Ballantyne, Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present. London: Lawrence King, 2012, 14.

3- Allen, Landform Building , 83.

4- Ballantyne, Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present, 168.

5- Allen, Landform Building , 150.

6- Ibid.

7- Ibid.

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1

2

3

Precedent There are a series of existing built projects and technologies which capture the intent of constructed landform architecture. The Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, WA by Weiss/ Manfredi (2007) is one such example, as it transformed the vacant in-between spaces separating freeway and rail into a constructed landscape using concrete sheet piles.8 These piles are used on either side of a built-up landscape to provide superior stability, and create the tapered formation of three separate landform structures. Each structure is connected by a bridge over the existing rail and road infrastructure, exemplifying the connectivity and inhabitability which a constructed landform infrastructure could afford an urban space. Different grade levels, solid/void relationships, and attached architecture components are all aspects of this project which I hope to channel when considering the shape and design of a constructed terramorphic profile. Similar in resilience to the concrete sheet piling found in the Olympic Sculpture Park project, steel sheet piling is seen as an effective solution in providing stability to constructed landforms while maintaining water exclusion. This type of sheet piling is employed worldwide within coastal cities in the construction of water-adjacent infrastructure. Protrusions into the water such as docks, piers and break walls are constructed landforms themselves, and if used on a larger scale and shaped accordingly, steel sheet piles would be an ideal cornerstone of a water-resilient terramorphic profile.

4

If a combination wall of sheet piles is situated on either side of a mass of compacted-earth aggregate, with steel reinforcement, a landform of significant depth, robust structural capabilities could be created. An ancient take on the aforementioned technique was employed by the Ming dynasty of China beginning in 1449 with the construction of The Great Wall of China.9 The wall flows over mountains and hills alike as it sprawls across the landscape. It was built to defend China against Mongolian invaders, and stands 6.5 meters high, and five meters wide through the majority of its sections.10 Kiln fired bricks form the edges of this solid wall construction with rubble filling the void space in the center.

This simple - yet effective method of landform construction could be utilized on a larger scale using the previously discussed sheet piling instead of brick as a container for the compacted rock aggregate.

5

8- Weiss/Manfredi. “Seattle Art Museum: Olympic Sculpture Park.” 2007, Web. 9- Ballantyne, Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present, 178.

10- Ibid.

Images 1- Chernov, Mytyslav. “Great Pyramid of Giza.” February 8, 2009. Photograph. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza_%28Khufu%E2%80%99s_pyramid%29%2C_Pyramid_of_Khafre%2C_Pyramid_of_Menkaure_%28right_to_left%29._Giza%2C_Cairo%2C_Egypt%2C_North_Africa.jpg.

2- Encyclopedia Britannica. “Athens: Acropolis.” Photograph.https://www.britannica.com/place/Athens/The-Acropolis#/media/1/40773/200444 3- Pieter Bruegel the Elder. “The Tower of Babel.” c.1563. Oil on wood panel.114cm x 155cm. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_The_Tower_of_Babel_%28Vienna%29_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1200px-Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_The_Tower_of_Babel_%28Vienna%29_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 4- Weiss/ Manfredi. Olympic Sculpture Park Before and After Construction.Photograph compilation. 2007.http://www.weissmanfredi.com/project/seattle-art-museum-olympic-sculpture-park 5- Reiffer, Paul. The Greatest Wall. Photograph. 2012. https://content.paulreiffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/beijing-banner-mutianyu-great-wall-china-frost-winter-paul-reiffer-workshop-luxury-all-inclusiveexpeditiontour-photo-photography-asia.jpg

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Terramorphic Profiles ii A new set of rules (far right) guide further exploration into constructed landforms as primary city infrastructure. Variables in their construction are named. Multiple terramorphic profiles may come together to form a neighborhood which has its own topographical hierarchy.

