NEW NOMADISM:
navigating the future mining landscape of the Mongolian steppe.
DERRECK KYNASTON TRAVIS Prior Degree(s): Associate of Arts. Kwantlen University. 2003 Bachelor Of Arts (Anthropology). University Of British Columbia. 2008 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture’ in The Faculty of Graduate Studies, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Architecture Program
Committee Members: John Bass (Chair) Joe Dahmen Dr. Julian Dierkes Matt Beall Signatures: ........................................................................ (John Bass) ..................................................................... (Joe Dahmen) ................................................................ (Dr. Julian Dierkes)
Š MAY 2014 / Derreck Travis University o f British Columbia
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ABSTRACT
NEW NOMADISM : navigating the future mining landscape of the Mongolian steppe.
“Politics revolves around what is seen and what can be said about it, around who has the ability to see and the talent to speak, around the properties of spaces and the possibilities of time.” Jacques Ranciere. 2000. 13. Mongolia’s pristine landscape lies on a vast sublayer of minerals, the extent to which has only recently been discovered and is believed to be the key to the country’s economic development. There is potential for the wealth of these minerals to benefit Mongolia, however, this discovery could be destructive as mining practices dramatically alter the landscape that the nomadic culture is deeply connected to. New Nomadism is an exploration into Architecture’s role in this uncertain future. By analyzing the causes of change and stability, this project investigates how architecture can leverage visual and verbal communication to envision possible futures that are analytical and projective to drive the future forward in a positive direction. This project investigates the prolific practice of artisanal mining in Mongolia and proposes a mineral nomadism where small ephemeral mining communities are deployed throughout the Mongolian landscape allowing for the safe removal of gold and vibrant communities for families to develop in.
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CONTENTS
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Title Page Abstract Contents List of Figures PART 1. RESEARCH
14 Preface 16 Chapter 1 – The Future. - Data, The Future, and Architecture. - The Crystal Ball? - The Deception Of Data. - Strategic Development. - Scenario Planning. - Architecture Of The Future / Architecture Of Representation. 28 Chapter 2 - Contemporary Minegolia. - Introduction. - Exodus. - Climate Change. - An Investment Into A Better Life. - The Introduction Of Private Property. - The Urban Nomad. - Mining In Mongolia. - Contemporary Mining Practices. - Ninja Miners. - The Resource Curse. - Conclusion. 58 Chapter 3 – The Landscape. - THE Landscape. - Landscape / Industry. - Landscape / Economy. - Landscape / Infastructure. - Landscape / Recreation. - Landscape / Preservation. - Landscape / Memory. vi
- Landscape / Re-creation. - Landscape / Culture. 74 Chapter 4 – Future Intent ≠Future Use - Spatial Adaptation. - Node Scale - Strategy Vs. Tactics. - Urban Scale - The Design And Engagement Of Space. 80 Chapter 5 - The Project - Architectural Propositions. - Mineral Nomadism. PART 2. DESIGN 86 Chapter 6 - The Design - Communication. - A Brief History Of Mongolia. - Mineral Futures. - Scenario Planning. - Artisanal Mining Worldwide. - Artisanal Mining In Mongolia. - Steppe Flows. - The Site. - New Nomadism Structure. - Deployment, Assembly, And Detail. - The Valley. - The Mining Unit. - The Community. - The Commerce Unit. - The Sanitary Unit. - The Commercial Unit. - The Energy Unit. - The School Unit. - The Remediation Unit. PART 3. APPENDIX 150 160 158 170 174
Scenario Planning. Physical Models. Presentation Boards. Bibliography. Figure Sources.
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LIST OF FIGURES
PART 1. RESEARCH Figure 1. The Mongolian landscape. Figure 3. Underground mine caveins. Figure 4. Tavan Tolgoi coal mine. Figure 5. Ulaanbaatar. Figure 6. Artisanal coal miners in Nalaikh, Mongolia. Figure 7. Harem Pool by Jean-Leon Gerome. Figure 8. Villemard’s Vision: 1910 Postcards Depict the Year 2000. Figure 9. GDP estimates to the year 2060 from International Futures. Figure 10. Diagram illustrating variables that lead to different futures. Figure 11. Dubai, UAE. Figure 12. Seattle’s “ramps to nowhere”. Figure 13. Diagram of the steps for scenario planning. Figure 14. New York City as it Will be in 1999. Figure 15. New development in Ulaanbaatar. Figure 16. Transporting a yurt. Figure 17. Changing climatic patterns in Mongolia. Figure 18. High end retailers in Ulaanbaatar. Figure 19. Winter in the Ger District. Figure 20. Oyu Tolgoi mine deposit. Figure 21. Open pit coal mine. Figure 22. Mining landscape in Mongolia. Figure 23. Bagger 288. The worlds largest machine. Figure 24. Ninja miners panning in the bottom of an open pit mine. Figure 25a. Ninja Mining Camp. Figure 25b. Leisure time in a Ninja Mining Camp. Figure 25c. Ninja Mining Site. Figure 25d. Leisure time in a Ninja Mining Camp. Figure 26. Military protecting an oil refinery in Africa. Figure 27. The Mongolian Landscape. Figure 28. Petrochemical plants from the Houston ship channel. Figure 29. An open pit coal mine in Northern China. Figure 30. Los Angeles Highway Interchange. Figure 31. Figure 32. Museum I, Museum of Nature Series, 2003. Ikka Halso Figure 33. 40 metre Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog. viii
Figure 34. The Matterhorn at Disneyland. Figure 35. A nomad in the landscape. Figure 36. Kraanspoor, Netherlands Figure 37. Strategy vs. Tactics. Figure 38. Mae Klong railway market in Thailand. Figure 39. New Nomadism. PART 2. DESIGN Figure 40. Communication. Figure 41. A Brief History Of Mongolia. Figure 42. Mineral Futures. Figure 43. Scenario Planning. Figure 44. Artisanal Mining Worldwide. Figure 45. Artisanal Mining In Mongolia. Figure 45a. Aerial Of Artisanal Mines Near Erdenetsogt, Mongolia. Figure 45b. Aerial Of Artisanal Placer Mines Near Uyanga, Mongolia. Figure 46. Steppe Flows. Figure 47. The Site. Figure 48. The Approach. Figure 49. New Nomadism Structure. Figure 50. Deployment, Assembly, And Detail. Figure 51. Aerial Image Of A Mongolian Valley. Figure 51a. The Valley. Figure 42. The Mining Unit. Figure 53. The Community. Figure 54. The Commerce Unit. Figure 55. The Sanitary Unit. Figure 56. The Commercial Unit. Figure 57. The Energy Unit. Figure 58. The School Unit. Figure 59. The Remediation Unit. PART 3. APPENDIX Figure 60. Scenario Planning. Figure 61. Model Photos. Figure 62. Presentation Boards.
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PART 1. RESEARCH
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From the air Mongolia looks like God’s preliminary sketch for earth, not so much a country as the ingredients out of which countries are made: grass, rock, water and wind.
Stanley Stewart – In the Empire of Genghis Khan
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Figure 1. One of the worlds last nomadic cultures occupying the landscape on the Mongolian steep.
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While the government in Ulan Bator hopes to use growing mineral output to drag its largely pastoral economy into the 21st century, many lawmakers are wary about turning Mongolia into “Minegolia� - a choking, resource-dependent blackspot tearing itself apart to deliver raw materials to China. David Stanway. Reuters.
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Figure 3. Nomadic herders navigating the mineral pits of the steppe.
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Figure 4. Tavan Tolgoi is one of the world’s largest untapped coking and thermal coal deposits, located in the ÖmnÜgovi Province in southern Mongolia.
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Figure 5. The ger district in Ulaanbaatar. These informal settlements are without water, sanitation or basic infrastructure and contribute to the city being one of the most polluted cities on Earth.
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Figure 6. Artisanal coal miners in Nalaikh, Mongolia. 13
PREFACE ORIENTALISM
It is import to be cognizant of the subjectivity a researcher carries when studying other cultures. It is an especially important topic to discuss when studying Mongolia as a quick Google image search returns countless pages of the lush Mongolian steppe void of human interaction, nomadic herders with golden eagles herding cattle through the infinitely large pastures, and men racing horses in front of thousands of people in colorful uniforms. It is hard not to be mesmerized by this idealized landscape. Although this Mongolia exists, another Mongolia that is struggling with pollution, over urbanization , and poverty is also very much present. Edward Said’s classic 1978 book Orientalism discusses how ones own societal ideals construct foreign cultures through the presentation and creation of idealized or fabricated images and writing. Although glorified landscapes were common throughout history and is common in all subject matter, specifically in the colonial context much of the work depicting foreign cultures was created and translated as a means of understanding, communicating and, as a result, controlling the cultural perception of “the other”. Much of the imagery during these periods were historical depictions of romantisized foreign culture stereotypes. The result of this imagery created perceptions of a static, backwards society. The orient was the studied, the written, the viewed and became the object or “the other”. The hold these instruments have on the mind is increased by the institutions built around them. For every Orientalist, quite literally, there is a support system of staggering power, considering the ephemerality of the myths that Orientalism propagates. The system now culminates into the very institutions of the state. To write about the Arab Oriental world, therefore, is to write with the authority of a nation, and not with the affirmation of a strident ideology but with the unquestioning certainty of absolute truth backed by absolute force. Edward Said. 1978. 307. Said’s research is congruent with Michel Foucault theories on the relationship between knowledge and power,investigating how power is used to define and shape knowledge. Although Said focused his research on contemporary Western constructions of Middle Eastern cultures as irrational, threatening, and anti-Western, the heart of his argument about cultural constructions of foreign cultures. This concept 14
is very relevant when doing research of foreign cultures as a dichotomy is created between the actual and romantic notions of foreign cultures through the provocative use of narrative and imagery. As a researcher and designer with a particular ideology and background, I am aware of the provocative yet unrealistic images of an ancient nomadic culture, free of western influence and pollution and the associated implications. Although these images are important to convey the essence of Mongolia, they do little to promote a true understanding of the place or people living there. This project is an attempt to mediate the idealized Mongolian landscape with the realty of contemporary Mongolia. It is an evaluation and critical analysis of the culture and the many problems that are currently affecting it with the aspiration to develop a predominantly objective understanding of the country and an appropriate architectural response.
Figure 7. ‘Harem Pool’ by Jean-Léon Gérôme also featured on the cover of Said’s 1978 book ‘Orientalism’ depicting romanticized situations of the East.
Said, Edward. 1978. Orientalism. New York, Vintage.
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CHAPTER 1. THE FUTURE. DATA, THE FUTURE, AND ARCHITECTURE.
Writers, artists, architects and theorists have long attempted to envision what the world of the future would look like. With great hope, optimism, and imagination, utopian and dystopian visions were developed. The future was finite. It was a single point in time that allowed people an expectation of change and progress. The 1960’s saw a number of proposals for “the future city”. Projects, such as the “Metabolism” movement of Japan, dreamed of future cities that were able to expand, reproduce, and transform in relation to their environment. Examples such as Archigrams’ project “Instant City” proposed a mobile technological event allowing flying infrastructures to travel to undeveloped cities in an attempt to “advance“ these places by overstimulation of popular media, proposing radical new ways in which the city can operate. Although these ideas have yielded significant contributions to architectural theory and many of the proposals have come to fruition, much of the inherent excitement these projects was been lost. Architecture became concerned by the trajectory of human development and ideas about the future became increasingly dystopic. Hopes and dreams for the year 2000 were replaced by realizations that our air, water, and land were on a trajectory to become significantly degraded. Concepts surrounding the remediation of contaminated environments and new visions of sustainable futures have become the norm for architecture.
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CHAPTER 1. The Future.
Figure 8. Villemard’s Vision: 1910 Postcards Depict the Year 2000.
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THE CRYSTAL BALL?
Unlike in the past, new software and technologies allow us to make educated predictions of future conditions of the planet. Although it is vital that imagination be used to investigate the full potential of what cities can be, contemporary software can allow us to see into the future to better design within our built environment. A software that could be a tool for designers is International Futures, developed by the University of Denver. “International Futures (IFs) is a computer program that models development for 186 countries across a wide range of systems. You can use the software to explore how countries and regions have developed in the past, how we expect them to grow and change in the future, and what might happen due to policy choices or possible disruptive events. IFs interconnects the following systems within and across each country: agriculture, economy, education, energy, environment, governance, health, international politics, population, and technology.� University of Denver. 2011.
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CHAPTER 1. The Future.
Projected GDP/per Capita 100 80 60 40 20 0
2013
2030
2060 United States United Kingdom Canada Mongolia Russia Brazil India
Figure 9. GDP estimates for selected countries to the year 2060 from International Futures.
University of Denver. 2011. International Futures: Exploring Alternative Global Possibilities. Denver. Retrieved Nov. 12.2013 from http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=MN
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THE DECEPTION OF DATA.
While we attempt to apply traditional scientific principals to glimpse into the future, it isby nature unpredictable and relying on trends to make predictions is inherently problematic. While the use of trends can possibly be useful in making realistic short term predictions, long term predictions become increasingly difficult because of innumerable variables can influence the outcome from a given starting point. These variables are able to take the future on very different trajectories and make it virtually impossible to predict distant outcomes. However, there are methods in which to address the unpredictably of the future in order to be better prepared. There is an inherent underlying order in everything and despite how chaotic or unpredictable the future may be, a system that is free willed, when viewed from a certain perspective, will fall within a deterministic and predictable pattern. Although a precise future is unpredictable, by isolating the focus on which decisions are based, one can create viable and progressive architecture for the future
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CHAPTER 1. The Future.
future
variables
present
Figure 10. Diagram illustrating variables that lead to different futures.
