Date of Submission
Spring 5-4-2017
Degree Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Michael Carroll
Secondary Advisor
Arash Soleimani
Abstract
I want you to imagine my first time scuba diving; it was at Morrison Springs, Florida in January 2012... Yes I know what you are thinking it was really cold. I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, while putting on my gear I started to think of all the possibilities that could happen, including death. As we start to descend into the water, my eyes adjusted to the new surroundings seeing a whole new world under the surface of the water. Fish darted around these plants that towered like sky scrapers: it started to look like a city in the water.
Did you know that we are water, with Earth being 70% water and our bodies 60%? Also by the year 2050 the world’s population will be 9.6 billion, we will be running out of land and the ocean will be a new territory to inhabit, FORGET ABOUT MARS.
By proposing an ocean community that relies on an alternative to fossil fuels for producing energy, this could help eliminate the growing global warming crisis. As you know global warming is caused by the carbon build up in the outer layer of atmosphere and this is making the atmosphere heat up. Causing the polar ice caps to melt and overall sea-levels will rise leading to catastrophic events including having whole cities under water.
The Community that I propose will have a population of 500 people, you may ask why 500 people. The reason is that it will be an experimental research island in which it will eventually be the kick off for larger islands. It will be an Eco-tourist island to help educate people on the power and destruction of water. This community will be a futuristic community which will consist of several devices that would harness the power of water for energy generation, hydroponics, water purification and desalination just to name a few. This community would be an urban environment along with architectural designs to fit the needs of the community and will also help introduce new technologies to an alternative way of living. The island would be in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 20 miles south of Pensacola Florida; it will also be accessible to several of the surrounding cities for importing and exporting purposes. This is a low wave area, as well as abundant amount of sun and sea life.
We are consuming more resources than the planet can sustain and at the current rate of usage these resources will be exhausted. By creating this community, it will allow the exploration of different methods of living, regenerative cities, and research wave energy technology. The combination of elements from architecture, engineering, and technology can create a community that is an experiment in how we can design an environment that can create a community that is an experiment in how we can design an environment that can exist above and below the surface of the ocean. The challenge is to break the horizon and explore a new architectural frontier.