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Parasitic architecture adheres to a slender landform profile

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Preliminary Flooded Condition 93

Terramorphic Nabe Development

Terramorphic Nabe Model Study i - Two Profiles Joined Once, with Platforms

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Terramorphic Nabe Model Study ii - Six Profiles Joined Seven Times, with Transportation Systems

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Terramorphic Nabe Development The meeting of two or more Terramorphic Profiles creates a Nabe condition. Each Nabe may operate as a distinct community which functions as part of a district. By intersecting profiles, enclosed courtyard-like spaces are created which would keep an interior desertgrade intact in a flood scenario. A Terramorphic district could act as a network of small islands in this case.

Ascending scale of inhabitation designations: Dwelling -- Habmass -- Nabe -- District -- Regional Network

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Terramorphic Profile - Thickening Occurs - Interior Structure is Visible

The Built Landform Under Construction: A Pozzolan aggregate mix is added gradually to complete the profile as excavation is underway.

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Mountain Terraces Preliminary Design Construction in the Desert Testing Ground model continues. The process of cut/fill is carried out once more, carving a new subterranean space in the mountain area, and forming a Terramorphic Profile. Terraces are constructed around this central reservoir depression, creating public piazzas and green spaces on the mountainside. Paths of water and transit are imagined and constructed around these spaces as well.

Free movement throughout the city is considered a right.

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Desalination Device Preliminary Design Intended as a centerpiece of the mountainous district, a passive water treatment device is expressed as an extending form reaching down into the excavated reservoir. The subterranean reservoir is intended to be inhabitable for city functions which do not require daylight. The language of terraces and ramps continues in the mountainous district.

Section Model - 1:1250 Scale

D.D. - Preliminary Sketch 100

Center for Water Appreciation - Preliminary Plan

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Floating Meshwork Preliminary Design A floating infrastructure pattern is kinetic, and will shift based upon neighborhood needs and tidal patterns. Each member is shaped to allow certain movement and rotation. The individual pieces connect to form a meshwork - a primary floating infrastructure which acts as a substrate for construction. Platforms and walkways may be built on each member to support water-interactive architecture.

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Composition vi

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Section 05_ Refining the City Based on additional development of zone-specific Primary Infrastructure, the city composition responds.

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i.

iii.

ii.

Composition vi1

Density map superimposes areas of other cities with populations equal to 50 000 people to that of New Desert Shores. i- Cheyenne, Wyoming - 675 people/ km2 ii- Schweinfurt, Germany - 1400 people/ km2 iii- Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong - 1 923 000 people/ km2

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Anticipated Programmatic Distribution on a Single Terramorphic Profile - Plan Diagram

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Composition vii New Desert Shores begins to be envisioned as both a refuge and a resort destination. By rehabilitating the Salton Sea and creating desirable conditions, the lost dream of “The Miracle in the Desert” may be realized.

As sea levels rise and flood waters intrude on surrounding regions in the valley, displaced residents will seek refuge in the city’s adaptable infrastructures.

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109

Composition viii

Below: City composition with agricultural piers secured to the bases of mountain ridges - a possible alternative to terraced agriculture.

Such infrastructure may be required if the city were to grow larger.

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Seven Terramorphic Nabes are outlined. This arrangement is proposed to form the initial district of the city on the flat desert, replacing the former Desert Shores CA.

111

Schematic Tower Design and Placement on Terramorph

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The Towers - Schematic Design Towers cling to embedded structure at joining points of crossing Terramorphic Profiles. Beginning as shells of infrastructure and systems, open to the air, they are proposed as nodes of the city, stacking space which may be experimentally developed over time. Views from each tower are also intended to be publicly experienced. Solar shade fins rotate with the sun, powering different architectures which gradually fill in its form.

Preliminary Plan 114

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Single Family Dwelling Typology Schematic Plan - Dwelling on the Constructed Cliffside

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vii.

iii. vi.

ii.

i.

iv.

Section: i - Primary Transverse Grade ii - Single Person Dwelling iii - Tracknet Boarding Platform

v.

iv - Cove v - Pozzolan Aggregate Fill vi - Reinforced Soil Top-layer vii - Single Family Dwellings

Steel tie rods and box-trusses project through each Terramorphic Profile. This structure will support parasitic architecture and platform grades attached to the constructed landform.

