Inhabiting an Artificial Landscape

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D y l a n Pa l m e r JAPAN

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Table of Contents Position

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Argument / Framework

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Allies

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Methodology

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Site

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Project Proposal

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Conclusion / Reflection

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Appendix

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GARBAGE CONCENTRATION Kilogram per square Kilometer 0.1

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[POSITION]

01 “Modern history demonstrates humanity’s indifference towards and , at times, contempt for the sea. By isolating ourselves to land, rather then embracing a transitional and multivalent form of living, humans have disregarded and relinquished responsibility for the care and stewardship of the hydrosphere.”

- Buoyant Clarity

image via <a href=”http://www.peakpx.com”>Peakpx</a>

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Inhabitation of the Hydrosphere Over consumption in the world is leading to ecological problems such as sea level rise, pollution, and overpopulation of livable terrain. As architects how do we deal with land that becomes lost to the ocean? We create that land back through the use of amphibious structures. The idea of living completely in the ocean has been thought of as futuristic or speculative to many architects around the world.

Buoyant Clarity: Pamphlet Architecture 36 by Christopher Meyer, Daniel Hemmendinger, and Shawna Meyer begin to discuss how architects think of amphibious structures, generally treat the water’s edge as a permanent site for an attached terrestrial inhabitation.

Being close to the shore allows for the structure to be easily accessible, engage with people walking by on land, allowing for it to be used by the public. The question then comes up, is it possible to create an amphibious structure that can exist far away from terra firma and support human life for long term periods. I believe it is possible through the use of modern technologies, Łukasz Piątek an architect and marine designer states “The idea of sustainability is embodied in the very nature of buoyant architecture: a floating building cooperates with water rather than opposing it. It undergoes

water level fluctuations and it reacts to water’s movement so it is adaptive and kinetic by definition. The initial problem of buoyant architecture – infrastructural isolation – is now an advantage as new autonomous technologies of energy production, rainwater collection, seawater desalination and wastewater purification may be harvest.” New technologies being found in the 21st century allows for the population to live in the most inhospitable environment, such as antarctic research stations, the International Space station orbiting around the earth, oil platforms in open sea, and more. Why couldn’t we as architects tap into these new technologies to allow for people to live a sustainable life in the worlds oceans.

These communities would allow for people to engage with the sea, but not risk the flooding of their dwellings.

Mimicking infrastructures on land such as Roads (navigational patterns of boats), food cultivation (Fishing and Hydroponics), communal spaces (Parks), and many more would allow for people to easily move their everyday life out to sea. The success of these floating communities would become a precedent of how people can migrate from living on land to living in the worlds oceans.

Snøhetta “Ocean Space Center” photoshopped to display a group of structures linked together creating a community at sea.

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Daily Requirements Water, Food, and Energy

A floating structure in the middle of the ocean will rely on many daily requirements to keep the inhabitants on board healthy and happy.

Understanding fishing methods and ways of collecting caloric energy from the sea will be beneficial for the health of everyone on board.

Ocean Water can be purified through the use of desalination, allowing for an unlimited supply of water to the structure. Energy can be produced through wind generation and hydroelectric power from the movement of the sea. Everything that is provided on land to sustain life can be collected in the ocean allowing for a city to survive away from terra firma.

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Fishing: Kampachi Farms

Desalination: IDOM

Wind Energy - image: Tobias Schwarz/AFP

Hydroelectricity: Unknown Source

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image: Shoot Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Design/Unsplash

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Relationship to Architecture Designing in the Hydrosphere Architecturally creating an artificial island is humans next big step to conquer, creating terra firma completely through design. The technologies being created in the 21st century have allowed for buildings that are over a half mile tall, and artificial island dredged up from the sea bed. As an architect I have the chance to rethink design, creating structures that have never been thought possible.

Architecture tends to focus on land based structures, moving the idea to aquatic landscapes could allow for a new design method to be produced. Allowing form to guide the structure with an emphasis on buoyancy.

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[ARGUMENT / FRAMEWORK]

02 “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch-we are going back from whence we came” - John F. Kennedy

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The Need for Change The idea of living near the ocean has been a driving force for many human civilizations over the past millennium.

Moving into the 21st century these cities are becoming susceptible to sea level rise and over population.