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STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT.
Developing nations typically look to first world nations as a model for progression and, when resources permit, strategically plan a course to achieve their developmental aspirations. However, strategic, goal focused planning is, by nature, a linear process that potentially leads to dead ends and incompleteness. This process also stagnates invention and future possibilities of combination and alternative forms of development that could potentially exist. For example, it is easy to see the vision that Dubai is working towards. Abu Dhabi has developed very rapidly primarily as a result of the exportation of oil and gas, as well as the vast amount of economic resources have been spent transforming Dubai into a metropolis over the last few decades. It is easy to see the slice of modernity cutting through the desert landscape. This Investment is towards an ultimate goal rather than a sustained strategy for development that could maximize benefit for all stages of growth. What would Dubai’s future look like if the economic situation worsened and resources for development stopped? The city would be left in a partial state with high-rises at different stages of completion, abandoned infrastructure projects, and inefficient services that rely heavily on energy to function. Although many of these problems would affect any city, it is the rapid rate of finite resource extraction that is fueling development and it is the volatility of commodity values that has the potential to stop it. The question becomes: how can someone plan development strategies that address the unpredictable future? A scaled down example is the “ramps to nowhere� in the 520 interchange in Seattle. Initial plans for the development of the highway through Seattle was established in 1936 and was based on future strategic connections as indicated on the masterplan. The interchange was constructed in 1960 and the project was finally abandoned in 1971. Although investment in these types of infrastructural developments can pay dividends in the long term,there is risk involved in predicting infrastructure requirements of the future. In the developing world, resources for infrastructural development are limited and cannot be squandered on risky ventures. Ultimately, an adaptable infrastructure that allows for expansion without requiring the excessive expenditure of resources would be beneficial for all present and future residents of a city. As cities expand, contract, or change, infrastructures could be adapted to suit the citizens needs. 22
CHAPTER 1. The Future.
Figure 11. Dubai, UAE.
Figure 12. Seattle’s “ramps to nowhere”
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SCENARIO PLANNING.
In adopting a scenaric stance, facing the fold in which multiple futures are held simultaneously and consistently in view, one achieves a kind of emotional and intellectual maturity that is not available to either the simple optimist or the simple pessimist. Yes, things could turn out badly, but, no, that is not in itself reason for inaction. Yes, things could turn out very well, but, no, that is not in itself reason for foolish bravado. By holding in mind several different futures at once, one is able to proceed deliberately yet flexibly; resolutely yet cautiously. James Ogivly. 2011. 9. Given the impossibility of knowing precisely how the future will pan out, it is a required strategyto use incomplete and ambiguous information to give a stereoscopic vision for our future. Understanding that there are large scale driving forces that will push the preceptions in various directions, it is a tool that brings these forces to the forefront allowing navigation through uncertainties in an attempt to scrutinize future developments that could affect Mongolia and provide a basis for giving direction to decisions that will insure the most benefit outcomes, whatever way the future unfolds. Scenario planning acknowledges the many forces driving the changing urban and rural landscape in Mongolia: politics, changing demographics, the integration of technology, economic development, sustainability, and environment allow architecture and planners to be proactive and optimistic about the future. They provide defensive against changes that could be detrimental. Scenarios do not fall neatly into dichotomies of good or bad, desirable or undesirable. They are real, dreadful and wonderful at the same time, and established in contexts for which they are built. Attitudes toward the future have changed over history. Modernity was progressive and optimistic for the future, while postmodern times have changed to a pessimistic view of human nature and our outcomes. James Ogilvy explains that a new scenaric stance vindicates Utopian optimism by pairing it with a forthright recognition of pessimistic possibilities.
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CHAPTER 1. The Future.
1. Focal Issue 2. Identify Key Factors 3. Identify Environemntal Factors 4. Isolate Critical Uncertainties 5. Determine Scenerio Logics 6. Develop Possable Scenerios 7. Determine Implications And Options 8. Identify Early Indicators
Figure 13. Diagram based on Ogivly’s steps for scenario planning.
I want to hold on to the aspirational aspects of utopian thinking by liberating it from the debilitating stain of perfection. I want to lay out a case for optimism by linking it, paradoxically, to pessimism. Precisely by paying attention to prospects for disaster – nuclear, biological, environmental – I want to clear space for a sceraric stance that holds best case scenarios in mind at once. This is the way to face our unpredictable future responsibly. This is the way to grapple with uncertainty and act nonetheless. This is the way to deal with the passage of time. James Ogivly. 2011. 1.
Ogilvy, James. 2011. Facing The Fold: Essays on Scenario Planning. Triarchy Press. Great Britain.
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ARCHITECTURE OF THE FUTURE / ARCHITECTURE OF REPRESENTATION.
“Politics revolves around what is seen and what can be said about it, around who has the ability to see and the talent to speak, around the properties of spaces and the possibilities of time.� Jacques Ranciere (2000) 13. As the rational role of the architect arguably declines due to the erosion of traditional services offered and economics of the construction industry, there is a need to evolve and develop new markets for our skills. Architects are in the field of representation. We, as a profession, have the ability to interpret, distill, connect, and visualize information unlike any other discipline. Many fields, including history, literature, and economics, interpret the past as a means to understand the future. We, as architects, are trained to look at all disciplines in order to get a very deep understanding of the future pitfalls or opportunities the future has to offer. Scenario plans are regularly used in business and urban planning and rely heavily on data, graphs, and tables to provide a very myopic image of the future, one that relies on the readers own imagination to create an image of the world. Not everyone’s imaginations are created equal and this has potential to severely limit the possibilities of the future. How can you visualize information in ways that can be productive for people who are unable to effectively visually communicate? How can this information be presented in a way that can lead to a proactive future for architecture and open up new potentials for the field? Architecture is a risk taking discipline. It has a long history of speculating ideas of the future that may or may not ever exist in a pragmatic contemporary architectural landscape, It is the speculative endeavors of architecture that keep the essence of architectural thought alive and drive reality to greater heights. Architecture is a mediator between the past, present, and future actively that engages all disciplines to generate spatial solutions for generations to come. Architects as a group have the skills to understand the potential for the present and future as well as the means to visualize and articulate it. A reawakening needs to occur in architecture. We are crucial political actors that have the ability to change the course of history. Architecture has enabled us to get to this point in our global story and has the potential to assist in determining the future. Potential exists and it is our methods of communication that can 26
CHAPTER 1. The Future.
and will resonate with policy makers who have the knowledge, authority, and leverage to make decisions on the trajectory of the future.
Figure 14. New York City as it Will be in 1999, The New York World, December 30, 1900.
Ranciere, Jacques. 2000. The Politics Of Aesthetics: The Distribution Of The Sensible. Translated by Gabriel Rockhill. Continum Press. New York.
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CHAPTER 2. CONTEMPORARY MINEGOLIA. INTRODUCTION.
Mongolia’s has been occupied by nomadic populations for more than 5000 years. The nomadic herders and warriors travelled for resources as well as to wage campaigns against neighboring countries to create the second largest empire the world has ever seen. Their empire occupied 30% of the earths land area and 25% of the world population. Chinese began their rule of Mongolia in the 17th century and continued until 1921 when the Soviets expelled them. Soviets made dramatic changes to the Mongolian way of life, including eradicating Tibetan Buddhism because of its negative effects on the Mongolian economy as more than half of males were out of the work force. The country became increasingly dependent on the Soviets for their economic and urban development; however, with the death of Stalin in 1954, China flooded the country with aid and capital to develop industry. Although China and the USSR were communist, both sides practiced vastly different communist ideals. Both sides appeared friendly but Mongolia was stuck in the middle and continually aligned themselves with the Soviets. (Encyclopedia of Modern Asia: 2002). The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s has brought about tremendous change for the Mongolian people. Under Gorbachev’s perestroika, the Soviet Union began to reform and in 1990 Mongolia had its first free election, therefore no longer receiving significant aid from the Soviet capital that contributed to most of its operating budget. Overnight the country had no money, foreign trade collapsed, the country struggled with privatization, inflation rose, and experienced significant hardship. Economic reform was slow and Western companies saw an opportunity to take advantage of Mongolia’s resource wealth, including significant reserves of coal, copper, gold, and uranium (Kohn: 2013). Over the last decade, many things have changed in Mongolia and a population that has never had to participate in the global economy has been thrown into the deep end. Mongolia represents the difficulties in a county adapting to an entirely new model of living. Economic development driven by the development of Mongolia’s vast reserves of natural resources and minerals is increasing the distance between the rich and the poor. A new emergent class that is able to afford the accouterments of modern life is paired with the development of enormous slums encircling the urban center of Ulaanbaatar. Rapid development and cultural change have come to signify Mongolia these last two decades, resulting in a dramatically altered Mongolian landscape. 28
CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 15. New development in Ulaanbaatar.
Kohn, Michael, and William Mellor. 2013. Mongolia Scolds Rio Tinto on Costs as Mine Riches Replace Yurts. Bloomberg Markets Magazine. 04/09/2013 2:00pm. PT Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen. 2002. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Gale Press. Michigan.
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EXODUS.
We’ve lost our grassland. We’ve lost everything. How unfortunate we are that we had gold in our land. Without gold, our rivers would flow and life would be normal. Now there’s no way back. Dechindorj Ganbold,
A demonstrator part of a group of former herders camped outside the parliament building holding a hunger strike.
Although there has been consistent migration since developments began by the Chinese and the Soviet Union in the 1950’s, the last decade has seen a considerable spike in migration transform the landscape and traditional nomadic ways of living into “urban” centers, especially Ulaanbaatar. During the soviet era, there were strict restrictions on migration; however, there was a general relaxation of these restrictions with the end of socialism. (Hogg 2010) There have been several factors influencing the migration out of the steep and into urban centers. With the loss of soviet stability, institution of private property, or a better modern life, the overall effect has been the abandonment of the nomadic lifestyle and an increasingly vacant landscape.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 16. Transporting a ger and household belongings to Ulaanbaatar.
Hogg, Chris. 2010. Struggling to survive Mongolia’s freezing winter. BBC NEWS. 3/29/2010 9:58 am.
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CLIMATE CHANGE.
The environmental condition of the grasslands is of the utmost importance in Mongolia because many nomadic Mongolians rely on the vitality of the grasslands for their livelihood. Predictability is crucial for herders. Continued variability in Mongolia’s temperatures and precipitation brought about by changing global weather patterns confront nomadic peoples as desertification increases. Winters become more severe, and water becomes more scarce. Droughts and variability in climatic patterns are a normal occurrence and many Mongolian practices have been developed to combat these events. Recent severe fluctuations in the climatic patterns have severely affected the conditions of the grasslands and, as a result, the ability of nomadic peoples to protect their herds.(Sternberg et. al. 2011) Although winters are severe on the Mongolian steppe, Zuds, a Mongolian term used to describe exceptionally harsh winter conditions that render grazing exceedingly difficult or impossible, have occurred four times in the last 12 years and have resulted in 19 million heads of livestock perishing. Many lost significant portions of their herds in the Zud between 1999-2002 and again in 2010 and, without the assistance of the centralized government as was under the Soviet government, many lost everything and abandoned the traditional lifestyle to find work elsewhere.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge. Annual Precipitation Across Mongolia
100 80 60 40 20 0 -20 -40 -60 -80 2000
2010
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Temperatures Across Mongolia 3 2 1 0 -1 -2
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Pre 2003 Flowing Surface Water 2003 Flowing Surface Water Flowing Surface Water 2007 dried Surface Water 2007
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Rivers
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Fresh + Salt Water Lakes + Marshes *
* pre 2003 and 2003 fresh and salt water lakes and marshes data only includes fresh water drinking resources and does not include marshes and salt water lakes.
Figure 17. Diagrams illustrating the changing climatic patterns in Mongolia.
Sternberg, Troy, Thomas, D., and Nick Middleton. 2011. Drought Dynamics On The Mongolian Steppe, 1970–2006. International Journal Of Climatology. 31(12): 1823–1830.
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AN INVESTMENT INTO A BETTER LIFE.
In Mongolia, they say that if you say negative things, they’ll all come true. Good things can come true, too. Maybe not for me, but at least for my children. The future is the focus for every Mongolian and many consider their move to the cities and the countries allowance for extensive mineral extraction as an investment for the future. As life on the landscape becomes increasingly difficult due to climatic conditions and government idleness, many see urban centers as their only option for employment. The cities once offered work but the collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in the shutting down of much of the formal industry and, as a result, the release of large numbers of formal sector employees. As much as 50% of the workforce was unemployed in the 1990’s and a large informal economy developed (Anderson 1998). Employment remains limited in urban centers and few lucrative opportunities exist for recent arrivals to the city. Current employment data is limited and unclear but it appears the employment situation has improved since the late 1990’s. However, the lack of manufacturing and industry has limited the employment opportunities of the urban centers and many skilled labourers continue to work in the expanding informal economy, including taxi services and janitorial services . The government appears to turn a blind eye to the informal sector despite the informal economy contributing little to the government by way of taxes. Although this helps maintain employment for the marginalized, it does little to help modernize the city and alleviate many of the social, infrastructural, and environmental issues that plague the urban centers. The extraction of resources appears to be a means to an end. Although few outright support it and people are aware that the development of the mining industry is likely to degrade the environment, many feel as though it is the only way to solve the economic problems in Mongolia.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 18. Mongolians walk by high end retailers in Ulaanbaatar.
