Levitated Getaway : Beyond the edge

LEVITATED GETAWAY : Beyond the edge A THESIS PROJECT REPORT Submitted by

POOJITHA REDDY ( REG.NO. RA1511201020059 ) under the guidance of

Ar. Divya.M (Assistant Professor) SRM School of Environment Architecture & Design in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE

SEAD SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RAMAPURAM CAMPUS CHENNAI - 600089

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SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN SRM IST Bharathi Salai, Ramapuram, Chennai

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this project report titled LEVITATED GETAWAY : BEYOND THE EDGE is a bonafide record of work done by POOJITHA REDDY Reg.No RA1511201020059 who carried out the work under my supervision.

Certified further, to the best of my knowledge, the work reported here in does not form part of any other project report or dissertation on the basis of which a degree or award was confirmed on an earlier occasion.

INTERNAL GUIDE

COORDINATOR

EXTERNAL GUIDE

HOD

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VP ADMIN

DECLARATION

I, POOJITHA REDDY (REG NO. RA1511201020059) hereby declare that the Thesis titled “LEVITATED GETAWAY : Beyond the edge“ submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelors of Architecture is my original design/ research work and that the information taken from secondary sources is given due citations and references.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I thank my family for the support throughout my thesis and research work.

I am greatful to SRM School of Environment Architecture and Design ( SEAD), Ramapuram, Chennai, and truly indebted to Ar. (Mr.) M. Lokesh, Vice Principal Admin and, Prof. Asok Kumar, Head of Department, and my internal guide for my project work, Ar.(Mrs.) Divya Murugesan for their invaluable guidance, suggestions and constructive criticism during the course which shaped up my study.

Once again my sincere thanks to Ar. (Mr.) Ravindran my external guide, whose valuable comments, discussions and suggestions have been vital in enhancing the quality and flow of my design.

My special thanks to Design chairs – Ar. (Mr.) Venkatesh Babu and Ar. (Mr.) Ravi, and my thesis coordinator - Ar. (Mrs.) Sankeerani Shrinivasan, for illuminating ideas on my work which allowed me to join the dots much simpler. I also wish to express my gratitude to all the faculty members of SEAD for their help and sincere support during the Pandemic-2020.

Greatful to IIT, Chennai – Department of Ocean Engineering and Prof. S. Chandrasekaran for letting me in and guiding me in their free time with bathymetric data and thorough understanding of the ocean and its behavior.

I’m thankful for my friends, alumni and juniors for their help, guidance, and encouragement during my journey.

This thesis project not only is as dynamic as the ocean but also provided with an ocean of opportunities to learn, explore and implement without boundaries.

I’ll be forever greatful to the ones who were part of this sail.

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“The human body is 70% water, so is our Earth’s surface. And it’s rising. And even if the whole world woke up tomorrow and became carbon -neutral overnight, there are still island nations that are destined to sink in the seas, unless we also develop alternate forms of floating human habitats. And the only constant in the universe is change. Our world is always changing, and right now, our climate is changing. No matter how critical the crisis is, and it is, this is also our collective human superpower. That we have the power to adapt to change and we have the power to give form to our future.”

- Bjarke Ingels

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PREFACE

When the space is covered with a thin layer of water, it reflects the clouds. And sometimes you feel as if you're floating among the clouds. But there were also days when the horizon disappears, like immersed in something bigger. But what’s floating there today are just not clouds of galaxies, but plastic. These are the footprints we're leaving on the planet.

Behaviour of human beings is making a Global impact on our eco-systems.

This era is called Anthropocene.

On the same note as Bjarke, “even if the whole world woke up tomorrow and became carbon-neutral overnight, there are still island nations that are destined to sink in the seas, unless we also develop alternate forms of floating human habitats..” I strongly agree to this and believe that we have to adapt to the consequences in future.

It’s evident that our ocean is under threat from land reclamation. Coastal cities struggle to cope with rapid population growth, many simply pour sand into the ocean to create infills.

Unrestricted coastal urbanization is destroying the ocean and marine life; close to 50% of people in the world live in coastal areas. The rising sea and climate change are compounding the problem.

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To find the pearls in life's ocean, you have to venture out far past the shore

The ocean takes up about 70 percent of Earth's space, yet a whopping 95 percent of that ocean is completely unexplored. Any person, who has an eye in designing, has always seen water, as an element to their architecture. Our inquisitive minds often wonder what it would be like to live a day without the chaotic monotonous lifestyle to relax, rejuvenate, and renew.