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Assembly of the Desert Infrastructure - Midterm Thesis Review Pin-up - February 14, 2020

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Section 06_ New Desert Shores The final vision for New Desert Shores proposes three distinct district typologies: District Terrace-Forma (Mountainous Zone) District Terraform (Flat Desert Zone) District Gerridae (Sea Zone) Each district is to work cohesively with the others to perform as a resilient system in the face of climbing temperatures and rising sea levels.

The city is presented through architectural fragments which paint an image of its lived condition.

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Quantifying Settlement City quantifications are based upon an extrapolation of the statistics and calculations found in MVRDV’s Metacity/Datatown. To enable these preliminary calculations, an assumed population of 50 000 people is spread across three city districts. Knowing the potential numbers affiliated with crucial city components strongly influenced the final composition.

Food: - Calculations assume a regulated meat society =0.0025km2/ person =124.5km2 Area required for food production Living Space: - Average 3 people per dwelling - 16 666 Dwellings - Average dwelling size = 90m2 = 1500 km2 - Total Living Area Power: 0.75 MWh/ person/ year = 37500 MWh of electricity required per year One solar panel produces 550 KWh/ year (0.55 MWh/year) = 68 181 - 2m x 1m solar panels required - Utilizing other methods of power such as wind will offset this number.

Water: - Calculations include water used for any useful purpose in the city on a per-person basis. = 941 908 L/ person/ year = 0.047km3 / year of potable water 14 Reservoirs @ 400 m diam., 20m deep = 3 200 000 m3 water storage in each reservoir Waste: 0.47 Tons of waste/ person/ year = 23 905 tons/ year Recycling is imperative.

Composting must occur.

Use of plastics should be limited.

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123

The settlement composition reacts to the imposed flood condition.

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District Terrace-Forma At the center of the district lies the water, the most important resoruce in the desert.

F01 - Desalination Device (Passive/active seatwater treatment) F02 - Seawater Resevoir F03 - Potable Water Resevoir F04 - Wetland Terraces - Passive Blackwater Treatment F05 - Agriculture Terraces F06 - Subterranian Industrial Manufacturing Facilities

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District Center District Terrace-Forma is proposed as an agrarian community which shows reverence for water as the lifeblood of the desert.

Spanning between mountain ridges, the center of the district is a dense assortment of terrace construction facing outward toward the Salton Sea. The surfaces of these terraces are public plazas, gardens, and walkable streets, and beneath them are dwellings, mercantile spaces and, where no access to daylight is available, storage areas for city goods. Extending from the center and across the ridges are agriculture terraces carved from the mountainside.

These may be crops, orchards, vineyards or pastures for livestock.

ix.

ii.

i.

vi.

xi. vii.

v. iii.

Legend: i - Desalination Device and Center for Water Appreciation ii - Cliff Dwellings iii - Central Piazza iv - District Market v - Funicular Transport vi - Transit Hub vii - Garden Terrace viii - Tower ix - Agricultural Terrace x - Salt Water Pumped from Sea xi - Potable Water Aqueduct

iv.

viii.

x.

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District Terrace-Forma Elevation (Pre-Development)

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Desalination Device And Center for Water Appreciation The Desalination Device is a large-scale architectural expression of a passive water desalination process. Large panes of South-facing glass allow direct sunlight to heat the inner chamber, drawing evaporating water from the reservoir of untreated water into its form. Condensation will build on these panes and flow into a collection leader. Solar power collected and stored during the day will be used to power an active desalination process at night. This involves pumping the water at high pressure through seven layers of filtration membranes.

Attached to the device is an interpretive center where visitors may learn of the importance of the water to the city. Interactive wash basins, plant watering, toxin/PH testing stations, misting, and pump-activated waterfalls replicate city systems on a smaller scale.

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District Terramorph Constructed landforms rise above anticipated flood levels.