Anderson, James. 1998. The Size, Origins, and Character of Mongolia’s Informal Sector During the Transition. World Bank Publications. New York. Kaiman, Jonathan. 2012. Mongolia’s new wealth and rising corruption is tearing the nation apart. The Guardian. 06/27/2012 12:20pm. BST
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THE INTRODUCTION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY.
Until very recently, Mongolians had no concept of private property ownership. As a response to the immediate need of foreign investment and economic growth, it became necessary to implement private property. The 1992 Constitution presented the framework for the enactment of the future development of land rights in Mongolia. Those basic rights are as follows. • The land, except those allocated to the citizen of Mongolia for private ownership, shall be considered the property of the State. • The State may allocate for private ownership plots of land, except pastures and areas under public utilization and special use, only to the citizens of Mongolia. Citizens shall be prohibited from transferring land in their ownership to foreign nationals and stateless persons by the way of selling, bartering, donating or pledging as well as transferring to others for exploitation without permission from the competent State authorities. • The State shall have the right to hold responsible land owners in connection with the manner that the land is used, to exchange or acquire land with compensation for the purpose of special public needs, or to confiscate land if it is used in a manner which is adverse to the health of the population, the interests of environmental protection and national security. • The State may allow foreign nationals, legal persons and stateless persons to lease land for a specified period of time under conditions and procedures as provided for in the law. • Citizens of Mongolia shall be guaranteed the privilege to enjoy the right to a healthy and safe environment and to be protected against environmental pollution and ecological imbalance. • It is a sacred duty for every citizen to…. protect nature and the environment.
In 2002, the government finalized the practicalities of the privatization of land in Mongolia in the form of the Law on Land and the Law on the Allocation of Land to Citizens of Mongolia for Ownership. The government identified the total amount of area available for private ownership, where the land is located, and how the land can be used.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Of the total: 156,411,575 hectares of land in Mongolia. 155,888,875 hectares of land remain property of the state. 522,700 hectares were allocated for citizens’ ownership. 337,500 hectare for agricultural purposes. 168,000 hectare were allocated for family needs. 9,400 hectare set aside to serve as fallow land. 7,800 hectare for business purposes.
The amount of land offered to citizens varies by local and intended use. Large urban areas give the smallest parcels (in Ulaanbaatar up to .07 hectare) and larger lots are allocated in aimag (up to .35 hectare) and soum village areas (up to .5 hectare). (Myadar 2009) This introduction of private property exacerbated the migration of people from the landscape to the city; however, the cities were unable to accommodate the large influx of populations and this has resulted in unplanned urban sprawl with many areas unconnected to services. (MacLeod 2010; Helminen 2002). The allocation of small areas of land around urban centres for private ownership results in the vast majority of land remaining in state control. This process not only frees the landscape of occupation but also allows the government to retain control of the vast quantities of mineral wealth throughout the country.
Helminen, Marjut. 2002. Serious drought in Mongolia causes difficulties for herders. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 09/10/2002 0:00 CET. MacLeod, Calum. 2010. Winter in Mongolia Is ‘An Unfolding Disaster. USA TODAY. 2/25/2010 2:15 am. Myadar, Orhon. 2009. Nomads In A Fenced Land: Land Reform In Post-Socialist Mongolia. Asian Pacific Law & Policy Journal. 11(1): 161. Myers, Gregory and Peter Hetz. 2004. Property Rights and Land Privatization: Issues for Success in Mongolia. A Report Submitted to USAID/Mongolia.
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THE URBAN NOMAD.
While residential movement was strictly controlled by the central government during the soviet era, urban centers continued to attract Mongolians that previously lived in the rural regions of the country. The government was unable to maintain control over the influx and make accurate projections of urban growth. As a result, there has been a consistent shortfall in housing in urban centers. This shortfall has contributed to the development of vast slums called “ger districts” that surround urban centers with very limited infrastructure. With approximately 116,000 homes and apartments in Ulaanbaatar and more than 100,000 Yurts, Infrastructures are unable to keep up with the growth. The “ger districts” lack waste facilities, sanitation, or running water where residents purchase it from communal stations. Heat and power rely heavily coal and the air pollution becomes trapped by the mountains creating thick smog around the city contributing to its title as one of the earths most polluted cities. At this point Ulaanbaatar, is concerned with establishing itself as a ‘modern’ city through the construction of buildings that communicate progression. With incredible GDP growth projected and the localization of the growth in a single spot, the modernization of Ulaanbaatar will solidify it as the sole economic center for Mongolia. Although there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed in Ulaanbaatar, many think that the revenue from mining will greatly improve the situation.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 19. Winter in the Ger District.
Tsutsumida, Narumasa, Saizen, Izuru, Matsuoka, Masayuki, And Reiichiro Ishii. 2012. GIS-Based Analysis Of Private Lands Expansion Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 2012 International Conference On Future Environment And Energy IPCBEE. IACSIT Press, Singapore.
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MINING IN MONGOLIA.
Minimal geological surveying was completed under the soviets and was primarily focused on the search for Uranium. As mineral exploration expanded through the 1990’s the extent to Mongolia’s mineral resources became known. Although only 25% of the country has been geologically surveyed, the found deposits are so vast that some have called it the ‘Saudi Arabia of Asia’. As a result of these explorations, Mongolia has become one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Some significant mines have gone into production that will forever change the Mongolian landscape. However, the mining industry is far from realizing its full potential. The Constitution, 1989 Subsoil Law, and 1997 Minerals Law outline the state ownership of Mongolia’s mineral resources. All land outside the 522,700 hectares allocated for citizens’ ownership is controlled by the state, including pasture lands that have traditionally been communal property. The nomadic populations practicing a traditional way of life have no legal rights and mining companies have no obligation to nomadic peoples who occupy the land areas within their licensed areas. This transition has lead to clashes between mining employees and herders, loss in income and culture, and continual in-migration to urban centers. (TGCI) As a result, much of the land has been auctioned to mining companies in the form of exploration and mining licenses. Through the state,as of 2012, 1,096 mining licenses and 3,450 exploration licenses have been issued. Exploration licenses for areas between 25 hectares and 400,000 hectares can only be purchased by Mongolians for an initial term of 3 years. Upon completion of the 3 years, license holders can purchase mining rights, or if the owner declines purchase the license is granted by tender. Mining licenses are can be possessed for up to 70 years. (Ernst & Young. 2012) The vast reserves include but are not limited to coal, copper, molybdenum, gold, rare earth minerals, iron ore, uranium, silver, zinc, and phosphorite. The vast majority of the known deposits are located in the southern portion of the country in harsh desert conditions. Although hundreds of mines are in production throughout the country, two mines of significant importance already in production are the Tavan Tolgoi mine, that has the largest untapped high quality coal reserve in the world, and the Oyu Tolgoi mine which has quality copper and gold deposits that cover an area the length of Manhattan. These mines have 40
CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
just started production and are likely to contribute significantly to the government operating budget. Mongolia has a significant amount of mining resources that heavily contribute to the economy. Mining represented 30% of GDP, 32% of Government Revenue, and 81% of exports in 2010 and is expected to increase to 80% of the GDP when Oyu Tolgoi reaches full production.
Figure 20.
Oyu Tolgoi mine deposit overlayed on a map of Manhattan
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The lack of infrastructure is a significant hurdle for the development of operations. The remoteness of the deposits and the requirement of completely developing the infrastructure for operations require huge investment and without stable government and policy in place that guarantee their rights many companies will not try developing mines. Mongolia has been extracting resources at a rapid rate in part because of fast pace urbanization and the necessary funding for infrastructural developments and upgrades. However, the rapid expansion of the mining industry and lagging environmental regulations resulted in widespread environmental degradation. The first law holding mining companies responsible for their practices was the Law on the Prohibition of Minerals Exploration in Water Basins and Forested Areas of 2009. This law resulted in the cancellation of over 200 mining and exploration licenses and a drop in the Mongolian market over the stability of the Mongolian government’s treatment of foreign investment. Environmental degradation due to mining has become a major concern. As mining practices expand in Mongolia so to does the potential for further destruction of the environment. Much of the current mining practices are concentrated in the southern Gobi Desert at the head waters of Mongolia’s river system. According to researchers, 852 rivers, 1181 lakes, and 2277 springs have dried up as a result of negligent mining practices. Further developments in the mining sector and water transfer projects will likely make this situation worse (TGCI) . The environmental degradation of the pastoral lands is could have a significant impact on Mongolia’s future as the mining industry employs approximately 6% of workforce while animal husbandry employs 30% of workforce (need citation). The destruction of pasture lands puts greater strain on the urban centers as in-migration has become common as nomadic life becomes increasingly difficult.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 21. Open pit coal mine.
Ernst & Young. 2012. Mongolia Mining and Tax Guide. Ernst & Young Global Limited. Shadie, Peter. 2010. Mining In Mongolia: Engaging Local Communities To Help Reduce The Impacts Of Mining. (TGCI) Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative. Bangkok.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 22. Mining landscape in Mongolia.
45
CONTEMPORARY MINING PRACTICES.
Although mining contributes significantly to the economy of Mongolia, there are many challenges with relying on resource extraction in a developing economy. High resource demand combined with efficient mining practices allow for the rapid extraction of resources resulting in unreliable and short duration revenue streams. Other problems include limited job creation, reliance on foreign trained workers, heavy use of water, and toxic chemicals. Another major concern is the remediation of mines after closure. Abandoned mine sites that have caused physical and environmental damage over the course of mining activities need to be addressed. Physical features such as mine shafts, vertical entries, infrastructure, old equipment littler the mining landscape and lack of stabilization causing dangerous slides as sites to fill in the earth. The environmental damage can be much more sever as tailings often contain many severely hazardous chemicals including arsenic or cyanide and are often detrimental to surrounding ecosystems. Cleaning up mines is costly and many operations go bankrupt or abandon the mines before they are held accountable. Many governments have created funds that mining companies pay into to help cover the costs of future cleanup remediation. However any difference between the available funds and the actual costs are picked up by the state.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 23. Bagger 288. The worlds largest machine.
47
NINJA MINERS.
I lost everything to Zud (natural disaster of harsh winter combined with heavy snow). It was 2002. I used to have 600 animals, but after Zud I was left with 18 goats. That’s when I started “panning earth�. Damba, Builsan Mining site. (UNEP) The hardships affecting the animal husbandry sector, lack of employment opportunities created by the formal mining sector, and the strong gold prices as a result of increased demand from china has made mining very appealing to many in Mongolia. Ninja miners can earn up to $360 per month, which is significantly more than the minimum was of $112 per month (UNEP). More than 100,000 rural Mongolians (20% of the rural workforce) work in the informal mining industry and the industry is estimated to engage as much as 1/6 of the entire population. Known as ninja miners, as a result of them carrying green plastic gold pans on their back and resembling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, these miners work in all regions of the country and produce an estimated 7 tonnes of gold yearly, more gold than the formal mining sector. Although these miners work illegally and without licenses, the government does not pursue these people by necessity because it provides employment that the formal mining sector cannot. The use of mercury in the mining process was banned in 2008 and has become significantly harder to acquire it is still widely used. However, the use of mercury, arsenic, cyanide and many other harmful minerals are continuing to damage water supplies and peoples health.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 24. Ninja miners panning in the bottom of an open pit mine.
Lim, Louisa. 2009. Mongolians Seek Fortune In Gold, But At A Cost. NPR. 09/07/200910:08am Stanway, David. 2012. Mongolia’s “Ninja” Miners Help Sate China Lust For Gold. Reuters. 04/19/2012 3:28am EDT United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2012. Analysis Of Formalization Approaches In The Artisanal And Small-Scale Gold Mining Sector Based On Experiences In Ecuador, Mongolia, Peru, Tanzania And Uganda. United Nations Environment Programme Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) Chemicals Branch. Geneva.
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Figure 25a. Ninja mining camp.
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Figure 25b. Leisure time in a ninja mining camp.
CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 25c. Ninja mining site.
Figure 25d. Leisure time in a ninja mining camp.
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The little town of Nalaikh, around fifty kilometers to the east of the capital, Developed during the second World War by the soviets to supply coal for the red army. Nalaikh had its own working railway then to carry the 1568 daily workers and export the precious fuel... Since the fall of the communism, the departure of the Soviets, and the independence of Mongolia the site has been completely abandoned by the Mongolian authorities and the landscape offers a totally different view of soviet heritage: a desolate site, a lunar landscape, devastated by the activity of the clandestine mines from which emerged, here and there, rudimentary sheet metal shelters and handmade extraction towers... “The State completely abandoned the site for lack of money. So, the local population, people like me, decided to continue the mining activity covertly. It’s not really illegal as the State tolerates it. Actually, the authorities close their eyes on what we do here because they are aware that they cannot offer us anything better as a job.” Excerpts from Anaïs Jumel’s Nalaikh, following the track of the ‘domestic’ coal
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
53
THE RESOURCE CURSE.
Optimistic predictions indicate huge growth and development for Mongolia; however, many other resource wealthy countries have had similar aspirations and have failed to develop. There is a longstanding debate whether or not natural resources in developing countries are a blessing or a curse. Economics has coined the term ‘the resource curse’ as a way to explain the contradictory thought of resource rich countries being economically worse in the long term. The three major principals are well known: As resource rich countries currency develops and currency value increases, it impedes export development; Resource extraction requires little job creation, increasing unemployment; Volatile resource prices cause unstable growth. Money generated from extraction is spent in ways that do not nurture the growth of the economy and the populous through education, health care, development, and infrastructure, but to maintaining political power, militarization, and corruption only benefiting a select portion of the population.
