NEW OPERAISM
Cyborg Ecologies For The Post-Anthropocene Ian Soon
Masters Of Architecture Thesis
Acknowledgements I would like to thank Prof. Eva Castro and Dr. Federico Ruberto for their time and astute mentorship. Thank you for inspiring me to look forward to an uncertain future with hope and optimism. Your valuable insights have been instrumental to the development of this project. I would also like to thank Benedict Tan for his help during the option studio and being a continuous source of inspiration, and to Clara for the many conversations we had. And finally, I am grateful and indebted to my friends and family, for without whom this project would not have been possible.
NEW OPERAISM
Cyborg Ecologies For The Post-Anthropocene Ian Soon
HUMANS HUMANSARE ARENOT NOTWORKING. WORKING.
ABSTRACT ABSTRACT The project challenges the ideas relating to labour and technology in the 21st century, through examining the socio-political and environmental conditions surrounding the worker. By embracing technology and infrastructure, it seeks to project the alienated worker from a exploited entity into an emancipated individual in a new climatic regime.
CONTENTS
1. The Future Isn’t Working Visions For A Post Work World Evolution Of Work Ethic Alienated And Exploited Accelerating The Future: Towards A New Autonomy 2. Anthropocentric Emergencies An Unstoppable Climate Crisis Technological Acceleration And Planned Obsolescence Politics Of Transboundary (e)Waste Dichotomies: Developing vs Developed 3. A Vulnerable Region: Issues Within Southeast Asia The Atlas Of Regional Issues Micro-localities Existing Infrastructures Waste Management Strategies Scales Of Operation 4. Indexing The Territory Economy Of Potential Sites Testing Ground: Pakong River, Thailand 5. A Hyperstitional Approach: Redefining The Exploited The Fiction Of Autonomy Territorializing The Agents Macro Strategies 6. Developing Hybrid Infrastructures Case Studies/Prototypical Studies Material Organization Strategies Landfill Extraction Sorting Transboundary Waste Energy Systems Regenerative Aquaculture 7. The Grounds For Discrete Natures Agency/Autonomy Meshing The Grounds: Micro-Macro Strategies Habitation Modules Social Activities In A Post-Labour Future 8. New Nature(s) Cyborg Ecologies Emancipation From Labour 9. References
8
Illustration: Mike Winklemann
Prologue
In the beginning, he crossed the border, full of hope that he could live a comfortable life. Now he exists nowhere, slave to the job he had hoped would set him free. Countless others share the same fate and wish nothing more than the freedom to be something. An elbow wrapped in an upcycled shirt and a shovel in his other hand, Keo braved the flooded plains and made his way to work. Noticing that the screws on his prosthetic leg were slightly rusty, he lamented as he reminded himself not to expect anything of decent quality from the second-hand prosthetics made from recycled copper. The years of working at a recycling facility have exposed him to toxic fumes from heavy metals found in the discarded electronics, so much that he had lost a limb during a time when he allowed his concentration to slip and the molten iron from the furnace to spill onto his leg. At a meagre daily wage of 180 baht, the cost of replacement for the latter was unaffordable. It was only by the company’s ‘goodwill’ that the leg was manufactured for him. Now he is forever obliged to serve them. Who else would hire him, a crippled illegal alien?
PROLOGUE
THE ALIEN
TH
01
HE FUTURE ISN’T WORKING “The goal of the future is full unemployment” -Arthur C. Clarke
12
Visions For A Post-Work World
Illustration: Tencent
13
THE FUTURE ISN’T WORKING
VISIONS FOR A POST-WORK WORLD The future isn’t working, and neither should it be about work. However, it is impossible to imagine society without it, as work dominates and pervades every aspect of our modern life. Work is the main social mechanism for income distribution, and is also a key source of status and identity. Over the course of human history, work has had varying importance to the centrality of our belief systems. With the advent of digital technology in the last century, work is yet again undergoing a revolution. The promotion of gig economy companies perpetuates the notion that round-the-clock work is liberation, and digital technology has blurred the boundaries between work and leisure. Despite the promise that automation brings, the conditions of labour and our attachment to work ethic has largely remained unchanged since the first industrial revolution. Employee performance is tracked constantly and the intensification of work routines has made more jobs barely tolerable (Beckett, 2018). The average wage in the US has stagnated, and more short-term or zero-hour contracts have resulted in inconsistent incomes. With a poor global distribution of work , along with our unpredictable, all-consuming workplaces, vital human activities are increasingly neglected. A crisis in work will also lead to a crisis of home (Srnicek & Hester, 2017) as workers lack the time or energy to raise children attentively, or to look after elderly relations.
THE POSSIBILITY OF DEPARTURE (FROM WORK) Though the concept of a post-work world is remote, the idea of a world without jobs is worthwhile planning for right now, in view of the hastening events taking place such as the rise of automation and artificial intelligence that may pave the way into this reality (Houston Foresight, 2017). In 1930, the economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that, by the early 21st century, advances in technology would lead to an “age of leisure and abundance”, in which people might work 15 hours a week. Fast forward to today and we see that we are not even anywhere near achieving that goal. Even if an automation revolution is possible, it would necessitate a radical change in the social conventions surrounding work (Mason, 2016). Hence, we will start by examining how humans have perceived the idea of work throughout history.
Despite the promise that automation brings, the conditions of labour and our attachment to work ethic has largely remained unchanged since the first industrial revolution. Employee performance is tracked constantly and the intensification of work routines has made more jobs barely tolerable.
14
Subheading Subheading
EVOLUTION OF WORK ETHIC In order to restructure the way we think about the future of work , we will first examine how humans have perceived the no history, and the evolution of our work ethic in different epochs.
Age of Renaissance
Encyc
Work As A Consequence Of Sin
Work As Inherent Fulfillment
Wor
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” -Genesis 3:19, NIV
Florentine painter, sculptor, architect and poet Michelangelo was given complete freedom to design the painting for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Julius the 2nd.
Didero the fir cover of hum ordina prest
Biblical
When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, the punishment for defying God’s wishes is work. Work is what distinguishes life in paradise from the earthly world we know.
Work was seen as creative, fulfilling and enjoyable, as making money was not the main objective.
3900 BC
AD 1508
Garden Of Eden
Rome
First Nature
THE FUTURE ISN’T WORKING
Digital Revolution
tion of work throughout
clopedie Of Work
rk As A Prestige
ot and d’Alembert published rst volume of the Encyclopedie ring each and every branch man work. The book praised ary work , portraying work as igious.
Technology Liberates Standardized Work
Industrial Revolution
Work Alienates The Worker Karl Marx critiques capitalism for perpetuating boring or repetitive work , with workers not being able to develop their character and reach their full potential as humans. The emphasis on the production of goods that are disconnected from the talents and aspirations of the worker.
Apple launches a national airing of its 1984 advert during the haltime commercials of the Super Bowl, featuring a heroine saving an army of souless workers from the conformity of standardize work by destroying their Big Brother-like leader. The ad discerns good work from bad work , emphasizing that good work allows for creativity and due to technology, this kind of work can be extended to everyone. The Mac is seen as liberating, colourful and energetic, allowing for a departure from the technophobic drudgery of industrial labour.
1750
1844
1984
Paris
Paris
USA
Third Nature
Second Nature
What is next? Possibility of a new nature and diminished work ethic?
16
ALIENATED AND EXPLOITED What is next for humanity? In 1845, Karl Marx wrote that in a communist society workers would be freed from the monotony of a single draining job to “hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner”. In 1884, the socialist William Morris proposed that in “beautiful” factories of the future, surrounded by gardens for relaxation, employees should work only “four hours a day”. Undoubtedly, the promise of less work has been
prominent in visions of the future. However, the reality is a far cry from what was envisioned by these thinkers. The career crisis of the modern world has witnessed mass unemployment, mismatched jobs and poor working conditions in low wage labour intensive jobs. Given that the conditions of labour have remained largely unchanged in the past century, how then should we redefine the way we think about work , to achieve a certain autonomy that would emancipate us from the drudgery of labour?
“…the history of “autonomia” is constituted by an arch of articulated and differing political experiences that cover the whole arch of the 1970s and which their identity centers around the forceful idea of the “refusal of work.” It is not only an ideology of emancipation, but a way of reading capitalist society, of its protagonists, of the way power is distributed in it, of the dynamic of its development and of its end, that constitutes their scheme of orientation and the hegemonic connective fiber that covers ten years of political confrontation with the organized workers’ movement”
17
THE FUTURE ISN’T WORKING
ITALIAN OPERAISMO
(WORKERISM)
Operaismo is an idea that autonomy of the working class could be achieved by the rethinking of what is the worker. In Marxist and Capitalist terms, the worker is seen as a productive economic force that is able to create a new society for itself. Operaismo tries to challenge that by looking at the worker as a political force that is able to find liberation through refusal of work.
Neo-Capitalism
Central to this idea was Raniero Panzieri and Mario Tronti. Neo-capitalism around the 1960s was observed to have placed more emphasis on the well-being of the worker. One of the ways done was infusing technology into the production line to lessen the burden on workers. In a way this helped to suppress the autonomy of the workers. Seeing as to how Neo-Capitalism plays a subservient role in relation to the worker, Panzieri proposed that the worker could demand more, that they should be in control of the processes.
Autonomia
The offshoot to operaismo came in the form of autonomia. The idea rose due to how class movements were initially thought of at that point in time; restructuring, unemployment, inflation, ascent of political and labor leaders within the state and factory. Tronti recognised that autonomia was a network of workplace and social collectives that can have varying beliefs and practices. Unlike Panzieri, Tronti embraced capitalism as it is a driver for development, although also recognising that capitalistic reaction is a product of the workers demands. Thus he proposed embracing capitalism but achieving autonomy from within the system. As part of the system, they are in position to demand from capitalism better conditions.
Workers and Capital by Mario
18
New Autonomy
ACCELERATING THE FUTURE TOWARDS A NEW AUTONOMY “Freedom Is A Synthetic Enterprise, Not A Natural Gift.”
