Thesis Prospectus

Thesis Prospectus Floating Sustainable Research Architecture Master of Architecture Cornelius Pace ARC 5936 Thesis Topic Seminar Fall 2023 Dr. Lumpkin, Professor A Title: Floating Architecture: A Sustainable Solution for Urban Expansion and Climate Change Abstract: The advent of floating architecture offers a promising solution to the challenges posed by urban expansion and climate change. Floating structures, unlike houseboats, lack propulsion systems and can be anchored either to the shore or the seafloor. These structures, which float permanently or during floods, are resilient to fluctuating water levels, offering a sustainable solution to rising sea levels. Floating architecture mitigates the impact of rising sea levels and provides numerous benefits for both humans and the environment. In densely populated cities with premium space, floating foundations offer a novel approach to creating additional building space. These foundations, typically constructed from concrete and foam, are heavy and stable, allowing the structure to adjust to changing sea levels. In the face of climate change, there is a growing need for cities to be dynamic, flexible, and environmentally friendly. This necessitates a shift in mindset about coastal cities, promoting adaptability to the unpredictable needs of modern societies. Architectural solutions to climate change can be categorized into three types: flood-resilient architecture, floating architecture, and amphibious architecture. Flood-resilient architecture involves constructing robust structures and foundations to withstand natural forces while floating architecture is not grounded. Amphibious architecture is a hybrid of the two, featuring foundations that allow buildings to float on water. An example of this innovative approach is the “Green Float,” a proposed Mega Floating City by Shimizu Corporation, Japan. The concept integrates “Green Innovation” and “Float Innovation” to achieve a self-sufficient, zero-carbon, and zero-emission city that is unaffected by rising sea levels and offers high flexibility for city growth. This integration could potentially lead to the realization of a high-value-added Mega Floating city. In conclusion, floating architecture presents a viable and sustainable solution to urban expansion and climate change challenges, offering a new perspective on future city planning and development. B. Sources 1-Lin, Y.-H., Lin, Y.-C., & Tan, H.-S. (2019). Design and functions of floating architecture - a review. Marine Georesources & Geotechnology, 37(7), 880-889. Floating homes differ from houseboats in that they don’t have propulsion systems. Floating houses can be secured to the shore or the seafloor (Cotter [ 5]). Floating architecture helps mitigate the rise of sea levels but has a number of other advantages and benefits for people and for the environment. Floating foundations allow water to provide viable new building space and a new world of possibilities. Big cities typically have space limitations, and creating new building space on water would help solve these limitations. Designs for floating foundations made of concrete and foam are quite heavy and stable, allowing the structure to move up and down with the sea level (Reuters.com [ 6]). 2-Bradecki, T., & Konsek, P. (2020). Examples and Concepts of Floating Architecture in the Face of Climate Change - The Example of Szczecin. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 960(3), 32062. ’Examples of architecture that addresses the issues of global climate change: The architecture prepared for the issues of flooding can be divided into three basic types. The first one - flood resilient architecture - is a method of building that involves opposing the forces of nature by using sufficiently strong structures and foundations. The second one - floating architecture - slightly opposed to the first group - is not connected to the ground. The combination of these two groups results in a hybrid called amphibious architecture - these are buildings, the foundations of which allow them to drift on the water surface.’’ 4-Piątek, Ł., Lim, S. H., Wang, C. M., & de Graaf-van Dinther, R. (Eds.). (2020). WCFS2020: Proceedings of the Second World Conference on Floating Solutions, Rotterdam. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering. ‘’Green Float is a new model for environmentally friendly Mega Floating City, under development by Shimizu Corporation, Japan. The concept of “Green Float” embodies two areas of innovation. One is “Green innovation,” achieving self-efficient zero carbon and zero emission cities by utilizing the potential of the ocean, and the other is “Float innovation,” unaffected by sea-level rise and ensuring high flexibility for city growth. By integrating “Green Innovation” and “Float Innovation,” a super high value-added Mega Floating city can be realized.’’ C. The project proposal Title: Floating Sustainable Research Living Facility: A New Approach to Long-Term Research on Water Project Proposal: Introduction: The proposed thesis project, “Floating Sustainable Research Living Facility,” aims to explore the potential of floating architecture as a sustainable solution for long-term research living on water. The project is motivated by the observed difficulties in responding to natural disasters and conducting water research, particularly concerning manpower and comfort. Problem Statement: The central research problem is designing a long-term, comfortable living and workspace on water for researchers and crewmen. The current practice involves short-term deployments followed by a return to land, which is not efficient or sustainable. Objective: The primary objective of this thesis is to provide architects, researchers, and local governments with a viable design for a long-term live and workspace on water. This design will leverage the principles of floating architecture to create a sustainable, resilient, and comfortable facility that can withstand the challenges posed by the natural environment. Methodology: The research will be conducted through a comprehensive review of existing literature on floating architecture, including but not limited to the works of Lin et al. (2019), Bradecki & Konsek (2020), and Piątek et al. (2020). These sources provide valuable insights into the design and functions of floating architecture, examples and concepts of floating architecture in the face of climate change, and the dimensions of sustainability in floating architecture. The research will also involve the analysis of case studies, particularly focusing on successful implementations of floating architecture and their applicability to the design of a long-term research living facility. Expected Outcomes: The expected outcome of this thesis is a comprehensive design proposal for a Floating Sustainable Research Living Facility. This design will incorporate the principles of sustainability, resilience, and comfort, providing a viable solution for long-term research living on water. The findings of this research will contribute to the broader discourse on floating architecture and its potential applications in mitigating the challenges of urban expansion and climate change. Conclusion: Through this research, we aim to push the boundaries of traditional architecture and propose innovative solutions that not only address the challenges of our time but also pave the way for a sustainable and resilient future. D. Chapter Outline CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND REFLECTIONS E. Committee 1. C. Huffman 2. O. Chamel 3. S. Mohsenin