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
Figure 26.
Military protecting an oil refinery in Africa.
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CONCLUSION.
We will not be another Africa.
Ganhuyag Hutagt, former vice finance minister
Dramatic changes are happening in Mongolia that will affect present and future Mongolians. An intimate knowledge and connection with the landscape that has developed over five millennia continues to run deep with most Mongolians regardless of individual social or economic positions. It is one of the last surviving nomadic cultures and the nomadic values of hardiness, endurance, perseverance, and self-sufficiency remain strong. Many factors have resulted in many Mongolians abandoning their traditional way of life on the landscape for alternative modes of living; however, there is an air of uneasiness about the future and a new relationship with the landscape. Dependency on the sacred landscape to provide for the Mongolian people has not changed; however, what the landscape is providing is entirely different and it requires its alteration/destruction to do so. A new relationship is developing that relies on destruction as a means to possible modernization, and higher standards of life. The outcome of this changing relationship is not fixed and many factors, such as growth in informal mining activities, climate change, mining policy, corruption, and dependency on China can all significantly change the future course of Mongolia. -The growth of the Ninja miners may maintain employment, but their activities are not taxed and their practices still destroy the environment and health of the miners. Developing an artisanal mining sector could not only promote better mining practices, but also generate much needed government revenue. -China’s demand for resources is one of the primary reasons for the recent rapid growth in Mongolia and, as a result, their economies are intimately tied to each other. One of the major pitfalls for a resource-based economy is the reliance on unstable resource prices/demand for revenue. In order to maintain stability there is a need for diversification and creation of global trading networks. -Although the resource rush endures, and mining and exploration licensees continue to be issued, “resource nationalists” are making it very difficult for mines to develop. Mining and environmental policy remain in its infancy and many are scared that the cost/benefit of mineral extraction will not be in Mongolia’s favour. As a result tensions are developing and many companies are weary of investing in a country with such turmoil. As delays and conflict continue, many Mongolians are living in challenging conditions all over the
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CHAPTER 2. The Challenge.
country in hopes that the situation will get better. -Corruption remains an issue as Mongolia ranks as the 80th most corrupt of 182 countries. Without a strong and transparent government presence, it is unlikely even modest gains in the GDP will benefit Mongolians. The equitable distribution of wealth and significant increases in quality of life will likely only happen if the government is able to maintain a high standard of transparency. -The continual decline of water resources from climate change and mining practices are limiting the viability of the land for animal husbandry, agriculture, and mining as all are heavily dependent on water.
Mongolia is full of potential. However, The direction of the potential is yet to be determined. Although the vast majority of people expect growth, development, and an overall increase in the quality of life for the development of the mining industry, there are many factors that could, at any moment, significantly alter the future trajectory of Mongolia. Given the complex economic and political situation, it is hard to image any specific future for the country. However, a multitude of complex factors are currently at work that can take the country on dramatically different trajectories. How can Mongolia proceed and what role can architecture play in Monoglia’s opaque future? A future that has the potential to be prosperous or devastating, equitable or distorted, sustainable or unsustainable and everything in between.
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CHAPTER 3. THE LANDSCAPE. THE LANDSCAPE.
The term landscapes refer to something more than the clichéd idea, aesthetic and purely visual, of something that is to be contemplated. It is clear today that the idea of sustainability imposes conditions on architecture, design and urbanism, conditions that for a long time were ignored. The landscape reveals itself as the way to respond, in terms of space and territory, to dilemmas that are considered ecological, but also those that are social, economic and even political. Alejandro Hernández Gálvez www.ten-arquitectos.com There are very few environments in the world that encapsulate the modern western idea of what landscape is more than the vast Mongolian grasslands. Developed through story, painting, and imagination in relation to development, modernization, and destruction, the term landscape came to describe fictional places that describe our ailing relationship with the environment. It is this relationship with what is one of the last remaining places on earth that landscape is still a reality is what makes the story of Mongolia and their current situation so compelling. There are no requirements that a landscape be void of human activity nor is there a single type of landscape. The term landscape goes far beyond the clichéd use of the word but relates to the way nature or cultures affect the land. Although there is economic and social value to the purely visual concept of landscape, many relationships between humans and land exist that are equally as valid to be associated with the term landscape. For myself, the possibility of the destruction of one of last habitable virgin landscapes is utterly terrifying. A sparsely populated land with a culture vitally connected to the earth evokes primordial urges of excitement, adventure, and freedom that I can only hope to experience a few times in my lifetime. It is this image that can be destroyed by mining but also exploited. At the same time, I think it is unfair to deny Mongolia the right to development or make judgment calls of what they should or shouldn’t do with their land. Canada was once a pristine country, and its manipulation allowed and continues to allow us to maintain our energy and resource dependent lifestyles. As resources get increasingly difficult and costly to extract in the developed world, we are turning to countries like Mongolia that have yet to extract their easily accessible resources to allow the maintenance of our lifestyle. However, resources do not 58
CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
necessarily equate to development and it is important that multiple futures still exist for Mongolia. Ones that maintain traditional relationships with the landscape or develop very different ones. Not all futures rely on mining, or fool hearted destruction of the environment in the hopes of rapid development and modernization. It is necessary that Mongolia be aware of the multitude of opportunities that currently remain and that will exist in the future in order to understand the potential moving forward. What is landscape in Mongolia? What can the landscape be in Mongolia?
Figure 27. The Mongolian Landscape.
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LANDSCAPE / INDUSTRY.
Industry has forever changed the face of the earth. The process of globalization has resulted in the creation of networks of industry that involve the transportation of goods and services to all extents of the earth to provide the objects we use everyday. From the time of the industrial revolution, architecture has developed buildings and spaces that are intimately tied to the means of production. These building developed new forms and organizations of structure that could create vast open spaces and allow for more efficient and productive processes. Early structures were placed on rivers and distribution networks for electricity and transportation. They were intimately tied to place and the products that they were built to create. Contemporary industrial architecture has changed dramatically. The development of vast infrastructural grids has freed industry from place and allowed the architecture of industry to take on a different role. The machinery and building work independently. The constructed buildings acting solely as a shed to keep intruders and the elements away from the machines. The change in requirements has resulted in architecture that is extremely cost effective, while using resilient materials, and techniques of prefabrication. The movement of industry from the developed world to developing countries has resulted in the decline and abandonment of complexes, neighborhoods, and entire cities. The ridged and purposely built industrial architecture that is left in a state of decay is common through most cities in developed nations as industry shrinks and is replaced with growing financial centers. Mongolian industry is very small and its development is a crucial component of the governments plan moving forward. Mega scale resource extraction does not develop many jobs and can lead to instability if employment is not generated from the extraction. The development of an industry that extracts and processes resources and manufacture goods within close proximity will create employment opportunities for local residents, decrease the costs associated with the successive transportation requirements of manufacture chain, as well as generate revenue for government.
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CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 28. Petrochemical plants from the Houston ship channel.
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LANDSCAPE / ECONOMY.
All economies in one form or another rely on the extraction and manipulation of the environment in order to operate. Whether it is extracting resources, processing resources, or financing resource extraction the global economy is dependent on our continual consumption. The globalized world and its heavy resource requirements have transformed the way humans view the earth and the resources that exist within it. The relation of architecture and nature found in the abundant literature on sustainability rests on the moral imperitive provided by the current environmental crisis, which sets, as in a Greek tragedy, the finitude of natural resources against the dismal and infinite cycle of human production and consumption. From this argon emerges the quest for a responsible architecture. Preston Scott Cohen and Erica Naginski. 2010. 136. Landscape in the modern economy has developed a new relationship. This relationship relies on the virgin landscape as a means to entice tourists and generate tourist revenue. No single relationship can sustain an economy and there exists a delicate balance between the two as too much destruction could adversely affect people’s perception and the desirability of travel. Multiple relationships exist and are dependent on a broad vision of the future and the implications of moving forward.
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CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 29. An open pit coal mine in Northern China.
Cohen, Preston Scott, and Erica Naginski. 2010. The Return To Nature. In Ecological Urbanism. Ed. M. Mostafavi and G. Doherty. Lars M端ller. Switzerland.
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LANDSCAPE / INFRASTRUCTURE.
Infrastructure, the great constructed pattern of grids, channels, pipes, and networks that course across the land, sets the underlying circumstances of our daily lives. Landscape, too, is a constructed pattern, a way of seeing the context in which we live. 2 Infrastructure leaves its unmutable presence on the landscape. It extends far beyond the reach of the city in order to bring in resources – food, water, power – required for the operation of urban areas in complex systems that are so vast and ubiquitous that they have themselves become landscapes. Infrastructure tends to be large at the source to handle the quantities required and progressively becomes smaller as it distributes. Urban centers are characterized by smaller scaled infrastructure that is hidden, camouflaged, or minimized as much as possible from the eyes of the public. Our own ambivalence to the infrastructure of our daily lives makes the perception of suburban and source infrastructure far more dramatic due to the scale and contrast of built and natural. Landscape is inherently infrastructural. It transports, facilitates, creates, and allows for operations to occur. Technological advancement and growth requirements of humans has required the disruption and manipulation of ’natural’ infrastructures in order to concentrate the effects for human consumption. Increasing pressures from the growth of urban centers requires the increased destruction of natural areas and although Infrastructure is culturally and physically peripheral it is completely fundamental for the operation of our cities. Because of our reliance on infrastructure, and their increasing automation, it is important to see new potential in the vast and costly networks. By combining and reconfiguring infrastructures new possibilities arise for the economical use of space and resources as well as new relationships between the infrastructure and humans.
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CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 30. Los Angeles Highway Interchange.
Gradually we are coming to see these linerally conceived structures dissolve into interactive ecologies or multiply into networks that behave in a very different way, dispersing and combining rather than collecting and separating energie, movements, resources, and information. In the end the web may not absorb us into itself, but serve, rather, as a metaphor that will help us see the world and the constructs we make within it in a more multiple, more ‘natural’ way. Lyndon 1996:3
Bhatia, Neeraj. 2012. Resilient Infrastructures. In Goes Soft: Bracket 2. ed. Lola Sheppard and Neeraj Bhatia. ACTAR. Barcelona. Donlyn, Lyndon. 1996. Caring About Places. Places. 10(3):2. Strang, Gary. 1996. Infrastructure as Landscape; Landscape as Infrastructure. Places. 10(3):8.
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LANDSCAPE / PRESERVATION.
They took all the trees Put em in a tree museum And they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see em Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got Till its gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Joni Mitchell. Lyrics from Big Yellow Taxi. 1970. Although there seems to be an inherent human desire to preserve, there is no harmonized theory that can explain this behavior. Common sense implies that we are unable to preserve everything; Therefore, we place value on what we are trying to preserve. It is in times of change or loss, we are forced to evaluate these areas to determine their value moving forward and their value as a tangible object of the past. They are a record of history. A history that is separate from our current existence that can be interpreted, misinterpreted, manipulated, constructed and explored by everyone. Although natural processes have always worked to alter the landscape, it is the scale and rate of destruction by humans that has forced us to re-evaluate the long-term value of the land and constructed objects we are destroying. Our current cultural values are primarily fixated on cultural landscapes that have tangible evidence of human presence and intangible symbolic meaning or as a “natural” landscape without significant evidence of human occupation.
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CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 32. Museum I, Museum of Nature Series, 2003. Ikka Halso
67
LANDSCAPE / MEMORY.
The move from the natural to the built is a relatively new concept for many Mongolians. Navigation through the vast landscape was based on such things as unique geological formations and bodies of water, navigation through the built environment relies on the same principal. Architecture shapes our experiences. Memories are products of our bodies experience in physical space or landscape as the human mind makes mental maps from the physical constructions of our environment in order to safely and efficiently navigate our built environment. Method of loci or memory palace is a method of recall that uses visualization as a cue to recall information. ’Place,’ as I understand it, refers to spaces that can be remembered, that we can imagine, hold in the mind and consider. They are territories that can be lived in with special satisfaction because they resonant with associations that engage our interest. Places bring things to mind. As designers our task is to find ways to make places that are especially memorable and to consider how we may absorb and direct attention through the thoughtful making of places. Lyndon Danlyn. 2009.59 It is the position of architects and designers to rely on the understanding of human nature, space, and place to construct buildings that allow for a memorable experience while navigating the built environment. Absence and alterations of places can detrimentally affect the viability of ones memory as a navigation tool. If the places or objects used for navigation are altered or destroyed, memory recall can be severely disrupted. Memory also provides an important frame of reference to understand change. The concept of a “shifting baseline” is used to understand the gradual change in our accepted norm, or baseline, of a ecological system. This syndrome has arisen because each generation of fisheries scientists accepts as a baseline the stock size and species composition that occurred at the beginning of their careers, and uses this to evaluate changes. When the next generation starts its career, the stocks have further declined, but it is the stocks at that time that serve as a new baseline. The result obviously is a gradual shift of the baseline, a gradual accommodation of the creeping disappearance of resource species. Daniel Pauly. 1995. 430 68
CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 33. 40 metre Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog.
Even if the mining practices continue and expand, contemporary industrial mining practices and ever increasing demand for resources have accelerated the rate at which the extraction of resources occur. Many mining projects have lifespans of 15 – 35 years, a span of time that is within ones own frame of reference. If urban and economic development does not materialize at a rate that is equal to the destruction and remediation of the landscape, there is potential for the movement out of cities and back into the forever altered landscape. It is important to see the implications of the deeply rooted connection of the Mongolian people to the landscape. The vast steeps of Mongolia are some of the last areas on earth to be exploited by humans. The changes from mining will occur over a relatively short duration and many people will have experienced the environment both in its virgin and altered form.
