Life After Water (Master Thesis)

Life After Water The transition of Folketeateret

Aida Brillas

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INTRODUCTION

Nowadays it is a typical topic to talk about the climate change and over the last two years the campaigns on climate change have tripled. These campaigns usually go hand in hand with the devastating effects in less developed countries in the medium or long term. Few show us the effects of the climate change that already exists and will be around us, in our comfort zone.

It is very important to be aware that this will affect us much more than we think and it is necessary that professionals from different fields work together to deliver a message to the society where they can reflect on and start acting for a better future.

The reality is that climate change is a fact and in my thesis, I’ll be focusing on the sea level rise.

It’s known that in the future, many cities will be flooded and the architecture and the roles of the citizens will have to change.

Being realistic, this scenario won’t probably affect us directly but it will to the next generations and this is probably the reason why we don’t really think deeply about the drastic consequences that will come.

My project has the aim to work as a tool which through different changes in the existing architecture of the scenario of the flooded city of Oslo, will open spaces for debates among the society.

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Flood in Nepal (2018)

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SEA LEVEL RISE

1. R. Kinkelman. A. Levermann. A. Ridgwell Combustion of available fossil fuel resources sufficient to eliminate the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

There are many discussions about when the sea level began to increase and at what speed it will do it in the future. There are many studies that show very varied data but I have decided to base and support my project on two different studies that I think are of great relevance.

Two years ago, the glaciologists Robert DeConto and David Pollard rocked their field with a paper arguing that several massive glaciers in Antarctica were much more unstable than previously thought.

Key glaciers are melting three times faster than five years ago and this could increase the global sea levels by more than one meter in 2070. Such a rise could destroy the homes of more than 150 million people worldwide.

Another study published in Science Advances which involved 84 scientists from 44 international organisations explain that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is severely affected by high carbon emissions through both the marine ice-sheet instability and surface elevation feedbacks.

In the study is presented that if CO2 emissions continue to increase as it has done during the last 25 years, the amount of sea-level rise from Antarctica

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could exceed the 19 meters over the next 900 years and could ultimately lead to the loss of the entire ice sheet even though it is unclear when this scenario would happen. 1 Taking these studies as a reference, it can be seen that in 2919 the sea level will have risen 19 meters but what would happen if we move this speculation to the present, in 2019?

This speculation has become my study case but transferring it in the present.

I’ll use the speculative method as a reference and I will focus on the redesign of Folketeateret, adapting it to the new scenario taking in consideration social, cultural and architectural aspects.

Simulation of sea level rise in Europe in 2919

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Antartica’s glaciers

73m

Alaska’s glaciers

0.12 m

Non-polar glaciers

Greenland’s glaciers

6m 0.60m

Sea-level gains if all the glaciers melted.

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Year 2018 Year 2015

2.200 GT

Year 2010 Year 2005

1.894 GT

1200 GT

Year 2000

601 GT

Year 1995 Year 1992

302 GT 149 GT

28 GT

Amount of gigatones of ice lost from 1992.

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THE BEGINNING OF SPECULATIVE DESIGN

2. Cook, P. “Plug in city illustration”: Cambridge, Massachusetts: 3AM Magazine. (Last Accessed: 3 August 2010).

During the last decades, both the role of designer and the design methods have been continuously evolving and today’s way of working is focused on user oriented problem solving.

Designers explore the solution of a problem and improve the current status of it.

The problems range from the bad distribution of a space to the redesign of the entire urban plan of a city and in all cases, the solution implies improving the future.

But, one of the latest design methods that has emerged in the last years is the one we know with the term “Speculative Design”.

It is considered that the beginning of this term is connected with the Modernism in the 1920s with Le Corbusier, the Futurism of Buckminister Fuller and the Radical Architecture of the Archigram movement.

I have mentioned to these three examples of architecture because they have all speculated in their works in different ways which I consider relevant for my project. Le Corbusier’s speculative way of thinking has helped him to evolve his own work. A clear example is his Voisin Plan for Paris project in 1925 where he proposed the concept of functional verticality to approach the increase of the population. The idea was visionary but his intention to create a social hierarchy

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in the future plan for the city made the whole project remain in only a speculation.

