HARRISON ATELIER
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Water Mogul’s Mansion PROJECT:
IMPLEMENTATION:
Nowhere is the water crisis in the American Southwest more tangible than at the Lake Mead reservoir, supplying drinking water to 36 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming and Utah. Down to 1,105 feet, water levels could sink to 1,075 feet by April 2015, triggering the first federal shortage declaration.
The project occupies a 4,000-acre site between the Virgin River and the Valley of Fire in Nevada. The water condensation system collects 3,448 acre-feet per year, equivalent to 2.7% of Nevada’s water allotment from the Virgin River, or 1,123,595,500 gallons of water/annum. The condensation system consists of underground channels and domes: shallow domes on the ground surface exploit the changes in air temperature. Precedents for this range from the small-scale—the wing design of the water-harvesting Nambib desert beetle—to large scale condensation fields established in India. Large domes cap abandoned mines while protecting hanging condensationgathering structures, which exploit the increased humidity (60-80% humidity at 200 feet below ground) within mine shafts. These draw on the precedent of ancient underground passages “foggaras” in the Sahara to collect humidity.
The water crisis must be understood as an economic, infrastructural and cultural issue. Among the major cities dependent on Lake Mead is Las Vegas, which purchases water through the SNWA at $0.0089 per gallon, a low price that is artificially sustained by the complex financing of its water debt, as well as compromised measures such as tapping aquifers of neighboring regions. The solution we propose is one of water creation through condensation and containment: making water from moisture in the air and preventing water evaporation. Our new infrastructure links to Nevada’s mine-capping program, demonstrating that older pieces of infrastructure have the potential to be repurposed. Similarly, we propose to add a containment basin to Lake Mead in order to revitalize failing intake stations. Connecting new infrastructure to older—if not defunct—systems to address Nevada’s looming water crisis, becomes one of the strategies with which to address the urban populations facing water shortage.
CLIENT: The project also designs a client for this infrastructural network: a Water-Mogul. The Water Mogul has redefined celebrity in terms of power: beyond products and consumerism, even beyond sustainability, his wealth is invested in new infrastructures that produce water. The 4,000-acre estate is an empire that produces water through a vast network of condensation domes. The iconography of the mansion speaks of the water empire: its façade bears water-bubble rustication, sluicing water columns and frothy motifs. The mansion sits on a plinth of water-channeling infrastructure. This fictive client becomes an essential part of the project’s narrative approach to addressing the water shortage faced by Las Vegas.
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Site plan; drawing above, physical section model below 6
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MANSION FLOOR PLAN A B C D E F G H I
FOYER SALON HALL BATHS KITCHEN RECORDING STUDIO VINTAGE WATER LIBRARY DINING ROOM SOLAR CHAPEL
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Rear view of section model showing mansion atop infrastructural pad 10
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Elevation of mansion
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The Water Mogul’s water library
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The Water Mogul’s solar-power monitoring station
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Solar station, physical model
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Thermal Baths, physical model
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Explansion plans for water condensation network
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ICS Pipeline Projects
Colorado river compact 1922 Return Flow Credits
SOUTHERN NEVADA WATER AUTHORITY Big Bend Water District City of Boulder City City of Henderson City of Las Vegas City of North Las Vegas Clark County Water Reclamation District Las Vegas Valley Water District
NEVADA MINING ASSOCIATION
AZ Water Banking Reclaimed Water Groundwater Resources
WATER MINING OPERATION
US DEPT OF INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT ABANDONED MINE PROGRAM
Sales Tax SN Public Land Management Act Commodity & Reliability Fee
THREE LAKES VALLEY
COYOTE SPRING VALLEY
NE NEW PIPELI
SHALLOW ACQUIFER
INTAKE 3
INTAKE 2
INTAKE 1
LAS VEGAS
DEEP ACQUIFER
Diagram of the funds and water volumes exchanged between SNWA, Water Mogul and the city of Las Vegas
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H A R R I S O N AT E L I E R
HARRISON ATELIER 649 MORGAN AVENUE, 3F BROOKLYN, NY 11222 WWW.HARRISONATELIER.COM SKYPE: HARRISONATELIER ARIANE@HARRISONATELIER.COM SETH@HARRISONATELIER.COM ALEX@HARRISONATELIER.COM STEPHEN@HARISONATELIER.COM
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