-Alex Williams, Inventing The Future: Postcapitalism And A World Without Work
Embracing the fact that things, and that nature as the actual set of all things, is constructed by social and political, material and ideological forces, this thesis will move into a position that recognises that freedom and nature are constructed and to be redesigned. The project takes inspiration from the book “Inventing The Future: Postcapitalism And A World Without Work” by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams, by recognising that the future needs to be constructed, and that the capitalist and neoliberalism of today is unable to generate an alternative modernity that we truly deserve.
The nature of capitalism demands growth and competitive advantage, resulting in the acceleration of technological and social developments. The ineffectiveness of the current political and economic system in solving global issues, highlights the need for a new order to arise to tackle these urgent problems. Despite this, there is still a struggle to effect change. Rather than changing the system, Nick and Alex proposes that we should increase and intensity the capitalist tendencies to an extent that a new system or ideology is needed to replace it.
References Beckett, A. (2018). Post-work: The radical idea of a world without jobs. Retrieved July 03, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jan/19/post-work-the-radical-idea-of-a-world-without-jobs Srnicek, Nick ; Hester, Helen (2017) The Age of Perplexity: Rethinking the World we Knew. The Crisis of Social Reproduction and the End of Work. Madrid, BBVA, OpenMind, Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial. Houston Foresight Program (2017) The future of work 2050 for NASA LARC, Houston, TX: University of Houston. Available at: https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/NASA-LaRC-Futureof-Work-White-Paper.pdf, accessed 25.01.2019.
THE FUTURE ISN’T WORKING
EMBRACING A NEW AUTONOMY The age of automation creates a ‘surplus population’. Instead of resisting the replacement of workers with technology, we should not only embrace technology but instead to accelerate its development so that it can reach a state where it can create better lives. Jobs that exploit workers and jobs that can be reliably replaced by automation should be replaced (Bastani, 2019). Work becomes a rarity and not something that is needed to have. If one desires more capital, work can be done to earn more. The aim of this system is to enable a pursuit of the end goal rather than to its means, which is the current situation in the world. The culture around work ethics has to change. It remains an integral part of our social life and identity and should not be the case. Work is often the means to an end, but the idea that work is central to our lives has to change. Even with all this utopian fantasies, the question remains as to who is in power. Nick and Alex suggests that it should be under the control of those who hold the vision of the alternate future, thus a new class that have these ideals should be created to build up substantial amount of power maintaining this future.
The Role Of Designers
The project recognises the role of the designer as fundamental to construct that vision of an alternate future, and wishes to explore how an emancipation from labour can hold the promise of a new autonomy.
Mason, P. (2016). Automation may mean a post-work society but we shouldn’t be afraid. Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/ feb/17/automation-may-mean-a-post-work-society-but-we-shouldnt-be-afraid Srnicek, N., &; Williams, A. (2016). Inventing the future: Postcapitalism and a world without work. London: Verso.
20
Agency
THE MYTH OF A FUNDAMENTALLY HARMONIOUS NATURE The project recognises that there cannot be any return to a fundamentally harmonious nature as we know it, but as Reza Negarestani puts it in Solar Inferno and the Earthbound Abyss that “terrestrial thought and creativity must essentially be associated with ecology, but an ecology which is based on the unilateral powers of cosmic contingencies such as climate changes, singularity drives, chemical eruptions and material disintegration. Any other mode of thought basking in the visual effects of Earth as a blue marble or the Sun as the exorbitant flame is but submission to heliocentric slavery�.
NEW TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN NATURES The project acknowledges the role of the designer as fundamental to construct a vision of an alternate future, and will address the tripartite issues of a technologically driven world, the demand for better working conditions and a world stressed by a changing climate. By positioning the project at the intersection of the three factors, we seek to project the alienated worker into an alternate post-work future under a new climatic regime.
Technology-Led Abundance
Post-Work Drives
Environmental Degradation
ANTHRO
02
OPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
24
Planetary Emergencies
PLANETARY EMERGENCIES
THE MYTH OF A FUNDAMENTALLY HARMONIOUS NATURE
The project responds to planetary emergencies such as the climate crisis, and aims to debunk the myth if a fundamentally harmonious nature. Our initial encounters with nature could only be describe as sublime and at the same time filled with awe and terror, and nature has been treated as a benign/harmonious entity. Throughout the course of history, the face of the planet has been transformed by human activities such as the industrial revolution. Nature has thus become an object to be controlled and commodified. This brings us into the present moment, where in the face of the climate crisis, nature has taken “revenge” and reasserting itself beyond human control. The project aims to search for new kinds of hybridized natures that we can inhabit to carry us through the Anthropocene.
nature a s a benign entity
25
Planetary Emergencies
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
climate crisis and the search nature transformed by human activity
for new nature(s)
Old Server Room by Molchun
27
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
TECHNOLOGICAL HYPER-ACCELERATION
According to the World Health Organisation, two-thirds of the global population will live in an urban area by 2050s, and 70% of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities. This unprecedented rate of urbanization will undoubtedly increase the demand for new technology, as cities look towards “smart” technologies. With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, represented by hyper automation and hyper connectivity based on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, robotics, and Internet of things (IoT ), an increase in productivity and intensification of industrial production will occur due to the development of hyper automation (Park , 2018). This hyper connectivity increases not only at national, but also global level through the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICT ). This mass digitization of the way we live has led to an increased technological accessibility at lower costs, potentially fuel-ling consumerism in technological devices. Thus, this demands a paradigm shift in the way we think of our technological devices and their respective life cycles.
Planned Obsolescence
[Left] Apple’s iPhone timeline and evolution
An area of concern with regards to the increased consumerism of technology is the planed obsolescence of our electronic devices and the “design for dump” principle. Computers and other ICTs be ‘death dated’ guided by policies of planned obsolescence, so that existing models are not backwards compatible. Planned obsolescence accelerates the accumulation of trashed electronics as this has caused a routine upgrade or the discard of functioning ICTs because new, ‘improved’, and faster models are marketed every few months (Lebel, 2016). Meanwhile, shifts in consumer behaviour of ICTs are underway as consumers find it cheaper to buy something new than to fix something old.
28
Moore’s Law
ACCELERATING TECHNOLOGICAL ADOPTION Great Depression
PERCENT OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS
Third Indust
100%
RADIO
80 ELECTRICITY
60
40 TELEPHONE
REFRIGERATOR
20 AUTO
1900
1915
1930
1945
Moore’s Law What happens when technology becomes more affordable and accessible? In 1965, Gordon Moore made a prediction that would set the pace for our modern digital revolution. From careful observation of an emerging trend, Moore extrapolated that computing would dramatically increase in power, and decrease in relative cost, at an exponential pace. His insights became the golden rule for the electronics industry, as well as a springboard for innovation. The exponential improvement that the law described transformed the first crude home computers of the 1970s into the sophisticated machines of the 1980s and 1990s, and subsequently gave rise to high-speed Internet, smartphones and the wired-up cars, refrigerators and thermostats that are prevalent today ( Waldrop, 2016).
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES Data: Nicholas Felton for the New York Times
trial Revolution
Digital Age
World Wide Web
STOVE
VCR CLOTHES WASHER
CLOTHES DRYER
AIR CONDITIONING
DISH WASHER
MICROWAVE
1960
1975
INTERNET
COMPUTER
CELLPHONE
1990
2005
The number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years, while the cost of computers is halved. We can expect the speed Source: Nicholas Felton for the New York Times and capability of our computers to increase every couple of years, and we will pay less for them.
Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel
30
Shorter Product Lifespan
1950 Advent Of Record Player
Apple II
1977
Sony Walkman
The portable audiocassette player gains widespread popularity
The first highly successful personal computer
1979 Analog Automated Cellular Network
Japan creates the first cellular network Compact Disc
1982
First digital storage format commercially available
1983 Camcorder
First consumer handheld camcorder released 1989 Nintendo Gameboy
Portable video game system takes the world by storm
Sony Playstation
Playstation released in North America, with more than 102 million units sold
1995
1998 iMac Nintendo DS
Apple introduces the first iMac, creating an “industry-altering success”
2004
Most popular handheld console to date, with 113 million units sold by 2010
2006 BluRay iPhone
2007
The optical disc storage medium is released, capable of storing 10 times the data of a compact disc
World’s first iPhone released, revolutionising the handheld phone and its multimedia capabilities Above: Evolution
of computer lifespan from 1985 to 2000
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
EVOLUTION OF CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Shorter Product Lifespan
The accelerating consumption of electronic goods have changed the way the products were designed to last. In a bid to attract consumers, each new generation of T Vs offers an enticing array of features which many consumers plainly find hard to resist, and the brand-new flatscreen is barely out of its box when along comes the manufacturer with a newer model that looks even shinier than the last, with the promise of “bigger, faster, more high-definition” at knockdown prices. In a study conducted by German research institute Öko-Institut, it reported that German households generally replace their modern flatscreen T Vs after five or six years. This was in contrast to the oldstyle cathode ray tube T Vs were kept for much longer – 10 or 12 years. Moreover, the computer lifespan (from purchase to “disposal”) has decreased steadily from a mean of 10.7 years in 1985 to 5.5 years in 2000. The distribution of lifespan has also evolved to become narrower over time (Babbitt, Kahhat & Williams, 2009).
NO. OF COMPUTERS (MILLIONS)
800
1985 - 1988
700
1997 - 2000
600 500 400 300 200 100 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
LIFESPAN (YEARS)
Babbitt, C. W., Kahhat, R., Williams, E., &; Babbitt, G. A. (2009). Evolution of Product Lifespan and Implications for Environmental Assessment and Management: A Case Study of Personal Computers in Higher Education. Environmental Science &; Technology, 43(13), 5106-5112. DOI:10.1021/es803568p
19
20
32
Electronic Waste
THE PROBLEM OF ELECTRONIC WASTE GROWTH RATE
E-waste is now the fastest growing trash problem in the world. Globally, 50 million tonnes of e-waste is generated per year, which amounts to approximately 4500 Eiffel towers. However, only 20% is formally recycled, and the rest of the e-waste goes to landfills, or is burned or illegally treated. The illegal and largely secretive trade in e-waste is difficult to measure, but a 2015 report by the United Nations Environment Programme estimates a scale of at least US$19 billion annually. With an annual growth rate of 30%, the e-waste generation rate is estimated to reach 120 mil tonnes per year by 2050.