Years later, in 1952, presented again the concept of functional verticality with the Unite de Habitation but this time was successfully built.

Buckminister Fuller’s work is another example of how a speculative idea has become very influential decades later. He presented a geodesic dome as an ecological response to the urban fabric, where the city could be enveloped by a dome to regulate the temperature, weather and control air pollution.

At that time it wasn’t practically achievable but nowadays we can see his speculation being real in contemporary projects like The Eden Project built in 1998.

Archigram’s work it’s also known by the name anti-architecture because most of their projects were never built. The way which they speculated was very radical and were involved in an entire cultural shift that moved from thinking of architecture as something massive, big and permanent, to something that could be flexible, disposable and temporary. 2 Although many of these projects were never built, they were not thought in vain, these optimistic dreamers, dreamed of an architecture capable of encouraging change.

Voisin plan for Paris (1925) Plug in City (1964)

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THE TRADITIONAL METHOD

3. Raby, F. and Dunne,A. (2013). Speculative Everything. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Te MIT Press, p6.

All these previous practices have been present in the design industry during the last ten years under terms such as critical design and design fiction.

These terms were originally coined by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby in the 1990s and the main innovation of these methods is to look to the future to reflect in the present and understand the role that the objects and systems play in our routines.

Through these methods appear several questions about the future that begin with “what if �. What if the climate change drastically draws our spaces? What if our city is flooded? What if the way we used to live will change? By creating narratives and different scenarios we can create an experience for the future.

Fiona Raby and Anthony Dunne say that by speculating more, at all levels of society, and exploring alternative scenarios, reality will become more malleable and, although the future cannot be predicted, we can help set in place factors that will increase the probability of more desirable futures happening.3 Although this method has a lot of relevant written theory, unfortunately the practical part seems to be static. We rarely see it as an integrated practice in the current design industry even though is now when we need it the most duo to the climate change.

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The reasons why I understand that this type of practice does not come to light are several. First of all, the method is mostly used in the academy, so it means that the designers are talking to other designers instead of talking to the society. Shouldn’t designers be talking to the society instead of get stuck in an academic concept?

Future and technology go hand in hand, therefore I understand that designers speculate mostly on this topic, but the way they do it, which is usually with a very negative and without hope vision of the future, takes away the desire of people to live.

The results of this practice tend to alienate people and therefore the audience prefer to avoid it.

Could the audience of this type of practice increase if we change the format with which it is presented? Should we speculate on the future using other perspectives that are not just technological and therefore help to build a more positive future?

Technologial Dreams Series

by Fiona Raby (2007) Tricking Biometrics by Alix Gallet (2014)

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Image 1: Adapted and extended diagram from Fiona Raby and Anthony Dunne.

The Future Cone from Raby and Dunne it’s a diagram of potential futures and the speculative metehod focuses on preferable and preposterous futures.

Possible: includes all extreme scientifically possible scenarios.

Plausible: alternative futures which are linked with the today’s world.

Probable: traditional design space that is connected with current trends.

Projected: extrapolated baseline (business).

Preferable: using speculative design to debate and discuss what is the preferable 3 future.

Preposterous: wild card scenarios with a low-probability and high-impact but that ar worth to think about and discuss a much wider set of possibilities.

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Preposterous!

Possible Plausible Probable

Projected Preferable

Image 1

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MY WORK METHODOLOGY

On the first step, the designer takes a position or attitude on a topic.

Secondly, the fantasy takes form of a narration which will be used to connect with the audience and the fictional element of the concept.

Then it’s the moment for proposing the designs which in a way should be provocative in a positive way in order to engage the audience to explore all the context of the idea.

These three steps together should open up a space for dialogue if the proposal has been successful.

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Based on the futuristic prediction that the sea will one day rise above 19 meters, I have created a contextual framework placed here and now.

What if the sea rise drowns our cities drastically?

What if the way we used to live will forever change?

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THE SITE

In order to materialize the subject, I have chosen the city of Oslo as a context. Oslo is a coastal city, which would be severely affected. The central area of the city would be the most “damaged� by the water, and consequently, the inhabitants would move to other safer areas.