Buoyant Clarity: Pamphlet Architecture 36 by Christopher Meyer, Daniel Hemmendinger, and Shawna Meyer begin to discuss how cities such as Malé the capital of the Maldives has a population of 150,000 people but only an elevation that is 2.4 meters above sea level and New Orleans with approximately 390,000 people living in low lying areas that are as much as five meters below sea level. This minuscule amount of topography change could be covered in water due to the changing climate of the world and sea level rise. This is only two of many cities that are facing ecological problems at the moment. Venice Italy has a population of 261,000 people is being largely effected by the climate with water level becoming so high that buildings on ground level are becoming flooded with water from canals running

throughout the city. This displacement of water throughout the city is causing people to have to move from their home to more land locked locations that will not be affected by flooding.

With people insisting on living near the ocean, what can we do as architects to allow for future generations to enjoy living around the ocean without the fear of losing everything to possible flooding. I am proposing that we move people out onto the ocean living in “amphibious” spaces away from land.

Creating a new civilization that does not rely on terra firma but have the ability to become highly mobile and react to the surroundings other than being stagnant. Łukasz Piątek in Displacing Architecture? From Floating Houses to Ocean Habitats: Expanding the Building Typology, begins to talk about a new typology for floating structures defining them as “floating, portable and buoyant, partly submerged structure resting on the Water surface thanks to its low weight and special structural elements like buoyant foundation

or watertight body (the hull) that displaces surrounding water, kept in place by variety of systems like mooring piles (dolphins), stopping piles, anchors, mooring lines and combination of those; includes structures of different functions, applications and sizes like floating building (building on the water, boathouse), living barge, offshore floating platform, Very Large Floating Structure (VLFS), floating habitat, floating city, as well as the ships that require a fixed position to fulfill their purposes like lighthouse ship, botel, floatel and museum-ship.”

Following these principles for a floating architecture a study can be done to determined if it is possible for humans to survive in a remote location in the ocean. The location was found by following criteria that would make it one of the most inhospitable locations in the ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean was chosen due to its overabundance in plastic pollution and damage done to the local ecosystem. Learning how to survive in this environment would make it easier

for future projects to follow in other oceans around the world. Beginning with a grid of buoys located 100 miles apart from each other in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, consisting of a total of 117 Buoys that will collect data on climate, water temperature, and micro-plastic density in the water. This information would be crucial on the selection of the location of the “Floating Research Complex” to best be integrated into the pollution of the Ocean. The research gained from visiting the site and inhabiting the space will further allow for the final structure to be designed to be able to inhabit such a baron space.

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[ALLIES]

03 “Together let us desire, conceive, and create the new structure of the future, which will embrace architecture and sculpture and painting in one unity and which will one day rise toward Heaven from the hands of a million workers like the crystal symbol of a new faith.”

- Walter Gropius

The Ocean Space Center

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How the World Perceives the Ocean Should be Inhabited The ocean has been a place of discussion for where people could possibly migrate to in the future. Architects and designers from around the world have been discussing the idea of inhabiting the ocean, creating infrastructure that allows for a human to prosper at sea. Buoyant Clarity: Pamphlet Architecture 36 states “The occupation of amphibious space has historically been temporary, and often as a consequence of economic, political, or agricultural forces.” Firms around the world are beginning to combat this way of thinking such as Studio Fokstrot creating the Copenhagen islands (CPH-Ø1) Taking park space and moving it into the harbor because of politics in the city removing green space. The spaces created provide privacy because of their elusive nature floating away from the land, requiring a pilgrimage from land to water.

Other projects take the idea of moving to sea to a very large scale, similar to the thesis I am studying.

The ocean Space Center by Snøetta is a research space for marine life and students in the sea. Allowing for direct connection to the ocean for study and research. The precedents chosen in this chapter show great potential for being selfsustained structures on the water.

CPH-Ã&#x2DC;1

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Studio Fokstrot

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Studio Fokstrot

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01 COPENHAGEN ISLANDS – Studio Fokstrot CPH-Ø1 is a small 20m2 hand made wooden platform with a linden tree at its center. Creating a new type of public space that inhabits the harbor of Copenhagen. This new design philosophy is called a “Parkipelago” focusing on place and function compared to the public spaces in the city. As the city loses public spaces the idea for Studio Fokstrot is to move to the water focusing on buoyant structures that can be further used as public spaces. The idea thought about in this project become beneficial for me when thinking about a floating structure in the ocean. Public space and nature will be crucial for creating a sustainable habitat for people that will feel like living on land but be purely at sea.

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REX/ImagineChina

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REX/ImagineChina

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02 Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tanka Community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ningde City in southeast China The Tanka Community of China has been living on the sea in floating homes for the past 800 years. They traditionally lived on junks (traditional Chinese sailing ship) in coastal parts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, and Zhejiang, as well as Hong Kong, and Macau. The communities rely heavily on fishing to sustain life without having to enter onto land. Each family has their own boat and fishery located around it. They are able to live a life wholly on the water relying on these simple amenities. The fish allow for them to barter to one another for items that they may not be able to make on their own. They wash their clothes in the water and use it for simple travel between other junks moored throughout the water basin. This city begins to give me an understanding of how people were able to survive directly from the sea without contact from land for hundreds of years.