T01 - Seawater Pumping Station T02 - Industrial Waterfront Infrastructure T03 - Recreational Waterfront Infrastructure T04 - Cycling/ Walking Paths Connecting Nabes T05 - Sub-Regional Tracknet T06 - Nabe Area (7-10 Nabes/District)

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Anatomy of a Terramorphic Nabe Dwelling3x Towers -- 50 - 100 Units Each (Variable) -- 200 people (min.)/ Tower x3 = min. 600 People 100x Single Family Dwellings -- 300 People 300x Single Person Dwellings (room for Expansion)-- 300 People

Population/Nabe: 1100 - 2800 Population/District: 7200 - 9000

Platform/Grades - Level platforms span between and across each Terramorphic Profile. Every platform is considered as a city grade, and is to be used as public space.

Central Marketplace - Fresh food and artisan goods within walking distance.

Commercial Offices/ Services - Specialized workplaces managed by democratic Guild Councils.

Community Gardens - For beautification, and for individuals to grow their own fresh produce.

Piazzas - With restaurants and cafes.

Wetlands - For the natural treatment of greywater.

Helioplexes - Outdoor Sportsgrounds and Playgrounds.

Educational Facilities - Minimum 1 Dedicated Specialized facility per Nabe.

Maker Spaces - For innovation and experimentation.

City Services - Including sanitation department, power management department, fire brigade, medical centres, and police.

Political Space - Includes Courthouses, Guild Council, and City Council Chambers. Also

places of protest and demonstration.

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Construction Terramorphic Profiles are intended to be long-lasting infrastructure which will allow the city to interact with floodwaters in varying ways over time. Each Terramorphic Profile is composed of bookending corten steel sheet piles driven deep into the desert soil. Steel tie rods are attached to each side, spanning their interior space. This interior space is filled with a pozzolan mixture created from extracted mountain aggregate from the process of creating agricultural terraces and subterranean water reservoirs in District Terrace-Forma. Once cured, platform-supporting truss structures may be anchored into this pozzolan interior. Finally, areas which are not in direct or future contact with water may have some sheet piling removed, exposing the pozzolan interior. This pozzolan may be carved and sculpted to adapt to city needs, or express artistic desire.

Finishing The large-scale monumental brick work of the ancient Roman Empire is used as a manner of finishing - with reference to the longevity and beauty of these ancient constructed works. In particular, opus reticulatum and opus barbaricum are applied as a finish to the top, and interior spaces within each landform profile. Opus reticulatum uses pyramidal stones angled at 45 degrees, while opus barbaricum utilizes pebbles and small aggregate to form distinct patterns on a finished face.1 If used in conjunction, these brickwork techniques could be revived and altered, providing ornament and craftsmanship to each distinct location on a Terramorphic Profile.

Opus Reticulatum

1- Roberto Marta, Tecnica Construttiva Romana: Roman Building Techniques . Rome: Kappa, 1986, 22.

Image Citation: Scott, Ian. Opus Reticulatum from Herod’s Palace at Jericho. Photograph. 2016.https://www.flickr.com/ photos/ian-w-scott/27287629236/in/photostream/ 11- Geosynthetica. Sikkim Slope. Photograph. 2013. https:// www.geosynthetica.com/wp-content/uploads/SikkimSlope_Full.png

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Terramorphic Nabe Section City grades are established above anticipated flood levels. Profiles enclose the central area of the Nabe, preserving the existing desert grade during a flood scenario. This central space is designated as a Helioplex - used for recreational and competitive sport activities.

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Section through a Terramorphic Nabe: 1 -- Central Market 2 -- Residential Tower Infrastructure 3 -- Cascading Single Family Dwellings 4 -- Single Person Dwelling Capsules 5 -- Center for the Arts 6 -- Tracknet Transit Hub See Appendix 2 for section detail references 01 - 04.

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Terramorphic District Elevation Solar Fins attached to towers and platforms move with the position of the sun while wind turbines harness the Santa Ana winds blowing from East to West. Semi-permanent cranes perched atop the Terramorphic Profiles lift construction materials into place.

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Wetland Platforms Potable water flows down through aqueduct channels from District Terrace-Forma and weaves into each Terramorphic Nabe.

When possible, gravity is used to transport the water to its desired location. Greywater flows into wetland platforms which blend with the constructed landforms. Water will sit here for some time, being treated by organic matter until it is released back to the sea.

This process will work over time to lower the salinity of the Salton Sea and make it more habitable to local birds and marine life.

