SINKING CITY HMC Architects Xref 2015
Venice appears to be floating on water. It is supported by wooden piers underneath the buidlings and walkways
the city 10 to 20 times a year which raises the water level up to an additional 43 inches. Storms and flooding have also had an impact on the city. Local jurisdictions have temporarily solved these problems by building a combination of dams in front of doorways, and elevated wooden walkways throughout the city. These constructs are currently used over 200 days per year. Because of rising sea levels, more frequently occurring floods and high tides, and a sinking city, scientists expect there to be not much of Venice left as we know it by the end of the century.
Destination - Venice, Italy While there are 136 major coastal cities that are threatened by the reality of rising sea levels, the Italian city of Venice is doubly threatened because it is sinking at the same time. In fact, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego has determined it is sinking five times faster than previously thought. Rising sea levels, due to melting glaciers, is one of the biggest single consequences of climate change, and this problem will cause these 136 cities to undergo profound changes within the next few generations. It is believed that sea levels will rise as much as 6.6 feet by the year 2100. This makes what Venice is going through an urgent problem. I personally have prodigious interests in architecture, education and ecology. Venice is at the epicenter of these interests when combined with this issue and the Xref mandate to document and bring back information that will enrich the lives of fellow HMC colleagues. My goal is to experience Venice before it is completely changed or even possibly lost. HMC has made an invaluable opportunity possible for me to experience Venice, document some of its past and future changes, and to make that story available to my colleagues, clients, and countless others.
Geography, History & the Future Venice is actually made up of a group of 118 small islands linked together by narrow canals and bridges in the northeastern region of Italy on the northern banks of the Adriatic Sea. The city is listed as a World Heritage Site and is renowned for its beauty, architecture and art works. It is considered to be founded with the dedication of its first church in March of 421AD. It is difficult to fathom a city 1,594 years old. It is built upon wooden piles in a marshy lagoon, and appears to be floating on the water. Although the wooden piles are not decaying, during the 20th century many wells were drilled into the lagoon floor throughout the city to provide drinking water. This had the effect of accelerating the sinking of the bottom of the lagoon floor that had already taken place from cenThe wooden piers that support Venice from below turies of soil compaction under
the weight of the city. The wells have been banned since the 1960’s but unfortunately the sinking hasn’t stopped. Tracking of Venice’s rate of sinkage officially began in the late 19th century. However early 18th century paintings of Venetian landscapes which depict algae stains on the buildings have allowed scientists to determine that the city has sunk more than 2 feet since 1727. The latest calculations show the city is sinking at a rate of 2mm per year. But this is only half of the problem. Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) moderate estimate predicted a 1.2m rise in sea level by the year 2100 due to glacial ice melt. This is a rise of 14mm per year. That makes for a combined rate of 16mm of additional water per year figuring in the both the rate of sinkage and the rise in sea level. Again, this is only the NOAA’s moderate estimate. The highest estimate they considered was over 25mm per year, and that doesn’t include other factors such the possibility of the enormous Thwaites Glacier breaking free; an ice mass of such size would it raise sea levels by over 10 additional feet. Back to Venice and the other things they have to worry about. In addition to the lagoon floor sinking, another concern is that high tides intrude upon
Elevated wooden walkways are used during high tide for people to get around the city.
Documentation My proposal is much more than a sightseeing trip to Venice, although I will definitely be doing that! My expedition will include a photographic documentation and manipulation showing what the future holds for Venice, and an interactive digital book.
This is an interactive diagram I made in my hardcopy version that is something like you’d find in a pop-up book.
Of course, experience is nothing unless I can share it with others. Through the use of photography and technology, I plan on documenting my travels and publishing them online to my personal blog and social media accounts where I currently have more than 3,500 followers and connections.
Based on my calculations shown on the previous page using NOAA’s moderate estimate of 1.2m rise by the year 2100, the amount of time for the combined water level rise on a high tide day and city sinkage to equal my exact height is 39.9 years. This means that within my lifetime, at twice my current age (40), I can expect to be fully submerged when standing on the sidewalks of Venice as we know it today. (See the next few pages for an interactive illustration of what the future holds for Venice.)
Additionally, everything I produce along the way will be made into an interactive iBook that will be available to everyone (more on this later). First let me talk about the items that will be documented both before and during the trip: • Mapping – To prepare for the trip and to hit the ground running, I will conduct research ahead of time by mapping the locations in Venice where door dams and raised platforms are currently being used, and where future solutions may be proposed. The final map will be printed out as a large format wall covering and on display at HMC’s Ontario office. It will be used as a talking point during my presentation. • Photographs of landmark Venice architecture – I will photograph several prized examples of architecture and will apply graphical
overlays to illustrate the depth of the water in the future. They will be used to illustrate the magnitiude of what is to come in Venice’s future. • My travel experiences and selected photography – I will publish this to my blog as I travel where interested parties can follow along in real time. I am heavily invested in social media, and I invite you to follow and interact with me there. HMC would be able to provide you with links to my pages if my proposal is chosen.
The Equation After considering different ways to illustrate the effects of the water level problems of Venice, I decided that the best way for people to connect with the problem – to almost experience it themselves – was to use a human unit of measurement. So, I’ve decided to photograph myself throughout the city and use my height of 5’-8” as a constant datum.
My photographs of significant buildings will show myself standing up against their façades so when I return home I will be able to draw a horizontal datum line on the image using the top of my head as a guide to illustrate where the depth the water will be in 39.9 years. I think this will really connect with everyone because they will be able to relate to it at a human scale which is unlike anything we can experience in the media, in a magazine, or on the internet. I also plan to take advantage of being in Northern Italy to visit other cities in the region including Turin, Bologna and Milan on my trip. Although they will not be the focus of my studies, they will be an important part of the quintessential Italian experience.
Venice will be under 5’-8” of water in 39.9 years. Presentation Once the trip has been completed, graphics prepared, photos arranged, and the story is ready to be told, I will create an interactive iBook that will be made available to everyone via the iBook Store for free. The iBook platform is the perfect way to publish a digital book with the additional benefits of being able to embed digital videos, interactive maps, graphics, and more. I will also have the ability to include my proposal as the impetus for the trip, and include links to articles on the web that I used for research. I think this will be a great way to tell the complete story and make it available to everyone. I will give a presentation to my HMC colleagues covering my Xref trip that will include my findings and photography. I will also present my research regarding the rising seas and what it means to the coastal cities we all know and love, including the meaning behind the equation and the 5’-8” datum in my imagery. I think this will be an impactful way for them to personally connect with the sinking city of Venice and with the reality of rising ocean waters everywhere.
In Conclusion HMC is offering an invaluable opportunity to its employees with the Xref program. It is my goal to not squander this opportunity, but to make it as impactful as possible both for myself and for my fellow HMC colleagues to do something that I could not do on my own. I am truly excited to present this proposal to travel to Venice to experience the rising seas and the sinking city for myself. Thank you for your consideration.