Donlyn Lyndon. 2009. The Place of Memory. In Spatial Recall: Memory and Architecture in Memory, ed. Marc Treib. Routledge Press. New York. Pauly, Daniel. 1995. Anecdotes and the shifting baseline syndrome of fisheries. Trends in Ecological Evolution. 10(10): 430.
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LANDSCAPE / RE-CREATION.
The remediation of mines regularly involves returning the area to its “natural” state. However, the re-creation of the landscape that once existed is inherently problematic because of the relationship between the subjective mind and the specific object. Personal and cultural selections of the physical characteristics that are deemed important or unimportant are inherently part of anything we try to re-create. James Hefferman in The Re-creation of Landscape studies the work of the British Romanticism movement and the relationship between humans and their image of the natural environment. A multitude of factors motivate the selection of information, such as historical, social, and cultural discourses that lead to the creation of fictional landscapes deeply rooted to the individual or individuals in charge of the re-creation. Hefferman uses the British Romantic artists as an example of the “common ambition to re-create the effect of landscape on their imaginations, to express their own perception of the outer world in such a way as to signify the inner one” (53). Although the use of Romantic painters is a very exaggerated example, when re-creating we must be aware of our biases and ask if we are recreating something in its own image or are we selecting the qualities that we find the most important?
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CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 34. The Matterhorn at Disneyland.
Heffernan, James .1984. The Re-Creation of Landscape: A Study of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Constable, and Turner. University Press. London.
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LANDSCAPE / CULTURE.
Monglia is home to one of the earth last surviving nomadic culture. The people of the steepe have developed a culture intimately connected with the landscape over the last five thousand years. Whether or not the deep understanding and purity remains today considering the dramatically changing economic and cultural needs to be researched; however, the image of a lifestyle deeply connected with the landscape is the basis for much of the tourism industry in Mongolia. Hundreds of tour operators provide glimpses into our own human history by allowing tourists to ride horses over the landscape, sleep in yurts, and herd animals. UNESCO has also recognized the importance of landscape to Mongolian people and protected 121 ha of the Orkhon Valley that includes cultural relics that date back to the 6th century and the 13th century capital of Genghis Khans Empire. This connection or image of the connection is being seriously corrupted with the discovery of minerals and the commodification of the mineral landscape. Many Mongolians support the resource extraction as a means by which the country can develop despite the land coming from nomadic pasture lands.
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CHAPTER 3. The Landscape.
Figure 35. A nomad in the landscape.
73
CHAPTER 4. FUTURE INTENT ≠ FUTURE USE. SPATIAL ADAPTATION.
“Combining programmatic instability with architectural specificity” Rem Koolhaas on Masterplan for the Parc de la Villette in Paris, 1982. www.oma.eu Reuse is not uncommon. Many spaces, after many years, are no longer viable for their original purpose and when permitting someone with imagination, insight, and/or sense are able to transform it into something completely new. Reuse is scalable. Spaces, places, and landscapes have all been transferred from their original purpose to enable new forms of occupation. It is important to understand why these opportunities present themselves, where these new forms of occupation have occurred in the past, and how they have been addressed in order to better understand informal uses, reuse, and the adaptability of space, place, and landscape.
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CHAPTER 4. Future Intent ≠Future Use.
Figure 36. Kraanspoor, Netherlands. Transformed an old dock into a modern office building.
Belanger, Pierre, et. al. 2000. Lagos. Harvard Project on the City. In Mutations: Rem Koolhaas, Harvard Project on the City, ed. Koolhaas, R., et. al. ACTAR. Barcelona. 75
NODE SCALE - STRATEGY VS. TACTICS
“Everyday life works through the process of claiming space, or the territory of others, and manipulating the rules and products that already exists in the cultural setting without fully dominating it” (Fokdal :29) Although the terms strategy and tactic are commonly associated with warfare and a strategy is an objective while the tactic is a means to satisfy the objective, Micheal De Certeau (1998) defines these concepts and applies them to humans unconscious navigation of everyday life through the built environment. De Certeau defines strategy as: “the calculus of force-relationships which becomes possible when a subject of will and power (a proprietor, and enterprise, a city, a scientific institution) can be isolated from an ‘environment’. A strategy assumes a place that can be circumscribed as proper and thus serve as a basis for generating relations with the exterior distinct from it”. (de certeau 1988: xix) And tactic as: “a calculus which cannot count on a ‘proper’ (a spatial or institutional localization), nor thus on a borderline distinguishing the other as a visible totality. The place of a tactic belongs to the other. A tactic insinuates itself into the other’s place, fragmentally, without taking it over in its entirety, without being able to keep it at a distance” (de certeau 1988: xix) This relationship between the designer and the user is influenced by the work of Foucault and his investigation of the relationship between power and the body. It is logical to see architects and planners as strategists in the development and conceptualization of space and the public as a user of the space. It is important to note that the strategy abstracts the space through the use of maps, plans, diagrams, etc… but is unable to recognize the limitless tactical use of the space that has been presented. This disconnect allows opportunities for spatial intervention and occupation through time that cannot be planned. These inconsistencies between how a space was designed and how it is actually used is critical for the growth and development of the informal systems. 76
CHAPTER 4. Future Intent ≠ Future Use.
STRATEGY
TACTICS
Figure 37. Strategy vs. Tactics.
Fokdal, Josefine. 2008. Power and Space: Appropriation of Space in Social Housing in Copenhagen. LIT Verlag Press. Münster. de Certeau, Michel, Giard, Luce, and Pierre Mayol. 1988. The Practice of Everyday Life. University of California Press. Los Angeles.
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CITY SCALE - THE DESIGN AND ENGAGEMENT OF SPACE: disconnection and the growth of alternative forms of occupation The Western city continue to be studied as the subject for urban theory and developing a dichotomy’s between Western cities vs. developing cities, as well as East vs. West. However, this model fails to acknowledge the complexity of urban planning in developing countries and additional trajectories for urban development. Urbanization in developing countries remains poorly understood and is often researched and discussed in relation to developed western cities. Much of the urban theory has been established focusing on the development of western cities and, as a result, western cities become the datum for all nonwestern cities degree of development to be measured. (Robinson 2006) Furthermore, much of the research concerning urban development focuses on case studies such as Shanghai, Dubai, and Sao Paulo. Although these cities are growing at accelerated rates and, in many ways, have developed much differently than western cities, they by no means represent urban growth throughout the non-western world. These case studies effectively highlight the need for further research into non-western countries to understand cities as a genius loci, each with their own history, culture, and worldview that has contributed to their own individual development. The Havard GSD and Rem Koolhaas’ “Project on the City” studies different manifestations of cities throughout the world. One subject for the “Project on the City” was Nigeria’s capital of Lagos. Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and although Nigeria is wealthy in oil and gas resources, Lagos has been plagued with poverty, dysfunctional public services, and underdeveloped infrastructure. Although all of these factors contribute to the degradation of the environment that is often the focus of architectural projects, the research is focused on documenting and understanding the city in its current state and move away from the development of architectural interventions. It is an investigation into the urbanity that develops without controls. When the city is unable to meet the demands of its residents, informal systems develop with new programmatic relationships between space, infrastructure, and systems that no urban theory or city planner can predict. Although western urban theory would consider Lagos as undeveloped or developing relative to western countries, the costly and urban model that has been developed in the west under specific environmental and economic conditions over thousands of years cannot be considered the only model for urban development. 78
CHAPTER 4. Future Intent ≠Future Use.
Although the differences between Ulaanbaatar and Lagos are plentiful, it is the informal ways that people organize themselves to overcome and/or reinvent the shortcomings of the city. Once an understanding is realized about how urban systems has adapted in these areas, one able to develop interventions at different levels in modes that are beneficial.
Figure 38. Mae Klong railway market in Thailand. Eight times a day, the shopkeepers have to interrupt their business and quickly pull down the roofs of their shops.
Robinson, J. 2006. Ordinary Cities. Between Modernity and Development. Routledge. New York. 79
CHAPTER 5. THE PROJECT. ARCHITECTURAL PROPOSITIONS.
Although one must acknowledge that the future is unpredictable, Mongolia is at a crossroads that can potentially determine the course of its future. How will government proceed in the face of pressure from citizens who require higher standards of living against mining companies that desire profits? How will Mongolia mediate the desire to attract foreign investment with the potential for disastrous environmental degradation due to immature policy and corruption? The uncertainty of the future and current lack of direction from the Mongolian government opens the dialog to a multitude of futures for Mongolia. Through architecture, humankind can interface with the physical and natural world; with it we can explore a different reality and enter a spatial dialogue that can assist in the creation of an ecologically and socially viable future for the Mongolian people. The chosen sites will encompass mining practices and infrastructures, as well as reflect the requirements of the proposed narratives.
80
CHAPTER 5. The Project.
81
MINERAL NOMADISM: nomadic mineral processing centers
Many years of debate about environmental policy and foreign investment have resulted in slow development of the industry. Although industrial mining continues to operate, development has been abandoned. Having been ignored for many years, informal “ninja miners� are recognized as being vital to the economy of Mongolia and attempts are made to address this large segment of the population. Research was conducted and reviews found many problems with the ninja’s practices and a mobile mining facility was developed that formalized the artesian mining industry in Mongolia. - Rise in employment. - Increase in government revenue as the amount of minerals extracted was able to be documented and taxed accordingly. - With proper management, the environment can be protected and revenue generated from controlling the processing of the ore. - Mobile stations that also offer basic services, such as washrooms, showers, as well as processing plants and recovery centers. - Government controlled movement of nomadic mineral infrastructure. Short periods of heavy mineral exploitation followed by remediation where the machine moves and aerates the land. - All mechanisms are gravity fed or manual and little to no moving parts are present. - In prevents mercury and chemicals leaching downriver and into the soil or affecting the health of miners. Small scale artesian mining creates a symbiosis between the landscape and mining techniques that are inherently destructive. The architecture allows for the development of a new nomadism that is connected with the world economy as well as deeply rooted in the traditional nomadic lifestyle.
82
CHAPTER 5. The Project.
Figure 39. New Nomadism.
83
PART 2. DESIGN
CHAPTER 6. THE DESIGN. COMMUNICATION
“Politics revolves around what is seen and what can be said about it, around who has the ability to see and the talent to speak, around the properties of spaces and the possibilities of time.� Jacques Ranciere (2000) 13. What is the role of the Architect. Above all else We are agents of change and use our tremendous skill as communicators verbally and visually to push the future forward. Weather it is visualizing a building to be built in a month, assisting policy makers in the planning of cities and towns for generations to come, or developing new technologies that change the way people fundamentally associate with space, we as architects and designers have the rare ability to influence the course of the future. Not all professions use the same means of communication. Governments, policy makers and corporations see the future in graphs and charts nestled into the inaccessible pages of massive documents that few are able to read and fewer understand. And yet, these documents are incredibly influential at directing the future. This thesis is an exploration of the architect’s skillset as a communicator investigating how we can actively engage all disciplines to direct the future in a positive direction. One place that this idea can be explored is Mongolia.
86
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 40. The architects communication.
Ranciere, Jacques. 2000. The Politics Of Aesthetics: The Distribution Of The Sensible. Translated by Gabriel Rockhill. Continum Press. New York.
87
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MONGOLIA: from ancient through today. Mongolia has been occupied by nomadic populations for more than 5000 years and has developed a culture deeply connected to the Landscape. The last hundred years of Mongolian history has been as a buffer between communist super powers of China and Russia. However, with the dissolution of the USSR in the early 1990’s and the resulting discontinuation of Soviet aid, Mongolia was no longer receiving most of its operating budget. Overnight the country was hit significant hardships from the collapse of foreign trade and staggering inflation, to struggles with privatization.
NOMADIC HERDERS Mongolia has been occupied by nomadic herders for thousands of years and developed a culture with a deep connection to the landscape they required for survival
1206 - 1368
Era of the Khan’s and the creation of the second largest empire the earth has ever seen originating in the Central Asian steepes and extending from Central Europe to the Sea of Japan and from Siberia to the middle east and IndoChina.
Mongolia Today Historical Extents
88
1945
Soviet financial support allows for the allows for the country to develop.
1991
The collapse of the USSR sent Mongolia into a economic spiral as the majority of the countries operating budget was provided by Moscow.
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Factors Influencing Urban Migration & Abandonment Of Nomadic Lifestyle
$
Investment Into a Better Life
Lack of Government Support
Deregulation of Movement
Introduction of Private Property
The fall resulted in.. - economic collapse. - triple-digit Inflation. - unemployment. - the formation of a new government.
Climatic Unpredictably
- a mass migration to urban centers.
Rapid urbanization has resulted in tremendous changes. Unmanageable Growth
Vast informal settlements
Pollution
Corruption Mongolia
1920
-
2013
3x
The amount the capital city of Ulaanbaatar has grown since 1979.
+
55%
of the population live in the vast informal settlements, or ger districts, surrounding the capital.
1/10
people will die from air pollution in Ulaanbaatar with the average air quality being 7x worse than the WHO recommendations.
62
62 ndmost corrupt country of 182 countries.
Figure 41. Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen. 2002. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. Gale Press. Michigan. World Bank. 2012. Curbing Air Pollution in Mongolia’s Capital. Transparency International.2014.
89
MINERAL FUTURES. Optimistic predictions indicate huge growth and development for Mongolia but many other resource wealthy countries in the developing world have had similar aspirations and have failed to develop. Although the Mongolian government is ambitious with its outlook of future and has strong motivations to use this wealth to improve the lives of its people, Its future prosperity is affected by highly uncertain drivers of change, from the reliability of foreign investment to fluctuating commodity prices.