E-waste growth rate in East and Southeast Asia from 2010 to 2015 [Data: United Nations University]
33
Growth Rate
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
What Is In E-Waste?
Typical e-waste include: T V sets, monitors, compact discs, cellphones and chargers, batteries, laptops, airconditioners, refrigerators, lighting, medical equipment, circuitboards and wires just to name a few. A complex mix of materials that include gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, lithium, cobalt and other valuable elements. Metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic are all present in e-waste. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ), one metric ton of circuit boards can contain 40 to 800 times the amount of gold and 30 to 40 times the amount of copper mined from one metric ton of ore in the United States.
[Above] What is in E-waste by Global E-waste Monitor 2017
34
Electronic Waste
GLOBAL E-WASTE FLOWS
Typical e-waste include: T V sets, monitors, compact discs, cellphones and chargers, batteries, laptops, airconditioners, refrigerators, lighting, medical equipment, circuitboards and wires just to name a few. A complex mix of materials that include gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium, lithium, cobalt and other valuable elements. The sankey diagram on the right illustrates the typical sorting streams of e-waste. They include small equipement, large equipments, temperature exchange equipments, monitors and screens, small IT equipments and lamps. Only 20% of global e-waste is formally recycled, with an average of 4% mismanaged has household waste.
35
Global E-Waste Flows
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
Potential of pyrolysis processes in the waste management sector https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451904917300690 Global E-waste Monitor 2017
36
Electronic Waste
POLITICS OF TRANSBOUNDARY WASTE Basel Convention
The Basel Convention is a key international agreement regulating international transboundary shipments of hazardous waste. The Convention came into force in 1992 and includes 175 signatories at the time of writing. In the e-waste literature the Convention is often referred to as international law that makes it illegal to dump hazardous waste, including e-waste, from rich, ‘developed’ countries in poor, ‘developing’ countries. The Basel Convention, which governs the international waste trade, was adopted in 1989 in response to egregious cases of hazardous waste
dumping on communities in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. The new provision, proposed by Norway with broad international support, takes a more aggressive approach. It moves plastic scrap from one category – wastes that can be traded unless directly contaminated – to another group of materials that are not directly deemed hazardous, but are subject to the same trade controls as those classified as hazardous. According to the convention, these plastics can be shipped overseas for disposal or recycling only with the express consent of the importing country.
Image: Indonesian customs officers examine one of 65 containers full of imported trash at the Batu Ampar Port in Batam.(The Jakarta Post/Fadli)
37
Politics Of Transboundary Waste
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
1976 The United States passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCR A ) and several other countries followed suit. 1997 Jim Puckett creates BAN (originally a project of the Asia Pacific Environmental Exchange, which he co-founded)
1999 BAN campaigns with a coalition of groups in Cambodia, Taiwan, US, and Europe to force Formosa Plastics in Taiwan to return toxic waste containing mercury from Cambodia
2000 Uncovering mercury exports to India, BAN generates international furor to stop these exports, and helped prevent Japan from illegally exporting PCB waste into the US and Canada
2003 The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive ( WEEE Directive) and the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, became European Law in February 2003. The WEEE Directive set collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods, with a minimum rate of 4 kilograms per head of population per annum recovered for recycling by 2009, while the RoHS Directive set restrictions upon European manufacturers as to the material content of new electronic equipment placed on the market. 2015 BAN partners with local groups to protest the illegal dumping of Canadian trash in the Philippines
2017 The President of Executive Recycling, found guilty of knowingly illegally exporting electronic waste to Hong Kong due to BAN’s investigation, is sentenced to 22 months in a federal penitentiary
2018 Thailand announces its plan to ban e-waste & plastic imports 2019 The Basel Ban Amendment is ratified by enough countries to enter into force, officially banning the export of hazardous waste from OECD to non-OECD countries The Basel Convention agrees to include mixed, unrecyclable, and contaminated plastic waste exports into the control regime that requires the consent of importing countries before waste exports can proceed.
Source: Basel Action Network
38
Electronic Waste
WHO GETS THE TRASH?
39
Who Gets The Trash?
ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES
Data: Global E Waste Monitor 2017, Us Census Bereau, Toronto Sun
40
Electronic Waste
VULNERABILITY (DEVELOPING VS DEVELOPED) Developing nations with lax or no environmental laws to protect themselves from transboundary e-waste often find themselves vulnerable to become a dumping ground for the e-waste of the developed world. Many of the Basel Convention goals remain unfulfilled, including a ban on shipments of hazardous waste from wealthy to less-wealthy nations for final disposal, and a liability protocol that would assign financial responsibility in the event of an incident. The agreement has also largely failed to encompass newer wastes, particularly discarded electronics.
Top Exporters E-waste generated per inhabitant by selected countries in 2018 (Source: OECD)
Top Importers Plastic waste imported from UK (kg) from Jan-Apr (Source: HM Revenue and Customs, FT)
41
Subheading Subheading
CHAPTER
The Dark Side Of E-Waste Recycling by The Verge
References
Park , S. (2018). The Fourth Industrial Revolution and implications for innovative cluster policies. AI & SOCIET Y, 33(3), 433-4 45. Sabine LeBel (2016) Fast Machines, Slow Violence: ICTs, Planned Obsolescence, and E-waste, Globalizations, 13:3, 300-309, DOI: 10.1080/14747731.2015.1056492 Waldrop, M.. (2016). The chips are down for Moore’s law. Nature News. 530. 14 4. 10.1038/53014 4a. Öko-Institut (2016, July). Obsolescence: Causes, effects, strategies. Retrieved July 03, 2020, from https:// www.oeko.de/en/e-paper/obsolescence-causes-effects-strategies/article/urban-myths-and-academicanalysis-1 Babbitt, C. W., Kahhat, R., Williams, E., & Babbitt, G. A . (2009). Evolution of Product Lifespan and Implications for Environmental Assessment and Management: A Case Study of Personal Computers in Higher Education. Environmental Science & Technology, 43(13), 5106-5112. DOI:10.1021/es803568p Illegally Traded and Dumped E-Waste Worth up to $19 Billion Annually Poses Risks to Health, Deprives Countries of Resources, Says UNEP report. (2015, May 12). Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://www.unenvironment. org/news-and-stories/press-release/illegally-traded-and-dumped-e-waste-worth-19-billion-annuallyposes
ISSUES
03
A VULNERABLE REGION: S WITHIN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Quidust pel estorem ipsapis etur, optasped etTo
47
A Vulnerable Region
ISSUES WITHIN SOUTHEAST ASIA
A VULNERABLE REGION Half of the world’s population lives within 100 km of coastlines, and three-quarters of all major cities are located in deltas and coastal areas. Coastal settlements have always been attractive due to its provision of critical inputs to industries , despite the many threats — floods, typhoons tsunamis etc. it brings. South-east Asian market expected to become the 5th largest economy by 2020, migration from rural to urban areas is set to increase, putting a strain on existing infrastructures within the cities.
Quidust pel estorem ipsapis etur,
Coastal Communities
E-waste disposal threatens the lives of Thai villagers Source: New York Times
Poorly managed recycling infrastructures in productive regions are facing the threat of untreated discharge from extraction of these waste materials and also the effect of rising sea levels.
Flash flooding in Bangkok Source: AFP/Getty Images
48
A Vulnerable Region
LANDFILLS AND RECYCLING FACILITIES IN RELATION TO SEA LEVEL RISE
ATLAS OF REGIONAL ISSUES
COMMERCIAL FISHING IN RELATION TO CORAL REEFS AND MANGROVES
50
A Vulnerable Region
PROTECTED NATURE RESERVES IN RELATION TO CORAL REEFS AND MANGROVES
ATLAS OF REGIONAL ISSUES
POPULATION DENSITY IN RELATION TO MANGROVES/CORALS
52
A Vulnerable Region
SEA POLLUTION AND CURRENT
ATLAS OF REGIONAL ISSUES
SEA POLLUTION AND WAVE
54
A Vulnerable Region
SEA LEVEL RISE PROJECTIONS 2030
Major capital cities in the region will be inundated by the rising sea levels in as early as 2030. It is crucial to examine the extent of the rising sea levels and how it will affact the coastlines of the region.
THAILAND
JAKARTA
MANILA
ATLAS OF REGIONAL ISSUES
2050
2100
56
A Vulnerable Region
MICROLOCALITIES THAILAND Home to industrial factories, rice paddies, shrimp farms as well as mangrove forests, Samut Prakan is an industrially and agriculturally productive region. With at least 148 factories processing more than 500 tonnes of e-waste a year, the region is subjected to toxic fumes and lead, cadmium and mercury poisoning in the waterways. Among the polluters are nine million household residents, operators of 5,853 square kilometres of agricultural areas and nearly 20,000 factories.
Most workers receive $10 a day for sorting metal and are unaware of the dangerous nature of their work. Some workers suffer burns from exposure to unknown liquids during the extraction process. In Thailand, millions of undocumented workers from poorer countries like Myanmar and Cambodia are vulnerable to abuse� Undocumented workers from Laos and Myanmar engaged in dangerous work that exposed them to blasts of toxic fumes and dust.
[Above] Foreign workers sorting through piles of shredded e-waste on the premises of New Sky Metal in Sep 2019 Image: Bryan Denton
MICRO-LOCALITIES
[Above] King Aibo Electronics Scrap Treatment Center is located amidst cassava and shrimp farms
“Most workers receive $10 a day for sorting metal and are unaware of the dangerous nature of their work. Some workers suffer burns from exposure to unknown liquids during the extraction process.�
[Left] Electronic waste being processed in an informal setting in Thailand. Image: Basel Action Network
58
A Vulnerable Region
MICRO-LOCALITIES
HOW E-WASTE IS SHIPPED Falsely declared imported goods, tax avoidance, and smuggling of e-waste mislabelled as scrap Countries in which e-waste is currently dumped or smuggled typically have relatively weak environmental or enforcement standards. When shipped, unwanted electronic goods banned for export are deliberately mislabelled, the UNEP report said. Batteries, for instance, can be smuggled as either “plastic” or “mixed scrap metal” Set Metal, an e-waste factory, was shuttered permanently in April 2018. It sits adjacent to a eucalyptus farm.