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Photo by Dioniso Gonzalez

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03 Teatro del Mondo – Aldo Rossi Known as the “Venetian theater,” was a submission to the Theater and Architecture” sections of the 1980 Venice Biennale, in conjunction with the exhibition Venice and the scenic space. Aldo Rossi was looking into the idea of the Venetian identity, its physical, geographic, architectural and mythical reality. He was looking into the small ocean side city of Venice, and ow he could portray it in a floating structure capable of traveling port to port displaying culture and arts. Aldo talks about the structure in his own words saying “[Teatro del Mondo] draws its substance and its image from technology and history.” Having the ability to float on its own the structure would then have to represent the urban history of Venice in a dream like state. Following the rules set in place by 18th century Venetian architecture The idea of using common forms that are well known to a common area of the world could be portrayed throughout my thesis project. Creating an amphibious city at sea for people of a certain culture could help to tailor my design strategies, making the spaces feel welcoming and not so artificial.

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America Wind Symphony Orchestra

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America Wind Symphony Orchestra

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04 Point Counterpoint II â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Louis Kahn Point Counterpoint II is a 195-foot-long floating concert hall commissioned by the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. The barge was created to allow for versatility and easy travel for the Orchestra as a mobile venue for showing in cities located on the water. The vessel was self propelled allowing for it to move easily from city to city using the river systems. It featured a hydraulically-operated 25-foot-tall stage that opens up like a clam shell when the boat is docked and ready for a performance, and lowers after concerts so the vessel can slip under bridges. The barge also had a space inside for an art gallery allowing people to enter on board and walk throughout. The boat shows the ingenuity architect Louis Kahn had in the 1970s allowing for the orchestra to be highly mobile and have built in infrastructure on an amphibious platform for their concerts. The ideas thought through in the structure could be looked at for creating a self sustain vessel that focuses more on leisurely activities for people who could be living in a remote part of the ocean.

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Snøhetta

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05 The Ocean Space Center â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Snøhetta The Norwegian Marine Research Institute Marintek is leading a publicprivate initiative to build a World Ocean Space Centre in Trondheim by 2020. The idea is to have a new marine technology center located within an ocean basin, in the middle of the sea. The World Ocean Space Centre will comprise 90,100 square meters of new space with 1,000 employees and 500 students that will research at the complex.

This building would rely on supplies and people being shuttled beck in forth everyday to be able to run as intended.

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The Ocean Cleanup

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The Ocean Cleanup

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06 Ocean Clean Up

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â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Boyan Slat The Ocean clean up is a company focusing on cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage patch and other trash collection points on the oceans around the world. They focus on using energy neutral autonomous systems that can collect trash by using ocean currents. Once the currents have delivered the garbage into the U shaped system, boats hook up to it to get the trash into a central location to be collects and recycled on land.

These systems in play will be studies for the creating of a smaller scale buoy that could collect trash out of the ocean, with a focus on microplastics.

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[METHODOLOGY]

04 God created paper for the purpose of drawing architecture on it.

Everything else is, at least for me, an abuse of paper.

- Alvar Aalto

Kit-Bash Parts

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Understanding the Ever changing Sea To better understand the site, I would like to map the pacific ocean currents and the possible route a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cityâ&#x20AC;? could take without the use of propulsion. How this route could be beneficial for data and trash collection to help clean the ocean and understand the influence the debris has on the surroundings.

Other mappings of the site such as Materiality of the trash located in the Pacific gyre. Knowing the typology of the pollutant allows for systems to be made to combat or utilize their composition to better the floating community.

Map overlays on the site relating to infrastructure, land distance from main currents, and possible locations of data points to collect information about the oceans make up and climate for the researchers.

Foam Models will be created of the of the site to map land boundaries compared to water. The foam will allow for diagrams to be able

to be created on the surface by allowing pins to stab into the base.

These points would allow for the connection of different materials from point to point to look around the site in a new way and understand possible circumstances the site provides. Possible Acetone into the foam landscape models could show the deterioration of the oceans and ecosystem in the central parts of the Pacific Garbage Gyre. Mapping the space carved away and its relationship to the surrounding land would inform me of the scale of the site. Other was to learn about living in the worlds oceans would be to do back stories of people who live at sea for long periods at a time. I have chose 5 people who would provide me with a wide range of jobs, living sceneries, and diversity.

