FLUID+INFRASTRUCTURE Sara DeMuth
FLUID+INFRASTRUCTURE By Sara DeMuth Project presented to the Faculty of the Department of Architecture College of Architecture and the Built Environment Philadelphia University
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE Design 10: Research and Design Faculty Chris Harnish Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MAY 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 | Thesis Abstract | 7 | Thesis Statement | 9 | Getting to Know Alexandra | 11 | Culture | 15 | Infrastructure | 21 | Electricity |
33 | Design Proposal | 39 | Energy Production |
53 | Site Proposal | 55 | Site Analysis |
70 | Program Proposal | 73 | Phase 1 |
95 | Works Cited |
Once known as the “dark city� due to the scarce electricity, Alexandra Township now has hundreds of thousands of residents occupying an area designed for less than 70,000 making the problems of scarce electricity, high unemployment, crime, drug use and improper housing at an all-time high. With over 20,000 illegal informal dwellings and shacks one of the main themes of the township is that there is not adequate infrastructure to serve the extremely high density amounts of people that Alexandra has acquired in the past years.
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_THESIS An effective electrical infrastructure responds to the dynamic urban township conditions.
_GOAL To develop a self-sustaining energy infrastructural model that responds to the fluid lifestyles of the users.
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CULTURE
_CULTURE CHARACTERISTICS The culture of Alexandra has a sense of fluidity to it. Alexandra along with many other African cities, can be characterized by incessantly flexible, mobile, and provisional intersections of residents that operate without clearly delineated notions of how the city is to be inhabited and used.
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40%
INTERIOR ACTIVITIES (SLEEPING, EATING, DRINKING, DRESSING & WASHING)
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60%
EXTERIOR ACTIVITIES (WORK, LEARNING, SOCIAL & CULTURAL)
_USER EXPERIENCE The people of Alexandra spend over half of the hours in the day doing activities such as working, learning, playing, household maintenance, community service and social and cultural activities. Only a short period of time is actually spent indoors and the majority of that time is spent on unproductive activities such as sleeping.
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INFRASTRUCTURE
The infrastructure of Alexandra was designed for a population of about 70,000 people where as the population estimates about 900,000 people, which equals more than twelve times the amount of people the infrastructure is actually meant for. Some of the main problems of the infrastructural systems include overloaded systems, poor access for maintenance, poor sanitation facilities, low water pressure and dangerous electrical connections.
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Problem: The f o r m a l infrastructure is not responding to the f l u i d i t y of the culture.
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ELECTRICITY
_ELECTRICITY There appears to be many illegal connections to the electricity supply system. Sub-stations are insecure and present a considerable danger to children with easy access to the unit doors where it appears that “hot-wiring” has occurred. Eskom and Kelvin Power Station are Johannesburg’s two major power suppliers and although Kelvin Power Station is only 18 minutes from the center of Alexandra Township, getting electricity still remains a major issue due to steep prices and poor electric lines. 24
_ELECTRICITY IN SOUTH AFRICA ESKOM South Africa’s electricity supply consists of a vertically integrated centralized system whose main provider, Eskom, produces over 96% of the country’s electricity. One of the biggest issues with Eskom today is the high theft rate that estimates at over R3.6 billion lost a year due to a number of different issues.
Johannesburg
ESKOM POWER STATIONS
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ELECTRICITY ISSUES FOR USERS IN ALEXANDRA TOWNSHIP 1. Access 2. Reliability 3. Cost 4. Safety
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_ELECTRICITY Access
Informal Dwelling
Due to the excess amounts of informal dwellings that now cover the majority of Alexandra, the electrical system frequently has blocks and surcharges that are extremely hard to access and maintain.
Transformer Electricity Line Tampered Line/ Meter
_ELECTRICITY Reliability Due to the centralized system, over 60% of the energy is lost to technical deficiencies from macro to micro systems making the electricity extremely unreliable.
Macro Voltage Feeder
Macro Voltage/ Low Voltage Transformer
Low Voltage Sub-station
Service Distribution Boxes
Consumer Meter
Consumer Meter Bypassing 29
10 US cents/kWh
Average Income: $200 per month
12 US cents/kWh
Average Income: $3,769 per month
_ELECTRICITY Cost Although the prices of electricity in all of South Africa are some of the cheapest in the world, the average income is not capable of supporting the electrical fees. The electricity bills in Johannesburg are about 200 US dollars per month making it almost 1/3 of the income of the average family which leaves little room for other expenses.
