2015 Migrating Coastline by Dominika Demlova

Dominika Demlova MIGRATING COASTLINE, 2015

Migrating Coastline Proposal for a new hybrid economy to fund and sustain the community of small-scale fishermen on the south coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka. While studying the concept of land ownership from the point of view of ecology and social urbanism, new livelihood based on coastal managment through planting and sustaining mangrove forests has been proposed as an alternative to the unsustainable small-scale fishing. Suspended houses would be located in the tidal zone, and would move within the changing sea level. Upper part of the house would serve as housing and lower part would contain working - commercial - space. The house would only touch the ground through the commercial space, which makes used of the loophole in the new set of post-tsunami coastal building laws, which was the reason, the village could not be rebuilt in the original place. The design process started off through researhing the idea of Promised Land within mythology, from which pressure sensor Arduino game has been developed to create various typologies of landscape. It then continued to research the condition of the coastline, the constant threat of natural disaster and further speculating on a new livelihood based on management of palm and mangrove forests.

The garden of Eden is a symbol for the ideal home where everyone lives comfortably. It is the original dwelling everyone lives comfortably. It is the original dwelling.

Adam and Eve are casted out of their homes, leavAdam and Eve are casted out of their home, leaving the stable ing the stable and static garden and static garden.

Original sin

Adam and Eve adapt to new world

Adam and Eve enter time

Adam and Eve are starting to develop new dwelling in hostile environment - need for adaptation Adam and Eve began to develop their new land in hostile environment

Linear movement

Perfect conditions for dwelling Perfect dwelling conditions

all species reside together there is no need for sin

Need for change Change

No going No going back to back Eden

all species coexist

time and movement has stopped in Eden

Time and movement stopped in Eden

time is irrelevant

Time is irrelevant

Garden of Eden: The Ideal and Sin Garden of Eden, is a land where God created the rules of coexistance, which Adam and Eve ignored and have been punished for that. They couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take part in the symbiosis within Eden.

THE GARDEN

No mercy

Whole image is layered

Mountain as a barrier

Wall could continue far Small houses placed on coastline

Last known city is on the coastline

Azyl

Rebirth

Last Known City - First New City? Reinterpretation of Massimo Scolariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s painting Last Known city has made me aware of seeing a tragedy (natural disaster) as an opportunity to reflect upon how we live and make a large change.

Thrive

Highest form of living

Perfect Dwelling

The centre of the world Rivers

Sea

Mountains

Promised Land

Tea Plantations Tea Plantations

Capital city

Path between promised land and no manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land

The Tree of Life and its main pillars

Capital city

Tourism

Gate

Cycle of false turns

Roots of the tree of life

Original configuration

Separation

Reconfiguration

Snake

Sri Lanka Original Map

Sri Lanka Districts Separated

Yggrasil Norse Tree of Life

TREE OF LIFE

Land as Islands Seperating complex landscape into individual islands according to social, economical and ecological conditions to be able to reconfigurate them. To create a world organisation similar to Yggrasil, tree of life from Norse mythology. The tree holds the 5 realms including the most knows Midgard and Asgard - while allowing journies between them.

Wastelands

Fisherman’s Land

Wetlands

Vaddas Territory

Droughts

The Split

the city

If you visit Wastelands multiple times, you will find that the land parcels are changing shape and sizes. What you first thought is finishing a wall separating a field is actually a continuous rebuilding of the wall merging and separating the parcels of the arguable land. Talk to the farmers about the cycle of sub-diving their rice-fields in their family, which results in parcels too small to create any profit and then selling them into larger groupings. “I have a nightmare that repeats itself over and over” said one farmer’s daughter to me once, “nightmare of the never-ending wall that moves like a snake through the land”. The snake that defines the well being of the farmers if the most important element on this island.

Leaving there and proceeding for three days toward the east, you reach the island made of sixty floating houses on water, where every man is a fisherman. Each house is specialized on catching a different type of fish, which they then exchange at the large market place in the middle of the houses. You will never forget the smell of the market after the fisherman flood the tabletops with their daily bounty. The whole islands smell-scape changes within minutes. The market takes place in the early morning after the fishermen come back from the sea. Their wives are in charge of the fish stands and the children go around and carry out the shopping. Young girls are the only ones who’s day does not rotate around fish as they have to take care of the garden and small potato fields on tops of each houses.

When you have arrived at the Wetlands, you rejoice in observing all the settlements above the water, each different from the others. Some are cambered, others are on pillars or suspended from between other structures. You see people move between the buildings through narrow paths bridging the gaps of the tiny islands that form the base on which the city holds itself. You notice several tall towers carefully positioned through the city. A woman who walks by explains to you that those are water-watchers stations, as she sees you looking at them. Periodically the tides overtake the settlements of the island, forcing the inhabitants to rebuild the place over and over again. Suddenly you hear a alarm coming from the towers. You cry with regret at having to leave the city when you barely grazed it with your glace. Soon the city fades before your eyes. .