The ocean provides us.

It already takes good care of us, but are we doing justice?  The ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere.  As it covers ¾ of our plant, it transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.  As ancient practice it was our medium for transportation and after urbanization, a medium for trade.  From fishing to boating to scuba diving, the ocean provides us with unique activities.  The economy rose immensely in various countries who renewed and refreshed their shallow oceans that marine animals came back to the shore.  More than just sea food, soymilk and peanut butter etc., are some of the other surprising ingredients obtained from the sea.  Many medicinal products come from the ocean, especially to help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.

The list could go on, but are we really taking good care of our nature?

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The ocean is a central image. It is the symbolism of a great journey

Water has always been an element of architecture and many countries have already adapted to their context of water e.g., Venice, Amsterdam, Hamburg, etc., where they have built floating houses, amphibian houses, floating neighborhood and floating cities.

Their protocol is neat and transparent. To not mix and match services into their context, nor have their spaces flooded.

On contradictory, there are few other countries which have developed their context to address tourism, cleanliness and revenue such as Dubai, Singapore, Maldives, and Copenhagen etc.

Dubai has made infill islands in the ocean and made more countries want to experience and explore their oceans. Maldives has made a benchmark for tourism and recreation as their context is explicit. Singapore has used their domestic waste treated and made into man-made islands. While doing so, immense amount of energy is generated and converted into electricity. Similarly, in Copenhagen, there are waste to energy plants which has the capacity to treat 400,000t of waste annually to produce electricity and heat for 150,000 homes.

Two-thirds of the megacities of the world are standing on the coastal areas. Today, coastal megacities are under the impact of varying factors like human-induced changes such as urbanization and mega projects and the natural ones as global climate change and natural disasters. Coastal cities are examining the impacts of the sea level change due to the global climate change.

Coastal megacities are mainly compositions of concrete buildings, skyscrapers, complex traffic roads and so forth standing next to the coast, but they also have significant influences on the formation of the coastline, ecological balance, air pollution, sea habitat and weather systems.

Thus, a dynamic and integrated bond can be found between the city and the coast regarding human factors and environmental issues. As a result, the current coastal megacities are facing several facts like “urbanization and pertinent mega-projects,” “global climate change and the pertinent sea level rise,” “earthquake and the secondary hazards” and “environmental pollution.”

Tidal and non-tropical storm floods are still effective such that some cities were built under sea level height and sheltered by walls/overflow sets. Coastal squares are semi-enclosed and usually amorphous urban gaps that constitute an entrance for people who use sea transportation and also respond to their actions like meeting, waiting, welcoming or watching seascape.

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Keep floating!

Floating Architecture is common. What we see in Venice, Amsterdam, Netherlands, etc., is traditional approach to it and Maldives, Dubai as an upgraded floatation. Sustainability in both the subjects are addressed as per context and till date it hasn't disappointed.

With keeping them in mind, these are the key principles addressed -

Site – Bay of Bengal Its time to accept, and adapt.

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What if you’ve given the opportunity to live in/under water? And you wake up in marine world? Would you enjoy the tranquility or meditate in silence above/below water to rejuvenate?

It would be great, might as well for a holiday or getaway, but will it be scary because the ocean is endless?

Recreational Architecture for public. Okay, if so, then I’ll assure you safety and hostage.

Okay, then would it be like adventurous and we could afford accommodation too? And swim among the fishes, and play around? Could we also come in huge number for a wedding or something?

Yes, provided, each and every person is responsible for their actions. It’s a fragile environment, we would want to have fun, yes, but we do not want to spoil the ecosystem.

Yes, obviously. We would not want to pollute the ocean and also swim in it at the same time.

Then, seeyou on the other side of the edge.

*The above graphics were compilation of NASA.gov and Leewardists’ perspective of aquaculture illustrating current world problems.

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SPECIAL STUDIES

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IN DEPTH 1.0 From the above special studies, the ocean has many principles to follow like Aerodynamics, Hydrodynamics, Archimedes’ principles of floatation, mooring systems, VLFS, and so on.

There are many more ways to explore this world, and through technology, many have started exploring underwater spaces. But to keep at floatation, by staying at equilibrium between center of gravity and center of buoyancy similar to how we float in swimming pools, we can achieve built spaces over the ocean surface(Semi submergible). For achieving more balance and stability, mooring systems derived from boats are implemented. Also, from workability of a submarine, we learn how its ballast tanks helps it to function above or sink into the ocean.