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_ELECTRICITY Safety In order to bypass the unaffordable costs of electricity, people have begun to tamper with the meters and even try to bypass the system by adding more power lines to the transformers and sub-stations. This has created extremely unsafe conditions for those stealing the power, the families living nearby, and young children passing by who could hurt themselves.
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_ESKOM Funding Due to these four main issues which ultimately result in theft, the project will be funded by Eskom in order to remove the inefficient system out of Alexandra and replace it with the new proposed system.
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_DESIGN PROPOSAL To use a transit center as a hub of local self-sustaining energy generation to create a fluid interaction between the culture and the infrastructure which therefore responds to the dynamic urban lifestyles.
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WHY A TRANSIT CENTER?
34% USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
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32% WALK
34% USE PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION
_TRANSIT CENTERS Transit centers not only symbolize fluidity due to the constant movement of users, but in the particular location of Alexandra, over 68% of the people use either public transportation or a private taxi service to accomplish their daily activities such as commuting to work and school.
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ENERGY PRODUCTION
_ENERGY PRODUCTION The self-sustaining energy system will run on solar power to generate electricity that is then stored in personal rechargeable batteries for the people to power their homes.
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1 HUB
2000 Informal Dwellings
_ENERGY PRODUCTION Solar Recent studies show that the assumed future of solar technology, which will be used in each Transit HUB, has the potential to power 100% of the electricity needs for around 2000 informal dwellings.
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_CURRENT ENERGY SYSTEM The current energy system provided by Eskom consists of a pay-as-you-go method where people buy a certain amount of time from a electricity provider and are then given a receipt with a code that is then entered into the power boxes located in the home.
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_CURRENT ENERGY SYSTEM Relies on the inefficient power lines to provide the power to each home.
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rechargeable sodium metal halide battery
_PROPOSED ENERGY SYSTEM The energy generated at each HUB is stored in small (4” x 6” x 2”) sodium metal halide batteries. Each household can purchase the rechargeable batteries which are charged daily at each HUB and are then taken home and plugged into the boxes to power the home.
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_PROPOSED ENERGY SYSTEM Relies on the personal batteries to provide power to each home.
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SYSTEM ADAPTATION 1. Access 2. Reliability 3. Cost 4. Security
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_Access The proposed system removes the power lines and relies on the personal batteries for power therefore making a direct access to electricity.
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_Reliability Due to the majority of technical deficiencies happening at the micro scale, the system is decentralized and only uses Eskom as a backup line at each HUB in case of low sun exposure therefore the system no longer relies on a third party for energy supply.
Macro Voltage Feeder
Macro Voltage/ Low Voltage Transformer
Low Voltage Sub-station
Service Distribution Boxes
Consumer Meter
Consumer Meter Bypassing 51
r105 + R10/da y
_Cost The cost of each battery would be around R105 = $10.00 and a charge of R10 - $1.00 for a day of charging which would end up being around 1/5 of their average monthly income compared to the current system which takes up 1/2 of the average income.
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BATTERY CAN BE DEACTIVATED BY CODE IF STOLEN
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_Security There is security located on site to prevent damage and theft of the technology and in terms of each personal battery, if stolen, the batteries can be deactivated by purchase code.
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_SITE PROPOSAL The site for the design proposal is located on the corner of London Road and Canning Road. It is currently a high density intersection where taxi drivers convene to wait for customers.
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SITE ANALYSIS
YOUTH PRECINCT
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YOUTH PRECINCT
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YOUTH PRECINCT
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YOUTH PRECINCT
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SITE ANALYSIS: DRIVING DISTANCE
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SITE ANALYSIS: WALKING DISTANCE
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SITE ANALYSIS: PEDESTRIAN / VEHICULAR TRAFFIC DENSE VEHICULAR NODE
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DENSE PEDESTRIAN NODE
VEHICULAR TRAFFIC
PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC
_BUS RAPID TRANSIT PROJECT This site is beneficial for the proposed design because it is located on London Road which in the near future is going to be the route for the new Rapid Bus Transportation line that is being implemented and is meant to integrate Alexandra with the rest of the city.
BRT Station Main Route Feeder Route Site Proposal 65
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USER EXPERIENCE - PROCESSION ALONG 13TH AVENUE
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USER EXPERIENCE - PROCESSION ALONG LONDON ROAD
PROGRAM
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_PROGRAM PROPOSAL Phase 1 Self-Sustaining Transportation/Electrical Generation HUB
Phase 2 System of Self-Sustaining Transportation/Electrical HUBs along London Rd. Green Corridor along London Rd.