Travelers return from the Vaddas territory with distinct memories of the vast open savannas full of grazing animals and grass slowly moving with the wind. They often forget to mention the Vaddas themselves, maybe because they haven’t come into contact with them at all through the journey. It is actually quite simple to overlook them in the savannas if you are not specifically looking to find them. Their villages are so small and scarcely positioned around the land that people stopped acknowledging their presence. There is very few Vaddas colonies left in the land and together with their dwellings built underground into the cool soil, they perfectly blend into the yellow grass.

Visiting the droughts land leaves you with strong memories of the warmness of the soil and brightness of the sun. In a land where shade is almost as valuable as local currency, the water-gods are religiously worshipped four times a day. A water-collecting canopy drapes over the majority of the land, forcing people to live their life in the space between the canopy and the dry soil. The water pipes become the infrastructure of the city that mark the water-wells throughout the fabric of the land. One boy took me to the well to show me how he can collect his assigned amount of water by scanning his retina. “Is it a life of restriction but it is our home and we are never leaving it. Let the water-gods be merciful.” He then said.

The land of Split has been divided into two parts as long as any person can remember. They are however not two distinct countries but continually fight over the territory and their own sovereignty. The closer you get to the borderline the less lively and more dangerous the land becomes. At the edges you can walk barefoot through the warm sand of the paradisiacal beaches but at the frontline you cannot walk at all due to large amount of mines. The conflict starts to claim its own territory at the border as it defines the space of no-man. I witnessed people migrating from the central part of the land to the outskirts as the frontline thickens.

The Island has been completely overtaken by a dense cityscape, which rises over the physical borders of the land. While buildings continually compete in verticality in order to reach the sky, people keep rushing to places in the narrow streets on the surface. For them the sky is barely visible as the skyscrapers block most of the view. The streets are crowded with and people constantly bump into each other as they keep checking their email accounts, not paying attention to the street. Corporate hierarchies, follow the floor slabs of the skyscrapers with the most important business corporations of the island inhabiting the clouds. You might find it interesting when a local tells you that in fact the majority of people in this city fear heights. .

society

natural condition

density

Defining Conditions Islands

. political

natural condition

density

[Breadboard]

Screen [Showing Generated Image]

Laptop [Code through Processing]

[Pressure Sensor]

[Arduino]

Finding Limits

Table Set-up

Connecting Sensors

Positive Neutral Negative

[Your first impression]

Positive Neutral Negative

[Building type] [Your first impression]

[Encounters with locals]

[Building type]

[Landscape type]

[Encounters with locals]

[Your thoughts while leaving] [Landscape type]

[Your thoughts while leaving]

Empty board

Person begins the game

Empty board

Person begins the game

Decides first island

Creates landscape with four

Landscape with five pieces

Landscape Model Set-up Landscape Model Set-up Arduino with sensors needed to be straight under the landscape board. When all sensors were connected to Arduino, it was necessary to calibrate the reading of the islands - the limits. Arduino with sensors needed to be straight under the landscape board. When all sensors were Because of the extreme sensitivity of the sensors, they all effected each other. connected to Arduino, it was necessary to calibrate the reading of the islands - the limits. Because of the extreme sensitivity of the sensors, they all effected each other.

Changing the islands

Two spots need to stay empty

Colombo Dehiwala

Affected Land

Tsunami 2004 with epi centre in Sumatra

Worst Affected Land

Tsunami: Coastline Condition The whole coastline has been affected. It disrupted the increasingly important tourism, distroyed the coastline railway and displaced over 200 000 people out of their homes.

1975 1976 India

1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 SL

1982 1983 1984

Indian Ocean

1985 Indoneasia

1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 0

100

200

Tsunami: Product of Progress The frequency of natural disasters has been proportionally increasing with the amount of human progress. The tsunami of 2004 has affected Sri Lanka on both coasts and disrupted the life of fishermen for long time due to dispacement, loss of equipment and loss of boats.

300

400

500

600

disasters reported

- Station Road -

POST TSUNAMI NO BUILD ZONE

+0.0

-0.2

-0.4

High Tide -0.6

-0.8

-1.0 -1.2

-1.4 -1.6 Median Tide

-1.8

-2.0

-2.2

Slum is enclosed between railway and the indian ocean.

Village is now by law illegal due to the post Tsunami buffer zone.