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Kit-Bashing A Creative Process Kit-bashing is a practice where you take the pre-made pieces from scale model kits and create an entirely new design or structure. This process can create new design ideas and allow one to think out difficult ideas without the use of time consuming handmade models. The idea of creating something from per-fabricated parts allows for the mind to think through new ideas when designing, the foreign forms when combined together can create a whole new design strategy when trying to tackle an idea.

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“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. “ – Vincent Van Gogh

Precision Drilling – Rig Manager The rig manager controls the everyday labor of the offshore oil platform. He is at the mercy of the sea, an ever changing landscape that can in the matter of seconds can go from tranquil to hazardous. He relies on an artificial landscape for the survival of himself and the crew on board. The landscape fortified with steel and innovation, creates a home of commercialism and greed. Extracting the riches of the world for self gain and the need of the human population. The infrastructure at sea will live forever as long as the world provides a demand for natures fuel.

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“The sea will grant each man new hope, and sleep will bring dreams of home...”

– Christopher Columbus

U.S. Navy – Cook The cook provides the ship with vital provisions that help to sustain the member of the aircraft carrier. They are able to produce meals in the thousand on any given day, not leaving a single person hungry on a ship of over 6,000 personnel. Food is crucial when as sea for months without docking on land, providing nourishment and happiness to people living in the artificial landscape.

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“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware.”

– Martin Buber

Royal Caribbean International – Casino Dealer Taught to charm the patrons of the ship, drawing them towards the tables, enticing them to bet and converse with others seated at the table. Conducting different table games such as Blackjack, Dice, Roulette, Let It Ride, Caribbean Stud Poker, and many more. Their daily is task is only to work for the guest bringing hem pleasure and allowing for them to forget about their daily lives while getting lost in a game. This idea could be used in an artificial landscape where people become so caught up in living at sea for long periods of time, they will have a chance to decompress with someone who can entertain and distract.

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“Ocean, n. A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man — who has no gills.”

– Ambrose Bierce

Marine Geographer A Marine Geographer studies the social and economic relationships between people and the physical environment of the sea, traveling around the worlds oceans. This need bring them around all the oceans, staying on ships for months on end. The research gained is worth the tight quarters of their research vessel, and the unknown that the sea has to offer.

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“The loneliness you get by the sea is personal and alive.

It doesn’t subdue you and make you feel abject. It’s stimulating loneliness.”

– Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Yacht Captain The Yacht Captain allows for the luxurious life style to be sustained without the worry of ship up keep, captaining the vessel, and crew administration. Living life at sea majority of the time bring high-end vessels to wealthy people traveling on vacation or around the world, the captain stays with the ship. This life at sea exist around small quarters and minimal natural space. The captain makes it work and enjoys the navigation of the boat, keeping the clients happy while not looking out for the interest of themselves.

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Degradation of the Pacific Ocean 3D Topography Degradation of the Oceans due to micro-plastics and human waste has been studied through the use of a Styrofoam CNC topography model. The region of study was the Pacific Garbage Patch with Hawaii and California added for context. Acetone was poured over the region hosting the Garbage Patch showing the toll it takes on the ocean and the need for an intervention on the worlds waste management. Grids were overlaid to shoe possible locations of buoys that would allow for surface filtration and become data points testing water purity and climate changes for the amphibious structure floating around the Pacific ocean.

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Micro-plastics and Sea Currents A Study of Micro-plasticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Reaction to Water Studying the patterns of micro-plastics and water and their relationship to one another will help with the creation of a buoy that can filter the worlds oceans from contaminates and better protect ecosystems.

Micro-plastics are the most prevalent type of marine debris found in our ocean and Great Lakes. Micro-plastics come from the degradation of larger plastics due to sun and water damage. The small size of the beads allow for them to enter into the food chain by being consumed by fish. Understanding their behaviors in water will allow for the creation of equipment that will be able to detect and capture these tiny particles of plastic. This study model shows the way micro-plastic and water react when in contact, as thew water drys up the plastic particles pool together allowing for them to be connected. But as they stay in the water they are able to quickly drift apart and become increasingly more difficult to catch.

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[SITE]

05 “The ocean is the lifeblood of our world. If we were to lose our fish that we appreciate so much by overfishing; or if we were to lose some of our favorite beaches to overbuilding and pollution, then how would we feel? It’s become a case of not knowing what you’ve got until it’s gone.”