Storage Facilities And Ground Conditions Samut Prakan factory sits in the middle of hundreds of shrimp farms and there were concerns it was poisoning the landscape, with no environmental protections or oversight in place.
The Dirty Business Of E-waste recycling (Urban Mining) While the word recycling implies doing good for the planet, in fact most of the e-waste recycling plants involve a dirty and toxic process to extract lead and copper that does huge amounts of environmental damage. The plastic in e-waste, such as computer screen casings, also contains high amounts of flame retardants that are poisonous if burned or recycled into cheap food packaging, as is happening in some of the factories. These lucrative businesses have taken advantage of the loosened labour and environmental regulations to exploit cheap local labour, with little or no regard for the health and safety of their workers. In some cases, the factories are operated by an underground network of illegal practice of Chinese factories or businesses. Primitive and contaminating methods used to extract valuable metals from the electronics while the rest is thrown into vast incinerators that pump out toxic smoke.
An E-Waste Dump Site In Samut Prakan Province, A Region Rich In Shrimp Farms. Image By The Guardian
Aftermath by Jilson Tiu
60
A Vulnerable Region
E-WASTE EXTRACTION METHODS (PRIMITIVE) 1. Heating circuit boards (de-soldering) Workers dismantle and heat circuit boards on a steel surface (sometimes a coal fired grill) to remove the computer chips soldered into it. Once the individual components have become hot, the solder melts. Fans should channel this most existing highly toxic vapors, outside. The Circuit boards contain tiny amounts of gold and silver. The remains of the boards are then discarded and burned.
2. Burning copper wires to remove plastics Some parts, especially cables and wires, are burned to remove plastics releasing toxic fumes.
Homemade de-soldering kit to extract silver from circuit boards
3. Wire stripper machines
4. Melting plastics into pellets
5. Acid strippers Heat up a combination of hydrochloric and nitric acids to extract gold from computer chips. The acid bath of computer chips is swirled for hours and a chemical is added to precipitate the gold, allowing it to settle to the bottom of the tub. The precipitate is recovered as a mud, left to dry and then melted into tiny beads of gold. Acid sludges are typically dumped into the riverbanks.
Burning of wires to melt off the plastic exterior to harvest the copper.
61
A Vulnerable Region
MICRO-LOCALITIES
CASE STUDY OF GUIYU
Guiyu, a cluster of towns in China’s southern province of Guangdong, is one of the world’s largest centres for e-waste, where an estimated 60,000 workers are involved in workshop-style methods to open up electrical goods - often using their bare hands - the “cooking” of circuit boards, and the use of corrosive and dangerous chemicals to extract metals such as gold and copper. The town generates US$75 million a year, but there are mountains of discarded electronics, the water is pitch black and the workers suffer from heavy metal poisoning.
[Right] Homemade extraction facilities to smelt circuit boards in Guiyu China Image: Kai Löffelbein
[Left] Workers picking out e-waste to be recycled in a landfill in Guiyu China Image: Kai Löffelbein
62
A Vulnerable Region
E-WASTE CAPITAL Ever since the ban on WEEE ( Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) foreign imports by China in 2017, the majority of these waste are routed to Thailand instead, where environmental laws are less stringent. Thailand quickly responded to the issue by imposing import bans in 2018. Coupled with their ‘Digital 4.0’ goal to digitalise the country, the situation does not seem to be subsiding but rather accelerating towards an environmental disaster. Imports into the country is about 50 tonnes annually.
[Above] E-Waste in a Pathum Thani facility Image: Khaosodenglish.com
Most e-waste trafficking occurs at the port of Laem Chabang. Despite the ban, waste can still be brought into the country by simply labelling it as ‘Scrap’ or 2nd Hand item’.
WHO BENEFITS? 99% of the e waste recycling industry consists of Chinese investors and largely made up of undocumented workers from cross border Myanmar and Cambodia. Through sending of equipments over or briberies to politicians, they are able to control the means of production, hence most of the profits do not go back to the community. This implies that Thailand does not receive much benefit from the activity of recycling as the downfalls outweigh the benefits of recycling.
[Left] Tha Than community members rallying against Chinese recycling compamy, Hejia Enterprises Image: iththailand.net
63
A Vulnerable Region
MICRO-LOCALITIES
THE STRUGGLE FOR CHANGE The social-economic issues surrounding this matter prompted IndustriALL, a global union foundation to help form local unions, challenge manufacturers and the government to adopt more sustainable practices. In the way of these changes are the underhanded works from the government and companies. Briberies to politicians were made as a way for Chinese investors to own private land in Thailand to conduct these operations. Law enforcement to halt these operations were weak. Fines amounting to 650 USD are often insignificant compared to the profits made, thus companies are willing to go against the government. Vocal critics of the industry are also confronted with violence from unknown attackers who would cause physical injuries or sometimes even death to instill fear and quell resistance. Despite efforts made by the workers and the communities for better environmental conditions, the lack of government support meant that there is little obstacles in the way of the companies from continuing the unsustainable practice. [Below] Set Metal, an e-waste factory, in Krok Sombun, Thailand Image: Bryan Denton/The New York Times
64
BORDER CROSSINGS: One-Third Of Border Crossings Happen Through Major Roads And Checkpoints. The Rest Happens Through Informal Crossings.
65
A Vulnerable Region
ILLEGAL WORKERS SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING
Smugglers are an important component to allow border crossings to happen in Thailand. They facilitate the transfer of workers to companies and help the migrants from evading Thai authorities at various checkpoints. About 600,000 migrants enter the country every year. About 82% of these were from Myanmar, 10% from Cambodia, and 8% from Lao PDR. They tend to travel in groups of 4-5 people. Women tend to travel with their family while men with friends and other migrants, hiring one smuggler to aid in the process. Where met with police, briberies are made between USD 6.50-260 per month or individual. Due to the unfamiliarity of the Thai authorities, smugglers profit USD 10-30 per migrant for facilitating the whole operation.
MIGRANTS There are 2 main types of migrants. Seasonal migrants cross the border to take up agricultural works near the border. A second group consists of longer staying migrants that tend to take up nonseasonal works that are located all across the country. They constantly go through the smugglers for new job placements. Due to the flexible nature of the job, there are hardly any worker unions established to care of the wellbeing of these workers.
Transboundary Undocumented Migrant Movement Source: Unodc.orgpublibus
MICRO-LOCALITIES
66
E WASTE MODUS OPERANDI (THAILAND)
2017 E-Waste
China
Fine
World
Factories
E Waste ‘Scrap/2nd Hand’
Sellers
Customs
Thailand
Virogreen (Thailand
OGI Co Lt
GPL Metal Grp In
762/sq km
3620/sq km
134/sq km
1339.5/sq km
463/sq km
357/sq
67
A Vulnerable Region
AGENTS/MODE OF OPERATION
IndustriALL Thai Labour Solidarity Committee Pressure
Authorities
Sanko Gosei Workers Union
Activists
Pressure
Fine
Smuggling
Sell Waste
Buyers
d)
Yongtang Thai Co Ltd
td
New Sky Metal Co Ltd
nt
Sanlian Thai Co Ltd
Electronic Manufacturers (Thailand)
Bribery
Politicians Buys
?
Sell End Product
Land
Pollution
Waste products
Work/Sleep
78.7/sq km
Workers + Community
m
Undocumented Burmese, Cambodians + Residents
km
206/sq km
Landfill
?
68
A Vulnerable Region
MICROLOCALITIES VIETNAM Rapid changes in technology, changes in software, falling prices, and planned obsolescence, have resulted in a fast-growing buildup of electronic waste in Viet Nam. Cam Xa Commune in the northern province of Hung Yen’s My Hao District is considered to be the “e-waste capital of the country”. Today there are more than 100 area households employed in processing electronic waste, which also provides jobs for hundreds of labourers in the region.
such as heavy metals are released from e-waste, causing a variety of environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, atmospheric pollution, and water pollution by immediate discharge, as well as health problems, including occupational safety and health effects among those people directly and indirectly involved. Only three out of 15 e-waste treatment facilities are performing at their expected capacity, handling an average of 25-30 tonnes a day. This is a far cry from the estimated 164-309 tonnes in need of treatment.
Due to the crude recycling process, many pollutants
[Above] Phú Khê is a village and commune in Cam Khê District, Phú Tho Province, Vietnam. It lies in the Red River Delta. Given its water resources, the economy is based around fishing and aquaculture but also the production of timber and plant materials.
MICRO-LOCALITIES
[Above] Aerial view of Cam Xa province, dubbed as Vietnam’s e-waste capital
Home to the Red River Delta, the Hai Phong region is prone to rising sea levels.
[Right] Workers extract lead from old batteries in Dong Mai Village, Hung Yen Province Image: dantri.com.vn
“Due to the crude recycling process, many pollutants such as heavy metals are released from e-waste, causing a variety of environmental problems, such as groundwater contamination, atmospheric pollution, and water pollution by immediate discharge, as well as health problems, including occupational safety and health effects among those people directly and indirectly involved.”
70
A Vulnerable Region
VIETNAM OPERATION
The ewaste industry in Vietnam operates similarly to Thailand, where formal and informal businesses are conducted and the illegal smuggling of WEEE into the countries. The main differences in them however lies in how the informal sector operates. In Thailand, the business is run by Chinese companies who hire mainly undocumented workers. Each company can consist of up to 50 workers. In Vietnam however, the business can be a coordinated village effort, where each ‘craft’ village specialises in a type of recycling process, thus there is a more organized logic in how e waste travels to the different villages.
[Below] Workers Extracting Lead Batteries Image: Vietnam News
MICRO-LOCALITIES
FORMAL VS INFORMAL SECTOR
The e-waste industry is dominated by the informal sector as there is an established network of ewaste collectors and craft village to facilitate the recycling process. The formal sector is made of recycling facilities that are less efficient and also operates at a higher cost to comply with government regulations.