But, what would happen to the flooded buildings? What potential would they have? Could they be used again or would they be forgotten forever?

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Oslo after the flood

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STUDY CASE

One of the most interesting areas that I have analyzed, has been Youngstorget.

It’ square has two levels which are totally flooded.

One of the most significant buildings in the city, is located in this area. Folketeateret building has twelve floors, of which only the first one is flooded by 6 meters of water.

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Youngstorget (Oslo)

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THE BUILDING

The Folketeateret building was commissioned in 1929, and the architects Christian Morgenstierne and Arne Eide worked on it until it opened in 1935. The main idea was to establish a good theater for the working class of Oslo.

The Labor Party moved into the building in 1934, and still has its headquarters there.

Arbeiderbladet also entered in 1934, and has been in the building until 1988.

Nowadays, the building is mostly occupied by offices and restaurants but is locally associated with its plaza, Fiskeriet, the passage and the theatre.

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Folketeatret

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CLIMATE REFUGEES

“People who are forced to leave their home region due to sudden or long-term changes to their local environment. These are changes which compromise their well-being or secure livelihood�.

After the research, I came across this term.

While citizens of Norway would move to the dry areas of the country, millions from around the world would have to relocate in safer places.

One of the most damaged areas in the world, would be Southeast Asia, therefore their people would be severly affected and would then become climate refugees.

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Koh Klang (Thailand)

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THE NARRATIVE

If the flood happens in 2019, the following years would be moments of catastrophes and distopyan scenarios. The city will have to adapt to the water and its new identity.

Many of the buildings will be used as shelters for the refugees while everything around is settling down.

Folketeateret is one of these buildings.

It’s become the home of a group of people from South Asia, specifically, an ethnic group from the Mengui Archipelago.

Having gone through this period, the moment of resilience would begin and the inhabitants of the building will not just use it as a housing but also as their way to making a living connected to the new conditions.

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Resilience

2019

2029 Flood

Climate change shelter

Community

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THE INHABITANTS

The Moken, also called Sea Gypsies, live a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle heavily based on the sea. Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its fauna and flora by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for food.

I have analyzed different aspects so that I could create connections between the Norwegian and Moken culture with the purpose to formulate a stronger and credible concept.

Both, Moken and Norwegian culture have had a strong connection to the sea through aquaculture, each on their way.

This term has become my approach for the design concept.

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Koh Klang (Thailand)

Lofoten (Norway)

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THE IDEA

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Section AA’ The building before the intervention

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Section AA’ The theatre Scale: 1:125before the intervention

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THE PROPOSAL

The design proposal has been based on the narrative together with the function and the history of the building.

I have highlighted the two only services of the building that have remained there since its opening in the late 30’s. These are the theatre and the fiskeriet.

The idea has been to transfer the Fiskeriet to the heart of the building, the theatre, where the inhabitants would bring their knowledge related to de aquaculture.

The space has turned into a meeting point for all the “Osloans�; a fish market open to everyone where fish auctions are performed on the stage.

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Youngstoret

Fiskeriet

Theatre

Passage

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THE APPROACH

Resilience Resilience is the capacity of a system, community, or society potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or changing, in order to reach and mantain an acceptable level of functioning and structure.

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THE CONCEPT

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the breeding and harvesting of plants and animals in water.

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INTERVENED AREAS

The water reaches 6 meters, which means that almost the entire first floor is flooded. I have focused my intervention in three specific areas.

The entrance, which is now on the second floor.

The passage, which crosses the entire building through the theatre. and the theatre itself which is now the heart of the building.

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REFERENCES (Projects)

DIVERSITY

The market is in one the Istanbul’s most populated and diverse neighborhoods.

The area where is located has a village-like atmosphere that is in the process of urban renewal.

The design solution was to maintain its iconic neighborhood presence, while also reaffirming its welcoming feeling. GAD designed a triangular shaped concrete shell covering the entire site with large openings at street level.

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PUBLIC SPACE

Complete with a single linden tree, the 20-square-metre floating platform is a prototype for a project called Copenhagen Islands and it was designed to be used as a public space.