- Aaron Peirsol

The Ocean Cleanup

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage patch is a gyre of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. The high concentration of plastic waste was discovered between 1985-1988, due to the Pacific Ocean currents the debris gets trapped between Hawaii and California. There is an estimate of 80,000 metric tons of plastic in the patch, totaling 1.8 trillion pieces. The cleanup of this is crucial to ocean ecosystems and the health of people around the world. Plastic taken from the sea also has the ability to be reused from everyday objects at a small scale to a larger scale as a building material. Choosing the ocean as a site allows for versatility for floating structures which is crucial when collecting floating debris that is always on the move due to water currents. These water currents can help with the collection of material in an energy efficient means, allowing for the material to float

into traps instead of using energy to move the traps to the material.

Locating the site in the garbage patch allows for the discovery of how people will engage with debris left in the ocean.

Ken Phan

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JAPAN

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Buoys dispersed around the garbage patch to collect micro-plastics and climate data.

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HAWAII = One Buoy

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Data Points Buoys Buoys throughout time have been primarily used as a navigational aid for ships. Their uses ranged from safe water marking (water depth), surface marker for scuba divers, Sea Mark for aiding in maritime travel, and many more. I am looking at the buoy as a way of interacting with the ocean on a small scale that can provide large scale environmental help. Buoyant Clarity has a section that discusses the use of buoys to attack surface refuse, filtering out large pieces of debris out of the water before it is broken down and causes damage to the food chain. The Pacific Garbage Patch is host to large amount of plastics that have broken down into micro-plastics. The buoys that would be places around the pacific ocean would be designed to collect these micro-plastics, filtering them out of the water, in turn ridding the water of pollutants allowing for human life to exist at sea without being surrounded by pollution.

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Ohio State University - antarctic photo

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adrart Acacus desert in western Libya, part of the Sahara â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Luca Galuzzi

Similar Sites Antarctica & Sahara Desert The Pacific Ocean is an inhospitable site that has the ability to be defeated through the use of architectural design and ideas. The ideas discovered through this project could be used in places all around the world. Allowing for land that was once thought worthless to be inhabited by humans and live a life that is fulfilling.

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Galuzzi

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[PROJECT PROPOSAL]

06 Just as infrastructures, architectures, and utilities establish orders and organizations in quotidian life on land, the sea is virtually and materially described through similar impositions. Oil rigs are the seaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extraction sites, shipping routes its highways, vessels its 18-wheelers, and buoys its road signs and weather vanes.

- Buoyant Clarity

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Artificial Amphibious Habitat The focus of the spring semester, will be to develop an architectural design that can work with the site of the ocean. Learning about the buoyancy of materials and the most ergonomic form of an amphibious vessel to function at peak performance in anything the ocean has to offer. A focus will be on the well being of the people living on board, finding ways of designing artificial landscapes that can enhance the environment of the crew. Learning the patterns of people and how to better the structure to be advanced for a full time urban development that could host the lives of many who are losing their land to sea level rise. Design charrette will be done on forms and infrastructure that will work best together to allow for long term living at sea. Looking into what is required for basic human existence such as Water, Food, and shelter. Adding comfort

and happiness into these 3 simple design philosophy will allow for an overall design that will keep people flourishing and allowing for them to have a content existences similar to what they had on land.

For the project to have a successful start it will need a â&#x20AC;&#x153;home-baseâ&#x20AC;? of operations. This would be a dry dock located close to the pacific ocean. The dry dock allows for the construction of the habitat and becomes a staging operation for discoveries of supplies and people to the vessel. The goal in the end is for the floating structure to be free of this land based dry dock and be able to survive wholly on its own without having to rely on outside help.

Title page plays on the inhabitation of an amphibious vessel heading to sea to create a future metropolis.

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Vessel Being Prepared For Ocean Living

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“As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.”

– Norman Foster

Dry Dock

Dry docks throughout history have been used in the construction of sea faring vessels. The use of a dry dock in the project becomes a site for staging operation and the creation of amphibious vessel that would support the overall artificial landscape. The proposal has to start on land for it to be successful with the creation of the first build-able surface that would then provide infrastructure and a platform for the construction of future modules of the landscape.

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Typology of Amphibious Vessels Buoyancy Understand the structures that are used to support everyday floating platforms, such as boats, can teach how a larger structure would be buoyant at sea. Comparing the bottoms of boats and understanding how they allow for flotation can help further the design of the floating landscape. Form, Size, and buoyancy of material all come into play when designing a platform in the middle of the ocean. The spring semester will rely heavily on the understanding of these three design criteria and finding the perfect unity to allow for a structure to be able to expand across the ocean hosting human life.