Mongolia has been refered to as 驶the Saudi Arabia of minerals始 as a result of the country始s unexploited mineral deposits
/
PROJECTED GDP PER CAPITA With the development of the mining industry
The known mineral wealth of Mongolia is estimated at
2.75 trillion
making every Mongolian a millionaire
Mongolia has vast reserves of
80
60
Gold
Rare Earth Metals
Uranium
Copper
Coal
United States 40Canada
95%
of exports will be
minerals in the near future.
90
90%
of mineral exports go to neighbour China.
20Russia Brazil OLIA India MONG
2013 GDP/Capita (Thousand $US)
2030
2060
55%
3x
of the population live in the vast informal settlements, or ger districts, surrounding the capital.
The amount the capital city of Ulaanbaatar has grown since 1979.
1/10
people will die from air pollution in Ulaanbaatar with the average air quality being 7x worse than the WHO recommendations. industry remain in its
62
62 ndmost corrupt country 6. of 182 CHAPTER The Design. countries.
Government regulation of the mining infancy and continues to evolve. As foreign investment depends on long term governmental stability, the Mongolian government will be required to take a stance on the future of mining and liberal or conservative policy decisions will have an effect on the viability of foreign investment. Although Mining will be a key component of Mongolia’s future, the extent and form in which the mining practices occur, the affect on their culture, and the economic benefit to the Mongolian people are unable to be predicted.
?
THE MONGOLIAN ECONOMY Past / Present Future
Foreign Direct Investment Animal, Agriculture, Food Unprocessed Mineral Products Plastics, Chemicals Hides, Textiles Wood, Building Products Gold, Stone Processed Metals Electrical, Mechanical Manufacturing
Government policy has yet to take a clear stance on the direction of Mongolia’s future. Policy continues to evolve as concerns arise resulting in questions about the stability of long term investment in the country. The huge growth of foreign investment in the mineral industry will forever change the Mongolian economy, environment, and culture; However, the extent and form of the change is impossible to predict.
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
EXPORT VALUE (Millions $US)
Figure 42. Graivoronsky, Vladimir. 2014. Mongolia: Bright Prospects For Dynamic Growth. Russian International Affairs Council (Raic). Isakova, Asel, Alexander Plekhanov And Jeromin Zettelmeyer. 2012. Managing Mongolia’s Resource Boom. European Bank For Reconstruction And Development. The Observatory Of Economic Complexity. 2014. Mit. University Of Denver. 2011. International Futures: Exploring Alternative Global Possibilities. Denver.
91
SCENARIO PLANNING.
Contempo
Given the impossibility of knowing precisely how the future will pan out, it is strategic to use of incomplete and ambiguous information to give a stereoscopic vision for our future. Understanding that there are large scale driving forces that will push the future in various directions, developing multiple future scenerios allows navigation through uncertainties, the ability to scrutinize future developments, and provide a basis for giving direction to decisions that will insure the most benefit whatever
Corruption
Economic Diversification Mining Activity
Cultural Investment
GDP Small Craft Industries The focus on a sustainable use of the environment, tourism, and culture leads Mongolia to a significant increase in GDP. High quality goods manufactured and sold worldwide.
ALT. Industries
Cautionary
Problems continue and prevent the development of the mining industry. Government focuses on development of alternative industries, tourism, and animal husbandry.
Mining focuses on projects already underway. Expansion of mining is limited.
Collapse Of Foreign Investment
Turmoil surrounds the mining industry and prevents further development.
Animal Husbandry
Mineral Nomadism Informal mining emerges as a major source of employment for many Mongolians. Government creates infrastructures to aid in the sustainable extraction of minerals around know soft rock gold deposits.
t estmen n Inv g i e For Of se p lla Co
Overburden of landscape due to the quantity of animals accelerates desertification. Mongolia is unable to accommodate the devastation.
4
2 Regulated Sustainable Extraction
Ninjas
A two year study is proposed by the government to investigate the potential of the growing informal mining industry in the country.
A lengthy environemtal assesment recomends the creation of a mineral corridor that limits the expansion of resource extraction throughout the country but maintains the vitality of the environment and traditonal practices.
Informal Disaster The study results in mixed reaction from the government. The study focus is on the negative environmental impacts of the informal sector and, as a result, the government cracks down on the practice.
Combinatory Infrastructure
10
Mineral corridor rapidly expands due to the high value of resources with the consolidation of infrastructure and rapid development of mines.
Limiting Potential The creation of the mineral corridor combined with the price of resources severely limit the expansion of mines.
92
3
25
Mining Collective The higher price of minerals make it feasible to begin mining practices; However, by this time there is growth in other industries and many smaller Mongolian mine companies operate as a
S u s tain ab l e Fo cu s
Mine Minder Although mining practices have occured sustainabily, the prices of minerals continue to fluctuate due to China’s demands. Mines are forced to start and stop production based on mineral prices. This results in severe swings of the economy and many Mongolians move back out into the landscape attempting to mediate mining practices and traditional life on the landscape.
Developed Mongolia Full destruction and little remediation effort. Funds allocated to remediation do not cover the costs meaning remediation is only partially completed.
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
orary Mongolia
Environmental Quality
The Blind Eye
Full Speed Ahead
Mining activities increase in order to capitalize on the momentum of mining interest in the country.
.
Easy Wealth
The government continues to allow and promote mining with the logic that the it is concealed and contained in a remote area of the country. Development of the country happening at unprecedented
The quick development of mining practices leads to very quick and severe environmental degradation and water shortages across much of southern Mongolia.
Wealth & Remediation The landscape is forever altered in a significant way; However, the revenue generated has created a wealthy Mongolian public and enough resources to fully remediate the environment.
Declining Profits The price of minerals declines dramatically. Although mining activity continues and the country receives tax revenue, profits significantly decline.
Environemtal Band Aids Mining accelerates without much understanding concerning the future of the Mongolian landscape. Problems are addressed as they arise but few address the potential long term implications
Failed Dreams & Re-emergence Mining never reaches its full potential and the altered landscape can not be fully remediated. Many Mongolians did not benefit from mining in significant ways and leave the
Death Grip Abandonment
The focus of government continues on mining and at the expense of diversifying into other industries.
The cost of the fixes continue to increase until it reaches the point where it is uneconomical to do so. Many smaller sites stop operations.
Industry of Innovation
Economi cally D e velo ped M ong oli a
2 yr.
0 yr.
1
Modernized Mongolia Mining reaches its full potential and is a primary contributor of Mongolian development. Funds allocated to remediation do not cover the costs meaning remediation is only partially completed leaving the landscape as a palemcest of mongolian development.
Mineral Adoption As mines continue to close, informal miners (Ninja Miners) come and continue operations on smaller scales. Adaptation of infrastructure and structures to accommodate news scales and modes of occupation.
Innovative solution and resources begin to emerge on how to efficiently and sustainably extract resources in complicated environments.
5 yr.
Mongolia develops a research and development program to deal with the negative effects of mining. Technology is exported around the globe.
ht elig Lim tal em
Remediation Leaders
on vir En
50 yr.
Unsustainable Extraction small scale and localized solutions develop however the long term effects of the quick fixes are unable to sustain the industry. The industry collapses leaving extensive infrastructure and pollution behind
Figure 43.
2
Environmental Collapse Environmental degredaton resulting from the mining industry combined with climate change make the nomadic practice of animal husbandry impossable without cordination.
93
ARTISANAL MINING WORLDWIDE. 20 million people practice artisanal mining in the developing world and produce 20% of the world’s annual gold. This gold is removed by individuals or groups from the ground using rudimentary tools, bought by buyers on the black market, and incorporated into the larger gold market. These practices lack environmental, health, and safety regulations resulting in countless deaths worldwide from toxic chemicals, explosives, cave-ins, and violence. About 1/3 of the global annual release of mercury into the environment is due to artisanal gold mining as it is the most common agent in the separation process of gold. As the price of gold increases, so to does the draw of these dangerous practices throughout the world.
High Artisanal Mining Prevelence Low
Population At Risk From Mercury Contamination 100 - 5000 5,001 - 15,000 15,001 - 35,000 35,001 - 70,000 70,001 + Metalogenic Belts
94
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 44. Anglogold Ashanti Annual Reports 2011. Blacksmith Institute. 2014. Richards, Jeremy P. 2013. Giant Ore Deposits Formed By Optimal Alignments And Combinations Of Geological Processes. Journal Of Nature Geoscience. Vol 11.
95
ARTISANAL MINING IN MONGOLIA. Mongolia has felt an explosion in the artisanal mining industry in recent decades. Approximately 150,000 people (6% of the total population) actively participate in artisanal mining and support up to 15% of Mongolians through informal economies. The practice has developed primarly as a response to the limited employment opportunities. After the closure of soviet era mining operations and factories and successive cold winters that have killed off much of the livestock, artisanal mining has become a viable option for many Mongolians as the earning potential is nearly 5x the minimum wage.
Ulaangom pop. 27,152
Moron
Ollgiy
pop. 35,789
pop. 29,392
Khovd
pop. 29,012
Tsetserleg pop. 20,604
Bayankhongor pop. 20,604
High Artisanal Mining Prevelence Low Formal - Operational Mines Lakes Cities with population over 20,000 Primary - Paved / Compact Earth Secondary - Earthen Treritary - Earthen Railways 0
96
80
160
240 kms
Arvayheer pop. 27,162
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Artisanal mining is very harsh and has drawbacks. It is practiced by all Mongolians. The sites are marred with violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, and prostitution and have created poor working environments for the many families who are forced to participate. The sites are unsafe and many die from improper mining practices while the environment is significantly degraded by the mining activities. Although the sale and use of mercury is prohibited in Mongolia, many continue to use it in the gold refining process indoors trapping the mercury vapor in their homes or cars then releasing it into the environment.
Darkhan pop. 74,738
Erdenet
pop. 83,379
Choibalsan pop. 38,537
ULAANBAATAR pop. 1,089,358
Figure 45. Grayson, Robin. 2007. Anatomy Of The People’s Gold Rush In Modern Mongolia. World Placer Journal. 7: 1-66. High, Mette. 2012. The Cultural Logics Of Illegality: Living Outside The Law In The Mongolian Gold Mines. In Change In Democratic Mongolia – Social Relations, Health, Mobile Pastoralism, And Mining. Ed. Julian Dierkes. Brill. Leiden.
97
ARTISANAL MINING IN MONGOLIA: hard rock.
400ft
98
200m
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Gold bearing quartz veins on hillsides provide a source of gold for miners. Accessing the quartz vein can be done directly or through the loose or cemented deposits down-slope. Although these deposits can more lucrative than placer mining, the deposits can lie up to 35 meters below the earths surface and require excavating shafts and tunnels far below the surface. In many cases, significant investment is required. The extensive use of explosives and pneumatic tools increases the cost and dangers associated with this method of mining but the deposits, when found, will yield significantly more gold than placer deposits.
Figure 45a. Aerial of artisanal mines near Erdenetsogt, Mongolia.
99
ARTISANAL MINING IN MONGOLIA: placer deposits.
400ft
100
200m
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Loose pieces of gold in the form of nuggets, flakes, and dust have been deposited in the alluvial sediment throughout Mongolia’s vast grasslands. Some of these sediments are on or near the surface allowing for easy access and a viable option for miners without prior mining experience. Surface Placer Deposits Surface placer deposits are commonly found on or near the surface in river valleys throughout Mongolia. Much of the mining occurs at the headwaters and can have disastrous effects for the people using the water resource downstream by the disruption / destruction of river ecosystems with sediments and pollution. Underground Placer Gold Mines Although placer deposits are typically on or near the surface, some can be found at depths of up to 30 meters. Underground placer deposits are prone to flooding, cave ins, and are difficult to access due to permafrost. After placer sediment is excavated, it is then panned in nearby rivers.
Figure 45b. Aerial of artisanal placer mines near Uyanga, Mongolia.
101
STEPPE FLOWS: the integration of artisanal mining in Mongolia. Ninja mining has recently been legalized but little has been done regarding its development into a legitimate industry. This thesis proposes a mineral nomadism where small ephemeral mining communities are deployed throughout the Mongolian landscape allowing for the safe removal of gold and vibrant communities for families to develop in. By incorporating the practice into the formal economy, the government can collect taxes from the gold and, in return, oversee the extraction therefore limiting the negative environmental effects and provide community services that are desperately needed for the many Mongolians practicing artianal mining.
High
Quantity Low Formal Mining
$ Goods
Exsisting Mongolian Market PROCESSING
Agriculture Tour Operators
Tourism
Tourist Attractions
GOVERNMENT
Fodder
EXPORT
Retailer Fixed place wholesaler
Big Gold Dealers
Ulaanbaatar Wholesaler unliscenced Cashmire buyer
Small Gold Dealers
Meat Dealer Local Gold Buyers
Pastoralism
102
Informal Mining
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Formal Mining
Proposed Mongolian Market PROCESSING
Agriculture
Tourism
Tour Operators Tourist Attractions
GOVERNMENT
Fodder
EXPORT Retailer Fixed place wholesaler Ulaanbaatar Wholesaler unliscenced Cashmire buyer Meat Dealer
•Safety •Security •Services •Environment Protection
Informal Mining
Pastoralism
Figure 46.
103
THE SITE.
Erdenetsogt sum, Bayankhongor aimag
Figure 47.