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Single Family Dwellings Dwellings are embedded in the upper slopes of the constructed landforms. Their orientations vary across each Nabe, however all South-facing dwellings are equipped with solar panels. Excess solar power collected will be sent to a substation located within a profile penetration. Dwelling sizes may be expanded, or reduced. Between these dwellings are varying arrays of gardens, balconies, and wading pools of fresh water.

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Single Person Dwelling Capsules A space designed for a single person produces its own power with a rotating solar fin.

Each capsule is equipped with a bed, water closet, and a multi-functional wall which may be adjusted based on personal needs.

Capsule Interior

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Each capsule is hung off the superstructure of a Terramporphic Profile.

As a profile is passively heated through the day, air shafts attached to it begin to move air convectively. Air ventilation systems throughout the Nabe plug-in to these shafts to allow for passive air movement of exhaust air from each building. Individual capsules passively cool by bringing in fresh air through a damp membrane, then expelling it through the passive shafts attached to the profile.

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The Towers Stoically standing above other city lines, the towers form the city’s skyline. Conceived as hybrid public/private structures, towers are composed of basic infrastructure and systems which may be plugged into by groups of individuals seeking to build and co-live. Thus, the towers are constantly under construction, and re-construction. This condition is intended to be an alternative to both private land ownership, and to the restricted skyline of modern cities.

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Terramorphic District Grades: G00 - Natural Desert Grade - Sportsgrounds/ Playgrounds G01 - Commercial Street (Offices, Services, Hardware) G02 - Central Political Space G03 - Primary Transverse Grade (43m above natural grade)

- Central Market Location G04 - Central Wetland Platform G05 - Central Piazza - Restaurants and Cafes G06 - Sun Terrace

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Central Marketplace

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District Exterior Right: View of the Tracknet Boarding Platform, Art Institute and Single Family Dwellings Hiking trails weave around the Terramorphs at ground level in the Salton Sea National Park.

Bottom: Preliminary Flood Study

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District Gerridae A malleable floating meshwork hosts a diverse array of sea-specific program.

K01 - Fresh Fish Market(s) K02 - Floating Greenhouses K03 - Wind Turbines K04 - Low-Density Residences K05 - Aquaculture Rings

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Floating Greenhouses Layered, gridded planters allow for dense growth of fresh fruits and vegetables for the city. Each floating greenhouse is encased in glass and may desalinate water directly from the sea to water its plants. Caretakers tend to the growth, harvesting, and eventual sale of the produce.

Floating Greenhouses are passively ventilated.

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Plan - Gerridae infrastructure may be moved and locked in place per the needs of vegetable and fruit growth within each greenhouse.

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Linear Interlocking Greenhouses 171

Fish Market and Aquaculture Hub Built upon an “x� segment of the floating Gerridae infrastructure is a place where both recreational and professional fisherman may mingle. Different species of fish, and aquatic plant life will inhabit aquaculture rings, and wild fish may be caught here as well. The area is full of enthusiasts of the fishing hobby, day boaters, and those looking for a fresh caught meal. Chance encounters between city dwellers may also occur while walking on the public docks between destinations.

It is envisioned that boating culture will be prevalent in District Gerridae - both as a means of transportation, and of dwelling in the city.

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This floating architecture is intended to be light, skeletal, and open to its surroundings. Roof lines are angled toward the sun and finished with solar panels. A cantilevered viewing platform extends over the water, again emphasizing the importance of views in the city. Gently sloping ramps between each gerridae section are able to accomodate cyclists and people walking between the various nodes of the district.

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Reflection This project embodies a desire of mine to construct an image not of utopia or dystopia, but something in-between. Though the climate projections and their consequences proposed in this design thesis are perhaps presented as bleak, the architectural response to these conditions remains optimistic. The drawings call to the adaptivity and ingenuity of humanity, revealing but a single avenue in the realm of infinite possibility for the Anthropocene.

The architectural forms and spaces themselves, while constructible, perhaps seem unattainable. Yet, embedded within the drawings is a projection of a society in which such construction would be possible. Similar to how current cities exist as traces of political and cultural trends, New Desert Shores in its construction hints at both subtle and radical changes in societal makeup.