[Left] Factories and Landfills in Phan Boi Image: Google Maps
Import
Illegal Export
Importer Trade Agent
Export
Producer
Product
Product
Consumer
Service Shop
Parts
Collector
Craft Village/ SME
Product
Scrap Dealer
Parts
Municipal Wate Collector
Waste Processor
E-waste movement in Vietnam Source: epa.gov
04
INDEXING THE TERRITORY
74
Thailand
POPULATION DENSITY
75
Vietnam
INDEXING THE TERRITORY
76
Thailand
LANDUSE
77
Vietnam
INDEXING THE TERRITORY
78
Thailand
NATURE
79
Vietnam
INDEXING THE TERRITORY
80
Thailand
NATURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
81
Vietnam
INDEXING THE TERRITORY
82
Thailand
FLOODING CONDITIONS (2100)
83
Vietnam
INDEXING THE TERRITORY
84
Thailand
ECONOMY OF POTENTIAL SITES
To determine a specific site of intervention, various regions around the Gulf of Thailand were examined based on their economy, number of households and potential loss of agriculture yield should the region be inundated by the rising sea levels. The Chachoengsao province was selected as the main site on intervention. Home to the Pakong River, the region is rich in wildlife diversity and one of Thailand’s most agriculturally productive zone with more than 50,302 farming households. SAMUT PRAKAN
CHACHOENGSAO
TOTAL POPULATION 2020
1,34 4,875
720,113
AVG MONTHLY INCOME PER HOUSEHOLD 2018 (THB)
28,711.77
26,061.85
NO OF FARM HOUSEHOLDS 2018
16,251
50,302
PADDY FIELD AREA (RAI) 2017
41,480
763,195
FARM HOLDING LAND (RAI) 2017
211,597
1,923,574
TOTAL LAND (RAI) 2017
14,022,654
3,34 4,375
1 RAI =1,600 square metres 1 USD = 1 THB Source: National Statistics Office Thailand
POTENTIAL SITES
CHON BURI
SAMUT SAKHON
SAMUT SONGKHRAM
BANGKOK
1,558,301
584,703
193,305
5,666,264
27,665.39
25,4 46.01
30,182.85
45,707.31
43,188
12,047
11,692
97,613
15,408
3,875
1,721,462
184,885
211,063
2,726,875
545,217
260,4 42
86
Thailand
TESTING GROUND BANG PAKONG WETLANDS, THAILAND
87
TESTING GROUND
Aerial view of Bang Pakong [Image credits: cumbriafoodie]
88
Thailand
LANDFILL LOCATIONS & RECYCLING FACILITIES OPEN DUMPSITES Waste Accumulation
Garbage disposal station Samut Sakhon Municipality
SANITARY LANDFILL GROUNDWATER MONITORING WELL
Phraeksa Dump Site, Samut Prakan
GAS RECOVERY SYSTEM
COMPACTED CLAY LINER COLLECTED LEACHEATE
REFUSE
PLASTIC LINER
LEACHATE COLLECTION SYSTEM
GROUND WATER
LEGEND Recycling Facility
Streams
Open Landfill
Roads
Sanitary Landfill
1.5km radius 800m radius
TESTING GROUND
90
Thailand
SEA LEVEL RISE PROJECTIONS 2030/50/70
The adjacencies of various landfills and recycling facilities and their proximity to the Pakong River pose an imminent threat to the agricultural and aquacultural productivity of the region. With the rising sea levels, unprotected dumpsites and poorly equipped recycling centres will be vulnerable to toxic leachate from mismanaged waste materials.
LEGEND Recycling Facility
Streams
2030 Sea Level
Open Landfill
Roads
2050 Sea Level
Sanitary Landfill
1.5km radius 800m radius
2070 Sea Level
TESTING GROUND
92
Thailand
POPULATION DENSITY
LEGEND Recycling Facility
Streams
Open Landfill
Roads
Sanitary Landfill
1.5km radius 800m radius
Residents Per Sqkm
100
12k
TESTING GROUND
WIND DIRECTION
Jun Wind Vector
Dec Wind Vector
94
Thailand
AGRICULTURE AREAS
fish rice paddy system
This is a man-made habitat in the Lower Bang Pakong River Basin for growing rice, mixed with natural aquaculture by digging canals to the river. The system depends on high and low tides. When it is the season for freshwater, the land will be used for rice farming along with freshwater aquaculture. In the saltwater season, there will be saltwater aquaculture making the agricultural practices function in harmony with the natural cycle of the river system. This type of wetland is utilized for sustainable agriculture can only be found in Khao Din Subdistrict, Bang Pakong District, Chachoengsao.
LEGEND Aquaculture Area Saltwater Area Rice Coconut
Chaiyarak,B., Tattiyakul, G. and Karnsunthad, N. (2019). Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Bang Pakong River Wetland, Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: IUCN. X + 73pp.
TESTING GROUND
A HYP RE
05
PERSTITIONAL APPROACH: EDEFINING THE EXPLOITED “Science fiction is the realism of our time.” -Kim Stanley Robinson
98
A Hyperstitional Approach
FROM ALIEN TO AN [OTHER] FUTURE Given the failure of the current conditions, how do we design an unknown future for the alienated? Using worldbuilding and fiction, the project examines the trajectory of current issues and projects the exploited worker into an alternate future. As a contextual brief for the project and to speculate on plausible futures, a fictional narrative was developed based on current global issues relating to the climate crisis. The story is told through the lens of Keo, a Cambodian migrant working in the dangerous electronic waste industry in Thailand. Leveraging on technology and hybridized infrastructures, the fictional narrative projects the exploited workers into emancipated individuals living together in a post-labour community in an aquatic territory.
99
Redefining The Exploited
THE FICTION OF AUTONOMY
SUBJECT: KEO_SOPHAT GENDER: MALE_ AGE: 23_ NATIONALITY: CAMBODIAN_ OCCUPATION: E_WASTE_RECYCLING PROSTHETIC LEG MANUFACTURED BY SIAMSCRAP CO., LTD
100
A Hyperstitional Approach
FROM ALIEN TO AN [OTHER] FUTURE When will we be able to leave this place…
01
THE ALIEN
In the beginning, he crossed the border, full of hope that he could live a comfortable life. Now he exists nowhere, slave to the job he had hoped would set him free. Countless others share the same fate and wish nothing more than the freedom to be something. An elbow wrapped in an upcycled shirt and a shovel in his other hand, Keo braved the flooded plains and made his way to work. Noticing that the screws on his prosthetic leg were slightly rusty, he lamented as he reminded himself not to expect anything of decent quality from the second-hand prosthetics made from recycled copper. The years of working at a recycling facility have exposed him to toxic fumes from heavy metals found in the discarded electronics, so much that he had lost a limb during a time when he allowed his concentration to slip and the molten iron from the furnace to spill onto his leg. At a meagre daily wage of 180 baht, the cost of replacement for the latter was unaffordable. It was only by the company’s ‘goodwill’ that the leg was manufactured for him. Now he is forever obliged to serve them. Who else would hire him, a crippled illegal alien?
101
Redefining The Exploited
THE FICTION OF AUTONOMY
meanwhile......
Megacorporations have begun to colonise the landfill…
02
SUBMERGED SUBURBIAS
By now, most recycling companies have taken refuge in the landfills. What was once seen as deplorable has now become a precious resource for the corporations to continue their extraction of precious metals and the new plasma rock: a valuable construction material. While civilisation has mostly retreated inwards to higher grounds, these companies stayed on, working on land and water no one else dared for the risk is shared within the circles of their employees. Approaching the fence, Keo made out the distinctive form of the furnace. It stood like a fortress on stilts, towering over the massive heap of discarded junk ready to consume any material that was about to be fed into its extraction chutes by the cyborg workers. Sweeping across, his vision was splattered with these dark shiny landforms. The exterior of the facility was fortified with a gargantuan wall, an attempt by the megacorporation to prevent any erosion of their precious resources from the seeping waters. “ Toxic levels are above human thresholds, switching to closed-circuit ventilation”, beeped the monitor on his prosthetic arm. Flicking his arm to acknowledge the warning, Keo proceeded into the facility, unfazed by the prospects of contamination.
102
A Hyperstitional Approach
FROM ALIEN TO AN [OTHER] FUTURE We have sufficient data to blackmail the politicians
Let’s move into the CiTADELs
Agriculture lands suc
03
UNDER(MINING) FOR AN IDENTITY
Keo connected his tablet to the newest batch of memory disks his coworkers have salvaged from the landfill, scouring its contents for potentially useful data. After the years of physical abuse, they were ready to move on. In the darkness of the night, behind the fortified walls of the landfills, he felt a fleeting moment of safety, safe enough from the prying eyes of the officials at least. Having planned this for years, they managed to gather enough compromising material against both the government and the companies, enough to transform the country into chaos should they find out the degree of corruption rampant in the political system. The seemingly unattainable identity and recognition that they dreamt of for years finally felt within reach. This was their ticket, either those in power submit to their terms of creating a new city for them, or they lose their legitimacy to lead. Keo trembles at the thought of the future that lay ahead. No longer will they suffer...
04
AGRARIA
With their livelihoods dependen land, multitudes from the agra with the recycling workers. Th status of the workers allowed the farmers, sustaining their c
In response to their demands, workers to operate the landfill days, the evolving status of th beacon of hope for the displac
The shifting power dynamics o a new network for workers to the country, accelerating the s operating as new black market unload their treasure of waste how they only knew to live… fo
103
Redefining The Exploited
ccumb to the floods
AN ALLIANCE
nt on the now diminished arable arian community have joined forces he newfound partial-citizenship them to acquire new tools to help crop yield to feed the workers.
the government allowed the ls as an independent entity. These e dumpsites have now become a ced working class and farmers. 
of the waste industry has created trade across dumpsites all over sharing of resources, with landfills ts. Fleets of barges came daily to es. This was how they always lived, r now.