104
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
4 mi
4 km 105
THE APPROACH. The system vaguely resembles that of a travelling circus that travels from city to city and efficiently deploying and deconstructing their structures before moving on. Aluminum Units area deployed by truck and transported through the landscape to areas with high probability of gold occurrence.
Figure 48.
106
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
107
NEW NOMADISM STRUCTURE.
NOMADIC MINING UNIT Transpaortation Gold Buyers Mercury Crushing Milling
Hard Rock Soft Rock
Mining Unit Requirements Distance To Settlements Gold Deposits Water
Sluicing Concentration Smelting
Environmnetal Remediation Filling Mine Holes Neutralizing Acidic Gases Promoting Grass Growth
108
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
COMMUNITY STRUCTURE Training / Flex Cooked Meals
Settlement Requirements Proximity to Water Proximity to Mines
Leisure Goods Food
Environmnetal Remediation Landscape Management Promoting Grass Growth
Medicine Doctor Sanitation
Future Central Collection / Organization Building Finance
•Drone •Organization
Energy
•Gold Vault •Training •Repair / Construction of Units
School
•Administration
Figure 49.
109
DEPLOYMENT, ASSEMBLY, AND DETAIL. Once on site, the trucks position the unit, the unit detaches and the truck drives away leaving hydraulic legs for support. The unit is lowered onto a modular skid and expanded by a hydrolic system with the deployed spaces being covered by fabric. The materiality is light, durable, and speaks in many ways to vernacular Mongolian architecture with wood flooring, and fabric coverings. Modular skids composed of aluminum, wood and fiberglass offer a slightly elevated surface as a reprieve from the dirt and space for congregation. The units are heated by solar hot water that runs throughout the floor and wall panels and powered by solar arrays on the roof.
Monthly average solar angles for the region.
110
Winter
Fall
Summer
45° 46’ 0” N, 106° 16‘ 11“ E
Spring
MANDALGOVI
Jan
Feb
Mar Apr
MayJyJun
Jul
Aug Sep
OctN tNov Dec
28°
36°
44°
60°
60°
52°
36°
52°
68°
44°
28°
20°
CHAPTER 6. The Design. TYPICAL ELECTRICITY / HEAT solar collectors: energy, hot water 1 hydrolic mechanism 2
ASSEMBLY
pivot 3 aluminum structure 4
5 Fabric Covering
TYPICAL WALL / FLOOR SECTION weatherproofed aluminum panels 1 aluminum structure 2 polyurethane spray insulation 3 interior surface 4 hydronic heating system: floors, lower walls 5 flooring: wood, alumunium 6
4 Deployable Unit
3 Unit Allignment Mechanism
2 Aluminum Frame / Fibreglass Grating
1 Modular Aluminum Skid
6 Explansion / Deployment Via Hydrolics.
5 Allignment And
Placement On Skid.
4 Construction Of Modular Skid.
3 Detach From Truck Via Hydrolic Lifts.
2 Positioning Of Unit.
1 Arrival Of Unit On Site.
Figure 50. DEPLOYMENT
111
THE SKID
112
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 50a.
113
THE VALLEY.
500ft
114
200m
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 51. Aerial Image of a Mongolian Valley.
115
THE VALLEY.
116
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 51a.
117
THE MINING UNIT. The keystone to mineral nomadism is the deployment of nomadic mineral processing centers. Located alongside mineral deposits, Nomadic processing centers allow gold miners the ability to safely and environmentally responsibly remove valuable ore from the ground, process it, and leave as little of a foot print as possible. They are easily transported between deposits with minimal setup. Solar energy heats the water in the winter to prevent freezing and allows for year round mining. Reliance on gravity and manual mechanisms for gold separation decrease the electronic equipment that can be hard to replace if damaged or destroyed by the harsh environmental conditions in the winter. Nitric acid is used to further refine the ore and Although nitric acid has negative environmental effects, passing the gas through a baking soda filter neutralizes the acid rendering the gas innocuous. The final stage is the gold melting furnace that transforms the small flecks of gold into a single, solid nugget.
Figure 52. Section of mining unit folded and deployed.
0 118
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
119
THE MINING UNIT.
0
120
1
2
5
Figure 52a. Plan of the mining site: deployed unit, hole cover, and sledge.
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
121
THE MINING UNIT.
122
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 52b. Section perspective of mining unit.
123
THE MINING UNIT.
124
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 52c. Rendering of the mining unit on site.
125
THE COMMUNITY.
0
1
126
2
5
10
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
The nomadic mineral processing centers exist within commuting distance of a larger ephemeral settlement. Although able to move with ease, these settlements remain deployed in single locations as long as viable gold deposits are within commuting distance. The settlement encircles a green space where wrestling and soccer brings the community together. Surrounding fenced yards organically expand and contract.
Figure 53.
127
THE COMMUNITY.
128
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 53a.
129
THE COMMERCE UNIT. Deployed At the center of these larger settlements is the commerce unit. A Double height space extends above the steppe landscape offering a anchor to the settlement. Rising above the roof is a platform for gold and medicine transport by drone. By day, The space operates as the coordination center of the system being highly connected to an outside organizational network and in the evening, operates as a commercial hub buying gold buying from the miners. A mine training facility operates in a flex space adjacent that promotes and educates on safe mining practices as well as providing space for community meetings and rotational doctor visits.
Figure 54. Section of commerce unit folded and deployed.
0
130
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 54a. Roof plan of the deployed commerce unit.
131
THE COMMERCE UNIT.
0
132
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 54b. Plan of the deployed commerce unit on site.
133
THE COMMERCE UNIT.
134
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 54c.Rendering of the commerce unit on site.
135
THE SANITARY UNIT. A shower and toilet facility provides warm sowers waterless toilets and spaces to change after the days work and is an upgrade from current conditions. A small solar powered water treatment unit treats and recirculates shower water.
Figure 55. Plan of the folded sanitary unit.
0
136
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 55. Plan of the deployed sanitary unit on site.
137
THE COMMERCIAL UNIT. Modular Commercial facilities provide space for leisure, retail, and prepared food offering three sizes depending on need.
0
138
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 56.
139
THE ENERGY UNIT. A secondary solar array acts as a an area for socializing while charging electronic devices and flashlights and as a energy sump in times of low solar output. During events it acts as a stage and in the evening it becomes an open-air cinema.
Figure 57. Section of contracted and expanded energy unit.
0
140
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 57a. Plan of the deployed energy unit on site.
141
THE ENERGY UNIT.
142
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 57b. Rendering of the energy unit on site.
143
THE SCHOOL UNIT. The school is the largest building on site and when deployed offers communal and private spaces for children and teachers. Portions of the unit radiate outwards expanding the module and create private study spaces, while a large open area provides room for long desks and computing surfaces. The Long desks can be raised or lowered in height to allow children to sit on the warm floor in the winter.
Figure 58. Section of the deployed school unit on site.
0
144
1
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 58a. Plan of the folded school unit on site.
145
THE SCHOOL UNIT.
1
146
2
5
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 58b. Plan of the deployed school unit on site.
147
THE SCHOOL UNIT.
148
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 58b. Section Perspective of the deployed school unit on site.
149
THE SCHOOL UNIT.
Figure 58c. Rendering of the school unit on site.
Figure 58d. Rendering of the interior of the school unit.
150
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
151
THE REMEDIATION UNIT. A Remediation unit is also present on site. It sprays waste water from the showers while seeding, fertilizing, and areating the surrounding grasslands leaving the landscape in as natural of a state as possible.
Figure 59b. Remediation unit detail.
152
CHAPTER 6. The Design.
Figure 59. Roof plan of the remediation unit.
Figure 59a. Long section, Front elevation, and short section of the remediation unit.
153
PART 3. APPENDIX
SCENARIO PLANNING
Conte
Corrupti
Economic Diversification Mining Activity
Cultural Investment
GDP Small Craft Industries The focus on a sustainable use of the environment, tourism, and culture leads Mongolia to a significant increase in GDP. High quality goods manufactured and sold worldwide.
ALT. Industries
Cautionary
Problems continue and prevent the development of the mining industry. Government focuses on development of alternative industries, tourism, and animal husbandry.
Mining focuses on projects already underway. Expansion of mining is limited.
Collapse Of Foreign Investment
Turmoil surrounds the mining industry and prevents further development.
Animal Husbandry
Mineral Nomadism Informal mining emerges as a major source of employment for many Mongolians. Government creates infrastructures to aid in the sustainable extraction of minerals around know soft rock gold deposits.
tment Inves n g i Fore Of e s p lla Co
Overburden of landscape due to the quantity of animals accelerates desertification. Mongolia is unable to accommodate the devastation.
4
Regulated Sustainable Extraction
Ninjas
A two year study is proposed by the government to investigate the potential of the growing informal mining industry in the country.
A lengthy environemtal assesment recomends the creation of a mineral corridor that limits the expansion of resource extraction throughout the country but maintains the vitality of the environment and traditonal practices.
Informal Disaster The study results in mixed reaction from the government. The study focus is on the negative environmental impacts of the informal sector and, as a result, the government cracks down on the practice.
Combinatory Infrastructure Mineral corridor rapidly expands due to the high value of resources with the consolidation of infrastructure and rapid development of mines.
Limiting Potential The creation of the mineral corridor combined with the price of resources severely limit the expansion of mines.
150
3
Mining Collective The higher price of minerals make it feasible to begin mining practices; However, by this time there is growth in other industries and many smaller Mongolian mine companies operate as a
S u s tain ab l e Fo cu s
Mine Minder Although mining practices have occured sustainabily, the prices of minerals continue to fluctuate due to China’s demands. Mines are forced to start and stop production based on mineral prices. This results in severe swings of the economy and many Mongolians move back out into the landscape attempting to mediate mining practices and traditional life on the landscape.
Developed Mongolia Full destruction and little remediation effort. Funds allocated to remediation do not cover the costs meaning remediation is only partially completed.
emporary Mongolia
ion
Environmental Quality
The Blind Eye
Full Speed Ahead
Mining activities increase in order to capitalize on the momentum of mining interest in the country.
.
Easy Wealth
The government continues to allow and promote mining with the logic that the it is concealed and contained in a remote area of the country. Development of the country happening at unprecedented
The quick development of mining practices leads to very quick and severe environmental degradation and water shortages across much of southern Mongolia.
Wealth & Remediation The landscape is forever altered in a significant way; However, the revenue generated has created a wealthy Mongolian public and enough resources to fully remediate the environment.
Declining Profits The price of minerals declines dramatically. Although mining activity continues and the country receives tax revenue, profits significantly decline.
Mining accelerates without much understanding concerning the future of the Mongolian landscape. Problems are addressed as they arise but few address the potential long term implications
Failed Dreams & Re-emergence Mining never reaches its full potential and the altered landscape can not be fully remediated. Many Mongolians did not benefit from mining in significant ways and leave the
Death Grip Abandonment
10 yr.
The focus of government continues on mining and at the expense of diversifying into other industries.
The cost of the fixes continue to increase until it reaches the point where it is uneconomical to do so. Many smaller sites stop operations.
Industry of Innovation
Economi cally D e v e lope dM o ng oli a
2 yr.
Environemtal Band Aids
1
Modernized Mongolia Mining reaches its full potential and is a primary contributor of Mongolian development. Funds allocated to remediation do not cover the costs meaning remediation is only partially completed leaving the landscape as a palemcest of mongolian development.
Mineral Adoption As mines continue to close, informal miners (Ninja Miners) come and continue operations on smaller scales. Adaptation of infrastructure and structures to accommodate news scales and modes of occupation.
Innovative solution and resources begin to emerge on how to efficiently and sustainably extract resources in complicated environments.
25 yr. Unsustainable Extraction
50 yr.
ht elig Lim tal em
Mongolia develops a research and development program to deal with the negative effects of mining. Technology is exported around the globe.
on vir En
Remediation Leaders
small scale and localized solutions develop however the long term effects of the quick fixes are unable to sustain the industry. The industry collapses leaving extensive infrastructure and pollution behind
2
Figure 60.
Environmental Collapse Environmental degredaton resulting from the mining industry combined with climate change make the nomadic practice of animal husbandry impossable without cordination.
151
Small Craft Industries The focus on a sustainable use of the environment, tourism, and culture leads Mongolia to a significant increase in GDP. High quality goods manufactured and sold worldwide.
ALT. Industries
Problems continue and prevent the development of the mining industry. Government focuses on development of alternative industries, tourism, and animal husbandry.
Animal Husbandry
Mineral Nomadism Informal mining emerges as a major source of employment for many Mongolians. Government creates infrastructures to aid in the sustainable extraction of minerals around know soft rock gold deposits.
ent vestm n I n ig Fore f O pse a l l Co
Overburden of landscape due to the quantity of animals accelerates desertification. Mongolia is unable to accommodate the devastation.
4
152 Mine Minder
Ninjas
A two year study is proposed by the government to investigate the potential of the growing informal mining industry in the country.
Informal Disaster The study results in mixed reaction from the government. The study focus is on the negative environmental impacts of the informal sector and, as a result, the government cracks down on the practice.
Contemporary Mongolia
Corruption
Economic Diversification Mining Activity
Environmental Quality
Cultural Investment
GDP
The Blin
Cautionary
Full Speed Ahead
Mining activities increase in order to capitalize on the momentum of mining interest in the country.
Mining focuses on projects already underway. Expansion of mining is limited.
Collapse Of Foreign Investment
Turmoil surrounds the mining industry and prevents further development.
.
Easy Wealth
The govern allow and the logic th concealed remote are Developme happening
The quick development of mining practices leads to very quick and severe environmental degradation and water shortages across much of southern Mongolia.