Phase 3 Urban Grid of Self-Sustaining Transportation/Electrical HUBs throughout Alexandra
PHASE 1
_ROOF PLAN The roof of the design consists of 7000 6�x6� photovoltaic panels on four tiers that step up from North to South. The panels can be rotated depending on the time of year to maximize efficiency. Around the panels is a corrugated overhang that shades the sidewalk from the harsh weather conditions.
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OAD R N O LOND
CA RO N N AD I N
ROOF PLAN
G
_FLOOR PLAN The design consists of two shipping containers, one 20’ long container and one 40’ long container. The smaller one consists of the bus shelter while the other container houses the battery pick up/ drop off stations in addition to a mechanical room. Shipping containers are used in the design because they are easy to install and can be multiplied across Alexandra. The containers are also pretty relevant throughout the township and are seen being used for multiple things such as little informal shops and cleaners.
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AD O R ON
A. BUS DROP-OFF B. BUS SHELTER C. BATTERY DROP-OFF D. BATTERY PICK-UP E. OUTDOOR PLAZA F. TAXI STOP
L1OND
A
B 2
E
D
C
ING
NN CA AD RO
FLOOR PLAN
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_UNDERGROUND SYSTEM The automated charging system is located underground to maximize security and minimize the heat that is generated. The system can hold around 6000 batteries at one time allowing families to have multiple batteries to ensure that there is always source of power.
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A B
UNDERGROUND SYSTEM PLAN
A. MECHANICAL ROOM B. BATTERY STORAGE
SECTION 1
SECTION 2
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SOLAR SYSTEM
CORRUGATED ROOF OVERHANG
ROOF STRUCTURE
BATTERY DROP OFF/ PICK UP
OUTDOOR PLAZA
UNDERGROUND BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC
WINTER: 45o
SOLAR SYSTEM SOLAR ANGLES SUMMER: 88o WINTER: 40O SPRING/FALL: 64O
SOLAR STRUCTURE SHIPPING CONTAINER STRUCTURE RIGID INSULATION BATTERY PICK UP/ DROP OFF INTERFACE
BATTERY CHARGING STATION
CONCRETE FOUNDATION
WALL SECTION
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SECTION PERSPECTIVE
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USER PROCESSION: SITE ENTRY
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USER PROCESSION: BATTERY LINE
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USER PROCESSION: PICK UP/ DROP OFF INTERFACE
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USER PROCESSION: UNDERGROUND AUTOMATED SYSTEM
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_WORKS CITED “Alexandra, Gauteng.” Wikipedia. April 21, 2014. Accessed April 21, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra%2C_Gauteng. “Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa.” Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa. 2001. Accessed April 21, 2014. http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/upgrading/case-examples/overview-africa/alexandra-township.html. “Arrive Alive South Africa | Public Transport.” Arrive Alive South Africa | Public Transport. Accessed April 21, 2014. http://www.arrivealive.co.za/pages.aspx?i=1456. Bullis, Kevin. “GE’s Novel Battery to Bolster the Grid | MIT Technology Review.” MIT Technology Review. July 12, 2012. Accessed April 21, 2014. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428452/ges-novel-battery-to-bolster-the-grid/. Lehohla, Pali. Survery of Time Use. Report. 2001. Accessed April 21, 2014. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sconcerns/tuse/ Country/SouthAfrica/sourcezaf00c.pdf. Moodley, Sashnee. “Businesses Responsible for Bulk of Electricity Theft – Eskom.” Engineering News. May 17, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2014. Moodley, Sashnee. “Businesses Responsible for Bulk of Electricity Theft – Eskom.” Engineering News. May 17, 2013. Accessed April 21, 2014. www.engineeringnews.co.za%2Farticle%2Fbusinesses-responsible-for-bulk-of-electricity-theft---eskom-2013-05-17. Simone, AbdouMaliq. “Project MUSE - People as Infrastructure: Intersecting Fragments in Johannesburg.” Project MUSE - People as Infrastructure: Intersecting Fragments in Johannesburg. 2001. Accessed April 21, 2014. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/pc/summary/ v016/16.3simone.html. Wilson, Lindsay. “Average Electricity Prices around the World: $/kWh.” Shrinkthatfootprintcom RSS. Accessed April 21, 2014. http:// shrinkthatfootprint.com/average-electricity-prices-kwh.
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FLUID+INFRASTRUCTURE By Sara DeMuth Project presented to the Faculty of the Department of Architecture College of Architecture and the Built Environment Philadelphia University
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE Design 10: Research and Design Faculty Chris Harnish Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MAY 2014