THE FICTION OF AUTONOMY
Citadels become the e-waste capital of the world
05
EYES OF THE STORM
Over time, citadels grew among the landfills, and the area became increasingly recognised as the waste capital of Thailand. Staring into the Gulf, Pong could make out the faint outline of the wall. The furnaces of the citadels stood like crowns, encircling the new capital cities and framing the waste in its full glory. Born from the ashes of the landfill, the sea scrapers of the citadels floated above the water as a symbol of hope for the lost. The community kept its new ideals of freedom and autonomy buoyant as it prepared to withstand the test of time and space.
104
A Hyperstitional Approach
TERRITORIALIZING THE AGENTS (TIMELINE) SPHERES OF INFLUENCE TIMELINE
2020s
2030s
PHASE 1
PHASE 2
EXPLOITATION
SUBVERSION
SUBMERGED SUBURBIAS
UNDERMINING FOR AN IDENTITY
NGOs/ ACTIVISTS
PRESSURE
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
POLITICIANS
BLACKMAIL EXPLOIT
PERSONAL DATA
GOVERNMENT
TO GIVE
IDENTITY / CAPITAL
PHYSICAL MINING
EXPLOIT
POLLUTE
POL
LANDFILLS
YIELD METALS SELL
MEGACORPORATIONS
ACQUIRE
DIGITAL MINING
UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS
RECYCLING COMPANIES
PRESSURE
COLONISE OVERTAKE
105
Redefining The Exploited
TIMELINE
2050
2070
2100
PHASEPHA 3
PHASE 4
INTEGRATION
AUTONOMY
AGRARIAN ALLIANCE
EYES OF THE STORM
CITADELS
WASTE SORTING
LLUTE
BUILDING MATERIAL +
BUILD
ENERGY
AEROPONICS + AQUACULTURE + HABITATION
FURNACES
JOIN
LAND
DRIVES OUT
FARMERS
AUTOMATION
POST MATERIAL COMMUNITY
106
A Hyperstitional Approach
PHASE 1
SUBMERGED SUBURBIAS
INFORMAL DUMPSITES
LEGEND Recycling Facility Open Landfill Sanitary Landfill
Streams Roads Buildings
2030 Sea Level
107
Phase 1
MACRO STRATEGIES
POTENTIAL SPREAD OF LANDFILLS
2030+
108
A Hyperstitional Approach
PHASE 1
SUBMERGED SUBURBIAS
INFRASTRUCTURES REQUIRED
LEGEND Recycling Facility
Open Landfill
Streams
Roads Citadel Boundary Citadel
2030 Sea Level
109
Phase 1
MACRO STRATEGIES
FORMATION OF CITADELS
2030+
110
A Hyperstitional Approach
PHASE 1
SUBMERGED SUBURBIAS INFRASTRUCTURES REQUIRED
LEGEND Recycling Facility
Open Landfill
Streams
Roads Citadel Boundary Citadel
2030 Sea Level
2050 Sea Level
111
Phase 1
MACRO STRATEGIES
EMERGENCE OF RIVER TRADING NETWORK
2050+
112
A Hyperstitional Approach
PHASE 1
SUBMERGED SUBURBIAS INFRASTRUCTURES REQUIRED
LEGEND Streams
Unflooded Highways
Roads
Land - Sea Port
Water Trading Network Citadel Boundary
2030 Sea Level
2050 Sea Level
113
Phase 1
MACRO STRATEGIES
HIGHWAYS AND PORTS
2050+
114
A Hyperstitional Approach
PHASE 2
AGRARIAN ALLIANCE INFRASTRUCTURES REQUIRED
LEGEND Streams
Unflooded Highways
Roads
Citadel
Water Trading Network Citadel Boundary
2030 Sea Level
2050 Sea Level
2070 Sea Level
115
Phase 2
MACRO STRATEGIES
MIGRATION INTO CITADELS
2050+
116
A Hyperstitional Approach
PHASE 3
EYES OF THE STORM INFRASTRUCTURES REQUIRED
LEGEND Streams
Unflooded Highways
Roads
Amphibious Modules
Water Trading Network
Land - Sea Port
Citadel Boundary
Citadel
117
Phase 3
MACRO STRATEGIES
GROWTH OF CITADELS
2070+
118
A Hyperstitional Approach
INFRASTRUCTURAL STRATEGY 2030
ALIENATED Preconditions Design
Under(mining) For Identity Submerged Suburbias Phase 1
Phase 1A Mega-corporations colonise landfills First walls erected to prevent erosion of landfills by rising sea levels
Phase 1B Emergence of other walled cities due to lucrative landfills
Phase 2A River trading network established between citadels Inundation of agriculture regions Displaced farmers move into citadels
Phase 2B Secondary water network to process waste and aquaculture farming established on periphery Energy grid established
Phase 3 Extension of citadels
MACRO STRATEGIES
2050
2070
AN [OTHER] FUTURE
Landfill Depletion Agrarian Alliance Phase 2
Eyes Of The Storm Phase 3
New Community
06
PROTOTYPING HYBRID INFRASTRUCTURES
122
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
EXISTING E-WASTE RECYCLING STRATEGIES
E-waste is collected from business and public drop-offs to be sent to a recycling facility
Glass is retrieved from Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) mostly found in televisions and computer monitors
Not all e-waste is created equal. Here, hazardous materials such as batteries and CRTs are dismantled, and categorised into their core materials and components
The dismantled mater continues down the conveyor belt to be shredded into the size a poker chip
123
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
EXISTING RECYCLING STRATEGIES
rials
e of
An over-band magnet is used to remove ferrous materials such as steel and iron
Near infrared (NIR) technology is used to further separate plastics from the waste stream
Metals that can conduct electricity are further separated by passing them through an eddy current separator
Information obtained from https://www.suez.com.au/en-au/sustainability-tips/learnabout-waste-streams/general-waste-streams/e-waste-recycling
124
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
SORTING TRANSBOUNDARY E-WASTE AQUATIC CONDITION Under a flooded condition where the sea level has risen, floating modules perform the capabilities of intercepting waste barges dumped by foreign countries. The modules are prefabricated discrete components which can be expanded to handle higher volumes of waste. The waste is sorted into its recyclable constituents as it moves towards the seawall.
MAIN CONSTITUENTS OF RECYCLABLE E-WASTE
Waste
Sorting and Dismantling
Glass
Hard Drives Aluminium
Shredding
Overband Magnet
Eddy Current Separator
Steel
Copper
Brass
Iron
Aluminium
Plastics
Circuit Boards Copper Palladium Gold Tin Silver
SIMPLIFIED SORTING PROCESS
FLOATING MODULES
STORAGE MODULE
SORTING PIER
NIR
BARGE PIER
125
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
SORTING TRANSBOUNDARY EWASTE
126
EXISTING WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TYPICAL INCINERATION
TURBINE
GENERATOR
ELECTRICITY FURNACE BOILER SCRUBBER
BAGHOUSE
WATER
WASTE STORAGE PIT
ASH FOR DISPOSAL TO LANDFILL ASH
PLASMA GASIFICATION
127
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
EXISTING WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
PLASMA AS INFRASTRUCTURE The process of plasma gasification is able to melt almost all metals, plastics and minerals through the use of electric arc plasma. Temperatures can reach 7000 degree celsius, thus breaking down the materials into their basic elements. The resultant output is Glassy Rock (Plasma Rock), Syngas and heat. Plasma Rock depending on region, usually consists of silica, lime and alumina. Syngas is made up of hydrocarbons which can be used to produce plastics and biofuel. As a system, the process can potentially reduce the impact of pollution and environmental degradation.
PLASMA GASIFICATION
Through this process, Plasma Rock is generated along with other precious rare-earth metals if e-waste is added. The Plasma rock is chemically inert and non-toxic. It can be blended into a powder form to be mixed with water for usages such as roads, used with cement or even roof tiles.
128
PLASMA GASIFICATION EXISTING WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SPECULATION
Since the process primarily involves melting at high temperatures, it resembles the production of lava where material (mainly silicate) from the earth’s crust is melted and cooled to form varying types of rocks depending on its composition and the rate at which it cools. Igneous Rocks such as Obsidian, Basalt, Fire Opal could potential be formed through this artificial process instead. PLASMA ARC FURNACE
JFE ENGINEERING CORPORATION DC ARC PLASMA FURNACE
KAWASAKI PLASMA MELTING FURNACE
CAPACITY: 300kg per hour
CAPACITY: 160kg per hour
Slagging Ratio 89%
Slagging Ratio 72%
DIMENSIONS: 1.54 O.D. by 1.00m
DIMENSIONS: 1.35 O.D. by 0.80m
129
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
EXISTING WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
MATERIAL VARIATIONS
SLAG
Slag produced through this method is about 20% of the original weight of the waste. It contains mainly Silicon Oxide, Aluminium Oxide and Calcium Oxide. Depending on the method in which it is cooled, different forms of slag can be formed. Slag Sand [Credit: science.howstuffworks.com]
WATER-COOLED
Granules are formed. When ground into very fine particles, it can be used as cement.
AIR-COOLED
Vitrified rocks are formed. The longer the cooling process takes place, the shinier the appearance of the rock.
Slag Rock [Credit: Upgrading the glassy slag from waste disposal by thermal plasma treatment]
AIR-COOLED + SPINNING
When air cooling a thin stream of slag, rockwool is formed. Applications include insulation, cleaning oil spills and ‘soil’ bed for planting.
Rock Wool [Credit: science.howstuffworks.com]
Plasma Rock is a new material made from 100% recycled landfill waste (Source: Inhabitat)
130
DEVELOPING A MATERIAL STRATEGY A FLOODED CONDITION Using a two-pronged strategy that includes both landfill extraction and transboundary e-waste recycling, the project assumes a flooded condition where the sanitary landfill is protected against the rising water levels by a seawall.
MATERIAL EXTRACTION The waste extracted from the landfill is combined with the recycled constituents at the wall, which doubles as a fabrication zone for the production of various modules for city building.