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[Final Project]

06 Together let us desire, conceive, and create the new structure of the future, which will embrace architecture and sculpture and painting in one unity and which will one day rise toward Heaven from the hands of a million workers like the crystal symbol of a new faith.

Inhabiting an Artifical Landscape The thesis is looking into designing in the hydrosphere and

from countries around the world to be processed. The 5

of the ocean. I am interested in exploring architectures

reserve, Recycle Center, Cargo Port, and Exposition. The

the infrastructure needed to support life out in the middle

possibility of designing and building a sustainable structure that is located thousands of miles from land. I looked to

pamphlet architecture 36: buoyant clarity to learn about the relationship of architecture to water. They state,

“Modern History demonstrates humanities indifference

towards and, at times, contempt for the sea. By isolating

- Walter Gropius

themselves to land, rather than embracing a transitional

and multivalent form of living, humans have disregarded

and relinquished responsibility for the care and stewardess of the hydrosphere. This lead me to look into ways of

inhabiting the ocean and creating a new architecture that is buoyant. I began by looking at precedents such as China’s

Tanks Fishing communities and their way of linking multiple boats together creating a city in the sea. This allowed for

them to create a large surface area that allowed for people to walk around boat to boat. I next looked into Neft Dasları in

baku where they created long bridges into the Caspian Sea to gather oil. These bridges were then expanded upon to

create area of programed space for people to live and work on. Lastly I was interested in barges, they would provide

a buoyant surface which could be built on, and their ease of connection would allow for an ever changing size and

shape of build platform. The north Pacific Ocean was chosen for the site of study because it hosts some of the highest

levels of pollution in the world. This is known as the Pacific Garbage Patch. It has 1.8 trillion pikes of trash weighing

over 80,000 metric tons, and it continuing to grow everyday.

This site drew me towards it for the possibility to clean the trash which is mainly plastic bottles and recycle them into

plastic that can be reused into new products. The site also

has multiple shipping routes that run throughout allowing

for interaction with container ship traffic. I am proposing that 5 buoyant structures are built and connected together to be able to float across the North Pacific Ocean, collecting trash and becoming a cargo port for the ships traveling through

the site. The ships would be able to bring recyclable plastic

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structures created would be a Business Center, Ecological business Center reuses a FLIP (Floating Instrument Platform) Research Vessel that is refitted to be the operation center

for the group of structures. This allows for a vantage point

over everything and also becomes a command tower to help ships navigate to the different drop off locations throughout

the project. The Ecological Reserve displays a large group of trash found in the Pacific Garbage Patch that has plant life

growing on it. This becomes a tourist location for people to come visit the artificial landscape created and teach about

the ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean. The recycle center is the main processing area for the plastic found in the water and

dropped off by the cargo ships. These centers Take the plastic and sort it into similar plastic types to then be run through the recycle process. These centers then redistribute the

cleaned plastic back to the cargo ships to be brought to their

next location. The Cargo Port is a storage area for the plastics delivered and collected for the garbage patch. It has a large storage center that also has overnight accommodations for ships or tourist that want to rest overnight. This allows for

an ever-changing group of people to be able to experience the Pacific Ocean from a new perspective. The final piece

at the end of the chain of structures is the Exposition group of barges. This space is used to teach people about the

pacific garbage patch and how it is affecting the ecosystem

and environment. Billboards and signs are placed through

which are able to display images or videos that can be seen by people on the barges or in ships passing by to show the significance of cleaning the Pacific Garbage Patch. The

models are kit-bash models, using electronic waste and

model kits, to explore design options and visualize space

needed for each structure. Using the electronics to gribble the surface of the models allowed for small detail spaces

to be created which when scaled to different sizes could be inhabited by people.

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Precedents used in Project Tanka Community, Neft Daslari, River Barges These 3 precedents showed different was of inhabiting water, I used methods from all three to create the artificial landscape in the Pacific Ocean. The Tanks Community showed me how they link together boats and fish netting to allow for a walk able surface that is beneficial to the community. Neft Daslari is a system of bridges extending into the Caspian Sea in search of oil. Their use of space on the thin bridges taught me different ideas for how to inhabit a small space and make the most use of it. River Barges lastly, provide a large surface area to work or build on. Linking these barges together became the groundwork to the entire structure at sea. The buoyancy of the barges were a perfect substitute for land.

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Propaganda Wildlife and Informing Propaganda was created to bring awareness to the situation and the pollution gathering in the North Pacific ocean. Attempting to draw people to the garbage patch to work and visit the different locations created throughout, while teaching about ways of bettering the environment.