Dehiwala Train Station Although the law doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow the villagers to return to Dehiwala beach, they re-built their village illegally. Pressed as close to the rails as possible, they occupy both the land of the government and railway company.

1930s

Fishing confined to lagoons where men netted prawns from small dugout canoes

1941

World War II Stilt fishing begins

1954

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s type of Oruwa boat

1972

Republic of Sri Lank Cival War Begins

Company Owned Boats

1990s

Offshore and deep sea fishing

2004

Tsunami (75 percent of fishing fleet was destroyed)

2006

Subsidies for 11,000 outboard motors and fibre-reinforced plastic boats

2008

Multi-day boats with modern storage facilities for fishermen in the tsunami-affected districts

2010s

Unsustainable Fishing

Overfishing in Indian Ocean

100

Million Tons of Wild Catch

- Station Road -

- Station Roa - Fairline Road -

Working in shops around Dehiwala

Working in the city Working in shops around Dehiwala POST TSUNAMI

Commuting to Colombo

Working in the city

POST TSUNAMI

NO BUILD ZONE

Commuting to Colombo +0.0

NO BUILD ZONE

-0.2

Selling Coconuts to tourists Small Kiosks for tourists

-0.4

Business on beach

+0.0 High Tide

Selling Coconuts to tourists Small Kiosks for tourists

-0.6

-0.2

-0.4 -0.8

Business on beach

High Tide -0.6

-1.0 -1.2

-1.4

-0.8 -1.6 -1.0

-1.8

Selling coconut - sold for 150 SRL

Median Tide -1.2

-2.0 -1.4 -2.2

-1.6 Median Tide

-1.8

-2.4

Selling coconut - sold for 150 SRL Stilt Fishing - 500 SRL for a photo

-2.0

Fishing

-2.6

-2.2

Stilt Fishing -

-2.4

-2.8

Scale 1: 20

Low Tide

Fishing

-2.6

Fishing on larger boats -2.8

Scale 1: 20

Low Tide

Fishing on larger boats

Economy of Dehiwala Coastline The economy of Sri Lankan Coastline is increasingly focused on tourism. Locals open coconuts and sell them a dollar each and traditional Stilt fishermen pose for pictures earning more in one day than for a whole month of fishing.

Phase 1: Set up

1/ Splitting Coconuts

2/ Burying Husks

3/ Beating Husks

4/ Soaking Coir in Bundles

Phase 2: Production

5/ Drying Coir

6/ Separating Coir

7/ Spinning Wheel to Make Rope

45-60 Day Harvest 1 Tree produces 100 a year Tax consession for coconut coir production

Putallam

Kurunegala

Dry Zone

Colombo

Intermediate Zone Wet Zone

100

200km

Land Ownership

Use of Coconut Tree

Properties of Coir Rope

- Within the Coconut Triangle 55% of owners own 4 hectares holdings. - Holdings are leasted to individuals

a. Coir Rope b. Food and Drink c. Building Materials d. Mattress and Pillows e. Timber

1/ Only natural fibre resistant to salt water 2/ Strong and durable 3/ Swells with water - makes knots tighter 4/ Future in geotextiles 5/ Large demand

Coconut Rope Production

Using Coconut as a new livelihood

1/ Purify the water by absorbing impurities and harmful heavy metals

Faced Leaf M o ple

2/ Prevent excessive shifting of coastline sand

wn Pelika Bro n

3/ Land Accretion Heron

ey nk

Pu r

Fruit Bat

a. Medicial properties of leaves

b. Fabric dyes

er Monito Wat r

c. Traditional Wood for Masks Shrimp

4/ Fixation of mud banks

d. Eco-tourism

Crab

Snails

5/ Dissipation of winds, tidal and wave energy

e. Tannin used to cure fishnets

Oysters

Coastal Managment

Mangrove forest is a primary way of stabilisation of land quality and protective border against natural disasters for the coastlines.

pe Snap r Fish

Animal Habitat

Mangrove forests create nursery and breeding ground for large number of fish and form home for various animals, including oysters and shrimp

Social Role in Sri Lanka

Mangrove has been traditionally part of Sri Lankan culture. However, the need for land in coastal areas for tourism, shrimp production and salt pans created high demand for deforestation.

Whole structure moves within air

Living doe

Market p

Yggrasil Norse Tree of Life Yggrasil holds five realms within its branches and roots. The centre of the world, the tree itself, connects the worlds and allows the gods to transend between them: Especially the promised Asgard and human Midgard.