SPECULATING ON A NEW MATERIAL COMPOSITION Lightweight concrete will be the main material driver for the project. This is achieved by replacing the aggregates of typical concrete with lightweight materials such as glass and plastics from the recycled constituents of
131
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
TYPICAL COMPOSITION OF CONCRETE
MATERIAL ORGANIZATION STRATEGIES
PROTOTYPICAL COMPOSITION OF LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE
WATER (6%)
SALTWATER (6%)
CEMENT (13%)
SLAG SAND (13%)
FINE AGGREGATE (32%)
GLASS/PLASTICS (32%)
COARSE AGGREGATE (49%)
VITRIFIED ROCK (49%)
WATER-COOLED FINELY GROUND
PLASMA ROCK (from plasma gasfication of municipal solid waste)
AIR-COOLED
132
LANDFILL EXTRACTION UNSORTABLE WASTE Various infrastructures are deployed to extract materials from the landfill. Since the waste from the landfill is unsortable, the plasma gasification process is used to obtain plasmarock.
+ +
133
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
MATERIAL ORGANIZATION STRATEGIES
Productive belt combines the extracted waste from the landfill and sorted transboundary e-waste
EXTERNAL EWASTE SORTING
MODULE PRODUCTION MIXING TO WALL
TO WALL
STORAGE
SILOS (PLASMA ROCK)
TEMPORARY HABITATION ELECTRICITY
TEMPORARY HABITATION
WASTE
D
A RO Y AR R) IM ILE PR RA (T
HOLDING AREA (SOLID WASTE)
TROMMEL (SIFTING)
SECONDARY ROAD (EXCAVATOR)
FURNACE
PLASMA GASIFICATION
LANDFILL
SORTING
134
MESHING The infrastructures around the landfill are organized based on the topology of the site.
Aquaculture
Sorting
Landfill
Pakong River
135
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
PHASING STRATEGY
SEAWALL MODULES
MESHING THE GROUNDS
136
ENERGY SYSTEMS HYBRID TOWER
A hybrid tower was designed to take advantage of the gravitational logic of waste chutes. By stacking the plasma furnaces in a vertical configuration, the outputs of the furnaces were used to generate energy for the production activities, such as water desalination and aeroponics.
HOISTING CRANE
TURBINE/ DESALINATION
FURNACE STACK
WASTE/WATER CHUTES
AEROPONICS AGGREGATION
AEROPONICS
TOWER GROWTH
137
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
ENERGY SYSTEMS
Furnace Stack
Fresh Aeroponic Crops Are Grown Utilizing Clean Water From The Desalination Plant
ENERGY FLOW UNSORTED WASTE
TO MIXER
WASTE [IN]
SLAG [OUT]
FURNACE SYNGAS [OUT] CLEAN WATER [DOWN] TURBINE
TO AEROPONICS/HABITATION HEAT EXCHANGER
DESALINATION
FROM SEAWATER
SALTWATER [UP]
SYNGAS [OUT] FURNACE
WASTE [IN]
UNSORTED WASTE
SLAG [OUT]
TO MIXER
138
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
ENERGY SYSTEMS HYBRID TOWER
Desalination plant and turbines at the top of the tower convert syngas into electricity and clean water
PLAN HYBRID TOWER
WASTE [UP]
SLAG [DOWN]
FURNACE SYNGAS [UP]
LIFT (VERTICAL CIRCULATION)
CLEAN WATER [DOWN]
MAINTENANCE/ AEROPONICS ACCESS (FUTURE COMMONS)
SALTWATER [UP]
SYNGAS [UP]
FURNACE WASTE [UP]
SLAG [DOWN]
139
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
ENERGY SYSTEMS
Physical Model 1:250 Aggregation of hybrid tower and vertical furnace stack
140
REGENERATIVE AQUACULTURE EMBRACING A WATERY FUTURE
141
Prototyping Hybrid Infrastructures
To provide sustenance to the community, a regenerative aquaculture system is adopted, taking into account the existing livelihood and crops of the Pakong wetlands.
SECTION
AQUACULTURE
142
AQUACULTURE
07
THE GROUNDS FOR DISCRETE NATURES
146
Discrete Natures
GROUNDS FOR DISCRETE NATURES ANTHROPOCENTRIC EMERGENCIES In light of the global housing crisis and accelerated automated of jobs as well as material emergencies such as climate change, mass migration and global diseases such as the coronavirus that threaten our very existence on this blue marble, architects and designers must respond and adapt to this rapidly changing new world, leveraging on the tools available to design an autonomous future.
Twistbot, Bartlett RC4, Gilles Retsin & Manuel Jimenez
In the words of Gilles Retsin, “the Discrete is an emerging body of work that seeks to redefine the entire production chain of architecture by accelerating the notion of discreteness in both computation and the physical assembly of buildings”.
DNA Sequencing, Epigenetic Gene Regulation in the Bacterial World by Josep Casadesús and David Low
Gilles Retsin Architecture, Diamonds House, Wemmel, Belgium, 2016
147
Discrete Natures
AGENCY
CULTURAL AGENCY
The Discrete is a response to the continuous, curvilinear forms of style “Parametricism” coined by Patrik Schumacher. In opposition to the continuity of the parametric design agenda, the notion of the Discrete breaks from a tradition of masscustomisation of a singular building, attempting to reconstruct the commons through distributed knowledge and shorter design production cycles, embedding possibilities in its discrete parts to be recombined during assembly, allow for an emergence of function in response to context and varying scales. POLITICAL AGENCY
Beyond its stylistic agenda, the Discrete opposes the linear scalar economics behind parametric manufacturing. Strong advocates for the Discrete such as Jose Sanchez argues that “ Through its cultural adoption, parametric design has proved itself a style that breaks the standardisation of legacy manufacturing and caters for the growing needs of a global elite who have been able to accumulate large portions of capital.” Thus, parametricism privileges the capital-able elite and could potentially be an obstacle to a transparent and diverse engagement of architecture at large, rendering itself incapable of allowing mass adoption or representing diverse sections of the population.
Gilles Retsin, Digital curves (after Greg Lynn), 2016
Greg Lynn’s 1999 diagram (top) compares a Modernist assembly of circle fragments to a curvilinear NURBS curve (centre). The NURBS diagram rejects the notion of parts and argues for a complete continuity. Here, a new diagram is added below, based on a discrete, computational notion of assembly, suggesting a parallel with the Modernist notion of assembly, but with parts that have a digital logic – generic units detached from type, geometry or predefined meaning.
Set within this post-2008 context, defined by a crisis of late capitalism, the Discrete is an emerging body of work that seeks to redefine the entire production chain of architecture by accelerating the notion of discreteness in both computation and the physical assembly of buildings. It asserts that a digital form of assembly, based on parts that are as accessible and versatile as digital data, offers the greatest promise for a complex yet scalable open-ended and distributed architecture. Moreover, it situates itself in the pragmatic and immediate real, realising that the digital is already ubiquitous and part of the everyday. - Gilles Retsin, Discrete: Reappraising The Digital In Architecture, Vol 89, 2019
148
149
Discrete Natures
AGENCY
LABOUR
Despite the advances in contemporary technology, the physical production of our built environment remains heavily reliant on labour and on a one-off building site. Architecture utilizes a model for labor which is highly analogue, leaning on an unskilled and transient labor force that is in short supply worldwide. The typical production chain even for small-scale projects such as a house are opaque, long, inefficient, and often extremely costly. The building blocks that make up buildings—slabs, columns, beams, etc.—are designed, planned, manufactured, and assembled using processes that have not changed much since the industrial revolution. The very matter and the way we conceive the elements of what constitutes a building or a process of production for one has been relatively unaffected by the paradigm shift towards digitization.
Ivo Tedbury, semblr, Unit 19, Bartlett School of Architecture, 2017
ECONOMY OF PLATFORMS
For as Nick Srnicek explains in Platform Capitalism, “Phenomena that appear to be radical novelties may, in historical light, reveal themselves to be simple continuities.” As investment from venture capital and companies like WeWork , or projects like Airbnb Backyard and Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs take control of our cities and modes of architectural realization, it is clear that without urgent engagement with the politics behind the current agents of change the disciplines of the built environment may suffer a great loss of architectural knowledge about design. The Discrete embodies political agency for a more inclusive approach to design, allowing end-users to embed their own agency into the way that spaces are shaped.
Habitation Deck
Rule based aggregation of discrete components. Robot arms facilitate the assembly and reassembly to dynamically respond to the lifestyle of its inhabitants.
Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB) Pavilion (2018), Gilles Retsin and YIP Structural Engineering London
The building blocks that make up buildings— slabs, columns, beams, etc.—are designed, planned, manufactured, and assembled using processes that have not changed much since the industrial revolution.
150
DISCRETE TECTONICS MEREOLOGY
As opposed to parts being derived from a predefined whole with its form derived from top-down optimization processes as in the case of parametricism, “a Discrete model, on the other hand, have parts that acquire autonomy and define a system or field condition that can stand independently of the whole”, as defined by Daniel Koehler. Sanchez argues that “ Wholes, from a Discrete perspective, need to be understood as patterns – ‘non-holistic sets’ or ‘open wholes’, that are able to grow or shrink in adaptation to their context. They define an open-ended field condition that can find multiple states of equilibrium. Parts, on the other hand, need to be conceived to perform not only one unique role, but rather a multiplicity of possible encounters with other parts. Parts indeed become more generic but capable of encapsulating fabrication and structural logic.” While architects such as Neri Oxman and Greg Lynn celebrate the ‘dissolution of tectonics’ as the building fabric of design and architecture has become more fluid and continuous, eliminating the necessity of parts, the Discrete agenda embraces the idea that parts themselves become the basis for computational processes, advocation for an architecture that is based purely on relations between parts.
151
Discrete Natures
TECTONICS
EMERGENT PROPERTIES
Spatial assemblages along with its meaning and function become an emergent property of the interaction between parts, the resultant of a new digital syntax, consisting of serially repeating, recombinable sets of generic discrete elements. Although the parts are generic and prescriptive, they embody a system of embedded possibilities that can be assembled and reassembled to assume the context, preserving the open and adaptable logics of its aggregation.