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PROPERTIES

PLASTIC TYPES

COMMON USE

High Heat resistance high melting point of 245°C Clarity and toughness solvent resistant

Soda bottles, Water bottles, Salad dressing bottle, Medicine jars, Peanut butter jars, Jelly Jars, Combs, Bean bags, Rope, Tote bags, Carpet ,Fiberfill material in winter clothing

excellent moisture and chemical resistance rigid and strong soft waxy surface permeable to gas

Milk jugs, Juice containers, Grocery bags, Trash bags, Motor oil container ,Shampoo and conditioner bottles, Soap bottles, Detergent containers, Bleach containers, Toys

1 PETE Polyethylene terepthalate

2 hdpe

PVC

5 PP

PROPERTIES

COMMON USE

excellent resistance to heat, chemicals, grease, and oil strong, tought, and versitile floats in water high melting point

Plastic diapers, Tupperware, Kitchenware, Margarine tubs, Yogurt containers, Prescription bottles, Stadium cups, Bottle caps, Take-out containers, Disposable cups and plates

VESATILITY AND CLARITY INSULATION EASILY FORMED GLASSY SURFACE SINKS IN WATER

Disposable coffee cups, Plastic food boxes, Plastic cutlery, Packing foam, Packing peanuts

Polypropylene

High density Polyethylene

3

PLASTIC TYPES

6 PS Polystyrene

excellent transparency hard and rigid good esistance to chemicals, grease and oil sinks in water

Some tote bags, Plumbing pipes, Grocery bags, Tile, Cling films, Shoes ,Gutters, Window, frames ,Ducts, Sewage pipes

OTHER

Polyvinyl Chloride

ease of processing strong and tough flexibility floats in water low melting point

4 LDPE Low Density Polyethylene

OTHER POLYMERS THAT HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF USES, PARTICULARLY IN ENGENEERING SECTORS NORMALLY SINKS IN WATER

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Plastic CDs and DVDs, Baby bottles, Large water bottles with multiple-gallon capacity, Medical storage containers, Eyeglasses, Exterior lighting fixtures

Cling wrap, Sandwich bags, Squeezable bottles for condiments such as honey and, mustard, Grocery bags, Frozen food bags, Flexible container lids

Process of recycling plastic Recycle process Sorting Shredding Washing Sterilizing

Collection of recycled material

Extruding Pelletized Bagged Shipped to Manufacturer

Sorting of recycled material Optical air and manual sorting

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Sorting

Shredding

Washing

Sterilized

Extruded

Palletized

Bagged

Shipped to Manufacturers

Recycle Process Trash to New Products The process of recycling became important throughout the project, it allowed for the clean up and reuse of the pacific garbage patch. There are many typesof plastic created in the world, Being able to reconize which plastic is which and seperate it into groups was crucial for the recycle centers to process the material.

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Pacific Garbage Patch

Countries with highest plastic pollution enetering the oceans

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1. china 4. vietnam 2. indonesia 5. thailand 3. philipeans 6. egypt

7. nigeria 8. bangladesh.

9.south africa

10. India 11. brazil 12. N. Korea 13. USA

Diagraming the Site Shipping Routes and Controbution to the Pacific garbage Patch The Pacific garbage patch would become a hub for plastic recycling, this would be possible due to the large amount of shipping routes running through the site. High recycle material producing countries like China and the US would be able to load up ships that are already shipping cargo through the site with plastic to be dropped off and exchanged for process plastics.

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Business CENTER 68

Business Center Command Tower The Business Center uses a decommissioned F.L.I.P. Research vessel to float in the Pacific Garbage Patch, Becoming a center for the recycle business executives to run the operation. The Tower is also used as a control tower telling entering ships where to go with the materials they have on board. Helping the cargo ships dock at the different programed spaces and also guiding the string of barges through the North Pacific.

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Ecological Reserve 70

Ecological Reserve Wildlife Sanctuary The ecological reserve is located around a large clump of trash and debris found in the Pacific Garbage Patch. This group of garbage has plant life growing on its exterior, creating areas for fish to inhabit and thrive in the middle of the ocean. This structure of barges also become a tourist location for people to come visit the Pacific Garbage Patch.

The building houses a museum of odd items found in the ocean and explains the impact that the debris has on the ocean and environment.

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RECYCLING CENTER 72

Recycle Center Trash to Re-usable Plastic The recycle center is the main processing area for the plastic found in the water and dropped off by the cargo ships. These centers Take the plastic and sort it into similar plastic types to then be run through the recycle process. These centers then redistribute the cleaned plastic back to the cargo ships to be brought to their next location.