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Clarke, Chris. “Global Warming, Storm Surges & the Mother Of All Desert Floods.” Socal Focus. September 14, 2011. https://www.kcet. org/socal-focus/global-warming-storm-surges-the-mother-of-all- desert-floods.

Cohen, Jean-Louis. Scenes of the World to Come, European Architecture and the American Challenge 1893-1960. Montreal: Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1996.

Collins, M., R. Knutti, J. Arblaster, J.-L. Dufresne, T. Fichefet, P. Friedlingstein, X. Gao, W.J. Gutowski, T. Johns, G. Krinner, M. Shongwe, C. Tebaldi, A.J. Weaver and M. Wehner. “Long-term Climate Change: Projections, Commitments and Irreversibility.” In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Coop Himmelblau: Architecture is Now. Translated by Jo Steinbauer and Roswitha Prix. New York: Rizzoli, 1983.

Davis, Bret W. Martin Heidegger: Key Concepts. Durham: Acumen, 2010.

Ellin, Nan. Postmodern Urbanism revised edition. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.

Feuerstein, Gunther. Urban Fiction: Strolling Through Ideal Cities from Antiquity to the Present Day. Translated by Ize Muller. Stuttgart: Edition Axel Menges, 2008.

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Kostof, Spiro. The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History. London: Thames and Hudson, 1991.

Lang, Peter. Imagining and Making the World: Reconsidering Architecture and Utopia. Edited by Nathaniel Coleman. Bern: International Academic Publishers, 2011.

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Lim, CJ. Inhabitable Infrastructures: Science Fiction or Urban Future?. New York: Routledge, 2017.

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Marta, Roberto. Tecnica Construttiva Romana: Roman Building Techniques. Rome: Kappa,1986.

McGuirk, Justin. Radical Cities: Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture. London: Verso, 2014.

Metzler, Chris and Jeff Springer. Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea. KQED Arts. September 5th 2014. Documentary video, 1:01:32. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8TjGAWxL23c.

Michael Sorkin Studio. Wiggle. New York: The Monacelli Press, 1998.

Namingha, Dan. The Art of Dan Namingha. New York: H.N. Abrams, 2000.

Pallett, Peter F., and Filip, Ray. “Sheet Piling.” in Temporary Works: Principles of Design and Construction (2nd Edition). London: ICE Publishing, 2019.

Penny, Nicholas. Piranesi. London: Oresko Books Ltd., 1978.

Perez-Gomez, Alberto. Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1983.

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Pope, Albert. Ladders. Houston: Rice University School of Architecture, 1996.

Porphyrios, Demetri. Classicism is Not a Style. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982.

Rogers, Richard. Cities for a Small Planet. Edited by Philip Gumuchdjian. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1997.

Rossi, Aldo. The Architecture of the City. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1982.

Schor, Horst J., and Gray, Donald H. Landforming: An Environmental Approach to Hillside Development, Mine Reclamation and Watershed Restoration. Hoboken: Wiley, 2007.

Salton Sea Authority. “Timeline of Salton Sea History.” http://saltonseaauthority.org/get-informed/history/. Accessed Novemver 13 2019.

Sant’Elia, Antonio. “Manifesto of Futurist Architecture.” Reading Design. Lacerba, 1914. https://www.readingdesign.org/manifesto-futurist.

Scott, Felicity D. “Acid Visions.” In Architecture Between Spectacle and Use, Edited by Anthony Vidler, 107-124. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.

Scott, Felicity D. Outlaw Territories: Environments of Insecurity/ Architectures of Counterinsurgency. New York: Zone Books, 2016.

Shane, David Grahame. Recombinant Urbanism: Conceptual Modeling in Architecture, Urban Design, and City Theory. West Sussex: Wiley, 2005.

Sorkin, Michael. Local Code: The Construction of a City at 42 degrees N Latitude. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1993.

Wallis de Vries, Gijs. Archescape — On the Tracks of Piranesi. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Duizend & Een, 2014.

Woods, Lebbeus. The New City. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

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