Loophole Architecture The buffer zone allows commercial buildings to be build on the beach. The first iteration shows first approach towards the rule/restriction within the site by overreaching the zoning and never letting the living spaces touch the ground.

ala

hiw

ide hT

Hig

ian

e Tid

ian

e Tid

vern

e Tid

50m

rcia

e mm

e Tid

50m

30m

ilw

in us

15m

nal

ter

ian

e Tid

The fishing community lived on government land with living permit. As a after math of 2004 Tsunami, Sri Lanka established 100 meter no build zone on the coastline. It forbid to build any housing buildings in that area apart from commercial buildings.

e Tid

50m

Residential

Commercial 30m

15m

tio

cula

Cir

Land Ownership e Tid igh

erc

ala

hiw

Coastal Vegetation - Coconut Forest ide hT

Village M

Tourists

ilw

ent

Coral Reef

50m

e Tid

Coastal Vegetation - Coconut Forest

30m 2.4m

e Tid

ver

e Tid

ian

Intertidal Zone - Mangrove Forest

Village

e Tid

Ecology

ide nT

Rope Factory

Economy

ial

Rope Factory

1.2m

15m

Intertidal Zone - Mangrove Forest

Risk Reduction

rc me

nly

Tourists

Culture

Risk Reduction

Dehiwala Ecosystem

Land Ownership

By combining usein of improving two trees to develop By combining use of two trees to develop the livelihood, the village takes part the the livelihood, the village takes part in improving the environment of dehiwala. It will provide protection againstThe storms and surges and strenghten the on government land with living permit. As a after math of 2004 fishing community lived environment of dehiwala. It will provide protection against stormssoil. andRope surges and strenghten the and will provide the villagers with their own building will increase Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s export Tsunami, Sri Lankaandestablished 100 meter no build zone on the coastline. It forbid to build any material. By moving the village to the ocean, the beach will be left open to tourists other soil. Rope will increase Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s export and will provide the villagers with their own building housing buildings in that area apart from commercial buildings. commercial use. material. By moving the village to the ocean, the beach will be left open to tourists and other commercial use.

Plan: Living Space

Rectangular Sail

Square Lashing The lashing is designed to be load bearing and can be used to create scaffolding. Many applications have been described including: making support frames; when two trees are close enough, a table can be supported by a pair of poles or branches lashed horizontally either side of the trees and a raft can be created by lashing bamboo poles across each other.

Main Mast

Coconut Coir Rope

Diagonal Lashing

Outrigger Sri Lankan Oruwa

Unlike the Square lashing which works for right angle crossings, the diagonal lashing secures poles crossing each other at a variety of angles. The diagonal lashing is used to join two diagonal poles that are being used to brace a rectangular frame. The location of one diagonal in front and one behind explains the gap between the poles commonly found in the center.

Lashed onto platform

Shear Lashing is used to lash the ends of two poles together. The other ends are separated to make a pair of Shear Legs. Shear legs support weight. A single pair can be controlled with a rope as they lean over a stream to lift a bucket. A series of them can support an aerial walkway.

Kochi Fishing Rig

Coconut Palm Hull

Traditional Boat Building Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional boat is Oruwa, outrigger sailing boat. Its hull is traditionally made from coconut wood and uses the coconut coir rope to suspend the outrigger from a beam. Various laching techniques are used during the building process to connect the wood without using bolts. The technique is similar to the rope fishing rigs in India and Italy.

Trabocco in Italy

Rain Water Collector and Storage Head

Water Tank

Pipes to Platform

Locking System

Pontoon

Water Collection Dehiwala is placed within the wet climate of Sri Lanka. Rain is frequent and traditionally, the

Access to ladder

Locking

Garden on top

House suspended by coir rope Pontoon

Space where platform moves

Whole house suspended from platform

Rail moving as a Marina

Mangrove Frame as a start of forest

Ladder as inner circulation

Mangrove young trees

Rail as a way of access Long Section

Cross Section

Ladder

Mangrove Frame as a start of forest

Ladder Cultivation

Infant Mangrove

7.00 m

2.40 m

3.00 m

3.03 m

Tuesday 26th of May 2015, Sunrise - 05:53 High Tide - 08:08 am Sunset - 06:18 pm High Tide - 07:36 pm

1 year

3.12 m

1.70 m

Tuesday 26th of May 2015, Intermediate Tid

de - 05:08 am, 10:10 am, 04:18 pm, 11:12 pm

years

Rain Collector

Pontoon

Spinning Wheel

Floating Base

Soaking Husks

Tuesday 26th of May 2015, Sunrise - 05:53 Low Tide - 02:02 pm Sunset - 06:18 pm Low Tide - 03:03 am

20 years

3.0 m High Tide

Low Tide

1.5 m Median Tide

Migrating Coastline Scale 1:140

Drying Coir

Soaking Coir

Spinning Coir Rope

41 m

Coconut Trolley