TERRITORIAL AGENCY
Social commons that change in their function when recombined with other discrete prefabricated elements
The resolution of the Discrete is independent of its scale, as Retsin argues that the “same approach could run on a resolution of thousands of elements or just five; fundamentally, the relations between the parts are not different.� Thus, the unconstrained nature of the Discrete allows for its its multi scalarity, with no scalar constraints and being applicable to vast territories. Similar to landscape urbanism practices that aim to treat the ground as a possible medium for connective, scalar and temporal operations, the multi-scalar nature of the Discrete promotes functional continuity through its embedded ecological and infrastructural functions, underpinning its potential to promote material and spatial continuity of elements from the ground as opposed to the modernist disengagement of the ground.
BUILDING SYNTAX DISCRETE GEOMETRY THAT ALLOWS RECOMBINATION TO FORM MULTIPLE SPATIAL/STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS AEROPONICS AND HABITATION
Habitation modules designed to be generic with embedded possibilities to give rise to a variety of social conditions when assembled
Although the parts are generic and prescriptive, they embody a system of embedded possibilities that can be assembled and reassembled to assume the context, preserving the open and adaptable logics of its aggregation.
152
Discrete Natures
DIGITAL ASSEMBLIES
Retsin notes that “the Fordist assembly line was used by architects newly interested in the digital to critique the old paradigm of serialised mass-production and assembly. This was soon to be replaced with mass customisation: the idea that digital machines could produce every object differently, at no additional cost”. The Discrete is able to produce differentiation at no extra cost, through its differentiated placement of generic prefabricated parts.
Hoisting Of Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction Modules, Building Construction Authority Singapore
The Discrete seeks to leverage on the economics of contemporary digital technologies, recognising that the digital is already ubiquitous and automation has the potential to make the production and consumption of architecture into a qualitative cultural project that is more accessible and reproducible on a massive scale.
Catalogue Of Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction Modules, Singapore, DP Architects
The Discrete seeks to leverage on the economics of contemporary digital technologies, recognising that the digital is already ubiquitous and automation has the potential to make the production and consumption of architecture into a qualitative cultural project that is more accessible and reproducible on a massive scale. Kisho Kurokawa’s Prefabricated Apartments, Japan, 1964
153
Discrete Natures
TECTONICS
Syntax Of Prefabricated Pre-finished Volumetric Construction Components. Although modular in its design, the parts were obtained from a pre-defined geometric whole, thus specific in its connections and functions.
Discrete parts as a reassembly of Maison Dom-ino. Image: Ivo Tedbury, Semblr, Unit 19/DCL, 2017.
154
Discrete Natures
HABITATION MODULES BASIC UNIT
Each habitation pod can house 2 persons, and consists of a sleeping area and a living area. The small size of each pod allows it to be recombinable with other pods to form larger aggregations. The lightweight pod is constructed by steel wireframes and infilled with slabs made from the plasmarock. This contruction method allows the overall weight of the aggregation to be lighter than conventional concrete pods.
GEOMETRIC STUDIES X-Y TRANSLATION
90 ROTATION
180 ROTATION
MIRROR
COMBINATIONS
Porosity Variance Surface Area
Porosity Variance Surface Area
Porosity Variance Surface Area
Porosity Variance Surface Area
Porosity Variance Surface Area
155
Discrete Natures
HABITATION
Scrap From E-waste
Pre-fabricated Concrete Panels From Plasmarock Mixing
Steel Wireframe
Pre-assembled At Production Belt
156
Discrete Natures
HABITATION MODULES AGGREGATION
The aggregation comprises of a kit of parts of three main types of modules, mainly the living pods, the corridor modules for horizontal circulation and the stairs modules for vertical circulation.
STAIRS A
CORRIDOR
A
LIVING POD
A
STAIRS B
CORRIDOR
B
LIVING POD
B
157
Discrete Natures
HABITATION
158
Discrete Natures Subheading Subheading
HABITATION MODULES AGGREGATION RULES
Adhering to specific rules, the modules are aggregated to allow for different urban qualities to emerge. The rule-based logic allows for the city to be built up in phases, ensuring a time-based aggregation that is responsive to various urban logic.
STEP 3
STEP 1
STEP 4
159
Discrete Natures Subheading Subheading
HABITATION CHAPTER
STEP 2
STEP 5
160
Discrete Natures
161
Discrete Natures
ASSEMBLAGE
162
Discrete Natures
AUTONOMY IN THE DISCRETE
SEEDS FOR EMANCIPATION
The Discrete expresses the desire for autonomy, by breaking free from structural continuity of modern architectures and operating with a digital syntax of specific particles without the introduction of structure or hierarchy. It shares common principles with some of the design movements in to 1960s, such as those of the Metabolists and Archizoom’s “No-stop City”, in their aspirations for architecture to embody individual desires and continuous change. Through its democratisation and accessability, the Discrete’s shortened production chain could be a formidable response to the concentration of power in the form of platform capitalism. Sites such as Amazon and Uber promote a monopoly of resources and the ability to continually exploit and benefit from their users and their activities, with little initial investments.
Discrete architecture seeks to take the first step in using automation to confront the biases and privileges both inherited by and inherent to the disciplines of the built environment. Writers such as Nick Srnick pointed out that striving for efficiency could also lead to a democratisation of production. In making production chains shorter and shorter, the means of production become more and more accessible as they require less and less capital.
“The development of digital platforms in the form of web repositories (as is the case with open-source projects) or video games is linked to the interest of allowing for generic building parts to find cultural and contingent patterns in the hands of a social system. The paradigm understands a feedback loop between tectonics and culture, emphasising the role of access allowing for a diversity of voices to participate in the definition of value systems.” - Jose Sanchez, Discrete: Reappraising The Digital In Architecture, Vol 89, 2019
Left: Andrea Branzi’s No-Stop City Below: Agricultural City by Kisho Kurokawa (1960)
163
Discrete Natures
AUTONOMY
INCLUSIVE PLATFORMS
By conceiving of architecture from its discrete parts and combining it with ideas from opensource software and other participatory models of production, the approach has the potential to engage and give agency to a wider set of project stakeholders, including inhabitants, who can participate in its co-production over time. Participatory gaming platforms such as Common’hood by Jose Sanchez provides a framework for the community to partake in a dialogue that can facilitate collective architectural production. Discrete architecture has the immense potential to be socially propagated while being manufactured with scalable and accessible technology. Sanchez suggests that “the development of digital platforms in the form of web repositories (as is the case with open-source projects) or video games is linked to the interest of allowing for generic building parts to find cultural and contingent patterns in the hands of a social system. The paradigm understands a feedback loop between tectonics and culture, emphasising the role of access allowing for a diversity of voices to participate in the definition of value systems.”
Above: Jose Sanchez / Plethora Project, Folly.age concept, 2018 Middle & Below: Jose Sanchez / Plethora Project, Block’hood video game, 2016
164
Discrete Natures
New Operaism / Discrete Habitation Modules In AutomatedvAssemblies
AUTONOMY
AUTHORSHIP
Far from a rhetoric of exclusion, Discrete design offers a participatory framework for collective production, placing at the centre the design of open-ended tectonic systems that encapsulate knowledge, promoting the ethical allocation of authorship, compensation and autonomy.
166
Discrete Natures Subheading Subheading
MANUFACTURING AUTONOMY
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES IN A POST-LABOUR SOCIETY
Taking reference from Aaron Baastani’s Fully Automated Luxury Communism, different social activities are posited in the form of common spaces above the habitation deck. Due to its discrete tectonics, these social spaces can be taken apart and re-assembled to reflect the on-demand nature of a fully automated society.
167
Discrete Natures Subheading Subheading
FUTURE COMMONS CHAPTER
168
Subheading Subheading
MANUFACTURING AUTONOMY
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES IN A POST-LABOUR SOCIETY
Taking advantage of the discrete nature of the aggregations, the social modules can be combined with other social modules to respond to the on-demand activities, also allowing for larger areas and a change in programmes.
169
Discrete Natures Subheading Subheading
FUTURE COMMONS CHAPTER
Intersection of shortest walk network
Aggregation
170
Discrete Natures
SOURCES
1. Mario Carpo, The Second Digital Turn: Design Beyond Intelligence, MIT Press (Cambridge, MA ), 2017. 2. Jose Sanchez, ‘ Temporal and Spatial Combinatorics in Games for Design’, in Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA ), LOCATION, Cincinnati, Ohio, 19–25 October 2015, pp 513–23. 3. Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams, Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work , Verso (London), 2015. 4. Greg Lynn, Animate Form, Princeton Architectural Press (New York), 1999. 5. Nick Srnicek , Platform Capitalism, Polity Press (London), 2016, p 9.
CHAPTER
08
NEW NATURE(S)
174
New Natures
CYBORG ECOLOGIES
NEW GLOBAL WASTE CAPITAL
176
New Natures
AUTONOMY
By crafting a fiction based on the constitutive elements of the current socio-political and climate crisis, the project moves into the speculation and inventions of other futures, challenging ideas relating to labour and technology. As a further extension, the project invites us into deeper forms of speculation of a world in technological hyper-acceleration and seeks to delineate the idea of social activities in a postlabour world. A trans-human society established from urgency, the exploited labourers project themselves into an alternate reality, one in which they gain full autonomy by harnessing the power of technology to move into a post-labour future.
177
New Natures
AUTONOMY
Leisure Activities In The Post-Labour Society
178
New Natures
Section Through City: From A Drowning Landfill To A Cyborg Post-Material Aquatic Community
EPILOGUE
NEW NATURE(S) When our human systems are putting our planetary systems under significant stress, one needs to rethink the definition of a benevolent nature. Through a process of continuous invention and hybridisation of our natural and synthetic systems, we could be truly able to organise our desires and aspirations into radically new forms of living together in the post-anthropocene.
DEMAND DEMANDTHE THE FUTURE FUTURE
Watch the videos from the project here: The Fiction Of Autonomy
https://vimeo.com/496808792
Full Video
https://vimeo.com/496891436
Singapore University Of Technology And Design [SUTD] Architecture & Sustainable Design | 2020