It was developed to introduce life and activity to Copenhagen’s rapidly developing harbour and to bring back some of the whimsy that has been lost in its development.

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REFERENCES (Projects)

FLOATING FARM

Harbour Farm is a highly ambitious port regeneration project. It aims to transform polluted waters and under-employed dock sides into urban fish farms, where seafood can be bred, harvested and served on site in top class restaurants.

Alongside the farm and food functions there are also plans for recreational activities such as kayaking and swimming and allotment units for individual fish farming.

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HIGHLIGHTING THE WATER

Located at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coastline, where the sea storms from the north and south meet.

Marine species flourish here in both briny and brackish waters to produce a natural abundance in biodiversity at the site.

Snøhetta’s restaurant also functions as a research center for marine life, providing a tribute to the wild fauna of the sea and to the rocky coastline of Norway’s southern tip.

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REFERENCES (Concept)

ASIAN FISH CULTURE

Asian fish markets are in itself a whole experience.

The asian fish markets are a daily meeting point for the people. The markets are located in busy areas where everything happens fast.

The spaces are big and opened in order to display the fish, becoming then the focus of attention.

Also the fish auctions are a strong reference in terms of performancing.

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HARVESTING-HANGING

In aquaculture, it is typical to use the technique of hanging not only for harvesting but also for drying.

Oysters, Mussels and seaweed are harvested in techniques that the hanging concept is involved.

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THE PROPOSAL

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1. The second floor faรงade is now opened and becomes the entrance.

2. The second floor is connected to the theatre and the skylight has been removed.

3. The bridge is now the passage which connects the entrance with the theatre.

4. The central ceiling from the theatre has been removed so the natural light can enter through the skylight.

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Section AA’ Scale: 1:125

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5. The second floor of the theatre has been removed to make the space higher.

6. The fish market is now one of the main element of the theatre.

7. The stage has been adapted so it can be used as a display area for the fish.

8. The seats of the theatre have been removed while some of the steps are now wider to have space for tables and benches.

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Section BB’ Scale: 1:125

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THE DOCK

The entrance is located on the second floor ,in a way, the windows are now doors and part of the facade has been opened to become the main entrance to the building.

A floating deck is connected to the building through a ramp which rises or lowers following the tide.

This space is intended to be the point of arrival and departure of fishing boats and people.

The design is divided into two levels. The lowest is primarily intended for circulation and the highest is used as a leisure zone.

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Floatation Galloon Drums

Timber Deck Moorage Timber Deck

FLOATING DOCK Scale: 1:200

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THE BRIDGE

Once you are inside the building, a bridge takes you to the theatre.

This bridge is above the water and its main feature is that it is not only used for circulation, but also for seaweed harvesting.

The bridge has two rails, one for the hand and one for the attachment of the ropes from where the seaweed is hanging.

When you have reached the theatre area, another bridge crosses towards the exit of the building, which has also the same function.

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Stainless steel handrail Stainless steel rail for harvesting

Stainless steel net Timber deck Steel crossbeam Steel beam bridge

HARVESTING BRIDGE Scale: 1:50

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THE FISH MARKET

In the highest part of the theatre, the fish market is located.

The market consists of only one display that, therefore, embraces the sense of community of the ones that live and work there.

The design maintains the simplicity so that the fresh fish is what gives life to the place.

Not just the display is used for exhibiting the fish but also the wooden structure that lies on the top allows the hanging of dried fish.

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Timber

Space for fridges Cutting Area Fish display Stainless steel

FISH MARKET Scale: 1:125

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THE STAGE

The original purpose of the theatre, was the performance of plays and I have decided to keep that same purpose in order to make the the theatre unique.

In special occasions the theatre becomes a fish auction and is performanced on the stage.

The fly tower of the theatre is used for the rigging. But now the rigging will be used for taking out of the water the fresh fish that will be sold in the fish auction.

This event has become a meeting point for all the “Osloans� and is a celebration of the diversity in the city in a moment of world crisis.

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Metallic structure

Pulley

Chain

Timber Deck

AUCTION STAGE Scale: 1:125

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“Reflection of the Theatre in the flooded city of Oslo”

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