2 yr.
Declining P
Regulated Sustainable Extraction A lengthy environemtal assesment recomends the creation of a mineral corridor that limits the expansion of resource extraction throughout the country but maintains the vitality of the environment and traditonal practices.
Combinatory Infrastructure
The price of m dramatically. A activity continu country receive profits significa
Environemtal Band Aids Mining accelerates without much understanding concerning the future of the Mongolian landscape. Problems are addressed as they arise but few address the potential long term implications
Abandonment
10 yr.
The cost of the fixes continue to increase until it reaches the point where it is uneconomical to do so. Many smaller sites stop operations.
Mineral corridor rapidly expands due to the high value of resources with the consolidation of infrastructure and rapid development of mines.
Industry of Innovation
Limiting Potential
Innovative solution and resources begin to emerge on how to efficiently and sustainably extract resources in complicated environments.
The creation of the mineral corridor combined with the price of resources severely limit the expansion of mines.
Figure 60. 25 yr.
153
GDP Small Craft Industries The focus on a sustainable use of the environment, tourism, and culture leads Mongolia to a significant increase in GDP. High quality goods manufactured and sold worldwide.
ALT. Industries
Cautionary
Problems continue and prevent the development of the mining industry. Government focuses on development of alternative industries, tourism, and animal husbandry.
Mining focuses on projects already underway. Expansion of mining is limited.
Collapse Of Foreign Investment
Turmoil surrounds the mining industry and prevents further development.
Animal Husbandry
t estmen v n I ign Fore f O pse a l l Co
Overburden of landscape due to the quantity of animals accelerates desertification. Mongolia is unable to accommodate the devastation.
4
2y Regulated Sustainable Extraction
Ninjas
A two year study is proposed by the government to investigate the potential of the growing informal mining industry in the country.
A lengthy environemtal assesment recomends the creation of a mineral corridor that limits the expansion of resource extraction throughout the country but maintains the vitality of the environment and traditonal practices.
Informal Disaster The study results in mixed reaction from the government. The study focus is on the negative environmental impacts of the informal sector and, as a result, the government cracks down on the practice.
Combinatory Infrastructure
10 y
Mineral corridor rapidly expands due to the high value of resources with the consolidation of infrastructure and rapid development of mines.
d Limiting Potential The creation of the mineral corridor combined with the price of resources severely limit the expansion of mines.
154
3
Mining Collective The higher price of minerals make it feasible to begin mining practices; However, by this time there is growth in other industries and many smaller Mongolian mine companies operate as a
Sus ta i n ab le F oc us
Mine Minder Although mining practices have occured sustainabily, the prices of minerals continue to fluctuate due to China’s demands. Mines are forced to start and stop production based on mineral prices. This results in severe swings of the economy and many Mongolians move back out into the landscape attempting to mediate mining practices and traditional life on the landscape.
25 y
Developed Mongolia Full destruction and little remediation effort. Funds allocated to remediation do not cover the costs meaning remediation is only partially completed.
50
The Blind Eye
Full Speed Ahead
Mining activities increase in order to capitalize on the momentum of mining interest in the country.
.
Easy Wealth
The quick development of mining practices leads to very quick and severe environmental degradation and water shortages across much of southern Mongolia.
Wealth & Remediation
The landscape is forever altered in a significant way; However, the revenue generated has created a wealthy Mongolian public and enough resources to fully remediate the environment.
Declining Profits The price of minerals declines dramatically. Although mining activity continues and the country receives tax revenue, profits significantly decline.
Environemtal Band Aids
Failed Dreams & Re-emergence Mining never reaches its full potential and the altered landscape can not be fully remediated. Many Mongolians did not benefit from mining in significant ways and leave the
Death Grip Abandonment
yr.
The focus of government continues on mining and at the expense of diversifying into other industries.
The cost of the fixes continue to increase until it reaches the point where it is uneconomical to do so. Many smaller sites stop operations.
Industry of Innovation
Economi c a l l y Deve lo p e dM o n g oli a
yr.
Mining accelerates without much understanding concerning the future of the Mongolian landscape. Problems are addressed as they arise but few address the potential long term implications
1
The government continues to allow and promote mining with the logic that the it is concealed and contained in a remote area of the country. Development of the country happening at unprecedented
Mineral Adoption As mines continue to close, informal miners (Ninja Miners) come and continue operations on smaller scales. Adaptation of infrastructure and structures to accommodate news scales and modes of occupation.
Innovative solution and resources begin to emerge on how to efficiently and sustainably extract resources in complicated environments.
yr. Unsustainable Extraction
yr.
ht elig Lim tal em
Mongolia develops a research and development program to deal with the negative effects of mining. Technology is exported around the globe.
small scale and localized solutions develop however the long term effects of the quick fixes are unable to sustain the industry. The industry collapses leaving extensive infrastructure and pollution behind
on vir En
Remediation Leaders
2
Environmental Collapse Environmental degredaton resulting from the mining industry combined with climate change make the nomadic practice of animal husbandry impossable without cordination.
155
GDP Small Craft Industries The focus on a sustainable use of the environment, tourism, and culture leads Mongolia to a significant increase in GDP. High quality goods manufactured and sold worldwide.
ALT. Industries
Cautiona
Problems continue and prevent the development of the mining industry. Government focuses on development of alternative industries, tourism, and animal husbandry.
Mining focuses on already underway. E of mining i
Collapse Of Foreign Investment
Turmoil surrounds the mining industry and prevents further development.
Animal Husbandry
t estmen v n I ign Fore f O se p a ll Co
Overburden of landscape due to the quantity of animals accelerates desertification. Mongolia is unable to accommodate the devastation.
4
Regulated Sustainable Extraction
Ninjas
A two year study is proposed by the government to investigate the potential of the growing informal mining industry in the country.
A lengthy environemtal assesment recomends the creation of a mineral corridor that limits the expansion of resource extraction throughout the country but maintains the vitality of the environment and traditonal practices.
Informal Disaster The study results in mixed reaction from the government. The study focus is on the negative environmental impacts of the informal sector and, as a result, the government cracks down on the practice.
Combinatory Infrastructure Mineral corridor rapidly expands due to the high value of resources with the consolidation of infrastructure and rapid development of mines.
Limiting Potential The creation of the mineral corridor combined with the price of resources severely limit the expansion of mines.
156
3
Mining Collective The higher price of minerals make it feasible to begin mining practices; However, by this time there is growth in other industries and many smaller Mongolian mine companies operate as a
Sus tai n a ble F oc us
Mine Minder Although mining practices have occured sustainabily, the prices of minerals continue to fluctuate due to China’s demands. Mines are forced to start and stop production based on mineral prices. This results in severe swings of the economy and many Mongolians move back out into the landscape attempting to mediate mining practices and traditional life on the landscape.
Developed Mongolia
Full destruction and litt remediation effort. Fund allocated to remediation do no cover the costs meanin remediation is only partial completed
The Blind Eye
ary
Full Speed Ahead
Mining activities increase in order to capitalize on the momentum of mining interest in the country.
n projects Expansion is limited.
.
Easy Wealth
The government continues to allow and promote mining with the logic that the it is concealed and contained in a remote area of the country. Development of the country happening at unprecedented
The quick development of mining practices leads to very quick and severe environmental degradation and water shortages across much of southern Mongolia.
Wealth & Remediation
The landscape is forever altered in a significant way; However, the revenue generated has created a wealthy Mongolian public and enough resources to fully remediate the environment.
2 yr. Declining Profits The price of minerals declines dramatically. Although mining activity continues and the country receives tax revenue, profits significantly decline.
Environemtal Band Aids Mining accelerates without much understanding concerning the future of the Mongolian landscape. Problems are addressed as they arise but few address the potential long term implications
Failed Dreams & Re-emergence Mining never reaches its full potential and the altered landscape can not be fully remediated. Many Mongolians did not benefit from mining in significant ways and leave the
Death Grip Abandonment
10 yr.
The cost of the fixes continue to increase until it reaches the point where it is uneconomical to do so. Many smaller sites stop operations.
Industry of Innovation
ia
The focus of government continues on mining and at the expense of diversifying into other industries.
Mineral Adoption As mines continue to close, informal miners (Ninja Miners) come and continue operations on smaller scales. Adaptation of infrastructure and structures to accommodate news scales and modes of occupation.
Innovative solution and resources begin to emerge on how to efficiently and sustainably extract resources in complicated environments.
25 yr. Unsustainable Extraction
Mongolia develops a research and development program to deal with the negative effects of mining. Technology is exported around the globe.
tle ds ot ng lly d.
50 yr.
ht elig Lim tal em
a
Figure 60.
on vir En
Remediation Leaders
small scale and localized solutions develop however the long term effects of the quick fixes are unable to sustain the industry. The industry collapses leaving extensive infrastructure and pollution behind
2
Environmental Collapse Environmental degredaton resulting from the mining industry combined with climate change make the nomadic practice of animal husbandry impossable without cordination.
157
Contemporary Mongolia
Corruption
Economic Diversification Mining Activity
Environmental Quality
Cultural Investment
GDP
ndustries
Cautionary
and prevent of the mining ment focuses of alternative and animal husbandry.
Full Speed Ahead
Mining activities increase in order to capitalize on the momentum of mining interest in the country.
Mining focuses on projects already underway. Expansion of mining is limited.
Collapse Of Foreign Investment
Turmoil surrounds the mining industry and prevents further development.
Easy Wealth
The quick development of mining practices leads to very quick and severe environmental degradation and water shortages across much of southern Mongolia.
2 yr. Regulated Sustainable Extraction
Ninjas
udy is proposed e government to e potential of the informal mining y in the country.
A lengthy environemtal assesment recomends the creation of a mineral corridor that limits the expansion of resource extraction throughout the country but maintains the vitality of the environment and traditonal practices.
Combinatory Infrastructure
Environemtal Band Aids Mining accelerates without much understanding concerning the future of the Mongolian landscape. Problems are addressed as they arise but few address the potential long term implications
Abandonment
10 yr.
The cost of the fixes continue to increase until it reaches the point where it is uneconomical to do so. Many smaller sites stop operations.
Mineral corridor rapidly expands due to the high value of resources with the consolidation of infrastructure and rapid development of mines.
Industry of Innovation
Limiting Potential
Innovative solution and resources begin to emerge on how to efficiently and sustainably extract resources in complicated environments.
The creation of the mineral corridor combined with the price of resources severely limit the expansion of mines.
158 25 yr.
The Blind Eye
.
1
The government continues to allow and promote mining with the logic that the it is concealed and contained in a remote area of the country. Development of the country happening at unprecedented
Wealth & Remediation The landscape is forever altered in a significant way; However, the revenue generated has created a wealthy Mongolian public and enough resources to fully remediate the environment.
The price of minerals declines dramatically. Although mining activity continues and the country receives tax revenue, profits significantly decline.
Failed Dreams & Re-emergence Mining never reaches its full potential and the altered landscape can not be fully remediated. Many Mongolians did not benefit from mining in significant ways and leave the
Death Grip The focus of government continues on mining and at the expense of diversifying into other industries.
Economi c a l l y Deve l o p e dM o n g oli a
Declining Profits
Modernized Mongolia Mining reaches its full potential and is a primary contributor of Mongolian development. Funds allocated to remediation do not cover the costs meaning remediation is only partially completed leaving the landscape as a palemcest of mongolian development.
Mineral Adoption As mines continue to close, informal miners (Ninja Miners) come and continue operations on smaller scales. Adaptation of infrastructure and structures to accommodate news scales and modes of occupation.
Figure 60.
159
PHYSICAL MODELS
160
Figure 60. Site model.
161
162
Figure 61. Mining unit model.
163
164
Figure 61a. Commerce unit model
165
166
Figure 61b. School unit model
167
PRESENTATION BOARDS
168
Figure 62. Presentation layout boards and models.
169
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Figure 25d. http://www.sven-zellner.de/gold-mongolia-ninja-miners.htm Figure 26. Http://Prienceshrestha.Files.Wordpress.Com/2012/03/Iraq_oil_ wideweb__430x315.Jpg Figure 27. Http://Photography.Nationalgeographic.Com/Photography/Photo-Of-The-Day/ Horses-Mongolia-Leong/ Figure 28. Http://Www.Flickr.Com/Photos/72511036@N00/6766834125 Figure 29. Http://En.Zmsyy.Com/Comcontent_detail2/&Columnsid=582D29d0-72064584-983A-Aa97c67ac558&Comp_stats=Comp-Frontcolumns_navigation01-Ywfw.Html Figure 30. Http://Www.Reddit.Com/R/Pics/Comments/1Ixtz0/The_i110105_interchange_ in_los_angeles/ Figure 31. Http://Www.Sirshanksalot.Com/1519-Tigers-Desert-Golf-Course-Project/ Figure 32. Http://Ilkka.Halso.Net Figure 33. Http://Kickstartseedfund.Com/Blog/Wp-Content/Uploads/2013/10/ Owpomsc.Jpg Figure 34. Http://Www.Matterhorn1959.Com/Blog1/91.Matterhorn.Jpg Figure 35. http://ninadietzel.com/gallery/large/Mongolia_101017_Day7_DSC3671.jpg Figure 36. http://subtilitas.tumblr.com/post/1299763050/ontwerpgroep-trude-hooykaaskraanspoor-office Figure 37. Figure 38. Http://Www.Othermarkets.Org/Village/Templ/Room3/Pics/Images/ Romhoobmarket/Romhoobmarket_1.Jpg
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