Aquatecture

Bloom – Sitbon Architectes

‘I belive in God, only I spell it nature.’

Frank Lloyd Wright, Truth Against the World: Frank Lloyd Wright Speaks for an Organic Architecture.

Rethinking Water, City & Architecture.

Mediating

WHAT?

Qianhai Water City – James Corner Field – Reference scale scope

Qianhai Water City – James Corner Field – Reference scales cope

DHA Phase VIII – Karachi, Pakistan – Possible Site

The site is located in a hot, semi-arid climate in close proximity to a large body of water such as ocean, river, lake Etc. The site density would be medium to low. Options include but are not limited to Karachi, Pakistan; Dubai, UAE; Dhaka, Bangladesh or Doha, Qatar. The scale of the site would be large enough to accommodate for Comprehensive Development Area scale thus allowing work on the scope of master planning initially followed by detailed design for a particular sector of the master plan.
These sites have been chosen because the urban and architectural factors allows for the thesis topic to be engaged in all its aspects. The different water bodies at the site create several opportunities to engage with the urban city thus redefining city water relation although; the current water bodies are heavily polluted and thus would need to be dealt with accordingly. Furthermore the current coastal developments in these specified cities have an arbitrary relationship with water itself.

WHY?

Sayamaike Historical Museum – Tadao Ando

Singapore Bishan Park – Atelier Dreiseitl

Historic use of water/nature in Architecture includes Frank LLoyd Wright, Falling water that utilizes waterfall as an element to enhance the experience of the house through visuals and sound. Tadao Ando, in coherence with Japanese culture and modern architecture, celebrated nature through tranquility of water in an experiential way. On the other hand Buckminster fuller earlier on explored nature scientifically for possible design solutions.
Contemporary Architects such as SOM focus on advanced water engineering to allow for sustainable development. Furthermore Atelier Dreiseitl, as landscape architects, use sustainable development processes to create vibrant activities through water bodies. James Corner Field on the other hand, while also focusing on sustainability, reimagines the urban coastline relationship.
In conclusion, this thesis critiques the lack of experiential relationship with water in contemporary architecture as well as the urban relationship to coastlines. The contemporary discourse of sustainable development would be pursued while reimagining relationship of architecture and urban design to water/waterbodies.

HOW?

Composite Geo Spatial Datascape – Robin Burek

Qianhai Water CIty- James Corner Field

West Kowloon Cultural District – foster + partners

Design 8 – Conceptual Masterplan Model, by Adrian Lo, 2007

Thesis would initiate by researching current state of waterbodies, by properties and in relation to the city. The procedure of such analysis will be through natural/unnatural systems research and manipulations.
The site would be mapped including present bodies of water such as coastline, rivers etc plus current development that is related to water.
Initial concept designing of the sites masterplan, in montages, spatial drawings and physical modeling will begin. This would be a circular process of creation, analysis and then creation again.
Furthermore, scheme optimization would be performed by fine tweaking design to more practical standards.
Production would be the last stage to create diagrams, drawings and models to display and represent the complete idea.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Woodman, E., & Harper, P. (Directors). (2014). Architecture and Water [Motion picture]. UK.

2. Sassi, P. (2006). Strategies for sustainable architecture. London: Taylor & Francis.

3. Guenther, R., & Vittori, G. (n.d.). Sustainable healthcare architecture (Second ed.).

4. Rogers, A. (2013). Water and Roman urbanism towns, waterscapes, land transformation and experience in Roman Britain. Leiden: Brill.