Research and design considerations –  Sustainability on livelihood  Sustainability of food, water, waste management, energy  Floatation and stability  Accessibility and circulation  Principles of design implemented  Typology and thrust of the recreational spaces  Security and risk management  Bio Mimicry and Eco architecture  Material considerations with respect to structural aspects  Climate control  Renewable energy  Pollution free Limitations – As this thesis paper is a vast topic and covers predominant contemplation of engineering, structural study and oceanography, there are many attributes which has limited the study.  The study will incorporate sufficient understanding on workability of structure and material palette without legitimate structural calculations or joinery details.  The main focus was how as an user we would be able to enjoy spaces built on the ocean and the various answers solved to achieve it both architecture and technology related.  Detailed service layout.  Detailed prototype for floating city hasn’t laid out but multiples of the end product helped me achieve the same.

Congregated studies of the ocean and principles from various sources have been given their credentials, and have helped my thesis positively.

Its just like a blank canvas, ready to paint.

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LITERATURE STUDIES

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LIVE CASE STUDIES

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IN DEPTH 2.0

From the above studies,

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ARCHITECTURAL RULES, REGULATIONS, BYE LAWS

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DESIGN OBJECTIVES

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BEYOND THE EDGE : SITE ANALYSIS AND CONTEXT

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MASTERPLAN AND DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION

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AREA STATEMENT

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Unconventional. Dynamic. Flexible. Modular.

Category – Innovative Architecture User – Public

My thesis research and project proposal has given me immense knowledge of how various countries have developed, and are still developing. Since the project falls under Innovative Architecture for public, behavioural architecture has played a main role. On the same note, as a civic and environmental activist I've inculcated the principles that an architect is supposed to positively work towards. Grateful to the site which taught me sensitivity towards it.

The psychometric analysis on the environment in recent years have enlightened the need to protect fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs since they are sensitive to pH levels in ocean, sunlight and temperature.

They not only acts as a property of wave reduction, but also helps in enriching the ecosystem and innumerable marine species as home, encourages oceanographers to discover, and makes every human to act responsible and sensitive towards the same. It does excite and succours scuba divers, to pause, meditate and heal.

Nevertheless, we humans, are bound to adapting, and here’s for a great cause!

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BIBLIOGRAPHY, CREDENTIALS, REFERENCES

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“NASA's Earth Minute: Earth Has a Fever”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAuv1R34BHA&list=PL9TFrgFq75552g7qVaiTOeuo7Fy11o5f&index=3 “Floating architecture sustainable measures,” https://www.masterbuilder.co.in/newparadigm-designing-sustainable-floating-architecture-part/ Sinking Cities , https://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/2018/10/sinking-cities-aboutthe-series/ “Very large floating structure” , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_large_floating_structure “Mooring systems,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooring “Archimedes' principle,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes%27_principle “Floating Bodies,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Floating_Bodies Coastal developments in Turkey, https://www.intechopen.com/books/sea-level-rise-andcoastal-infrastructure/alterations-within-the-coastal-urban-environments-case-of-the-coastalsquares-of-istanbul-megacity Global warming factors to consider , https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2007/09/24/3462/the-top-100-effectsof-global-warming/ Recycled plastic , https://inhabitat.com/architects-envison-hawaii-sized-island-made-ofrecycled-plastic/recycled-island-4/ Sunken cities, https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/sunken-cities-flooded-drowned “Floating Ecosystem,” https://www.arch2o.com/floating-ecosystem-blue-21delta-sync/ Symeonidou, Ioanna. (2008). Floating Architecture: From Traditional boathouses to contemporary floating buildings.

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Human impact on the environment , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_impact_on_the_environment Buckingham canal , https://chennai.citizenmatters.in/eyes-on-the-canal-competition-resultsbuckingham-canal-climate-resilience-urban-flooding-7943 Floating city concepts , https://www.designboom.com/architecture/bjarke-ingels-bigfloating-city-oceanix-04-04-2019/ Green project , https://www.archdaily.com/21555/harvest-green-project-romses-architects Fluid dynamics, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_dynamics Aerodynamics, https://www.livescience.com/47930-what-is-aerodynamics.html Ohta, H., Torii, T., Hayashi, N., Watanabe, E., Utsunomiya, Y., Sekita, K. and Sunahara, H. (1999). “Effect of attachment of a horizontal/vertical plate on the wave response of a VLFS,” Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Very Large Floating Structures, Vol. 1, pp. 265-274.

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THANK YOU

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