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CARGO PORT 74

Cargo Port Overnight Accomadations and Storage The Cargo Port is a storage area for the plastics delivered and collected for the garbage patch. It has a large storage center that also has overnight accommodations for ships or tourist that want to rest overnight. This allows for an ever-changing group of people to be able to experience the Pacific Ocean from a new perspective

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exposition 76

Exposition Display and Education The final piece at the end of the chain of structures is the Exposition group of barges. This space is used to teach people about the pacific garbage patch and how it is affecting the ecosystem and environment.

Billboards and signs are placed through which are able to display images or videos that can be seen by people on the barges or in ships passing by to show the significance of cleaning the Pacific Garbage Patch.

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Models of the Five Sites - Kit-Bashed

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[REFLECTION / CONCLUSION]

07 All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean.

And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came

- Henry Beston

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Ending Remarks This past year I have challenged the way I think about architecture, moving away from land and focusing on the way people could inhabit the ocean. The ocean is an unforgiving landscape that can be conquered through the use of architecture, many man made structures are already in place to inhabit the water like barges, but designing structures on them is the next step in

learning about movable structures.

Experimenting with Kit-Bashing to find new spaces through the use of discarded waste has taught me the importance of created objects and their significance in this world. A designer should always experiment with new design methods and continue to question the conventional ways of architecture.

Final Presentation

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Appendix Works Referenced

Christopher Meyer, Daniel Hemmendinger, Shawna Meyer. Pamphlet Architecture 36: Buoyant Clarity. Prinston Architectural Press, 2018.

Piątek, Łukasz. Displacing Architecture? From Floating Houses to Ocean Habitats: Expanding the Building Typology. Edited by Warsaw University of Technology: Wydział Architektury Politechniki Warszawskiej, 2016.

“Tanka People.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified 2018. Accessed 2018.

Sisson, Patrick. “Louis Kahn-Designed Floating Concert Hall in Danger of Demolition.” Vox Media, Inc. Last modified 2017. Accessed 2018.

McManus, David. “Ocean Space Center – Marine Technology Research Centre.” e-architect. Last modified 2018. Accessed.

Labedade, Nadine. “Tetro Del Mondo, 1979-1981.” Frac Centre-Val De Loire.

Last modified Accessed 2018.

Marshall, Amy K. A History of Buoys and Tenders. U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Historian Office, 1995.

NOAA. “What Are Microplastics?” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Last modified 2018. Accessed 2018.

MARSHALL BLECHER, MAGNUS MAARBJERG. “Copenhagen Islands.” Last modified 2016. Accessed 2018.

Wylson, Anthony. Aquatecture: Architecture and Water. Architectural Press Ltd: London, 1986.

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Over consumption in the world is leading to ecological problems such as sea level rise, pollution, and overpopulation of livable terrain. As architects how do we deal with land that becomes lost to the ocean? We create that land back through the use of amphibious structures. The idea of living completely in the ocean has been thought of as futuristic or speculative to many architects around the world.

Buoyant Clarity: Pamphlet Architecture 36 by Christopher Meyer, Daniel Hemmendinger, and Shawna Meyer begin to discuss how architects think of amphibious structures, generally treat the water’s edge as a permanent site for an attached terrestrial inhabitation.

Being close to the shore allows for the structure to be easily accessible, engage with people walking by on land, allowing for it to be used by the public. The question then comes up, is it possible to create an amphibious structure that can exist far away from terra firma and support human life for long term periods. I believe it is possible through the use of modern technologies, Łukasz Piątek an architect and marine designer states “The idea of sustainability is embodied in the very nature of buoyant architecture: a floating building cooperates with water rather than opposing it. It undergoes

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water level fluctuations and it reacts to water’s movement so it is adaptive and kinetic by definition. The initial problem of buoyant architecture – infrastructural isolation – is now an advantage as new autonomous technologies of energy production, rainwater collection, seawater desalination and wastewater purification may be harvest.” New technologies being found in the 21st century allows for the population to live in the most inhospitable environment, such as antarctic research stations, the International Space station orbiting around the earth, oil platforms in open sea, and more. Why couldn’t we as architects tap into these new technologies to allow for people to live a sustainable life in the worlds oceans.

These communities would allow for people to engage with the sea, but not risk the flooding of their dwellings.

Mimicking infrastructures on land such as Roads (navigational patterns of boats), food cultivation (Fishing and Hydroponics), communal spaces (Parks), and many more would allow for people to easily move their everyday life out to sea. The success of these floating communities would become a precedent of how people can migrate from living on land to living in the worlds oceans.